The characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender all have rather intense backstories, even given that they are mostly under the age of 17. While it might be a show for children, the way it handles difficult themes of death, war, love, and connection is part of why it’s always been such a hit with a wide audience. All of the characters on Team Avatar, including Sokka, go through a lot of sad and often traumatic things.
As far as Sokka is concerned, he often masks what he’s going through with a lot of humor and complaints about little things, but the truth is that there are a lot of hard things in his life. From losing his mother to having a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, he hasn’t had an easy life.
Losing Boomerang
While most of the entries on this list are a lot more serious, losing Boomerang was a rather defining moment for Sokka even if it seems a little bit silly.
Sokka was very attached to the weapon because it connected him to his family as well as to his home. It also was there to protect him and others in battles since he didn’t have bending like the rest of Team Avatar. In a way, losing Boomerang was part of Sokka becoming more mature and losing part of his childhood.
He thought he needed to be a protector but didn’t know how to
Because Sokka and Katara lost their mother and their father had to leave to defend against the Fire Nation, they were left to be raised by their Gran Gran.
Sokka was the oldest and felt like he needed to protect the Southern Water Tribe as he was the oldest male left there. However, he wasn’t mature enough or skilled enough to know how to define anyone really. He spent a lot of time playing warrior but never really knew what he was doing.
He was responsible for helping save the world
When Sokka and Katara joined Aang, they became two of the most important people in the fight to spot Firelord Ozai. So, while the main responsibility might have rested on Aang as the Avatar, Sokka and Katara were his support system, and they were committed to helping him every step of the way.
That’s a lot of responsibility for a few pre-teens and teens. Sokka might have been a bit older than Katara and Aang, but he was really still just a kid in many ways. Yet, he had to go through many challenges alongside his friends and sister to save the world. He was definitely very heroic to do so.
Sokka felt he had to prove himself as a capable warrior
It’s clear that Sokka has a lot of insecurities about his ability to help others and be a vital part of the team. Since he’s not a bender, he often feels like he has to prove himself to everyone, and he often gets annoyed at his lack of abilities.
However, while it does take him a while to master being a warrior himself, he starts to gain maturity and wisdom in skills like leading and planning.
He broke his leg in the series finale
When we see Sokka in the final episode of the series, he’s changed a lot from that young teen who was playing a warrior in the Southern Water Tribe.
He’s more secure in himself, and he is a skilled fighter in his own right. He knows how to help, support, and protect his friends. When he breaks his leg during the battle on the flying ships, it was hard to watch. But, of course, this doesn’t stop him from carrying on.
He blamed himself when the attack on the Fire Nation failed
During the solar eclipse, Team Avatar planned and launched an attack, along with the help of Hakoda and a group of their other allies, against the Fire Nation. Their plan was to find Ozai while he could no longer fire bends so that Aang could stop the war.
However, Azula already knew their plan and was many steps ahead. When the plan failed, Sokka took it hard as much of the logistics and organization were led by him.
Because his father had to leave to war
While Hakoda was a loving father who cared a lot about his children, the Hundred Year War devastated their family. Because of the war, Hakoda and the other warriors of the Southern Water Tribe left, and this meant that Sokka and Katara were alone without either of their parents around.
This was very difficult on both of them, and it’s also clear that Sokka looked up to his dad a lot and wanted to be a lot like him. Being away from him was difficult, and Sokka and Katara also had to worry about if their dad would survive.
His mother died when he was a kid
While Katara might talk more about her losing her mother than Sokka does, the death still did impact him. Katara was there before and after the actual murder, and she also eventually learns that Kya took her place to protect her.
But, Kya was also Sokka’s mom, and he wasn’t very old when he lost her either. Just because he doesn’t talk about it as often doesn’t mean it wasn’t really tragic for him.
When he told Toph he didn’t remember his mother
In season three, fans learn one of the reasons why Sokka might not talk all that much about his mom. When Katara and Toph are arguing over Toph stealing money and getting in trouble with the law, Sokka talks to them about their upbringing.
He talks about how Katara basically stepped in to try and be a mother and how Sokka can’t even remember his own mother’s face anymore. It’s a really sad moment that reminds fans of just how much Sokka and his family have been through.
He lost Yue
Perhaps one of the most tragic deaths in Avatar: The Last Airbender is Yue’s. While she might not exactly die like some of the other characters, she does sacrifice herself in order to become the moon spirit and save everyone else.
It’s a tragic thing to happen to such a promising young woman who had her whole life ahead of her, and it’s also very painful for Sokka who was in love with her.