The Avatar fandom has some clear favorites from the series run. Most of them are primary members of team Avatar; being Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and even animal companions Appa, Momo, and Hawky. But there is a section of the fandom that considers favorites outside of the main A-team. As we all know, Team Avatar has many allies, and from this number come these favorites. One of such clear favorites in Avatar is Suki.
Who Is (Avatar) Suki’s Competition For Best Female Character?
Avatar Suki is considered to be the best female character outside of the main protagonist by some fan sections. This is for a number of reasons, and all of them, from careful consideration are valid arguments. Of course, there are other contenders, such as Ty Lee, who is loved for her silliness and quirky character (not to mention her chi blocking abilities). There is also Mai, the resident Avatar Goth chick, loved for her emotionless stare and shuriken throwing prowess. Some even go as far back as Princess Yue, the one who sacrificed herself and became the moon.
We’ve not even addressed two leading ladies of the main team; Katara and Toph. Both prolific benders and progenitors of sub bending skills in their own right, it’s easy to see why. With all of this competition, let’s take a look at why we think Avatar Suki should get the title of the best female in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
1. (Avatar) Suki Is An Upholder of History and Past Figures
This reason is hands down obvious from the very first moment we meet Suki. In her first appearance, she is introduced as the incumbent leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Who are the Kyoshi Warriors you say? Glad you asked.
The Kyoshi Warriors are a group of female warriors who take after Avatar Kyoshi in protecting Kyoshi Island. They wear makeup resembling the late Avatar, and even dress like she does, in a bid to pay homage to what she stood for. Additionally, their weapon of choices are the iconic golden fans that Kyoshi used to employ in her battles. You could say the Kyoshi Warriors are the resident police force on Kyoshi Island.
As the leader of the present instalment of the Kyoshi Warriors, Avatar Suki honors history through her activities. Not only did she start her training at the tender age of 8, she quickly rose through the ranks to assume the top spot we see her occupying when we meet her.
Through Suki, the preservation of the Earth Kingdom’s past traditions is possible. She also makes sure that the Avatar’s legacy is kept intact, especially during the hundred years that he is missing. Avatar Suki also taught Sokka how to fight like the Kyoshi Warriors, and she eventually became the first of many teachers in the series, passing on a centuries’ old legacy of war fan martial arts techniques.
2. Suki Was A Friend In Need To Appa
Another redeeming quality of Suki is shown in Book Two of the series. IT is in the story arc where Aang loses Appa, and the flying bison undergoes a harrowing sequence of events. At the end of them all, he is disheveled and does not even trust humans anymore. Every scene is filled with tragedy for our favorite sky bison, and it is so painful to watch. It has been tagged as one of the most tragic stories of the Avatar series.
Despite how heartbreaking the episode is, there are a few scenes that offer Appa peace and respite, and chief amongst them is when he meets Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. It is expected that they would help him, afterall, since he is a friend and ally, but the care and love that they gave Appa was extra. At the end of it all, he was looking like a new bison, but that’s not all. Avatar Suki even let Appa escape when Azula, Ty Lee and Mai attacked them.
3. Suki’s War Fan Skills Are Badass
Avatar Kyoshi was known as one of the fiercest benders to ever exist. This status even transcended the time she was alive, following her much beyond her grave. She accomplished some amazing feats, even if such feats were typical for someone like the Avatar. But one iconic feature she had were her war fans.
With her war fans, she could bend the elements and take out opponents with one swipe. But the physics behind the fans are easy when you are a bender. As a non-bender, that’s something incredible to pull off. This is because this chosen weapon of the Kyoshi Warriors lacks a bladed edge and it does not pose any particular threat to enemies. You cannot even swing it around to cut enemies. So just how could Avatar Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors make this a lethal weapon? Simple.
The Kyoshi Warriors use the fans to turn their enemies’ strength against them. The war fans are used defensively, redirecting the force of the enemy’s weapons. Suki is one of the most prolific war fan users, a pure master. She is also the first non-bender we meet in the series to use another weapon that is not a spear or a sword. This makes her a really formidable opponent.
4. She Is A Patient and Understanding Person
It takes a lot to be able to deal with a person like Sokka, and while we see her man-manage his silly and over dramatic side, our first inkling as to how understanding Suki can be is during a rather tense moment.
When Suki and Sokka reunite at the Serpent’s Pass, they almost begin a romance. This confirms the fact that they have feelings for each other. But then as she attempts to kiss him under the full moon, Sokka feels guilty and puts a stop to it. He eventually explains that he feels bad moving on from Princess Yue, with whom he had a brief affair when the series first began. Suki does not even take the rejection personally, and allows Sokka to come into his own about his feelings for her. That’s a top level character.
5. Suki is An Important Member of Team Avatar
Although she is mostly forgotten as a member of Team Avatar, Suki actually does play an integral part to the team’s eventual defeat of the Fire Nation. Countless times she proves to be the deciding factor in the team’s fate. Examples of these instances include when she helps Appa during his travails, or when she saves Toph and Sokka from crashing during the war. She is ever ready to do what it takes for the greater cause, even if it means she may not get out of it alive.
6. She Has A Forgiving Spirit
When we first meet Suki in the series, she almost takes Sokka’s head off for his snide and misogynistic remarks towards the Kyoshi Warriors. Despite her initial dislike for Sokka, she eventually shows she has a forgiving heart when she accepts his apologies to her and the warriors. She even allows him to join the squad, teaching him the ways of the Kyoshi Warriors. Thus, Sokka became the very first foreigner to join the Warriors, and the very first male member as well.
Avatar Suki is a great character in and out. She is loyal to her friends, an excellent warrior, and embodies everything a female heroine should. She’s our top pick for the best female character in the Avatar series, and it’s not hard to see why.
7. She is Not a Bender
The show tends to glorify benders, but we forget how much courage it requires to fight others and not be a bender. Ty Lee, and Sokka both deserve a lot of credit for this as well. Benders will use all of their bending moves on nonbenders, and these fighters are still able to hold their ground when they need to.
Suki is so good at fighting benders that you begin to forget that she is not
