Katara is a waterbending master from the Southern Water Tribe. While out on a fishing expedition, she and her older brother Sokka become stuck in a rip current and Katara's frustrated gesticulations result in waterbending that crack a nearby iceberg, inadvertently freeing Aang the Avatar and his sky bison Appa. Together the foursome journeys to the Northern Water Tribe and becomes good friends, working together to stop the Fire Nation's plans for world domination.Katara is very independent and strong-willed. She is fiercely protective of the people she loves as the result of having lost so much when she was young. She and Aang form a special connection over their shared abilities and over being orphans.Background: When Katara was eight-years-old, the South Pole was attacked by a Fire Nation military unit looking to kill the last waterbender -- Katara. In an attempt to protect her daughter, Katara's mother Kya was killed. Her father, Chief Hakoda, left for the Earth Kingdom to fight in the war when she was 12, leaving her and Sokka to be raised by their grandmother, Kanna ( Gran Gran ). The responsibility of growing up in a village of children and the elderly forced Katara to grow up too fast and take on many grown-up responsibilities. Though her interests lie in developing her waterbending skills, she resigns herself to cooking and cleaning duties while her brother, Sokka, trains to become a warrior.Growing up, she and was the last inhabitant of the South Pole who was capable of waterbending, but her skills were not very developed because there was no one there to teach her.Later, on her travels with Aang, they journey to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master to teach them. Upon arrival, Master Pakku refuses her apprenticeship, because she is female.However, after proving her worth in a battle against him, he agrees to teach her. Katara advances quickly in her art during their stay in the Northern Water Tribe that Pakku formally deems her capable enough to be Aang's waterbending teacher. She later becomes Aang's teacher and much more.