Kya Avatar is one of Aang and Katara’s children. The second child and the only waterbender in their family besides their mother Katara, Kya is a pivotal character in the Legend of Korra.
There is no doubt that Kya Avatar is one of the most rounded and most developed secondary characters in the entire Avatar mythos. She and the rest of her siblings play very crucial roles to the story; especially in helping Korra find balance in the world. But Kya Avatar seems to have the most influence. Not just as a spiritual and bending guide, but also with Korra’s sexuality struggles.
Without Kya, Korra might have never found any peace or comfort with herself. We also consider her relationship with her siblings. However, there are a lot of things that are unknown about the daughter of Avatar Aang. Or are at least not widely known. Let’s discuss them.
1. Kya Avatar Was Originally Meant To Be The Oldest Child
Kya Avatar was originally meant to be the eldest sibling. We can see that from some of the family trees that Nickelodeon released, but for some reason, all that was changed and she was relegated to the position of middle child. Bumi was instead given the role of firstborn child.
You can even tell from their appearances that Kya was the apparent oldest. Her hair is already a permanent shade of gray, while her siblings still have full color in their hair. However, it does kind of make sense that she is the middle child considering she is the middle grounded personality between her brothers.
2. Kya Avatar Is The First Waterbender Born From An Air Bender
It is indeed a strange record to hold, but nevertheless Kya Avatar is the first waterbender to be born from an air bender. This begs the ultimate question; did it really take so long for an air bender and a water bender to come together and have a baby? Were Aang and Katara really the first time the two elements had ever crossed paths in a relationship?
If that is the case as we see it, then it shows the uniqueness of Aang as an Avatar. As for the specifics, it’s really not surprising how it happened. Usually with families, it’s common for one child to pick qualities from a particular parent. It still makes it very shocking that Kya Avatar is really the first waterbender born to an air bender.
3. Her Favorite Song Is Secret Tunnel
This nifty piece of information is one that wasn’t revealed in the series at all, but in a databook. Even so, it is still a very interesting piece of information, showcasing Kya Avatar’s personality. In this case, it shows just how difficult it was coming out while being in the water tribe.
She could only ever be truthful with her parents as the tribe as a whole preferred such things are left in private. Thankfully, Kya’s parents were nothing short of supportive, making her secret tunnel a little less of a burden to bear.
4. She Has A Special Bond With Jinora
We’ve all got that uncle or aunt that really gets us. For Jinora, it was her dear Aunty Kya, and they had a very strong bond. It was so strong, that after Jinora’s spirit left her body, Kya was left to care for it and she made sure it was still there when her young niece returned.
What makes their relationship extra unique is that Kya used to hold a little grudge in her heart against Tenzin, because of the extra attention Tenzin got from their father. Surprisingly, she went on to do the very same thing with Jinora. It is very obvious that Jinora is the favorite among her siblings for Kya.
5. Kya Avatar Is A Talented Healer
Kya is easily the best healer in Legend of Korra. She is capable of pulling off healing feats that her mother would be immensely proud of. Kya was able to keep Jinora alive for weeks even though the latter’s spirit was no longer tethered to her body. She was also able to treat Bumi’s head wound, and she didn’t even use any water. Again, she shows just how talented she is when she heals Korra, Bolin, and Mako simultaneously with her spirit water.
The one case Kya seemed never to be able to handle was the poison that coursed through Korra after Zaheer’s attack.
6. She Has A Strong Connection To The Spirits
Kya Avatar was more knowledgeable about things of the spirit than her siblings. With Bumi this is expected. It is a surprising turn of events for Tenzin considering his connection with their father. She turned out to be a master of meditation. She was also the air temple’s lead instructor and knew how to use yoga to her advantage.
With her spiritual prowess, she could read auras, find people and she knew when threats were coming. She was also a great spiritual guide, especially to Jinora.
7. Kya Avatar Is A Bit Of A Hippie
Director Bryan Konietzko describes Kya as a hippie, and you can easily see why. She is a very free spirited person, and does not like being tied down by things. When things get heated, she is often the calm headed one, acting as a mediator in arguments between her brothers. It is also clear that she is more of a lover than a fighter. She prefers to heal people’s pains, as opposed to causing it. In this regard, she is very much like her father.
8. She Is A Defensive Fighter
We’ve already mentioned how Kya Avatar is more of a peace loving person than a fighter. It is not surprising, considering most of her efforts are centered on healing the pain of others. This does not mean she won’t lash out when she needs to; but if she can avoid it, she will. Even in such cases, she does so in a countering fashion rather than all-out assault.
This went beyond just bending as well, her body itself was far more nimble and evasive than many. She could do consecutive jumps or somersaults to avoid incoming attacks.
9. She Is A Confirmed Member Of The LGBTQ Community
Kya Avatar being a member of the LGBTQ community is great for inclusion, but it isn;t much of a surprise. It was already hinted for a while in the series before the creators confirmed it. She is another number to a rather small list in the Avatar series as a whole, alongside Korra, Kyoshi and a few others.
You have to love how her character is not defined by her sexuality however. At the very least, it just felt like she was a character who happened to be a lesbian. She was not one-note or just an attempt by the studio to tick a social box.
10. Kya Is Named After Her Grandmother
As is the case with her aforementioned sexuality, this is also not very surprising, as any true fan will have noted the similarity since the very first mention. We learn of Katara and Sokka’s mother in the original series; as a side plot mentioned in Zuko’s redemption arc. But that felt like just something to get the plot going, and so many might forget that their names are the same.
Naming her only daughter after her mother shows just how deeply Katara cared for her mother. It also shows the bond between Katara and her children. We particularly see Katara and Kya’s bond grow stronger as the show progresses, down to the very end. Katara was ultimately devoted to her children very much, but there was definitely something extra about her bond with Kya. In a way, it mirrored Aang and Tenzin’s relationship.