June

"earth"

- Make it your weight and we got a deal.

June was a bounty hunter who traveled around the Earth Kingdom. She was a mercenary and had no allegiance to any nation, only to the highest bidder for her services.

She was confident and self-assured, possessed a dry sarcastic wit, considered quite beautiful in a dangerous sort of way and had incredible physical strength. June would arm wrestle men in bars on a bet, then squander her winnings on a round of drinks. June wore a headband with a skull adornment, the origin of which is unknown.

She hunted her prey with the help of her mount, a giant beast called a Shirshu. Though blind, the Shirshu, Nyla, "saw" by means of its powerful scent receptors, and June claimed it could "smell a rat a continent away". To capture her targets June depended on her Shirshu to use its long whip-like tongue (coated in paralyzing neurotoxins) to immobilize them.

History
June originated from the Earth Kingdom where she spent her childhood traveling with her father, who was also a bounty hunter. It was from him that she adopted the tracking and fighting skills she currently employs. June received the Shirshu she now owns from her father when she was just a child. A rare animal collector once took the Shirshu when it was an infant and later gave it to June's father as payment for a bounty, who later gave it to her. The two have grown up together for over seventeen years.



In Spring of 100 ASC, June tracked a fleeing target who had stowed on board Zuko's ship and captured him, inflicting mild damage to the ship in the process. Iroh developed an immediate interest in her while Zuko was angered (though quietly impressed) with her inanity and skill. Tracking her down afterwards, they employed her to track down Aang by following his trail after obtaining Katara's scent from her necklace. They successfully found Aang at a nearby Abbey where she was largely occupied with an angry Appa. Eventually Nyla was blinded by a large quantity of perfume that Katara had Waterbended over it. As the Shirshu lashed out in confusion, June and Zuko were both temporarily paralyzed. Iroh caught and supported her and was quite content to feign paralysis simply to get close and hold her. Although the act clearly annoyed her, she couldn't do anything about it.

Much later, a reformed Zuko and Team Avatar went in search of her hoping to use her Shirshu to find a currently missing Aang; unfortunately, Aang's scent could not be found, because according to June, it was as if Aang did not exist on the planet (he was on the Lion Turtle at the time). Instead Zuko suggested they search for Iroh, hoping he would know; she soon led them outside the broken walls of Ba Sing Se, saying that Iroh was just on the other side of the large pile of debris and with her job complete, she gave a final farewell to the group and rode off.

Personality
In June's profession she must mix with a variety of people from unsavory to low life as well as regular characters. Her determination, resolve and superior physical strength have enabled her to get the job done in the toughest of assignments. June's character along with her Shirshu's abilities make her a force to be reckoned with - a fearless and non-fragile woman and rarely misunderstood. June is also confident and decisive; although she seems dark and uncaring, she did not ask for payment from Zuko when he said that the world would be destroyed and needed her help, proving that loyalty to her pocket is not the only consideration, although since she was in the Earth Kingdom at the time it may just have been self-preservation.

Abilities


June is a professional bounty hunter. She is an experienced Shirshu rider, who knows how to ride it when it leaps and runs great heights and distances. June is also known to be skilled in using the whip. In addition, she is very strong which has been demonstrated by her effortlessly defeating a muscular man, who struggled terribly against her in their arm-wrestling match. Further proof of her brute strength is lifting up two men; one in her debut episode and the other when she was fighting when the Team Avatar with the exeption of Aang and Momo came looking for her. She is shown to be able to defeat opponents before a cup she was drinking from hit the ground. June proves to be a formidable fighter, as she demonstrates amazing speed, hand-to-hand combat, and evasion.

Trivia

 * Even though she has appeared in only three episodes ("Bato of the Water Tribe", "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King", and "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters"), June has become quite popular among fans, something the creators of Avatar have (half-jokingly) noted.
 * June is featured in the Super Deformed Short "School Time Shipping" with her Shirshu, Nyla.
 * Even though June is from the Earth Kingdom, she is frequently thought to be from the Fire Nation due to her opposition to Team Avatar, her clothing, and her hairstyle.
 * June's voice actress, Jennifer Hale, also voices Avatar Kyoshi.
 * June continually teased Zuko and Katara about being boyfriend and girlfriend much to their frustration.
 * In "Bato of the Water Tribe", June treats Nyla very harshly, but in "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters," she treats her much more kindly, calling it her "snuffly wuffly". The reason for the difference in treatment is a matter of speculation, though it could be that June treated Nyla harshly because they were working on capturing the Avatar and she wanted Nyla to do its best.
 * There has been some confusion among fans whether her name should be spelled "June" or "Jun". "Jun" is a more authentic Japanese name, used in many animes. However, the credits and Nickelodeon website both spell the Avatar character's name as "June."
 * The name June comes from English meaning "The first month of summer." This month was named after Juno, the ancient Roman goddess and queen of the gods.
 * According to the extras, June's design is based on staff member Lisa Yang and her shirshu's name Nyla is also the name of Yang's dog.
 * Iroh appears to have a little crush on her.
 * June resembles Lian, the Maker from Avatar: The Last Airbender (video game).
 * A seeming nod to June's toughness can be seen in her bar room antics, where she arm wrestles a man bearing striking resemblance to Ryu, the protagonist of the Street Fighter series of video games.