Pakku

"water"

- It is respectful to bow to an old master, but how about a hug for your new grandfather? Master Pakku is a Northern Waterbending master and instructor who possesses immense skill and power. Dryly sarcastic and very serious about his art, he is a harsh but nonetheless effective teacher. Due to his adherence to the Northern traditions, he only taught Waterbending to male students, but he made an exception for Katara, his ex-fiancée's granddaughter. Due to his great Waterbending skills, and wisdom, Pakku is also a member of the Order of the White Lotus, taking part in the Liberation of Ba Sing Se.

History
In his youth, Pakku was a talented Waterbender, and by way of arranged marriage, became engaged to Kanna, a Northern Water Tribe girl of similar age. He had deep, genuine feelings of love for Kanna; however, she did not reciprocate these, mostly due to his support of the Tribe's patriarchal traditions. Unable to face her fate, Kanna eloped to the Southern Water Tribe. Pakku was devastated by this turn of events, but refused to admit it was his and his tribe's stubborn insistence on customs that caused him to lose the love of his life. He soon became malcontented and cranky, converting the pain of his loss into a callousness toward others, so denying himself the hurt of Kanna's betrayal.

Years later, when Avatar Aang arrived at the Northern Water Tribe in search of a master from whom to learn Waterbending, Pakku consented to instruct him. However, as per the tradition of the Northern Water Tribe that only men were to be allowed to learn combative Waterbending, he rejected Katara as a pupil. Aang began training Katara at night, passing on what he had learned with Pakku, but within minutes they were discovered by the master himself, and for his disrespect, he barred Aang from further instruction. Knowing that Aang could not afford to waste the opportunity to learn from Pakku for her own sake, Katara pleaded to the chief of the Northen Water Tribe, Arnook, to persuade Pakku to take Aang back as his student. By suggestion of Arnook, Katara was about to apologise to Pakku, but changed her mind at the last minute, unable to submit to Pakku's sour chauvinism. Katara, in defiance, challenged Pakku to a duel. Though he initially had no orignal intention of accepting, Pakku eventually fought Katara. She was easily outmatched by the master, but refused to give up. Pakku ended the duel by trapping Katara among spikes of ice. Though he acknowledged her skill, Pakku still would not consent to teach her.

During his fight with Katara, Pakku knocked her grandmother's necklace to the ground. Picking it up after the duel was finished, he recognized its pendant as the betrothal necklace he had carved sixty years before for "the love of [his] life", his fiancée, Kanna. Realizing that his stubborn adherence to custom had cost him a wife, Pakku consented to teach Aang and Katara. Katara rose to mastery faster than any of his students, and he tasked her with instructing the slower-learning Aang. Pakku played a critical role in defending the North Pole from a Fire Nation siege, and afterward decided to travel to the Southern Tribe to help them rebuild their nation.

Aang and his comrades accompanied Pakku at the beginning of his journey to the Southern Tribe before separating to travel to Omashu. When the groups split, Pakku gave Katara a vial of water from the Spirit Oasis in the northern city and gave Aang a box containing scrolls of Waterbending techniques. As for Sokka, Pakku gave him only words of good luck, to his disappointment. Pakku and the other Northern healers and Waterbenders worked to restore the war-torn Southern Water Tribe. Pakku reunited with Kanna and finally married her, even making her a new betrothal necklace, though the circumstances of how he got together with her are unknown.



Pakku eventually joined the effort to liberate Ba Sing Se, when he and the other Order of the White Lotus members received a message from Iroh. Shortly before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, the Avatar's group reunites with Pakku and their other teachers who are in the Order of the White Lotus. When Katara and Sokka see him, he tells them that he is their new grandfather, as he finally married Kanna while he was away. The two children were thrilled with this development. Sokka tried to find a nickname of his liking, considering "Gramp-Gramp" and "Grampakku" (much to Pakku's annoyance) but was unable to create a good one and Pakku tells him, "No, you can just call me Pakku", and Sokka's face fell as he was again dismissed by his step-grandfather.

Pakku and the White Lotus Society launched an attack on Ba Sing Se, working to liberate the city during the arrival of Sozin's Comet. Pakku created a large waterslide over one of Ba Sing Se's walls, distracting Fire Nation soldiers. He then froze the slide, trapping the soldiers and allowing himself and Piandao to slide into the city. He initially blocked a large fire blast, but the flames evaporated the water, leaving him unable to defend himself from a second blast. Fortunately, Jeong Jeong intervenes and dissipates the blast. A large wave of water is later seen in the background as Iroh burns the Fire Nation flag on the Earth King's palace. Pakku was last seen with his allies and family at Zuko's coronation.

Abilities


Pakku is a Waterbending master, among the best in the world along with Katara and Hama. He is the Northern Water Tribe's Waterbending instructor. During his duel with Katara, he creates very large waves of water and ice. He eventually defeats Katara by trapping her in ice spikes thrown down at her from the air, which he was able to guide each perfectly to trap her without hurting her. During the Siege of the North, Pakku holds his own against dozens of soldiers with his enhanced Waterbending, creating an extremely large water spout. It was partly because of his skill and training that helped Katara become a Waterbending Master.

During the Liberation of Ba Sing Se, Pakku fights many comet enhanced Fire Nation soldiers alongside Piandao by creating a large wave and then freezing it, allowing Piandao to slide down on it and disable the soldiers. He, along with the rest of the Order of White Lotus, successfully liberate Ba Sing Se.

Relatives



 * Kanna (Wife)
 * Sokka (Step-grandson)
 * Katara (Step-granddaughter)
 * Kya (Step-daughter-in-law, deceased)
 * Hakoda (Step-son)
 * Aang (Step-grandson-in-law)
 * Tenzin (Step-great-grandson)

Trivia

 * Pakku is the shadowed Waterbender in the opening sequence, making him the first person to bend in the series.
 * In Sumerian myth, Pakku is the drum that Ishtar gave to Gilgamesh.
 * Pakku is a shortened version of Paakkuveti, which is a scissor-like cutting tool.
 * Pakku (Paku) means "Nail" in Malaysian and Indonesian language.