Strongest Character?

Title is pretty self explanatory. Who do you think is the strongest character? Now that doesn't mean the best bender or some guy that can do 100 push ups compared to someone who can do only 50. This is about strong in all different kinds of fields.

I've always been thinking about it, and after some pondering on it, I would have to say Sokka.

Why Sokka you ask?

I have many reasons, the first being that he isn't a bender. This is a world mostly populated and dominated by benders. Despite being a non-bender, he's proven his worth, sticking with and excelling beyond the top dogs at times.

You would have to place yourself in the shoes of some non-bender, in the world of Avatar, to consider this.

Because of your handicaps, shortcomings, whatever most people would call it, and possibly mock you for your disadvantages, you would have to consider if you would be self determined enough to excel or to fall into despair by the intimidating insults of others.

I know they didn't go into too much detail because it's a kid show, but you can be darn sure that there were some people out there who went to lengths of segregation of benders and nonbenders.

We've only seen a few examples, of how the population of Avatar looked down on nonbenders. For example during The Chase episode Toph already considered Sokka worthless with her one comment.

It went something along the lines of "We can take them, all three of us." To which Sokka corrected her, only to be told that she didn't count him because he couldn't bend.

We can't bend in our world, so we really can't sympathize too much regarding that situation. Or it's harder for some to do that. Though it would cause a lot of people to doubt themselves hearing such ridicule.

Of course Sokka has doubted himself at times, but that's not the same as falling into despair and not trying to better himself. It's no different from racial, nationality, gender, or whatever issues. People have told them they can't do this, or that they're worthless, but they proved them wrong or fallen into despair from ridicule.

Now you can say that the same can apply to others like Mai, TyLee, and whoever else is a nonbender, but there's a difference with them and Sokka. Most of them come from royalty.

They basically had wealth, fame, fortune, and sometimes the world at their finger tips. Things were already handed down to them. They didn't come from some poor backwater place like the Southern Water Tribe.

In his younger years, before his adventure with Aang, he looked over his tribe. Being the only capable male, he trained and worked hard to fit that role.

He was left behind by his father, because he was too young. He saw that as a sign of weakness, that his father thought he was weak as well. The fact that he entrusted the tribe in his hands says a lot. So he trained hard, to become the exceptional warrior that his father could respect.

And of course, as we know he would prove himself numerous times. Going against a ship armed with benders or going against an angry pissed off spirit panda? That's not something a lesser man would do.

His sacrifices were selfless at those times, I can't say the same about others, like Zuko throughout the entire Season 1. That's one reason why I don't see him as the most powerful, he couldn't see the others around him, his judgment was clouded because of his selfishness.

im having a hard time picking who's the strongest. this is where im at:

Sokka
Iroh
Suki
Aang

Sokka for the reasons you said. Im not going to repeat them since you put it well already XD

I added Iroh because I feel like he's stronger than Sokka spiritually aside from his obvious strengths. That, and he also had some pretty decent flaws that ultimately made him stronger in the end. The only reason why I'm holding back on him is because those flaws were mostly off screen....so....he was kind of the stereotype of the 'wise' character.

I say Suki because she kicks ass and has a very strong personality. she was probably one of my favorite female characters. she didn't let the prison wear her down but she also didn't have to give crappy motivational speeches like Katara. it was also her who singlehandedly captures the Warden in the Boiling Rock. She's able to be a strong fighter while at the same time being 'a girl' as she puts it when she's talking with Sokka. She isn't motherly like Katara and she isn't really a tomboy like Toph. She's just a warrior who kicks serious ass and happens to be a woman. and i really liked that about her character. she stood out to me out of all the female fighters.

Aang- i dont know what to say about him other than he's the avatar. i felt obligated to add him to the list. XD

I don't know about the girls. All of them have that overkill of Charlies Angels to them, if you get what I mean. It's like they were auditioning for a Jakie Chan movie, but went into the wrong set. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against women being capable fighters. I just don't really care for it when they have that actiony thing that Jakie Chan does in his movies.

I can't name off any of the males that have that same crazy like ninja reflex prowess, only the girls do. It's a reoccuring theme that I see to. All the guys were strong, but when it came to the girls they were very slow. I just didn't care for that.

I think it's possible to have a female warrior who has the same strengths and speed of her male enemies/comrades, but they never do it. You always see them being some crazy acrobatic gymnastic ninja fusion.

i think thats part of the philosophy that women are built differently than men so they have different strengths.

not saying i agree with that because im not much of gym person so i dont know if it's true or not lol XD.

But why do they do it with every female? Because it's the only way that they can be able to fight back? By being all Matrix like? I just wouldn't mind a different kind of female warrior.

they didnt do that with Katara or Toph. those two didn't have ninja-like moves. as for the rest of them, i dont know lol. im just saying.

Well with Toph and Katara they still went all gungho with their bending. I don't even remember Aang (the freaking Avatar) or Zuko a skilled fire bender ever going that crazy.

The only time I can think of a male unit getting all ninja badass is when those tribal archers the YuYan capture Aang.

Zuko went ninja badass when he went to bust Aang out of the fortress. and when he went to help Katara.

Oh yeah that's true, but that was just once. The others I've mentioned do it almost all the time. Kinda makes the show a bit predictable and boring at times.

yeah i know. but Suki i didnt seem to mind it lol.