It’s no surprise that Avatar: The Last Airbender remains a favorite among fans across the world. The fictional universe full of benders wielding different elements is wonderfully drawn out in a unique plot and a cast of brilliantly developed characters. Unlike other children’s programs, adults can also look forward to life lessons blended with lighthearted humor and multiple perspectives.
Legend of Korra even continued the story but fans still want more. The demand is so high that Netflix is currently working on a live-action adaptation. Rewatching the series allows a closer analysis of the main members of Team Avatar. Although Sokka grew into a strong leader eventually, he wasn’t always Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s most likable character.
10 Sokka Is Sexist In The Beginning
In the first episode, Sokka is quite open about upholding and enforcing stereotypical gender roles. He doesn’t hesitate to insist that his sister, Katara, do all of the household chores such as sewing and cleaning. Nor does he offer to help with anything because Katara was quick to complain about his lack of effort. He didn’t consider any of those tasks to be worthy of men because men were in charge of fighting and hunting. In addition, Sokka incorrectly assumed the fierce female Kyoshi warriors to be men when they first met because he didn’t believe women could be strong and learn how to fight.
9 Exuded Toxic Masculinity
It seems that sexism goes hand in hand with toxic masculinity because Sokka exuded a stern concept of manliness during the first season. As the only teenage boy left in his village, Sokka took on the role of protector and tried to rally the younger boys to follow suit. He insisted on taking their roles seriously because they were the only ones left to ensure the safety of their village.
But doing so meant that the boys weren’t allowed to have any fun or play games. Sokka firmly believed that to be a man one shouldn’t show any weaknesses or have leisure time.
8 Sokka Was Condescending Towards Benders
Because Sokka was a non-bender, he didn’t truly understand the rigor and strengths that came with bending. Nor was he able to grasp the importance of carrying on the tradition of bending to people such as Katara. However, he also held a condescending attitude towards bending when the first season began.
Sokka frowned upon the so-called “magic” and couldn’t grasp Katara’s yearn to learn water bending. In Sokka’s eyes, he considered physical strength and intricate knowledge of weapons or war as superior to bending.
7 Sokka Was Risk-Averse About Everything
Being cautious can be a good thing, but Sokka took things to a whole other level. During Team Avatar’s time in the Fire Nation where they have to blend in, Sokka becomes more attentive about their every move because he wants to keep danger at bay. His yearning to ensure everyone’s safety quickly becomes annoying and detrimental to their overall mission in helping Aang learn all four elements. Sokka initially refuses to let Aang enroll in a Fire Nation school, even if that allows Aang the opportunity to gain more knowledge about the Fire Nation.
6 Sokka Was Egotistical
For all of Sokka’s strengths, he believed too highly of himself at times. Despite his lack of strict training, Sokka openly asserted himself as the strongest warrior in his village and talked excessively of his abilities as a warrior.
It felt like he was trying to exude a false persona of confidence and competence. Plus, his lack of self-awareness extended to wanting to be admired and liked by everyone. Sokka doesn’t hesitate to compliment himself or make his presence known whenever there’s a chance – especially around a crowd of ladies.
5 Sokka Was Sarcastic At The Wrong Times
It’s easy to recognize Sokka’s sarcasm and one-liners as comedic relief for fans. With everything that Team Avatar has to take on – from avoiding Zuko at all costs and deciphering allies from enemies – it helped to infuse humor during certain moments. However, Sokka’s timing couldn’t be worse since he tended to use sarcasm in the middle of battles or in times of crisis.
One particular example that stood out was the Season 2 episode “The Drill” where Katara was using waterbending to create a ball of slurry that would clog up the Fire Nation’s seemingly invincible drill. Sokka’s sarcastic reminder about, “Don’t forget to breathe,” struck an angry chord with Katara.
4 Sokka Was Stubborn To A Fault
Since the Fire Nation started the war, it’s understandable that the other nations have a negative perception of firebending and those who wield it. For Sokka, that view stems from a more personal experience as the Fire Nation attacked his village and took his mother. Throughout the series, Sokka refused to see the people of the Fire Nation as humans and stubbornly protested against Aang learning firebending. In addition, he didn’t think it was necessary for Aang to help young peers from the Fire Nation because according to Sokka, he couldn’t do anything for “a country full of depraved little fire monsters.”
3 Sokka’s Indifference Towards Others
There were times where Sokka was too caught up in the bigger picture. In Book 3, Team Avatar needed to stick to a strict timeline to ensure they could beat Fire Lord Ozai. Sokka was especially blinded by the mission. In the Season 3 episode “The Painted Lady,” he discouraged Katara and others from helping a fishing village that had its resources cut off. In the end, Katara took it upon herself to aid them, even if it meant being in disguise.
2 Sokka Avoided Conflict As Much As Possible
For a guy who often talked about being a leader and became a talented strategist, Sokka avoided conflict within Team Avatar at all costs. Leaders should be able to effectively manage any conflicts on a daily basis ,but he was ill-equipped to handle a particular tiff between Toph and Katara.
Instead of mediating a conversation or finding neutral ground, Sokka thought the solution was to trick Katara into thinking Toph wrote an apology to her. Fortunately, Katara quickly saw through that because Toph can’t read or write.
1 Sokka Was Arrogant When It Came To His Plans
Sokka had tunnel vision when it came to his plans. That tunnel vision could be seen as arrogance and caused major drawbacks for Team Avatar. He believed that he was the smartest and wisest member of the team. As a result, Sokka’s ideas and plans always came first. No matter how impossible those plans were, Sokka refused to hear otherwise or people’s input and criticism.
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