In Nickelodeon's hit animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the young avatar is an air bending monk named Aang, tasked with restoring world peace after a century-long war against the Fire Nation. But he can't do it alone; Aang's team also includes Sokka and Katara of the Water Tribe, the earth bending prodigy Toph Beifong, and the sky bison Apa and the lemur Momo.
It's easy to forget that Sokka is a vital part of Team Avatar, since he is not a bender and he didn't even survive into The Legend of Korra. But Sokka makes for a great contrast with the magical benders, and he has all kinds of skills and insights that help his team win the day. Plus, he's plain old fun to watch. What are ten facts that define this character?
10 He's Cautious
Sokka is no coward; in fact, he's quite brave and bold (more on that soon), but for the most part, he doesn't like to stick his nose where it doesn't belongs. He's also quick to reprimand Katara, Aang, or even Momo for wandering too far off the safe path.
Sokka would rather leave alone anything he doesn't understand, and he's not big on taking risks unless the reward is enormous. Overall, he's the one to say "Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?" when the team gets neck-deep into a situation.
9 He Has Courage
Now for one of Sokka's most admirable traits: he's bold and courageous when it counts. Sometimes, the only solution is to attack, or take a serious risk, to save the day or escape the bad guys. Sokka has been known to lead the charge more than once.
Remember the spirit library? Wan Shi Tong was furiously trying to drive Team Avatar out, but Sokka braved the sinking library to consult the astronomy room and determine exactly when the solar eclipse would happen. And even as a younger boy, Sokka was ready and willing to fight by his father's side, but he wasn't yet ready. At least his heart's in the right place.
8 He Has A Spiteful Side
This isn't to say that Sokka is a bully. He's a hero, and ready to save anyone who needs help. Still, he's not above teasing or taunting anyone who annoys him, or the Fire Nation soldiers who chase Team Avatar around.
Fans love it when Sokka has a corny but stinging barb to throw at his enemies, even the likes of Long Feng. "Looks like Long Feng is long gone!", for example, or when he boasted "Water Tribe!" to an obnoxious earth bender whom Katara had just scolded into submission. Adding insult to injury!
7 He's Better Suited To Leading A Squad
Let's visit another flattering part of Sokka's personality. He has leadership aptitude, partly because he's the oldest and most cautious member of the team, and he's not preoccupied with training. So, he can and often does take charge, to great effect.
Sokka is a fine squad leader, but don't ask him to become the general. As we saw right before the eclipse invasion started, Sokka just falls to pieces if he has to address a whole crowd. So, his father stepped in and served as the leader everyone needed. Aang consoled a dismayed Sokka, and fortunately, Sokka was back in fighting shape by the time the battle began.
6 He's A Skeptic Turned Believer
Just what is Sokka doing here? He's relaxing in the lobby of a fortune-telling business, and he doesn't believe in that kind of thing the way Katara and Aang do. In fact, Sokka begins the series of a skeptic of anything he can't hold in his own two hands.
But over time, Sokka sees much more of the world and learns to accept the fact that it's populated with wonderful people, horrible people, and all sorts of strange things. By the time he serves on Republic City's council as a much older man, he explains his willingness to believe in the extraordinary. Thus, the council found Yakon guilty of a whole new brand of blood bending.
5 He Is Highly Protective
This loosely ties in with Sokka's cautious, "don't poke your nose into trouble" nature. He doesn't act this way just to protect his own skin; he's not that selfish. Sokka is a big brother entrusted by his father to protect his sister, and he takes that duty quite seriously. He's not a bender, but he'll lay down his life for the family.
This soon extends to Suki, too, a trained Kyoshi warrior. In fact, Sukia can handle herself, but Sokka, who had lost Yue, is protective all the same, and things get tense between them until they talk it out. Now they are proper teammates, watching each other's back. A fine friendship!
4 He Enjoys Fun Sometimes
For the most part, Sokka takes himself and his warrior duties seriously, and he isn't the type to stop and have fun. Instead, Aang is the one who gets preoccupied with fun stuff, and Sokka has to restrain him.
Sokka isn't a total stick in the mud, though. If there isn't a mission to accomplish or bad guys to watch out for, he'll take some time to chill, and a great example of that is when he took part in a haiku improve session in Ba Sing Se (pictured). He had the time of his life... until he made a faulty haiku and got thrown out! Oh, well.
3 He Is A Weapons Specialist
Sokka is a non-bender in a team of talented benders, and he doesn't like being reminded of that fact. Instead, Sokka makes good use of various weapons, including a club and boomerang from his own tribe for combat.
In real life, boomerangs aren't actually weapons, but Sokka's metal boomerang is actually pretty effective in his hands. His aim is remarkable and can take the likes of Mai or Ty Lee off guard. Later on, Sokka had a unique sword forged for him, and what a fine weapon it was. Sokka had a great time training and having his own weapon forged.
2 He Is Unlucky
Now this is just ironic. Sokka takes great pains to avoid unnecessary trouble, maintain a tight schedule, and plan ahead for the worst. And yet, he is a magnet for pratfalls and misfortune on an everyday scale, and it's both amusing and tragic to see.
Sokka tends to anger the wild animals and even the plants around him, usually by annoying them and then getting either trampled, slapped by tree branches, or chased off. In fact, a fortune-teller could tell just from his face that he causes a lot of trouble for himself... and boy is she right.
1 He Created The Mold For Bolin
By the time Korra's Team Avatar was active, Sokka was already deceased, but his spirit lived on. Fans may have noticed that even though Bolin is a bender and Sokka is not, both boys come from the same mold, and Sokka set the trend in the good old days.
Both of them named their Team Avatar, had a Water Tribe princess as a lover (Yue and Eska), lost their mothers to fire benders, and serve as comic relief. Korra is more hot-headed than funny and Katara isn't one to make jokes, so the role of comic relief falls to these guys. And we love them for it.