Kya (nonbender)

"water"

- Just let her go, and I'll give you the information you want.

Kya was Katara and Sokka's mother and the wife of Hakoda. She was born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe. Kya is frequently mentioned throughout the show. Her death during a Fire Nation raid on the Southern Water Tribe has a profound impact upon both of her children.

Background
Very little is known about her history, but at some point she married Hakoda and they had two children: Sokka and Katara. During the series, it is clear that Kya was loved and missed by her children and husband. According to a legend told by Katara, one winter, when Kya was a young girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Kya realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. She and some others went to check on Nini's family, but when they got there, no one was home, just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Kya stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice, "It's so cold and I can't get warm". Kya turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Kya ran outside for help, but when everyone came back, Nini was gone. Smoke is sometimes seen floating out of the chimney, like Nini is still trying to get warm. Since this is a ghost story, it is unknown whether or not it is accurate though Katara insists it's a true story. When her daughter, Katara, was young, Kya used to make a special paste out of blubber and peper berries and rubbed it on the little girl's chest when she had a cold.

Death


When the Southern Raiders learned that one Waterbender still remained in the Southern Water Tribe, they attacked Kya's village in an attempt to identify and kill the Waterbender. The Raiders' leader, Yon Rha found Kya in her house and began to interrogate her, demanding to know the identity of the last Southern Waterbender.

The two were then interrupted by eight-year-old Katara. As she looked the man in his eyes, Kya told Yon Rha to leave her alone and that she would give him the information he wanted if he let her daughter go. Katara was scared, but her mother told her not to worry and to go find her father. When Katara did not move, Yon Rha told her that she had heard her mother, and to leave. She left, and Yon Rha resumed his interrogation.

Yon Rha demanded to know the identity of the Waterbender who lived in the village. At first Kya denied it, saying that there were no Waterbenders left, as the Fire Nation had taken them all away years ago. However, Yon Rha contradicted her, saying that a reliable source had told him of the existence of one Waterbender left in the Southern Water Tribe. He told her that they were not leaving until they had found the Waterbender. Kya deliberately told Yon Rha that she was the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, lying to protect both her daughter and village. She told Yon Rha that she was ready to be taken as their prisoner, but Yon Rha told her that he was not to take any prisoners, and ruthlessly murdered her. Katara and Hakoda rushed to the hut as fast as they could, but by the time they arrived, Kya was dead—much to the grief of Katara and Hakoda. It is highly likely that Sokka was told of the tragedy, but did not see the murder scene as his father and younger sister did.

Post-Mortem
Kya's death had a severe effect on her whole family. Both Katara and Sokka developed a strong distrust in anybody from the Fire Nation, and Hakoda went off to war with his warriors in order to ensure the Tribe's survival following the war's end. Her death has had Katara expressing her grief on several occasions. Kya's death was first brought up when Katara mentioned the pain she endured when she had lost her mother while Aang was in the Avatar State.

Sokka and Katara's mother has been mentioned on several occasions. While she was talking with Haru, she pointed out the necklace she was wearing. Haru complimented her saying it was beautiful in which Katara replied that she had lost her mother in a Fire Nation raid and that necklace is all she has left of her. Haru had stated that it wasn't enough, and Katara had agreed with him. In that same episode, she lost the necklace while trying to free Earthbenders from prison.

When Zuko and Katara were imprisoned at Ba Sing Se, Katara expressed her hatred and grief towards Zuko by tearfully confiding that his nation killed her mother. He sympathized with her loss in the wake of the loss of his own mother, but that wasn't enough to stop him from joining his sister in conquering Ba Sing Se.



Katara saw a vision of her mother during her adventure in the swamp. However, we only see her from the back, showing that her hairstyle resembles Katara's. In reality, what Katara thought was her mother was a tree stump in the middle of the swamp, masked by the Swamp's mystical powers and abilities. Katara then broke down into tears.

Sokka has admitted to Toph that he is unable to remember what his mother looked like. He says that Katara always seemed like the maternal figure in the family and assumed the responsibilities left by Kya. He even went as far to say that whenever he tried to picture Kya, Katara's face was the only thing he could see. Sokka held a grudge against the Fire Nation for the death of his mother, but that grudge slowly faded as he grew older. Sokka seemed opposed to the idea of extracting revenge on the man who was responsible for Kya's death.

In an attempt to prove that he was indeed trustworthy, Zuko offered to help Katara find the man who had killed Kya, which he hoped would give Katara closure and justice. However, Katara also desired revenge. When she faced Yon Rha, she forced him to remember her face, and he finally did. He also revealed why he had murdered Kya: to kill the last Southern Waterbender. Katara realized that her mother died saving her life, and she almost killed Yon Rha in a fit of rage. However, she ultimately relented when she saw how pathetic he was and decided to spare him. Although she would never forgive Yon Rha, she had the closure she needed to move on in life. She learned to trust Zuko and continues to value her mother's memory.

When Hakoda reunited with his children after they defeated the Fire Nation, he remarked that had she lived to see the end of the War, Kya would have been very proud of them. Katara shed a few happy tears at this statement.

Relatives

 * Hakoda (husband)
 * Sokka (elder son)
 * Katara (younger daughter)
 * Gran Gran Kanna (mother-in-law)
 * Pakku (step-father-in-law)
 * Avatar Aang (son-in-law)
 * Tenzin (grandson)

Trivia

 * In the Avatar Series Pilot, Katara's name was originally "Kya", but was changed once the actual show began production. This name was later used for her mother instead.
 * Prior to her name's revelation, Kya was referred to by fans as "NMOKAS", the acronym for "Nameless Mother of Katara and Sokka".
 * Nick's official series site and Avatar Extras use the spelling "Kaya", and also uses a Southern Raider's picture instead of Kya's when you click on her name.
 * Kya is voiced by Grey DeLisle, who also voiced Azula and Ta Min.
 * In the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke, Kya is the name of the main protagonist's (Ashitaka) little sister. This is possibly a reference to the movie, as both of the shows creators are expressed admirers of Miyazaki's work.
 * It is uncertain whether Kya actually gave Katara the betrothal necklace that she wears in the series. Katara mentions that it was her grandmother's betrothal necklace, which she handed down to Kya and then Kya handed down to Katara. Kya is wearing a betrothal necklace while Yon Rha interrogates her and kills her. This could be the betrothal necklace that Hakoda made for her. Also in the same episode, when Katara walks in on her mother and Yon Rha, when they do a close up of her, you can see a blue collar around her neck. This could possibly be the necklace that Kya gave Katara.
 * In Katara's vision of her in the swamp, Kya did not have the same hairstyle nor was she wearing her heavy coat. As such, she looked very different in Katara's vision than in real life. This is probably because after that time period, she has forgotten what her mother looked like. This is stated by Sokka in The Runaway, stating that after their mother was killed, he has forgotten what she looked like, and every time Sokka tries to remember her, he sees Katara because she was always there for him.
 * Kya's name is only mentioned once by Hakoda.