Sokka

Infobox Avatar: The Last Airbender character


name = Sokka
nationality = Southern Water Tribe
gender = Male
hair = Brown
age = 15
aliases = Wang Fire
position = Supporting Character
appearance = "The Boy in the Iceberg"
voice = Jack DeSena

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

In the show, fifteen-year-old Sokka is a warrior of 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] Although not born with the gift of , he continually strives to become a worthy warrior and leader. He, along with his younger sister Katara, 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]

Concept and creation

It is provided in the "Avatar Nick Mag Presents": First Edition issue by co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko that Sokka was originally designed to be "much" more low-key, but when his comedian voice actor Jack DeSena came in and brought liveliness to his character, they began writing towards that strength. [ [http://www.musogato.com/avatar/magazine/avatarmag1_scan09.jpg"In Their Elements." (September 2006) "Nick Mag Presents", p. 7] ] Much of Sokka's dialog and actions are derived from improvisations and intentional exaggerations on DeSena's part that the writers chose to include within scripts. Furthermore, DeSena has stated that he is inspired by fellow comedian Jim Carrey, which would explain a majority of Sokka's mannerisms expressed throughout the show.

As a result of his design, Sokka's character has come to serve as a source of comic relief throughout the series, often a victim of visual slapstick. Among various running gags involving Sokka are his affinity for being covered in viscous substances, such as raw sewage, slurry, and Appa's phlegm or saliva, and forgetting that Toph is blind. Sokka also has a tendency to produce or at times laugh at jokes that nobody else gets, a trait he shares with his father.cite episode | title = The Guru | episodelink = The Guru (Avatar: The Last Airbender) | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-12-01 | season = 2 (Book 2) | number = 19]

History

Sokka grew up in his village as an aspiring warrior-in-training of the Southern Water Tribe. Forced to mature quickly when his mother Kya was killed in a Fire Nation raid, he cultivated his warrior skills with a militant zeal, while his sister Katara did chores and practiced waterbending.cite episode | title = The Boy In The Iceberg | episodelink = The Boy in the Iceberg | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2005-02-21 | season = 1 (Book 1) | number = 1] When he was thirteen, his father and the other village men left to fight alongside the Earth Kingdom in the war against the Fire Nation, leaving him and his sister to look after their tribe with their grandmother, .cite episode | title = Bato of the Water Tribe | episodelink = Bato of the Water Tribe | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-10-07 | season = 1 (Book 1) | number = 15] As the oldest male left in the South Pole, Sokka came to assume a semi-leadership role by the time he was fifteen, fiercely protecting the village from any possible outside threats while trying to train children to be a new generation of defenders.

While on a spearfishing expedition, Katara and Sokka discovered Aang in suspended animation inside an iceberg. After Katara freed him, Sokka initially believed that the Airbender might be a Fire Navy spy, and he eventually grew xenophobic enough to banish him from the village. Upon discovering that Aang was the Avatar, destined to master all four elements and bring peace to the world, Sokka relented, realizing that they had a common enemy -- the Fire Nation. He then set off with Katara and Aang on their journey to find a waterbending instructor at the North Pole, determined to hone his warrior skills by way of fighting a few Firebenders along the way.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]

In "Sokka's Master," Sokka expresses self-doubt and worry that he is not contributing as much to the group as his bender companions are. Inspired by his friends' encouragement, he seeks out a master from whom he could learn the art of the sword. Rather than fighting with brute force and flawless technique, Sokka's creativity and thinking-outside-the-box approach to things are the cornerstones of his technique, and his master notes that in time Sokka will be a superior swordsman. As he departs, Piandao has his butler Fat give Sokka a White Lotus tile, a piece used in Pai Sho, simply saying that it's something to remember him by.

In the two-hour series finale, Sokka and Katara meet with Katara's Waterbending master, Pakku, whom has revealed he has reconciled with their grandmother and are now married, though he spites Sokka's grandparent nicknames, Gramp Gramp and Grandpa-ku.In the battle against Ozai, Sokka with Suki and Toph hijack a fire nation airship and use it to run into many of the other airships (similar to dominoes) while Aang duels with the Phoenix King (Firelord Ozai). Sokka and Toph are separated from Suki and attack another airship, but Sokka breaks his leg and strains his arm grabbing hold of Toph, who was falling off the ship. In a compromised position, the pair are attacked by two soldiers, but Sokka defeats them at the cost of his black "space sword" and boomerang using his remaining good arm and leg. As he and Toph are on the edge of the crashing ship, Suki arrives with another airship and saves the two. With the battle over, the trio reunite with Aang and the weakened Phoenix King, cleverly poking fun at his defeat. At Zuko's coronation back at the Fire Nation, Suki is reunited with the Kyoshi Warriors, Sokka and Katara are reunited with their father, with the rest of the group reunited with their friends. In the end, Sokka is seen at Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se where everyone teases a painted picture he created of the entire team--where he altered some factual details to make the scene more "memorable" (i.e, Suki seems to be firebending, Mai looks like a man, Toph has an x for an eye and Iroh still looks fat, much to his dismay).

Personality

Skeptical, abrasive, and sharp-witted, Sokka is detached from Aang, Katara, and Toph's pursuit of the . Not gifted with bending abilities himself, Sokka instead prefers the ways of the warrior and the scientist, and he takes his responsibility as protector very seriously.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] He is also very intelligent and good at coming up with ideas and plans on the spot--even if said ideas are not always very good.

Patriotic and long to hold a grudge, he strongly wants to exact vengeance for the Fire Nation's decimation of the Water Tribe and the death of his mother. He holds little interest in the mysticism surrounding bending and prefers to solve problems using his strength and his wits.cite episode | title = The Fortuneteller | episodelink = The Fortuneteller | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2005-09-25 | season = 1 (Book 1) | number = 14] cite episode | title = The Swamp | episodelink = The Swamp (Avatar: The Last Airbender) | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-04-14 | season = 2 (Book 2) | number = 4] He tends to be rash, however, and his pride often leads to embarrassment. Despite his obvious cleverness, Sokka sometimes acts very silly if not outright foolishly. His sarcastic and absurd behavior can sometimes carry over into important decisions.

A passionate carnivore, Sokka has demonstrated his love of meat on multiple occasions and is the main hunter in the group.cite episode | title = The Southern Air Temple | episodelink = The Southern Air Temple | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2005-02-25 | season = 1 (Book 1) | number = 3] cite episode | title = Bitter Work | episodelink = Bitter Work | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-06-02 | season = 2 (Book 2) | number = the 9] Sokka also has an affinity for sarcasm. In the episode "Bitter Work," Sokka shouts vowing to give up both meat and sarcasm for assistance, agreeing to consider himself no longer "Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy"," but willing to be "Sokka the veggies and straight-talk fellow"." By the end of the episode, however, he has given up neither meat nor sarcasm (but has been seen eating more veggies than meat in later episodes).

Under the guidance of swordsmaster Piandao, Sokka displays various unorthodox procedures when undergoing his training. In one exercise, when told to stamp his identity onto a sheet of paper, rather than simply writing his name, Sokka smears ink all over his face and presses it onto the paper. As he presents Sokka with his blade, Piandao relates that though his skills were hardly impressive, he displayed much creativity, versatility, and intelligence. All were traits that go beyond mere skills and defined a great swordsman.cite episode|title=Sokka's Master|episodelink=Sokka's Master|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon|airdate=2007-10-12|season=3|number=4]

After the failure of the Invasion, Sokka proves to have a sense of honor. Feeling strongly disappointed since it was his idea and probably his fault for the invasion force being captured. Sokka was willing to restore his honor by risking his life in order to rescue his father from a highly secure Fire Nation prison.

Sokka writes with his right hand, but draws with his left hand.cite episode | title = The Library | episodelink = The Library (Avatar: The Last Airbender) | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-07-14 | season = 2 (Book 2) | number = 10] cite episode | title = Lake Laogai | episodelink = Lake Laogai | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-11-03 | season = 2 (Book 2) | number = 17] He is possibly ambidextrous, as he's often seen wielding his club, sword, and boomerang with both hands, although his left-handed art is crude and rudimentary, this could just be due to a limited artistic ability, shown throughout the program. (Yue thought his carving of a fish was a bear, Katara thought he had drawn Appa with two tails and ant feet on his lost skybison posters, Aang thought his sand sculpture of Suki was a "blubbering blob monster", and in his picture of the scene of the Jasmine Dragon at the end of Sozin's Comet, he drew a picture of the group, which was subsequently heavily criticized by all in the drawing.)

Innovations and abilities

For an inhabitant of a mystical world, Sokka shows a remarkable proclivity towards science and is something of a jack-of-all-trades. He seems naturally adept at creating weapons out of practically anything at any time. [Book 1, Chapter 16: The Northern Air Temple] He learned how to construct amateur explosives from his father, which he once used to simulate Firebending.cite episode | title = Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2) | episodelink = Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2) | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2005-04-15 | season = 1 (Book 1) | number = 8] In another instance, Sokka used trickery and optical illusions to help his sister Katara fake the ability to Earthbend. [Book 1, Chapter 6: Imprisoned] Working side by side with fellow technologist, , Sokka has managed to engineer a system of control for an experimental hot air balloon as well as conceptualize the design for waterbending-powered submarines. Sokka also demonstrated advanced math skills and a talent for geometry towards the end of the series. Alongside his trademark boomerang, Sokka is proficient in a variety of weapons, including clubs, a machete, spears, and the newest addition, an all-black jian (sword) molded from a meteoritecite episode|title=Sokka's Master|episodelink=Sokka's Master (Avatar: The Last Airbender)|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon|airdate=2007-10-12|season=3|number=4] that is capable of cutting through solid metal, that he fondly refers to as his "space sword". Sokka's ultimate achievement is destroying the entire Fire Nation Air Force along with Suki and Toph.

In addition to his engineering skill, Sokka has shown a remarkable talent for poetry. In The Tales of Ba Sing Se, he stumbles into a poetry reading and goes head-to-head with the instructor in a haiku contest, and holds his own. However, his hubris gets the best of him and he gets thrown out for accidentally adding an extra syllable to the end of a haiku.

As the only non-bender in Aang's group, Sokka is often overshadowed by the bending skills of his friends.cite episode | title = The Chase | episodelink = The Chase (Avatar: The Last Airbender)|The Chase | series = Avatar: The Last Airbender | network = Nickelodeon | airdate = 2006-05-26 | season = 2 (Book 2) | number = 8] However, it is usually Sokka who comes up with a plan for victory. His skill in Martial Arts noticeably improves as the series progresses, though earlier in the series it was usually his persistence rather than skill that often allowed him to fight against more extensively trained opponents, such as Zuko in "The Avatar Returns" and Ty Lee, in "."

Sokka has come to learn the art of swordsmanship in order to improve his contribution to the team. Under the tutelage of the Fire Nation swordmaster Piandao, Sokka undergoes various activities, including sparring matches with the butler Fat to hone his sword wielding skills as well as arts such as painting, calligraphy and rock gardening to sharpen to his mind. Eventually, when instructed to make his own sword, he uses fragments of a meteorite that fell the night before to collect the metal needed to forge his blade. Sokka's sword, like his master's, is patterned on a Chinese "jian", but unique in that due to the properties of the alien material used for its creation, the blade retains an unusual all-black appearance. The sword is also able to slice through the toughest materials, including regular metal (as seen when Sokka slices completely through a Fire Nation cannon during the Day of Black Sun). [http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/avatar2/ Official Nickelodeon Avatar: The Last Airbender website] ] Although Sokka proves unable to defeat his master in heated battle and must leave to continue his training on his own, Piandao states the belief that Sokka retains traits which one day could very well come to make him an even greater swordsman than himself.cite episode|title=Sokka's Master|episodelink=Sokka's Master (Avatar: The Last Airbender)|series=Avatar: The Last Airbender|serieslink=Avatar: The Last Airbender|network=Nickelodeon|airdate=2007-10-12|season=3|number=4] This is proven as the series progresses; during the invasion Sokka used his sword skills to defeat multiple Fire Nation soldiers and in The Boiling Rock Sokka and Zuko teamed up to fight Azula, a highly skilled firebender, to a stalemate with Zuko defending against her fire blasts and Sokka keeping her back with his sword. In the series finale, his fighting abilities culminate in a scene Sokka uses a combination of speed, agility, and deft motion to disable two Firebenders of the Royal Guard, while wounded and dangling from a falling Fire Nation airship.

Sokka was also given a white lotus Pai Sho piece by his master, an important symbol to the secret White Lotus Society. Members of the society are known for appreciating philosophy, being masters of bending and warrior disciplines, and for disregarding traditional rivalries and hatreds held between the nations.

Beginning in the third season, Sokka also on occasion assumes the persona of Wang Fire, a Fire Nation citizen in good standing. First done to pass as Aang's father (with Katara as his wife, Sapphire Fire), he subsequently dons an oversize beard for comic relief as in Nightmares and Daydreams, pulling scams in The Runaway and used it to enlist in the Fire Nation army in Avatar comics.

References