EXCLUSIVE EPISODE: Ranking Relationships from Avatar: The Last Airbender

My favorite relationship is Aang and Appa...Aappa I guess.

You missed Iroh/Tea (the only 10/10 ship from this show)

I can see the argument for Katara and Aang (though I also agree that not showing Zuko and Katara's relationship in Season 3 did them a bit of a disservice, I guess they were going off of only the "romantic" moments); however, I will die on the hill that the show should not have ended with Aang and Katara kissing. It just felt weird, they're children, and that's not what their relationship was about. I almost feel like all the times they kissed were indicative of Aang's more childish infatuation, picturing what he thought a relationship should be and trying to rush it, rather than letting their relationship naturally take its course; their best moments showed them as friends. I would've much preferred that the show ended with them holding hands, maybe exchanging a look--showing yes, feelings are there, but they're going to take it slow now that they're not actively at war.

I would argue that Mai deffinetly chose Zuko, when she litterally chose him over Azula, and helped him escape.

Y'all fear nothing! Going after the Zuko Katara ship like that was . . . I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm not saying you're right, but you got some guts saying that. LOL

My brother once spoke of the significance Suki had on Sokka as follows: "He went from basic misogynist to drinking respect women juice every single day of his life". She made him a better person, and by not shaking that growth when she wasn't with him anymore, and in fact holding strict to it, he not only honored women in general but Suki personally. It's easy to fall back into habits after such a quick experience, but he didn't - because of her.

I'm not going to start a fight with anyone, but I wanna know why Zutara from S3 wasn't considered, especially after The Southern Raiders? Because this is still one of the few times I will wholeheartedly disagree with you, even if I can respect the decision to make it.

Great rating! I would love to have seen Zuko and his day in tales of ba sing se. my favorite ship but also understandable that Zuko couldn’t date her while keeping secret he’s the prince of the forest nation.

“You’re sick and I trusted you!” Hits me every time

Don't even wanna know how Zuko and Azula were conceived. I meant the disaster couple did it twice, maybe once.

You guys should talk about and cover the legend of korra at some point because it's a good successor to the original avatar the last airbender and talks about the next avatar after aang and the future of the avatar world. It has compelling characters like korra herself, older katara and her and aang's kids and grandkids, older toph and her kids and grandkids, older zuko and his daughter and grandson, korra's friends who along with her become the new team avatar and the villans are all interesting with their own different goals and motivations. It's still as good as the original series with it's own funny moments and also deals with more mature themes like identity, PTSD and surviving trauma. So please give it a look when you get the chance, I recommend it 👍

I was surprised you guys didn't talk about Zuko and Katara's relationship in Season 3. (Stopping at Season 2 is an incomplete assessment of them) Zuko took accountability for his actions, he showed Katara that he can prioritize the safety of the people close to her, and when she was in pain, he noticed and asked what he could do to fix it. (#accountability kink Jono) He basically did the reverse of his harmful actions against her. You could have also given your opinion whether or not you guys thought Zuko making amends and Katara forgiving him could bode well for a relationship, or if it would be best for them to stay friends.

Few fun facts: 1. There's a comic which takes place a year after the show and in that comic, Zuko and Mai did break up BUT its implied in Korra that they got back together based on his daughter, Firelord Izumi. 2. Aang and Katara are the only couple in the original show that shown to last in Korra. While the show mentioned that Sokka died sometime before Korra's show, nothing is known of his relationship with Suki nor her fate. Her only appearance/mention is in the pilot's intro. 3. Going back to Sokka, it is implied by a Nickelodeon youtube video about Beifong's family tree that Sokka and Toph got together at one point and that Su Yin is their daughter. However, idk if this is ever confirm by the actual creators of Avatar

Sokka having something with Yue actually does get addressed in the show. During the ember players play. Suki: I didn’t know you dated the moon spirit? Sokka: ssssh I’m trying to watch It’s at least something right😅

As bad as Jet is, in a relationship sense, he is a tragic character that gets way too much hate imo. He's a kid born and raised in war. Who, after leaving the Frontlines to get to a safer place in Ba Sing Se, notices a couple fire benders in the city. This kid has been at war with the fire nation his whole life and here are two fire benders in the one city that's supposed to be safe. He naturally freaks out and ends up in prison, and later DIES in that prison. He's tortured to death all because he wanted to be safe and the Dai li wanted to maintain control of a brainwashed city. Jet is, from beginning to end, a representation of the horrors of war. Stop hating him.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the pushy aang kiss at the ember island players! it's pretty out of pocket and it never really gets addressed before the finale, always bothered me.

The Yue situation is addressed in the show! In the Ember Island Players, when they're watching the play about themselves, Suki goes "You never told me you made out with a moon spirit?" to which sokka responds "Shhh! I'm watchingg 🥹". Fun fact, this is Suki's voice actress's favourite line!

Ooh man they dont even come close scratching the surface of how bad Ozai's and Ursula's relationships was. But that was never elobrated on the show. You had to read the comics to get that bit.

My first viewing as a Patron! So excited to be here! I’ve been thinking about joining since the Ted Lasso Roy/Jamie video, but this one sealed the deal for me! I’ve been thinking about Avatar a lot lately, and I’m honestly dying to rewatch it! Love y’all’s takes on all these ships (Sokka is the team lovebender), but this video got me thinking… watch the live action show writers make Zutara official because the Kataang age gap is too weird for them😭

hurt to hear that Aang and Katara weren't number 1 but I respect and agree *sniff*

Am I the only one who has Zuko eventually finding Jin and they end up together as a head canon? 😭

During the episode about the ember plays it was mentioned that Sokka dated the moon. There was this one scene on stage about Yue dying and Suki said "You never told me you made out with the moon" and Sokka was very emotional. So it seemed like she knew at leat at this time.

Could we get more of ATLA? Which character is missing? Toph? Azula? Azula needs therapy!

I was waiting for this video and it is the reason I joined the Patreon... I am not disappointed :) Only thing is I cannot really get on board with Sokka and Yue. To me it seemed in the show that Sokka is only interested in her because he finds her pretty, they don’t know each other at all and barely have time to get to know each other, given how short their forbidden interactions are. Yue's feelings might be genuine, might also be the thrill of the forbidden romance and an escape from her miserable destiny. I think this relationship would not have been as noticeable if she would not have died turning into a goddess. After that she remains this fantasy, a "score" in a way when Sokka refers to her as his ex-girlfriend (which she never was and he did not accept).

JUSTICE FOR ZUTATRA. //all caps for emphasis, but in all seriousness - 100% agree with the other comments saying that it is *unfair* to limit the Zutara analysis at "the Cave of Destiny," because that's literally where their romantic potential/chemistry begins. imho, all of their greatest moments as a pair come when Zuko joins the Gaang -- Katara (rightfully) is extremely skeptical of him, because per her own admission, she was the *first* person to trust him, and he betrayed her. I looove how she was the person it took the longest for him to win over, because 1) it's consistent with her character, her being skeptical of him and protective of Aang, and 2) it shows the depth of that betrayal, and that in order for her to feel as hurt/betrayed as she did, there was a part of her that cared and genuinely believed he had changed.

Loved it! One comment you rarely addresed, Aang is 12, Katria is 13, Sokka is 15. Hopefully they mature but undersatndable their flaws when you get into more detail Psychology not having parents as Sokka, Katria, or Aang as far as we know

This was such a great relationship ranking video!! I love hearing insights through an actual therapist on what we see in the actual canon material of the show on how these dynamics flourish and why they wouldn't! Treating characters like people can help bring out the realness and help the audience have a deeper connection, some even getting too lost in the sauce haha! Anyway! I agree with everything that was ranked on the list! Especially the top two! Sokka and Suki are great, Katara and Aang are so sweet!! <3 Thanks for your insights!

Suki finds out about Yue in the play on the island.

Rena!!! Thank you for watching this with me, I’m so glad you got your call out in this episode ❤️

Never got the Zuko+Katara folks. It just seems gross on so many levels. He constantly hurts her, her friends, and innocent people. His actions are so antithetical to who Katara is and what she values in life that I'd never see them becoming more than friends. It's great that he goes on his journey of growth and change, but why do people feel the need to turn them into a couple at the end? I'm not saying he can't find happiness, nor that Aang and Katara is a foregone conclusion (though it makes much more sense) in that they are friends who trust and respect each other and for most people that's where loves blooms from. But Zuko, to me, has just really started his journey of finding out who he is without Azula and Ozai's poisonous influence, is he ready for a relationship? I don't think so, and that's fine, though in the future I think he and June might work surprisingly well together. As for Aang and Katara, meh, I get what others have said above, I don't actually know how many years older she is, I always thought 2 years, but maybe it's more? Either way, I figured that they wouldn't work well in the short term, they are very young, and that they'd try a relationship, then part, do their own things for a few years and come back together. But I watched Avatar when I was 11-12 so a lot of my perspective is shaped by that.

Ozai and Ursa's story is SO much worse than what is shown in the show. Ursa was the grand daughter of Avatar Roku. She was in love with a man named Ikem, but the fire sages told Firelord Azulon that if his son Ozai married Roku's granddaughter, they could begin a powerful firebender bloodline, even though Ursa wasn't a bender herself. So she was FORCED to marry Ozai. She secretly kept writing to Ikem, but none of her letters made it to him - the person she trusted to mail the letters gave them to Ozai instead. Ursa discovered this by writing a shocking secret in one of the letters - that Ikem was actually Zuko's father. Ozai sent assassins to track down and kill Ikem, to cover up this scandal, but they could not find him. He was missing and presumed dead. Around this time, Iroh abandoned the siege of Ba Sing Se (after the death of his son), and Ozai saw him as a traitor. He tried to convince their father, Azulon, to pass leadership of the fire nation to him, instead of to Iroh. Azulon was furious and said that Ozai would be punished for suggesting this, and the only punishment that would fit this transgression would be to sacrifice his son, Zuko, so he would understand his brother's pain. Azula overheard this and told Zuko and Ursa. For the love of her son, Ursa set up a plan with Ozai to assassinate Azulon, and Ozai would then ascend to the throne. Ozai's conditions were that she would be banished for killing the firelord, and that she absolutely could not take her children with her into banishment. Fast forward to after Zuko becomes the firelord - while his father is imprisoned, Zuko visits him and demands information about his mother, but he won't talk. In desperation, Zuko turns to Azula, who, it turns out, knows where the letters are hidden. They get a lead and head off to try to find Ursa (Azula included) at her home town. At some point, Zuko finds one letter that Azula had removed from the others and kept hidden from him - the one that says that Ikem is his real father. This would mean that Zuko has no claim to the throne; since Iroh's heir was dead, only Azula would be able to be the firelord. When they reach the town that Ursa was originally from, they start to ask about her. They meet an actor named Noren who says that the name "Ursa" is familiar and he invites them to meet his wife Noriko and daughter Kiyi. Noriko says that she had heard that Ikem didn't die, but that he traveled to the forgetful valley. The team heads out to find the forgetful valley. Aang feels the presence of a strong spirit; when they find it, it's the Mother of Faces. She confirms that Ursa came to her and was given a new face - big reveal, Noren and Noriko are actually Ikem and Ursa. Only Noren/Ikem knows this - Ursa doesn't have any memories of her previous life. Azula disappears, and the rest of the gaang head back to talk to Noren and Noriko. Zuko reveals his identity, then Azula ambushes them and loses, then runs away. Meanwhile, the Mother of Faces comes to Noriko and asks if she would like her old face and memories back - she says "yes", and becomes Ursa again. She then reveals that Ikem is NOT Zuko's father - this had been a ploy to trick Ozai, to see if he would confront her, which he did. She told Ozai the truth, that he is Zuko's father, not Ikem, but it didn't matter - he abused Zuko ever afterward just to hurt Ursa. Zuko brings Ursa and her new family back to the fire nation capital where she is finally free and happy, but dang if she didn't have a very hard life up to that point. For SURE the most toxic couple in the show. #thisisakidsshow

Great choice of the top 2, imo! Suki and Sokka are just the best. And although I know a lot of people will argue that Katara and Aang's relationship should have stayed platonic, to me it feels really natural. They are just kids, so of course they make plenty of mistakes and I agree that they need to improve their communication over time. But their absolute faith and trust in each other is beautiful, and there are plenty of moments when it's clear that Katara reciprocates to some extent - just look at the Cave of Two Lovers in s1 or their dance in s3 for just two examples.

how are you guys gonna talk about zuko & katara and stop at the cave of destiny 😭 (also "it's not canon/endgame, therefore it sucks" is really disrespectful) there are hours-long video essays about all of the zutara moments and narrative tropes and arcs that point to how well they would work as a couple, definitely far better than kataang. maiko clearly shows that they actually don't have much of anything in common, at least not once zuko's redemption really gets underway. mai represents everything about zuko's old life that he thinks he wants back, and how he realizes that it just isn't working because he has changed. he is NOT just "a cranky emo boi who hates the world," he doesn't hate the world at all. his arc points to katara, not mai. i'm really disappointed that this ranking seemed to begin & end with "what's canon/endgame?" just because aang & katara start as friends doesn't mean they make a good couple and just because they end up together doesn't mean their relationship is healthy. aang repeatedly minimizes and dismisses katara's feelings, from kissing her without her consent to telling her how she should or shouldn't process her grief. they only end up together because mike & bryan wanted them to, that's the long & short of it. zuko & katara had way more potential, way more chemistry, and (by the end) way more respect for each other as individuals.

Sokka does talk about Yua with Suki during the ember island players

I can't believe you guys missed the emotional complexity and richness of the 2 min drama of Azula and Chan! 😆😆 "That's a sharp outfit Chan. Careful, you could puncture the hull of an empire class fire nation battleship leaving thousands to drown at sea. Because it's so sharp" Joking aside, I liked how you included a platonic relationship like Zuko and Katara and the potential for it to have become romantic. I know they weren't Canon, but I think the creators and writers were hinting at the potential as well. Just my opinion.

I'll take ANY VIDEO YOU GUYS MAKE of ATLA and LOTR. Yay! I think it's interesting you guys saw Sokka afraid that his ex was watching him kiss. I definitely felt like it was more a symbol that he wasn't ready to move on, that his last love was "in between them" rather than something literal. And it wasn't until Suki went to leave that he knew he had to make his move or lose her forever. I think that they also have an advantage because they're young adults while Aang and Katara are literally children entering their teen years.

Katara and Aang made more sense as friends than anything else to me. I don't know why but I never rooted for them to be more. Zuko made more sense to me for her. Not saying they should have ended up together, he just made more sense than Aang to me. The moon loves a good love story and what better love story than to see the love you can't be with be happily in love with someone? Sokka would be a true fool for not taking Suki on long full moon lite walks that end with a kiss.

I LOVE it when you do Ranking Relationships videos!! Please keep it up!!

I absolutely loved this! Give me all the ATLA content 👏👏👏. I go back and forth about Sokka/Suki vs Aang/Katara.

No ranking of Iroh and June? Shame.

Avatar is still incredible!!! I doubt you guys would do it but speaking of Clayface I would love to see an episode of Batman the animated series!

O M G I want to be able to water bend my frustration tears @ my coworkers lol

If Katara and Zuko wasn't over as soon as it began but went on looking at their relationship would it be a good relationship also it is addressed the moon ex thing 😊. Really enjoy your content and live avatar!

Suki and Sokka taking first place is 100% accurate. I loved that they didn't have the drama of Katara and Aang will they won't they, they understood, accepted and appreciated eachother for who they were. Btw the Moon ex GF was addressed in the Ember Island Players episode.

I gotta admit, I have a soft spot for Zutara, but if you just take the show, I can see why it's so low. Alot of it is what could be, like you get the start of a relationship but it only gets to friendship in the show. I love Aang and Katara as friends but I think because of their age, I have a hard time seeing them as a romantic couple. Love Suki and Sokka though 😁

For the record, suki sort of found out in the ember island players when that scene is parodied, she says “I didn’t know you made out with the moon spirit” and Sokka did not want to talk about it and deflects to shh I’m trying to watch.

"Zuko and Mai reach a very healthy place" And then the sequel comics SCREW IT ALL UP!!! >:(

Man, we are getting spoiled today 😄

I’d 1000% flip-flop katara and aang. They’re journey is what I mostly strive for, save for the emotional withholding at their lowest. The friends to lovers thing. Also, the nba theme at the end? got me loling all the way home

No mention of Azula and Chan??? 😆

Post Edit: YAY! At least my Zutara wasn't at the bottom of the list. Thanks, Jet, for always being there to be the bottom of the barrel lol. Yup, there it is, near the bottom. Okay, LOOK. Their friendship that formed over time once Zuko starts working toward being a friend of the Gaang is freaking beautiful. They eventually come to respect each other as equals, especially when he takes her to get revenge against the person who killed her mom. He was there, supporting her, every step of the freaking way. And who was there for Zuko when he was fighting Azula? Katara. They don't start great, no, but they have an amazing potential for enemies to friends, then friends to lovers. They see each other, flaws and all, and are willing to equally call each other out while actively being there for each other and having each other's back. They are of opposite elements, and yet they have similar temperments, compliment each other's weaknesses, and could do wonderful for both of their nations working together. I love that kind of dynamic so much. Sokka and Suki being number one is the correct answer, yes. We can agree on that. I'll stand on my Zutara hill, though, damn it lmao.

Okay, in Zuko’s defense, it wasn’t just seeing Aang that made him immediately switch back. Azula manipulated him into thinking this was how he would be allowed to come back home, not only have his honor restored, but the respect of his father, something he’s always wanted.

I don’t know what it is, but Aang and Katara never clicked for me. I did think Aang’s crush on her was cute, but Katara never seemed to reciprocate it until the very last episode, like she cared deeply for him of course, but as a friend, not as a love interest.

😱Two in one day?!?! Lucky day for me!!!😎

Oh no... time to be called out for my favorite couple, probably 🤣. Will update afterwards lmao.