Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra are shows that have given their fans a treasure trove of lovable and funny characters. In fact, several AtLA and LoK fans went so far as to say that Bolin was basically the Sokka of Korra. Well, there is no denying the two shared many similarities between them.
To start with, both were an integral part of their respective Team Avatars, who showed a lot of growth throughout the show. However, when it comes to more similarities, they didn't just stop at their respective characteristics. A lot of the experiences and events that happened to them were also suspiciously similar and mentioned below are 10 such similarities.
10 Both Were Popular With The Ladies
Sokka was undoubtedly one of the most attractive people in Avatar. He attracted the attention of quite a few girls. Apart from his girlfriends, Princess Yue and Suki, even Ty Lee found him cute. Even Toph had a crush on him at one point in time.
Bolin too was a much-desired character. He went on a date with Korra, was kissed by his co-star Ginger, and dated Eska and Opal. He also got a lot of attention from fangirls after he became a mover star.
9 Both Used A Mustache As Disguise
Bolin and Sokka disguised themselves various times in their respective shows, but their most preferred disguise always seemed to include mustaches. Sokka’s "Wang Fire" personality was a hit among the fans, where he wore a large mustache and a beard to pass off as Aang’s father.
Similarly, when Bolin needed to raise money for his tournament, he trained Pabu to do some tricks to show off on the streets and pretended to be a performer. He disguised himself by putting on a fake mustache to keep his identity hidden.
8 Both Of Their First Loves Never Came To Fruition
Sokka’s first love was Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe, but theirs was a very short-lived love story. When Admiral Zhao killed the Moon Spirit, Yue sacrificed her life for the sake of the world and her people, shattering Sokka’s heart into pieces.
Bolin had a crush on Korra for the longest time, and it was something he had also confessed to his brother about. Korra agreed to go on a date with him to make Mako jealous when he rejected her. Not long after their date, Bolin walked in on her kissing his brother. He felt betrayed not just by her but also by his brother who had known how he felt about her.
7 Their First Girlfriends Were The Daughters Of The Northern Water Tribe Chiefs
A lot of fans might have not noticed this fact but both Bolin and Sokka’s first girlfriends were Princesses of the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka’s first love and girlfriend was Princess Yue, daughter of Arnook who was the then Chief of the Northern Water Tribe.
Even though Bolin did go on a date with Korra, he was never in a relationship with her. His first girlfriend actually was Eska, the daughter of Unalaq, who also happened to be the Chief of the Tribe at the time.
6 Their Second Girlfriends Were Non-Benders From The Earth Kingdom
Sokka’s second girlfriend was Suki, a Kyoshi warrior from Kyoshi Island in the Earth Kingdom. Bolin’s second girlfriend was Opal, daughter of Suyin Beifong who was the leader of the city-state of Zaofu of the Earth Kingdom.
Another interesting thing to note here is that both girls were born non-benders. Opal did turn into an airbender after the Harmonic Convergence, but it is to be noted that she was a non-bender when she was born.
5 Both Were Not Confident In Their Abilities
Even though Sokka was a non-bender and Bolin was an earthbender, they were both similar in the way that they did not have confidence in their abilities. Sokka felt less than his bender friends and felt that he did not contribute enough in fights.
Similarly, Bolin did not have faith in himself when it came to his abilities. This became apparent especially at the time when Suyin offered to teach him metalbending, and he hesitated to learn. Others had more belief in his bending abilities than he himself did.
4 Both Had Difficult Childhoods
Sokka lost his mother, and his father went off to war when he was just a child. He was the only "man" remaining in his tribe and he was instructed by his father to protect everyone else. He took that responsibility very seriously and ended up teaching himself everything.
In the same way, Bolin and Mako were orphaned at a very young age. They had to resort to many questionable things just to survive, like joining a gang of criminals. They did not have a house to live in, so they stayed at a gym for a long time. Both Sokka and Bolin had to grow up beyond their years and take up responsibilities when they were just children.
3 Both Of Their Mothers Were Killed By Firebenders
Bolin and Sokka both lost parents in their childhood and coincidentally, both of their mothers were murdered by a firebender. Bolin’s mother and father were killed in a mugging when he was just a child. Sokka lost his mother when he was about nine years old.
While Sokka's father was alive, he was not around for his son's childhood as he went off to fight in the war. They did not reunite until Sokka was a teenager. So basically speaking, neither of the two boys had the presence of parents in their childhoods.
2 Both Were Taken Care Of By Their Sibling
After they were orphaned at a young age, Mako stepped up and took care of Bolin. It was just the two of them against the world, and Mako did everything in his power to keep his brother safe.
Similarly, even though Sokka was the elder brother, it was Katara who took up much of the responsibility around their house after their mother passed. He confessed to Toph how much she had done for him, and how whenever he tried to remember his mom, his sister’s face was all he could see.
1 Both Were The Comic Relief Characters
Both Bolin and Sokka were the funny guys of their respective Avatar teams. While Sokka’s humor was more sarcastic and witty, Bolin’s humor was more full of goofy and lovable antics.
Either way, they brought some much-needed laughter for the fans and Team Avatar alike. They could turn any serious situation around and lighten the mood. Oftentimes, they were the ones who kept their team’s spirits high and kept them going when things got dark.