Katara's relationships

This page is comprised of Katara's relationships with other characters in the series.

Hakoda



 * "But we were just so lost without you..." - Katara in "The Awakening"

Hakoda is Katara and Sokka's father and a prominent figure in her life. Hakoda's departure from the Southern Water Tribe to fight in the War had a profound impact on Katara, who felt abandoned by him. As shown in " The Awakening ", Katara felt very hurt and betrayed when he left to fight in The War, in spite of the fact that she knew why he left. Hakoda consoled his daughter by telling her that his departure had a heavy emotional toll on him as well. By the end of the episode, they seemed to have made up with one another. Since their reunion, Hakoda aided Team Avatar several times with preparations for the Invasion of the Fire Nation. After becoming wounded during battle, Katara healed her father and decided to assist Hakoda in following the troops to the Royal Palace while the other members continued their search for Ozai. She was clearly distraught at having to leave him behind in the Fire Nation when the Invasion plan failed. The two were reunited once again in " The Boiling Rock, Part 2 " when Sokka and Zuko traveled to the Boiling Rock Prison to free Hakoda. Although forced to separate soon afterwards when Azula attacked their campsite at the Western Air Temple, they joined once more as a family after their spectacular victory in the war.

Kya



 * "Katara, she was my mom, too, but I think Aang might be right."
 * "Then you didn't love her the way I did!"
 * "Katara!"
 * - Katara and Sokka in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara's mother, Kya, was an extremely important figure in her life. Her death had a traumatic impact on both her and Sokka. Kya was killed during a Fire Nation raid on their village when Katara was very young, which forced Katara to take on a maternal role in her family. Her only inheritance is a necklace first worn by her grandmother, passed down to each generation as a family heirloom.

It was revealed in "The Southern Raiders" that Kya sacrificed herself to save Katara's life when the Fire Nation came to the Southern Water Tribe, seeking to kill the last Waterbender. In a courageous act to save her daughter who happened to be the targeted Waterbender, Kya lied to the leader of the raid by saying she was the last Waterbender. Katara tried to avenge her mother's death by killing the soldier who murdered her, but ultimately spared him due to an ethical conflict.

Despite her age at the time of Kya's death, Katara deeply loved her mother and cherishes what few memories she has of her. She prizes the betrothal necklace given to her by Kya, as it was the only material object she had left to remember her. She once stated that she wishes her mother was alive more than anything.

Sokka



 * "Oh Sokka, you do have a heart." - Katara to Sokka in "The Painted Lady"

Sokka is Katara's older brother, with an age difference of one year. The Water Tribe Siblings are arguably the most dynamic familial relationship shown in the series, rivaled only by Zuko and Iroh. The opening scene of the entire series is of them enjoying a pastime together, before breaking down and entering an argument session with one another. Sokka's sarcastic nature can, and often does, clash with Katara's more serious and caring one, leading to disagreements and "sibling spats". This usually results in them keeping the other in check with attitudes, whether in Sokka's goofiness and pessimism or Katara's temper and optimism. The two frequently tease, taunt, and annoy each other throughout the series, (including jests about the other's love life) even accidentally:


 * Sokka: "Good technique, little sister! Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe!"
 * Katara: "You know, I am just about sick and tired of you telling me what to do all day! You're like a chattering hogmonkey!" 
 * Sokka: "Just bend the slurry, woman!"
 * - Katara and Sokka, "The Drill"

Overall, because of all they have gone through together (eg. losing their mother, being separated from their father for an extended period of time, and being closest age-wise in their diminished tribe), Sokka and Katara are very close and love each other very much. They are frequently shown to defend and protect each other, and work well together: Katara's bending prowess accompanied by Sokka's mental creativity and weapons specialty create a powerful duo, as prime represented in " Bato of the Water Tribe ", " The Drill " and " The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion ". In "The Runaway" it is revealed that when Sokka tries to remember his mother's face, all he sees is Katara. This clearly represents how highly Sokka thinks of Katara:


 * "She had so much strength. She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom."
 * -Sokka to Toph concerning Katara in "The Runaway"

And although it seems that Katara can tease Sokka about his role of "being the leader" in the group, she still remains respectful of him. In "The Avatar Returns", Katara would not go to save Aang unless Sokka would come with her. Earlier on in the same episode, Katara also did not question Sokka's motives for banishing Aang from the village after he reminded her:


 * "I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you..."
 * -Sokka to Katara in "The Avatar Returns"

(She did, however, try to prove to him that Aang was "not our enemy!" after Sokka added the phrase: "[protecting you] from threats like him.")

In essence, these three quotes sum up their relationship perfectly: two siblings who, despite their daily trials and tribulations, hold each other in high respect and are very close indeed.

Kanna



 * "It's been so long since I've had hope. But you've brought it back to life, my little Waterbender."
 * - Kanna to Katara in "The Avatar Returns"

Kanna is Katara and Sokka's grandmother. With their mother being deceased and their father off fighting in the War, Kanna was the only other relative they had at the time before they met Aang and found their father again. Katara and Sokka have a habit of calling her "Gran Gran". It is hinted that despite their strong relationship, being left under Kanna's care did not compensate for her father's departure from the tribe to fight in the war.

In "The Waterbending Master", it is revealed that Kanna ran away from the North Pole tribe to escape an arranged marriage. Katara sympathized with her grandmother's decision, as she, too, faced the prejudices of the Northern Water Tribe against its female citizens.

Pakku



 * "No. No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you! I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me." - Katara to Master Pakku in "The Waterbending Master"

Pakku and Katara didn't get off to such a great start when they first met. Due to the Northern Water Tribe patriarchal structure, he refused to teach Katara fighting techniques used in Waterbending. After defeating her in a fight, he recognized her necklace as the betrothal necklace he made for Kanna sixty years ago. Realizing that his customs had cost him his wife, he agreed to teach her. Their relationship improved as he taught Katara, noting her to be his best pupil, and after a short time of training he deemed her worthy to the title of Master Waterbender. When the two part ways in "The Avatar State", Pakku gives her an amulet containing water from the Spirit Oasis, which she later used to revive Aang. In "Sokka's Master", Katara tries to cheer Sokka up on the idea of getting a master to teach him, saying that she would never be the Waterbender she was if it wasn't for Pakku. She meets him again in Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters and is overjoyed upon hearing Pakku's marriage to Kanna.

Aang



 * "For the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary." - Katara to Aang in "The Avatar State"

Katara, who listened to her grandmother's stories regarding the Avatar, believed that he would one day return to save the world. When Aang was released from the Iceberg, Katara developed an immediate attachment to the young Airbender, believing him to be special. Upon learning that he was the long-lost Avatar, Katara wasted no time in convincing her brother to go after Zuko's ship to rescue him. From that moment on she was Aang's staunch defender and protector, adopting motherly instincts toward Aang. During and after "The Crossroads of Destiny", Katara would heal and personally care for Aang. Later when he disappeared in "The Awakening", Katara broke down in horror and fear. Katara offered Aang emotional support, as she was also his closest friend; in "The Storm", Aang revealed his past life at the Southern Air Temple to her, his reasons for running away and how he feels responsible for the War. Katara remains the only one we have seen on-screen that Aang has personally confided all of this information to.

Aang took an immediate liking to Katara, starting with an instant crush and developing into a strong love for the young Waterbender as the series progressed. Even though there have been numerous hints that she was interested in Aang romantically (in the V-cast recap of Season 2, she even classified her moment with Aang in the Cave of Two Lovers as "romantic"), Katara's feelings for the Avatar have been mostly ambiguous - even to herself, as seen in "The Ember Island Players". In "The Ember Island Players", Katara confesses to Aang that she was currently confused and wasn't seeking a romantic relationship with him at that time. Her actions, however, could be associated with a fear of losing him to Ozai with her denial of her feelings for him being a way to spare her the pain of what might come. Despite her inner turmoil at that point, she still had strong faith that he would prevail over Ozai as expressed in her statement, "Aang won't lose. He's going to come back. He has to.", in Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno.

This ambiguity was finally eliminated with the concluding scene of Sozin's Comet where the two are seen hugging and, eventually, kissing. Unlike past kisses, Katara throws her arms around Aang's neck and initiates a more passionate kiss than they had ever shared during the series. By doing so Katara shows that the romantic feelings are entirely mutual, and the two enjoyed a long-term relationship, eventually leading to Aang and Katara's marriage, and culminating with the birth of a son, Tenzin. The creators themselves have commented within an interview that they have always favored the idea of a relationship between Aang and Katara.

Jet



 * "Katara, I've changed!"
 * "Tell it to some other girl, Jet." - Katara and Jet in "Lake Laogai"

When Katara first met Jet, she was entranced with the young freedom fighter: tall and athletic, brave, an expert dual swordsman, charismatic and verbally smooth. Her liking for Jet went as far as doubting and even criticizing her own brother when he said Jet couldn't be trusted. Jet later revealed a much different side to his personality when he said he was willing to hurt innocent people to defeat the Fire Nation. Katara was enraged by this, and used her Waterbending to freeze him to a tree. When she witnessed Jet's gang flood an occupied Earth Kingdom village, she abandoned her feelings for Jet and left him frozen.

Katara met Jet again in Ba Sing Se. Jet offered to help find Appa and everyone except Katara eagerly accepted it (leading Toph to tease Katara about Jet being her ex-boyfriend). Katara is later teased by Sokka about having kissed Jet. Despite all this, Jet proved to have truly changed his ways and Katara lets go of her anger towards him. Unfortunately, Jet was fatally wounded by Long Feng, and the gang was forced to leave him and his freedom fighters behind. Katara is shown to be deeply remorseful when the group leaves Lake Laogai, somehow knowing that Jet would not make it. Jet later died of his wounds.

It was hinted in the brief flashbacks of his memories that Jet might also have had genuine feelings for Katara.

Toph



 * "That's what I really admire about you, Toph; you're so strong and confident and self-assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but you're really pretty." - Katara to Toph in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se"

Toph is the young Earthbending Master that befriended and joined Team Avatar to help Aang master Earthbending, and to escape her overprotective parents. Almost immediately after joining Team Avatar, Toph and Katara began to clash, with Katara's motherly and teamwork morals and Toph's more cavelier attitude. At the beginning of "The Chase", Katara was initially excited to have another girl in the group, presumably to share common interests.

However, her high hopes ended when she and Toph began arguing with each other after Katara insisted that Toph contribute to the team's routine of setting up camp. She and Toph continually argued with one another in The Chase. Both fought with each other due to their conflicting yet equally stubborn personalities along with very different backgrounds, as seen in "The Chase" and "The Runaway". However, they respected one another's formidability in bending, and later they grew to respect their differences. Along the way they became very good friends, as seen in "Tales of Ba Sing Se" when they enjoyed a day at the spa together. Toph also voiced in "The Runaway" that Katara was "fun" - at least fun to argue with.

Zuko



 * "But I am ready to forgive you." - Katara in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara's relationship with Zuko is complicated. They first met when Zuko invaded the Southern Water Tribe's village in "The Avatar Returns" and their relationship was often antagonistic as Zuko continued his attempts to capture Aang. She grew to hate him in "The Waterbending Scroll" when Zuko threatened to hurt her and her brother and tried bribery using her mother's necklace. In "The Chase", Katara offers to help Zuko by healing Iroh but is rebuffed. In "The Crossroads of Destiny", Katara almost began to trust Zuko, after he revealed that he too had lost his mother to the Fire Nation, saying: "I'm sorry. That's something we have in common." She eventually trusted him to the point where she offered to heal his scar. Later, when Zuko betrayed her and the gang by joining Azula, Katara was visibly hurt and her hatred for Zuko only worsened, as she took his betrayal personally.

Consequently, in "The Western Air Temple", Katara was the most vocal of the group in not allowing Zuko to join them. When Zuko was allowed to join, Katara confronted him, saying that she still does not trust him and tells him coldly not to hurt Aang, even going so far as to threaten Zuko's life. Even long after the others in the group trust Zuko, she still remains harsh towards him. Zuko tries to stay out of Katara's way, but eventually confronts her when, even after he saved them from Azula and the rest of the gang had accepted him, Katara remained unmoved by his sacrifice and still refused to trust him. This led Zuko to try and reconcile with her by offering to help Katara avenge the death of her mother in "The Southern Raiders". With some help of a "Forgiveness Speech" by Aang to Katara, their complex relationship was finally thawed out, and Katara finally forgave Zuko.

Katara and Zuko became very good friends and grew to respect one another greatly within the following episodes. When Sozin's Comet arrived, Katara assured Zuko that Iroh would forgive him, then Zuko specifically asked Katara to help him overthrow Azula. She gladly accepted, and assured Zuko that they could win. However, when the two arrived, Azula challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai. He accepted to prevent Katara from getting harmed and was confident he could win, noticing that Azula was unbalanced. When Azula used lightning against Katara, Zuko risked his life for her and was near-fatally wounded, forcing Katara to fight Azula on her own. After disarming Azula, Katara immediately ran over to heal Zuko, and voiced that she was grateful for saving her life. The two remained friends after the war.

Katara and Zuko have been the source of many "shipping wars" among the fandom, which is parodied in "School Time Shipping" and "The Ember Island Players". Katara and Zuko show discomfort and disgust when a possible romance is suggested by the play in "The Ember Island Players". Although it never actually became canon, it remains a highly-publicized ship.

Suki



 * "No, don't hurt him! He didn't mean it. My brother is just an idiot sometimes." - Katara in "The Warriors of Kyoshi"

Katara met the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors when Aang stopped by Kyoshi Island to ride a giant koi fish. They were later captured and taken to the village where Suki, mistrustful of outsiders, threatened to throw them back to the water to feed the Unagi. When Sokka voiced disdain that he was defeated by a girl, Katara quickly made an apology to Suki before any violence could escalate and told Aang to prove himself to be the current Avatar. Katara also voiced her glee to her disgruntled brother the next morning about the fact that "a girl kicked his butt".

Katara accompanied Sokka to Kyoshi Island in "Avatar Day" where she learned that Suki had left her home to help in the war. The two met again in "The Serpent's Pass" where she was taken aback by how different Suki looked without her make-up, being forced to wear another uniform. When Ying was giving birth to her child, Katara asked for Suki's help in the delivery.

After Suki joined the Gang for good, she and Katara went off together to look for Aang in "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King" and were annoyed when they saw the actress playing him instead. It is assumed Katara and Suki remained friends after the war.

Princess Yue



 * "Don't worry! Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather."
 * "I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard. I'm worried that they won't." - Katara and Yue in "The Siege of the North, Part 2"

Katara briefly interacted with Yue in the events of "The Siege of the North, Part 1" where she aided Aang in seeking help from the Spirits by taking him to the Spirit Oasis. Yue was also the one who told Katara about the fact that Waterbenders are particularly stronger during the night due to the moon. She accompanied Sokka and Katara in rescuing Aang from Prince Zuko, offering words of comfort to a concerned Katara. When the moon spirit was killed by Admiral Zhao, Katara was there to witness Yue's sacrifice.

Haru



 * "Haru! It's so good to see you!" - Katara to Haru in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion"

Katara first met Haru while he was secretly practicing Earthbending outside of his village which was occupied by Fire Nation forces. Haru was surprised and distrustful of the group at first, but soon realized that the kids were trustworthy and gave them a place to stay for the night. Katara and Haru became fast friends and sympathized with each other's losses in the War, namely Haru's imprisoned father and Katara's deceased mother. After Haru was arrested by the Fire Nation for Earthbending, Katara tricked the Fire Nation into arresting her so that she could save Haru.

Katara was able to free Haru and his father, Tyro, from prison after she renewed their will to fight for freedom. Together, they freed all of the Earthbenders from their prison and fled to safety. Katara's actions inspired Haru and his people to free their village of the invaders which they were successful in doing.

Haru and Katara were happily reunited prior to the Day of Black Sun invasion and fought together during the battle to take over the Fire Nation Capital. The attack failed and Haru briefly joined the others in the "Western Air Temple".

When Azula attacked the temple during "The Southern Raiders", Haru accompanied Katara's father while the rest escaped the temple on Appa. They reunited again during Zuko's coronation. It is safe to assume that they remain friends after the war.

Their friendship has been speculated by fans as romantic, and possibly by canonical characters, asHaru was briefly mentioned in "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King", when Toph joked that he and Katara had had a secret thing together when the latter declared that she had a surprise for everyone. Haru has been cited by fans as one of Katara's possible love interests, but she herself denies this.

Ty Lee



 * "Why don't you try blocking my chi now, circus freak!" - Katara to Ty Lee in "The Drill"

While they have never formally met, Katara first encountered Ty Lee in Omashu when she accompanied Princess Azula and Mai in a prisoner exchange; the group intended to trade Mai's brother, Tom-Tom, for King Bumi. When Mai called off the deal on Azula's orders, the two groups attacked each other. When Katara tried to disarm Mai, Ty Lee blocked her chi, rendering her Waterbending useless. Although Sokka and Appa's intervention saved Katara, Katara became fearful of Ty Lee's ability. Katara even remarks in "The Chase" that she fears Ty Lee the most out of the trio of women.

Katara met Ty Lee in battle on several occasions including at the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. When Ty Lee pursued her and Sokka through the Fire Nation Drill's slurry system, Katara bent the liquefied material, trapping Ty Lee. She then hatefully called her a "circus freak". In The Guru, Ty Lee disabled Katara in Ba Sing Se during the coup d'etat, getting the latter captured.

Katara and Ty Lee didn't meet again until Zuko was crowned as Fire Lord when the War ended. By this time, she had abandoned Azula and joined the Kyoshi Warriors, so it is safe to assume that she and Katara have buried the hatchet.

Hama



 * "I won't! I won't use Bloodbending and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town!" - Katara to Hama in "The Puppetmaster"

Upon first meeting her, Katara was quite fond of Hama even comparing her to her own grandmother. Upon learning she was also a Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, she was both touched by her story and excited to learn the southern traditions. Katara learned various Waterbending techniques from Hama, but soon discovered Hama's true nature when Hama tried to teach her Bloodbending, a dark technique of Waterbending that allows for a Waterbender to control the fluids in another organism. Katara turned her back on Hama, vowing never to use it. The two fought a short duel; Katara momentarily gained the upperhand until Sokka and Aang arrived at the scene and became victims of Hama's technique. When she intended to kill Aang by sending Sokka's sword straight at him, Katara realized the only solution was to utilize Bloodbending on her. Hama was taken prisoner by Fire Nation villagers, remarking that her job was done and congratulating Katara on her new status. While Katara seemed to be deeply affected by this encounter, she took similar actions in "The Southern Raiders" when she tracked down her mother's killer with Zuko's help, even using Bloodbending to subdue a man who she thought was the killer.

Katara likely doesn't harbor much sympathy for Hama given her aggressiveness and amoral practices, especially after she forced Katara to learn such a horrific bending art.

Yon Rha



 * "That's him...that was the monster." - Katara about Yon Rha in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara first met the Fire Nation soldier, Yon Rha, and his unit, the Southern Raiders, when they attacked her village when she was only eight years-old. When Katara ran to find her mother Kya, she was horrified to find that Yon Rha was holding her hostage in their house. Yon Rha demanded that she leave, and she did upon Kya's insistence. Yon Rha demanded that Kya tell him the identity of the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe; she lied, saying that she was the Waterbender in order to protect Katara and was promptly killed by Yon Rha.

Katara never forgot Yon Rha's face, particularly remembering the hateful look in his eyes. Katara forever held a deep hatred for Yon Rha and was determined to make him pay for her mother's death. Zuko offered to help her track him down and she eventually did so. She interrogated Yon Rha and forced him to confess that he killed Kya. Katara realized that her mother had died to save her life and nearly killed Yon Rha in a fit of rage. However, she could not bring herself to do it and ultimately spared Yon Rha when she saw how truly pathetic he was. He was willing to sacrifice his own mother in exchange for mercy causing Katara to despise his cowardice, proving that he was truly not worth killing. Katara then left him cowering and crying in the rain.

Katara has sworn not to forgive Yon Rha for his crime, but her relationship with Zuko was mended after he helped her face her enemy.

Azula



 * "And you're going down!" - Katara to Azula in Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into The Inferno

Katara first had skirmishes with Azula in "The Chase" where she and the rest of the gang joined forces with Zuko and Iroh to defeat her in a duel. They briefly met again in "The Guru" where Katara was captured when she mistook the disguised Azula for Suki and warned her that Zuko and Iroh were in the city. The two girls fought each other in the old underground city of Ba Sing Se in the second season's finale, where Katara surprisingly held her ground against the Fire Nation Princess. Only through Zuko's aid did Azula manage to claim an upper hand in their fight.

Eager to put down Azula, Katara accompanied Zuko to the Fire Nation Capital during the events of Sozin's Comet, but Zuko was wounded protecting her from his sister's lightning strike in their Agni Kai. Realizing that she could not heal Zuko unless she put Azula out of action, Katara tricked the princess, allowing her to freeze Azula near the palace water canals, chain her on the ground, and ultimately defeat her.

It is not known what Katara's thoughts on Azula were after the war. However, given the look of sympathy she gave Azula when she had her mental breakdown, it is likely she does feel some degree of pity for her.