There are few characters that have made a successful transition from Avatar the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra like Katara. A master Waterbender, wife to the Avatar, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, and mentor to many, the girl from the Southern Water Tribe has had a spectacular life.
A legend in her own right, Katara has been a staple of the series. As a foundational member of the original Team Avatar, she has saved the world from the Fire Nation, helped the world in multiple arcs against enemies of order, and even helped establish Republic City.
Updated On August 17, 2020 By Amanda Bruce: Katara returns to screens thanks to both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra being available to a wider audience through Netflix. More fans are getting the chance to get to know Katara through both series, and there's always more to learn about the fan favorite character.
15 Her Name Wasn't Originally Katara
The audience knows the character as Katara now, but for those who have seen the original pilot of Avatar, they know she initially had a very different name. That name is Kya.
That name will still be familiar to fans as when the character's name was changed to Katara after the original pilot, Kya became someone else's name. Kya is the name of Katara's mother, who is killed in a raid by Fire Nation soldiers. Katara later honors her mother by naming her daughter Kya.
14 Katara Never Meets Fire Lord Ozai
The culmination of all of Aang's training as the Avatar is his match with Fire Lord Ozai. When that happens, his friends and allies, the Gaang as fans call them, almost all encounter Fire Lord Ozai at some point. That's not true for Kora.
During the animated series, she and Ozai never come face to face. In the big battle, she's busy helping Zuko against Azula, so she never even crosses paths with him then.
13 She Is The First Bender In The Series
To be fair, the opening credits of the show do feature silhouettes of different benders to explain the different nations in the world.
The first named character in the series to bend, however, is Katara. She tries her hand at bending in the first scene she shares with Sokka as she attempts to pull water from underneath their boat. Sokka doesn't even see it because he's too busy trying to catch a fish.
12 She's The First Waterbender To Have Airbender Children
When Katara meets Aang, he is the last known Airbender in the entire world, and he's been frozen in ice for a century. It seems impossible to think that there would ever be more Airbenders since most characters seem to inherit their abilities, sometimes even from very distant relatives.
When Katara and Aang have children, their firstborn appears to have no bending abilities, and their second is a Waterbender. Tenzin becomes the first Airbender born in a hundred years, but his big brother Bumi also develops Airbending later in life. It's unheard of in the series for a Waterbender to have Airbender children, but by the time of Legend of Korra, the world is changing.
11 Katara Is The Only Character To Appear In The Opening And Closing Scenes Of Avatar
Despite the story being Aang's, it's told through Katara's point of view. She narrates the story, but she's also the only character there from the first moment to the last.
Katara opens the story with her brother, Sokka, while on a fishing trip. It's while fishing that the two find Aang in an iceberg, but that doesn't happen immediately. Likewise, Katara closes the story when she takes a moment to speak to Aang outside of Uncle Iroh's new tea ship in the final episode, finally making her feelings known to him.
10 Just How Old Is She?
Katara is around for multiple arcs in the Avatar universe. Starting in the South Pole when she rescues Aang, Katara grows older and wiser all the way to the moments of Legend of Korra and beyond. In Avatar the Last Airbender, Katara is 14. Later on, during the events of the comic The Promise, she is 15.
Upon the start of Legend of Korra, Katara is 85, and she continues to thrive until the end of the series when she turns 89. Katara has lived a full life as a prominent member of the Southern Water Tribe and as a mentor for two avatars. A mother of three and a grandmother of four, Katara is a living legacy in the series.
9 She Is The Best Healer In The World
Healers in the avatar universe are rarely given accolade but Katara has bucked the trend. Known as the best healer by the time she is in her 80s, Katara has been a great healer since the very beginning.
She taught herself how to Waterbend and had a natural aptitude for healing when Aang accidentally burned her, submerging her hands in a creek and healing herself.
8 She Taught Korra Waterbending
Korra was already capable of multiple types of bending as an adolescent, but it wasn't until her early tutelage under Katara that she became a master. Learning from the best Korra mastered water bending, even reaching the Pro-bending finals utilizing the strong yet compassionate style taught by Katara.
In many moments, especially when practical and efficient moves must be done, Korra has used Katara's signature Waterbending moves, like the whip as well as ice surfing on water.
7 One Of Five Bloodbenders In The Series
Katara first learned many bending tricks from Hama, the only surviving Southern Water Bender. However, when the crazy old lady used Bloodbending against Sokka and Aang she quickly used it to put a stop to it.
As a potent Bloodbender, Katara is one of the most fearsome Waterbenders, using it against the Southern Raider that took her mother. However, such power was too strong, and knowing the horrors behind it, she helped outlaw Bloodbending in the United Republic.
6 Is Pro LGBTQ
Legend of Korra has been known to be very ahead of its time. From its tackling of serious subjects, it was also known to have Korra and Asami share one of the very first LGBTQ relationships in children's television.
Katara is very much in the same vein as a progressive character. It is a hidden fact that Kya, her daughter, came out to her and was lovingly accepted, showing just how wonderful her character is.
5 Her Name Has Cultural Meanings
With the avatar world having sand bending bedouins and swamp people, cultural diversity is much greater than just four nations. To illustrate the cultural reach of the creators, the word Katara itself means actually means drop or water droplet in Arabic.
Her name in Chinese characters is also quite unique with the last character in her Chinese name signifying pull, one of the main tenets of Waterbending.
4 Convinced Korra's Parents To Let Her Keep Naga
As a child, Korra was quite the wild one. More powerful than any normal child and cooped up in the frozen tundra of the Southern Water Tribe, Korra could have easily rebelled. In the origin comic, Korra had snuck out to wander the tundra and had found Naga.
Unfortunately, they were stuck in a snowstorm and were isolated until the next morning. Upon her parent's discovery, Katara convinced both of them to let her keep Naga, as an avatar always had an animal familiar. Needless to say, Naga has been quite handy throughout the series.
3 Nursed Korra After Her Mercury Poisoning For Two Years
For two years after the events of the Red Lotus arc, Korra was out of commission, poisoned by mercury. This left the world having to be policed by the new Airbenders and unfortunately, Kuvira. However, in those two years, Katara stayed by Korra's side.
Devoting her love, time, and attention to the often grumpy and depressed Avatar. Together they managed to heal Korra's body, although her mind was still troubled.
2 Learned Waterbending Alone And Broke Antiquated Traditions
Being from the Southern Water Tribe, the Fire Nation had raided and taken all the water benders, leaving Katara to learn by trial and error alone. Despite her talent, she did not manage to get a master's until the end of the first season. By then she had only had a scroll and fire nation troops to practice against.
Even later when she reached the Northern Tribe, their traditions forbidding women from Waterbending had to be torn asunder. In a fierce duel with Master Pakku, Katara proved her worth and was trained by the headstrong teacher.
1 Hates Papaya Melon And Has Many Years Left
In the Avatar The Last Airbender episode called The Fortune Teller Katara openly remarked her disdain for papaya and it was never featured in the adventurer's menu ever again.
In addition, her fortune told by Aunt Wu has her living to great grandmother status with the birth of her third great-grandchild and a peaceful slumber to her end. With Jinora forming a relationship with Kai, Katara probably has a decade or two left.