Katara's key motivation.

This is maybe my favourite Mako line ever... he finally put it into words like that, and there's so many layers here.

Because even in this same comic, Mako is still being such a good protector to those in need, and it feels so natural for him. When lost children needed protection, Mako stepped in as someone to rely on with such maturity and gentleness. Those moments come from him having connected and accepted his own past as a vulnerable child. He has re-integrated his own emotional needs in those moments, so it's not about fully denying that he is a protector and good at it.

It's that Mako was forced to take on that role from too early an age, to the point of self-compromising completely, leading to a compulsive tendency to overprotect, which has come up in his relationships with peers a lot (namely Bolin, Korra and Asami). Mako doesn't have to stop giving protection, but he needs to connect with his own emotions as well.