Toph Beifong is, without a doubt, one of the best characters inAvatar: The Last Airbender, and the Netflix adaptation needs to get one of her key relationships. After thelive-action Avatar show received mixed-to-positive reviews, Netflix quickly picked up the show for both Season 2 and 3, which will adapt Books 2 and 3.
Like the cartoon,Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 will introduce the fan-favorite characterToph Beifong, who is a blind Earthbending master. Although Toph never gets a romantic arc, her platonic relationships are just as crucial to the show. The live-action TV show might make many changes, but they need to get one underrated Toph relationship right.
Katara & Toph Are The Most Unlikely Friends In The Original Avatar: The Last Airbender
Katara & Toph Have Contrasting Personalities In The Avatar Cartoon
When it comes to unlikely friendships in theAvatar: The Last Airbendercartoon, I’d put Katara and Toph at the top of the list. Both teen girls are hardheaded and very stuck in their ways. Katara is more feminine, while Toph is somewhat masculine. Neither of them understands the other’s self-expression.
Their vastly different upbringings also put each other at odds with each other.Katara comes from a very communal society, and she behaves like a maternal figure. In contrast, Toph is hyper-independent when they first met because her parents infantilized her, taking away any semblance of freedom.
Add to that the fact that Katara is 14 and Toph is 12, and they’re bound to get on each other’s nerves. Despite this, they form a connection over the course of Book 2 and Book 3. They might continue to butt heads, but in a sisterly way rather than an enemy way.
The Growth In Katara & Toph’s Friendship Is Beautiful To Watch
Toph & Katara Find A Way To Understand Each Other Despite Their Differences
While other friendships and romances get more praise, I stand by the assertion that one of the most beautifulrelationships in the OGAvatar: The Last Airbenderis the friendship between Toph and Katara. As discussed, they have a lot of friction because they are such different characters with opposing personalities, butthey grow as a pair, becoming fiercely loyal to one another.
Their positive interactions start out small, like Katara defending Toph when Aang blames her for Appa getting captured. This friendliness is reciprocated when Toph dresses Katara up as a high-society member, and they work together to get inside the event. It’s sweet to see that they aren’t always at odds with each other.
Then, they build to bigger moments, like Katara and Toph having a girls’ day at the spa, them running a con together, and Katara helping Toph write a letter to her mom. Katara also insists that they look for Toph after she gets mad and storms off because of the Zuko situation.
The Live-Action Avatar Show Needs To Get Katara & Toph’s Friendship Right
Toph & Katara Need To Have The Same Relationship Arc
The live-action Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender will make some changes to the character of Toph, making her slightly older and a little more feminine. To say I’m concerned about the change is an understatement. Toph’s immaturity and masculinity impact her relationships, so the change will influence the dynamics of the group.
Even with the Toph changes, they need to ensure they do justice to Katara and Toph’s friendship. The two shouldn’t just immediately be friends, starting at odds with one another like in the Nickelodeon TV show. If they just immediately click, it erases their character growth and makes their friendship shallower in the end.
Toph might be a little older, but she could still be the hyper-independent character based on her backstory. This would create conflict between the two teen girls. Additionally, actor Miya Cech said herToph in the live-actionAvatarwould be just as spunky and a spitfire, which could also create tension.
Then,by the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3, they need to have a mostly positive, sisterly relationship. The consistency in this underrated friendship will help the Netflix show feel true to the cartoon, even with thechanges to the live-action Avatar TV show.
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Remake Should Add More Katara & Toph Scenes
Book 3 Could Show More Of Katara & Toph’s Friendship
By the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Katara and Toph are extremely loyal and protective of each other, even if they still bicker and fight. If Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is going to give more attention to any friendship, I hope it’s this one.
Katara and Toph have a lot of scenes where they argue early in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, butthey get fewer moments once they’re actually friends. If the Netflix series is going to stay true to the early contentiousness between the two, I’d like to also see a few more scenes of Katara and Toph after they’ve become friends later.
This would help show how much Katara and Toph have changed over time, learning from one another and finding their similarities. It would also be great to see a positive relationship between two girl characters who are incredibly different from each other, rather than focusing solely on them judging each other.
Netflix’sAvatar: The Last AirbenderTV show tends to focus on the fighting scenes instead of the quieter, slower moments. While I’d like for this to change, I’m not sure that it will, given the smaller number of episodes compared to the cartoon. As such, these added Katara and Toph scenes could be them working together in battle or preparing to fight.
