Non-benders in Avatar: The Last Airbender made as much of an impact during the Hundred Year War as some of the strongest benders did. But just like Azula needed Mai and Ty Lee, Aang needed the help of non-benders like Sokka and Suki to bring skills to the table that he didn't possess.
As Sokka's second girlfriend in the series (we all know his first turned into the moon), Suki taught him a thing or two about being a warrior. She forever solidified herself as one of the strongest women in the series, but between her and Sokka, who's the strongest non-bender?
10 Sokka: He Possesses A Genius Intellect
While Sokka was the show's comic relief, he was also Team Avatar's resident genius. His quick thinking often played a key role in ensuring Team Avatar's success in several battles. Without him, they would've never found out when the solar eclipse would take place, and it was also his idea to take out the Fire Nation's gigantic drill from the inside.
Despite lacking the natural bending skills of his sister, Sokka has figured out how to make the world bend to him, and his strategic mind makes it difficult for any non-bender, Suki included, to defeat him off wits alone.
9 Suki: She Leads A Band Of Fierce Warriors
Despite being the oldest member of Team Avatar, Sokka wasn't a natural leader. Even when all eyes were on him to lead the invasion force during "Day of the Black Sun", he was too nervous to effectively guide everyone, leaving Hakoda to step up to the plate.
Suki, on the other hand, had been the head of the Kyoshi Warriors long before the events of the story began. She's not only used to taking direction, but giving it as well. Being a leader at such a young age gives her a level of confidence that other teenagers just wouldn't possess.
8 Sokka: His Boomerang Can Reach Opponents Out Of Arm's Reach
A non-bender's biggest weakness is the fact that they can't attack opponents that aren't within arm's reach, unless they happen to be an archer. Sokka has used his boomerang multiple times throughout the series to nail his enemies from a distance.
Most notably, he used it to take out Combustion Man, who was not only several feet above him, but was out of his view as well! His boomerang enabled him to land a hit on Combustion Man from an angle that even a bender wouldn't have been able to attack from, meaning that Sokka could potentially end fights from far away, something which Suki would never be able to do.
7 Suki: She Can Circumvent Dangerous Battlefields On Foot
While Suki is no Ty Lee, she's proven herself to be one of the most agile warriors in the Earth Kingdom. Specifically in "The Boiling Rock", she charged through a riot, safely avoiding being hit by the Firebending prisoners and guards beneath her.
She effortlessly climbed up a tower to reach the prison warden, and even Sokka, despite his athleticism, was left breathless as he & the others were forced to take the stairs while Suki wasn't even tired from such an Olympic feat.
6 Sokka: He Has More Experience On The Battlefield
While there's no denying Suki's strength, she didn't get close to as much combat experience as Sokka did during the Hundred Year War. Despite being a Kyoshi Warrior, Kyoshi Island had managed to stay out of the war until its later stages, meaning that until Zuko attacked, Suki had most likely never fought a Firebender.
Sokka, on the other hand, had the chance to fight Fire Nation troops throughout the Earth Kingdom on a regular basis. By the time he reached the Northern Water Tribe, he was pretty much an expert on the Fire Nation's military and their battle tactics.
5 Suki: She's Stronger Than Most Grown Men
When Sokka and Suki first met, Suki humiliated him by throwing him around like a sack of potatoes, proving that just because she was a woman, she was just as strong as any man her age. When she captured the warden at Boiling Rock, she knocked out many prison guards with ease, despite the fact that they were grown men. To say nothing of when Toph began to drown as the gang crossed the Serpent's Pass and Suki didn't hesitate to jump in the water & swim out to her.
She was able to do this in her full Kyoshi Warrior outfit (which definitely can't be the lightest thing in the world due to those boots and armor plating), and was able to swim back to safety with Toph. Sokka's strong, but he's not that strong.
4 Sokka: He's A Master Swordsman
The key to being a formidable non-bender is picking a discipline and sticking with it, just how benders are essentially forced to do with the element they're born with. This is why non-benders like Jet, Piandao, and Ty Lee were so feared even among the strongest of benders. They found what worked for them and stuck with it until it became natural.
In Sokka's case, he decided to become Piandao's pupil, which made him a much more formidable warrior during the later stages of the Hundred Year War. His "space sword" was able to slice through solid steel, which means that it could pretty much cut through anything, including any other non-bender foolish enough to step to him.
3 Suki: She's A Pro At Hand-To-Hand Combat
While Sokka could handle himself in a fistfight, he was not as adept in martial arts as Suki was. When she and Ty Lee had their rematch on top of the Boiling Rock gondola, she was able to deflect all of Ty Lee's blows while sneaking in some of her own.
While Sokka was able to avoid Ty Lee's attacks, he still never learned to counter with his own.
2 Sokka: He Incorporated Suki's Techniques Into His Own Style
After getting schooled by Suki when they first met, Sokka humbled himself and learned the techniques of the Kyoshi Warriors. In a short period of time, he found himself able to knock her down, a sign of his capacity for learning quickly!
He's no pushover when it comes to physical combat, but unlike Suki, he only relies on his fists when he is without a weapon. Still, adding some of Suki's fundamentals into his arsenal just ensures that he won't be beaten when facing unarmed non-bending weapons masters.
1 Suki: She Learned Chi Blocking From Ty Lee
After the Hundred Year War, Suki was mature enough to put the past behind her, allowing Ty Lee to join the Kyoshi Warriors. In the comics that follow the end of the main series, fans could see that Ty Lee taught Suki how to chi block, which she quickly mastered. Coupled with her other skills, this made her as much of a danger to benders as Ty Lee was. The fact that she wasn't a master swordsman or a genius never stopped her from overcoming any challenges in her way.
Since she lived most of her life outside of active combat, it's almost frightening to think just how strong she'd be if she'd been fighting on the battlefield as much as Sokka had. While his sword gives him a huge advantage, it wouldn't do him any good against an opponent like Suki who could get in close and disarm him with a couple blows before he even realized what happened. Which is why despite not having as much screen-time as Sokka, Suki appears to be the stronger non-bender of the two.