The series Avatar: The Last Airbender has many great characters, yet Katara is one of the few who tend to get overlooked. Everyone knows Iroh's wisdom, Zuko's great character arc, Sokka's humor, and how evil Azula was. Few give Katara the type of respect that she deserves. She's more than just a love interest for Aang.
She's a very well rounded and developed character who has plenty of great moments throughout the series, especially in the third book. It's how she got the legion of fans willing to get her face emblazoned across their bodies. So without further ado, these are some of the best Katara tattoos.
10 Painted Lady
The painted lady might be the best look that Katara has in the whole series. The look and demeanor of the character fit her quite well, making her into a protector who watches over those who need it.
Even more so than Aang, she's always wanted to be someone that could help others, the painted lady embodying that. The artwork of it here is great as well. You are slowly taken in by the whole image rather than being drawn to just one place.
9 Water Vs Fire
Combat art can be hard to pull off within the normal realm of fan art, so double that difficultly when it comes to tattoos. There's only so much canvas you have to work with, yet they've done a phenomenal job here. Nothing is too squished together as it's spread out as much as it needs to be.
It can be assumed the person she's battling here is Zuko, but the camera angle doesn't allow you to fully see her combatant's face. What you can see is her hand coming through the water to uppercut them in the face.
8 Maiden Of Water
It's hard to tell what's fully going on here as it seems like Zuko is positioned right above her, given the robes and the more fire-like appearance there. It's the curse of lengthy tattoos since getting it all into focus can be a pain.
What can be seen shows a version of Katara that's very pained and even worried. The general melancholy feeling coming off of her is a very nice contrast with the bright and joyful colors that are swirling all around her.
7 Water Bending
Showing off the character's bending skills is a go-to when it comes to Avatar tattoos, and why wouldn't it be? It's one of the key components to the characters and lets you create some very interesting pieces of art. The work above being no different, water seamlessly swirling around her in both droplets as well as larger swirls of water.
They did a good job blending in layers of clear water on top of the darker blues to give it a better look, letting you see the detailed work on her body.
6 True Love
Romance was never the biggest thing when it came to Avatar. It was always more of a side story rather than the main focus. It's what made the series so good and frankly better than Korra, as everything was allowed to develop slowly at a more natural pace.
That's part of why Katara and Aang's relationship was so wholesome and filled with joy, something that's on full display here. You can see the exhilaration on both of their faces, wanting to be nowhere else other than each other's arms.
5 Out Of The Water
This is the first tattoo that's fully in black and white, foregoing any sort of color. It's never a bad decision and can lead to a cleaner-looking tattoo and one that will last far longer. That's the case here. Much of the linework being top-notch and very crisp looking.
The small little waves present in the water offer a nice sense of realism. Her expression is incredibly serious as well, almost like she's getting ready for a final fight against the fire nation.
4 The Trio
This is your core group of secondary characters, all three of them equally important to the show for different ways. Without the three of them, it wouldn't have near the level of renowned that it does.
All three of them are brilliantly rendered as the line work is beyond clean. It's like the image was drawn on a piece of paper rather than skin. Their expressions are so well done, especially Toph, who's wide-eyed expression is perfection.
3 Lady Of The Water
This tattoo captures the grandeur and legend of the painted lady beautifully. The way her arms are spread open, the water swirled around her like a pair of serpents gives her a very intimidating allure. That stern and cold gaze on her face only furthers that feeling.
She looks like an ancient deity who is ready to expel an intruder who'd encroached on her lands. Keeping it without color helps push that even more, leaving certain parts of the image open to interpretation. That's always going to be something you strive for as an artist, no matter your medium.
2 Vanity
Most artists focus on making Katara appear more serious, either readying for battle or in some cases, actively engaged in it. That isn't the direction taken here, going for more of a cute and even vain look instead.
That happy expression and those blush filled cheeks make it seem like she just gotten done having a date with Aang. They do a great job with the water as well. They have more of a dollop type look to them than many of the steady streams you see.
1 Rising Above
Sometimes the coolest looking tattoos are the simpler ones. You don't always need something huge and splashed with tons of color. This is minimalistic at its core, yet looks great. The ripples around her hair and head help simulate water incredibly well, using the canvas of the skin to the utmost degree.
Showing only her head and neck helps you picture the rest of the body in your head, seeing her rise up from the water like she were a vampire getting up from a crypt.