#haru deserved better

[sapphic-agent]

lmaooo not bryke themselves saying katara loves aang like a babysitter or little brother. it's so obvious in the show that katara views aang like that most of the time.

that's why aang gets so offended when it gets referenced by the ember island players and katara is confused about starting a romantic relationship with aang in the same episode. yet the fandom wants to act like you're insane if you think katara mothered aang and they had a sibling dynamic for most of the series. they really just act like you pulled it out of your ass even though both the text and authorial intent are there.

meanwhile they continuously insist "zutara is siblings coded" when there's nothing in the series to imply that view and bryke have never described their relationship like that. plus, bryke having being so salty towards zutara's popularity means we never will get to see zuko and katara have meaningful interactions in the franchise ever again anyway.

it's so frustrating how katara becoming a couple with aang came at the cost of destroying her relationships with jet, haru, and zuko. basically any guy around her age that wasn't her brother would be sabotaged (with jet suffering it the worst) because they would all be deemed "threats" to kataang.

LMAO I STILL FIND IT FUNNY😭

Bryke defenders get pissy when you point out that them being cis straight white men in the 2000s would obviously correlate to the show's flaws. But this is literally one of the reasons why. No woman wants to be in a relationship with someone she takes care of and views like a little brother. They said this while trying to defend Kataang. I'd almost feel bad if every Kataang shipper I met wasn't exceedingly obnoxious.

Some of them even try to compare her relationship with Aang to her relationship with Sokka. But they're completely missing that a) she grew up with Sokka, b) Sokka treated her like crap while Aang was sweet, and c) Aang was in great emotional pain so of course she was nicer to him.

I don't mind thinking of Zutara as sibling-like, unless you're only doing that to shut down Zutara. I love their platonic relationship, it's one of my favorites in the show.

I will always be mad about Haru, but I'll always be even more livid about Jet. The way Bryke treated him was gross. Especially when Aang threw his name out to shut down Katara's feelings despite the fact that he died helping them. Aang deserves more shit for this idc

[sapphic-agent]

JUSTICE FOR HARU

Justice for Haru!

The pornstache must die.

[longing-for-rain]

Katara and Mutuality in Relationships

There are lots of conflicting opinions about which characters Katara felt attraction towards, which characters she didn’t, and how long she felt that attraction. I see in most cases, people point to quick clips of her faintly blushing or kissing another character on the cheek as evidence, but I think these kind of takes miss the nuance of the purpose attraction serves in a story.

Most importantly, I see these characters treated as if they are actually people capable of making their own decisions. It’s important to remember that these are fictional characters. They don’t make their own choices; the writers make their choices for them for the purpose of telling a story. From that standpoint, it’s more valuable to examine how a character’s story and narrative themes tie into their relationships with other characters. Animators can shove in a kiss or a blush wherever they want, but it’s harder to demonstrate through storytelling how and why two characters might feel attraction towards one another, and how a relationship between them would develop both characters and contribute to the overarching themes of the story.

In other words, when discussing which characters Katara is “attracted” to, I’m discussing which relationships and actions within the narrative build on her established story and arc. Romance is always integrated into a story for a reason, and considering that reason is important.

Unfortunately, ATLA is very much a product of its time in this way. It’s easy to see what romance adds to the arcs of the male characters—but not so much with the female characters. All three canon relationships (kataang, sukka, and maiko) follow this trend to some degree. The primary purpose of the woman in this narrative is to act as a prize for the man for performing some good deed. Once they’re together, she ceases having her own motivations and becomes an extension of the male character she’s dating. This is pretty blatant with Suki—she barely had a personality in that later seasons; she is there to be Sokka’s girlfriend. Similarly, Katara becomes a completely different character—she’s even animated differently—when the narrative pushes her into romantic scenes with Aang. Her character is flattened.

So what is Katara’s arc, and how do the romantic interactions she has throughout the series contribute to this?

Well, that could be a whole other essay itself, but to put it simply, Katara’s arc is one of a young girl devastated by grief at a young age clinging to hope that she has the power to fight and change the world for the better. Which she does as she gains power and confidence throughout the series—culminating in her defeating Azula in the finale.

But the part I want to focus on here is how Katara connects with other characters. She connects with them over shared experiences of grief and loss.

Take Haru, for instance.

Haru: After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other earthbender, and took them away. We haven't seen them since.

Katara: So that's why you hide your earthbending.

Haru: Yeah. Problem is…the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know.

Katara: See this necklace? My mother gave it to me.

Haru: It’s beautiful.

Katara: I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her.

Haru: It’s not enough, is it?

Katara: No.

This isn’t just a throwaway moment; it’s an important character moment that leads up to growth and the progression of Katara’s overall story, both in this individual episode and in the whole series.

Katara finds her power in the connections she’s able to make with other characters. It’s a powerful driving force for her that makes her a strong character even before her bending abilities develop. Imprisoned was such an important episode to establish who Katara is and what her power is, and adds so much to her arc.

But there is one line in particular from the above exchange that also stands out: Haru says “it’s not enough, is it?” and Katara agrees. Even this early in the series, we’re establishing the fact that despite her drive and hopeful outlook, Katara feels deeply hurt, she feels a deep sense of loss that she opens up about to other characters in moments like these. But unlike Haru…Katara can’t go rescue her mother. Her mother is dead, and we see her grapple with that grief throughout the series.

Another character she reaches out to like this is Jet.

Jet: Longshot over there? His town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home.

Katara: What about you?

Jet: The Fire Nation killed my parents. I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever.

Katara: Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation.

Jet: I’m so sorry, Katara.

Another important note about Jet is that there are explicit romantic feelings from Katara in this episode. Again, Katara empathizes with another character through a shared sense of loss. Sadly, in this case, Jet manipulated her feelings and tricked her into helping in his plot to flood the village…but those feelings were undeniably there.

That was the tragedy in this episode, but it also gives the audience so much information about Katara as a character: what motivates her, and what she wants. Katara is established as a character who wants someone who will connect with her and empathize with her over her loss—her greatest sense of trauma. She wants to help others but also receive support in return. The reason why she was smitten with Jet, beyond just initial attraction, is because he gave her a sense of that before Katara realized his true motivations.

A lot of people make the claim that Aang is good for Katara because he also feels a sense of great loss and trauma. And while on paper that’s true…does he really demonstrate that? I just gave two examples of characters Katara connected with this way, and both responded with deep empathy to what she said. Very early on in the show—the third episode—Katara attempts to connect with Aang the same way. How does he respond?

Katara: Aang, before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the airbenders.

Aang: What about 'em?

Katara: Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother, and they could have done the same to your people.

Aang: Just because no one has seen an airbender, doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped!

Just compare this exchange to Haru and Jet. No effort to empathize, not even a “sorry for your loss” or anything. It’s a stark contrast, and the reason for that is because this narrative entirely centers Aang. Katara’s narrative always seems to be secondary to his when they’re together—which is exactly my point when I say this relationship has a fundamental lack of mutuality. It’s built that way from the beginning of the series. It does not add to Katara’s arc nor establish what about this dynamic would attract her.

And, look, before someone jumps down my throat about this…I’m not saying Aang is a horrible person for this response. I think it’s a sign that he’s immature and has a fundamentally different approach to problems than Katara. Katara is a character who has been forced to take on responsibilities beyond her years due to being a child of a war-torn world. Aang’s approach to problems is avoidance while Katara never had that luxury. It doesn’t mesh well.

This is all in Book 1. I honestly could have gotten on board with Kataang if the series meaningfully addressed these issues…but it didn’t. In fact, they actually got worse in some ways.

Back to Katara’s mother. We’ve established that this is a core part of Katara’s character and like in the scene with Haru, she indicates that this is an unresolved issue that pains her. But then, in Book 3, Katara actually does get a chance to confront this pain.

This would have been a powerful moment. Surely the character who is meant to be her partner, her equal, would have been there for her. Surely he would have understood and supported her, fulfilling her narrative and adding to her story.

But Aang didn’t do that. I won’t go into details because there are a million analyses out there on The Southern Raiders, but Aang’s response to Katara was the opposite of understanding. He got angry with her, insinuated that she was a monster for wanting revenge, and tried to dictate her behavior according to his own moral values. And importantly, from a narrative standpoint, he did not go with Katara. One of the most important events in her arc, and Aang didn’t support her—he actually tried stopping her. He didn’t contribute to her growth and development.

Also noteworthy:

Katara: But I didn’t forgive him. I’ll never forgive him.

Even at the end of the episode, Aang clearly doesn’t understand at all what Katara is feeling. This line demonstrates it perfectly. He thinks she forgave him when that wasn’t the case at all…but of course, he didn’t even accompany her, so he didn’t see what actually took place. His worldview is fundamentally different from hers, and he’s consistently too rigid in his morality and immature to center Katara’s feelings.

Throughout Katara’s whole arc, her most significant character moments, Aang’s character just doesn’t come through the way Katara’s constantly does for him. Their narrative lacks mutuality. When Katara and Aang are together, she becomes an accessory to him. The ending scene is a perfect demonstration of this.

Now, to address the elephant in the room.

Which character does actually add to Katara’s narrative and support her growth as a character?

Correct! I just talked about how important The Southern Raiders is to Katara’s character and story, how it’s a chance for her to finally address the grief she’s been carrying since Book 1. And who stood by her side throughout this pivotal moment? Right—Zuko did.

You can talk all you want about how he’s a “colonizer” while Aang’s people suffered genocide, but you’re forgetting that “show, don’t tell” is one of the most basic aspects of storytelling. The fact is, despite how it looks on paper, Zuko was the one there for Katara at her critical moments. Zuko empathized with Katara more than Aang ever did—as demonstrated in this episode. Zuko never once brought up his own cultural values. Zuko never once told Katara what to do. Zuko’s position was that Katara should be the one to decide, and that he would support any choice she made. He supported her decision to spare Yon Rha, but he would have also supported her if she decided to kill him. I actually found this episode to be a satisfying reversal to what is typically seen in TV—for once, the female character is centered while her male counterpart takes the backseat and becomes a supporting role to her narrative.

Even before this, Zuko is shown to empathize with Katara.

Zuko: I’m sorry. That’s something we have in common.

I think what gets me about this scene is the fact that he’s still Katara’s enemy, and she was just yelling about how she hates him and his people. But despite that, Zuko still empathizes with Katara. She is fundamentally human to him, and he expresses that to her in a way that allows them to connect. Zuko stands to gain nothing from this. It’s true that Azula entered the picture and twisted things around—but in this moment, Zuko’s compassion is genuine. His instinct was to respond to her grief with empathy, just like she consistently does for other characters.

And finally, how else does Zuko add to Katara’s arc?

I don’t think there is any more perfect of an example than the finale itself—the culmination of the arcs and development of all characters.

Zuko and Katara fight together. In a heartbeat, Zuko asks Katara to fight by his side against Azula, because he trusts her strength. She’s his equal—both in his mind, and in a narrative sense.

Then, this:

Both of their roles are so critical in this fight. They both save each other. The scene has such raw emotion to it. These characters were together at the conclusion of their respective arcs for a reason.

This is the perfect conclusion to Katara’s arc. She just played a critical role in ending the war that has caused her trauma her whole life. She just demonstrated her mastery of waterbending (another thing she’s dreamed of throughout the series) by defeating the world’s most powerful firebender during Sozin’s Comet. Even though she had help as all characters do, these are victories that belong to her and demonstrate the growth and power of her character. And to top it all off? She was able to save Zuko’s life. She didn’t have to endure the pain of feeling helpless to do anything while someone else died for her; this time, she had an active role, she changed her fate, and she prevailed. Zuko plays an important role in Katara’s story without dominating it. They perfectly represent mutuality. They add to each other��s stories. Their narratives become stronger when they’re together, without one diminishing or sidelining the other.

So, from that standpoint, that’s why I always see the attraction between Zuko and Katara and why I see it lacking between Aang and Katara. Zuko and Katara’s story doesn’t need some cheap little throwaway moments to shine. It’s integral to both characters’ stories. We are shown not told of the way these characters feel about each other. Given everything we know about Katara, her goals, her values, her past loves…absolutely everything points to Zuko being the true subject of her feelings.

Because let’s be honest. The ending I just described is so much more powerful and so much more Katara than seeing her being relegated back to a doe-eyed love interest for Aang to kiss. It hardly even made sense—Katara played no role at all at the culmination of Aang’s arc. She was relegated back to a love interest, rather than the powerful figure we saw fight alongside Zuko.

[asdfghjklhawaii]

HEAD FULL OF MAKOHARU RFN!!!

HARU GIVING THE GOLD MEDAL TO MAKOTO IS CANON NOW 😭 IT'S NOT A DRILL!!!

[micha-lapin]

damn, legoshi is goin through it. I feel bad for him, but damn, the way this show goes about presenting the carnivore instincts is super fuckin awesome! it really gets the feeling across

also I like all of these characters, I'm only on ep 2 rn but damn, even the minor characters are super interesting and stand out in personality!!! I love it

[kimbapisnotsushi]

support club for characters with second lead syndrome but ESPECIALLY for high school romance manga series

[timothylawrence]

i can acknowledge when a certain thing just isnt for me and i respect that but my god. p5 pisses me off so bad

[not-harukal524]

crying in the club rn goddamn it i knew what i was getting myself into but……

[sapphic-agent]

Is it me, or is it super odd how Katara's love interests who aren't Aang are treated?

Like, Haru was given that god awful mustache and beard for what?? There's no way a storyboarder looked at that and thought, "Hey, that looks great!" It feels like they made him less attractive on purpose so that he couldn't be considered for a potential romance with Katara.

(Which is also shallow. Kataang fans complain that Zutara fans don't want Katara with Aang because he's unattractive, except Bryke did the exact same thing with Haru. He stopped being a love interest as soon as he got that mustache. They even go out of their way to point that out when Katara says she never had a thing with Haru when she did)

And then there's Jet. I know everyone was portrayed terribly and EIP and that was the whole point of the joke, but Jet's death? Katara, Sokka, and Aang just don't react? After he died helping them? Sokka even jokes about it???

And I know they also joked about Yue's death (which also kinda sucked), but at least Sokka was emotional. At least he cared. Jet was just completely brushed aside as an afterthought. Of course Katara can't have any feelings about it (even if it's not necessarily grief, but unresolved anger or hurt or whatever).

It feels like these actions were deliberate to push Katara towards Aang. And that's so unfair, not only for Katara but also for Haru and Jet. These were two great characters who deserved to be treated well

[thesalsaguy216]

THIS. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT SHOULD’VE HAPPENED, INSTEAD OF THAT TONE DEAF SLAPSTICK NONSENSE.

May we all forget the worst scene after Shido’s palace ever happened, and replace with Ryuji actually getting the cheers and appreciation he deserves 🙏

[235uranium]

a source of angst, drama, and character study that ime is sorely underexplored is haru's willingness to forgive her Objectively Horrific father but not akechi. I have takes on it.

[rosasappho]

did anyone notice i cropped out that one given character LMAO

[dnangelic]

' oho , you flatter me , miss ! ' and he doesn't hate it in the slightest , evidently . ' what's the world to your words ? or should i say the rest of you ? you're beautiful too , enough to take anyone's breath away . '

" i absolutely agree ! next to you i am sure the world is in eternal tremendous awe ! "

[yuri-is-online]

Tokyo Debunker fic ideas (that I cannot get to until I clean my ask box)

MC's curse gets lifted, and the sages ring is removed, allowing the school to wipe her memories and send her back to her normal life. The ghouls aren't allowed to interact with her, but she still runs into the same guy constantly while she's out living her life, and she knows in her bones she knows him. She trusts him with her entire body and soul and she keeps being drawn to him even if he seems like he wants to avoid her- (Sho swears this will be the last time they hook up, that he's really just saying good bye and that she deserves better than some guy who can't be with her in the morning but he kisses her and forgets all his protests)

Same idea but with Kaito and instead if smut they just sit and talk at various cafes about things because MC keeps finding him where he's hiding and is overly determined to cheer him up. Still angsty and for some reason it seems sadder to me for some reason

Love triangle with MC, Haku, and Taiga where MC and Haku are sort of a thing and Taiga's pissed off because Haku is the traitor? And he knows Haku is just going to hurt MC but then he's not much better and he knows that but still. He wants to eat his own heart and have her in his arms, he'd do anything... (kind of like the idea of a time loop where Taiga and MC were together in the first loop but Haku swooped in before Taiga could get over himself this time and put the moves on MC... meanwhile MC likes the way Haku treats her and believes he's not so bad but is still a little in love with Taiga...)

Haru gets very drunk and talks about how much he loves everyone in his dorm and MC while Ren and MC try to get him home to Jabberwock.

I'm so tired /ᐠ - ˕ -マ

[afterthelambs]

HI OMG i was not expecting these great replies and analysis when I made that joke post yesterday lol, I'm nodding and snapping at everything u guys are saying.

Even if i was making an offhand joke I kinda wanna clarify too what I meant (sorry for the upcoming long post). I feel like there's at least 2 main versions of Haru: the canon Haru (everything we get from her in-game), and fanon Haru (a version of her that fleshes out the agency aspect). Because like @hecksupremechips said, the Okumura palace storyline wasnt written very well. Haru being upset at her father's death because it robbed her of her ability to make her own decisions is a very popular fan interpretation (which i adore) but that's the issue: it's only a fan interpretation. The game itself never goes that far, which is upsetting to me because that wouldve been such good writing.

But instead what we get officially is her being kinda apologetic about her father. The biggest BRUH moment I had was when Joker was rallying the phantom thieves in the velvet room. When he visits Haru, she says she wasnt afraid to die because she can finally apologize to her father face-to-face, followed by her saying "Just as I betrayed my distorted father before, I will betray my boring former self now!" which was supposed to be empowering but ends up framing her decision to take control of her life as a betrayal of her father. Which is.... not great. You hit the nail on the head, the writers arent the best at writing abusive parental relationships lol.

It gets worse in the third semester because they show Haru's biggest wish is to have a good relationship with him again. Granted, all the phantom thieves' wishes are about wishing the bad stuff never happened to them in the first place. However, her storyline is supposed to be about making her own choices. Keeping it open-ended/ leaving her with options would've been more congruent with that storyline. But her Maruki wish is her choice. The writers revealed that her choice would be to reconcile with him, not cut him off. It's understandable a child would want to have a good relationship with their parent, but still like... I'm bothered by how it clashes with the 'make my own choices' storyline they went for.

It's frustrating to me because I know the writers did this to keep the phantom thieves consistent with each other. Again, all of them wished for the bad stuff to never happen. Haru just got the short end of the stick since the other thieves' wishes dont contradict their arcs as much as hers does. For example, Ann's wish that Shiho never got assaulted is completely consistent with why she joined the PT in the first place and unlocked her persona. She wants safety and happiness for herself and Shiho, her wish grants her that. Morgana since the beginning was hoping to be human (fearing that he was a monster), his wish granted him that. Futaba's story is about overcoming the trauma of losing her mother, her wish granted her that by never losing her mother in the first place. But Haru? Her story was supposed to be about exercising agency away from her father. Her wish was not about that. They made it seem like she actually just wanted him to be a good person and father to her again. Her agency doesnt take focus unfortunately. I'm giving the writers a bombastic side-eye for dropping the ball, they didn't try hard enough to make it work.

But that's CANON Haru. FANON Haru is a lot more like you guys have been saying, and she's much better. I REALLY like what @ingoodjesst  said about Haru being "both firm about justice and kind about injustice" since she can recognize more than anyone how Akechi did not have agency👏. Akechi in-canon was kinda in denial about whether he was a puppet or not. At some point in the third semester he insists that he has never lived his life controlled by anyone, and I hated how the game never pointed out that he WAS controlled by Shido AND yaldabaoth. Everyone with a brain knows a kid doesnt start killing under normal circumstances. I very badly wanted a proper Haru-Akechi interaction, even Yusuke since his circumstances are similar. I guess thats why fandom exists lol, picking up where the writers dropped things

Sorry for the ramblings!! My post was originally just a 'rip bozo' joke at Okumura (because good riddance), but I loved how this ended up making me reflect a lot on Haru's character and the way she's written in-game and by fans.

Persona 5 and to some extent the fandom tries to make us feel bad that Goro Akechi killed Haru's father but like that guy is basically the fast food equivalent of elon musk complete with space obsession, disrespecting his daughter, and workers abuse, and also his palace gave me a migraine so frankly im glad his ass is dead everyone say thank you akechi

[kirai-xx]

OG Trio Groupchat

(Baji, Mikey, Sanzu)

---

[Mikey created a new group chat]

[Mikey added Haruchiyo Sanzu and Baji Keisuke]

Baji: Wahts tis?

Sanzu: pls learn to spell istg

Mikey: I made a gc for us cuz we barely have to do anything with each other since we made toman

Baji: smard, didnt thing yu would do smth like tis

Sanzu: That really was a good idea, Mikey

Sanzu: And you better do something about your spelling before I cut your throat, Baji

Mikey: yo chill, we can still understand him

Baji: ye, it isnt even tat bad

Baji: besid I cant now how to spel if no body tels me

Sanzu: what about this Chifuyu guy? wasn't he going to teach you?

Mikey: which Chifuyu guy?

Baji: HOW DO YU EVEN NOW ABOUT HIM

Sanzu: ... Let's forget that I mentioned him

Mikey: were you stalking Baji again, Sanzu?

Sanzu: definitely not, idk what you're talking about

Baji: Then how do yu now about Chifuyu?

[Sanzu went offline]

Baji: sus

Mikey: I'm gonna talk to him later

[a few days later]

Baji: MIKEY TEEL SANZU TO STOP STALKING ME

Mikey: Sanzu, what the fck are you doing?

Sanzu: I'm trying to figure out more about this Chifuyu guy so I can tell him to teach Baji to spell better and my first step was to follow Baji around

Sanzu: Also I was bored

Baji: NO REASON TO FOLOW ME AROUND

Baji: ALSO I CAN SE YOU BEHIND THAT KORNER

Sanzu: shit

[Sanzu went offline]

Mikey: I bet he ran away?

Baji: yea I cant se him any more

Mikey: Haruuuuu, come back online and explain yourselfff

Baji: yeeee listen to himmm

Baji: ayoo I can se yu running Haruuu

Mikey: stop running and answer us!! Haru!!

Baji: now hes gone, I cant se him any more

Sanzu: Guys stop spamming me

Baji: only if yu neva stalk me again

Mikey: Isn't stalking me enough

Baji: yes stalk him instead of me!!

Sanzu: is that a message with no spelling mistakes I see there

Sanzu: omg it really happened

Sanzu: Baji can write

Mikey: Baji, we're proud of you

Sanzu: on second thought it probably wasn't even him who wrote that

Baji: WHY R YU SO MEAN TO ME

Sanzu: BECAUSE YOU ARE STUPID

Sanzu: the only thing about you I admire is your hair

Mikey: wait really? You like his hair?

Sanzu: yeah it's so long and beautiful and smooth

Baji: I neva though yu could say somethink nice about me

Sanzu: I didn't say anything nice about you, but your hair

Mikey: holy flip that was mean asf

Baji: imma cry

Sanzu: idc, as long you fcking learn to spell

Baji: at last I dont stallk people in my fretime you FREACK

Sanzu: before you try to insult me again, DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR SPELLING

Mikey: how are you two even friends??

Baji: no clue, this freack only insults me all the time!!

Sanzu: you don't deserve compliments

Mikey: I didn't even know you could be this mean

Mikey: you're always so nice to me

Baji: CUZ HE IS A FREACK

Sanzu: I am not a freack, you dumbass!!!

Mikey: btw it's spelled frek Baji

Sanzu: ...

Sanzu: I am disappointed

[Sanzu went offline]

Baji: huh??

Mikey: huh??