Avatar: The Last Airbender is no different from most any popular fandom in the passion of its shippers. Until now, it seemed that Zutara (Zuko + Katara) shippers stood at the forefront of the Avatar fandom, often feuding with the canonically-backed Kataang (Katara + Aang) shippers. With Tumblr's 2020 Year in Review, however, it looks like increasingly Avatar fans are moving beyond the shipping wars of years past and taking a third option: Zuko and Sokka are the hot new ship setting sail.
Tumblr ranked the most popular or best ships on the site for 2020, and the top-ranking Avatar ship Zukka, the pairing of Prince Zuko, the Fire Nation antagonist-turned-hero, and Sokka, the Water Tribe wise guy who often served as the team's comic relief. Zukka makes it to #6 on the rankings, 13 spots ahead of Zutara, the second-highest-ranking Avatar ship. Star Wars' now-canon Reylo pairing of Rey and Kylo Ren takes the top spot in the rankings as a whole.
In the context of the Avatar franchise itself, there is little to indicate any strong romantic attraction between Zuko and Sokka. Sokka shared a passionate but brief relationship with Princess Yue and entered into a longer-term relationship with the Kyoshi Warrior Suki thereafter. The creators joked that Sokka and Suki retired "to the suburbs" together. Zuko had episodic flirtations with Song and Jin before reuniting with childhood friend Mai and entering into a long term romance. Eventually, he fathered Izumi.
If anything Zuko and Katara seemed to be the closer canon matchup, as the tension between the two began to bubble during their heart to heart in the Crystal Catacombs. When Zuko finally joined the Gaang Katara was not so quick to trust him, but their outing together to seek vengeance from the Southern Raiders that pillaged Katara's village brought them closer together. But plausibility is no necessity for quality shipping, and fans of the Zukka pairing are quick to point out that Zuko and Sokka had their own impactful outing together during the Boiling Rock breakout.
In a way, there is a lot in either character that would be complimentary in a relationship. Both are smart, resourceful and brave to the point of self-sacrifice. Zuko's brooding attitude could be offset by Sokka's reputation as a jokester, and at the same time, Zuko would provide the focus and practicality to reign Sokka in during his more cactus juice moments. They might just be a better couple than any of the canon pairings.
Some fans may cheer it on, others may gnash their teeth about it and it's a sure bet that there are arguments in every which way across the board. Such controversies only fan the flames of passion in the shipping community, however, and when it comes to Zuko there's no telling which way those flames may be bent. Katara needs to step aside because it looks like her brother wins the Fire Prince's crown for best OTP in 2020.
