Toph is one of the most loved characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender. From the time of her introduction, she is brimming with personality and creates a brand-new dynamic within Team Avatar. Though she may be a fan favorite, Toph is not always the most likable of characters.
She has many moments throughout the series showing her worst qualities. From her bad attitude to her lack of family values, Toph proves to be a real pain when she wants to be. These traits, over time, become more irritating than funny or endearing, leaving some fans to wonder if she is really as good of a character as they first thought.
10 Her Personality Can Rub Fans The Wrong Way
Fans learn early on that Toph is a very headstrong and outspoken character. Sometimes this is a good thing and can be of use to the team. However, her outspokenness can get old very fast. She is a kid, so of course, she is going to goof off and not take things seriously.
But it can be very annoying when she should be focused on what's important at the time. Her obnoxious behavior has her butting heads with teammates and shirking off responsibilities instead of getting the job done.
9 She Is Rude To Everyone Around Her
Since Toph isn't afraid to tell someone what she thinks, sometimes she takes it too far. No one on Team Avatar is immune to her insults and while they are usually harmless, there have been plenty of times where she has genuinely hurt a friend. This is especially the case with Katara, whom she feuds with on and off throughout the series.
She constantly mocks her for her motherly nature and calls her names such as Sugar Queen, which on its own isn't a bad thing. It's only when Toph pushes someone's limit when it really becomes hard to watch.
8 She Is Arrogant About Her Abilities
From day one, Toph brags about how great of an earthbender she is. She is the self-proclaimed "Greatest Earthbender in the World" and loves to make sure everyone is aware of that. While it's true that she is an amazing earthbending genius and certainly earns bragging rights, it becomes very tiresome to hear about it all the time.
She seems to think that her powerful bending somehow makes her better than everyone else. Her arrogance is one of the most irritating traits she has, and she displays it in almost every episode she appears in.
7 She Never Grows Up
As a kid, a lot of Toph's behavior is understandable or excusable. It would be fine if she were just a bratty little girl who needed to mature. But from what fans see of her in The Legend of Korra, she doesn't seem to ever change.
She maybe matures a little bit, but her obnoxious and self-centered attitude never seems to go away. The fact that she always remains this rude, arrogant person makes her much harder to like as an adult. Child Toph may be able to act like that, but Adult Toph certainly shouldn't.
6 Her Selfishness Makes Her Hard To Side With
One thing for certain is that Toph is a very selfish character. While she does care for her friends a great deal, she isn't always the nicest to them. She often puts herself before them and thinks of her wants and needs first.
While she is a kid, and it is natural for kids to be selfish, everyone else on Team Avatar is a kid too. They're all making huge sacrifices for each other and the world, but Toph never seems to do the same.
5 Her Treatment Of Katara Can Be Too Harsh
Toph doesn't seem to relate much to other girls, and this includes Katara. From the moment she joins the team, Toph is constantly bickering with Katara about one thing or another. She rejects Katara's matronly position in the group, challenging her whenever she tries to set order.
It can be fun to watch the two go at it, but sometimes it gets too mean. Toph knows how to hit someone where it hurts, and with Katara, she pulls no punches.
4 She Could Have Helped More In Legend Of Korra, But Didn't
Being the earthbending prodigy she is, fans expected Toph to be a major component of the battles, with both Zaheer and Kuvira. She could have easily given much-needed aid to Korra and the rest of Team Avatar but opted for remaining in her home in the swamp. While she did help Korra extract the remaining mercury from her body and face her demons, in the form of her past foes, she did little else.
She only chooses to act once she discovers the capture of her family, but as soon as they are safe, she slips away once again. She claims her time is over and it is time for the next generation to take over. While that may be true, it is a disappointment that she did not do more throughout her time in the series.
3 She Is Not A Good Mother To Lin And Suyin
Given Toph's personality, it is no surprise that she is not the best mother in Korra. Her two daughters grow up going down completely different paths. The one thing they do have in common is the lack of acknowledgment from their mother. Toph drives a wedge between Lin and Suyin when she covers up Suyin's crimes and refuses to admit wrongdoing.
The two stop speaking to one another, and Toph eventually disappears from their lives. Toph's absence leaves the Beifong family in shambles, and though it becomes restored in the end, she leaves her family with years of strife they could have done without.
2 Her Character Never Develops
Throughout both series, Toph's character remains relatively the same. She has great potential to develop throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it is never fully realized. Fans never get to see her reconcile with her parents, and they never see her grow from the experience, or any other experience, for that matter.
She always stays obnoxious and selfish, even long into her adulthood. Toph's character is a missed opportunity for amazing growth that would have made a great series even greater.
1 She Disappears And Abandons Her Family
In The Legend of Korra, Toph essentially goes missing, cutting off all contact with everyone, including her own family. She does this suddenly, and without resolving the boiling issues within her family, especially between her daughters. Because of this, the Beifong family is left to fend for itself, with Lin going in one direction as Chief of Police and Suyin going in another, creating Zaofu.
Because of Toph's decision to abandon her family for the swamp, there is an entire part of her family that she doesn't know. She misses out on them, and because of her mistakes, Lin does too. Luckily, the Beifongs are able to come together in the end. However, Toph still plays a minor role in all of their lives.