Sokka’s Boomerang: “Boomerang, you do always come back!”
Sokka’s Boomerang was his weapon of choice for a number of seasons; until he got trained in the art of swordsmanship by Piandao. Sokka’s boomerang has pretty much been with us since the very second episode; and was an integral part of Team Avatar’s journey to stop the Hundred Year War. Although often used as a comic plot wherever Sokka was involved, Boomie did save the lives of our heroes on a regular basis.
Such an interesting instrument, let’s take a look at Sokka’s Boomerang, its backstory and even a DIY tip on how to make your own boomerang; (a real one, and not like the crap from the live action film)
Sokka’s Boomerang Specifications
Type of Weapon: Sokka’s Boomerang is a throwing weapon. Occasionally he has used it as a melee weapon, but generally he throws; and due to its nature as a boomerang, it comes back after hitting its target.
First Appearance: Sokka’s Boomerang first appeared in the Season One Book One: Water episode ‘The Avatar Returns’. It was the second episode in the entire series.
Last Appearance: Boomerang’s last episode was in the final episode of the series, Book Three: Fire’s episode ‘Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang’.
Users: Sokka was the primary and only user of Boomerang. He did lose it to a couple of pirates at some point, but they weren’t explicitly shown to have used it in any form.
History of Sokka’s Boomerang
Sokka’s boomerang was given to him by his father Hakoda before he left to fight in the Hundred Year War with the warriors of the Southern Water Tribe. It was one of Sokka’s most prized possessions, and his trademark item.
Sokka once lost his boomerang and stated that it was like “losing a part of himself”. He ended up getting it back, exclaiming “Boomerang! You do always come back!” after Yeh-Lu, the warrior that had found his boomerang, was defeated. Sokka’s boomerang was especially useful in taking down the Fire Nation assassin Combustion Man, who was hell bent on killing Aang. Sokka used his boomerang to defeat Combustion Man when no other member of the group could get close enough to him. The group was hiding behind a pylon, when Sokka threw his boomerang, which hit Combustion Man on his tattoo in the middle of his forehead. This blow stunned the assassin, and blocked his flow of chi to his third eye. When Combustion man tried to firebend again, he blew himself up due to his blocked chi energy.
Unfortunately, he lost his boomerang and his sword while knocking out two firebenders during Sozin’s Comet. Even though he lost his boomerang, he saved his and Toph’s life. A year later, Sokka had obtained a similar boomerang, but we’re not quite sure it is the same boomerang he had previously lost. He used it in order to incapacitate an annoying demonstrator outside Yu Dao.
Forty-two-years prior to Avatar Korra’s arrival in Republic City, Sokka brought up his boomerang during Yakone’s trial at City Hall, in which he referred to as his “trusty boomerang”, and told the story of how he used it to defeat Combustion Man.
How To Make Sokka’s Boomerang
So maybe you want to make Sokka’s boomerang because you’re a huge fan of the franchise and you want to have some of the paraphernalia in your possession. Of course you could go online and try to get one; but trust us when we say that’s an act in futility – unless you’re looking to get ripped off.
It would make an awesome addition to a Sokka costume for Halloween, so why not just make it yourself? Yes, we know what you’re thinking: how? We’ve got you covered. In just a few steps, you’ll have all you need to make your very own Sokka’s boomerang.
Let’s Get Started With The Boomerang
Pretty much nobody on the internet has any arts and crafts tips on how to make Sokka’s boomerang. Sure, there are a lot of pictures and entries on Pinterest, but not many of these entries have actual directions on how to make the boomerang.
So in a nutshell, people have made it but no one really knows how to. So here we will show you how to make the boomerang; exactly like the one from the animated show, and like we said, nothing from the crap movie.
Step 1: Cut Out The Basic Shape
First things first, you should cut out the basic shape of the boomerang. It’s kind of like a large “L”, but with even length; or better yet, a spread out “V”. You should also remember that if you’re going to get the exact look, you should make one part a little thinner than the other; as we see below
After this, you should then mark where the two holes go. We recommend using wood, preferably a 3/4 inch thick common board. You can trace a picture of Sokka’s Boomerang from Google so you can get the perfect shape. After that, drill the two holes we previously marked, and then you can light sand the shape to smoothen it out.
If you aren’t so crafty with tracing, you could print the picture of his boomerang from Google, and then cut it out. This will help you get the right shape.
Step 2: Give The Edges A Proper Sanding
Up next, you should sand the edges. There is a reason for this. If you notice from the animated series, Sokka’s Boomerang has edges that look sharp and are almost blade-like in texture. So in order for us to get that same look, we should give the dges a sanding. To get the exact look, you should sand the edges on an angle, probably 90 degrees; and then do the same for the other side so it is all even and rounded. But remember that you should only sand the edges on the outside, and not on the inside. Leave that bit untouched. After that, you can proceed to cut that notch that forms at the tip. little itsy bitsy notch on the tip.
Step 3: It’s Time To Paint
To keep up with the color of the original Sokka’s boomerang, we’ll be using blue and white colors. You could opt for something like aquamarine or even turquoise. Or just regular plain blue.
So first, let’s paint the outside of the boomerang’s edges white. This gives it the look of a sharp blade; and that way we can simulate metal, even though this is pretty much wood and paper. After we are done with the outside edges, we can now move on to the next item on the order. But before that, let’s ensure that we have masked off the white paint. You can do this after it is all dried up. Afterward, proceed to paint every other part of the boomerang with our blue color. Spread the blue coat thinly so it doesn’t coagulate on top of the body. Once this blue paint is dry as well, go ahead and spray a clear coat on it.
And VOILA. You have your very own Sokka’s boomerang. You’re one step to that perfect cosplay.