The ZUTARA EPIC KISS Theory
Ideas Presented by AVidZktjo

We all know that this is a kid’s show, so the first thing that I want to point out is how far a relationship will go in this “kid’s show.”

Since it is a JUST A KID’S SHOW, any kind of romantic relationship will only go as far as a KISS. And I’m definitely not saying that is a bad thing. I wanna keep it that way – clean and simple. But for the sake of this theory, I thought I’d point that out!

This doesn’t mean that the series couldn’t end with an epilogue episode, showing how the Gang ends up in the future, seeing who they marry, and how they help end the war through negotiations or a GREAT ROMANCE that helps everyone trust in the Fire Nation again (*hint*hint*). It just means that any sort of romantic relationship will only develop as far as a KISS.

Now that I’ve driven that point home, onto my theory.

We have seen several kisses throughout this show, some are cute, some are ambiguous, and some are just plain disturbing. (If you haven’t figured it out by now, Maiko is among my least favorite ships) So…let’s walk through each one and see how different the Zutara kiss could be!

First of all, let’s look at Sokka’s relationships. The kisses kinda happen the same way Kataang does only they end with different results entirely.

For example, Yue just up and kisses Sokka out of nowhere. We see Sokka close his eyes, seemingly showing that he likes it, and then what does he do? He backs out of it! But, when he does, her hand rests upon his chest, and he says, “Ok, now I’m really confused, happy, but confused.” And then Yue explains to him that she likes him. Thus, this kiss is two-sided.

The same thing happens with Suki and Sokka. The only difference is that Sokka is the first one to initiate the kiss this time. And just like the Yue kiss, Suki is now shocked and surprised. But if you watch her eyes during the first time they kiss, her eyelids begin to close near the end, showing that she enjoyed the kiss. And then Sokka kisses her again, and this time she replies by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back with the same passion and desire as he. It is one of the cutest moments in Avatar that I still watch over and over! Awww…

Okay, small spazz there, moving on.

What we see displayed in both of these kisses is a mutual return of affections. They both enjoyed it, and even when surprised, they explained afterwards about their feelings or showed it with another kiss. Thus this is our example of what a two-sided kiss should look like.

But has Kataang looked like that? Has Maiko?

First of all, before answering the questions above, I have another theory I’d like to insert about Aang. Sokka is pretty much the ladies’ man in the group. He’s been with Yue and Suki romantically, and he also has two gals that have crushes on him (Ty Lee and Toph). He knows about relationships, in other words.

But what about Aang?

As far as we’ve seen, Aang has never had a girlfriend. He was raised as a monk after all. Sure, he traveled the world, made friends in high places and in low places, but has he had a girlfriend? The answer is most likely no, considering, after all, that he IS A MONK.

So, since he has never had that sort of interaction before, what sort of opinions would he form after seeing or hearing about Sokka’s romantic interests? Surely Aang saw that kiss that Sokka gave Suki, and most likely, Sokka even shared about Yue with Aang. They were kinda the only guys in the Gang, so they’ve probably shared a story or two together.

Basically, the question I am asking is: after hearing all about Sokka’s stories and seeing it happen with his own two eyes, would Aang believe that just up and kissing a girl was the way to start a relationship? After all, it worked for Sokka! Why not Aang?

This has probably been pointed out by every Zutarian who’s ever shipped Zutara, but just for the sake of clarity, I’ll point it out once more.

EVERY KATAANG KISS DIDN’T HAPPEN IN THE FINALE!!!

If the Kataang relationship was really supposed to happen, why save the climax of the relationship for a daydream? Why did they show THREE, count em, THREE kisses before the finale – one being in the trailer!!! Why not save this climactic moment for the finale? Why waste the first kiss on a dream, waste the second to an ambiguous look, and waste the third (third time’s the charm?) on Katara’s sudden pull-back? Why?

Maybe because the truth is that Kataang ISN’T the climax!

But as mentioned before about Sokka’s relationships, here we find Aang forcing himself on Katara three different times. Even in his daydream, he forced himself on her. But did the two REAL ones end up like Sokka’s relationships? No, they didn’t.

The first kiss found in the Day of Black Sun episodes ended with Katara looking away to the side in what seems to be a look of embarrassment and guilt over the fact that she doesn’t return the feelings.

The second kiss found in the trailer looks to be a reaction of surprise. But, why would she be surprised? Is it because she has forgotten about the kiss?

As Zutarian-Empire here on DA pointed out in her journal, the DOBS kiss was more of a life-or-death situational kiss, meaning that Aang was about to go to war and didn’t know if he would see Katara again, so he just kissed her FOR HIS OWN COMFORT. So what was Katara to think of this kiss? Nothing. It was an end of the world kiss, and she probably put it in the back of her mind as nothing but that.

But then in the trailer we see that she is surprised by this new kiss. Why? Because it no longer stems from a life-or-death situation. They are all alone together, and the war hasn’t started yet, so Aang can more freely express his feelings. And he does, and I believe that for the first time Katara realizes that Aang does like her and that first kiss wasn’t just because he was going to war. Hence, the surprise!

But now onto what I capitalized above – FOR HIS OWN COMFORT.

The COMFORT issue is a very important concept in the kisses of the Avatar show.

Let’s now turn to Maiko. From the very beginning, shown in the very first episode The Awakening, we see that Zuko is conflicted about returning home and he tries opening up to Mai about his doubts and his worries and just what is on his mind. And what does she do? She yawns, ignores what he says, and then walks up to him and KISSES HIM!

Why did she kiss him then? Because she didn’t want to listen to him, understand him, or reply to what he was sharing with her. But she did realize that he needed COMFORT! So, she told him not to worry and then she KISSES him. This was the first Maiko kiss that was done in COMFORT and all the kisses thereafter are done in the same manner. Don’t believe me?

Ok…the next kiss between Mai and Zuko would be in The Headband when they are together looking out at the sunset, right? It looks all romantic and sweet and they kiss each other at the same time – looks two-sided, doesn’t it? BUT if you only saw this moment, then you would think it was out of love and not comfort, but there is a moment right before this kiss where Zuko confronts his Uncle Iroh.

Since Zuko can’t talk to Mai about his conflicting feelings, he goes to his Uncle. But his Uncle won’t say a word, so Zuko leaves in even more of a frenzy than when he first got there. And when do we see him next? With Mai!

Now, Zuko had just confronted his Uncle and we could tell that he was having conflicting feelings about his betrayal, so the next person he goes to is Mai. He doesn’t start explaining his feelings to her but instead he just spends time with her, basically pushing all of his struggles to the back of his mind and taking COMFORT in her kiss.

Is this so wrong? Yes! Zuko needs to come face-to-face with his past mistakes and instead he is hiding behind a relationship that does him no good in his development!

Ok, moving on.

The next time we truly see Zuko with Mai is when they go to the beach. Again it is just a distraction for his conflicting feelings. But wait! What happens? Zuko explodes on the beach about his anger at himself because he is confused and doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong anymore.

And what does Mai do after this little rant? She doesn’t address his conflicting feelings, but all she does is tell him that she cares about him and, of course, she kisses him! Once again, a kiss of COMFORT and not of understanding.

Then one of the last times we see them together is when they are discussing fruit tarts and whatnot. But what does Zuko find out? Mai tells him about the war meeting and suddenly Zuko steps back from her and goes into his own little world of struggling thoughts. Mai is powerless to help because she has failed to understand him thus far, so she just sits beside him, wondering what is wrong.

In a scene quickly following that, we see Zuko staring out into the city, wondering about the war meeting that he wasn’t invited to. The first thing he says to Mai is that he doesn’t care about going. But from Zuko’s body language, you can tell that he does.

But does she realize this? No. And it is quite simply because she has not taken the time to get to know him, to know his past, to see how much he has changed. She has no idea about the struggles he is facing over choosing the right side.

And this is why she does not understand why Zuko turns from her touch.

He doesn’t want COMFORT in the form of a kiss anymore. He wants someone to talk to, to relate to, someone who will understand the conflicts he is facing. But he knows he cannot discuss them with Mai for she has shown that she does not care and that the only COMFORT she brings is in a kiss.

After this scene, Zuko comes out from the war meeting and he stops in front of Sozin’s picture. Mai is so proud of him, but again she is misinterpreting how he truly feels, and thus it confuses her to hear him say, “During the meeting I was the perfect Prince, the son my father wanted, but I wasn’t me.”

How could Mai ever understand this when she never took the time to understand his struggles? The truth is that she can’t relate to him, and she’ll never be able to. He tried opening up to her in the beginning, but when she refused to listen and showed that the only COMFORT she would bring was a kiss, he never mentioned it again.

And thus, every Maiko scene, every kiss between them, was for COMFORT, not for love. For how can you love someone who does not take the time to know you, to understand you, to feel your pain with you, and to see inside your heart as to who you have truly become?

And thus for Zuko, the kiss is representative of COMFORT, but it is the WRONG kind of COMFORT. He does not need a physical relationship that only pushes the real struggles to the back of his mind. No. He needs a relationship where he can openly discuss his past, his present, his future, his doubts, his worries, his fears, his sorrow, all the feelings locked inside his heart.

And when was the first time he got this sort of COMFORT that he NEEDED? From KATARA.

Ok, now that we have touched base on the COMFORT of the Maiko kisses, it is time to touch on the same concept that can be found in the Kataang kisses. And, yes, it is for the exact same reason that Aang kisses Katara and even vice versa.

First let’s look at how Katara kisses Aang. All those little pecks on the cheek were preceded by a vivid display of Aang’s want for comfort or reassurance.

The first time she kisses him on the cheek is when he presents her mother’s necklace to her. This kiss is in thanks for what he has done, yes, but it is a reassurance to Aang that he has done well. And thus the kisses follow in this way.

Katara is constantly offering a hug or a kiss as a gesture of comfort to Aang. He is always in need of this comfort because, yes, he has the world to save and thus he needs this sort of comfort in his life. And what does Katara do? She willingly provides it for him.

I will not touch on every kiss, but I ask you to look back on all of the Kataang cheek pecks, what events preceded them? Was Aang in need of comfort, of reassurance, of a simple gesture to know that he was on the right path? Every time she kisses him, it is so that Aang can be comforted, and it is never for herself.

Now onto the Daydream kiss. What can really be said about this but that this is how Aang wished it to be, this is how it would have been had she liked him back. But if you watch and understand this kiss, it is yet again another display of Aang’s want for comfort and reassurance. He talks of the war and how he needs to save the world, and then he tells her that he loves her.

So how is this a COMFORT kiss? Because not only does it show Aang’s conflicting feelings over the war, but it is also showing that he wants REASSURANCE from her that she loves him. It is for his own peace of mind, out of his own selfish desire, that he kisses her.

But she kisses him back! Yes, because Aang perceives that her COMFORT would be there yet again through this kiss, but the truth is that it wasn’t in the REAL kiss.

The DOBS kiss was a sight to see for sure. And I have to tell you, when I first saw Aang jump up and kiss her, my heart about stopped and the first thought that immediately popped into my head was, “Please have her look away, please have her look away.” And sure enough, she gave a look!

First of all, you most note that yet again this was a kiss for Aang’s reassurance and COMFORT! It was not about Katara, it was about Aang! He said, “What…what if I don’t come back?” So, Aang was worried yet again about the war, and this time he acts on his fears and tries to find COMFORT in Katara’s kiss. But it doesn’t happen as he wanted it to.

Instead, Katara looks away in embarrassment and guilt over the fact that she doesn’t return his feelings. If she had liked him, she could have kissed him back, said something, anything, or even smiled. But the fact remains that she looked away and she was indeed sad. It wasn’t because he was going off to war, it was because she didn’t feel as he did.

In other words, that physical act was not what she needed most in terms of understanding and comfort. She needed something more…but we are getting to that later on.

Next we have the new kiss and honestly it doesn’t look any better than the DOBS kiss. First of all, as mentioned above, she was surprised most likely because she had completely forgotten about the first kiss and is now realizing that Aang actually does like her in this way.

Now, it is true that we do not know the context of this kiss. But it is evident that Aang is the one who initiates it, and we all know the reasons why he does. He does it for his own REASSURANCE.

There is one interesting theory that I have to say I agree with and that is that in the play the Zutara Cave scene will be acted out and finally the Gang will learn what really went on between Zuko and Katara. As mentioned on the poster that Sokka reads, it says the writer of the play traveled to Ba Sing Se in preparation for his show. So, will the Zutara Cave be shown?

If it is, Aang will most likely confront Katara about it, she will try to explain, and then when Aang sees that she is sad and conflicted, he will do what he thinks will bring her COMFORT. He will kiss her.

The thing is that Katara has shown Aang that COMFORT is brought by a kiss or a hug. So, Aang not only has the misconstrued scenes of Sokka’s romances, but he also has seen that Katara brings COMFORT to him in the form of a kiss, so he is thinking that that is how it works. It is the simple logic of a child to connect things like this and see them as he wants to see them. But the truth is that this is not the COMFORT that Katara longs for.

So, whatever the context, it is apparent that the kiss was initiated by Aang, and we know that Aang views a kiss as bringing COMFORT.

But for Katara, her COMFORT has not come in the form of kissing Aang on the cheek or in Aang kissing her. Why? Because just like for Zuko, Aang does not understand Katara.

Are Aang and Katara best friends? Yes, they are. They share many things together, but just like Maiko when Zuko first opened up to Mai, Katara was shot down when she first opened up to Aang. Don’t believe me? Have a look at The Southern Air Temple episode when Katara first mentions her mother.

Katara starts off by explaining that the Fire Nation raided their village, but Aang tells her that SHE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND. He turns it back on her. She tries again, but once again he tells her that she doesn’t understand, and so we never see her talking about her mother with him again.

Because, the truth is that Aang is right, but it is vice versa. It isn’t Katara that will never understand, it is Aang.

And so we come full circle. Katara now views a kiss as a COMFORT for Aang; Aang views a kiss as a COMFORT for himself because Katara has given him that misconstrued view; and for Zuko, the physical act of a kiss is also representative of a COMFORT.

So, both Zuko and Katara have been given COMFORT in the form of a kiss when this is not at all what they long for in a relationship. Katara shows later on that she wants to talk about her mother but doesn’t know who to turn to. She tries to talk to Haru and Jet about it, but we know how those relationships turn out. Haru just never happens, and Jet betrays her.

But for Zuko, here she finally finds someone she can truly connect with. But, yes, just like Jet, he does betray her. But before the betrayal, the connection and understanding and COMFORT on this level is deeper than any time before because they find that they can relate to one another. They’ve gone through the same past, and it still boggles my mind that Zuko willingly opened himself up to her. And guess what? For the first time, Zuko had someone who actually listened to him!

Remember that little “What?” he gave when she said she could heal him? I do not simply believe that it was expressed only because she was offering to heal him, but I believe he also expressed this because he was surprised that she even listened to him.

Yes, this came before Maiko, but that makes it even more interesting because what is the first thing that Zuko does when with Mai? He tries to open up to her! And does it go the same way as when it did with Katara? No. And so he never brings it up again.

And Katara? What happens after his betrayal? She is angrier than ever! She goes back into the friend mode with Aang, trying to give him comfort once again, but it isn’t bringing HER comfort. Instead, when Aang runs off, we finally see Katara collapse once more (like she did in the Zutara Cave), but this time she does it with her father. But the thing to see is that from that one moment on, she never collapses in the same way again. She doesn’t open up to Aang when he comes back; she doesn’t open up to anyone about that anger. It was only to her father and Zuko that she expressed that anger and sadness.

Now we come to my favorite part! What does Hakoda give Katara as a sign of COMFORT?

A HUG!!!

And Katara has spilled her soul out in the same manner she did to Zuko. And the sign of COMFORT that she receives is a loving embrace! Could this have possibly been foreshadowing for the later Zutara hug? Who knows…but it is rather interesting to find that the real COMFORT comes in that hug and in Hakoda’s listening to Katara and understanding of her pain.

So what does all of this have to do with my Zutara Epic Kiss Theory?

Let’s see if you can connect the dots.

1) A kiss for Zuko is representative of COMFORT, but not representative of the listening and understanding of his struggles that he truly needs.
2) A kiss for Katara is also representative of COMFORT, but not representative of the listening and understanding of her pain and sorrow that she truly needs.
3) Both Mai and Aang believe that a kiss will solve the problem and will provide the COMFORT that is needed.

So…what can be concluded?

It is quite simple really.

Neither Zuko nor Katara will find COMFORT in those kisses or any kiss for that matter because the COMFORT they long for isn’t in a kiss. The COMFORT is in the listening, the relating, the understanding, the acceptance, and the forgiveness.

So, Zuko and Katara will find that COMFORT that they long for in each other but it won’t manifest itself in the physical, in other words, through a kiss. It will be there through their talks, through their “ninja” missions, through their understanding of each other, and even through that hug that was one of the first displays of Katara being COMFORTED in the way she longed for.

So what will become of the Zutara kiss?

Since COMFORT will not be found in the kiss but found through their friendship, then the simple conclusion is that the EPIC kiss we all long for will come in the form of LOVE!!!

Zuko and Katara will have found comfort through each other not through any physical act, but through the mutual understanding that comes in their friendship. And thus when they do kiss, it won’t be out of COMFORT, for they would have already found that, but it will be out of LOVE for one another, a deeper love than any other ship on the show has ever had or ever will have!

And that is the beauty of the FINALE KISS! It won’t be about COMFORT or REASSURANCE but…

L-O-V-E

And thus, fellow Zutarians, the trailer shows us the beginnings of this COMFORT between them that will later manifest into LOVE and become the EPIC Finale Kiss we have all been waiting for!