Kya (nonbender)

Kya is Katara and Sokka's mother who is frequently mentioned throughout the show.

Background
Kya was born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe. Very little is known about her history, but at some point she married Hakoda, and they had two children: Sokka and Katara.

Death
The Southern Raiders learned that one Waterbender still remained in the Southern Water Tribe, and attacked Kya's village. The then Raiders' leader, Yon Rha, found Kya in her house, and interrogated her about the whereabouts of the last Southern Water Tribe Waterbender.

The two were briefly interupted by Katara, who had fled the raid and entered the house. Kya told her to run away to her father. Katara ran, but she would never forget the eyes of the soldier she saw.

Yon Rha demanded the identity of the Waterbender who lived in the village, and Kya initially told him that there were no Waterbenders, 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". Kya confessed that she was the Waterbender, lying to protect her daughter. She told Yon Rha that she was ready to go to any prison, but Yon Rha told her he wasn't there to take prisoners, and killed her.

After Death
Her 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.

Sokka and Katara's mother has been mentioned on several occasions. When Zuko and Katara were imprisoned at Ba Sing Se, Katara expressed her hatred and grief towards Zuko by 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 in The Runaway, in which 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.

While she does not officially appear in the series until "The Southern Raiders", Katara sees a vision of her mother during 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 in 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.

Relatives

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

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", meaning "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.
 * Kya is voiced by Grey DeLisle, who also voiced Azula, Ta Min and Avatar Yangchen.
 * In the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke, Kya is the name of the main protaganist's (Ashitaka) bride-to-be. This is possibly a reference to the movie, as both of the shows creators are expressed admirers of Miyazaki's work.