Hakoda (2024)

Hakoda was a Southern Water Tribe chieftain, the father of Sokka and Katara, the husband of the late Kya, and the son of Kanna. Originally the head of a minor tribe based at Wolf Cove that was part of the Southern Tribe's tribal confederation,^[4][5] Hakoda rose to one of the South's most prominent leaders at the end of the Hundred Year War. He was skilled as a talented ship captain, igloo builder, weapons maker, and warrior. Much of Sokka's ingenuity and craftiness were learned from his father.^[3] Hakoda went off to take the fight to the Fire Nation two years before the end of the Hundred Year War, leaving his children to be raised by Kanna.

Following the war, Hakoda was elected to serve as Head Chieftain of the entire Southern Water Tribe and worked closely with the Northern Water Tribe to oversee the Southern Reconstruction Project, placing his leadership in question to the Southerners who opposed foreign intervention.^[6] Although he faced a violent nationalist uprising led by his former friend Gilak, Hakoda prevailed and oversaw the South's gradual reconstruction and modernization.

History[]

Early life[]

Born to Kanna,^[7] Hakoda grew up in the traditional Southern Water Tribe capital of Wolf Cove and, like all Water Tribe boys, was taught to be a warrior. He was a good friend of Bato, and the two of them had many famous and hilarious adventures.^[2] Hakoda eventually became the leader of his local tribe, married Kya and fathered two children: Sokka and Katara. Hakoda recognized Katara's waterbending abilities when she was young and encouraged her to develop them, knowing that her skills would be key to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe; he even traveled around the entire South Pole region, looking for a waterbender to train his daughter, but could not find one.^[3]

When Sokka was nine and Katara eight, Hakoda rallied his village's warriors to fend off an attack of the Southern Raiders, who had been tasked by Fire Lord Azulon to kill the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. During the battle, he was alerted by Katara that a Fire Nation soldier had invaded their home and was threatening Kya. He rushed to their house but by the time he got there, the soldier was gone and his wife was murdered.^[8]

Involvement in the War[]

Leaving his family and reunion[]

In 97 AG, Hakoda made a difficult choice to leave his children behind and lead the men of his tribe to fight in the Hundred Year War.^[2] His small force roamed the seas and attacked vulnerable Fire Nation units, and Hakoda almost lost his life during a clash on Whaletail Island. He was saved by Gilak, a veteran warrior and one of his closest companions.^[9] Hakoda and his group eventually set up camp at the Eastern Sea's shoreline.^[2] While sailing three years later, Hakoda gazed upon Appa as he flew above the Southern Water Tribe fleet.^[10]

After receiving word of his location from Ba Sing Se, Sokka reunited with Hakoda. The chief was often spoken of, particularly by Sokka, who showed great respect and admiration for him. During their reunion, Hakoda and his son helped make tangle mines, and when Fire Nation Navy ships were spotted, Hakoda instructed Sokka to help ward off the attack.

His reunion with Sokka was cut short when Aang arrived to gain Sokka's help in rescuing Katara from the clutches of Azula; Hakoda gave his son a confident smile as he proceeded to launch the attack against the Fire Navy vessels.^[11] When he reunited with his family again, though, it was far from a happy reunion — a comatose Aang and his battle-worn friends arrived bearing news of the fall of Ba Sing Se and the entire Earth Kingdom. Battered by their battle with the Fire Nation ships, the Water Tribe was in no condition to fight off the reinforcements. Sokka, however, shared Hakoda's trait of not giving up.^[12]

Disguised on the ship[]

Hakoda and Sokka led the Water Tribe in a raid upon a Fire Navy ship after sinking their own vessels. Taking it without too much trouble, they proceeded to sail west through the Fire Nation Navy gate, recently constructed in the Serpent's Pass.^[12] During this time, Hakoda found his daughter strangely distant from him and resentful.

When he warmly greeted the revived Avatar, Katara bluntly asked him to leave. On the way, they encountered another Fire Nation ship, its officer confronting them as all ships were to head to Ba Sing Se. Hakoda and Bato met the officer and convinced him that they were from the Eastern Fleet. Although the captain initially bought their ruse, it came to a scuffle between the two ships when one of the Fire Nation soldiers alerted his captain that Hakoda and Bato had been wrongfully citing Admiral Chan.

That evening, Aang had snuck off the ship to face the Fire Lord alone, and Katara rushed to Hakoda, angrily venting about the stupidity of Aang's decision to think that everything was his decision and not thinking twice about the people he left behind. He soon deduced that she was also talking about him for leaving her and Sokka years prior. She confessed that she understood why he had to leave but also that she was still sad and hurt because of it as they had been so lost without their father after their mother's death. Hakoda apologized and hugged her close, saying that he loved her and Sokka more than anything in the world and that they had been always on his mind.

Hakoda and his crew continued their course, while Team Avatar left to find Aang.^[1]

Invasion of the Fire Nation[]

Hakoda arrived at the Black Cliffs on the Day of Black Sun, just as they had planned. Sokka had asked him to recruit some special people that would be good assets to the battle, and though Hakoda followed through on this favor and returned with all the people Sokka asked for, he admitted a slight concern over their fighting capabilities. Sokka had planned to give a speech explaining the invasion plan, but was extremely nervous and froze up. Hakoda stepped in for his son and proved to be a very good inspirational speaker. After getting the warriors riled up for battle, they proceeded to the Fire Nation Capital.^[13]

After passing the Great Gates of Azulon, it was a straight shot to the Fire Nation Capital. After landing on the beach, Hakoda led the charge to the palace. The warriors were being bombarded by the battlements, and Hakoda quickly learned that they needed to be destroyed. Sokka came up with a plan to destroy them. Hakoda, Katara, and Sokka boarded Appa and proceeded to destroy the battlements. They landed between two battlements and Hakoda told Sokka and Katara to take out one while he took out the other. Sokka and Katara successfully destroyed their target only to see an explosion in the other one. Hakoda stumbled out of the battlement, groaning, and fell over. Katara used waterbending to heal his wounds, but he still was not completely cured. With his father unable to continue leading the invasion, Sokka assumed command, making Hakoda proud. After Aang failed to defeat Fire Lord Ozai, Hakoda decided to send the younger warriors away on Appa. The younger ones, including Katara and Sokka, were taken by Aang to the Western Air Temple for a place to hide. The remaining warriors were imprisoned.^[14]

Imprisonment and end of the Hundred Year War[]

At first, the members of the invasion force were taken to the prison tower close to the Fire Nation Capital. However, the Fire Nation quickly singled Hakoda out as the leader and sent him as a war prisoner to the Boiling Rock, a high-security Fire Nation prison. Hakoda was lined up with the other prisoners to meet with the warden. The warden walked across the line and told the prisoners that prison did not have to be as bad as the rumors were, so long as they behaved. He came across Hakoda, who refused to look him in the eye. The amused warden forced Hakoda to his knees until he looked him in the eye. As the satisfied warden tried to walk away, Hakoda tripped him with his cuffs. Hakoda and the other prisoners were subsequently taken to their cells.

While in his cell, Hakoda was visited by Sokka, who had infiltrated the prison a day earlier, dressed as a guard. Hakoda was ready to fight Sokka until he removed his helmet and revealed his identity. The two hugged, and Sokka explained that he had come to break his father out of prison. He also told him that he had found Suki in the prison and that he had arrived with Prince Zuko, who had joined their side, and they all planned to escape. It was a sign of how much Hakoda trusted his son that he immediately accepted his word for Zuko's change of heart, although he had misgivings at first. Hakoda and Sokka began formulating an escape plan. They planned to start a prison riot as a distraction for the guards, take the warden as a hostage, and commandeer the gondola.

Hakoda, Sokka, and Suki met in the yard. Wondering how they could start a prison riot, Hakoda unsuccessfully tried to start one by shoving another prisoner, who was "working on controlling his anger". They were joined by Chit Sang, who had refused to rat out Sokka to the warden, though at the cost of being allowed to be part of their new escape attempt. Sokka told him they needed a prison riot as a distraction, and Chit Sang started one easily. The group was joined shortly by Zuko. Suki took the warden hostage, and Hakoda and the others went to the gondola to make their escape. After several tense moments, including a furious battle on top of the gondola and the warden almost having the line cut, the group escaped. They took Azula's airship and made their way back to the Western Air Temple. Hakoda reunited with Katara, and he, Katara, and Sokka shared a hug.^[15]

Several days later, the Western Air Temple was attacked by a fleet of airships led by Azula. Because Appa would not go through an earthbending-made tunnel, the group decided to split up. While Katara initially objected to splitting up their family again, Hakoda promised they would meet again and went with Teo, The Duke, Haru, and Chit Sang to the captured airship.^[8]

When Aang and his friends finally defeated Fire Lord Ozai, Hakoda arrived in the Fire Nation to celebrate the war's end and the coronation of Prince Zuko as Fire Lord. Upon reuniting with his two children, he proclaimed that he was "the proudest father in the world" and that their mother would have been proud of them as well.^[16] He returned to the South Pole shortly thereafter to help the rebuilding efforts in the Southern Water Tribe.^[17]

Life as Head Chieftain[]

Southern Reconstruction Project[]

Sometime after returning to the South Pole, Hakoda was elected to serve as the Head Chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe. Although he initially opposed Malina and Maliq's plans for the urbanization of the South, Hakoda eventually came to agree with the Northerners and worked closely with the siblings to oversee their plans.^[6] As time went on, he found himself attracted to Malina, and she reciprocated his feelings. The two entered a relationship, and she eventually disclosed to Hakoda that the Northerners hoped to colonize the South, believing the locals unfit to manage the region's natural resources. Malina told him that she would abandon these plans, and Hakoda believed her, while also concluding that the Southern Reconstruction Project remained important to improve the South's situation.^[9]

Nevertheless, his strong support for the modernization of his tribe created a rift between him and some of the warriors with whom he fought during the war, as they opposed Northern intervention in Southern affairs. These nationalist eventually organized under Gilak's leadership, although Hakoda continued to hope for rapprochement.^[6][9]

Nevertheless, Hakoda remained heavily involved in urbanization plans and temporarily set up an office in Wolf Cove's town hall, where he reunited with his children after their return to the South Pole. Recognizing Katara's reluctance to accept the many changes to the tribe, Hakoda insisted that the modernization efforts would effectively make the South appear as "equal partners" to the other nations.

Later that evening, Hakoda joined his children, Malina, and Maliq to dinner at Two Fishes Northern Cuisine, where two assailants took Maliq's briefcase before striking Malina and departing the scene. While Katara and Sokka pursued the kids, Hakoda escorted Malina back to Kanna's hut and tended to her injuries. Later, the two engaged in a tender kiss, at which point Katara and Sokka entered the hut.^[6]

On the next day, Hakoda led a strike team to apprehend Gilak, based on the intel of his children. As he approached the shipwreck under which Gilak was based, Hakoda discussed with officer Lirin that it was a very well-chosen base of operations, showcasing Gilak's cunning. Inside the ship, Hakoda cautioned his comrades to be careful, as many traps remained active. After a short search, they discovered a pathway that led them to the caverns under the ship. Hakoda was a little surprised to find the base empty, although the warriors discovered a message in the ice which cautioned the head chieftain that he would soon be shown "the truth".

Realizing that Gilak planned something, Hakoda consequently increased security at the tribal capital. He led the officers to protect the main gate himself during the festival celebrating the Southern Reconstruction Project. As he was standing guard, he was approached by Katara who asked whether he was planning to stay the entire night at his post. Hakoda affirmed this, voicing his worry about Gilak's growing strength and the possibility of an attack on the celebrations.

The chieftain soon noticed that his daughter was worried about something else, however, and asked her to speak up. As she hesitated, he correctly guessed that Katara was concerned about Malina. She consequently questioned why he had hidden his new relationship, causing Hakoda to excuse his behavior and explain that he was worried about his children would react. Katara instead argued that Malina might not be the right choice as a partner, as she seemingly lacked understanding for the Southerners and might be "nefarious". Hakoda found this assessment problematic, and he stated his conviction that she had a good heart, which was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her. Katara continued to question his judgment until Hakoda pointed out that love does not make one blind, it helps one to see the things as they truly are.

Moments later, the two noticed Appa in the sky, and happily greeted Aang as he was landing. When the Avatar noticed the heightened security, Hakoda explained that he and his forces had everything under control. He also urged the two to enjoy the festival together, while he continued to stay on watch. Later that night, Gilak and his followers managed to circumvent the defenses by using a large metal drill, throwing the festival into chaos. As Malina and Maliq fled the town, they were captured by the rebel leader who intended to kill them for having planned to make the South a colony of the North.

As Gilak prepared to deliver the killing blow to Maliq, Hakoda seized his former comrade's hand. He revealed to Gilak that he was well aware of the Northerners' original plan, but Malina had changed her mind once she got to know her sister tribe. Gilak insisted that it was a ruse to deceive them, but Hakoda reminded him that Fire Lord Zuko, once their enemy, was now their fiercest ally, proving his belief that people were capable of change. Enraged that the chief would not accept his view of the situation, Gilak declared Hakoda a traitor and attacked him, starting a brief duel that ended when Hakoda injured Gilak's sword arm. The chief tried to reason with his comrade once more, reminding him of their adventure on Whaletail Island, but Gilak answered by stabbing him in the stomach. Team Avatar soon arrived at the scene, and an enraged Katara encased Gilak in ice before attending to her father's wound while Aang subdued the warrior's remaining followers.^[9]

Gilak's usurpation attempt[]

After the conflict with Gilak, Hakoda had his wounds tended to more properly: he was bandaged and forced to use a cane during his recovery. Referencing that it had taken a team comprised of people from every nation to end the Hundred Year War, Hakoda reiterated his desire for the South to join forces with the other nations, seeing it as the ultimate way to not only rebuild the tribe but also to move forward. When Aang and Katara voiced their doubts on the feasibility of his plan, asking him to exercise caution as not every outsider was to be trusted, Hakoda acknowledged that opening up their city to foreigners held a certain risk but it also held the promise of improvement, referring to moments before when Aang, an Air Nomad, was helping Katara, a Southerner, and Pakku, a Northerner, to convince Siku and Sura to reveal themselves as waterbenders so they could recover the nearly extinct Southern waterbending tradition. Not convinced, Katara voiced that it could perhaps be done after both the tribe and Hakoda had recovered more, but Hakoda would not be cautioned into waiting, informing them that he had already invited the Earth King and the Fire Lord to a conference that would take place that evening to talk about international collaboration and that he wanted Aang and Katara to attend as well.

During the conference in his office, Hakoda went over his dreams of modernization of the South and building stronger relationships between all the nations. Their conversation was interrupted, however, when Hakoda was informed that Gilak escaped just moments before the latter invaded the room. The belligerent soldier accused the chieftain of selling out his people to foreigners before striking at Zuko. In the confusing melee, Gilak eventually cornered Hakoda, who was protecting Kuei and Malina. Hakoda was taunted by the extremist warrior on how the recent events had shown that he was a traitor and too weak to lead the Southern Water Tribe. Hakoda was knocked out, while Gilak declared that he would lead the South in a better way. The unconscious leader was taken but rescued moments later by Aang and Katara. Gilak managed to evade arrest once again, and his followers had used the confusion to successfully kidnap the Earth King.^[18]

Regaining consciousness, Hakoda ignored Malina's advice to rest due to his concern for Kuei. A messenger hawk flew in through the window with a message for Chief Hakoda. Reading the paper, he told the group it was from Gilak, who proposed to make an exchange, Hakoda's life for the Earth King's, at the Bridge of No Return, a place where Wolf Cove used to deal with their criminals. When concerns were brought up regarding whether the extremists would uphold their end, Sokka proposed a countermeasure.

When Hakoda and his allies arrived at the Bridge of No Return, Gilak soon arrived on the other side with the captive Earth King. Hakoda watched Thod and his disciples chi-block Team Avatar per the terms of the exchange. Verifying Team Avatar was not hurt despite being chi-blocked, Hakoda began to cross the bridge, and Gilak sent over the Earth King. As they reached the middle, Gilak intended to cut the bridge's suspension cords, which was the cue to spring their plan into action: Malina, followed closely by The Dark One, Penga, and Ho Tun, took down Gilak and his soldiers, while Team Avatar, revealing they were wearing chain mail armor which had prevented them from being chi-blocked, incapacitated Thod and his disciples.

Everything did not entirely go according to plan, however, as Gilak refused to surrender and charged at Hakoda and Kuei still in the middle of the bridge, flaming torch in hand. Although Zuko extinguished the flames, the integrity of the ropes was compromised, and they snapped, condemning Hakoda, Kuei, Malina, Gilak, and Zuko to hold on to their half of the bridge for dear life. While Zuko and Kuei managed to climb out, Hakoda, Malina, and Gilak plummeted into the ravine when the bridge's support piles caved. Hakoda was saved by Aang, who had dived after them with his glider, while Malina had managed to grab a hold of his ankle and Gilak was hanging on Malina's arm. Hakoda, heeding Aang's warning, cautioned everyone to stop moving lest they all fell. Gilak was the first to lose his grip and fall to his death, but the additional movement his release created, caused Aang to start to lose control. Hakoda encouraged Malina to continue to hang on, but she realized that they were still too heavy for Aang to carry and let go of his hand, leading to his demise in the ravine. However, Aang was still having a hard time holding onto Hakoda and Malina, so she decided to let go of Hakoda after proclaiming her love for him. Helpless to save her, he was relieved to see that Katara was just in time to catch Malina with her waterbending.

Later that day, Hakoda joined his family and friends at Kanna and Pakku's igloo for dinner, where Team Avatar had prepared a signature dish from their respective nation.^[18]

Personality[]

Hakoda was a caring husband to Kya and a loving father to Sokka and Katara. He fought to save the ones he loved and avenge Kya's death. He led a strong and brave battle against the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun, persistent with the siege efforts despite his injuries from attacking a battlement.^[13] Hakoda was an intelligent, open, and charismatic leader. When he was not keeping the Southern and Northern Water Tribes from arguing with one another, he focused on shaping the future of his tribe.^[19] He was also comical and known to create inventions just like his son Sokka.^[11] According to the warden of the Boiling Rock, he was also very strong-willed and determined.^[15] Hakoda also had a forgiving personality as seen when he was open to talking to Gilak as brothers-in-arms despite his former friend leading a rebellion against him and his leadership.^[9]

Abilities[]

Hakoda was a skilled warrior, competent in hand-to-hand combat as well as with a variety of weapons, capable of fighting off multiple firebenders.^[8] Hakoda was also intelligent and a brilliant strategist, which enabled him to defeat large numbers of firebenders despite being outnumbered, a trait he passed down to his son, Sokka.

Hakoda's skills in strategy and combat were fully witnessed during the invasion of the Fire Nation, where he flawlessly explained the entire invasion plan and bravely led the invasion force. He fought off many Fire Nation soldiers while in the capital city. He was unable to continue fighting after he was injured while successfully taking out a battlement.^[13] Hakoda's intelligence was shown once more while he was imprisoned at the Boiling Rock, where he devised a successful escape plan with the help of Sokka.^[15]

Hakoda was renowned in his tribe for his wisdom and leadership, traits that led him to earn the Mark of the Wise.^[2]

Relatives[]

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

Avatar Wiki has 37 images related to Hakoda.

• The symbol on the front of Hakoda's combat uniform was the same as the one on Yue's betrothal necklace.^[13][20]
• According to Sokka, Hakoda's favorite food was stewed sea prunes.
• Bato once said, "You are definitely your father's son", referring to the sense of humor shared by Hakoda and his son.^[11]
• According to Bato, he and Hakoda once tricked Kanna into thinking Hakoda was a water spirit by putting a squid on his head, with Bato doing the "spooky" voice.^[2]
• Avatar Extras for "Appa's Lost Days" spelled his name as "Hakkoda" rather than "Hakoda".
• Sokka mentioned that Hakoda and Bato were involved in "The Blubber Fiasco"; Bato was surprised that Sokka knew about it.^[2]
• The name "Hakoda" is pronounced similarly to the Malay and Indonesian word "nakhoda", which translates to "captain" when taken in the context of a commander of a ship.

References[]