The Southern Raiders


 * This article is about the episode. If you're looking for a group by the same name, see Southern Raiders.

"The Southern Raiders" is the 16th episode of season three of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 56th of the overall series. It debuted on July 17, 2008.

Overview
''The Avatar and his friends are forced on the run again after Azula finds them in the Western Air Temple. Zuko confronts Katara about her distrustful disposition towards him and thinks of a way to gain her friendship. He decides to help Katara find the Fire Nation soldier responsible for killing her mother. Together they find the man, but Katara is unable to take her revenge out on him. After returning, Katara finally forgives Zuko and accepts him.''

Synopsis
Aang and friends, including the newly joined Suki, Hakoda, and Chit Sang are sleeping in the Western Air Temple. The sun rises, and Aang awakens in time to see a bomb being thrown at them. Aang deflects it using Airbending, and the others wake up as the bomb explodes harmlessly in the air. Several Fire Nation Airships, led by Azula, rise out of the mist below and begin barraging the temple with more bombs.

Aang Airbends the large temple doors closed to protect the others. Zuko pushes Katara out of the way of a falling rock and lands on top of her in the process, but instead of thanking him she demands he get off her. Toph and Haru Earthbend a tunnel into the wall so everyone can escape safely. Aang notices Zuko looking out at the airships. Zuko tells Aang that he will hold them off and runs towards the ships and finds Azula atop one waiting for him. She informs him she is here to celebrate her becoming an only child. She nearly blasts him off the temple with Firebending, but Zuko uses a crumbling pillar to try to jump onto her airship. He misses, hitting the side of the ship and falls into the misty abyss below.



Appa refuses to go into the tunnel with the others as the temple is continuously bombarded. Sokka decides they need to split up; he, Aang, Katara, Toph, Suki and Momo fly out of the temple while everybody else escapes through the tunnel. Toph Earthbends a shield to protect them from incoming bombs.

As they fly away they see Zuko rise out of the mist on another airship. He jumps onto Azula's ship and they begin to battle. Aang and the others barely manage to evade attacks by Fire Nation soldiers on the other airships. Zuko and Azula seem evenly matched, but their close range Firebending causes a large explosion that blasts them both off the ship. Aang swoops Appa down and Katara pulls Zuko in and saves him, and Azula uses Firebending to propel herself to the cliff side and halt to a stop using her hairpin. This is possibly the first episode that depicts Azula's beginning descent into madness.

They camp out near an uninhabited beach and Aang comments to everyone how it feels just like old times again. Zuko cracks a joke about how he could chase Aang around and try to capture him if he really wants it to feel like old times. Everyone laughs except Katara. Sokka proposes a toast to Zuko for saving them from Azula, and everyone except Katara cheers. Zuko is thankful and says he doesn't deserve it. Katara agrees and angrily storms off to the beach. Zuko follows her wondering what her problem is.

He tries to talk with Katara, saying it is not fair that everyone trusts him now except her. Katara yells at him, saying that she was the first one to trust him in Ba Sing Se, but he betrayed her trust. Zuko asks what he can do to make it up to her, and she angrily tells him either to reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King or bring her mother back. She then walks off to her tent, leaving Zuko alone.

Sokka is in his tent, which is lavishly decorated with candles and roses, expecting Suki to visit him for a romantic moment. He is embarrassed to see Zuko instead. Zuko asks Sokka to tell him about the death of his mother, as he thinks Katara might be taking her anger over the loss of her mother out on him. Sokka tells Zuko that the Fire Nation attacked their village six years ago when Katara was eight and Sokka was nine. But the attack was short and the invaders soon retreated. Once it was over, they discovered their mother had been killed. Zuko asks what flag the Fire Nation ships were hoisting, and Sokka describes it had Sea Ravens on them, which Zuko recognizes as the symbol of the Southern Raiders. He thanks Sokka, but is pushed impatiently out of the tent. After rubbing his hands, Sokka peeks outside and beckons Suki to come in, only to find that Zuko had only taken a few steps away from his tent.

Zuko waits all night outside Katara's tent, when she comes out she irritatedly asks him what he wants. He tells her he knows who killed her mother, and that he can help her find him. When the both of them approach Aang to borrow Appa, Aang sarcastically asks if it's Katara's turn to "take a little field-trip with Zuko". Katara starkly tells him yes. When she tells him why, Aang tries to dissuade her from going, saying revenge is never the answer. Katara refuses to listen, even when Sokka says he believes Aang is right. Aang tries to convince Katara to choose forgiveness rather than vengeance, but she says that forgiveness for the man who killed her mother is impossible.

Later that night, Katara and Zuko prepare to take Appa without Aang's consent, but Aang confronts them. Aang allows them to take Appa, believing it's a journey she needs to take, but he pleads with her to choose forgiveness rather than revenge. Katara thanks him for understanding, and they depart. Sokka comically asks Aang if he can borrow Momo for a week for no good reason.



On Appa, Katara and Zuko go to a guiding outpost that serves as a coordination station for the entire Fire Navy. They sneak in and Katara sends the guard out by Waterbending ink onto her. They discover that the Southern Raiders are currently stationed at Whale Tail Island. On the way, Katara remembers her personal experiences when she lost her mother. Upon spotting the black snow, the eight-year-old Katara went to look for her mother Kya at their home, but found her being questioned by a Fire Nation soldier. She tells Katara to go outside and get her father. The Fire Nation soldier glares at Katara, yelling at her to get out. Her mother comforts her and tells her everything will be alright. Katara runs out to get Hakoda, but by the time they came back the Fire Nation soldier was gone and Kya killed. Zuko comments that Kya was a very brave woman, and Katara holds her mother's necklace and agrees.

Later, Zuko spots the Southern Raider's Ship. In a swift and strong and powerful display of enhanced Waterbending powered by the full moon, Katara sends most of the crew overboard with a massive wave. The two make their way to the bridge to capture the ship's captain, who Katara quickly subdues with Bloodbending so that Zuko could properly interrogate him. After realizing by appearance he is not the man who killed her mother, Zuko interrogates the captain, and they learn that the Raider's last commanding officer, Yon Rha, retired four years ago and is living with his ill-tempered mother.



Yon Rha is sent by his grumpy mother to get fresh tomato-carrots. On the way back from market, it begins to rain, and he senses he is being stalked. Certain that he's being followed, Yon Rha swivels around and shoots a blast of fire at a nearby tree. He is ambushed and subdued by Zuko. Katara approaches and threatens him to remember her face, which Yon Rha does, and he tells her the whole truth of what had happened that day.

A source had told him of the existence of one Waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe, which Kya pretended to be to save her daughter. Upon hearing that Kya was the last Waterbender instead of taking her prisoner, he chooses to outright kill her. Enraged, Katara reveals herself to him as the last true Waterbender. She bends the rain, turning it into icicles that fly like daggers at Yon Rha. However, she stops the assault at the last second and releases her control over the icicles, which turn to water. Terrified, Yon Rha pleads for his life, even offering his own mother to make things even. Katara tells him she always wondered what kind of man could do such a terrible thing, but understands now that she sees him. He is a weak, pathetic and empty human being, but she can't bring herself to kill for revenge. Katara and Zuko depart, leaving Yon Rha sobbing to himself in the rain.

Later, Katara is waiting on a dock on Ember Island for the rest of the group to arrive on Appa. Aang tells Katara he's proud of her for choosing the right thing by forgiving. She replies she could never forgive Yon Rha, but is finally willing to forgive Zuko and hugs him warmly before leaving to see the others. Alone on the dock, Zuko tells Aang that he was right about what Katara needed, and Aang reaffirms that violence is never the answer. Zuko turns to Aang and says, "Then I have a question for you, what are you going to do when you face my father?" Aang looks at Zuko with uncertainty.

Series Continuity

 * When Sokka is recounting the day his mother died in a flashback, we see the black snow. We previously saw black snow in The Siege of the North, Part 1 which Sokka states means the Fire Nation is coming. During this flashback, he says, "Many of the warriors had seen the black snow before and they knew what it meant: a Fire Nation raid."
 * This is the first and only time in the series when we see Kya's face and hear her voice.
 * Katara's line in regards to Yon Rha, "Now that I know he's out there, now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice," reflects Hama's line in "The Puppetmaster" in regards to Bloodbending: "The choice is not yours; the power exists and it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war!", as Katara later uses Bloodbending on the man she believes is responsible for her mother's death. This is the last time Katara uses Bloodbending in the series. This is also the first time Katara chooses to Bloodbend instead of being forced to.


 * This is the first time Zuko says Aang's and Katara's names out loud.
 * This is the first time Jet has been mentioned on screen by name since "Lake Laogai".
 * Whale Tail Island was first mentioned in "Lake Laogai", as a place where Appa would have been taken to after being bought in the black market.
 * This is the second time that someone pushes Katara out of the way of falling rocks, first being Aang in "The Cave of Two Lovers".
 * The line, "Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?" is a direct reference to the previous three episodes, in which Aang and Sokka both went on individual journeys with Zuko, which inevitably ended with the two bonding.
 * This is the first time Aang has a noticeable moral dilemma with killing the Fire Lord.
 * This is the third time that the Western Air Temple is attacked by the Fire Nation, the first was when Sozin wiped out the Air Temple a hundred years ago and the second was when Combustion Man attacked the temple.
 * This is the last time Aang is seen fighting Azula in the series.

Trivia

 * Katara and Sokka's mother's name is Kya, which was Katara's original name in the Avatar Series Pilot.
 * The dark coat Katara wore while sneaking into the Southern Raiders' base is an item in the "Avatar Legends of the Arena" game and has been renamed "Long Coat".
 * When we see Katara as a child in the flashback, her winter coat with the crescent moon has a close resemblance to the winter coat she wore in the Northern Water Tribe while mastering Waterbending with Master Pakku.
 * This is the only episode where Kya's name is mentioned. Katara and Sokka always refer to her as their mother, but Hakoda is the only person to actually say her name.
 * In this episode, Waterbending is seen performed as influenced by two primary opportune factors, being the presence of a full moon and rain. In addition, Waterbending is also seen under the influence of strong emotion, yet another strong factor that determines the potency of the art's use.

Goofs

 * In the beginning of the episode, Sokka's hair is loose. However, after Zuko falls and Katara catches him on Appa, Sokka's wolftail is briefly seen. Then it is out again.
 * On the airship, when Azula and Zuko are fighting, Azula throws a punch to send a fire blast. However, after the blast, she freezes, no frame even moving for a good second or two, and then another blast comes as if she had thrown another punch.
 * When Zuko was following Katara from the camp fire, the tent that was behind Toph turned around. The blue half was supposed to be on the back side, but in this frame it was in the front.
 * After all the others get in their tents, there is no sign of where the fire was placed. There should have at least been a burnt spot in the grass.
 * When Suki denies going to see Sokka and coolly waves her arms before leaving, her rope belt disappears, then reappears again shortly after.
 * The tent that Katara slept in changed colors. In the scene when they are sitting around the fire, the tent was orange/red, but when she came out in the morning it was blue. Then in the next frame it turned orange again.
 * When Aang is telling Katara to just forgive the man who took her mother away, Sokka's dark part of the wrap around his hands went missing, then they where there again.
 * After Zuko tells Katara that her mother was a brave woman, Katara's hair is seen down, even though it was in a ponytail.
 * When Zuko asks Katara if she's ready to face the leader of the Southern Raiders, she pulls down her mask and breaks down a door by Waterbending before the scene cuts to commercial. After the commercial, her mask is back on her face, even though no time has passed in the show.
 * After Yon Rha's flashback. Zuko's entire face is visible immediately after the sequence, however, when Katara bends the rain, Zuko is seen pulling down his face mask (which was already lowered).
 * Yon Rha was shown holding his basket which had more than seven items inside. However, when he dumped it, it only showed four on the ground and an empty basket.
 * When Katara sits at the dock, a moment before Appa lands, it shows her hand seemingly not wearing any protector. But in the next frame there are protectors on her hands.
 * When Katara walks up to meet Zuko, her left hand is visibly bare. Yet when she stops momentarily before hugging Zuko, her blue glove suddenly appears.
 * When Zuko wakes up and Katara is flying Appa, she has dark circles under her eyes (from lack of sleep) but after she tells Zuko what happened to Kya the circles are gone.