Despite being the only non-bending member of the original Team Avatar, Avatar: The Last Airbender's, Sokka was as much a valuable asset to the group as anyone else. His skills as a warrior only improved as the series progressed, not to mention the fact that his quick thinking and strategic instinct played a key role in the Fire Nation's defeat.
There are plenty of times he saved the day, and a lot more times when he was just a badass, not necessarily stopping the bad guy, but proving to everyone that he had the skills to do so. Below are just a few moments taken from the series that made fans realize they had been seriously underestimating how hardcore the Southern Water Tribe warrior actually was.
10 Taking Out Some Pirate Trash
In "The Waterbending Scroll", Aang, Katara, and Sokka stumbled upon a scroll containing a useful Waterbending technique that quickly made them the targets of a group of pirates.
At one point, two pirates have their way with Sokka, tossing him around like a sack of potatoes, but he quickly gets his revenge after catching one of them off guard and knocking him off of his own ship with a swift kick, reminding viewers that he was no pushover despite lacking the ability to Waterbend.
9 Schooling The Northern Water Tribe
Despite his faults, Sokka is one of the most well-traveled people in his world. Due to aiding Aang throughout the later stages of the Hundred Year War, he got to travel across all four nations and meet a variety of people. More importantly, he got to fight his fair share of Fire Nation soldiers along the way. When the Fire Nation attacked the Northern Water Tribe, Sokka informed the warriors of the Fire Nation's new uniforms, as well as their chain of command.
This impressed chief Arnook so much that he gave Sokka the secret duty of personally protecting Princess Yue during the invasion, showing that though he might've been young, Sokka had battle experience that other Water Tribe warriors could only dream of.
8 Ruined Jet's Plan And Exposed Him To Everyone
Jet was originally depicted as the perfect vigilante, until Sokka realized that he had no sympathy for innocent civilians and would risk killing them if it meant wiping out Fire Nation troops.
Though he wasn't strong enough to stop Jet on his own, he used his wits to outsmart the Freedom Fighter, emptying the village of Gaipan before Jet could carry out his plan to flood it. He exposed Jet as the ruthless rebel that he truly was, and it was all because he was able to see through Jet's facade.
7 Surviving Piandao's Assault
Piandao was an unrivaled swordsman, so it was shocking to see Sokka not only parry his blows, but apply all he'd learned to give Piandao a bit of a challenge during their brief scuffle. Though Piando was holding back, he also wasn't letting Sokka just walk all over him.
Sokka showed just how quickly he had absorbed the teachings of a master swordsman, and showed everyone just how much of a survivalist he could be when his back was up against the wall.
6 Nailing Combustion Man
Throughout the series, Sokka's boomerang felt more like a running gag than anything else. Though he put it to good use a couple of times, his boomerang often wasn't what led Team Avatar to a decisive victory. Just when it seemed like they were pinned down by Combustion Man, Sokka proved that even a non-bender like himself was capable of taking down one of the most intimidating villains they'd ever encountered.
Despite not even being able to see Combustion Man, Sokka was able to calculate the exact angle he needed to throw his boomerang to land a hit, and managed to hit Combustion Man in the right spot, ensuring that Team Avatar had one less problem to worry about.
5 Sokka Style
Throughout Avatar, spirits were respected, and even the strongest benders didn't openly step up to them. After realizing that Aang and the others were going to use the information they learned regarding the solar eclipse to take down the Fire Nation, Wan Shi Tong attempted to trap them in his library forever.
When Wan Shi Tong stepped up to Katara, it looked like she'd be done for, until Aang dropped Sokka right on top of Wan Shi Tong, who was then able to knock the spirit out with just one hit to the head using what he called "Sokka Style". It's not often that characters in this franchise successfully manage to triumph over a spirit. In fact, it's usually something only Avatars are capable of. Sokka should be proud.
4 Showed Up A Haiku Master
While roaming Ba Sing Se one night, Sokka ended up crashing a haiku poetry group meeting, and without even realizing it, delivered a haiku that was clever enough to impress the seasoned participants of the group. With no prior experience crafting haikus, he was able to show up a haiku master, even putting clever puns into his verses that impressed the women watching him.
Sure, his success didn't last long after he got a bit too ahead of himself, but no one can take away his original victory.
3 Destroying The Fire Nation's Cannons During The Day Of Black Sun
During the Invasion of the Fire Nation, Sokka played a key role in the attack. When the cannons firing down on the invasion force looked like they'd be a problem for the warriors below, Sokka, Katara, and Hakoda sprung into action.
It would be an understatement to say that Sokka didn't look badass in this scene, hanging off the side of Appa's horn as he sliced the end off one of the cannons without even breaking a sweat. When he and Katara went after another cannon, Sokka acted swiftly, slicing down the door and the cannon as if they were made of butter.
2 Knocking Out General Fong
In "The Avatar State", General Fong resorted to attacking Team Avatar in order to force Aang into the Avatar State, and while he was successful, it was clear that he only viewed Aang as a giant weapon. Even after many of his men were hurt due to Aang's explosive display of power in the Avatar State, General Fong still continued to ramble on about future plans to control Aang's power.
Sokka refused to entertain him any longer, knocking him out with a swift hit to the skull. Fans often overlook just how much guts someone would need to attack a high-ranking Earth Kingdom general in his own territory, given the fact that Sokka didn't even think twice before doing so.
1 Showing Aang How It's Done
Due to his pacifist upbringing as an Airbender, Aang couldn't fathom the thought of ending Ozai's life, even during a practice session where killing Ozai would've just meant smashing a watermelon that stood in for his head.
When Aang couldn't muster up the strength to take "Melon Lord" out himself, Sokka showed the young Avatar just how easy it was, cutting the watermelon in two with just one swing from his sword. This moment was a reminder of how dedicated Sokka was to ending the Hundred Year War, and spoke to how relentless of a warrior he could be, despite being the show's comic relief.