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IMO, OPLA (One Piece Live-Action) does this fairly well, it ain't perfect and it ain't for everybody, but it's solid in itsown right.

As for N:ATLA, I don't think it's good, even in its own right and it barely even maintains the themes of the original, right down to Aang and Zuko's origin stories.

I really don’t know what more I can say here. I already talked about how Bryke saying Aang and Katara’s relationship was INITIALLY “like a kid crushing on a babysitter” was an INITIAL pitch bible idea that was scrapped in the final show as Katara clearly harbors feelings for Aang and views him as an equal (NOT someone to look after like a baby).

These Zutara fanatics are so desperate and pathetic that they take an out of context statement and information from people they don’t even like, and cling to this thinking it’s some checkmate, because they’re still bitter Bryke didn’t give into their middle school delusions and entitlement.

This loser in particular is jumping through hoops and reaching for the moon trying to make Aang and Katara’s relationship as problematic as possible claiming it to be “pseudo-incestuous” because “Katara viewed Aang as a little brother for most of the series” and “their dynamic had mother-son vibes”, both statements are objectively, factually incorrect. No matter how these clowns try to rationalize it. It just makes this idiot look stupider than they probably are.

Oh and of course all comments disabled. So they can remain in their safespace and no can point out their idiocy.

ZeeK freeks like these are something else, man. Not a single good take from these guys. Why can’t these fake fans go find another show to watch instead of whining for almost 20 years about their mid-ass ship not being canon.

Block me all you want, you've only lost the argument and proved you can't handle criticism. You whine about me being obsessed with this children's cartoon and I'll proudly admit that I am. But at least I'm not obsessed with trying to make a perfectly normal relationship look incestuous cuz I'm bitter about Bryke not making my Wattpad crackship canon.

I really don’t know what more I can say here. I already talked about how Bryke saying Aang and Katara’s relationship was INITIALLY “like a kid crushing on a babysitter” was an INITIAL pitch bible idea that was scrapped in the final show as Katara clearly harbors feelings for Aang and views him as an equal (NOT someone to look after like a baby).

These Zutara fanatics are so desperate and pathetic that they take an out of context statement and information from people they don’t even like, and cling to this thinking it’s some checkmate, because they’re still bitter Bryke didn’t give into their middle school delusions and entitlement.

This loser in particular is jumping through hoops and reaching for the moon trying to make Aang and Katara’s relationship as problematic as possible claiming it to be “pseudo-incestuous” because “Katara viewed Aang as a little brother for most of the series” and “their dynamic had mother-son vibes”, both statements are objectively, factually incorrect. No matter how these clowns try to rationalize it. It just makes this idiot look stupider than they probably are.

Oh and of course all comments disabled. So they can remain in their safespace and no can point out their idiocy.

ZeeK freeks like these are something else, man. Not a single good take from these guys. Why can’t these fake fans go find another show to watch instead of whining for almost 20 years about their mid-ass ship not being canon.

i was literally referring to the REVISED edition which is part of the i.p. bible and was what the creators were using as a reference when the series was ALREADY IN PRODUCTION. hell, even after the series was over, bryke were still referring to the kataang dynamic as that of a young boy crushing on his babysitter.

katara thinking of aang as little brother wasn't something that was going to prevent them from getting into a relationship since katara starts to see him as a potential love interest as the series goes on. it's an old teen romcom trope that would appeal to the male gen x demographic like the one bryke are in, but might be uncomfortable to others. which is completely understandable. even when i used to write kataang fanfic, i would always do aus with them as older because i didn't like that aspect of the dynamic in the series.

“You weirdos completely lose it when people point out the obvious” don’t make me laugh honey. Make objectively wrong bad faith criticism isn’t “pointing out the obvious”. Even if the information comes from a revised version of the pitch bible. Things change between the final pitch bible and the final show. Fact of the matter is, you’re just desperate to make Kataang look as problematic as possible.

Honey you’re literally pulling this out of your ass, why cuz you’re a Zutara shipper bitter about your non-canon ship, desperately trying to justify your dislike for Kataang by claiming it’s incestuous, when anyone with even a shred of media-literacy knows that isn’t true.

As someone who’s seen multiple final story bibles, ideas, even late ones differ greatly in the final show.

And to be honest, so am I.

IDK. IDC.

If you’re among a minority who find Kataang “pseudo-incestuous”, that’s on you buddy. As I said before, just watch another show, read a fanfic.

it's not a "minority" of people who think kataang had a mother-son vibe, i can guarantee you that. bryke described the kataang relationship as the young boy crushing on his babysitter both BEFORE and AFTER the series had been produced. the kataang relationship was intentionally presented to be like that. bryke are also aware that a lot of people found the kataang relationship uncomfortable, but they didn't care and they saw nothing wrong with the dynamic.

Common Zutara L.

"getting pissy that Kataang shippers call you out on your BS" call me out on what exactly? you have done nothing except get angry, use inflammatory language, and write your little fanfics. are you sure you're not the one getting pissy?

you can run around in circles all you want. i know you can't actually argue against anything presented with any level of coherency because you simply have no idea what you're talking about.

“writing your little fanfics” honey, your ship is literally based on fanon, which is why you desperately try to twist canon. Again if you don’t like canon, watch another show.

I literally said nothing but facts, but of course your gonna dismiss what I said as nothing because your wanna live in your delusion.

I really don’t know what more I can say here. I already talked about how Bryke saying Aang and Katara’s relationship was INITIALLY “like a kid crushing on a babysitter” was an INITIAL pitch bible idea that was scrapped in the final show as Katara clearly harbors feelings for Aang and views him as an equal (NOT someone to look after like a baby).

These Zutara fanatics are so desperate and pathetic that they take an out of context statement and information from people they don’t even like, and cling to this thinking it’s some checkmate, because they’re still bitter Bryke didn’t give into their middle school delusions and entitlement.

This loser in particular is jumping through hoops and reaching for the moon trying to make Aang and Katara’s relationship as problematic as possible claiming it to be “pseudo-incestuous” because “Katara viewed Aang as a little brother for most of the series” and “their dynamic had mother-son vibes”, both statements are objectively, factually incorrect. No matter how these clowns try to rationalize it. It just makes this idiot look stupider than they probably are.

Oh and of course all comments disabled. So they can remain in their safespace and no can point out their idiocy.

ZeeK freeks like these are something else, man. Not a single good take from these guys. Why can’t these fake fans go find another show to watch instead of whining for almost 20 years about their mid-ass ship not being canon.

i was literally referring to the REVISED edition which is part of the i.p. bible and was what the creators were using as a reference when the series was ALREADY IN PRODUCTION. hell, even after the series was over, bryke were still referring to the kataang dynamic as that of a young boy crushing on his babysitter.

katara thinking of aang as little brother wasn't something that was going to prevent them from getting into a relationship since katara starts to see him as a potential love interest as the series goes on. it's an old teen romcom trope that would appeal to the male gen x demographic like the one bryke are in, but might be uncomfortable to others. which is completely understandable. even when i used to write kataang fanfic, i would always do aus with them as older because i didn't like that aspect of the dynamic in the series.

“You weirdos completely lose it when people point out the obvious” don’t make me laugh honey. Make objectively wrong bad faith criticism isn’t “pointing out the obvious”. Even if the information comes from a revised version of the pitch bible. Things change between the final pitch bible and the final show. Fact of the matter is, you’re just desperate to make Kataang look as problematic as possible.

Honey you’re literally pulling this out of your ass, why cuz you’re a Zutara shipper bitter about your non-canon ship, desperately trying to justify your dislike for Kataang by claiming it’s incestuous, when anyone with even a shred of media-literacy knows that isn’t true.

As someone who’s seen multiple final story bibles, ideas, even late ones differ greatly in the final show.

And to be honest, so am I.

IDK. IDC.

If you’re among a minority who find Kataang “pseudo-incestuous”, that’s on you buddy. As I said before, just watch another show, read a fanfic.

it's not a "minority" of people who think kataang had a mother-son vibe, i can guarantee you that. bryke described the kataang relationship as the young boy crushing on his babysitter both BEFORE and AFTER the series had been produced. the kataang relationship was intentionally presented to be like that. bryke are also aware that a lot of people found the kataang relationship uncomfortable, but they didn't care and they saw nothing wrong with the dynamic.

Common Zutara L.

I really don’t know what more I can say here. I already talked about how Bryke saying Aang and Katara’s relationship was INITIALLY “like a kid crushing on a babysitter” was an INITIAL pitch bible idea that was scrapped in the final show as Katara clearly harbors feelings for Aang and views him as an equal (NOT someone to look after like a baby).

These Zutara fanatics are so desperate and pathetic that they take an out of context statement and information from people they don’t even like, and cling to this thinking it’s some checkmate, because they’re still bitter Bryke didn’t give into their middle school delusions and entitlement.

This loser in particular is jumping through hoops and reaching for the moon trying to make Aang and Katara’s relationship as problematic as possible claiming it to be “pseudo-incestuous” because “Katara viewed Aang as a little brother for most of the series” and “their dynamic had mother-son vibes”, both statements are objectively, factually incorrect. No matter how these clowns try to rationalize it. It just makes this idiot look stupider than they probably are.

Oh and of course all comments disabled. So they can remain in their safespace and no can point out their idiocy.

ZeeK freeks like these are something else, man. Not a single good take from these guys. Why can’t these fake fans go find another show to watch instead of whining for almost 20 years about their mid-ass ship not being canon.

i was literally referring to the REVISED edition which is part of the i.p. bible and was what the creators were using as a reference when the series was ALREADY IN PRODUCTION. hell, even after the series was over, bryke were still referring to the kataang dynamic as that of a young boy crushing on his babysitter.

katara thinking of aang as little brother wasn't something that was going to prevent them from getting into a relationship since katara starts to see him as a potential love interest as the series goes on. it's an old teen romcom trope that would appeal to the male gen x demographic like the one bryke are in, but might be uncomfortable to others. which is completely understandable. even when i used to write kataang fanfic, i would always do aus with them as older because i didn't like that aspect of the dynamic in the series.

“You weirdos completely lose it when people point out the obvious” don’t make me laugh honey. Make objectively wrong bad faith criticism isn’t “pointing out the obvious”. Even if the information comes from a revised version of the pitch bible. Things change between the final pitch bible and the final show. Fact of the matter is, you’re just desperate to make Kataang look as problematic as possible.

Honey you’re literally pulling this out of your ass, why cuz you’re a Zutara shipper bitter about your non-canon ship, desperately trying to justify your dislike for Kataang by claiming it’s incestuous, when anyone with even a shred of media-literacy knows that isn’t true.

As someone who’s seen multiple final story bibles, ideas, even late ones differ greatly in the final show.

And to be honest, so am I.

IDK. IDC.

If you’re among a minority who find Kataang “pseudo-incestuous”, that’s on you buddy. As I said before, just watch another show, read a fanfic.

I really don’t know what more I can say here. I already talked about how Bryke saying Aang and Katara’s relationship was INITIALLY “like a kid crushing on a babysitter” was an INITIAL pitch bible idea that was scrapped in the final show as Katara clearly harbors feelings for Aang and views him as an equal (NOT someone to look after like a baby).

These Zutara fanatics are so desperate and pathetic that they take an out of context statement and information from people they don’t even like, and cling to this thinking it’s some checkmate, because they’re still bitter Bryke didn’t give into their middle school delusions and entitlement.

This loser in particular is jumping through hoops and reaching for the moon trying to make Aang and Katara’s relationship as problematic as possible claiming it to be “pseudo-incestuous” because “Katara viewed Aang as a little brother for most of the series” and “their dynamic had mother-son vibes”, both statements are objectively, factually incorrect. No matter how these clowns try to rationalize it. It just makes this idiot look stupider than they probably are.

Oh and of course all comments disabled. So they can remain in their safespace and no can point out their idiocy.

ZeeK freeks like these are something else, man. Not a single good take from these guys. Why can’t these fake fans go find another show to watch instead of whining for almost 20 years about their mid-ass ship not being canon.

i was literally referring to the REVISED edition which is part of the i.p. bible and was what the creators were using as a reference when the series was ALREADY IN PRODUCTION. hell, even after the series was over, bryke were still referring to the kataang dynamic as that of a young boy crushing on his babysitter.

katara thinking of aang as little brother wasn't something that was going to prevent them from getting into a relationship since katara starts to see him as a potential love interest as the series goes on. it's an old teen romcom trope that would appeal to the male gen x demographic like the one bryke are in, but might be uncomfortable to others. which is completely understandable. even when i used to write kataang fanfic, i would always do aus with them as older because i didn't like that aspect of the dynamic in the series.

“You weirdos completely lose it when people point out the obvious” don’t make me laugh honey. Make objectively wrong bad faith criticism isn’t “pointing out the obvious”. Even if the information comes from a revised version of the pitch bible. Things change between the final pitch bible and the final show. Fact of the matter is, you’re just desperate to make Kataang look as problematic as possible.

Honey you’re literally pulling this out of your ass, why cuz you’re a Zutara shipper bitter about your non-canon ship, desperately trying to justify your dislike for Kataang by claiming it’s incestuous, when anyone with even a shred of media-literacy knows that isn’t true.

As someone who’s seen multiple final story bibles, ideas, even late ones differ greatly in the final show.

I really don’t know what more I can say here. I already talked about how Bryke saying Aang and Katara’s relationship was INITIALLY “like a kid crushing on a babysitter” was an INITIAL pitch bible idea that was scrapped in the final show as Katara clearly harbors feelings for Aang and views him as an equal (NOT someone to look after like a baby).

These Zutara fanatics are so desperate and pathetic that they take an out of context statement and information from people they don’t even like, and cling to this thinking it’s some checkmate, because they’re still bitter Bryke didn’t give into their middle school delusions and entitlement.

This loser in particular is jumping through hoops and reaching for the moon trying to make Aang and Katara’s relationship as problematic as possible claiming it to be “pseudo-incestuous” because “Katara viewed Aang as a little brother for most of the series” and “their dynamic had mother-son vibes”, both statements are objectively, factually incorrect. No matter how these clowns try to rationalize it. It just makes this idiot look stupider than they probably are.

Oh and of course all comments disabled. So they can remain in their safespace and no can point out their idiocy.

ZeeK freeks like these are something else, man. Not a single good take from these guys. Why can’t these fake fans go find another show to watch instead of whining for almost 20 years about their mid-ass ship not being canon.

i was literally referring to the REVISED edition which is part of the i.p. bible and was what the creators were using as a reference when the series was ALREADY IN PRODUCTION. hell, even after the series was over, bryke were still referring to the kataang dynamic as that of a young boy crushing on his babysitter.

katara thinking of aang as little brother wasn't something that was going to prevent them from getting into a relationship since katara starts to see him as a potential love interest as the series goes on. it's an old teen romcom trope that would appeal to the male gen x demographic like the one bryke are in, but might be uncomfortable to others. which is completely understandable. even when i used to write kataang fanfic, i would always do aus with them as older because i didn't like that aspect of the dynamic in the series.

“You weirdos completely lose it when people point out the obvious” don’t make me laugh honey. Make objectively wrong bad faith criticism isn’t “pointing out the obvious”. Even if the information comes from a revised version of the pitch bible. Things change between the final pitch bible and the final show. Fact of the matter is, you’re just desperate to make Kataang look as problematic as possible.

Before I do, I gotta rant: I already have an issue with the very basic structure of that question zutarians constantly throw around. "Would Katara choose X over Zuko?" Zuko was never an option and it's weird that these people pretend he is somehow the default love interest, or at least the default alternative endgame, when he and Katara never demonstrated interest in each other AND I have yet to see a pro-zutara "argument" that isn't fully relying either on Zuko being hot or on a completely different version of the story in which everyone (and specially Aang) is wildly out of character to force him into that "default" role for Katara.

Seriously, I love that boy and he is MY type, but he is not Katara's, and it's time we stop indulging Zutarians on that nonsense. If they wanna question Kataang or any canon ship, that's fine, but we really need to remind them "Even if said ships didn't happen that would not mean Katara and Zuko would inevitably run to each other's arms, they are canonically not into each other, and someone disliking Maiko and Kataang does not mean they MUST like Zutara or at least consider it a better choice."

Now, fake love-triangle bullshit aside, here's why Katara falling in love with Aang and dating him always made sense to me, even back when I personally didn't care for the ship.

1 - Katara is a teenage girl and Aang is the effortlessly cool (and formerly mysterious) guy

As someone who was once a teenage girl, I am not at all surprised that Katara found herself immediately fascinated with Aang before she even knew he was the Avatar.

He is quite literally the first foreigner that ever came to her tribe AS FRIEND, belongs to a group of people that no one has seen in a whole century, has traveled around A LOT, has a rare animal that is very cute and can literally fly people around, makes friends literally EVERYWHERE he goes (again, even when people don't know who he is), and can hold his own in fight yet is not the type to just randomly start shit with people because he genuinely just wants everyone to get along.

Add in the Avatar bonus of "Goes on adventures and gets involved in spiritual shenanigans" and TELL ME you can't imagine a teenage girl that has never had any contact with the outside world fangirling over this boy. He was two seconds away from stealing Aladdin's move and singing "A Whole New World", I swear to God.

2 - He canonically brought fun back to her life

The first thing Aang ever says to Katara is ask her to go play with him. While they're penguin sliding, Katara says she hasn't done this since she was a kid - to which Aang says "You're still a kid!"

Katara, the character that has a whole complex about having had to grow up too fast and fearing she's too motherly for her friends to see her as an equal and that never had the chance to do anything except worrying about survival just heard someone validate her desire to just relax, play, be silly, be a CHILD. And he did it five minutes after meeting her.

And Aang doesn't bring joy back just for her - her entire tribe looks happier. This rocks her world so much that she uses that very argument as justification for Aang to not be banished, and when it fails she wants to go with him because SHE DOESN'T WANT HER ONE SOURCE OF JOY TO GO AWAY!

She feels that strongly about him that fast. To the point that even her brother teases her about Aang being her boyfriend because come on her potentially being into someone she cares about that much is not this unbelievable plot twist people pretend it is.

3 - He gave her back agency, hope and a way to fight back during wartimes

Aang is the reason Katara ever left her tribe and became a master waterbender. Hell, he offered to take her to the North Pole BEFORE there's any thought of him having a mission and needing to master all the elements - and even then he still says "We can learn it together."

Without that journey with Aang, Katara would have likely never left her tribe, become a master, and become a hero in her own right. Meeting Aang and having his resources (aka Appa and his credibility as the Avatar) gave her the means to travel around in a far safer way than if she had left on her own.

Katara's hope for the war to end is no longer just her wishing for the best, for someone else to save the day. Thanks to Aang, she is playing an active role in saving her own life, and everybody else's.

Aang is as central to character's arc as she was to his. She was his teacher and they were each other's suport system. If we take into account that, while Aang is the protagonist of the show, Katara is still the hero of her own story, we can see her meeting Aang and joining his group as the "Call To Adventure" point of her Hero's Journey.

It's not strange to develop feelings for someone that completely transformed your life.

4 - Aang corrects his behavior whenever he screws up

I'd say this one is the bit Zutarians ignore the most: while Aang is not perfect, he doesn't act out of malice and can recognize when he is wrong.

The first conflict between them happens in Warriors of Kyoshi, in which Aang is letting all the attention he's getting from being the Avatar get to his head, and he isn't really helping Katara with things and is being a bit arrogant. By the end of the episode he has apologized, and is never arrogant or unhelpful again (and is as bothered by Toph's poor behavior in Book 2 as Katara herself).

When he hides the map to their dad from her and Sokka, he feels ashamed of himself and tells them the truth, and accepts it when they decide to no longer travel with him because of it. He also leaves Katara alone when he realizes kissing her in Ember Island was a bad move.

When he realizes that distancing himself from her emotionally to cope with Appa's kidnaping has upset her, he has an honest talk with her about how she gives him hope and starts accepting her affection again. After his freak out and poorly thought attempt to go face Ozai in The Awakening, he apologizes to everyone for leaving, and accepts to hide his tattoos, grow his hair, and burn what is left his glider - all HUGE sacrifices for someone who is literally the last survivor of an entire culture.

He literally vows to never firebend again because using it recklessly led to him accidentally hurting Katara, and he only accepts to try it again when he finds himself a teacher that also wants to avoid that same mistake, and when he reconnects with the aspect of fire that brings LIFE instead of destruction and death.

When Katara comes back from her life-changing field trip, not having murdered her mother's killer but not forgiving him either, Aang doesn't argue, even though he believed forgiveness is fundamental in the healing process, because he could see that Katara's journey had done it's job and just drops the subject.

More impotantly: Aang takes his role as the Avatar VERY seriously and desperately tries to avoid failing in any aspect of it because he feels it's his duty and his direct responsibility not just for who he is but because he wasn't around when Sozin attacked - despite him having understandable reasons to do so and how he likely would not have been able to save everyone, or even himself, if he hadn't left. It was not his fault, yet he still burdens himself with that deep regret and guilt because that's just who he is a person.

Aang might not turn to the camera and say "I was bad, but now I'm good" like Zuko did, but he CONSTANTLY learns his lesson and adjusting his behavior to it, and Katara obviously took notice. Everyone makes mistakes, not everyone owns up to them.

5 - He has the safety and happiness of Katara (and those around her) among his priorities

After knowing Katara and her tribe for less than a day, he's already best friends with everyone, and offering to take her to the North so she can become a master. When he fucks up and is kicked out, he accepts it AND tells Katara to stay, even though she wants to leave in solidarity, because he knows it'd be cruel to make her abandon the only home she's ever known. When said home is about to be attacked, he comes back to rescue everyone and even lets himself be taken prisoner so they will be spared.

All of that happened in the first two episodes.

When Bumi is "threatening" Katara and Sokka's life, Aang spends half the episode snapping at him and demanding the he frees his friends - probably only didn't attack the old fucker immediately because the guards would step in and there could be retaliation. When Sokka is captured by Hei-Bai, Aang tries his best to save him and is crushed when he can't do it because HOW could he have failed to save someone that means so much to his friend and to himself?

In "The Fortune Teller" he makes her a new necklace to compensate for the one she lost, and then recovers said lost necklace during a fight because he knows it means a lot to her as it was once Kya's.

When Pakku refuses to teach her, Aang refuses to learn from him until Katara tells him to do it anyway, and then immediately agrees to teach her everything he has learned. When she is about to face Pakku in a duel, he first makes sure she knows she doesn't have to do it, but steps aside and cheers her on as she makes it clear she WANTS to teach the old fucker a lesson.

The thought of her being hurt or killed is what triggers the Avatar State at the start of season two. He sides with her when Toph is being unhelpful after joining the group. He rushes back to Ba Sing Se when he has a vision of her being in danger, and Katara runs to his arms IMMEDIATELY.

And even though that was the last thing he wanted to do, he still gave her up for a second there in Ba Sing Se - for the sake of possibly saving the whole world, Katara and her family very much included.

When she decides she wants to get revenge on the man that killed her mom, Aang is against it because he knows it will only traumatize her further, but still lets her go on the journey (borrowing Appa no less) once he realizes that (non-lethal) confrontation will indeed help her move on.

For fuck's sake, people, when Hama is controling him and Sokka to make them attack Katara, Aang, who is in quite a scary, potentially life-threatening situation, still feels the need to respond to Katara's "Sorry!" with an "It's okay!" He literally cannot control his own body anymore and his priority still is "Gotta make sure Katara knows I understand she doesn't want to hurt me, she just needs to defend herself."

Aang would do literally anything and everything for Katara. Even when faced with seemingly impossible choices, he ALWAYS goes for whatever outcome he genuinely believes will be best for her.

6 - Aang's moral code has a lot in common with Katara's and he feels as strongly about it as she does

Zutarians tend to focus solely on the few times in which Aang and Katara were not on the same page, and fully ignore that the reason the Gaang as a whole works so well as a team is that they agree on A LOT of stuff.

They all had episodes in which they refuse to do things they're being pressured to do so they can be true to themselves (the whole fuckery in Ba Sing Se, Katara refusing to turn her back on the earbenders in Imprisoned and the fishing village in The Painted Lady, Aang refusing to leave Zuko to die or take Ozai's life if it wasn't 100% necessary, etc)

Katara simply would never be friends with, let alone date, someone that she feels doesn't understand her morals and behaves in a way she deems to be unfair or cruel, which is why she immediately turns against Jet when she finds out about his plan to "free" a village - which is also why I completely reject any zutara headcanon/AU in which she's simping for Zuko before his redemption arc. It simply wouldn't happen.

Katara can understand Aang not wanting to kill someone, even someone who deserves it. She cannot understand Zuko helping his father commit literal genocide, nor should she.

7 - Aang feels strongly about things in general

Katara wears her heart on her sleeve. She's deeply in touch with her emotions, and we repeatedly see her get mad whenever someone mocks her for her rather intense reactions - be it her hope in miserable times, her anger at an injustice, her courage to fight back, her sorrow and pain when something tragic happens, and her sincere joy when she gets to do something as simple as goofing off with a friend.

That's why it makes no sense to me when people try to use things like Aang being VERY attached to his culture and wanting to uphold it's values, getting deeply emotional after seeing a burnt forest, going into the Avatar State because of Appa's kidnaping, and constantly trying to remind people that he is just a child and shouldn't have all of the responsibilities he's been given as "proof" of him being immature or labelling it all as temper trantrums.

There's a reason Katara is the one that always makes him feel better in these situations: she gets it. She understands what it is like to take things to heart, to need an outlet for intense emotions. She would never look down on Aang for it or see comforting him as "parenting" him because she is the exact same.

8 - That boy is resilient as fuck

Aang went through some shit in his lifetime. Unbelievable pressure, surviver's guilt, the loss of nearly everyone he loved, having to do in just a few months what previous Avatars had years to figure out, being caught between his own spiritual/emotional needs and what is best for the whole world, constantly being put in life-threatening situations, being hunted down for months, feeling like a failure each time he can't make the war end sooner, temporarely losing his animal guide, being killed in battle and having to let the whole world essentially lose hope by pretending to still be dead...

It's a lot. In his place, I would have gone back into that iceberg on the first damn episode. Yet somehow he keeps going. He gets back up and tries again. No matter how hard things get, he keeps fighting and he eventually wins.

How could Katara, the character is all about hope, NOT admire that? Especially when...

9 - He doesn't let his pain change him

Aang is a goofball. And contrary to what some annoying people in this fandom (not just zutarians) might say, that is not a problem. Especially not for Katara.

Aang went through some truly horrible things and nobody could blame him if he ever got depressed, was constantly panicking, or genuinely grew to resent the world after everything he was forced to endure.

Instead he is THE definition of a silly, happy, fun, caring guy. He jokes around with everyone and even laughs at himself. He gets into ridiculous situations constantly.

And he LOVES life. He loves his people and his culture, his friends, animals, nature, the new places he goes to, the old places he hadn't traveled to in a while, the memories of the world he knew, the good things about the world that exists now - he even loves the freaking Fire Nation.

Aang doesn't have a cynical bone in his body. He actively NEEDS to forgive people, no matter how much they've hurt him, to find closure. He doesn't even try to stop himself from befriending anything that breathes and has a pulse.

He went through some of the worst things anyone could go through, yet he is still an optimist, an idealist and a very kind soul - much like Katara herself. Again, it's no wonder he made her even more hopeful than she already was, which is saying a lot. He is constantly validating her belief that things can get better, and he does it effortlessly because that's just in his nature. He couldn't be any other way even if he tried.

10 - They trust each other

Katara had faith in Aang before they even met, and that faith only grows and grows the more time they spend together. At the start of every episode she reminds us that she fully believes Aang will save the world. In "Jet" she tells Sokka that Aang should be the leader of the group. She accepts Zuko into the group, even though she clearly doesn't want to, because she trusts Aang's instincts, and if they say that Zuko should be his teacher, that's what needs to happen.

And that trust is clearly mutual because Aang doesn't allow Zuko into the group until Katara gives him the green light to do so. She lets him borrow APPA to go on a mission in which she'll potentially murder a man, even though Aang is a pacifist, because he knows Katara is not a murderer. And, of course, she's his waterbending teacher because he genuinely thinks she's more than capable of being his master.

But what's probably THE biggest proof of trust between them is the consistent pattern of what happens when Aang is in the Avatar State: Katara doesn't let the shock of it get to her and reasons with Aang because she trusts that this is not what he wants to do, and that only works because Aang knows, even at his most irrational, that Katara has his well-being in mind and that she means every word she says to him - hell, even one look from her is enough.

Their connection is that deep.

11 - He goes out of his way to make her feel respected, cherished and appreciated

At first, Aang is better than Katara at waterbending. He still praises her ability and attributes his own success to her when he says things are being easier for him than for her because he's lucky to have a great teacher. He's hurt when she snaps at him, but forgives her immediately and then by the end of the episode refers to the two of them as a team, making it clear he views her as being on his level despite her initial struggle.

During her fight with Pakku, Aang is cheering her on. When she hears him calling Toph sifu and mentions that he never called her that, Aang then calls her sifu too and bows to her respectfully. He says she gives him hope in The Serpent's Pass, and calls her a hero in The Painted Lady.

The whole reason why he's so quick to accept all the attention from everyone in Kyoshi Island is because he's sad that Katara doesn't seem to be paying any attention to him - and when she's feeling the same in The Headband, he IMMEDIATELY asks her to dance with him because he wants her to know she's ALWAYS on his mind, and he will ALWAYS have time for her.

Aang adores her, and he makes sure Katara knows it.

12 - While he is often her number one suporter, he isn't afraid to speak his mind when he believes she's in the wrong

Someone who doesn't tell you when they think you're making a huge mistake is someone who doesn't care about you that much. Katara and Aang have their arguments, both small and big, but they're always honest, they both are willing to compromise, and once an issue it's resolved and it stays that way, without one holding it over the other.

I know this will be shocking to some people, but this is what healthy communication looks like. You SHOULD be able to tell your friend "This isn't you, you're not thinking clearly, you're going to regret this" because true support is very different from enablement or being a "yes man."

13 - They've survived simmilar things

They both struggled to deal with grief, were given adult responsibilities way too early because of the war, and carry the burden of being the last bender of their homes (or entire culture in Aang's case). Even Aang being forced to go into the Avatar State when he thought Katara was dead mirrors Katara bloodbending for the first time to stop Hama from making Sokka and Aang hurt each other.

It really is no wonder they became close friends so fast - trauma bond will do that.

14 - Aang is a force to be reckoned with

Aang is pretty fucking badass. Sure, that wouldn't matter half as much to Katara as literally everything else about him, but a bonus is always nice.

15 - They're each other's chosen family

This is a thing Zutarians constantly take out of context, mainly to act like Aang is just Katara's responsibility/burden, something she'd be better off without.

But Katara says it quite clearly in episode three: they're family.

She cannot stand the thought of Aang suffering, being isolated, getting hurt, getting killed. She loves him. He means the world to her, and she genuinely doesn't know how she'd deal with it if she were to ever lose him. And Aang makes it clear, over and over, that he feels just as strongly about her.