Ty Lee's relationships

This page is comprised of Ty Lee's relationships with other characters in the series. Due to her friendly, outgoing personality, she easily makes friends with others. However, being a citizen of the Fire Nation, she also made easy enemies with allies of the Avatar.

Sisters

 * "Do you have any idea what my homelife was like growing up with six sisters who looked exactly like me? It was like I didn't even have my own name!" -Ty Lee to Zuko in "The Beach"

In "The Beach", Ty Lee tearfully reveals to Mai, Zuko, and Azula of her childhood experience, growing up with six identical sisters. Ty Lee confesses her fear of being part of a matched set, admitting that being among her identical sisters caused a loss of individuality. Longing to be a distinct person, she escaped her homelife and joined the circus. While saying this, she grows teary-eyed and expresses bitterness, a direct contrast to her normally bubbly personality, making it unlikely that she has a strong relationship with her sisters.

Mai

 * "Come on, let's get out of here!" - Ty Lee to Mai after striking Azula in The Boiling Rock, Part 2



Despite their different personalities, Mai is Ty Lee's best friend and vice versa. Compared to Ty Lee's outgoing, friendly nature, Mai tends to act calmer, more reserved and stoic. It is presumed that Ty Lee met Mai when they attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Even after playing a prank on Mai, the two remained friends, showing the strength of their relationship. Ty Lee occasionally teases Mai for her crush on Zuko, a romance she in fact encourages. Mai seems to have a stronger relationship with Ty Lee than Azula, seeing how Mai is often willing to defy Azula's orders. After Ty Lee confessed the hardships of her childhood in "The Beach", Mai pointed out that she needed the affection of ten boyfriends because of her lack of childhood attention. During The Boiling Rock, Part 1, she and Mai ventured to the Boiling Rock with Mai journeying to confront Zuko and Ty Lee following Azula. After Mai betrayed Azula and saved Zuko, Ty Lee didn't hesitate to block Azula's chi in order to save Mai, making it safe to presume that her freindship to Mai was stronger than her fear of Azula. The two girls were locked away together in another prison on Azula's orders, but were released after the end of the war. Ty Lee and Mai presumably remained friends after their release from prison.

Zuko

 * "I know you." - Ty Lee to Zuko in "The Beach".



Ty Lee appears to have known Zuko since their early childhood. When she joined up with Azula and Mai, they followed Zuko and Iroh across the world in an attempt to capture them. She seemed to accept him without any objections upon his return from exile. During "The Beach", she went on vacation with Zuko along with Mai and Azula to Ember Island. When tensions rose, Zuko calls her a "circus freak" and berates her for her boundless optimism, causing her to grow emotional and prompting her to reveal her reasons for joining the circue. She pressured him, along with everybody else, into openly revealing his reasons behind his recent anger. Like her friends, Ty Lee sympathized with Zuko's inner turmoil and confusion. After she and Azula fled to another gondola during a fight with Zuko and his allies in "The Boiling Rock, Part 2", she looked uneasy and concerned for Zuko who would have fallen to his death at that time had it not been for Mai's timely intervention. It can be presumed that Ty Lee and Zuko are on friendlier terms with each other now that the War is over.

Sokka

 * "Is it just me or was that guy kind of cute?" Ty Lee to Mai about Sokka in "The Chase".



Ty Lee and Sokka first met in Omashu during a prisoner exchange and naturally became enemies. When Ty Lee and her friends pursued the Avatar and his group through the woods in "The Chase", she chose to fight Sokka. He was easily disabled but managed to hurt her hand when he used his skull as a shield. He and Katara were almost defeated, however, Appa disposed of Mai and Ty Lee, launching them into a nearby river. Ty Lee later told Mai that Sokka was "kind of cute."

Ty Lee met Sokka again when they fought in "The Drill", giving him a flirtatious look with Sokka replying with a smile and a friendly "hey".

Ty Lee called Sokka a "cutie" and approached him when he and Toph tried to stop Azula's coup of Ba Sing Se. Slightly uncomfortable, he remarked that he was "kind of involved with Suki", who Ty Lee had previously but unknowingly encountered in an earlier engagement. Later, she smiles goofily at Sokka and attempts to block his chi. Sokka awkwardly dodged her punches across the floor with Ty Lee stating, "It's like we're dancing together." She disabled him when Azula ended the fight.

Ty Lee and Sokka met again when Sokka and Zuko were rescuing prisoners at the Boiling Rock, but Ty Lee was preoccupied with fighting Suki and thus had no time to acknowledge Sokka. She looked somewhat sad after the fight when it seemed that Sokka and company were going to fall to death because of the cables being cut.

Ty Lee and Sokka met again after Ty Lee was released from prison following the end of the War. At Zuko's coronation, she appeared before him, dressed as a Kyoshi Warrior. Sokka accused her of trying to attack again, but Suki revealed that Ty Lee had joined her team after making up with them duirng their imprisonment. By this point, she had also reconciled with Suki, Sokka's current girlfriend.

Ty Lee and Sokka are presumably friends now that the War is over, but since he is in a relationship with fellow teammate Suki, it is likely that Ty Lee respects this fact and has moved on.

Katara

 * "Ty Lee. She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. It's like she takes you down from the inside." - Katara to the gang in "The Drill".



Ty Lee and Katara have never properly interacted onscreen, but they fought each other during a botched prisoner exchange in "Return to Omashu". When Katara attempted to disable Mai using Waterbending, Ty Lee used Chi blocking to disable Katara, rendering her defenseless. This nearly resulted in Katara defeat by Mai. Although Katara escaped unharmed along with her friends, Katara developed a deep fear of Ty Lee and her abilities.

Katara and Ty Lee fought with each other on several occasions afterwards, including when Azula and her friends chased down the group in "The Chase" and during "The Drill". However, in the latter engagement, Katara successfully fought off Ty Lee by bending the Fire Nation Drill's liquefied slurry, trapping her, and angrily called her a "circus freak". Ty Lee overwhelmed Katara, using chi blocking, resulting in Katara's capture in "The Guru" in Ba Sing Se.

Katara and Ty Lee never fought again after that engagement. After Ty Lee betrayed Azula and was imprisoned, she had a change of heart and befriended the Kyoshi Warriors in prison, as shown when Ty Lee announced her acception into the team to the group after the War ended. It is safe to presume that the girls are now on friendlier terms with each other.

Aang

 * "You're right, Azula! It is the Avatar!" - Ty Lee in "The Drill"

Ty Lee first met Aang in "The Drill"; although she attempted to attack him, he quickly deflected her through the use of Airbending. They met again in Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang when she announced her official acceptance into the Kyoshi Warriors. Although they never formally interacted in the series, the two presumably become friends after the War.

Kyoshi Warriors

 * "We’re going to be best friends forever!" - Ty Lee in Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang.



Ty Lee and the Kyoshi Warriors were natural enemies during the War. They first encountered each other in a forest where the warriors had nursed a currently lost, Appa, back to health. Along with her friends, Ty Lee defeated the Warriors using Chi blocking. She taunted them by saying, "You're not prettier than we are!" After the battle, she and her friends stole some of their uniforms to infiltrate and capture Ba Sing Se.

Ty Lee later fought the warriors' leader, Suki, when the leader was escaping the Boiling Rock Prison along with Sokka and Zuko. However, due to Suki's past experience, Ty Lee failed to land a single blow to her.

After betraying Azula along with Mai after the battle, Ty Lee was imprisoned along with the imprisoned Kyoshi Warriors. While together, the girls bonded with each other where the warriors forgave Ty Lee for her past actions. After she taught them a few lessons on chi blocking, they invited her to join their group to which she gladly accepted.

After the War ended, Ty Lee and her new team were released from prison where she made up with her former enemy, Suki. Ty Lee is the only outsider, other than Sokka, to join the Kyoshi Warriors. She stated at Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord that they were going to be best friends forever. Ty Lee was presumably on Kyoshi Island with them at the end of the show while the others were in Ba Sing Se.

Bosco

 * "It's easy. You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones, like this." - Ty Lee teaching Bosco how to hand-stand in "The Crossroads of Destiny"



In "The Crossroads of Destiny", Ty Lee is shown teaching Bosco how to do a hand-stand. The bear is amused when Toph traps Ty Lee's hands and feet using Earthbending. Her friendly nature towards Bosco may be due to past experiences working or performing with animals of the circus where she once performed.

Azula

 * "Gosh, you're so confident. I really admire that about you." - Ty Lee in "The Guru"



Azula and Ty Lee have a somewhat complicated relationship due to their contrastable personalities; while Azula is mean-spirited, a great strategist, intimidating and socially inept, Ty Lee is warmhearted, friendly and highly social. Although Ty Lee seemed to enjoy the princess's company when they were younger, many of her actions seemed to be based out of fear of Azula as she grew older. Ty Lee met Azula in the Royal Fire Academy for Girls along with Mai. They were once shown in a flashback as younger children. When Ty Lee ousted Azula in performing a series of cartwheels and somersaults, Azula pushed her down in retaliation and laughed, much to Ty Lee's dismay. Soon, however, the two happily teamed up to play a prank on Mai and Zuko.When Azula came to recruit her for a mission to capture Zuko and Iroh (and soon after, Aang), Ty Lee initially declined, stating she was happy living at the Fire Nation Circus. When Azula nonchalantly stated she would be attending Ty Lee's performance later that evening, Ty Lee expressed notable uneasiness, nearly faulting when performing an acrobatic stance She quickly abandoned her peaceful life, however, after Azula intimidated her by endangering her life during a circus performance.

While Ty Lee, at one point, regarded Azula as a friend, it is apparent that she fears Azula and is hesitant to disobey her. She seems to have more respect for Azula then Mai does. When Azula ordered them to follow the Avatar's friends in "The Drill", she continued the pursuit, even jumping into the slurry which Mai refused to go near. She also looked up to the princess to a certain degree, openly admiring her confidence.

Ty Lee seems to care about Azula's opinions of her and other matters such as when she immediately began crying after Azula insulted her during "The Beach". Azula seems to care to a certain degree about her friend's feelings, expressing genuine remorse for her actions. However, when Zuko called Ty Lee a "circus freak", Azula laughed coldly which contrasts this statement. During "The Boiling Rock, Part 2", she goes to the Boiling Rock prison with Azula. She fights alongside her until Azula discovers that Mai helped Zuko escape. When Mai is captured, Azula prepares to strike her down out of rage. However, Ty Lee chose to block Azula's chi to save Mai. Azula had them locked away with Ty Lee giving her one last look of defiance before she is dragged off.

Like Mai, Ty Lee seems to have little respect and sympathy for Azula. She did not mention Azula after the War ended, instead choosing to move on and make friends with the Kyoshi Warriors, whom she promptly joined. It is unknown if she feels sorry for Azula's traumatic defeat. However, given her sweet disposition, she is more likely to express sympathy than Mai.