Katara's relationships

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

Hakoda


"'How could you leave us, Dad? I mean, I know we had Gran-Gran and she loved us, but we were just so lost without you...' - Katara to Hakoda in 'The Awakening'."

Hakoda was Katara and Sokka's father and a prominent figure in his daughter's life. His departure from the Southern Water Tribe to fight in the War had a profound impact on Katara, who felt abandoned and betrayed by him, in spite of the fact that she knew his reasons for departing. Hakoda consoled his daughter by telling her that his departure had a heavy emotional toll on him as well.

Since their reunion, Hakoda aided Team Avatar several times with preparations for the Invasion of the Fire Nation. After becoming wounded during battle, Katara healed her father and decided to assist him in following the troops to the Royal Palace while the other members continued their search for Ozai. She was clearly distraught at having to leave him behind in the Fire Nation when the Invasion plan failed. The two were reunited once again when Sokka and Zuko traveled to the Boiling Rock Prison to free Hakoda. Although forced to separate soon afterwards when Azula attacked their campsite at the Western Air Temple, they joined once more as a family after their spectacular victory in the War.

Kya


"'Katara, she was my Mother, 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, with her death having a traumatic impact on both Katara and Sokka. Kya was killed during a Fire Nation raid on their village when Katara was very young, forcing her young daughter to take on a maternal role in her family. Her only inheritance was a necklace first owned by her grandmother, passed down to each generation as a family heirloom.

It was revealed that Kya sacrificed herself to save Katara's life when the Fire Nation came to the Southern Water Tribe, seeking to kill the last Waterbender. In a courageous act to save her daughter who happened to be the said target, Kya lied to the leader of the raid, saying she was the last Waterbender. 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 cherished what few memories she had of her. She prized the betrothal necklace given to her by Kya, it being the only material object she had left to remember her.

Sokka


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

Sokka was Katara's older brother, with an age difference of one year. The Water Tribe siblings were arguably the most dynamic familial relationship shown in the series, rivaled only by Zuko and Iroh. The opening scene of the series depicted them enjoying a pastime together, before entering an argument session with one another. Sokka's sarcastic nature often clashed with Katara's more serious and caring one, leading to disagreements and "sibling spats." They often kept the other in check with attitudes, whether in Sokka's goofiness and pessimism or Katara's temper and optimism. The two frequently teased and annoyed each other throughout the series, including jests about the other's love life, even accidentally.

Overall, because of all they had gone through together, Sokka and Katara were very close and loved each other very much. They frequently defended and protected each other, and worked well together: Katara's bending prowess accompanied by Sokka's mental creativity and weapons specialty created a powerful duo. It was revealed that Katara had replaced Sokka's image of his mother which clearly represents how highly Sokka thought 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'."

Although Katara teased Sokka about his role of "being the leader" in the group, she still remained respectful of him. Katara refused to set off on a journey to rescue Aang without her brother's company. She also did not object her brother's argument that banishing Aang from their tribe was justifiably an act of protection. In essence, these two siblings, despite their daily trials and tribulations, held each other in high respect and were very close.

Kanna


"'It's been so long since I've had hope. But you've brought it back to life, my little Waterbender.' - Kanna to Katara in 'The Avatar Returns'."

Kanna was Katara and Sokka's grandmother. With their mother deceased and their father off fighting in the War, Kanna was the only other relative they had at the time and thus became their caretaker. Katara and Sokka had a habit of calling her "Gran Gran". It was hinted that despite their strong relationship, being left under Kanna's care did not compensate for her father's departure from the tribe to fight in the war.

It was revealed that Kanna ran away from the Northern Water Tribe to escape an arranged marriage. Katara sympathized with her grandmother's decision, as she also faced the Northern Tribe's prejudices 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 did not 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 defeating 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, eventually leading to her becoming his best pupil. After a short time of training, he deemed her worthy of the title of Master Waterbender. When the two parted ways, Pakku gave her an amulet containing water from the Spirit Oasis, which she later used to revive Aang. Later, Katara persuaded Sokka to train under a master, saying she wouldn't have mastered Waterbending without Pakku's tutoring. She met him again and was overjoyed upon hearing Pakku's marriage to Kanna, which made him Katara's and Sokka's step-grandfather.

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 wasted no time in convincing 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 him. Later on, after Aang died and was revived in the Coup of Ba Sing Se, Katara went on to heal and personally care for Aang. Later, when he disappeared, Katara broke down in horror and fear. Being that she was his closest friend, Katara offered Aang emotional support. Aang revealed his past life at the Southern Air Temple to her, his reasons for running away and how he feels responsible for the War. Katara remains the only known person 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 had 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. Katara later confessed to Aang that she wasn't seeking a romantic relationship with him at that time. Her actions, however, could be associated with a fear of losing him to Ozai with her denial of her feelings for him being a way to spare her the pain of what might come. Despite her inner turmoil at that point, she still had strong faith that he would prevail over Ozai as expressed in her statement, "Aang won't lose. He's going to come back. He has to."

This ambiguity was finally eliminated with the concluding scene of the series, where the two were seen hugging and, eventually, kissing. Unlike past kisses, Katara threw her arms around Aang's neck and initiated a more passionate kiss than they had ever shared during the series. By doing so Katara showed that the romantic feelings were entirely mutual and the two enjoyed a long-term relationship, eventually leading to Aang and Katara's marriage and culminating with the birth of three children, their youngest being an Airbending son, Tenzin. The creators themselves had commented in an interview that they had 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 a much different side to his personality 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.

Katara met Jet again in Ba Sing Se where he offered to help find Appa to which everyone accepted, although Katara was reluctant to do so, leading Toph to tease Katara about Jet being her ex-boyfriend. Sokka later teased Katara about her having kissed Jet. Despite all this, Katara was eventually able to set her anger aside after coming to the conclusion that Jet had changed his ways. Unfortunately, Jet was fatally wounded by Long Feng and the team was forced to leave him and his freedom fighters behind. Katara was shown to be deeply remorseful when the group left Lake Laogai, somehow knowing that Jet would not make it. Jet later succumbed to his wounds.

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

Toph Bei Fong


"'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 'Tales of Ba Sing Se'."

Toph was the young Earthbending Master that befriended and joined Team Avatar in order to help Aang master Earthbending and escape her overprotective parents. Katara was initially excited to have another girl in the group, presumably to share common interests. Shortly after joining Team Avatar, however, the two began feuding, with Katara's motherly and teamwork morals and Toph's more cavelier attitude causing heated conflict.

Katara insisted that Toph contribute to the team's routine of setting up camp to which the Earthbender refused. She and Toph continually argued with one another, both fighting each other due to their conflicting yet equally stubborn personalities along with very different backgrounds. When Katara berated Toph for her unruly behavior, scamming local residents for monetary gain, the latter retorted, accusing her of being overbearing and acting motherly. However, they respected one another's formidability in bending and later grew to respect their differences. Along the way they became very good friends, as seen when they enjoyed a day at the spa together. Toph also voiced that Katara was "fun", or at the very least, fun to argue with.

Zuko


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

Katara's relationship with Zuko was complicated. They first met when Zuko invaded the Southern Water Tribe village. Their relationship was often antagonistic as Zuko continued his attempts to capture Aang. She grew to hate him when Zuko threatened to hurt her and her brother and tried bribery, using her mother's necklace. Regardless, Katara offered to help Zuko by healing Iroh only to be violently rebuffed. Later, when the two were imprisoned in the Crystal Catacombs, Katara 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." She eventually trusted him to the point where she offered to heal his scar. Later, when Zuko betrayed her and the team by joining Azula, Katara was visibly hurt and her hatred for Zuko only worsened, as she took his betrayal personally.

Consequently, Katara was the most vocal of the group in not allowing Zuko to join them. When Zuko was eventually accepted, Katara confronted him, voicing her mistrust of him and telling him coldly not to hurt Aang, even going so far as to threaten Zuko's life. Even long after the others in the group trusted Zuko, she still remained harsh towards him. Zuko tried to stay out of Katara's way, but eventually confronted her when Katara remained unmoved by his sacrifice even after he saved the team from Azula. This led Zuko to try and reconcile with her by offering to help Katara avenge the death of her mother. With some help of a "forgiveness speech" by Aang, their complex relationship was finally thawed out and Katara forgave Zuko.

Katara and Zuko became very good friends and grew to respect one another greatly. When Sozin's Comet arrived, Katara personally assured Zuko that Iroh would forgive him. Later, Zuko specifically asked Katara to help him overthrow Azula to which she gladly accepted. When the two arrived, Azula challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai; Zuko accepted the challenge in order to prevent Katara from becoming hurt. When Azula fired a bolt of lightning at Katara, he risked his life for her, taking the bolt himself and was fatally wounded, forcing Katara to fight Azula on her own. After disarming the princess, she immediately ran over to heal Zuko and voiced her gratefulness 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 during the play they saw on Ember Island. Katara and Zuko showed discomfort and disgust when a possible romance was suggested in the play, The Boy in the Iceberg.. 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 to Suki in 'The Warriors of Kyoshi'."

Katara met the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors when Aang traveled to Kyoshi Island to ride the elephant koi. They were later captured and taken to the village where Suki, mistrustful of outsiders, threatened to throw them into the water to feed the unagi. When Sokka voiced disdain that he was defeated by girls, 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 bunch of girls kicked his butt."

Katara accompanied Sokka to Kyoshi Island where she learned that Suki had left her home to support the war effort. The two met again on the way to Ba Sing Se where she was taken aback by how drastically different Suki appeared without make-up. When Ying went into labor, Katara asked for Suki's help in the delivery.

After joining the group for good, Suki and Katara worked together in a search for Aang and were both irritated when they came upon the actress who portrayed 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." - Yue and Katara in "The Siege of the North, Part 2".

Katara briefly interacted with Yue during the Siege of the North where she aided Aang in seeking help from the Spirits by taking him to the Spirit Oasis. Yue informed Katara about how Waterbenders are particularly strong during the night due to the presence of the moon. She accompanied Sokka and Katara in rescuing Aang from Prince Zuko, offering words of comfort to a concerned Katara. 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 overcame these feelings 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 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 the Earthbenders from their prison and fled to safety. Katara's actions inspired Haru and his people to free their village of the invaders which they were successful in doing.

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

When Azula attacked the temple, Haru accompanied Katara's father while the rest escaped the temple on Appa. They reunited again during Zuko's coronation. It is safe to assume that they remained friends after the War.

Haru was also briefly mentioned 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 denied this.

Ty Lee


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

While they never formally met, Katara first encountered Ty Lee in Omashu when the acrobat accompanied Princess Azula and Mai in a prisoner exchange; the group intended to trade Mai's brother, Tom-Tom, for King Bumi. 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's ability. She even remarked that she feared Ty Lee the most out of the 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 bent the liquefied material, trapping Ty Lee and hatefully called her a "circus freak." Later, Ty Lee disabled Katara in Ba Sing Se during the coup d'état, resulting in the latter being captured.

Katara and Ty Lee didn't meet again until Zuko was crowned as Fire Lord when the War ended. However, by this time, Ty Lee had abandoned Azula and joined the Kyoshi Warriors.

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 the elderly innkeeper to her own grandmother. Upon learning she was also a Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, she was both touched by her story and excited to learn the southern traditions. Katara learned various Waterbending techniques from Hama, but soon discovered Hama's true nature when she tried to teach her Bloodbending, a dark technique of Waterbending that allows a Waterbender to control the fluids in another organism. Katara defied Hama, vowing never to utilize the technique. The two fought a short duel; Katara momentarily gained the upper hand until Sokka and Aang arrived at the scene and became victims of Hama's technique. When she intended to kill Aang by sending Sokka's sword straight at him, Katara realized the only solution was to utilize Bloodbending on her. Hama was taken prisoner by Fire Nation villagers, calling an end to her job and congratulating Katara on her new status, leaving the young Waterbender in tears. While Katara seemed to be deeply affected by this encounter, she took similar actions when she tracked down her mother's killer with Zuko's help, even using Bloodbending to subdue the man whom she thought was the killer.

Katara likely didn'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 was 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 which she did upon Kya's insistence. Yon Rha demanded that Kya tell him the identity of the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe; she lied, claiming her to be 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. She forever held a deep hatred for Yon Rha and was determined to extract revenge on him for her mother's death. Zuko offered to help her track him down which she eventually did. She interrogated Yon Rha and forced him to confess that he killed Kya. 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 carry out her action 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 his cowardice, proving that he was truly not worth killing. She then left him cowering and crying in the rain.

Katara had 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 battled Azula when she and the rest of the team joined forces with Zuko and Iroh to defeat her in a duel. They briefly met again when Katara was captured after she mistook a 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, where Katara held her ground against the Fire Nation Princess and actually gained the upper hand at one point. Only through Zuko's help was Azula able to defeat Katara.

Eager to defeat Azula, Katara accompanied Zuko on a journey to the Fire Nation Capital during the events of Sozin's Comet; Zuko, however, was wounded while protecting her from his sister's lightning strike during their Agni Kai. Realizing 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 about Azula were after the War. However, given the look of sympathy she gave Azula when the princess suffered a mental breakdown, it is likely she did feel some degree of pity for her.