Avatar: The Last Airbender is arguably one of the greatest television epics of our generation. It has had a huge impact on the lives of adults, children, and everyone in between. Running between 2003 and 2008, Aang and company became some of the greatest characters on television. From Katara’s great determination in a patriarchal society, to Aang’s naive purity, to every single one of Sokka’s jokes, there was absolutely something in this show for everyone. It had awesome lessons to learn and didn’t work in a way that was solely for kids. There were some dark and scary times. There were times when the answer was in the gray area.
Because all of this, Avatar: The Last Airbender will be a modern classic for a while to come, despite the reception of The Legend of Korra.
One of the characters that helped drive the plot was Katara. She was sweet, hard-headed, and motherly, often heaping out tough love and inspirational speeches. Katara may very well have been on the same level of protagonist as Aang, but that did not excuse her from some of her more odd tendencies; most of which made no sense at all. While you might put some of them down to continuity errors, many of these items require a bit more digging before any explanation is given. Either way, Katara is one bender we do not want to get angry. Being a master of waterbending, healing, and bloodbending gives Katara many advantages in any situation.
25 It's Bad To Go Alone
Katara is undoubtedly the moral compass for the group. She chides them when they do something irrational or risky. However, there are several times in the series where she does something just as crazy, but receives no real punishment other than that she puts on herself. But if someone makes a rule that does not fit her paradigm, there is no mountain high enough to stop her from doing it anyway. Even if it takes her a very long time, Katara will do as she pleases. Northern Water Tribe tell you that women can't bend water? Challenge their leader to a duel. Someone end your mother? Spare him the end at your hands so that he lives in fear. Katara is worse than the spoiled kids on Toddlers and Tiaras.
But there's something to the rebel spirit that we tend to like. The reason Katara's rebellion doesn't make much sense, however, is the fact that for much of the series, she is seen as the 'goody-two-shoes' character. She has a strict moral code and makes everyone adhere to it. Except when she really wants to pursue something. You have to wonder how much she got away with in her adult life because of her power and reputation.
24 Mother Dearest
In literature, there are two main ways to analyze a woman: a mother or a loose woman. Both have their varying degrees, and with a cast with as many women as are in Avatar: the Last Airbender, it was inevitable that each of the girls were going to have to forge their own combination of the two. Katara is no different. She has shown both aspects in many ways throughout the series. She has the attributes of the loose woman because she doesn't allow the patriarchal society to control her life. A prime example of this is when she fights against Arnook, or by becoming the painted lady to help save a village.
However, she is also probably the best example of a mother in the Avatar universe.
She looks out for everyone; she works on chores such as laundry and cooking. She always worries about her friends when they are not feeling well or are dealing with an emotional problem. Katara does not seem to be the woman who would settle down, and she has said as much. She makes no sense in a storytelling aspect, because she doesn’t fit either persona. We tend to like her just as she is.
23 You'd Think It Wouldn't Happen This Way
Yes, I’m going there. I’m going to mention the trauma-inducing nightmare that was Shyamalan’s attempt to bring Avatar to the big screen. There will be a couple of other mentions of it on this list. You’ve been warned. While this particular instance affected the entire cast, Katara’s live action counterpart made some pretty large waves. Admittedly, while this entry is not anywhere near Katara’s fault, I’m putting it here because it has become part of who Katara is. As much as none of us want to admit it, the live-action film is still a thing, and still shows up in internet searches. Thankfully the first one tanked so badly that it saved the franchise from any more films. Shyamalan strayed far from source materials, and that’s the most ridiculous part of all.
Katara is a strong, nurturing, relatable lead. She should be treated as such. Relegating her to a boring, improperly cast damsel in distress really doesn’t do her character any justice. Not only did Katara become the exposition machine, she also lost practically everything that separated her from a Disney Princess. Ouch.
The saddest part about it is that without Katara, the whole series arguably fades away. Were it not for her determination, there were a few times when Aang would have given up and gone home.
22 A "Loose" Interpretation
Oh, the Ember Island Players. You may still be better than Shyamalan, but you will always remain in our hearts as our favorite fever dream of the series. Everyone in the play was given one dimension that accurately depicted one similar to their counterpart. Sokka was a jokester, Aang was optimistic, Zuko was obsessed, and Toph was tough. But Katara seemed to be a little off. Sure, she was the emotional one, which is pretty par for the course, but while everyone else got pretty obvious parodies in their costumes, Katara’s came seemingly from out of left field. As the areas they travelled to got warmer, she wore less layers of clothing.
However, none of it was overly desperate for attention.
Why did Katara’s character get this blatant treatment? Sure, it makes sense if you don’t think about it too hard or blame the fact that the Ember Island Players were undeniably against our heroes. Katara isn’t the girl who’s actively seeking out love. If it pops up (read: Jet) then she wouldn’t bow out or reject it completely. However, due to the massive consequence of losing the war, it’s simply not on the forefront of her mind. Still, is it too late to get their version of Shyamalan’s movie?
21 Who Needs Animals To Help Clean?
Since Katara and Sokka’s parents had either passed on or were off to war for a large chunk of their lives, daily chores were left up to the children to complete. From the very first episode of the show, we get the sense that both Katara and Sokka follow traditional gender roles where Sokka helps hunt and defend the village while all of the homemaking is left up to Katara and Gran Gran. During the first episode, Katara is still learning to bend and has trouble controlling the water sometimes.
But this begs the question: why wouldn’t she have started trying to use her powers to help with the chores?
Sure she didn’t have a master and it was supposed to be a secret that she could bend. Katara is stubborn. She is a rebel (selectively) and does eventually try waterbending, an event that leads to the two finding Aang’s iceberg. Knowing Katara like we do, it’s hard to imagine the fact that she wouldn’t have at least tried it. After all, she goes from learner to master in just a matter of months, and somehow is still able to teach the Avatar how to waterbend. I’m not saying she didn’t see the benefits. I’m just saying it makes no sense.
20 If You Can't Stand The Heat....
The journey to save the world happens over the course of quite a while in Avatar, and two of our heroes are from arctic climate comparable to our own snowy north and south. Both Katara and Sokka end up travelling far and wide around the four nations of the world, visiting many different places and climates. Amazingly though, they somehow don’t end up being too troubled by it. We’re not going to mention the time when they went through the desert and drank cactus juice because everyone was dying of heat in that episode. The point I’m trying to make here is that during the first season, there isn’t anything about how Katara or Sokka would know what to do in the case of a heat stroke or a monsoon.
Living in the snowy south leaves you with only one climate to acclimate yourself to. While I admit that they certainly would get used to the heat after a while, it’s a little odd that the creators did not include anything about Katara and Sokka’s ability to adapt to the world around them. The characters are already adapting socially and mentally; why not physically, too? Guess we’ll chalk it up this time to story pacing and cartoon logic.
19 Gran Gran's Surprising Homeschooling
Okay, if we can't have any explanation as to why Katara and Sokka can survive in warmer temperatures, can we at least get an answer as to how they are so knowledgeable about literally everything else? Katara and Sokka were raised by their parents until they were 8 and 9 respectively, when war tore the loving Kya and Hokoda away from them. So for five years, Gran Gran and the rest of the village had the responsibility to teach the children everything they knew. Granted, traders most likely came to the village, so they would be able to teach the village about some things, including what was going on in the war. However, that does not account for little things, like the way Katara and Aang danced during a class party in the fire nation, or the name of many animals in the world.
My guess here that it once again falls under story pacing and cartoon logic.
The show does a really good job about assigning exposition and describing what things are to the audience in a way that makes you think they actually would know it. But the nitpick me has left me questioning little things. Just like some of the other loose ends, this is a mystery that makes no sense, but we forget about it because we just love the show.
18 They Have A Canon Name?
Avatar: The Last Airbender was pretty revolutionary when it came to the clothes their characters wore. Everyone had their standard outfits from season to season, but they did change clothes for disguises and to fit in with the people of the areas. When they were in Ba Sing Se, the clothes were earthy colors and very traditional. In the fire nation, reds were everywhere and fit for a hot climate. Had they spent more time in the north and south poles, I'm sure there would have been more cold climate outfits to wear as well. However, there was one part of Katara that remained the same no matter what: her hair loopies.
Sokka gives the hairstyle its name in one of the episodes, and they have become so iconic that there is even a Wikipedia page for them. In this day and age, it’s hardly surprising. They probably even have their own Facebook page at this point. What’s so ridiculous about them is how impractical they are. In many fights, they get in front of Katara’s eyes for a few seconds at a time. When dealing with someone as crazy as Azula, you need all the time you can get. They’re probably inspired by Gran Gran, a nice homage piece for Katara’s signature look.
17 What Is Love?
Aang and Katara have a relationship that is kind of convoluted, to say the very least. Starting out at 12 (or 112 if you want to get technical) and 14 respectively, the characters become a popular romance throughout the show. There is much love for it, and there are some great scenes in the show supporting the relationship, such as the episode about the Cave of Two Lovers, or the episode featuring a fortune teller named Madame Wu. A good chunk of the fans support the shipping, but quite a few reject it, noting that for quite a bit of the show, Katara acts more matronly toward Aang than someone who is in love.
You had to know this one was coming. For Katara, the relationship didn’t make much sense. She wasn’t the kind of person to go settling down so soon. And personally, I didn’t feel like her ending up with Aang made sense. It mostly just felt rushed and expected, as she was the lead female. I understand that the Nickelodeon executives would have loved to see this romance play out, and I’m positive it was under their influence that it was pushed for. Katara probably learned to love it, but it’s still something I don’t know that I just accept even now.
16 The Shipping Is Strong With This One
Now, just because I have stated that I am unconvinced that Aang and Katara made a good couple, you can’t expect me to be a fan of Zuko and Katara either. While they admittedly made for a more interesting pair, I can’t say I saw much evidence that supports Zuko and Katara. I’ll make the same argument here that I made in the last entry. Katara is more of a free spirit. While I can see her settling down someday (especially since The Legend of Korra made it canonical) I don’t know that I believe how much she was supposedly in love at the very end.
In fact, I think the ending convolutes it a bit. As Zuko joins the group, there is more of an opportunity for growth between the two and a building of trust. Zuko’s new girlfriend, Mei, also feels a little rushed, adding to the convolution.
The creators of the show have stated both relationships were talked about- Katara with Zuko and Katara with Aang. There was a bit of a schism though, where the executives wanted Katara with Aang and won out. It just strikes me as odd that Katara should be nailed down to someone while she is so young.
15 Say Hello To Oedipus For Me
One last point before I end my bit about Katara and her odd shippings: it makes no sense that the relationship should work. Not only are they incredibly young to decide who they want to spend the rest of their lives with, there is not a whole lot of real good chemistry. When it comes to Katara, Aang is a bit of a pushover. He lets her have what she wants, even though it might put him in a pickle, and don't even get started on what he's like if she's been hurt or wronged. With as powerful as Aang is, I'm not sure anyone else would even stand a chance.
I personally find it odd that Katara would be the person Aang is attracted to.
She is the very first person he sees when he gets out of the iceberg, and I feel like he latches on to her for that. Sure, they get along, but as stated earlier, Aang puts Katara first. He leaves the Avatar state for her. Most shows and movies have their main leads end up together, and I feel like Aang’s attraction to Katara is a good example of this. They’re a cute couple and I love their Tenzin, but it makes no sense.
14 Healing Waters
Anyone who has seen the show Avatar: The Last Airbender will be able to tell you how and why Zuko was given his now iconic scar over his eye. It becomes a great motivator for him. At the beginning, it helps motivate him to find the Avatar and get his honor back (as he believes). As the show continues and Zuko lets his uncle Iroh teach him about life and happiness, the scar turns into a reminder to become a better man. His scar has become a part of him, and honestly, it’s really hard to imagine Zuko without it.
That was almost the reality promised toward the end of the show when Zuko learned about Katara’s healing waters from the spirit oasis. Not knowing what would unfold, Katara offered to try healing his face to get rid of that scar. Luckily or unluckily, they were never given the chance, as Azula struck Aang down and Katara knew that the water was needed to save his life. Knowing how much stock Katara puts in symbols as reminders, it is a little surprising that she would offer to take his away. The symbol is what is odd about this situation, not Katara offering to remove it.
13 The Shape Of Water
Three of the bending styles have sub bending styles that are discovered in the course of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Firebenders can learn how to bend lightning, earthbenders can learn how to bend metal (a seriously cool moment for the show) and waterbenders can bend anything that has water in it, which is everything. The main sub styles are ice, plant, blood, and the ability to heal. Granted, the power of the waterbenders depends on the phases of the moon, but they’re honestly a little op. It’s no wonder the fire nation searched out every known southern water bender.
Knowing all of this, one thing remains. Katara masters icebending, healing, and even bloodbending, albeit against her will. Throughout the show though, she never really utilizes the water in the plants. Although the benders in the swamp show her that it is possible, she ignores the plants around her, favoring instead a flask of water that she keeps with her at all times. It may be more second nature to work with the water instead of literally anything else, but then, that’s what evidence we’re given. Try bending your mind around it.
12 Details, Details
The devil is in the details, at least when it comes to waterbenders. The full moon gives them their powers; as the moon waxes, they become more powerful. As it wanes, their bending becomes less effective. For most of the series, that was the general rule of thumb as far as special abilities of the waterbenders we knew of until the horrific ability of bloodbending came to light. One of the stipulations to use such an awesome power without extensive training was that the moon had to be full in order to use the forbidden move. The creators took pains to establish the fact that the moon was full anytime Katara utilized her hated skill.
One episode, though, threw out some of those expectations.
When Katara and Zuko used the cover of night to get revenge on the man who attacked Katara’s mother Kya, the moon appeared to be full for more than one night, and Katara was able to use her bending for both of them. The technicalities are strong with this one. Even though Katara did not choose to end Yon Rha’s life, she was still able to bloodbend him which by all means she should not have been able to.
11 Skewed Origin Stories
Each of the styles of bending has a very specific originator. Earthbenders could thank the badgermoles, airbenders the bison and the firebenders the dragons for creating their particular bending style. Throughout the course of the show, Aang and his friends get to meet three of the four original bender teachers. Knowing this, there is one distinct style of bending is missing. The waterbenders did not have an animal as the original bender. Instead, theirs was more of a thing.
They had the moon.
Legend said that the moon moved the tides back and forth, giving the people a way to know how to bend the water for themselves. In the northern tribe, you could argue that Katara got to meet the Koi who lived in the spirit pool and that’s about as close to an animal originator as you’re going to get, but they also met Yue who became the moon, so it’s not missing. The whole idea of a person becoming the moon is another can of worms entirely. In either case, it’s interesting that Katara’s brand of bending doesn’t get its own animal mascot. The idea is cool, but pick a lane. Either they all have animals or none of them do.
10 A Surprising Connection
When we first met Hama, she seemed harmless enough, even helpful. She told the characters about her past as a Southern Water Tribe waterbender before they were eradicated by the Fire Nation. It isn't long before Hama takes an interest in Katara's training as a waterbender from her hometown. What she teaches though, is anything but desired. Hama is a master in bloodbending and forces Katara to learn it as well. It is all fairly straightforward as Hama is fairly honest with our heroes so as to gain their trust. the odd thing lay on Katara's shoulders.
With as obsessed as we see her be with her mother's passing and the lost culture of the Southern Water Tribe, you'd think she'd be much more willing to ask Hama questions about the things that were never able to be answered by those who couldn't bend. Instead, Katara focuses on matters at hand and reluctantly takes in what Hama will teach her. It doesn't make sense with how curious Katara is, even though she is levelheaded enough to focus on what is important to saving the world. Either way, with Katara being able to bloodbend, she shows her colder side in dealing with people who have hurt her deeply. This comes out when she is seeking revenge for her mother's end.
9 Sign Me Up
Over time there have been discussions about how one becomes a bender. When watching Avatar, fans theorized that it was a combination of genetics and parentage. Through Aang and Katara’s children, they were proved right. Remember the punnet squares from middle school biology? Those are going to be very helpful in figuring out bender potential. Aang and Katara are both benders and they ended up with a non-bender son, an airbender son and a waterbending daughter. Having the right genetics is a good way to help decide what kind of element you will be able to bend. It would be a far reach for an earthbender to have a firebending child if there were no family history.
Spirituality is also a very large part of the chances of becoming a bender. It shows when you look at the ratio of benders and non-benders in a nation. Take for example, the air nomads. They dedicated their lives to religious zeal, and were very much in tune. Nearly everyone was a bender. Then compare it to the water tribes, namely the Southern Water Tribe. Because the Fire Nation had defeated or imprisoned all of their benders and the war had taken away many of the population, there was a greater need for work and less time for spiritual thought.
8 Famous Or Infamous?
Sometimes when a show builds up a tremendous amount of fans, someone somewhere will pause the show in just the right moment and find a pretty funny picture. This is the origin story for the meme called ‘Creepy Katara’. Some fans were looking for screenshots to find some reference pictures for the new outfits worn by our heroes when they stumbled upon the face that is now deemed Creepy Katara. They said that the longer they looked, the creepier she got.
All of a sudden, Katara had a new bit of fame; or in this case, infamy.
Creepy Katara is not the first time our leading lady had a meme based on something she did or said. I mentioned the other one at the beginning of the article, where she states ‘everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.’ Comparing memes to the character herself, the latter meme is much more fitting. Katara can be a realist at times, and so to have a meme based on something dramatic makes much more sense than a screenshot someone got while watching the show. But then again, this is the internet we’re talking about, so Creepy Katara is the least of her worries concerning what could be thought about her.
7 I Predict Rain Tomorrow
Katara is only an early teenager, and arguably, no one is more interested in their future than those in the 14-15 year age range. It is a time of big change (ginormous in Katara’s life, with the war going on) and the start to finding out who you are. Katara naturally is very curious to know her future, particularly who she is going to marry. So much so, that she belabours a character named Aunt Wu for answers to all of her questions, and I mean all of them. Aunt Wu was seen as an absolutely precise fortune teller, and many of the episode’s small events seem to point to true clairvoyancy.
With Katara being as young as she is, it isn’t hard to see that she would also believe that Aunt Wu is a genuine fortune teller. The thing that doesn’t make sense is the fact that Katara allows the predictions to run her life. She is told she will eat a papaya for breakfast the next day, even though she then states that she doesn’t like papaya. Does Katara listen to everything a strange grown-up says to her? Can’t say I’ve seen her so wrapped around a finger before.
6 Part Of Her Character Arc?
Three of the types of arguments in writing are known as ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is an appeal to ethics or morality, logos is an appeal to logic and pathos is an appeal to emotion. If there are any of these that Katara leans on heavily, it’s pathos. One of the parts of Katara that the Ember Island Players got right was the fact that she never gives in before one last emotional go at it. For a character that seems sugar sweet like Katara, this would just be a tiresome trope that you see in just about every TV show with a girl who has to support the leading man.
The part that doesn’t make sense (and makes her character that much deeper) is the fact that Katara does have that rebellious streak about her. Having mastered the art of manipulation via emotions, Katara leads the gang into some dangerous situations. Take for example Haku and the other prisoner earthbenders on a Fire Nation ship; or how she went after Yon Rha against everyone else’s advice. Katara is a being of emotion, but she is written deeply enough to use logic as well. Being that not many leading ladies have been written that way, it is a hard thing for us to make sense of.