âWhy I ship Zutara - since so many are inclined to believe itâs a Zuko fetishâ
Is Zuko my favorite animated character of all time? Why yes, yes he is. Do I identify with Katara as a barrier-breaking feminist and woman of color? Yes, yes I do. Is that why I ship them together? No.
Look, when I first watched ATLA, I was 7 years old. I donât remember shipping anyone, but I didnât hate that Aang and Katara ended up together. They were cute! Itâs whatever.
When I rewatched the show at 13, I still thought Kataang was cute, but I ended the series shipping Zutara, and as the years went by, they rose higher and higher on my list. Now theyâre my #1 OTP.
1) Theyâre two sides of the same coin. Both of them grew up too fast with the loss of their mothers. Both grew up under an elderâs influence. Both of them constantly fought to prove their worth to their peers, and both held resentment toward their fathers. Both spent the entire series improving their bending and incorporating each otherâs bending styles into their own.
They have so much in common, and so many shared experiences and important bonding moments (defeating Azula together, Zuko saving her life, confronting Yon Rha together, the cave scene / turning point, their battle at the North Pole...)
2) Theyâre yin and yang. Fire and Ice. Sun and Moon. Passionate male energy and the soothing, healing touch of a woman (and her chilling bite). Realism and hopeful idealism. The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady.
Zuko grew up without a healthy sibling or father relationship. Katara eventually obtained both of these. Zuko lived in an elite world surrounded by people and bending teachers, yet he felt alone. Katara grew up on an ice cube with no bending masters, but she loved her home and family.
The parallels go on and on.
3) Symbolism. They could have embodied the Cave of Two Lovers perfectly: benders separated by cultural divide, a cave to meet in secrecy where outside conflicts are put on hold, allowing them to grow closer, to love one another.
Plus, what better way to bridge two nations with seemingly irreparable tensions than a marriage between lovers? These two went from enemies to partners in crime to friends. Imagine if theyâd fallen in love. Imagine a water bender as Fire Lady, and what influence she could have on the Fire Nationâs perceptions of the Water Tribe. Imagine the prejudices she could shed herself, living in this new culture, serving its people.
4) Theyâre good for each other. Zuko needs someone who can help him shift his nationâs perceptions of the world. He needs someone who can take on responsibilities of her own, rally a crowd, bring hope to his world, and not only become a mother to his children, but his people. He needs a woman who, like his mother, can encourage him to be the best version of himself.
Katara needs to feel useful. She needs to feel like sheâs helping people and making a difference. She needs to be more than a wife or a mother. More than a traveling companion. Sheâs a cartaker, but sheâs also a leader, and she needs a mature man in her life who she can leave alone, unattended for a while. Someone she can speak to about harsh realities. Someone who will not judge her for feeling negative. Someone who will understand her sarcasm, and who will vent with her when she needs it.
5) I have always shipped them for their potential, not necessarily what we were fed in the show. So I understand how others donât see it. But as a writer, I recognize that this pairing could have been an extremely valuable storytelling tool. Aaron saw that, the actors saw that, but Bryke wanted Kataang, so we got the typical âhero gets the girlâ scenario. I get it. I just wish they would have gone the extra mile.
6) I donât ship Kataang anymore
Aang is 12 years old. Heâs a child (and a monk). Thatâs what makes the series work, why his victory is so powerful. His youthful innocence is a reoccurring theme throughout the series. And yes, he learns to accept many hard truths of the world, but in the end, he chooses mercy and idealism. As an adult, I canât see him as anything but a child. And I donât ship children. I definitely donât want to see them make out with anyone đˇ
Katara acts like his mother for most of the series. Sheâs his caretaker first and foremost. And itâs clear she loves him, but sheâs not even sure how she feels about him several episodes from the finale of the series. Iâm not about to act like their relationship wasnât romantically coded, but it felt forced at the end. It felt like they set Katara up to be his mother more than his partner. Itâs regressive to her feminist arc (and donât get me started on Korraâs depiction of her!)
And yeah. I did not find 12 year olds attractive when I was looking forward to my first year of high school. If I had the choice between Aang and Zuko at her age, you bet your ass Iâm swooning over the prince of the Fire Nation. đ¤ˇđťââď¸
7) I really donât ship Maiko. I love Mai as a character (gray characters are always fun). But her relationship with Zuko formed off-screen (never a good choice for a romance arc) and she was only ever regressive to Zukoâs character. She was never going to help him grow, to be a selfless leader, to consider the importance of other nations or the lower class (she jokes about ordering servants around for fun, big yikes). She couldnât be a positive influence on Zuko until she had an enlightened journey of her own, which she didnât get - her only arc revolved around Azula and her love for her boyfriend. She was a source of constant negativity and pessimim. Thatâs the last thing a leader of a war-torn nation needs.
So yeah. Iâm not trying to convince anyone to ship my ship. Iâm simply explaining why I love these two so much (since so many of you think itâs a bad boy fetish), and why I reject the pairings the show left us with.
I think Zutara would have created a stronger narrative for a near-perfect show, a better romance, and a more relatable protagonist, and no one will ever change my mind about that.
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