This screenshot motivational poster mainly focuses on Aang x Katara or Kataang, but it is also highly Zutara and highly Taang. Sit back, relax, and keep an open mind as to why I prefer Zutara and Taang a whole lot more than Kataang.
I would like to begin with a disclaimer. I am not a Kataang hater. I do not believe Kataang is a terrible couple whatsoever. In fact, I highly respect the mark of what Kataang is defined by in terms of having both Katara and Aang be there for each other on a consistent basis. Throughout my time viewing the show, I did treasure how there were moments Aang and Katara could relate to each other and even empathize with each other in way that could help them. One should not also forget that Katara was Aang’s waterbending instructor and fellow student in Season 1. Moreover, there was even a time I did learn to acknowledge how well-meaning and healthy Kataang seemed to be, and I did enjoy pairing them up.
However, now that I am looking at this particular “couple” with more critical eyes, there are certain issues I have with Katara and Aang ending up in a romantic relationship. This even got to a point where I was first considering loving Aang x Katara and Zuko x Suki let alone Zuko x Mai, but I stuck to my guns, and realized that I have always been a full-fledged Zutara and Taang shipper from the start.
Thanks to watching a great deal of Joshua Fagan’s analytical videos centering on the possibilities of Zutara and many other characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender as well as reading one of my favorite fanfics, which was a fan retelling of the events happening during and after “Crossroads of Destiny” called “Didn’t Know My Heart” by babyfairy, I started to realize the many cracks that were on show in this seemingly perfect relationship involve Aang and Katara as a romantic couple.
One of my very great friends and sisters from another mother, RivaAnime, coins Kataang as the classic case of puppy love. Much like how that statement applied to one of her InuKik motivational posters, this whole notion of puppy love applies really well to Kataang. Quantity-wise, the show has followed them together in terms of how they grew not only as benders but also as people. The support between Katara and Aang could not and should not be denied. However, there were several moments where Katara ended up helping Aang whenever he had his initial failures in earthbending, when Appa was kidnapped by sand benders and he got himself into the Avatar state, and when Aang needed to hide for four days from Ozai in “Nightmares and Daydreams”. Even though Aang had moments were he empathized with Katara, he unfortunately did not fully comprehend the depth of Katara facing the darker sides of herself when she was about to come face to face with her mother’s murderer in the form of Yon Rha. It is true that Aang was still a child of 12 years old and Katara was an adolescent girl of 14 years old, but there have been moments where Aang was kind of out of his depth when it came to fully understanding who Katara was, what made her tick on a psychological level, and what made her the person that she is today and not just the mother figure of Team Avatar. Ergo, there were concepts that Aang was still quite young to understand because of how his pacifist views would have been challenged by Katara and many of the other characters in the show.
This question of what true love can be and the maturity of being in a relationship also comes into scrutiny when it comes to how Aang viewed all of this. Yes, Aang was still a young lad of twelve years old, even though he was technically one-hundred twelve years old, and his crush on Katara did come from a legitimate place. She was the first person he recognized when he was liberated from his 100-year dormancy in the iceberg by courtesy of not only Katara but also Sokka. She was his waterbending instructor. She was the person who showered Aang with hugs and kisses on the cheek for the wonderful things he has done. However, Katara, at least in the first few seasons, always saw Aang as a well-meaning kid and not her ideal lover.
This is where the finale of Season 2 could have sown the seeds of Zuko and Katara gradually having a much deeper connection based on true understanding and compassion and the whole of Season 3 and possibly the other ideal seasons could have and should have dealt with when it comes to relationships.
“Crossroads of Destiny” may have been an exciting Season 2 finale, but it was a big letdown for Zuko because this would have been the moment where he was supposed to wizen up and realize that this whole promise of regained honor was nothing more than an empty promise and that Iroh was the one family member who was always there for him and not Azula and Ozai. This could have seen Zuko adamantly rejecting Azula’s lies and manipulation, taking the lightning bullet originally intended for Aang, have Katara realize that he was not so bad after all, thus having him healed, and became Aang’s new best friend and firebending teacher for the duration of Season 3. This would have also changed the course of the show not only for Zuko easily being accepted into Team Avatar as the Team Dad to aid Katara’s Team Mom, but also for how Aang’s and Katara’s relationship would have been handled
What happened in “Nightmares and Daydreams”, “The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion”, and “The Ember Island Players” displayed that Katara had this uncertainty of why Aang would be so willing to kiss her passionately and was even shocked at the latter episode for him doing that to her. The writers could have demonstrated that Katara was not the ideal dream girl Aang was looking for in his life, thus showing audiences young and old how a first crush or even an infatuation does not always hold weight as time goes on and that effects of young love can sting no matter how old or young one is. Aang’s views on being in a relationship would have been challenged a lot more and he would realize that Katara did love Zuko because he has gotten to know her warts and all. All Aang saw in Katara was the warm, motherly guardian angel who could do no wrong without fully understanding her strife and struggles, thus making him realize that he needs to let go of his preconceived notions of wanting to be in a relationship with someone. But, no. While really loved all of “Sozin’s Comet”, I felt that the final shot of Aang and Katara finally sharing an intimate kiss may have seemed awesome at first, but, nowadays, has become head-scratching because of the whole designated main hero gets designated main heroine trope which tends to get old really quickly and that Katara was just given to Aang on a silver platter without having to earn her trust, love or her entire being in stark contrast to Zuko who had to seek for Katara’s approval and earn her trust after being such a fool to her in the final moments of the second season and when they had to work together to seek closure of who killed Katara’s mother.
In terms of the final episode, Aang had a one-on-one battle against Ozai, Sokka, Suki, and Toph had to combat against the Fire Nation troops, and Zuko and Katara did battle against Azula, which meant that Aang could have done the reasonable thing in thanking Zuko and Katara for being his instructors, thus making both of them begin a newfound relationship and eventually have Katara rule by Zuko’s side as the Fire Lady in order to unify The Fire Nation and The Water Tribe in harmony and fully accepting the concepts of letting go, forgiving, and starting anew.
Then came “Avatar: The Legend of Korra”. What Katara ended up being reduced to was nothing more than a housewife, while Aang was off saving the world as The Avatar before Korra was born. It also did not help matters that while Aang, Zuko, Sokka, and Toph ended up getting statues in their memory, Katara received none at all. This was a huge letdown especially for Katara because she was really well-known for her strength, courage, determination, compassion, independence, and understanding nature. It seemed like she was there to be Aang’s one and only, when in fact, Katara proved herself to be a lot more than that.
It felt like Katara may have been there to help Aang throughout his circumstances, but he did not end up considering Katara’s true feelings, flaws or dark, deep side that she had to conquer. That is not to say that Aang was terrible because he was far from that, but the romantic development occurring between Katara and Aang was flimsily handled without even acknowledging how strenuously difficult it would be to be in a relationship and the repercussions that come along the way. Ultimately, Kataang may be well-meaning, but it is pure fluff. There was not a lot of genuine growth happening in their relationship because the majority of the time spent between Katara and Aang was more of two best friends who had a sibling-like and mentor-and-student dynamic.
This is also where I also criticize Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino for bearing a one-track mind for having Kataang be the be all end all couple as opposed to the more complex couple in the form of Zutara. Zuko and Katara did have their moment in the crystal cave and could have had their interpersonal development further realized from there. However, when it came to Aang trying to make the moves on Katara, they should have made him understand that his first love was not going to equal his be all end all person, thus learning the stings of young love, the stings of having a breakup, and moving on.
In conclusion, Kataang may seem like relationship goals on the outside, but it is stuck in the realms of puppy love. With moments of flimsiness displayed in this couple as well as what happened to Katara after “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, I can no longer see this as a legitimate relationship goals.
I know this was quite controversial, given how some of my good friends are Kataang shippers, but it needed to be said and I hope you can take what I said with a grain of salt.
I hope you all enjoyed this and I will see you in the next submission. Take care and stay safe, everybody.
Katara and Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender belong to Bryan Konietzko, Michael DiMartino, and Nickelodeon.
