Katara's relationships

This page is comprised of Katara's relationships with other characters in the series.

Hakoda



 * "But we were just so lost without you..." - Katara in "The Awakening"

Hakoda is Katara and Sokka's father. Hakoda departure from the Southern Water Tribe to fight in the War had a profound impact on Katara who felt abandoned by him. As shown in The Awakening, Katara felt very hurt and betrayed when he left to fight in The War. They seem to have made up at the end of the same episode, as Hakoda explained to Katara that the separation also took a heavy emotional toll on him.

Hakoda helps his children in their war efforts several times after their reunion. When Hakoda led the invasion against the Fire Nation, he was injured in battle and Katara healed him throughout the entire battle. She becomes desperate to keep the family together when the Fire Nation separates them on numerous occasions. When the war finally ends with the defeat of the Fire Lord, Hakoda and Katara are overjoyed to be together again.

Kya



 * "Katara, she was my mom, too, but I think Aang might be right."
 * "Then you didn't love her the way I did!"
 * "Katara!"
 * -- Katara and Sokka in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara's mother, Kya, was an extremely important figure in her life. She was killed during a Fire Nation raid to their village when Katara was very young. This caused Katara to take on a maternal role in her family. Her only inheritance is a necklace first worn by her "Gran Gran", passed down from her to Kya, and then to Katara.

It was revealed in "The Southern Raiders" that Kya sacrificed herself to save Katara's life, as the Fire Nation sought to kill Katara, since she was the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara tried to avenge her mother's death by killing the soldier who murdered her, but ultimately spared him due to an ethical conflict.

Despite her age at the time of Kya's death, Katara deeply loved her mother and cherishes what few memories she has of her. She prizes the betrohal necklace given to her by Kya as it was the only material object she had left to remember her. She once stated that more than anything, she wishes her mother was still alive.

Sokka



 * "Oh Sokka, you do have a heart." - Katara to Sokka in "The Painted Lady"

Sokka is Katara's older brother, with an age difference of one year. The Water Tribe Siblings are arguably the most dynamic familial relationship shown in the series, rivaled only by Zuko and Iroh. The opening scene of the entire series is of them enjoying a pastime together, before breaking down and entering an argument session with one another. Sokka's sarcastic nature can, and often does, clash with Katara's more serious and caring one, leading to disagreements and "sibling spats". This usually results in them keeping the other in check with attitudes, whether in Sokka's goofiness and pessimism or Katara's temper and optimism. The two frequently tease, taunt, and annoy each other throughout the series, (including jests about the other's love life) even accidentally:


 * Sokka: "Good technique, little sister! Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe!"
 * Katara: "You know, I am just about sick and tired of you telling me what to do all day! You're like a chattering hogmonkey!" 
 * Sokka: "Just bend the slurry, woman!"
 * - Katara and Sokka, "The Drill"

Overall, because of all they have gone through together (eg. losing their mother, being separated from their father for an extended period of time, and being closest age-wise in their diminished tribe), Sokka and Katara are very close and love each other very much. They are frequently shown to defend and protect each other, and work well together: Katara's bending prowess accompanied by Sokka's mental creativity and weapons speciality create a powerful duo, as prime represented in Bato of the Water Tribe, The Drill and The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion. In "The Runaway" it is revealed that when Sokka tries to remember his mother's face, all he sees is Katara. This clearly represents how highly Sokka thinks of Katara:


 * "She had so much strength. She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom."
 * -Sokka to Toph concerning Katara in "The Runaway"

And although it seems that Katara can tease Sokka about his role of "being the leader" in the group, she still remains respectful of him. In "The Avatar Returns", Katara would not go to save Aang unless Sokka would come with her. Earlier on in the same episode, Katara also did not question Sokka's motives for banishing Aang from the village after he reminded her:


 * "I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you..."
 * -Sokka to Katara in "The Avatar Returns"

(She did, however, try to prove to him that Aang was "not our enemy!" after Sokka added the phrase: "[protecting you] from threats like him.")

In essence, these three quotes sum up their relationship perfectly: two siblings who, despite their daily trials and tribulations, hold each other in high respect and are very close indeed.

Kanna



 * "She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kind of reminds me of Gran Gran." Katara to Sokka referring to Hama in "The Puppetmaster"

Kanna is Katara and Sokka's grandmother. Because their father had left to go fight in the war, and because their mother had been killed, Kanna was the only other relative they had at the time before they met Aang and found their father again. Katara and Sokka have a habit of calling her "Gran Gran".

In "The Waterbending Master", it is revealed that Kanna ran away from the North Pole tribe to escape an arranged marriage. Katara sympathized with her grandmother's decision, as she too faced the prejudices of the Northern Water Tribe against its female citizens.

Pakku



 * "No. No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!!! I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me." - Katara to Master Pakku in "The Waterbending Master"

Pakku and Katara didn't get off to such a great start when they first met. Due to the Northern Water Tribe patriarchal structure, he refused to teach Katara fighting techniques used in Waterbending. After beating her in a fight, he recognized her necklace as the betrothal necklace he made for Kanna sixty years ago. Realizing that his customs had cost him his wife, he agreed to teach her. Their relationship improved as he taught Katara, noting her to be his best pupil, and after a short time of training he deemed her worthy to the title of Master Waterbender. When the two part ways in "The Avatar State", Pakku gives her an amulet containing water from the Spirit Oasis, which she later used to revive Aang. In "Sokka's Master", Katara tries to cheer Sokka up on the idea of getting a master to teach him, saying that she would never be the Waterbender she was if it wasn't for Pakku. She is excited to meet him again during the series finale, finding out that he is now her new Grandfather, and she is happy for him and Gran-Gran.

Aang



 * "For the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary." - Katara to Aang in "The Avatar State"

Katara, who listened to her grandmother's stories regarding the Avatar, believed that he would one day return to save the world. When Aang was released from the Iceberg, Katara developed an immediate attachment to the young Airbender, believing him to be special. Upon learning that he was the long-lost Avatar, Katara spent no time to convince her brother to go after Zuko's ship to rescue him. From that moment on she was Aang's staunch defender and protector, adopting motherly instincts toward Aang. During and after "The Crossroads of Destiny", Katara would heal and personally care for Aang. Later when he disappeared in "The Awakening", Katara broke down in horror and fear. Katara offered Aang emotional support, as she was also his closest friend; in "The Storm", Aang revealed his past life at the Southern Air Temple to her, along with why he ran away and how he feels responsible for the War. Katara remains the only one we have seen on-screen that Aang has personally confided all of this information to.

Aang took an immediate liking to Katara, starting with an instant crush and developing into a strong love for the young Waterbender as the series progressed. Even though there have been numerous hints that she was interested in Aang romantically (in the V-cast recap of Season 2, she even classified her moment with Aang in the Cave of Two Lovers as "romantic"), Katara's feelings for the Avatar have been mostly ambiguous - even to herself, as seen in "The Ember Island Players". In "The Ember Island Players", Aang and Katara talk about their relationship. Katara expresses her confusion and tells Aang that there's a war going on and there are other things to worry about. There has been speculation that her refusal is associated with her fear of losing Aang, shown in "The Awakening" and "Sozin's Comet: Into the Inferno". When Zuko asks Katara what happened if Aang didn't come back, Katara responded that "he has to." This proves Katara always had strong feelings for Aang, even if she didn't express her initimate feelings as much as Aang, she most likely just refused to start an relationship during the war from the fear of losing the one she loves.

This ambiguity was finally eliminated with the concluding scene of Sozin's Comet in which the two are seen hugging and, eventually, kissing. Unlike past kisses, Katara throws her arms around Aang's neck and initiates a more passionate kiss than they had ever shared during the series. And by doing so Katara shows that the romantic feelings are entirely mutual, and the two enjoyed a long-term relationship, eventually leading to Aang and Katara's marriage, and culminating with the birth of a son, Tenzin. The creators themselves have commented within an interview that they have always favored the idea of a relationship between Aang and Katara.

Jet



 * "Katara, I've changed!"
 * "Tell it to some other girl, Jet." - Katara and Jet in "Lake Laogai"

When Katara first met Jet, she was entranced with the young freedom fighter: tall and athletic, brave, an expert dual swordsman, charismatic and verbally smooth. Her liking for Jet went as far as doubting and even criticizing her own brother when he said Jet couldn't be trusted. Jet later revealed what he was really like when he said he was willing to hurt innocent people to defeat the Fire Nation. Katara was enraged by this, and used her Waterbending to freeze him to a tree. When she witnessed Jet's gang flood an occupied Earth Kingdom village, she abandoned her feelings for Jet and left him frozen. It said in Avatar Extras that Katara kissed Jet, however, this was never seen on screen and is only mentioned once in the show.

Katara met Jet again in Ba Sing Se. Jet offered his help in finding Appa, and everyone except Katara eagerly accepted it (leading Toph to tease Katara about Jet being her ex-boyfriend). Katara is later teased by Sokka about having kissed Jet. Despite all this, Jet proved to have truly changed his ways, and Katara let go of her anger towards him. Unfortunately, Jet was fatally wounded by Long Feng, and the Gang was forced to leave him and his freedom fighters behind. Katara is shown to be deeply remorseful when the group leaves Lake Laogai, somehow knowing that Jet would not make it. Jet later died of his wounds.

It was hinted in the brief flashbacks of his memories that Jet might also have had genuine feelings for Katara.

Toph



 * "That's what I really admire about you, Toph; you're so strong and confident and self-assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but you're really pretty." - Katara to Toph in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se"

Toph is the young Earthbending Master that befriended and joined Team Avatar to help Aang master Earthbending, and because Toph felt it was either their gang or back to her overprotecting parents. Almost immediately after joining Team Avatar, Toph and Katara began to clash, what with Katara's motherly and team work morals, whilst Toph had run away from her parents, and liked to "carry [her] own weight," to prove that she was not useless, just because she was blind. At the beginning of "The Chase", Katara was initially excited to have another girl in the group, presumably to share common interests and talk about things that Katara could not talk about with Aang and Sokka. But to her surprise, Toph began to joke around with the boys, and left Katara no choice but to laugh also.

After, Toph and Katara bickered about setting up camp, and how Toph preferred to take care of herself, whilst Katara kindly insisted that Toph help out the rest of the team. But when Toph claims she doesn't understand what Katara means, Katara brushes it off and leaves her be. She and Toph continually argued with one another in The Chase. Both would fight with each other due to their conflicting yet equally-stubborn personalities, along with very different backgrounds, as seen in "The Chase" and "The Runaway". However, they respected one another's formidability in bending, and later they grew to respect their differences. Along the way they became very good friends, as seen when they had their day off in "Tales of Ba Sing Se". Toph also voiced in "The Runaway" that Katara was "fun" - at least, fun to argue with.

Zuko



 * "But I am ready to forgive you." - Katara in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara's relationship with Zuko is complicated. They first met when Zuko invaded the Southern Water Tribe's village in "The Avatar Returns", and their relationship was often antagonistic as Zuko continued his attempts to capture Aang, whom Katara is very protective of. She grew to hate him as in "The Waterbending Scroll", Zuko threatened to hurt her and her brother and tried bribery using her mother's necklace. In "The Chase", Katara offered to help Zuko by healing Iroh but was rebuffed. In "The Crossroads of Destiny", Katara almost began to trust Zuko, after he revealed that he too had lost his mother to the Fire Nation, saying: "I'm sorry. That's something we have in common". Later, when Zuko betrayed her and the gang by joining Azula, Katara was visibly hurt and her hatred for Zuko only worsened, as she took his betrayal very personally.

It is no wonder then, that in "The Western Air Temple", Katara was the most vocal of the Gang in not allowing Zuko to join them. When Zuko was allowed to join, Katara confronted him, saying that she still does not trust him and tells him coldly not to hurt Aang, even going so far as to threaten Zuko's life. Zuko tries to stay out of Katara's way, but eventually confronts her when, even after he saved them from Azula and the rest of the Gang had accepted him, Katara remained unmoved by his sacrifice and still refused to trust him. This led Zuko to try and reconcile with her by offering to help Katara avenge the death of her mother in "The Southern Raiders". With some help of a "Forgiveness Speech" by Aang to Katara, their complex relationship was finally thawed out, and Katara finally forgave Zuko.

Katara and Zuko became very good friends and grew to respect one another greatly within the following episodes. When Sozin's Comet arrived, Zuko specifically asked Katara to help him overthrow Azula. She gladly accepted, and assured Zuko that they could win. However, when the two arrived, Azula challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai. He accepted to prevent Katara from getting harmed and was confident he could win, noticing that Azula was unbalanced. When Azula used lightning against Katara, Zuko risked his life for her and was near-fatally wounded, forcing Katara to fight Azula on her own. After disarming Azula, Katara immediately ran over to heal Zuko, and voiced that she was grateful for saving her life. The two remained friends after the war.

Katara and Zuko have been the source of many "shipping wars" among the fandom, which is parodied in "School Time Shipping" and "The Ember Island Players". Katara and Zuko show discomfort (and disgust) when a possible romance is suggested by the play in "The Ember Island Players". Although it never actually became canon, it remains a highly-publicized ship.

Suki



 * "No, don't hurt him! He didn't mean it. My brother is just an idiot sometimes." - Katara in "The Warriors of Kyoshi""

Katara met the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors when Aang stopped by Kyoshi Island to ride a giant koi fish. They were later captured and taken to the village where Suki, mistrustful of outsiders, threatened to throw them back to the water to feed the Unagi. When Sokka voiced disdain that he was defeated by a girl, Katara quickly made an apology to Suki before any violence could escalate, and told Aang to prove himself to be the current Avatar. Katara also voiced her glee to her disgruntled brother the next morning about the fact that "a girl kicked his butt".

Katara accompanied Sokka to Kyoshi Island in "Avatar Day" where she learned that Suki had left her home to help in the war, and the two met again in "The Serpent's Pass", where she was taken aback by how different Suki looked without her make-up, being forced to wear another uniform. When Ying was giving birth to her child, Katara asked for Suki's help in the delivery.

After Suki joined the Gang for good, she and Katara went off together to look for Aang in "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King" and were annoyed when they saw the actress playing him instead. It is assumed Katara and Suki remained friends after the war.

Princess Yue



 * "Don't worry! Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather."
 * "I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard. I'm worried that they won't." - Katara and Yue in "The Siege of the North, Part 2"

Katara briefly interacted with Yue in the events of "The Siege of the North, Part 1" where she aided Aang in seeking help from the Spirits by taking him to the Spirit Oasis. Yue was also the one who told Katara about the fact that the Waterbenders are particularly stronger during the night, thanks to the moon. She accompanied Sokka and Katara in rescuing Aang from Prince Zuko, offering words of comfort. When the moon spirit was killed by Admiral Zhao, Katara was there to witness Yue's sacrifice.

Haru



 * "Haru! It's so good to see you!" - Katara to Haru in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion"

Katara first met Haru while he was secretly practicing Earthbending outside of his village, which was occupied by Fire Nation forces. Haru was surprised and distrustful of the group at first, but soon realized that the kids were trustworthy and gave them a place to stay for the night. Katara and Haru became fast friends and sympathized with each other's losses in the War, namely Haru's imprisoned father and Katara's deceased mother. After Haru was arrested by the Fire Nation for Earthbending, Katara tricked the Fire Nation into arresting her so that she could save Haru.

Katara was able to free Haru and his father Tyro from prison after she renewed their will to fight for freedom. Together, they freed all of the Earthbenders from their prison and fled to safety. Katara's actions inspired Haru and his people to free their village of the invaders, and they succeeded.

Haru and Katara were happily reunited prior to the Day of Black Sun invasion, and they fought together during the battle to take over the Fire Nation Capital. The attack failed, and Haru briefly joined the others in the "Western Air Temple".

When Azula attacked the temple during "The Southern Raiders", Haru accompanied Katara's father. They all met up again during Zuko's coronation.

Haru was also briefly mentioned in "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King", when Toph joked that he and Katara had had a secret thing together when the latter declared that she had a surprise for everyone. Haru has been cited by fans as one of Katara's possible love interests, but she herself denies this.

Ty Lee



 * "Why don't you try blocking my chi now, circus freak!" - Katara to Ty Lee in "The Drill"

While they have never formally met, Katara first encountered Ty Lee in Omashu when she accompanied Princess Azula and Mai in a prisoner exchange, where the two groups intended to trade King Bumi for Mai's brother, Tom-Tom. When Mai called off the deal on Azula's orders, the two groups attacked each other. When Katara tried to disarm Mai, Ty Lee blocked her chi, rendering her Waterbending useless. Although Sokka and Appa's intervention saved Katara, Katara became fearful of Ty Lee, as her Chi blocking skills would leave Katara helpless in battle. Katara even remarks in "The Chase" that it is Ty Lee she fears the most out of that trio of women.

Katara met Ty Lee in battle on several occasions, including at the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. When Ty Lee pursued her and Sokka through the Fire Nation Drill's slurry system, Katara bended the liquefied material, trapping Ty Lee. She then hatefully called her a "circus freak". Ty Lee later disabled Katara in Ba Sing Se during the coup d'etat, getting the latter captured.

Katara and Ty Lee didn't meet again until Zuko was crowned as Fire Lord when the War ended. By this time, she had abandoned Azula and joined the Kyoshi Warriors, so it is safe to assume that she and Katara have since buried the hatchet.

Hama



 * "I won't! I won't use Bloodbending and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town!" - Katara to Hama in "The Puppetmaster"

Upon first meeting her, Katara was quite fond of Hama, even comparing her to her own grandmother. When learning she's also a Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, she was both touched by her story and excited to learn the southern traditions. Katara learned from Hama, but when she discovered Hama's true nature as Hama tried to teach her Bloodbending, Katara turned her back on Hama, vowing never to use it. The two fought, and when Hama was about to kill Aang and Sokka, Katara saw herself forced to use Hama's technique, and stopped her. Hama was taken prisoner by Fire Nation villagers, remarking that her job was done and congratulating Katara on her new status. While Katara seemed to be deeply affected by this encounter, she acted in a similar way in "The Southern Raiders", when she tracked down her mother's killer with Zuko's help, even using Bloodbending to subdue a man who she thought was the killer.

Katara likely doesn't harbor much sympathy for Hama given her aggressiveness and amoral practices, especially after she forced Katara to learn such a horrific bending art.

Yon Rha



 * "That's him...that was the monster." - Katara about Yon Rha in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara first met the Fire Nation soldier Yon Rha and his unit, the Southern Raiders, when they attacked her village when she was only eight years old. When Katara ran to find her mother Kya, she was horrified to find that Yon Rha was holding her hostage in their house. Yon Rha demanded that she leave, and she did upon Kya's insistence. Yon Rha demanded that Kya tell him the identity of the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, and she lied, saying that she was the Waterbender in order to protect Katara, and was promptly killed by Yon Rha.

Katara never forgot Yon Rha's face, particularly remembering the hateful look in his eyes. Katara forever held a deep hatred for Yon Rha and was determined to make him pay for her mother's death. Zuko offered to help her track him down, and she eventually did so. She interrogated Yon Rha and forced him to remember her face. He did, and he confessed that he killed Kya because he was ordered to kill the last Waterbender. Katara realized that her mother had died to save her life, and nearly killed Yon Rha in a fit of rage. However, she could not bring herself to do it and ultimately spared Yon Rha when she saw how truly pathetic he was. He was willing to sacrifice his own mother in exchange for mercy, causing Katara to despise him even more at his cowardice, proving that he was truly not worth killing. Katara then left him cowering and crying in the rain.

Katara has sworn not to forgive Yon Rha for his crime, but her relationship with Zuko was mended after he helped her face her enemy.

Azula



 * "And you're going down!" - Katara to Azula in Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno

Katara first had skirmishes with Azula in "The Chase", where she and the rest of the Gang joined forces with Zuko and Iroh in cornering her. They briefly met again in "The Guru", where Katara got herself captured when she mistook the disguised Azula for Suki and warned her that Zuko and Iroh were in the city. The two girls fought each other in the old underground city of Ba Sing Se in the second season's finale, in which Katara surprisingly held her ground against the Fire Nation Princess. Only through Zuko's aid did Azula manage to claim an upper hand in their fight.

Eager to put down Azula, Katara accompanied Zuko to the Fire Nation Capital during the events of Sozin's Comet, but Zuko was wounded protecting her from his sister's lightning strike in their Agni Kai. Realizing that she could not heal Zuko unless she put Azula out of action, Katara tricked the princess, allowing her to freeze Azula near the palace water canals, chain her on the ground, and, ultimately, defeat her.

It is not known what Katara's thoughts on Azula were after the war. But given the look of sympathy she gave Azula while the Fire Nation princess had her mental breakdown, it is likely she does feel some degree of pity for her.