Katara's History
Born into the diminished Southern Water Tribe to Hakoda and Kya, Katara faced the reality of her tribe's dwindling strength from an early age. At the time of her birth, fifty years of repeated Fire Nation raids intended to capture and imprison the tribe's waterbenders had left them devoid of benders. While the Southern Water Tribe's defenses would have crumbled under the might of the Fire Nation, the tribe's relative inaccessibility in the frigid South Pole and the Fire Nation's perception that they were a non-threat meant that they were mostly left alone. Katara grew up within a loving, close family and community in her tribe. When she was six years old, she broke a tooth on some seal jerky made by Ashuna.[23]
However, when Katara was eight, the Fire Nation again raided the village when charged by Fire Lord Azulon to find and dispose of the last remaining waterbender in the tribe. During the battle, the leader of the raid Yon Rha confronted Katara's mother, who was taking refuge in the family's igloo. Seeking shelter with her mother, Katara ran back to her home and interrupted their exchange. Realizing the intentions of Yon Rha, who had demanded Kya tell him the identity of the waterbender, Kya insisted Katara leave and gave herself up as the last waterbender, lying to protect her daughter. Katara ran to fetch her father, but by the time they returned, Yon Rha had left and her mother had been killed.[17] The death of their mother had a profound impact on both Katara and Sokka, and both began to feel deep hatred and resentment toward the Fire Nation as a result.
With the absence of a mother figure in the family, Katara soon found herself filling the role left behind by Kya. She began to take on many of the domestic responsibilities expected of women of the Southern Water Tribe, despite her young age. When Katara was around twelve years old, her father, Chief Hakoda, left to fight in the Hundred Year War with the rest of the men of the Southern Water Tribe.[13] Katara and Sokka were left in the care of their grandmother, Kanna. Though Kanna loved the two and cared deeply for them, Katara was left feeling traumatized and alone. Living in a tribe consisting almost completely of women, children, and the elderly, she took care of not only her own family but of the whole Southern Water Tribe as well.[14]
Winter 99 AG
Main article: History of Katara (85 AG - 100 AG)
While on a fishing trip for their village, Katara and her older brother, Sokka, accidentally steered their canoe into a rip current, where it was crushed between ice floes. The two found themselves stranded on a chunk of ice. After Sokka blamed their situation on Katara, Katara grew so angry that she inadvertently exploded an iceberg behind her with her waterbending. Katara and Sokka discovered a mysterious figure trapped in a large spherical iceberg that rose to the surface. The figure introduced himself as Aang, an airbender, and offered to escort them home on his flying bison, Appa.[13] After her village was attacked by soldiers on a Fire Nation ship commanded by Prince Zuko, Katara learned that Aang was the Avatar. She and her brother set out to save Aang, who had surrendered to Zuko to keep the village from harm. After their successful rescue, and after witnessing Aang's impressive first display of the Avatar State, Katara mused that they might find a waterbending teacher at the North Pole, at which, Aang quickly brightened up and suggested he and Katara could learn together. The three began their journey to the North Pole.[14] Throughout their journey, the group stopped in several locations across the war-torn Earth Kingdom. Their first stop was the Southern Air Temple in the Patola Mountain Range, where Aang had grown up. After Aang came across Monk Gyatso's corpse and reflexively entered the Avatar State, Katara was able to calm him down.[24] The trio stopped on Kyoshi Island, where they were ambushed by Prince Zuko and barely managed to escape.[25] Following this encounter, the team flew to the great Earth Kingdom metropolis of Omashu, where they were brought before the city's elderly king who treated them as honored guests before promptly imprisoning them. Katara and her brother were given jennamite crystals that nearly covered their whole bodies, before Aang solved all the king's tasks, discovering that he was a childhood friend, Bumi.[3] Before reaching the Northern Water Tribe, the trio had several other adventures while being pursued by multiple firebenders, including Zuko and his uncle Iroh, as well as Zhao of the Fire Navy. Among their missions, the group helped several earthbenders to escape from a Fire Nation prison rig, including Haru and his father Tyro.[26] They helped the people of Senlin Village, who were being attacked by the spirit Hei Bai, before venturing to the Fire Nation where Aang learned about the urgency of defeating the Fire Lord by Avatar Roku.[27][28] The trio barely escaped the clutches of Zuko and a group of pirates during a confrontation where Katara lost her mother's necklace, a precious keepsake.[29] She also discovered the darker side of the resistance, when they came into contact with Jet and his Freedom Fighters who tried to destroy the village of Gaipan to kill its firebender occupants.[30] The team also helped two warring tribes, the Zhang and the Gan Jin, cross the Great Divide and to make peace, and later encountered Bato, one of Hakoda's friends and a Southern Water Tribe warrior, where they almost departed from Aang before being reunited due to an unexpected shirshu attack.[31][32] The team met Jeong Jeong later on their journey, who unsuccessfully tried to teach Aang the weight of firebending.[33] During Aang's training, Katara was burned and discovered that she had healing abilities.[33] When the group reached the Northern Air Temple, they defended a group of refugees led by a mechanist from War Minister Qin.[33][34]
After their long journey, the team reached the Northern Water Tribe, where Sokka and Katara were celebrated as kin from the Southern Tribe, and Aang was honored as a special guest. It was decided that Aang would be taught waterbending by Master Pakku, but Katara was prohibited from learning combative bending on account of her gender. After it was discovered that Aang was secretly teaching Pakku's techniques to Katara at night, the master dismissed Aang as a student. At the palace, Katara pleaded with Chief Arnook for Pakku to take Aang back as his student. The master agreed to do so if Katara apologized, and while she conceded at first, she renounced her apology and challenged the master to a duel after being patronized. Although Katara was defeated, the master picked up her necklace, revealing that he had made it for Kanna sixty years prior, and decided to accept Katara as a student.[35] When the Fire Nation's ships arrived at the Northern Water Tribe, Yue took Katara and Aang to a hidden oasis, where Aang crossed over to the Spirit World. After Zuko unexpectedly arrived, Katara dueled him and was able to restrain him by freezing him in ice, but the prince overpowered her when the sun rose and kidnapped the Avatar.[36] Katara and her allies searched for and found Aang in the frozen landscape outside Agna Qel'a, and on their return, confronted Zhao, before the admiral killed the Moon Spirit, Tui. Failing to revive the dead koi with healing, Princess Yue realized that it was her destiny to give her life to repay the Moon Spirit, and transcended to the Spirit World. Aang won the battle after merging with the Ocean Spirit La and repelled the Fire Navy from the tribe. With the group now ready to move on and find an earthbending teacher for Aang, Pakku assigned Katara as Aang's new waterbending master.[15]
Spring 100 AG
Main article: History of Katara (Spring 100 AG)
Katara and the others sailed back to the southern Earth Kingdom so Aang could learn from King Bumi. While they stayed at an Earth Kingdom stronghold to be escorted ot the city, General Fong placed Katara's life in danger to induce Aang's Avatar State; but achieved only the destruction of his own fort.[37] During their journey to Omashu, Team Avatar met with Chong, Lily, and Moku, and with their help passed through a labyrinth and reached the city, only to find that it had fallen to the Fire Nation.[38] In the city, it was revealed that King Bumi had intentionally been captured, and Katara and the rest of the team barely managed to escape Princess Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee.[39] The team was later stuck together in the Foggy Swamp, experiencing hallucinations; Katara's own vision was one of her late mother.[40] Following their escape, the team visited Chin Village, where Aang was placed under for one of Avatar Kyoshi's crimes, and it fell upon the siblings to prove Aang's innocence. Although unsuccessful, they were pardoned after saving the village from the Rough Rhinos.[41] After the earthbender Toph Beifong joined the group to teach Aang, Katara initially quarreled with the new member of the group, but after being pursued by Azula, they began to trust each other more and became close friends.[42][43] Soon after Toph started teaching Aang earthbending, they were attacked by Fire Army troops and Katara was separated from the rest of the team. She ended up in a small Earth Kingdom town where she encountered and befriended the pirate leader Jiang and her crew after helping them with a smuggling mission. She was reunited with the rest of Team Avatar the same day and parted ways with the pirates.[12] Along with the others and Professor Zei of Ba Sing Se University, Katara visited Wan Shi Tong's library, where they learned that an eclipse would leave the Fire Nation vulnerable to invasion.[44] Katara proved vital in Team Avatar's escape from the Si Wong Desert after Appa's kidnapping by Si Wong tribesmen, and helped a family of refugees cross the Serpent's Pass.[45][46]
After reaching the Earth Kingdom's capital, Katara first helped to thwart another of Qin's plans, by helping destroy the Fire Nation Drill, before being welcomed into the city.[4][47] Though they wished to inform the Earth King about the invasion plans, they were turned away, and found that a government conspiracy was taking place in the city.[4] After the team recuperated while waiting to meet with the king, they resumed their search for Appa and eventually found him in the captivity of the Dai Li, a secret police force under the leadership of Long Feng, who had complete control over the city and controlled Earth King Kuei as a puppet.[2][48] Team Avatar managed to subdue the Dai Li and began to plan an invasion of the Fire Nation in cooperation with the Council of Five, but a coup led by Azula hindered their plans.[49][50] In the Crystal Catacombs below the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace, Katara encountered both Prince Zuko and his sister Azula, battling them both even after a brief moment of understanding between Katara and Zuko. A battle ensued where Aang was mortally wounded by Azula's lightning, before he and Katara managed to escape. With the city fallen to the Fire Nation, Team Avatar fled Ba Sing Se with the Earth King.[51]
Summer 100 AG
Main article: History of Katara (Summer 100 AG)
After the fall of Ba Sing Se, Katara spent her time trying to heal an unconscious Aang while aboard a stolen Fire Nation ship with the rest of Team Avatar and several other allies, including her own father.[18] Eventually, Katara and the rest of her small team traveled through the Fire Nation disguised as civilians.[52] Among several adventures, Katara helped clean the Jang Hui River from pollution after disguising herself as the Painted Lady, and bettered her relationship with Toph, when she saved both of them from Combustion Man in Fire Fountain City.[1][53] In one village, Katara met a Southern waterbender named Hama and began to learn the Southern style of bending from her, but turned on the woman after she revealed that she was a bloodbender. Katara was forced to use the art against Hama in order to save Aang and Sokka from harm.[54] When the day of the invasion arrived, Katara and the rest of the team met with the rest of the invasion force and started to stealthily advance toward the capital via waterbending-powered submarines designed by the Northern Air Temple's mechanist. During the eclipse, the invasion advanced steadily toward Caldera City, while Aang reached the Fire Nation Royal Palace.[55] It was quickly revealed that the invasion had been anticipated and the Fire Nation's counterattack with airships destroyed much of the invasion force, with only Team Avatar and a few younger allies managing to escape.[56]
Katara imprisoning Azula in ice.
After the failed invasion, Katara and her friends retreated to the Western Air Temple, where they started searching for a new firebending master to teach Aang, and unexpectedly found one in Zuko, who introduced himself as an ally. The relationship between Zuko and Katara was at first intense and troublesome, with Katara determined to never forgive Zuko for his betrayal in Ba Sing Se.[57] Eventually, Katara forgave Zuko for his actions after he helped to find Yon Rha, the man who killed her mother. Although she did confront the man, she hesitated from ending his life, but was able to move past her grief, and her grudge against Zuko.[17] Right before the final battle between Team Avatar and the Fire Nation, Katara and the rest of the team retreated to Ember Island. The team watched a play performed by the Ember Island Players, with Katara growing embarrassed and annoyed while viewing an exaggerated caricature of herself.[58] Although the team had wished to only battle Ozai after Sozin's Comet, they were made to act against the Fire Lord as soon as possible after Zuko revealed the plan to annihilate the Earth Kingdom.[59] After Aang's unexpected disappearance, the team traveled to the Earth Kingdom before going separate ways, with Katara and Zuko heading to the Fire Nation to confront Azula.[60] After the pair interrupted Azula's coronation as Fire Lord, a fierce Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai was fought between the two siblings, and Katara was saved from an unexpected lightning blast by Zuko, who redirected the attack.[61] Katara eventually managed to goad Azula into walking directly over a grate of water. While freezing her opponent in ice, Katara was able to chain the princess to the grate before rushing to Zuko and healing him.[16][61] She was present at Zuko's coronation after the team's successful victory in the century-long war. Later, Katara traveled to the Jasmine Dragon with Team Avatar, celebrating their hard-won victory. She followed Aang outside the tea shop and embraced him. The pair subsequently looked at each other lovingly before she instigated a romantic kiss, beginning the couple's formal relationship.[16]
(From https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Katara#History)
