Top 10 Badass Katara Moments on Avatar: The Last Airbender

When we were first introduced to Katara, she wasn’t that confident in her waterbending. Although she had natural talent, she didn't have the knowledge to use her skills to their full potential. But Katara was still able to pull off an impressive waterbending feat in the first episode. During an argument with her brother Sokka, she accidentally cracks a huge iceberg with some angry waterbending moves. Her unintentional attacks have the added bonus of revealing the block of ice Aang was frozen inside of. Seeing Katara shatter an iceberg and discover the most powerful person in the world with her waterbending was only a preview of the amazing things she would accomplish.

“The Gaang” is supposed to keep a low profile while they travel through potentially hostile Fire Nation lands. But when Katara stumbles upon a poor fishing village whose water is being polluted, she can't stop herself from helping out. After finding out the fire nation locals believe in a lake spirit called the Painted Lady, she pretends to be this mystical being while performing good deeds. Katara heals the villagers, destroys the factory causing pollution, and helps kick corrupt firebenders out of the town. If anyone discovered she was a waterbender, the Fire Nation could have captured her or worse. The fact that Katara put her life on the line to help complete strangers shows how courageous she is.

Whenever Aang meditates into the Spirit World, his body is left open to attack. So, when Zuko tries to kidnap the vulnerable Avatar, it’s up to Katara to keep her friend safe. She keeps up with the hothead’s firebending with a series of cool water bending moves. Katara is completely unaffected by Zuko's fire or his insults. She eventually ends the fight by overwhelming Zuko with a ridiculously powerful move. Katara’s victory showed the prince that she had become a master waterbender. And when Zuko tries to fight her again in the next episode, she's happy to teach the firebender another lesson.

During Aang’s time in the iceberg, firebenders eliminated all of his fellow Air Nomads. Katara tries to protect him from this fact when he visits his mountainous home at the Southern Air Temple. But when Aang discovers the truth, he’s overwhelmed by negative emotions and goes into the powerful Avatar State. Although he has enough power to knock Katara off the mountain, she gets closer and tries to reassure Aang. Her words are enough to bring him out of the Avatar State. Unfortunately, this isn't the last time she has to bring him out of his powerful form. But no matter how terrifying Aang appears, Katara always has enough strength to share his pain and bring him back from the edge.

Katara had already proven herself as a capable leader when she motivated the Gaang to get out of the desert. She stepped up again when they traveled through a route known as the Serpent's Pass. Although the dangerous path had Fire Nation patrols and was broken at certain places, she never stopped pushing the group forward. Katara parted the waters of the lake, created an ice bridge, and helped Aang fight a giant sea snake to keep everyone safe. And if that wasn't enough, she also delivered a baby! The Gaang wouldn’t have made it through the desert or across the Serpent's Pass without her talents. If you ever need to go on a treacherous trip, you should see if Katara can watch your back.

After an elderly Fire Nation resident named Hama reveals she’s a waterbender, she offers to teach Katara a powerful technique at night. Once the full moon is in the sky, the old woman explains she invented a skill called bloodbending to control living beings. But Katara is hesitant to learn the horrifying technique. Unfortunately, Hama refuses to take no for an answer and bloodbends Katara. When the old woman uses her technique to force Aang and Sokka to hurt each other, Katara is left with no other options. She bloodbends Hama to save her friends. While Katara’s decision is unquestionably heroic, it immediately traumatizes her. She never wanted to use the dark technique. But now it will always be a part of her.

A former Fire Nation soldier named Yon Rha took the life of Katara's mother during a raid. When Zuko offers Katara a chance to get the murderer, she doesn't hesitate. She attacks a ship of soldiers and even bloodbends a man in her quest to find where Yon Rha lives. When Katara finally locates and confronts him, she pulls off a stunning waterbending feat. She stops the falling rain and turns individual raindrops into deadly icicles. Although Katara could easily end Yon Rha, she decides to spare his life. She clearly had enough power to get justice for her mother. The only reason he is still walking around is because Katara decided to show him mercy.

Shortly after arriving at the North Pole, Katara attempted to train under the waterbending master Pakku. But he refused to train women. After Katara insults him by learning waterbending forms from Aang, she challenges him to a one-on-one match. She uses every technique in her arsenal to keep up with the master. Even Pakku has to admit that she has talent in the middle of their battle. Although he ultimately wins their duel, Katara’s determination and a killer speech are enough to convince him that he should start training women. Katara’s badass stand against sexism paved the way for future generations of female waterbenders and brought her one step closer to becoming a master.

Aang and Katara were holding their own in a battle against Zuko and Azula underneath Ba Sing Se until the Dai Li army arrived to back the Fire Nation siblings up. When Aang tried to even the odds by going into the Avatar State, Azula hit him with a bolt of lightning. Although Katara is devastated, she quickly creates a tidal wave that distracts her enemies and brings her closer to Aang. After Iroh gives her a chance to escape, Katara brings Aang back from the brink of death with her healing powers. If she hadn't acted quickly, the Avatar Cycle would have ended right then and there. The world owes Katara an unpayable debt for the decisive actions she took that day.

Before we reveal the water tribe’s top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Holding Back a Massive Slurry of Rocks & Water
“The Drill”

Stopping Jet
“Jet”

Using Sweat-Bending to Break Out of Prison
“The Runaway”

Fighting Mai & Ty Lee at the Same Time
“Return to Omashu”

Inspiring Earthbenders to Rebel Against the Fire Nation
“Imprisoned”

We already knew that Katara could take Azula in a one-on-one match.But when the Fire Nation princess’ powers were enhanced to godlike levels by Sozin's Comet, we got a little nervous about our favorite waterbender. Fortunately, Katara had a plan. After dodging huge fireballs and lightning, she gets Azula to stand over water and freezes them both in place. Katara uses a special technique to move inside of the ice and put her enemy into chains. She only takes a breath once Azula is fully immobilized. Knowing that Katara beat a firebending prodigy during a comet was impressive on its own. But since defeating Azula ensured that Zuko ascended to the throne and ended the war, her monumentally badass victory deserves the top spot.