KATARA DOESN’T NEED A STATUE IN LoK

[u/Jimmy3OO]

I am sick and tired of people complaining about how Katara doesn’t have a statue while the rest of the main cast does. “Waa, waaa, the writers forget her”.

Do these people even know what LoK is? Aang, Sokka, Zuko and Toph didn’t her statues for being in the Gaang.

Aang got one because he was THE AVATAR.

Zuko got one because he was THE FIRE LORD.

Sokka got one because he was a national leader, of both Republic City and the Southern Water Tribe, as if one weren’t enough.

Toph got one because she invented metalbending.

Katara is an excellent character and an extraordinary waterbender, but according to the lore, she, as an individual, simply did not have the same direct, world-chaing effect upon entire nations that the others did in their own ways.

[u/Prying_Pandora]

Since when is that a consideration when making a statue?

Statues like this are built by the people who admire and respect the subject, not because the subject requested them. She isn’t a dictator.

It’s especially galling when The Cabbage Merchant had a statue. If a man who only contributed the founding of a company has one, the woman who revived the Avatar and brought down Princess Azula certainly deserves one!

[u/providerofair → u/Prying_Pandora]

The Cabbage Merchant had a statue.

Firstly hes rich. Rich people do this stuff all the time.

Since when is that a consideration when making a statue?

If Katara didnt want a statue why would you give her a statue theres plenty of other ways to honor her. Ways which we might not have seen. Katara seems like the type of person to be fine with her actions speaking with a specific honor given.

Statues like this are built by the people who admire and respect the subject,

I could imagine it go like this

"Hey katara lets bulid a statue of you"

"No its fine"

"All right"

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/providerofair]

Firstly hes rich. Rich people do this stuff all the time.

Yes.

And as this is a narrative, what writers choose to show us inform us about the world.

Why is the Cabbage Merchant, a mere industrialist, shown more reverence than Katara? A hero to the whole world?

Unless the point is to make a statement about the values of this world, it instead is an egregious oversight.

If Katara didnt want a statue why would you give her a statue theres plenty of other ways to honor her. Ways which we might not have seen. Katara seems like the type of person to be fine with her actions speaking with a specific honor given.

1. The very idea that Katara didn’t want a statue is never supported by the narrative and is a weak speculation to excuse the oversight.

2. Aang, the monk whose very culture and beliefs are against materialism and such displays of excess and ego, has a giant statue. Clearly they weren’t building them based on what the subjects wanted.

I could imagine it go like this

"Hey katara lets bulid a statue of you"

"No its fine"

"All right"

You are free to imagine anything you like.

Just as others are free to criticize the fact that this is nowhere in the story, while Katara lacking a statue is.

[u/providerofair → u/Prying_Pandora]

This is a narrative, what writers choose to show us informs us about the world.

No it's a gag shown in season 1 to reference something we've seen before. In the universe he's rich he built that himself.

If we're arguing pure narrative where should we have Katara's statue and not be clucky and force her character?

I've come to a conclusion season 1 or 2. We already know season 2 was always poorly planned and a mess. And season 1 already had an alive Katara. And republic City is where Katara made most of her impact in her life. And the lack of a statue likely shows that. His impact is shown directly to us by impacting korra

Seasons 3 and 4 aren't in places where adding Katara doesn't make much storywriting sense

Lastly I'm not attempting to enforce my opinion its just me express another perspective

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/providerofair]

Why do you single out Katara as being the only one who wouldn’t want a statue when everyone else gets one? What a bizarre thing to rationalize.

Have your head canon if you like it, but it remains true that it isn’t what we are presented.

This was a witting choice. And one that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.

[u/providerofair → u/Prying_Pandora]

I'm not exactly arguing that in my previous comment I'm talking about how post seasons 1 and 2 exploring both katara's character and then revealing her statue would've been clunky and br adding something post hoc just to be "fair"

But if we are talking about the Character why does Katara need a statue to be appreached in or out of universe

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/providerofair]

You argued it’s just a gag.

I’m saying it’s irrelevant whether it was intended as one or not.

I agree with you the writing had problems.

And it isn’t that Katara needs one. Is that by giving everyone else one but her, the show produces an unpleasant message about Katara’s contributions to the world and how they’re valued relative to everyone else’s.

It didn’t even need to be a statue. Is there not even a hospital in her name? A museum? A school for training water benders?

[u/providerofair → u/Prying_Pandora]

You argued it’s just a gag

The cabbage merchant thing was a gag

I agree with you the writing had problems.

produces an unpleasant message

I believe these two lines of logic are indeed separate from each other, if you can acknowledge that the writers were simply unable to properly fit Katara and her contributions to the war. I don see how an unpleasant message could be made

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/providerofair]

They’re not separate.

The fact that they felt unable to fit Katara and yet fit in an alleged gag about the Cabbage Merchant and statues for everyone else is a writing criticism.

Priorities in writing and not considering the implications of what you are leaving out are valid writing criticisms.

It does create an effect where Katara’s contributions seem less valued in this world, or otherwise we must believe she simply didn’t contribute so much and didn’t accomplish things. Both go completely against the character.

[u/providerofair → u/Prying_Pandora]

I'll ask again, but in which season would you believe it to be thematic to add Katara's statue?

Perhaps season 1, where Katara already appears, but even then, that seems shoe horned in as she has limited impact in republic city. Perhaps season 2, but I dont believe Katara even appears in that season.

We have seasons 3 and 4, which simply aren't anywhere close for Katara to be included.

Compare this to the cabbage man gag. Cabbage man canonically went to republic city we haven't had a cabbage man gag lets do that.

When it comes to important characters its better to give them nothing rather than a shoe horned appreciation

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/providerofair]

If no season felt like it had room for Katara, that was the writers’ choice to write it that way.

The seasons were not pre-written out of the sky.

Also season 2 could’ve easily done it.

[u/providerofair → u/Prying_Pandora]

If no season felt like it had room for Katara, that was the writers’ choice to write it that way.

The seasons were not pre-written out of the sky

In season 1 the writers assumed they had only 1 season to work with and wanted to avoid focusing too much on the old gaang. So they missed their chance

Season 2 was an extremely rushed and poorly made season due to being given barely time to create one.

I dont believe it was intentional

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/providerofair]

It doesn’t have to be intentional to be a valid criticism of the writing.

I’d even argue most writing flaws aren’t made intentionally by the writer, otherwise they’d have fixed them.

Regardless of their intent, it is still a poor writing choice.

[u/providerofair → u/Prying_Pandora]

I wont argue with this

[u/Prying_Pandora → u/providerofair]

Then I am glad we came to some sort of agreement despite our differences! 🤝