Waterbending is an incredibly powerful form of bending in the Avatar universe. With waterbending, characters can control the sea, rain, ice, and even blood. This leads to some incredible fights within the Avatar franchise, which can involve waterbending masters, waterbending novices, or even the whole Water Tribe.
Every battle is amazing to watch. But some fights in particular stand out amongst the rest, for how skilled the characters are within them, for their interesting and new use of waterbending techniques, or for the emotional stakes of the fight itself.
Korra Vs Equalist Ambush - "Skeletons In The Closet"
This fight shows how effective waterbending can be against large machinery, rather than just other people. When Equalist forces ambush General Iroh's incoming fleet, Korra must dive into the ocean in order to save him. She uses waterbending to redirect missiles that are fired at her from planes, showing how effective waterbending is at using their opponent's strength against them.
Korra also creates an impressive water tower that she stands on and uses it to take down multiple enemy planes. By the fight's end, Korra manages to save Iroh after he falls into the ocean, and her swimming skills get them both to land alive and well.
Kya Vs Zaheer - "The Metal Clan"
Viewers don't really get to see how skilled Kya is at waterbending until she battles Zaheer in season 3. But since she is Katara's daughter, AKA the top waterbender in Avatar, there's no doubt how well Kya can fight when she needs to. When she and Zaheer clash on Air Temple Island, she bends water around her and uses it to grab Zaheer mid-flight, sending him crashing down into a pond.
While Zaheer manages to escape, Kya is able to hold her own against him, unlike the numerous guards around them. Considering that waterbenders are often limited by how much water is around them, Kya being able to battle Zaheer for so long is an incredible accomplishment.
The Northern Water Tribe Vs The Fire Nation - "The Siege Of The North"
Since Katara is the only waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe in A:TLA, viewers don't get to see a large number of bending masters until the finale of season 1, when the Gaang reaches the North Pole and the Northern Water Tribe. And in a battle against the invading Fire Nation, these newly introduced benders do not disappoint.
Throughout the siege, waterbenders can be seen bombarding komodo rhinos and deflecting firebombs in an incredible show of skill and cooperation. Master Paku stands out in particular, as he creates a water tower and manages to singlehandedly face off against numerous Fire Nation soldiers without flinching.
Ming-Hua vs Mako - "The Stakeout"
Since Ming-Hua is an amputee, she uses bending in a really interesting way. She forms arms out of the water, often giving herself multiple tentacles that she can use to overpower her opponents. This comes into play when she battles Mako and Bolin at the Misty Palms Oasis.
She manages to grab Mako with her tentacles and flings him about like a ragdoll until she sends him crashing through a building. She's so skilled that she's even able to grin maniacally as she does this. She uses her special waterbending technique again when she fights Mako in the season finale, though this time she loses the fight as he manages to electrocute her.
Katara Vs Yon Rha - "The Southern Raiders"
This fight is incredibly emotional, and it happens in Katara's best episode. The death of her mother has haunted Katara since the beginning of the series, and this culminates when she confronts the man who killed her, Yon Rha.
Katara reveals to him that she was the waterbender that he was trying to kill all along, and in an incredible show of skill, she stops the rain around them from falling. She bends the rain into a dome, and then in her anger, fires the rain at Yon Rha in the form of icicles. It's a truly breathtaking scene, and it's hard not to feel like the water is reflecting just how hurt Katara feels in this moment.
Kya Vs Ming-Hua - "The Ultimatum"
It's always great seeing two master waterbenders fight each other, and this battle is no different. When the Red Lotus attacks the newly created Air Nomads, Kya and Ming-Hua take on each other with the limited water that the temple provides. Kya ends up being knocked off a cliff in a very dramatic moment.
The fight is quick but masterful, as Ming-Hua swings her water arms at Kya, which Kya freezes into an icicle that she then redirects back towards Ming-Hua as a boomerang. The fight involves a lot of maneuvering and fluid motions by the two, masterfully showing how waterbenders move just like the element that they control.
Korra Vs Tarrlok - "When Extremes Meet"
In one of season 1's best episodes, an argument between Korra and Tarrlok turns into a bending battle. Tarrlok sends a strip of water that almost slices Korra's head off. She then has to punch through icicles that he fires at her, and he creates an orb of water to shield himself from the flames that Korra shoots at him.
The fight features no music, letting the action speak for itself, and the use of slow-motion emphasizes just how cool some of the bending techniques look. This fight is also the first time audiences see bloodbending in Legend of Korra, and since Tarrlok can bend without a full moon, it creates a new mystery for the story to unfold.
Katara Vs Azula - "Sozin's Comet - Part Four"
Katara and Azula are arguably the most powerful benders of their respective elements, so when they battle one another it is exhilarating to watch. During A:TLA's finale, Azula seems to have almost killed Zuko in one of Azula's worst acts, but Katara has a trick up her sleeve. She avoids Azula's flames and freezes both of them in water just before Azula can fire lightning at her.
Trapped in water, Azula can only float helplessly as Katara shackles her to a grate. This fight is impactful not only because it shows what a powerful fighter Katara is, but it is also one of the saddest moments in A:TLA, as the fight ends with Azula breaking down and crying.
Katara Vs Paku - "The Waterbending Master"
This fight was the first time viewers saw a proper bending battle between two waterbenders, and it's a great one. Katara fights Master Paku because he refuses to teach a woman, and during the fight, Katara proves that she is an excellent waterbender even without a teacher.
While she isn't as skilled as Paku, she comes up with ingenious ways to use the surrounding snow and ice to her advantage, which even manages to impress her opponent. Her determination also makes the fight great to watch, as her cry of "You can't knock me down!" shows how important equality is to her and the show's ethos.
Katara Vs Hama - "The Puppet Master"
This fight is both incredibly fun and horrifying to watch. In "The Puppet Master," viewers are introduced to the concept of bloodbending, which the episode's villain Hama encourages Katara to use. This leads to a waterbending brawl between the two women, where Katara blocks a giant stream of water in an impressive slow motion shot.
Katara is such a powerful water bender that she is able to break free from Hama's bloodbending grip, and is even able to fight off her friends while they are being controlled. Katara finally uses bloodbending on Hama in order to save her friends, which is impressive, but scary to watch as Katara cries over her new ability.