When it comes to detailing relationships in Avatar the Last Airbender, one character we come to find to have a bit of a womanizing nature is Sokka. Over the series, we can see Sokka develop a string of romantic relationships, from his ill-fated relationship with Princess Yue to flirting with Ty Lee mid-battle. But one relationship that seemed to be stable in this context was between Sokka and Suki.
In truth, because most of it takes place within the invasion and Sozin’s comet arcs, the Sokka and Suki relationship is one of the most underrated relationships of the series. Even though the couple has garnered fan approval over the years, Sokka and Suki get talked about less often. For one thing, their relationship was not talked about at all on The Legend of Korra. Suki was not even featured at all.
While it would be great to know more about them and their outcome in the official canon, we do know some things for sure. There were many great things about the Sokka and Suki relationship, as well as some things that just made their relationship bad. Here are the reasons Sokka and Suki were soulmates, and the reasons they were clearly not.
Sokka and Suki Weren’t Soulmates Because Sokka Was A Sexist In The Beginning
At the beginning of ATLA, we are introduced to Sokka and the blatant fact that he holds sexist beliefs. He is very demeaning to women, especially his sister Katara. He is not even a very likeable character at the start of the series. Later, we see him mete out the same treatment to Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors.
Thankfully, he changes his views on women, becoming much more respectful and believing in equality. However, it does seem odd that Suki would be interested in him so quickly after he was so sexist. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Suki Didn’t Let Sokka Disrespect Her
So while Sokka and Suki’s atttraction is indeed odd, owing to Sokka’s treatment of the female gender, it is clear that Suki did not condone such beliefs. She clearly was no pushover.
She shows Sokka just how wrong he is, by showcasing her prowess as a much more skilled warrior than he is. She’s not going to let herself be disrespected. Moreover, the two don’t even actually get together until very much later in the series.
Sokka and Suki Weren’t Soulmates Because Suki Was Put Too Much In A Love Interest Role
No doubt Suki is an excellent character from the Last Airbender. But this is overshadowed by the fact that she is clearly underrated. Suki doesn’t get as much screen time or scenes as Team Avatar or villains like Zuko and Azula. Sure, she does help Team Avatar quite a lot in the series, but she is primarily relegated to the role of a love interest for Sokka.
This is rather unfortunate, as Suki was a character with a lot of potential. You would expect more from a character as interesting as the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.
Sokka and Suki Were Both Non-Benders
Sokka and Suki had quite a lot in common. Primarily they were both non-benders who had learned skills to fight without needing bending. Taking into consideration that Sokka was often out of place because he couldn’t bend, it was a nice touch to have him end up with someone who could understand his particular struggle.
Because of this quality, they were both able to relate more intimately, and the issue of power imbalances wouldn’t have even existed. That is, as far as natural abilities go. Suki was a perfect match for Sokka.
We Didn’t Get To See Enough Of The Sokka and Suki Relationship
Sokka and Suki may have had a relationship that fans really liked, but one thing that bothers most people is the fact that we do not get to see much of their relationship. This factor makes it seem unlikely that Sokka and Suki were soulmates or even meant to be. Out of all the relationships on the show, theirs was one of the least developed; thanks to distances and what nots.
Because of this, many have argued that it seems as though the creators weren’t intending to make the relationship canon. Maybe they were not even meant to be together in the end, considering more details about the other members of Team Avatar and their relationships are explicitly given. The fact that Sokka and Suki’s relationship is left so ambiguous doesn’t bode well for them.
Sokka And Suki Were Soulmates Because They Had Really Good Chemistry
Building up on the fact that we do not get to see enough of Sokka and Suki, one fact remains that what we did get to see was enough to show that they were getting along really well after their initial meeting. It’s sad but it is a good thing as well; bittersweet if you may.
Their personalities seemed to click on an overall basis. They really had an easy and good chemistry, and the presence of conflicts is either nonexistent or squashed pretty quickly. They don’t seem like the kind of couple that would have that many fights. If they do, they would be trivial, and perhaps be resolved very quickly.
Sokka Does Seem To Be More In Love With Yue
One major reason it doesn’t look like Sokka and Suki are soulmates can be attributed to a certain moon-related lady. Sokka and Yue had something long before he met Suki, and had the princess not sacrificed her life essence to bring the moon spirit back to life, perhaps Sokka and Suki might have never happened.
It does make sense that Sokka has lingering feelings for the girlfriend that died tragically; but it seemed those feelings were stronger than what he felt for Suki. He held on to her memory for quite a long time.
This doesn’t imply that Sokka was incapable of loving someone again, afterall, he does get involved with Suki. However, it takes away a lot from said relationship, leaving it less impactful. It was loads awkward to watch him try to deal with this and get over Yue relatively quickly.
Sokka and Suki Were Soulmates Because They Were Both Really Talented Warriors
One other reason why Sokka and Suki would make a great couple is that they had so much in common as far as skill sets and perspectives on the world.
They were both talented warriors in their own ways, and being able to protect people in this way meant a lot to them both. It seems that because of this that they would have similar outlooks that could help them bond, and they could also enjoy things like training together.
They Might Have Been Better Off With Other People
We do admit that Sokka and Suki were a very good couple overall, complimenting each other in various ways. However, despite this, it seems they might have been better off with some other partners. Sokka’s very strong feelings for Yue are a fact to consider, not to mention the fact that he and Toph are together in adulthood.
Suki isn’t shown as having any other romantic relationships, but it’s not hard to imagine her being happy with someone else, possibly one of the other Kyoshi warriors. That would definitely flesh out the LGBTQ community in the ATLA series.
They Had A Balanced Relationship
At first, Sokka may operate on the belief that women are not as capable as men, but he quickly sees that this is not true. After a hard lesson, he and Suki seemed to be very matched in a lot of ways.
They are both talented warriors and leaders, and they have similar but different personalities that complement one another. Sokka is quite funny and a bit of a goofy character. Suki is much more serious, but she does know how to enjoy a good time. Their relationship was definitely one of the very balanced ones