Katara

Infobox Avatar: The Last Airbender character


name = Katara
nationality = Water Tribe (Southern Tribe)
aliases= The Painted Lady, Saphire Fire
gender = Female
hair = Brown
eyes = Blue
age = 14
position = Main Character
appearance = “The Boy in the Iceberg”
voice = Mae Whitman

Katara is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series "". The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Mae Whitman.

In the show, fourteen-year-old Katara is a Waterbending master from the South Pole's Southern Water Tribe, a race of people who can control and manipulate water.cite journal|last=Pittarese|first=Frank|title=Nation Exploration|journal=Nickelodeon Magazine|pages=2|year=2006|issue=Winter 2006] She is the last remaining Waterbender of her entire Tribe because of continuous raids on her village by the Fire Nation. She, along with her older brother, Sokka, discover an Airbender named Aang, the long-lost Avatar, and accompanies him on his quest to defeat the imperialistic Fire Nation and bring peace to the war-torn nations.cite episode | title = The Avatar Returns | episodelink = The Avatar Returns | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-02-21 | season = 1 (Book 1) | number = 2]

Creation and conception

According to the included on the Avatar Complete Book 1 Collection DVD set, Katara’s name was originally Kya, but was changed. The name Kya would be later used for her and Sokka's mother. cite video|people=Written and Directed by: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko; Voices: Mitchel Musso as Aang and Mae Whitman as Kya|date2=2006-09-19|title=Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book One Box Set|medium=DVD|publisher=Nickelodeon] In “Tales of Ba Sing Se”, Katara’s name was written as 卡 塔 拉. Kǎ (卡) means to check, block, or card; Tǎ (塔) means pagoda; and Lā (拉) means to pull.Fact|date=August 2008 The character Lā is the same La as the Ocean Spirit’s name from the season one's finale, while the character for Kǎ also appears in Sokka's name.Fact|date=September 2008

In the commentary of the unaired pilot episode, co creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino state that Katara's “hair loopies” used to hang down but was changed because the animators said it would be too hard to animate and suggested that they’d be looped back rather than beaded locks.

Katara also is the owner of her grandmother's betrothal necklace. Her grandmother handed it down to Katara’s mother, who handed it down to Katara. The necklace is a navy blue choker, with the water tribe insignia carved on the only hanging ornament, a sky blue stone.

Plot Overview

Katara grew up as the mature, motherly figure of her family and tribe. When Katara was eight years old, her mother gave her life for her daughter's during a Fire Nation raid in order to protect her identity as the only Waterbender in the tribe. Katara managed to locate her mother's killer, but was unable to kill him due to an internal ethical conflict. [cite episode|title=The Ember Island Players|airdate=2008-07-18|season=3|number=57|credits=Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writers: Tim Hedrick, Josh Hamilton, John O'Bryan|series=|network=Nickelodeon]

Though her interests lie in developing her waterbending skills, she resigns herself to cooking and cleaning duties while her brother, Sokka, trained to become a warrior. At twelve, Katara’s father, , and the other tribesmen journey to the Earth Kingdom to participate in the war effort against the Fire Nation. This leaves her, alongside her brother and grandmother, ("Gran Gran"), to look after the tribe.cite episode|title=The Boy in the Iceberg (Introduction)|airdate=2005-02-21|season=1|number=1|credits=Director: Dave Filoni; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon|minutes=0-1]

The events of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" begin two years following this, during a spearfishing expedition, when Katara and Sokka find Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. Katara frees him and comes to discover that Aang is the Avatar. With a common goal of mastering waterbending, Katara, along with her brother, joins Aang in the journey to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master to teach them.cite episode|title=The Boy in the Iceberg|airdate=2005-02-21|season=1|number=1|credits=Director: Dave Filoni; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] Upon arrival, Master Pakku refuses her apprenticeship, because she is female.cite episode|title=The Waterbending Master|airdate=2005-11-18|season=1|number=18|credits=Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] However, after noticing an engagement gift he gave to Katara's grandmother half a century ago, he agrees to teach her. Katara advances so quickly in her art during their stay in the Northern Water Tribe that Pakku formally deems her capable enough to be Aang's waterbending teacher. cite episode|title=The Siege of the North Part II|airdate=2005-12-02|season=1|number=20|credits=Director: Dave Filoni; Writer: Aaron Ehasz|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon]

The second season opens with Katara leaving the North Pole, and receiving water from the Spirit Oasis.cite episode|title=The Avatar State|airdate=2006-03-17|season=2|number=1|credits=Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writers: Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, John O'Bryan|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] Katara then journeys with Aang to the Earth Kingdom for him to learn earthbending. While at an Earth Kingdom stronghold, General Fong places Katara’s life in danger in an attempt to get Aang to enter the Avatar State. After Toph joins the group to teach Aang, Katara and Toph often end up in fights and disagreements. While in Ba Sing Se, Aang is mortally wounded, but Katara is able to save his life using the water from the Spirit Oasis. After Aang is hurt she confronts Azula in a fierce battle and actually manages to push Azula back, until Zuko intervenes. She then attempts to take both Azula and Zuko on by herself. They evntually overwhelm her.cite episode|title=The Crossroads of Destiny|airdate=2006-12-01|season=2|number=20|credits=Director: Michael Dante DiMartino; Writer: Aaron Ehasz|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon]

While on the ship that the group obtains to get to the Fire Nation in the third season, they are attacked by another Fire Nation ship that discovered their false identity, Katara aids in their escape.cite episode|title=The Awakening|airdate=2007-09-21|season=3|number=1|credits=Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Aaron Ehasz|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] While in a village burdened by the Fire Nation's pollution; Katara surreptitiously disguises herself as the river spirit, The Painted Lady, in order to help the village.cite episode|title=The Painted Lady|airdate=2007-10-05|season=3|number=3|credits=Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writer: Joshua Hamilton|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] While staying with an old woman the group meets in the woods, they find one of the last Southern Waterbenders before Katara, Hama. Hama was kidnapped and thrown in a Fire Nation prison, and discovered a new kind of waterbending while imprisoned. She tries to teach Katara the techniques of the Southern Water Tribe and "blood"bending. When Katara refuses to learn this technique, Hama bloodbends Aang and Sokka, forcing Katara to use that power herself to save her friends.cite episode|title=The Puppetmaster|airdate=2007-10-25|season=3|number=8|credits=Director: Joaquim dos Santos; Writer: Tim Hedrick|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] Katara isn't seen doing very much in the next 3 episodes other than helping heal Toph's feet which were burned. In "The Western Air Temple", when Zuko offers to join, it is Katara who makes the first move to attack him and send him off. At the end of the episode Katara makes a threat to Zuko that if she so much as thinks he's going to hurt Aang, she will end Zuko's life. Zuko does not gain Katara's trust until "The Southern Raiders", in which Zuko helps Katara find the man who killed her and Sokka's mother, Kya. She sets out with the intent to kill him, but ultimately finds she can't do it.

During the Sozin's Comet two-hour premiere, Katara goes with Zuko to stop Azula from becoming Fire Lord. When Azula and Zuko clash, Azula attempts to blast Katara with lightning. Zuko, however, jumps in the way, and is badly wounded, forcing Katara to chain Azula to a sewage cage. She heals Zuko and they wait for the outcome of Aang's battle with Fire Lord Ozai. When the war ends, she is seen in Ba Sing Se, living a peaceful life.cite episode|title=Sozin's Comet|airdate=2008-07-19|season=3|number=58-61|credits=Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writers: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko|series=|network=Nickelodeon]

Waterbending

Katara's abilities have greatly improved since the very first episode. At the outset, she, at best, waterbent by luck. She had little control over her waterbending and often needed someone else to help her defeat an opponent, though her temper, which would increase her waterbending tenfold, would often get in the way by causing unnecessary destruction. However as time went on, thanks to practicing diligently and studying a waterbending scroll and then studying under Master Pakku, her waterbending rapidly improved, to the point that she was considered a Waterbending Master, surprising Master Pakku as being one of his best students by far.

Katara can use water to cut through objects, can summon lashing waves and whips of varying sizes, cover herself with a sheath of water and manipulate it at will, surf on a surfboard made out of ice, melt and control existing ice, forming it into various shapes, and can freeze water and objects surrounded by water with little effort, create giant walls of mist and steam, transform steam into ice instantly, evaporate large amounts of water. Katara once used the water from her own sweat to break herself out of a wooden jail-cell.cite episode|title=The Runaway|url=|airdate=2007-10-25|season=3|number=7|transcripturl=|credits=Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Joshua Hamilton|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] She has learned from Hama to use and take the water from the moisture in the air, in plants and underground within the Earth. She also has learned from Hama to manipulate people and animals using the water within their bodies through a rare and sinister form of waterbending that can only be used during a full moon called "Bloodbending." She has used bloodbending against Hama to stop her from harming Aang and Sokka, albeit reluctantly, and again on an individual who she had thought had killed her mother, this time without remorse.

Katara has proven herself a very powerful Waterbender, most notably during her duel with the Waterbender, Hama, in single combat, bloodbend effectively first time around and hold her own against Sokka, an upcoming swordsman, and Aang, the Avatar, when Hama was manipulating their bodies against their will. She also has shown to be nearly as skilled as Aang even though he can bend more elements. She was able to hold her own against Zuko, and even turn the tides on Zuko's sister Azula. In the midst of their battle, Master Pakku was so impressed that he, grudgingly, had to admit that she is a powerful waterbender in her own right and later deemed her a master Waterbender under his study.

Katara is one of the few waterbenders born with the Waterbending sub-talent to heal using water as a catalyst, manifesting itself when she was burned by a reckless Aang.cite episode|title=The Deserter|url=|airdate=2005-10-21|season=1|number=16|transcripturl=|credits=Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Tim Hedrick|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] Her ability to heal has only proven to get better under the tutelage of the Northern Water Tribe's Head Healer, Yugoda. She has used it to relieve sickness, temporarily undo brainwashing,cite episode|title=Lake Laogai|url=|airdate=2006-11-03|season=2|number=17|transcripturl=|credits=Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Tim Hedrick|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] heal seemingly mortal wounds such as burns and bleeding injuries, and even the almost dead with the help of the magical water from the Spirit Oasis.cite episode|title=The Crossroads of Destiny|url=|airdate=2006-12-01|season=2|number=20|transcripturl=|credits=Director: Michael Dante DiMartino; Writer: Aaron Ehasz|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon] Her healing powers do have limits though as she can't cure all sicknesses, can't completely undo brain damage, and can do little for internal injuries and disfigurement like birth defects.

Katara's weakness has always been her fear of certain individuals such as Prince Zuko and Ty Lee, depending heavily on the use of her arms to waterbend and her traditional avoidance of close combat, specifically hand-to-hand, but there have been exceptions.cite episode|title=The Chase|url=|airdate=2006-05-26|season=2|number=8|transcripturl=|credits=Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writer: Joshua Hamilton|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon]

Characteristics

Being another protagonist of the show, Katara also receives a lot of attention from reviewers. She is described as "Smart, capable; almost a generic anime heroine". [cite web|url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/anime/sfw12366.html|title=Avatar: The Last Airbender|accessdate=2008-02-15|last=Robinson|first=Tasha|date=2006-03-07|format=HTML|publisher=Sci-Fi Weekly|pages=2|language=English|quote=Smart, capable Katara is almost a generic anime heroine…] In addition to these features, she also is "kind, brave, and passionate."cite journal|last=Pittarese|first=Frank|title=Nation Exploration|journal=Nickelodeon Magazine|pages=3|year=2006|issue=Winter 2006|quote=The 14-year-old is kind, brave, and passionate.]

Katara is also very nurturing, acting as den mother for the group. She usually cooks their meals and washes their clothes and personally takes responsibility for her brother, Sokka, and later Toph, and especially Aang. Her maternal instincts, while with good intentions, can make her sometimes bossy.

In addition to that she is very stubborn, often butting heads with the abrasive, independent and often hygenically challenged Toph. She is flawed in that she feels that she has to help everybody, leading to Katara getting hurt, usually by other boys, such as Jet.

Appearances in other media

Katara's character has appeared in both THQ's video game for the show, which are cite web|url=http://www.nick.com/games/nick_video_games/avatar/lastAirBender/|title=Avatar: The Last Airbender Video Game|accessdate=2008-03-22|work=Nick.com|publisher=Nickelodeon] and "".cite web|url=http://www.avatartheburningearth.com/|title=Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth|accessdate=2008-03-13|format=Flash|publisher=Nickelodeon|language=English] [cite web|url=http://wii.ign.com/objects/905/905219.html|title=IGN.com: Avatar: The Burning Earth|accessdate=2008-03-13|format=HTML|publisher=IGN|language=English] Like Aang, Katara also appears on some Avatar T-shirts sold by Nick,cite web|url=http://shop.nickjr.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2060004|title=The Nickelodeon Shop — Avatar |accessdate=2008-02-11|format=HTML|publisher=Nickelodeon|language=English] as well as in Tokyopop's films comic (sometimes referred to as cine-manga).cite book
title= Avatar: The Last Airbender Cine-Manga Volume 1|url=http://www.tokyopop.com/product/1423|format=HTML|accessdate=2008-03-14|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender Cine-Manga|publisher=Tokyopop|language=English|isbn=1595328912]

References