What is SokkaGetsNoRespect.com?
A site dedicated to that most unappreciated of characters Sokka. Because a man who wields a boomerang, isn’t afraid to wear a dress, and can woo the hot Northern Water Tribe princess deserves a little more respect.
Who is Sokka?
Sokka is a 15 year-old kid from the Southern Water Tribe. At a young age, his mother was killed in a Fire Nation attack and his father Hakoda left to help aid the war against the Fire Nation. At the start of Avatar: The Last Airbender Sokka was the only able-bodied male left in the Southern Water Tribe. Since then he has accompanied his sister Katara as they help Aang — the Avatar — learn all four elements in order to defeat the Fire Lord Ozai.
In the real world, Sokka is a fictional character voiced by Jack DeSena. More information on Sokka can be found at his Wikipedia entry.
So, why is Sokka disrespected?
In any other television show, Sokka would be the man. Not a man, the man. However, the show is called Avatar: The Last Airbender and not Sokka: The Sarcastic Water Tribe Warrior. Compound this with the fact that Sokka is the only major character in Avatar to lack any elemental powers and Sokka is often marginalized in many fights. Additionally, Sokka is by far the least-developed character on the show. While Aang, Katara, and Zuko get significant time (or even entire episodes!) devoted to developing their characters and backstories, Sokka thus far has had to be content with brief glimpses of glory scattered throughout the series.
Okay, so what’s so great about Sokka?
Sokka may be lacking in certain talents, but he more than makes up for it with his comedy. Sokka — in lieu of development (and much to the chagrin of his fans) — has become the comedic sidekick so to speak of Avatar. With his naturally sarcastic personality and his sheer exuberance, Sokka often gives up comedy gold in the form of a quote or two (or a dozen) every episode. He often serves as the counterbalance to the angsty Zuko in episodes.
Is there hope for Sokka in the future?
Definitely, as episodes such as Bato of the Water Tribe have shown, Sokka’s own past is just as interesting as everyone else’s. He also stands as the only sane young male in the show that can have an actual romantic relationship (Zuko being too emotionally–disturbed to have any sort of relationship with anyone) as the season finale The Siege of the North demonstrated. So Sokka fans, hang on! Some day, some episode, the man we know as Sokka will surely come into his own.
What is Avatar: The Last Airbender?
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated show currently airing on Nickelodeon (and its sister channels). It chronicles a group of kids — Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph — and their rivals — Zuko mainly — as they journey around the world. In this world, a war between the four nations — the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribe, and the now extinct Air Nomads — has been waged for the past hundred years. Only with the powers of the Avatar, a Bender capable of mastering all four elements, can the war be stopped.
Aang as the Avatar needs to learn all four elements before the arrival of Sozun’s Comet which would signal victory for the ruthless Fire Nation. With his friends Katara, Sokka, and Toph (with Katara and Toph doubling as his masters for water and earth respectively), Aang learns lessons, has adventures, and attempts to balance being a 12 year–old kid with his responsibilities of saving the world.
Why should I watch Avatar?
Because it’s good. Really good. Unlike other cartoons on Nickelodeon, Avatar: The Last Airbender was not written and drawn just for the pre–teen crowd. While there’s no doubt that at heart it’s still a show targeted towards kids (all the major characters are kids themselves), Avatar rises above the fray by deftly dealing with plotlines and issues typically not dealt with in this kind of show. Love, death, betrayal, and sacrifice are all examined within a serious context providing much welcomed gravitas to the show. On the animation side, Avatar continually impresses in its ability to combine western and eastern design sensibilities to its drawings. Its riffs of anime are never overdone and it manages to maintain the kinetic fight sequences often seen in eastern animated shows with the fluidity often associated with their western counterparts.
All in all, it’s good and you should watch (if you aren’t already).
