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As a Zutara shipper, this is quite possibly the best defense I've seen or heard for the ship ❤

Sokka… bugs me in this episode. I feel sorry for him and the beginning of the tent scene was funny, but I wish he was a better brother and a bit more serious. First after he tells Zuko about one of the worst days in his life his mind immeditly goes "Welp thats over time to have sex w/ Suki" I mean wtf? Who would be in the mood after talking about their mother being mudered in a war raid? Second, I don't mind Sokka saying Katara's dealing with Yon Rah the wrong way, Kya's his mother too and he has the most reason to be worried about Katara and how she deals w/ her grief. I 100% think Katara was out of line when she told him "You didn't love her the way I did" while technically true, they both dealt w/ Kya's death differently, she said it very selfishly and it DOES come across as "you didnt love her as much as I did". HOWEVER I wish Sokka kept on pushing to try to comfort her, but I understand his hurt/shock at this statement. Third, (this is maibly for everyone in the Gaang not ZK) its implied to be morning when ZK first go to Appa and tell Aang & Sokka about their plan but its night when they actually leave. That means HOURS have passed and Nobody tried to talk comfort or listion to Katara's grief that's been festering since Kya's death prodded at since Zuko joined and ripped open since seperated from her dad again. Your telling me the socially awkword turtleduck is more intuned to Katara's emotional state than her own brother? Not directly related to this episode but I question the Southern Water Tribe (esp Hakoda & Gran Gran) on not helping Katara through her grief yet Sokka is realitivly well adjusted. The only explanation we kinda get is Katara immediatly taking up her mothers role there by also helping Sokka w/ his & Sokka's way of dealing w/ it is basicly forgetting & pushing it waaaaay back in his mind. Again the raid ONLY killed Kya & the men were still in the tribe, why didn't anyone help Katara?

One thing I notice is that a lot of people see Zuko x Katara as a bad boy x good girl ship. When it’s more actually as a “nervous angsty dorky boy” and a “caring though stern responsible girl that’s seconds away from snapping”. Which I find more interesting. We need more bad girl x good boy ships

I ship 4 zutara netflix

First, she definitely kissed him back during the invasion She goes from wide eyed shock. To closing her eyes and leaning into it. And has her lips puckered out when he separates. While they didn’t have as dramatic development as zuko and Katara since they got along immediately. I do think the relationship was well developed. We do see the progression of both katara and aangs feelings and who they are to each other. Even if the Romantic side of it doesn’t get alot of focus except for key episodes. Aang and katara mature throughout the series. That’s a big part of it too, them gaining confidence in their goals and abilities. That General dynamic is of course a big reason why people want them together, along with the tension of not being totally clear what she wants definitely plays a part and is purposefully like that. Also the disagreement in southern raiders. Wasn’t particularly serious because she wasn’t actually angry at him. When she leaves with zuko she thanks aang for understanding after he tells her she needs to face him, let her anger out and then let it go. She comes back with a conflicted feelings but somewhat of an understanding that she did the right thing by not taking revenge. And aang is kinda just ok with her not forgiving him as long as she doesn’t give in to revenge. But yeah, that lack of postive interactionn really hurt it for a lot of fans. Even if wouldn’t really make either of them stop liking eachother. Since they’ve had disagreements before and stayed together. And the big arguments main reason for happening is no longer a factor

I didn't think Merlin was Asian, but I also can't see Zuko from Avatar as Asian, so that's apparently a me problem. XD

The line “You sound like Jet” pisses me off to no end. Not only does it imply Aang considers _Kya’s murderer_ an innocent person but it’s also so ungrateful after what Jet did for Aang. Because where is Jet now again? Oh yeah! His corpse is rotting underneath Lake Laogai in a failed attempt to rescue _AANG’S_ Bison.

time to rewatch!

0:40 "very fair, very woke" was the original very demure, very mindful

49:01 Unrelated, but not me rewatching this a 3rd time and saying SasuSaku fits this at first but then Sakura gets to see Sasuke for who he is and loves him anyway, and then they actually pop up. 😫How I missed this the last 2 times I watched don't know. I must've looked away for a moment when it happened 1st time and then the 2nd time I watched this awesome video, I had it playing in the background as I was multi-tasking. But yeah, seeing them mentioned here with the other examples of idealization not being a bad thing all the time made me so excited!!! 😂

I never made fun of kataara for having that outburst, while i still think she was unjustified in it, i know it shaped her differently and they felt that loss differently, i still don't think that justifies her saying "then you didn't love her like i did", but i understand where she's coming from. I think it's really insensitive for people to just make fun of kataara for talking about her dead mom because... come on that shit stings and it stays like would you call someone a downer for doing that irl? like seriosuly people, but i can understand why they'd be angry at her for saying something so hurtful to her brother, to ensuate he didn't love her AS much as she did or to have been as hurt by her passing. Even if she took on that mother role and it did end up affecting her more so than sokka becuase of it, it dosen't mean he didn't love her and didn't feel just as hurt WHEN they lost her, but besides all that, I don't think we should be comparing traumas anyway. I'm just tired of typing this have a good day

I was rewatching this video for about the hundredth time when my roommate came by and asked what I was watching. I told him it was a video about ATLA, and no joke, with no further prompting, he said "oh, I love that show! Aang and Katara's relationship is SO perfect and important to me!!" I didn't have the heart to tell him the video's subject.

I always felt like Kataang was an affect of the writers being men. No woman/girl would write a girl react as katara did when being kissed suddenly change her mind out of nowhere. that's the reaction of disinterest and even repulsion. i see the relationship with aang as so obviously platonic for katara. not to mention aang's perception of katara -- he never truly saw her for who she was but instead as an ideal of what he wanted her to be. to me it felt like katara was cheated-- that her wants weren't considered at all so long as aang got his happily ever after. it's not even necessarily about rooting for zutara so much as it is rooting against kataang.

i think zutara is the only missed fictional opportunity that i have ever felt loss over. it is an odd feeling. ah, what could have been.

zuttara is headcannon, always

I’ll give Aang that it feels arbitrary what no Avatars are allowed loving partners to gai. The power bit? The avatar state is not well thought out what with use and die doom. Should have had a master elements to control and it’s a life long struggle. Still Zutara.

saw the title, saw the watch time and went "uh? yes please! immediately yes!" and clicked so fastly 💙❤

Honestly, I was just really tired of Aang shoving his face in Katara's (mind, I was in my late twenties/early thirties watching this at the time--there were a lot of us adults watching this; parents watching alongside their kids etc) and I thought Aang was adorable and wanted to have him as my kid.). But, and this is me thinking about him as a young kid who could have been MY kid, and needed some discipline, I was REALLY unhappy with him doing that. EXTREMELY. You do *not* stick your face into the face of someone else uninvited, *especially* when said person is literally telling you how confused they are!

If not Zutara, I would have liked Katara to not end up with anyone. I personally don't like her as a goal for the male lead, something that he earns especially when he kisses her without her consent and pushes so much of his wants onto her. I would prefer he learned a lesson about that... Rather than "Katara needing to finally stop being wishy washy."

Loved this video. Always dissapointed by the sexism displayed by the comments and the world we still live in.. women can never do something right

You nailed exactly why this movie was so disappointing to me! Thank you so much for making this!

Princess Weekes uploaded a video two weeks ago about female redemption arcs that instantly brought me back to how a lot of Katara hatred back in the day was due to her reaction in this episode. The part that got me is when Weekes said that a lot of media treats female characters as having to "redeem themselves" if they have a bad coping mechanism. The thing about Katara's character that I think makes a lot of people mad relates to the fact she's a female character who doesn't display her trauma in a flattering or comfortable way. Due to the pain of losing her mother, she often loses her temper, gets angry a lot, and as we see in Southern Raiders, YES she can snap and say some pretty gross stuff. But I am still very opposed to the idea that means she's "cruel" or that this is indicative of "bad writing". It simply means she's written as a human being, and in a story that has heavy thematic attention to how trauma of war affects people differently, Katara is there to represent how even the most caring and loving of mother figures can also be prone to anger and snapping under intense emotional circumstances. Ie there's nuance, but I think the issue is that a lot of audiences to this day have a hard time accepting the nuance in female characters moreso than male characters. One comment on the Weekes video is when someone pointed out how they are bewildered when somebody said Amity Blight from Owl House had a "redemption arc". Obviously she was a bully who needed to get better, but the idea she had "redemption" is kind of illluminating to how a lot of female characters are expected to be sumbissive and not active. When a female character who is just sort of a bully is in need of "redemption" and not just an arc where they learn to be less caddy and short-tempered, I think that's telling. I'm also reminded of the hatred characters like MAWS Lois Lane, Mabel Pines, Skyler White, and Teela from the Kevin Smith He-Man reboot get. There's always an expectation for female characters to express their trauma in a way that's easy to see. Usually them expressing their trauma in a meek, shy, or quiet manner. But characters like Katara work so well BECAUSE they display their trauma in such an unflattering way. It's a glimpse into how war can truly affect young people trying to save the entire world, and how serious events such as loss of family aren't just as simple as events that make a person very sad for a while. I feel vindicated because in the recent Netflix remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it seems they made a Katara specifically designed for the people who were angry at the original version. She's no longer short tempered, she argues far less with Aang and Sokka, she's proven wrong more, and she is more humble in how she responds to the trauma she has. And she's so boring in it.

The saddest part is that everything about this movie is either bad or just doesn't make sense at all. I refuse to believe that this is the official movie! Literally the only thing that is objectively good in the movie is the graphics. That's it. The hidden world makes no sense. Grimmel and his plans make no sense. Dragons leaving makes no sense! You're telling me that every single dragon on the planet knew that they had to leave? How in the world? How can Toothless tell every dragon to leave? And what about the dragons that can only live in a specific enviroment? What about all dragons that were captured by hunters? What even is the point of releasing them anyway? If the world is not ready for the dragons now, it'll be even more unprepared in the future. Did you even think of how the humanity would react if one day they found out that dragons actually exist? How was the light fury supposed to help Grimmel capture Toothless if she wasn't under control? How was he capturing her after? What would he have done if Toothless hadn't return to the overworld when he was saving Hiccup? Why does his venom either knocks out dragons or allows him to control them depending on the plot? How are dragons supposed to live in a sparkly cave with no sun and fresh air? And what about food? Does the hidden world even have food? Another thing that annoys me is the flashbacks with Stoick. Oh my god i can't. Stoick talking about the hidden world and how he wants dragons and humans to live in peace is just so out of character. Do you remember how he was acting in the first movie? HE WAS SAYING NOTHING ABOUT THE HIDDEN WORLD. Because the hidden world didn't exist. The only thing he was talking about was the dragons nest. And no he didn't want to peacefully coexist with dragons because he treated them as stupid killing machines that needs to be destroyed. And the whole first movie was about him changing his mind. And now you're telling me that flashbacks are canon? What's the point of freeing dragons if you have already defeated the enemy and everything is good? He didn't even kill anyone! The whole point of the New Berk is that you can only get to it by riding a dragon. And even if someone did decide to attack you have LITERALLY thousands of fire-breathing reptiles. I can't with this movie. Do you see this? Every single thing in this movie makes you ask so many questions.

fucking ew

Just a heads up, this is a little long and my thoughts are a bit all over the place for this :) What was especially jarring for me (aside from all the characters acting out of character and Toothless being made to act more like a dog who doesn't respect Hiccup enough that he literally uses Hiccup's peg leg as a CHEW TOY!) Is that this isn't the first time Hiccup has made Toothless a tail that lets him fly without Hiccup on his back. I think it was a holiday special where all the dragons suddenly left because it was mating?? season. Yet when Hiccup gave Toothless the tail, he looked at him and literally smashed it against the ground. EDIT: I didn't finish watching the video when I commented this yet and I see you mention the special now Whoopsie 😅 Now you're telling me he''s excited to leave? And what's with everyone saying 'You gave him his freedom, what were you expecting, Hiccup?' as if Toothless was trapped? Toothless chose to be with Hiccup when he was given the option to leave. Sure you can argue that that was before the Light Fury, but you CANNOT convince me that HTTYD 1 and 2 Toothless is the same character as THW Toothless. In the first film, after maybe about a few weeks of knowing each other, Hiccup and Toothless formed a close bond, to the point where Toothless was ready to attack Astrid without hesitation after she inflicted pain on him with her axe. During the last half an hour (I believe? I may be wrong, my memory is a bit fuzzy) when Hiccup was getting chased by Hookfang in the arena, Toothless came RUSHING in, revealing himself to the other vikings without a second thought and literally fighting Hookfang (who is larger than him btw) to defend Hiccup. He put his own LIFE at risk to protect him. (Do I even need to mention the Red Death?) In the second film, Toothless not only challenges a bewilderbeest, but the literal ALPHA to protect Hiccup. He fought against the bewilderbeest's control for Hiccup and now you're telling me that after say 2-3 SHORT encounters with the Light Fury, he was ready to dip without a single thought? Leaving behind nearly a decade of friendship with Hiccup? I cannot tell you how much THW Toothless annoyed me after rewatching the film. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. The third film contradicts the themes of the first two films so much. Hiccup needs Toothless and Toothless needs Hiccup. I believe when discussing the Holiday Special where Hiccup slipped and Toothless caught him, the directors literally said, "He slips with his prosthetic leg and Toothless stops him from falling and it's a symbolic notion that they need each other, they aren't whole unless they're together..." etc. And it's not just Hiccup and Toothless alone, it's about the fact that Dragons and Humans are better together than they are apart, and that they will continue fighting for peace and acceptance of this notion. Hiccup was right in my opinion, Drogo is worse than Grimmel, and yet even if that isn't the case, they defeated them both and others (if you've watched the shows especially RTTE). So personally, HTTYD THW just makes no sense. I loved it when I first watched it because I was high on that sweet sweet nostalgia but now... it leaves me feeling disappointed. The film might be fine on its own but not as a sequel to the last two films. If you enjoyed it, that's fine, it wasn't for me and I will continue to ignore its existence after this. Have a nice day and sorry for the long comment lol.

About TSR: As I said, I agree with most of your takes: Katara is just a teenager trying to process her rage and pain; Katara did grieve differently than Sokka and that's justified; and Katara was valid in pushing back when Aang asks her to forgive Yon Rha. She, and she alone, had to figure out what was the right path for her. And she did. Here's where I disagree: A. That Aang and Sokka gave Katara "unsolicited opinions" (the inference being they should have supported her 100% without any pushback). ....why exactly? They are canonically the people who love her the most. Since Katara doesn't deny she is confronting Yon Rha for revenge, why shouldn't they be worried? Katara is clearly hurting, she is in pain. It seems fairly obvious she's not thinking clearly, and that she might make a decision she'll regret. When other characters (Aang, Sokka, Toph) are hurting, the person who gives the "unsolicited advice" is mostly Katara. I don't recall a single moment where they ASK Katara for advice before Katara approaches them. And yet the show frames Katara as doing the right thing for the people she loves. Why is this different? Why is it, when Katara voluntarily goes to talk to Aang who is hurting, it's emotional labour that burdens Katara? And when Aang goes to talk to Katara who is clearly in pain, it's "unsolicited advice?" B. Katara was right when she told Sokka, "You didn't love her the way I did!" I agree with you - Sokka indeed did not love or grieve for Kya the way Katara did. So Katara was technically right. However in this case, she's not saying it as a statement of fact. She's doing it to hurt Sokka, because she's outraged that Sokka would question her motives instead of supporting her (as he usually does). When Katara passionately feels like she is right and other people aren't listening to her, she can be cruel (Jet, The Chase, The Avatar State). But is Katara likely to have a conversation with Sokka about it, where they forgive each other? Probably, yes. He will understand she was hurting ; she will understand that all grief isn't equal. No value judgement here. Their bond is strong. Her actions are understandable. You didn't delve into it here, but there is a valid reason why Sokka and Katara have different opinions. They also SEE "justice" differently. Sokka sees death as purely utilitarian (Ozai, Combustion Man), he doesn't think going after Yon Rha will SOLVE anything - it will not bring Kya back. Katara meanwhile sees this as a way to seek "justice" because she thinks by confronting / murdering Yon Rha she will resolve her own pain. And obviously, he is incredibly worried that Katara might actually murder him (which she doesn't deny) and as an elder brother that's scary. C. Aang was preachy and judgemental, asking Katara to forgive Yon Rha. Well...I agree with you to a point. Katara rejected what Aang was saying at the beginning, so clearly she DID feel judged. And Aang's words could have been far more kinder and empathetic, maybe he could have spent more time validating why she felt the way she did. Also, Katara clearly wasn't ready to "let her anger out, and let it go. Forgive him". However, I do disagree with you on some key points: You say that Aang is being preachy and judgemental ( www.tumblr.com/sneezypeasy/652004820713111552/why-aangs-lines-sound-preachy-in-the-southern) because Aang: a) just talks about his own pain to connect with hers and b) thinks his own values are universal. However...isn't Aang doing exactly what Katara has done for him, multiple times? With the same framing? Here's what Katara tells Aang when he finds about the genocide of his people: "Aang! I know you're upset and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom." Here's what Katara says when she's upset Aang is bottling up his emotions because of Appa: "What's going on with you? In the desert, all you cared about was finding Appa and now it's like you don't care about him at all."....."But now you're not letting yourself feel anything. I know sometimes it hurts more to hope and it hurts more to care. But you have to promise me that you won't stop caring." Which is...exactly the same framing, is it not? Katara says she understand what Aang is going through + connects the experience with her own trauma + talks about her own universal values + tells Aang what to do. The experiences can also be paralleled, since Aang is dealing with the loss of his own people + last living remnant of his culture. According to your own logic, Katara does not appeal to Aang's needs, values, or humanity. She does not talk about Aang's pure kind heart or unconditional love for him. And she does this quite often when giving him "unsolicited advice". She's sometimes a lot harsher as well, calling Aang a "meat head" and storming off because he wants to activate the Avatar State by force (because he feels incredibly guilty that so many people are dying in a war because of him). The biggest difference between Katara and Aang is that when Katara is angry, she will not listen to any advice (Pakku, The Chase, The Painted Lady, etc). It is a very consistent character trait. While Aang does quite often, even if he calmly disagrees. So if Aang is being judgemental and preachy, is Katara as well? Or is it just 2 characters who are best friends looking out for each other? A kinder interpretation here is that Aang knows that Katara will "poison herself" by holding onto her rage and pain. He doesn't want her to be consumed by revenge. And so he says when she is taking Appa: "This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man. But when you do, please don't choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him." So, was Aang preachy and judgemental? Sure...but he was also doing what Katara has done for him many times. He lets her take Appa and go, trusting she will make the right choice. Katara does say, "Thank you for understanding", so they reached an agreement, even if they disagree about forgiveness. Here is a far longer meta that goes into this further: www.tumblr.com/comradekatara/755810337829339136/people-who-claim-that-aang-was-inconsiderate-of D. Zuko is Katara's only consistent support , nobody else understood her rage. Again, yes and...no? It is true that Zuko validates Katara's rage and pain. He provides a space for Katara to confront Yon Rha. He argues with Aang and Sokka, and believes that Katara deserves to get "justice"...which may or may not be murder (revenge). Let me also say that Zuko's motives for this have been explored a million times by now. Two things are definitely true: He does see this mission as a way to earn Katara's forgiveness. So his motives aren't altruistic or selfless. If you assign malicious motives, you could argue that he is using her rage and pain only for his own selfish needs (to be forgiven). A kinder interpretation is that Zuko and Katara personally align on what they consider "justice" (while Aang + Sokka do not) and so he wants Katara to be able to achieve closure, even if that means revenge. For balance, let's say the motives are a mix of both. So yes, he did understand her rage and her need for justice. But he also mocked Aang when he was worried that Katara would take revenge. While Sokka and Aang are worried about how awful Katara (a 14 year old child) might feel if she murdered Yon Rha, Zuko does not show the same concern. Probably because Zuko has been brought up to believe that justice = enacting violence. This especially holds true when he sees Katara bloodbend an innocent man. He looks away. He does not even attempt to reach out to her and check on her well-being. Despite this being something that would most certainly traumatise Katara, who stated that she would never use bloodbending since it was such a violation of the body. So..did Zuko give consistent support? Yes. And I'm glad he was there for Katara. She needed it. But...his total lack of reaction when Katara bloodbends an innocent man, or when she throws spears of water to almost pierce Yon Rha...is concerning to me. As an analogy: If my younger sister, overwhelmed by rage and pain, started choking a man to death (bloodbending) I would not just stop and watch her. If my friend was holding a knife and looked like she was going to stab someone to death, I would not just stop and watch her. Aang and Sokka were solely concerned for Katara's well-being, but sounded judgemental (however as I have argued above, Katara sounds equally judgemental multiple times). Zuko was focused on Katara getting closure, but did he show any concern for how traumatised Katara might feel if she chose revenge? Which one of these positions is most supportive of Katara? Its up to interpretation. We are all biased in how we would want to be treated in this complicated situation. It seems you clearly align with Zuko's support, and see it as an ideal fantasy. I do not. In the end, I agree with you. I think the most powerful part of TSR is how Katara forges her own path, and seeks her own closure. And how Katara creates her own choices. She doesn't need to fully agree with Aang, that's healthy. Nor does she feel the need to seek revenge, she's let go of the rage and pain that was in her heart. And she's finally able to forgive Zuko, but most importantly - herself. sidenote: A lot of the more simplified lines: "Violence wasn't the answer. It never is." is because its a kid's show. And 5 year olds need to be able to understand the dialogue - that revenge is bad. Because it continues the cycle of violence. If you're interested, here's another meta to explain why Aang / Zuko / Katara's difference in opinion is also because of a difference in cultural background and philosophy: www.tumblr.com/prying-pandora666/760820171496669184/atla-fandom-and-its-rejection-of-atlas-messages

I think this was a very well-reasoned take on Katara, and I agree the fandom does a huge disservice when they accuse her of being selfish, unempathetic, or vengeful. It's astounding she gets hate for just being human. I agree with a lot of points you made, mainly: 1. Katara is the first person usually to offer support, empathy, and kindness among all the characters to different people in the show. It is often unacknowledged. 2. She shouldn't be demonised for any of her actions in TSR. She's just a teenager trying to process her rage and pain. 3. People do grieve differently, and Katara is valid for thinking that Sokka didn't love her mother the way she did. She's also valid for pushing back against Aang's advice. 4. Zuko helped her achieve catharsis for Kya's murder. But I do disagree with some of your points, and I'll outline them below: 1. In the Katara the "emotional support animal" , you point out all the times she offers comfort and support. And that's true! She does! But I don't think you acknowledged all the times where Katara...doesn't do that. - "Will you please shut your air hole? Believe it or not your infinite wisdom gets a little old sometimes! " - "Stars are sure beautiful, too bad you can't see them Toph!" - "But you're never happy, Sokka!" - "Oh, I'm sorry! You think I should be more like you? Like some wild child?" - "I understand why you left, I really do, and I know that you had to go. So...why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt." She also has her moments of immaturity, pettiness, stubborness, and pride. That is the duality of Katara, much like the duality of all ATLA characters. She is ALL those things. In fact, apart from the Desert , when does Katara "swallow" her feelings?" She's quick to comfort and empathise, but she always lets her anger, distaste, or disapproval known. In fact, her pattern is the same: Her anger is actually slow to burn - she becomes snappy and passive aggressive as it builds - and then its released. Katara's righteous anger is as much a part of her identity as her nurturing aspects. We see that in EP 1, Imprisoned, Waterbending Scroll, The Chase, The Runaway, Jet, The Painted Lady, etc etc. If she's simply the group's support animal who's always swallowing her feelings, then WHY would her rage and pain be given so much prominence? If she's always prioritising the group's needs over her own, why do we have several episodes when she stands up for what she wants? When does she ever compromise her core beliefs? The show always frames her to be right...as they should! Because she IS! Does she always cry alone? No. She cries to Hakoda, in the PuppetMaster and Lake Laogai and is comforted. I just think you ignored a huge part of her character, when magnifying the other. That is the duality of Katara. And 95% of the time, her emotions are not demonised. She's idealistic and angry and fights for justice. She has multiple scenes (Jet / Haru/ Zuko) where she talks about Kya's death and people empathise with her. The two fights she has with Toph, Toph isn't framed more sympathetically than her. When she cries to Hakoda, we really empathise with her. When she's angry at Jet or Zuko, she's CORRECT! When she's petty or being an annoying younger sister to Sokka, we laugh right with her etc, etc. How is that her swallowing her emotions? Or being the model of patience or restraint? Doesn't she talk about her feelings pretty consistently? So when you said Katara always chooses the high road I was like...huh? There are so many times she doesn't ! That's what makes her so dynamic and cool! She's petty with Toph, she's passive aggressive with Zuko, she's snappy with Aang, she mocks her older brother plenty of times, she steals scrolls, she nails Jet to a wall and freezes 2 boys who were rude, she jepordises the whole Invasion Plan to help a village and lies about it, she's jealous of how popular Aang is with girls, she threatens to leave her village to learn water-bending in the FIRST episode .. Reducing Katara's character to this pure archetype of an overburdened mother who patiently tells her unruly children to get in line...really simplifies her. It downplays how much the gang validates and enables her. It completely ignores how dynamic she is: how she's empathetic AND petty when she feels she's being ignored ; how she's caring about others AND stubborn about what she wants ; how she's fiercely loyal AND slow to forgive. All these parts of her personality are on display in TSR. And they have been for the whole show. In fact the ONLY time Sokka and Aang do not encourage Katara is... TSR and the Desert. Which is why it stands out. They have supported her in: Boy in the Iceberg, Imprisoned, Jet, The Fortune Teller, The Waterbending Master, The Avatar State, The Painted Lady, The Runaway, and agreed with whatever she wanted to do in countless other episodes. Which is why your subtle inference that ONLY Zuko supports Katara's emotional needs is baffling to me. He did, yes. But more than her older brother and best friends for 3 seasons? No. The other point you made about Katara is that she's usually never acknowledged for providing empathy and comfort to others. And I think that's correct, and I really wish they had done more with that. However...are ANY of the characters acknowledged like that? a) Does the gang ever ask Aang about the Air Nomads, what he misses, what he's lost, his most cherished memories? No. They never bring it up, despite the fact that its Aang's most defining wound. Does that make the gang callous and insensitive to Aang's trauma? No, it doesn't. b) Does the gang ever thank Sokka for being the strategist saving them multiple times in the show? No. There are plenty of times Katara has even mocked Sokka's more pragmatic approach to dealing with a problem. Other times she outright refuses to listen to him. You mentioned how nice it would have been if Katara's efforts had been acknowledged in the Desert. To parallel this, wouldn't it have been nice if Katara had apologised to Sokka for trusting Jet over him? Yet she never does. I don't think they ever ask Sokka about Yue's death, even though they know he loved her. Katara and Sokka never thank Aang for saving their lives multiple times, especially in S1 when Katara wasn't a good bender (Boy In The Iceberg, Kyoshi, Blue Spirit, Omashu, etc). Aang saved Zuko's life THRICE when Zuko was trying to capture him (Blue Spirit, North Pole, The Guru) due to his pacifist beliefs and yet Zuko mocks Aang's "Guru Goody Goody" philosophy when Aang's the reason Zuko is even alive. I don't think saying thank you is a bad thing, btw. I wish they HAD acknowledged how much Katara comforts and nurtures others. But I don't see this as a Katara-specific issue, because we RARELY hear apologies or thanks you in the show. Zuko never apologises in The Beach. Aang never apologises in The Desert. Katara never apologises in The Chase, etc etc. I think you are basically saying: nobody provides the same flavour of emotional support to Katara that Katara provides for others. Which is correct. That is Katara's strength, and its incredibly sad that this group of traumatised child soldiers don't have the tools to do so. Which is why Hakoda (an actual adult) IS the one to offer comfort to Katara, because he does have the emotional intelligence to reassure Katara. However. Do people step up and tell Sokka, "Hey, I know its a lot of pressure to always be counted on to be the oldest and "make the plan" , so let me do it instead? They don't (even though Sokka complains about it in The Drill). Do people step up and tell Aang, "Hey, I know its a lot of pressure to be an active pacifist in an imperialist world where all the Air Nomads are gone, how do you deal with that?" They don't, and Aang's choices are routinely critisised multiple times in the show. Sokka is against Aang saving Zuko's life. Long Feng tries to force Aang into the Avatar State and a weapon of war. Zuko says, "this isn't air temple preschool", apparently because Aang's beliefs are childish and naive (where are all the Airbender preschoolers, Zuko??). It's not unique to Katara. Aang, Sokka, and Toph all support her in ways unique to them, that Katara could never do. For example, only Toph brings out Katara's mischevious, playful side and as she says "give Katara someone to argue with". And Katara does the same to them. Which is why the "found family" vibe is so strong. We genuinely believe these characters would do anything for each other. Sokka is protective, pragmatic, and strategic...so Katara can remain hopeful and idealistic about people. Aang is friendly, playful, and encouraging..so Katara can feel supported and empowered in whatever she wants to do. It is very much a give and take. And that's exactly WHY Katara feels so hurt and lashes out when Aang and Sokka push back against her going to face Yon Rha. Because she is USED to their encouragement and support for whatever she wants to do. She is used to Sokka saying, "You need me, and I will never turn my back on you". She is used to depending on Aang , which is why she says in the Guru, "Aang! I knew you'd come!" when he goes to save her in the crystal caves. In TSR: Katara lashes out against Sokka, in exactly the way she was petty with Toph during the Chase. She is stubborn about her decision to face Yon Rha, in the same way she was with Pakku (she believes she's fighting for justice) She is dismissive about Aang's concerns, in the same way she was with Sokka when he warned her against Jet or Hama. She feels she cannot let her anger go, in the same way she is holding a grudge against Zuko despite Zuko saving her life. These traits are not new to her. There was no mask she was wearing that is suddenly revealed in TSR. They are very much a part of her personality and always has been.

Interesting video! I appreciate you were respectful and polite about shipping preferences, even though you are clearly a Zutara shipper. I'm a female Kataang shipper, although I understand the appeal of Zutara. I personally think no matter how much meta / analysis / discourse we read, the "ship" chooses you and that's exactly what happened to me. I know exactly the moment for me - it's when Guru Pathik said: "You have indeed felt a great loss, but love is a form of energy and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads love for you has not left this world, it is still inside of your heart, and is reborn as new love." That scene is still etched in my heart. It was such a profound realisation; that the love for your community is reborn and preserved in the people closest to us. I related to it deeply, because my culture and community was also shaped by colonisation, and indeed so much of my own history has been lost to imperialism. It took me back to my own life, where my partner and I painstakingly strive to recreate my grandparent's cultural recipes that have been passed down for a generation. Or when I wear the clothes my great grandparents once wore, and indeed were the only artefacts that survived pre-Independence from the British. And why every year, I make sure to celebrate our traditional festivals even though I live far away from home. That's what's missing to me with Zutara. The inter-mingling of love, loss, community, and culture is not there for me. The deep emotional bond of 2 genocide survivors fighting against an imperialist superpower has always been far more meaningful to me than the "enemies-to-lovers" trope of Zutara. For me, Katara and Aang being able to live the life they always dreamed of, restoring their communities, finding peace and joy and hope - that to me IS balance. Aang offering to fly Katara to the North Pole in the first episode so she can connect with her heritage with zero expectations. Calling her Sifu Katara and always complimenting her progress. Katara telling Aang, "we're your family now" to connect after he finds out about the Air Nomad genocide , as Katara and Aang both come from collectivist cultures where community is everything to them. Aang comparing his love for Appa to Katara, where Appa is the last living remnant of his lost culture and the person he considers his family. Katara comparing Aang's disappearance to Hakoda's disappearance in The Awakening, because she considers them equally important in her heart. And to connect it even more with family, Aang making sure to return the necklace that Zuko stole, because he knew that the necklace was a symbol of Kya's love. Aang saying the exact words to Zuko that Kya said to Yon Rha in episode 1 , "If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?" Paralleling her sacrifice for Katara. These scenes and others is what sold it to me. Coming from a community-oriented culture like Aang and Katara where family is everything, all these scenes were declarations of love. I could never see Zutara romantically because of this. sidenote - If there IS one couple that I think symbolises the themes of balance, yin-yang, reconciliation, destiny ( I hear this a lot from Zutara shippers) its definitely Zukaang for me. Zukaang's arcs, their parallels, and how they mirror each other is given the most screentime in ATLA. Their bond is given the most focus. Their friendship stabilises and recreates the word into a "new era of hope and peace". That's other reason why I never felt Zutara embodies the themes of the show. In order to understand the appeal of Zutara, I read a few of the most recommended Zutara fanfics. And while the fics were amazing, I was always dissatisfied with how they treated Katara's SWT heritage, and how she would integrate into the Fire Nation. It almost felt like through the power of love, Katara would feel very little trauma in dealing with a painful decolonisation process. How would she feel when interacting with Fire Nation soliders who murdered so many people in her community? Or being Queen of a people who think she's savage and inferior because she stopped the "Great March of Civilisation"? Or would cast doubts on her children, being born of "mixed-heritage" that muddied the pure royal bloodline? How would she react knowing her father-in-law and other ancestors were imperialist warmongers? Or live in a palace where people think, as Azula said, "royals have a divine right to rule" because of their blood? Even Zuko thinks the throne is his birthright. I could go on and on. If you do have any fics that deal with Zutara that focuses on imperialism and genocide, I would love to read it! I did appreciate that they made sure to focus on Katara's political career, her agency, and how she would shape the world. But that wasn't enough for me to "ship "Zutara, because I can also find Kataang fics where Katara is a diplomat and actively keeps the world's "balance" as the wife of the Avatar. There's also canon content like that - Imbalance is a great example where Katara is a major political player who actively shapes Republic City with Aang. And in North and South, Aang unwaveringly supports and empathises with Katara when she's afraid of the the NWT colonising the SWT. In contrast, Kataang fics very often focus on these themes. How the loss of a culture actively shapes a person. How to carry out traditions that have been lost to history. How to meaningfully celebrate and honour your people. How to feel hope even when you resent the unfair burdens that have been placed on you. How political agency is always a balance of ideals. And then Kataang also contains all the fluff, the sweetness, and pure optimism that feels deserved after the horrors of war. Katara and Aang being symbols of hope to each other as they rebuild a world together. That's a reason why I continue to ship it after so many years.

even dogs when they mate still love their human bc they see it as a member of the pack, even when they have to take care of their puppies they still remember you, or if they get lost and u got 10 years older, they smell you and go insane of happiness and crying because they missed u. Be fr lol

You watched it wrong

Movies got a mega toxic message, there are already too many people who go around saying that you can’t have friends and a relationship.

I always felt something was off with the romantic subplots of ATLA, but could never codify those feelings into specific criticism until your vid. Thank you for making this! Zuko and Katara are some of my favorite characters in all of fiction, and Zutara is in no small part why; Their relationship of coming to mutual understanding of each other's trauma that leads to inner growth for both of them is so beautiful! I'll just end with a thought I recently had that might interest you, Sneezy, since your video on Disney's Beauty and the Beast was just as well constructed and insightful as this one. The argument some anti-Zutarians give of Zutara's logical improbability in ATLA's setting, and that Katara ending up with Aang made more logical sense than a Zutara ending, feels like what would happen if Belle ended up with Gaston if he succeeded in killing the Beast (i.e. what happened with Jaime returning to Cersei in GOT Season 8). Sure, it makes more sense than a woman falling in love with a beastly monster in 18/19th century France, but would it be more emotionally satisfying? I doubt it. Thanks again for your work, and I hope you return to RUclips content creation soon! You have another loyal subscriber waiting for your next project!

I just don’t understand why people ship Zutara after like 4 episodes of mutual non hate

Okay, my take omn this particular ep is that In fantasies or action novels, this episode is what the authors often call as "unleashing female rage" Which shows how ATLA WAS AND IS ahead of their time, Granted, i myself finds funny in the way that Katara's "i lost my mom to the fire nation" but then, i have not (thankfully) felt what Katara felt Zuko was the first one to "validate" her complex emotional baggage due to her own survival's guilt Honestly as a person who prefers enemies to lovers; Zuko and Katara makes sense, esp proven by this episode... No worries Kataangers, I love friends to lovers too This was just how my brain responds to this episode. and this video

The comics are worst to?I'm starting to think avatar the last airbender needs a remake or something , because i did not see all this issues and hole unadressed years ago.

I just watched. Clip of Robby Benson and he did the Beast voice, and it sounded so warm, intense, seductive even. This Beast never has that warmth.

why does everyone hate the good dinosaur so much 😭

I didn't ship either. I was rooting for Aang and Katara when I watched the first season and after that I didn't care anymore. There wasn't much development and their romantic relationship was bland and forced. Zuko and Katara had an interesting relationship where they have gone from enemies in the first season to bonding in the cave and Zuko betraying her in the second season to Zuko joining the main cast, winning their trust, Katara still being mad at him for betraying her in Ba Sing Se but then forgiving him and the two becoming good friends in season 3. Despite all that I knew that Zuko and Katara wouldn't end up together, that Aang and Katara would be together at the end of the show and that Zuko will end up with Mai. Aang and Katara's, as well as Zuko and Mai's relationships were contrived bullshit but it didn't surprise me when they happened. Romance wasn't very important in Avatar anyway so I shrugged it off. I think that Zuko and Katara would have been a better pairing because their bond seemed more natural and believable. The writers wanted to make a fourth season where Azula gets her redemption arc but Mike and Bryan wanted to have 3 seasons from the start so that idea was dropped.

This is still my favorite video on RUclips. Your analysis moved me to start thinking about shipping and romance from a broader writing perspective, which has truly enriched my enjoyment of and engagement with (and disagreement with) all forms of media. TLDR: We Stan this vid and the Zutara warriors of the internet.

Zutara is straight up lust. He is red fire she is blue water. That's all.

I watched this video in one sitting, you have SUCH good takes and totally articulated what I have been struggling to explain about the narrative purpose of Zutara vs Kataang in regards to how canon did ut

I just wanted to come and say how good this video is. Up until know I hadn't liked Zutara. Not becasue of the ship itself but because of the shippers. The shippers I had come in contact with reasoned thaZutara was better than Kataang was simply becasue "they looked better together" or that "Katara and Zuko are better age wise and that it's weird for a 12 year old and a 14 year old to be in love". Personally, I felt these reason to be superfical and believed that people simple wanted Zutara so bad because Katara, as the most reccurring and quite feminine girl of the show, was a self insert for some and they themselves simply wanted to have Zuko. You're video however, has changed my view of both Kataang and Zutara. I know understand the deep and narrative groundwork that had been but down for both ships and the ways the writing failed them both. You've managed to show me that the ship has some actual truth to it without simply saying " we were robbed and so it needs to be canon". I love the way you were able to argue that the ship itself would have not only served the viewers who wanted them together, But the narrative arcs of (arguably) some of Avatar's most important characters (in the sense of exploring the main themese of the show)

Riders of the berk , defenders of the berk and race in the edge are better than this one

Personal Timestamp for my enjoyment- 38:14-39:18 Zuko and Katara being Toxic as Hell (an Emperical Study).

I relate to Katara too much. My mom took her own life when I was 4 and she was 4, mainly because I have murderous thoughts because I never got to see my mother but I loved her. I try my best to tolerate to hold my anger and feelings. I always help my friends with their emotions and nobody helps with mine. My pain and burdens are help on my back and nobody helps, they just watch.

Zutara is lust.

As for Katara response in the southern raiders her reaction to the group is using her hurt emotions as a weapon to deflect criticism or skepticism from Aang and Sokka about what she is doing regardless if it is justified or not which is an interesting flaw in Kataras character. This has nothing to do with her caregiving nature being pushed to the limit but her seeing if she could resolve her trauma or not. That is where I disagree with you because it is one thing if a person wants to resolve their serious situations in a constructive manner in spite of immense difficulty to do so but it is another to weaponize your emotions to such a degree that it causes pain towards others around you for no reason. Katara has a bad habit of doing this from watching the show and acknowledging those as flaws with her character is a good first step but the show never confronts them during and after the southern raiders besides Katara forgiving Zuko.

Actually Katara has sympathy because she focuses more of her time on making alot of friends or relationships happen by understanding their experiences instead of connecting with them. Her response to her trauma is a sympathetic response which is the trauma shapes who you are, why the trauma was important to you, and learning how to carry the burden since she doesn't believe she can erase it completely or overcome it. Aang response to his own trauma is the exact opposite in the sense that Aang wants to recognize his trauma, how to overcome it directly, and how to deal with it without the event getting in the way with his responsibility in being the avatar which is an empathetic response to trauma because it is about trying to make yourself feel better in spite of the difficulties you yourself have to face in life. Aangs story is about self growth while Katara is about self realization. When Aang met the Guru for example he was able to handle his trauma in a neutral environment quite well with the only bad emotion he felt was feeling distraught about the loss of his people. If Katara faced the same circumstances she would cry and run away because the trauma would bring her too much pain.

Great video! I like that you clearly have a bias towards Zutara, but you're even - handed in presenting both arguments. It's fascinating to me how interesting and complex someone's preferences to a ship can be. I would say I understand both arguments very well, and both Kataang and Zutara are valid in their own way (though not without problems). I also find the shipping war utterly distasteful, because people stop seeing characters multidimensionally and see them only as obstacles or strengths for the preferred ship. I would say I'm a female Kataang shipper, but more so for the dynamic of what it could have been as adults. I liked the steady, sweet romance of Kataang till the end of S2, but I think the romance really suffered in S3. The two main problems I think with Kataang are that: a) We never hear Katara's perspective of why she loves Aang, and b) The audience doesn't hear Aang and Katara explicitly resolve their differences with each other. I would argue it happens IMPLICITLY quite a lot - Katara blushes a lot around Aang which shows her interest, Aang calls Katara "Sifu Katara" immediately after she complains about it - but the audience definitely needs more than that, and I get it. Also, actual incidents like the EIP kiss were gross and they should have had an apology scene. On the other hand, Zutara's resolution IS far more explicit. She yells at him, he apologises and tries to make amends, she says, "I'm ready to forgive you" and means it. Much like Sokka and Suki in S1, we see a clear conflict - making amends - solution. That is appealing to us as the audience, because it's far more clear that "these people can fight, but they can also make up." Also, ofc it has to be said that Zuko and Katara look very visually appealing, they are passionate, and their scenes are so emotionally charged that they draw people in. They protect each other and end up as friends. The reasons I don't like Zutara are a mix of my own background, my romantic preferences, and what I see in the show. First, my romantic preferences. I am simply not a fan of "enemies to lovers" or "they did actual visible harm to each other but now they love each other." I understand it, but it is not for me. The huge list of Zuko's crimes - tying Katara to a tree, taking her mother's necklace, helping Azula KILL Aang, and much more - is simply so great that I find it hard to see how they can end up in romance. Katara forgiving Zuko is amazing. But LOVE after that? With the person who once sent an assassin after you and your friends? The person who you once tried to kill, who kidnapped your best friend? No. I simply cannot see it. Whereas with Kataang, Aang DOES make mistakes that the show doesn't address explicitly, which is gross. But they're still friends, they have protected and supported each other, and they care a great deal for each other. They trust each other. They have a lot of cute, fluffy moments that clearly show they are compatible. They are also shown to have calm disagreements, where they apologise and make up (The Avatar State). Aang is an incredibly romantic person (flowers, making necklaces, fluffy compliments) and Katara clearly appreciates these traditionally romantic gestures. Second, my own background. I come from a colonised country. My community has suffered a genocide. My grandparents were freedom fighters. I relate to Aang, Katara, Sokka, Jet , Haru etc etc very deeply because of that. Katara becoming Fire Lady, leading the country that has devastated her home and people for so many years just sits very wrong to me. Katara being surrounded every day by racists who think her the water tribe savage; working with the soliders who killed people like her mother is wrong. There's a reason why it doesn't happen in real life. It would be the equivalent of an Indian peasant marrying British royalty in 1948. Or an Indonesian peasant marrying the Dutch prince in 1945. It's a knee jerk automatic no for me. I know Zuko is actively trying to decolonise the country, I know he personally would never treat Katara that way. But his advisors would. His people would. Ozai and Azula and FN royal family would. It's a 100 years of propaganda the FN citizens have to unlearn. Huge parts of the population would hate Katara. And she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I don't want her to have a life like that. Having said that - I don't think people who ship Zutara are "colonisers". I understand the whole "power fantasy of Katara being queen". I also hate how they treated Katara in LOK. She's more than the Avatar's wife. But as I said, in ATLA - Aang doesn't ever restrict her from her dreams. He supports her in ecoterrorism, he supports her during the prison break, he's happy to find her a water-bending master in episode 1. He doesn't blame her for stealing the pirate scroll. So canonically, Aang does support Katara's dreams and ambitions. Therefore I see the potential of Katara following her dreams much more in a Kataang dynamic. Where Katara would be surrounded by loving friends and a community that cherishes her. She wouldn't have to fight bigotry every day, just by existing in the FN society. Finally, the show itself. Canonically, Zuko is an abused and traumatised child. He gets controlling and possessive when he feels insecure (see what happens with Mai). He finds it very hard to manage his anger, often blowing up at people and being incredibly mean to them "You're a crazy old man, you should be sleeping in the gutter!" or "Circus Freak". He's a strange mix of self-effacing shame and pride. This is all very understandable, and he desperately needs therapy. These are not behaviors that are easy to unlearn. Although he is trying! And he is doing the best he can. Would Katara...be happy in this dynamic? I would say no: Zuko frequently lashing out because he is angry x Katara's ability to hold a grudge would be a deadly combination. Zuko frequently shutting people out when he's upset and refusing to listen to reason x Katara's inability to let things go even though it might harm her would not go well. Katara getting petty when she is angry "Stars sure are beautiful, too bad you can't see them Toph" x Zuko taking things very personally without provocation "Don't patronise me!" would be a bad combination. Zuko's aversion to coddling "Don't patronise me!" since he's a proud prince x Katara's occassionally self-righteous and overbearing nature would be explosive. Finally...Katara is attracted to people who she considers uncomplicatedly "good". She loved Jet when she thought he was a brave and strong hero protecting the weak. She constantly thinks Aang is incredibly courageous and kind, always helping people in need. It's one of the reasons she loves him, because Aang has an incredibly strong moral compass. His values immediately match hers, from the very beginning. Is Zuko a hero? Absolutely. But his main arc will always be about unlearning, about trying to understand right from wrong. He will always make multiple mistakes that he later has to correct. Mistakes that will harm people. Katara grows as a person yes, but I still see her as mostly a black and white person. Whereas Zuko needs someone who can love him EVEN if he makes horrible mistakes that actively harm people. I don't think Katara is that person. Would Katara understand Zuko, as he unlearns his own imperialist beliefs? For example - Zuko is proud to be royal, and thinks FN is his birthright. He grew up in a rigid, hierarchial palace. Katara grew up in a decentralised , collectivist community. Wouldn't his fundamental values clash with hers constantly, just because they grew up in such different environments? Of course, this is all just my own reading of the show. I can understand people who say that they don't like Kataang, and don't ship them. They definitely have a lot of issues that weren't worked out in canon. But I find it hard to understand people who think Zutara is BETTER than Kataang in canon. Because to me, Zutara has many more problems than Kataang. Which is why I ship Kataang, where Katara and Aang learn and grow from each other in a sweet, steady, supportive dynamic. Katara not choosing any of them is also a valid option.

That suggested ending would've been SO MUCH more powerful!! Imagine finishing off this series of Unconvention with "if the world around you is not ready for your brand of Being, then find/make a place that is"