Suki

Background


Suki is the eldest of the young female Kyoshi Warriors of the Earth Kingdom's Kyoshi Island, and is in charge of training the younger warriors. Having begun her training when she was only 8 years old, Suki is well respected by her fellows and acts as their leader.

History
Suki and her fellow warriors are first seen when they captured Aang and his friends for intruding on Kyoshi island. She and the village quickly accepted them as guests when they learned Aang was the Avatar. Initially rather offended by Sokkas somewhat chauvinistic attitude, she paid him back by repeatedly humiliating him in combat training and even forced him to dress in full female warrior garb, but was eventually attracted to him once he admitted his mistake. The two bonded over sparring matches, and, before parting, she kisses Sokka on the cheek admitting that even though she is a warrior, she was also a girl. It is discovered, in the episode "Avatar Day", that she and the other warriors of Kyoshi, inspired by Sokka particularly, have gone off to fight in the war against the Fire Nation.



Suki makes her reappearance in the second season episode "The Serpent's Pass". She and the other Kyoshi Warriors has been assisting refugees on their way to Ba Sing Se and decided not to return to Kyoshi Island and, in hopes of making a difference in the war, acted as security guards at a hidden ferry terminal. When Aang decides to escort a group of stranded travelers through the Serpent's Pass, Suki accompanies them to ensure that they make it through safely. It is during the night her feelings for Sokka are made more clear, though he's reluctant to jump into a relationship with her due to his perception of failing to save Princess Yue during the Siege of the North Pole. At one point during the night Suki goes to kiss him, but Sokka is reluctant to do so under the full moon, as it obviously reminds him of Yue, and puts Suki off without an explanation. Before her departure, she apologizes to him, telling him she acted rashly, but Sokka stops her, and immediately makes up for the previous night by kissing her back. He also tells her about Princess Yue, implying that he now cares more about her.



In "Appa's Lost Days" we see her discovering an injured Appa and attempting to get him to Aang, but she is confronted by Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. The Kyoshi Island Warriors and Azula begin to battle, and Suki reluctantly drives Appa away with a burning branch to keep him safe. She then clashes with Azula but was eventually defeated, captured and sent to the Fire Nation. After the guards discovered her identity as the leader she was sent to the Fire Nations highest security prison, the Boiling Rock. The other Kyoshi warriors where probably imprisoned back on the Fire Nation mainland.



In "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse", when Azula is attempting to distract Aang and his friends from finding Fire Lord Ozai, she tells Sokka that she learned about him from her "favorite prisoner", and that she had at first been hoping for him to rescue her, but that she has since forgotten about him. This is enough to send Sokka into a blind rage, distracting him and the team for the last few minutes they had to find Ozai.

In "The Boiling Rock, Part 1" Suki is found by Sokka who had initially sneaked in hoping to find his father Hakoda. Contrary to Azula's claims she had never given up on hopes of rescue, happily embraces Sokka, and readily joins in the breakout plans. When Sokka decides to remain behind in hopes of finding his father she instantly decides to remain behind as well even though they may end up trapped. When the group starts a riot to cover there escape Suki quickly and decisively captures the prison Warden. When Azula and Ty Lee attack the group on the prison gondolas she fights with Ty Lee and holds her off quite effectively. She and the rest of the escapees return to the Western Air Temple via Azula's Airship.

In recent spoilers for the Ember Island Players Suki is seen in Fire Nation disguise and accompanies them to the play.

Personality
Befitting her status as leader of the Kyoshi warriors, Suki is tough, assertive and not afraid to speak her mind; at the same time, she has a very compassionate and loyal spirit. Her softer side is frequently demonstrated in the presence of Sokka. She held out hope for a long time during her imprisonment of seeing Sokka again and showed no sign of breaking in the face of Azula's torments pertaining to Sokka. She also has a mild tendency to hold grudges as seen by her rather cool treatment of Zuko when they meet in prison and readily looks forward to a rematch with Azula and Ty Lee. A women of action, she quickly and skillfully captured the prison Warden, an action which prompted approval from Hakoda.

Abilities
Although not possessing any bending abilities, Suki is more than capable of handling herself in a fight. She is an impressive hand to hand combatant (using a style reminiscent of Aikido) as well as traditional Kyoshi war fans and katana. She can hold her own against other skilled fighters such as Ty Lee, readily avoiding her disabling pressure point strikes, and is a good teacher, passing some of her fighting methods onto Sokka. She also possesses considerable physical strength, able to swim easily in full plate armor and toss aside a full grown man with ease. During the breakout of the Boiling Rock, she bypassed a full scale riot by jumping across the tops of the rioters heads and scaled the vertical face of a building with an agility comparable to that of Ty Lee.

Trivia

 * Suki is Japanese for 'like/love' and is pronounced similar to the Japanese word for moon, tsuki. It is also a term in Aikido and Kendo for being vulnerable to attack or having flawed technique.