Kya (nonbender)

"water"

- Just let her go, and I'll give you the information you want.

Kya is Katara and Sokka's mother and is the wife of Hakoda. She was born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe. Kya is frequently mentioned throughout the show. Her death, at the hands of a Fire Nation raid on the Southern Water Tribe, had a profound impact upon her children.

Background
Very little is known about her history, but at some point she married Hakoda, and they had two children: Sokka and Katara. During the series, it is clear that Kya was loved and missed by her children and husband. According to a legend told by Katara in "The Puppetmaster", one winter, when Kya was a young girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Kya realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So she and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home, just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Kya stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice, "It's so cold and I can't get warm". Kya turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Kya ran outside for help, but when every one came back, Nini was gone. Since this is a ghost story, it is unknown whether it is accurate.

Death
When the Southern Raiders learned that one Waterbender still remained in the Southern Water Tribe, they attacked Kya's village in an attempt to identify and kill them. The Raiders' leader, Yon Rha, found Kya in her house and interrogated her about the whereabouts of the last Southern Waterbender.

The two were then interrupted by Katara. As she looked the man in his eyes, Kya told Yon Rha to leave her alone and that she would give him the information he wanted if he let her daughter go. Katara is scared, but her mother tells her not to worry and to go find her father. When Katara didn't move, Yon Rha told her that she heard her mother, and to leave. She left, and then Yon Rha resumed his interrogation.

Yon Rha demanded to know the identity of the Waterbender who lived in the village. Kya initially told him that there were no Waterbenders left, as the Fire Nation had captured them all in previous raids. Yon Rha replied that he'd heard there was still one more, according to his "sources", and that they would not leave until they found the Waterbender. Kya claimed that she was the Waterbender, lying to protect her daughter, for katara was the only waterbender left in the tribe.. She told Yon Rha to take her as their prisoner, but Yon Rha told her he wasn't there to take prisoners and killed her. Katara and Hakoda rushed to the hut as fast as they could, but by the time they arrived, Kya was dead---much to the grief of Katara and Hakoda. It is highly likely that Sokka was told of the tragedy but did not see the murder scene as his father and sister did.

After Death
Kya's death had a severe impact on her whole family. Both Katara and Sokka developed a strong distrust in anybody from the Fire Nation, and Hakoda went off to war with his warriors in order to ensure the Tribe's survival following the war's end. Her death has had Katara expressing her grief on several occasions. Kya's death is first brought up in "The Southern Air Temple" when Katara mentions the pain she endured when she had lost her mother while Aang was in the Avatar State.

Sokka and Katara's mother has been mentioned on several occasions. While she was talking with Haru, she points out the necklace she is wearing. Haru compliments her saying it was beautiful in which Katara replied that she had lost her mother in a Fire Nation raid and that necklace was all that was left of her. Haru had stated that it wasn't enough and Katara had agreed with him. In that same episode she loses the necklace while trying to free earth benders from being captured by Fire Nation soldiers.

When Zuko and Katara were imprisoned at Ba Sing Se, Katara expressed her hatred and grief towards Zuko by tearfully confiding that his nation killed her mother. He sympathized with her loss in the wake of the loss of his own mother, but that wasn't enough to stop him from joining his sister in conquering Ba Sing Se. Another instance is when Sokka confesses to Toph that he can't clearly remember his mother's face, as it has been Katara who has cared for him since their mother died. Whenever he thinks of his mother, he sees Katara's face.

Katara sees a vision of her mother during her adventure in the swamp. However, we only see her from the back, showing that her hairstyle resembles Katara's. In reality, what Katara thought was her mother was a tree stump in the middle of the swamp, masked by the Swamp's mystical powers. Katara then breaks down into tears.

In an attempt to prove that he was trustworthy, Zuko offered to help Katara find the man who killed Kya, which he hoped would give Katara closure and justice. However, Katara also desired revenge. When she faced Yon Rha, she forced him to remember her face, and he finally did. He also revealed why he killed Kya: To kill the last waterbender. Katara realized that her mother died saving her life, and almost killed Yon Rha in a fit of rage. However, she ultimately relented when she saw how pathetic he was, and let him live. Although she would never forgive Yon Rha, she had the closure she needed to move on in life. She learned to trust Zuko, and continues to value her mother's memory.

When Hakoda reunited with his children after they defeated the Fire Nation, he remarked that had she lived to see the end of the War, Kya would have been very proud of them. Katara sheds a few happy tears at this statement.

Relatives

 * Hakoda (husband)
 * Sokka (elder son)
 * Katara (younger daughter)
 * Gran Gran Kanna (mother-in-law)
 * Pakku (step-father-in-law)
 * Aang (son-in-law)
 * Tenzin (grandson)

Trivia

 * In the Avatar Series Pilot, Katara's name was originally "Kya", but was changed once the actual show began production. This name was later used for her mother instead.
 * Prior to her name's revelation, Kya was referred to by fans as "NMOKAS", derived from "Nameless Mother of Katara and Sokka".
 * Nick's Avatar site uses the spelling "Kaya," also showing a Southern Raider's picture instead of Kya's when you click on her name.
 * In Russian Avatar series Katara's mother's name also is pronounced Kaya.
 * Kya is voiced by Grey DeLisle, who also voiced Azula and Ta Min.
 * In the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke, Kya is the name of the main protagonist's (Ashitaka) little sister. This is possibly a reference to the movie, as both of the shows creators are expressed admirers of Miyazaki's work.
 * It is uncertain whether Kya actually gave Katara the betrothal necklace that she wears in the series. Katara mentions that it was her grandmother's betrothal necklace, which she handed down to Kya and then Kya handed down to Katara. In the episode "The Southern Raiders" Kya is wearing a betrothal necklace while Yon Rha interrogates her and kills her. This could be the betrothal necklace that Hakoda made for her. Also in the same episode when Katara walks in on her mother and Yon Rha when they do a close up of her you can see a blue collar around her neck, this could possibly be the necklace that Kya gave Katara.
 * In Katara's vision of her in the swamp, Kya did not have the same hairstyle nor was she wearing her heavy coat. As such, she looked very different in Katara's vision than in real life. This is probably because after that time period she has forgotten what her mother looked like. This is stated by Sokka in The Runaway, stating that after their mother was killed, he has forgotten what their mother looked like, and every time Sokka tries to remember her, he sees Katara because she was always there for him.
 * Kya's name is only mentioned once by Hakoda.