| By Cangse Sanren | Part of the Phoenix Rising, Dying Embers continuity. |
Hakoda Pathuk is a dominant waterbender and a Southern Water Tribe chieftain. The father of Sokka and Katara, he is the husband of Kya, the son of Kanna, stepson of Pakku, and the older half-brother of Lunala. Originally the head of a minor tribe at the South Pole that was part of the Southern Tribe's tribal confederation, Hakoda rose to become the emperor of the South at the end of the Hundred Year War. He was skilled as a talented ship captain, igloo builder, weapons maker, and warrior. Much of Sokka's ingenuity and craftiness were learned from his father. Hakoda, Bato, and the rest of the adult Southern males went off to take the fight to the Fire Nation two years before the end of the Hundred Year War, leaving his children to be raised by Kya and Kanna.
History[]
Early life[]
Hakoda grew up in the Southern Water Tribe and, like all Water Tribe boys, was taught to be a warrior. He was a good friend of Bato and Kya, and the three of them had many famous and hilarious adventures. Hakoda eventually became the leader of his local tribe, married Kya and fathered two children: Sokka and Katara. Hakoda recognized Sokka and Katara's waterbending abilities when they were young and encouraged them to develop them, knowing that their skills would be key to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe; he even traveled around the entire South Pole, looking for a waterbender to train his children, but could not find one.
When Sokka was nine and Katara was eight, Hakoda rallied his village's warriors to fend off an attack of the Southern Raiders, who had been tasked by Fire Lord Azulon to kill the last waterbenders of the Southern Water Tribe. During the battle, he was alerted by Katara that a Fire Nation soldier had invaded their home and was threatening Kya. He rushed to their house, and was able to save her right before the soldier delivered the fatal blow.
Involvement in the War[]
Leaving his family and reunion[]
In 97 AG, Hakoda made a difficult choice to leave his children, niece, and nephew behind and lead the men of his tribe to fight in the Hundred Year War. His small force roamed the seas and attacked vulnerable Fire Nation units, and Hakoda almost lost his life during a clash on Whaletail Island. He was saved by Gilak, a veteran warrior and one of his closest companions. Hakoda and his group eventually set up camp at the Eastern Sea's shoreline. While sailing three years later, Hakoda gazed upon Appa as he flew above the Southern Water Tribe fleet.
After receiving word of his location from Ba Sing Se, Sokka reunited with Hakoda and told his father how much he and Katara improved in their waterbending training. The chief was often spoken of, particularly by Sokka, who showed great respect and admiration for him. During their reunion, Hakoda and his son helped make tangle mines, and when Fire Nation Navy ships were spotted, Hakoda instructed Sokka to help ward off the attack.
His reunion with Sokka was cut short when Aang arrived to gain Sokka's help in rescuing Katara from the clutches of Bellatrix; Hakoda gave his son a confident smile as he proceeded to launch the attack against the Fire Navy vessels. When he reunited with his family again, though, it was far from a happy reunion — a comatose Ozai, his newborn baby, and his battle-worn friends arrived bearing news of the fall of Ba Sing Se and the entire Earth Kingdom. Battered by their battle with the Fire Nation ships, the Water Tribe was in no condition to fight off the reinforcements. Sokka, however, shared Hakoda's trait of not giving up.
See more
For the collective works of the author, go here.