erm Week 4: Relationships in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra
Day 10: Friendship in Avatar Land
Day 11: Teen Romance in Avatar Land
Day 12: Siblings in Avatar Land
Day 12 is for those moments when you just really want to kill your sister.
All screenshots from Avatar Spirit.
Sokka and Katara
Well, this Southern Water Tribe brother/sister duo are the OG sibling relationship of the entire Avatar universe, so it’s no surprise that they set the bar pretty high for all others.
Book 1 is a *tad* juvenile, especially compared to the rest of the series, but it’s Sokka and Katara who lend the show its emotional backbone right from the beginning, giving Aang a new family and a new support network so he can get to saving the world.
They have a couple of key moments in the show’s second episode: “The Avatar Returns.”
First, Katara is determined to go after Aang (who’s been taken prisoner for the first of many times), and is prematurely angry with Sokka, who doesn’t like Aang, assuming he’ll try to talk her out of it. Unbeknownst to her, Sokka has a plan already.
Katara: We have to go after that ship, Sokka. Aang saved our tribe, now we have to save him.
Sokka: Katara, I –
Katara: Why can’t you realize that he’s on our side? If we don’t help him, no one will. I know you don’t like Aang, but we owe him and –
Sokka: Katara! Are you gonna talk all day, or are you comin’ with me?
Shortly thereafter, they’re trying to make Appa fly after the ship. Sokka’s pretty cynical about it. He’s a giant bison, after all. He doesn’t have wings.
Sokka: Go. Fly. Soar.
Katara: Please, Appa. We need your help. Aang needs your help.
Sokka: Up. Ascend. Elevate.
Katara: Sokka doesn’t believe you can fly, but I do, Appa. Come on, don’t you want to save Aang?
Sokka: What was it that kid said? Yee-haw? Hup-hup? Wah-hoo? Uh … Yip-yip?
Appa: *flies*
Katara: You did it, Sokka!
Sokka: He’s flying!!! He’s flying!!! Katara, he’s – (Katara smirks at him) I mean, no big deal. He’s flying.
Then there’s the time that Katara blows up an evil factory.
Sokka: What did you do?
Katara: I kind of destroyed their factory.
Sokka: You what?
Katara: It was your idea!
Sokka: I was joking! I also said to use spirit magic and made funny noises! Did you even think this through? The army is gonna blame the villagers! They’re headed there right now to get revenge!
Katara: Well, what was I supposed to do?
Sokka: Leave! Do nothing!
Katara: No! I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me. I’m going down to that village, and I am gonna do whatever I can.
Sokka: Wait! I’m coming too.
Katara: I thought you didn’t want to help.
Sokka: You need me, and I will never turn my back on you.
Katara: Sokka, you really do have a heart.
They’re great.
Zuko and Azula
Easily the most dysfunctional sibling relationship in the history of Avatar Land, these two. Her conniving mind games up against his never ending oversensitive melodramatic melodrama drama angst oversensitivity parade is the gift that keeps on giving. The last we see of the two of them (on the show, anyway), Azula is tricking Zuko into getting lightninged by TOTALLY CHEATING IN THEIR AGNI KAI. Oh and then because he doesn’t die, she has a full on, fire-coming-out-of-ears breakdown while he stares solemnly at her. Good times.
Mako and Bolin
(they’ve had better moments)
Like the one in “The Last Stand,” in which Mako decides to risk his life trying to shut down Kuvira’s spirit nuke, and Bolin tries to talk him out of it.
Bolin: This isn’t the time to prove how awesome you are. I already know how awesome you are… you’re awesome.
Mako: I don’t have time to argue! I’m doing this, so get out of here!
Bolin: Okay, but for the record, I do not approve. Just, get out as soon as you can. Promise?
Mako: Promise.
Bolin: I love you.
Mako: I love you too. Now go!
That scene would have worked a lot better if Mako had actually died, trying to shut down the spirit weapon. Imagine Mako locks Bolin out, says goodbye, and actually dies shutting it down. Now, look, that would have done a few things. First, Mako would be dead. Second, Bolin would be devastated, third, Korra’s breakthrough with Kuvira would be completely overshadowed by Mako being awesome, fourth, Korra and Asami running off together would be overshadowed by Mako’s death. So, obviously it couldn’t work that way. But still. It would have been totally dramatic and amazing and extremely sad and why are we imagining this, exactly?
Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi
Listen carefully: whatever you do, you need to inhale, exhale, and then, WATCH THIS VIDEO.
These three are great. Highlights of theirs are in parts one and two of “Civil Wars” and in “Darkness Falls.”
Despite their… varied… memories of what their childhood was like, they were, and still are, a happy, supportive family. Flaws and all.
Lin and Suyin
This one hurts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efcDQhFI7gA
Bolin’s sage words to Korra: “You don’t have any siblings. Fighting is all a part of the healing process.”
Well, he’s definitely not wrong. These two titanic ladies worked things out. Their best team moment is when they take down P’li. Lin, being Lin, puts herself in the line of fire so that Su can make P’li ‘splode. First, Lin tells Su that she loves her.
Awww. Just like the moment with Bolin and Mako.
Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo
The two older ladies could stand to put Meelo in his place a bit a lot more often (he’s a snot, fight us), but other than that, they’re a team like no other and Aang would be proud.
