Kataang

Kataang is the het ship between Aang and Katara from the Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom.

Canon
Katara first met Aang after freeing him from an iceberg. Aang immediately wanted to go penguin sledding with her and Katara was excited to meet an airbender. Sokka did not trust Aang and tried to banish him at one point which upset Katara. While Aang initially lied about being the Avatar, Katara eventually learned the truth and Aang admitted that he did not want to be the Avatar. Katara assured him that the brought hope to the world and joined Aang in his journey to master the elements and save the world.

Aang and Katara quickly became good friends and the former would eventually fall for Katara. Katara was oblivious to his feelings and Aang attempted to tell Katara multiple times but always failed. At one point, the two were trapped in the Cave of Two Lovers together. When their torch was about to run out, Katara suggests a wild way to escape to Aang and kissed thinking it would lead them out of the cave. They blushed at each other after they made it out of the cave.

After visiting the spirit library, Appa was stolen by sandbenders. Aang was greatly upset by this. He went into the Avatar State out of anger at one point and Katara calmed him down in tears, expressing and understanding the grief Aang had. Before they got Appa back, Katara reminded Aang that it was okay to be upset. Eventually, Aang attempted to open his chakras in order to master the Avatar State but could not open his last chakra because he would have needed to let go of his attachment to Katara. Aang apologizes to Katara before opening his chakra and eventually did so during a battle but was shot down by Azula. Katara healed Aang with spirit water while she was in tears and hugged him in relief, in an affectionate gesture.

Aang later awoke over one month later. He disappears and Katara was deeply worried for him. She consoled Aang when she finds him on Roku's temple. While they were traveling through the Fire Nation, Aang and Katara danced at one point and the latter had a lot of fun doing so. Right before the invasion, Aang kissed Katara because he was afraid that he would not return. She returned the kiss and reassures him. However, Aang later confronted Katara about her feelings after a play about them and she said that she was confused. Aang kissed her again out of recklessness which caused her to yell at him and run away. Their relationship becomes tense after the event, but Katara confidently supports him, even after his disappearance.

After Aang defeated the Fire Lord, Katara attended the coronation for the new Fire Lord, Zuko and smiled at Aang. The two kissed passionately in Ba Sing Se and finally became a couple.

Aang and Katara's relationship continued for years later and Katara always joined Aang in helping him deal with world affairs. At some point, they got married and had three children. The one hundred years that Aang spent in the iceberg eventually caught up with him and he passed away, leaving Katara as a widow. Katara would train Aang's next life Korra. Even after seventeen years, she still greatly missed her husband.

Fanon
Kataang is a very popular ship as it is the endgame ship between the two main characters of the show. It is also the main ship of the series. This ship was initially not nearly as popular as Zutara but it eventually gained in popularity by the series end when it became canon, though not to the point that it surpassed its rival. A lot of fans supported the ship for its unique relationship dynamic- an energetic and lighthearted younger boy whisks away the burdened and mature older girl on an adventure, showing her sights and helping her achieve her dreams. Fans also appreciate Aang's sweet romantic gestures towards Katara- his making her a replacement necklace out of fish line, inviting her to dance when she was sitting by herself, etc.

Many fans celebrated after The Legend of Korra was announced and it was revealed that they had children. A lot of fanon was written about their wedding and their parenting.

However, the actual depiction of their romantic relationship in the comics and in Korra soured many supporters' love for the ship. In the comics, Katara is relegated to being attached to Aang's arm, with her feelings being regularly ignored in favor of propping up Aang, with the comic even shaming Katara for feeling resentful when Aang ignores her to bask in the attention of his fan club. She is also often reduced to a damsel in distress to be rescued by Aang or made ineffectual to prop up someone else's talent. All the while, the duo's interactions with one another are reduced to simply kissing/cuddling, Aang rescuing Katara, and Katara listening to Aang's problems. Some efforts were made in later issues to show Katara acting independently of Aang, but for many fans it was too little to late.

Then in Korra, all the previous issues are made worse and then some when their married life is shown: it is revealed that Aang neglected his two firstborn, non-bending children to focus on the airbending Tenzin to the point that Kya and Bumi are bitter about it well into their mid-50s. While efforts were definitely made to show the siblings continued love and support for one another, the first couple impressions focusing on Kya and Bumi's resentment left a long and bitter impression on fans. While the creators have spoken out to clarify Aang's relationship with his two eldest children as just them overreacting, no further material has been published to show this to the fans.

Fans defend him by saying Aang did not neglect his children for his own reasons, but to teach everything he knew to Tenzin, his youngest airbender son before his death (which shortly occurred after Tenzin learnt everything). Katara understands the reason, but often slightly felt disappointment for Aang for neglecting their children. The fans also often dismiss The Legend of Korra as non-existent as the show didn't represent the ship as they thought they would.

Overall, despite being canon, the terrible handling of Kataang in the sequel material left many of its fans distraught and dejected, with some abandoning the ship, jumping to another ship, or choosing to ignore all entries besides the original show. Many fans have since written fanfics that follow Aang and Katara's romance after the end of the show to address these issues, allowing the ship to grow and prosper in ways its supporters found lacking in the canon follow-ups.

Bumi
Bumi is the first son of Aang and Katara and was born as a non-bender. However, he became an airbender after Harmonic Convergence and joined the new Air Nation. Bumi was a commander of the United Forces until he retired and moved in with Tenzin. He is named after Aang's friend Bumi who was the king of Omashu. Bumi was known for being a wild man and likes to tell ridiculous stories of his past.

Kya
Kya is the second and only daughter of Aang and Katara. She is a waterbender and a healer like her mother. Kya has lived the hippie lifestyle and traveled around the world in order to find herself. However, after Aang passed away, she moved in with Katara to support and comfort her. Kya is named after her deceased maternal grandmother, who was killed by the Fire Nation. "Secret Tunnel" is her favorite song. She is bisexual, and it is notable to mention that her father was extremely supportive to her coming out of the closet.

Tenzin
Tenzin is the third son of Aang in Katara. He is a master airbender and was the Air Nomad representative of the United Republic Council until it was dissolved. Tenzin is also Korra's airbending teacher and served as a spiritual guide for her until it was revealed that he could not enter the Spirit World. He is the only of Aang and Katara's children who got married and had children.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Aang/Katara tag on FanFictio

DEVIANT ART
 * n.net

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Trivia

 * One of the official soundtracks for the show is called "The Avatar's Love". It was played whenever moments between the two occurred throughout the series. It was played in its entirety during the final scene with the team in Iroh's tea shop and when Aang & Katara hug and kiss. It is sometimes referred by fans as the "Kataang theme".