Avatar: The Last Airbender, as a franchise, is always deliberate with every decision that is made. A character’s backstory, design, bending, techniques, and even their alliance, all have a part to play in the grand scheme of things. A design made by creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, to perfectly fit their grand puzzle.
Knowing this, there are many decisions made that fans find difficult to assign meaning to. In situations like these, the creators lend a hand in exposing the intention behind why things were made the way that they were.
One example of this, that has had fans scratching their heads since the very first season was why Katara is the only bender in the South Pole. Finding the decision to be almost cruel towards the character, they cannot understand why she was made to be so alone. DiMartino finally answered this question during an interview and the intentions are intriguing, to say the least.
The Creators Of Avatar: The Last Airbender Had a Vision That Followed An Order
Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko gave quite an in-depth interview with Unicrost, where they talked about every variable that helped them create Avatar: The Last Airbender. Although it may not come as a surprise to fans, the pair revealed that the first character they designed for the series was Aang. Being the protagonist of the series and having his title in the name of the show, it is only natural that this was the case.
DiMartino revealed that the other characters were based off his design, characteristics, and personality. They seemed to want his character to start the series at the edges of an isolation of his own making. They wanted him to almost start at his version of rock bottom so that they could have a satisfying progression for his story.
“The first character we had was Aang. You know, the Avatar; the main character and we knew that as the story progressed, after coming up with all of these nations, he would have companions on this journey with him.”
However, as he collected elements like infinity stones, they wanted him to eventually have people by his side. A team of sorts that would later be referred to as Team Avatar. The first and main members of the group were Sokka, and his sister, Katara. Speaking about their characters, the animator revealed that their characters were shaped around Aang, especially the younger sister.
Katara Needed to Be Alone According To Michael DiMartino
Michael DiMartino then went on to reveal that when they were done with Aang, they had a clear vision for the siblings. They wanted only one to have the ability to bend and make them isolated and alone because of this trait. Not only because their sibling was normal but because everyone from their home was also.
“We really liked the idea of having this brother-sister team alongside him And that one would be a bender and one wouldn’t be. We wanted her (Katara) to be the waterbender. We wanted to give her an arc as well.”
Karata is the only person in the entire South Pole who has the ability to waterbend. This creative decision was made for the sake of progressing her story. If she had grown up in a bender-friendly environment, she would have nothing new to learn when it comes to her powers. Much like Korra from the Legend of Korra, she would constantly have to perform greatness to be considered as a ‘growing character’.
“She needed a place to go and if she had already been there, and there were all of these waterbenders around, she would have already mastered waterbending, then what does she need to go on this journey for? That’s where the idea that she was the last one left on the South Pole came from.”
However, since she was almost as inexperienced with her powers as Aang was, the two formed a deep connection, which bloomed into a heartfelt friendship, later turning into a partnership.
Leaving Katara on her own regarding power and glory and having minimal knowledge about the true extent of her capabilities was a conscious decision made so that her character had a goal to reach by the end of the story. It helped her grow and have an arc like no other. It is safe to say that every aspect of the series was well-thought-through.
