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An accomplishment truly.

I'm sorry????

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 

This dissertation set out to prove that Zutara, rather than Kat.aang and Mai.ko, should have been the endgame ship of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It has discussed why Zuko and Katara would make a good couple within the text, how the narrative was setting them up for a relationship and why a Zutara endgame would have served the themes and messages of the show, as well as the arcs of all the characters involved, better than the canon relationships did.

Many have argued that Zutara is too complicated, too deep, too much for a kids’ show - that much of the subtext and narrative and analysis that really makes Zutara brilliant cannot be easily understood by children. But the reason that Avatar: The Last Airbender still stands the test of time today is because it did care about those very things, because it took difficult, complex issues and still managed to make them meaningful, nuanced and understandable. If ATLA could depict imperialism, colonialism, redemption, genocide and war, I see no reason why it could not have pulled off an enemies-to-lovers ship literally coded in the DNA of the show.

In conclusion, Zutara should have been canon because it would have fixed almost all of the narrative, thematic and character problems I have discussed over the course of this dissertation, and elevated the show to near perfection. The choice to deny Zutara of the ending they rightfully deserved is thus undoubtedly one of ATLA’s biggest flaws and its greatest loss. 

But as Dante Basco, Prince Zuko himself and captain of the Zutara ship, put it:  “Sometimes the feeling of what could have been is stronger than what actually happened, because the memory of perfection lasts longer.” 

Though Zuko and Katara’s story ends in tragedy, it is this very tragedy that still makes them so fascinating all of these years later ‐ because the final element of Zutara’s brilliance is the idea of what might have been, in what has been left solely to our imaginations. In the greatest of ironies, therefore, it was only by leaving the story of Zuko and Katara unfinished that it was able to become the beautiful tale it is today ‐ more powerful and compelling, perhaps, than it could ever have been in canon. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Araeph, 2017. Araeph’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. https://at.tumblr.com/burst-of-iridescent/araephs-greatest-hits-vol-2/zfcozrmeby19

Certified Bi Fangirl Disaster, 2020. The Cave of Two Lovers foreshadows the Zutara interactions in the Crossroads of Destiny. https://at.tumblr.com/theotterpenguin/645662327005478912/p30gsur9gexe

DevilDogDemon et. al, 2021. The Effect of Kataang on Aang’s Character Arc. https://at.tumblr.com/burst-of-iridescent/devildogdemon-juldooz-atla-negromouthandafro/hs2r37t0uipp

FunFanFin, 2017. How Zutara Fulfills The Show’s Key Themes.  https://at.tumblr.com/funfanfin/dentist-open-up-me-wellokay-so-not-only-does/pnwuyp5pxxc4

Marsreds, 2017. It’s called the Cave of Two Lovers, not the Cave of Two “Treasured/Close/Platonic Friends”. https://at.tumblr.com/marsreds/its-called-the-cave-of-two-lovers-not-the-cave/njy7bj7qkoko

My Bated Breath, 2020. Wants vs Need - A Comparison Between Kataang, Taang, and Zutara. https://at.tumblr.com/my-bated-breath/wants-vs-need-a-comparison-between-kataang/vvhl7irrdk69

RoyalTeaLovingKookiness, 2019. The Romantic Framing of Zutara. https://at.tumblr.com/royaltealovingkookiness/i-think-the-anon-who-sent-the-zuko-lost-azula-in/rpfdg8oxfmfq

SneezyPeasy, 2021. Get in losers, we’re stanning Zutara. https://at.tumblr.com/sneezypeasy/get-in-losers-were-stanning-zutara/0x2mbtmsp3xu

SneezyPeasy, 2021. Why Aang’s Lines Sound Preachy in The Southern Raiders. https://at.tumblr.com/sneezypeasy/why-aangs-lines-sound-preachy-in-the-southern/q78urhuqp6lm

SunMoonTurtleDuck, 2021. Why Zuko Had To Take Azula’s Lightning for Katara. https://at.tumblr.com/theotterpenguin/its-true-zuko-would-have-taken-the-lightning-for/ki6rg04v45h2

TheMomentofDavyPrentiss, 2017. Why I Believe Katara Canonically Had Romantic Feelings for Zuko.  https://at.tumblr.com/themomentofdavyprentiss/why-i-believe-katara-canonically-had-romantic/m7a6x8a521n8

Instead of expanding zutara, they should have done that with K//@ so the writing of that ship would develop to something better than the original.

I'm rereading the Yakumo novels - currently at volume 5 - and came across this gem:

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"'What don’t you understand?’

'The reason I would go to your performance.’

The way he said it, it was like he was thinking about the motive behind a murder.

'Obviously it’s because we’re friends.’

Yakumo’s eyes went wide at Haruka’s words, like he was surprised. 'Friends? Who?’

'Me and you, Yakumo-kun. Was I wrong…?’

When he said it like that, she felt a bit anxious. What on earth did Yakumo think of her anyway? Did he really think of her just as a troublemaker? It was true that she’d brought him a lot of trouble up until now. But she’d done a lot of other things too. She’d helped out with investigations before, and – Haruka sighed. She didn’t care anymore. She lay down on the table and glared up at Yakumo’s face. He was still thinking.

'Even though I thought we were friends all this time…’

She hadn’t planned on saying that, but it just came out. It felt like tears were going to come out too.

'You and I are friends, eh… I’ve never thought about that.’

Yakumo covered his eyes and scratched at his cheek, like he felt awkward."

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I might be overanalyzing this, but later volumes sugest that Yakumo already had romantic feelings for Haruka at this point, so... Heck, I will run with it!

Maybe when he says “I’ve never thought about that,” it’s not because he genuinely hasn’t considered their relationship, but because what he feels doesn’t fit neatly into the category of “friendship.” It could be something he either doesn’t want to define or isn’t ready to acknowledge out loud.

Oblivious Haruka, meanwhile, sets a boundary that doesn't quite cover it. And THAT, unintentionally, puts Yakumo in a difficult position. So his reaction can be read less as social incompetence and more as emotional conflict.

Also, wouldn’t it be hilarious if his initial reaction was actually because he was (internally) freaking out? That he gets so completely thrown off that, instead of analyzing her words in his usual detached way, he overanalyzes them. He starts searching for the “motive” behind her invitation because taking it at face value would mean confronting what he wants it to mean.

Alternatively, it was the moment he realised he liked her, idk. If so, it would be quite fitting, considering Haruka herself has the same realization a few chapters later.

I’m just not convinced by the “socially awkward male character” explanation adopted by the manga adaptation (and reflected in Haruka’s perspective in the novel). Even taking into account his past trauma, which left him wary of many kinds of relationships, Yakumo is consistently portrayed as highly perceptive, as someone capable of reading people (and ghosts) and even manipulating them when necessary. It doesn’t make sense that he would suddenly lack the social and emotional awareness he demonstrates time and again, to the point of not recognizing her as a friend… especially when it involves someone as important to him as Haruka, and not at this point in the story, after a year of acquaintance.

...

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Oh, never mind. Isshin, the Yakumo-translator, is usually right.

Whether Yakumo has romantic feelings for Haruka or not, wheter he knows what they are, his bafflement can be explained simply by him thinking that she couldn’t possibly consider him a friend/ genuinely like him enough to invite him to her orchestra.