Line #278 Characters/HowIBecameYours


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2
3	[[folder:Canon Characters]]
4	!!Katara
5	[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiby_katara.png]]
6
7	Katara is the princess of the Water Tribes. She's been in love with Zuko since she was fourteen, and got pregnant by him. However, Zuko's fiancee Mai poisoned her, causing a miscarriage. At the beginning of the story, she lives in an Earth Kingdom estate with Toph and spends her days pining after Zuko.
8	------
9	* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Downplayed, but she has two children in the epilogue, which takes place when she is 23. Had she not been poisoned by Mai, she would have been 15 when she had her first child.
10	* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Canon Katara wasn't much for angst (though she had her moments). This Katara spends the first two chapters of the story (when she's away from Zuko) angsting, due to miscarrying her son in a traumatic way and being seperated from the man she loves. She drops the angst once she hooks up with Zuko for good, though.
11	* AmbiguouslyBi: Despite being in love with Zuko, there's really only so many cuddly scenes she can share with Azula before people start questioning what the ''real'' pairing of the comic is. One scene in particular sees her holding Azula's shoulders, standing flush against her as the pair look in a mirror and tell Azula how beautiful she is.
12	* BabiesEverAfter: She has two children called Kuzon and Lilith.
13	* BadassBoast: Her summation to Mai, after the latter has [[spoiler:thrown a knife and apparently]] killed Azula.
14	-->'''Katara:''' How much are you going to take? My brother's future. My friends. My life. My son. I can't let you take anything else. But I'll give you something in return:\
15	\
16	[[PreMortemOneLiner An end.]]
17	* BeyondTheImpossible: Bloodbends during the day, when it was ''explicitly'' stated that waterbenders needed the power granted by the full moon to do so. ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' reveals that daytime bloodbending [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting is indeed possible]], but Katara still couldn't have done it - it was an unique trait passed down in [[spoiler:Yakone's]] family, much like Combustion Man's explosions.
18	* BloodMagic: Just as in canon, she is a bloodbender, and her abilities are even more powerful here, reaching [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra Amon]]-like levels.
19	* BloodyMurder: Kills Mai with bloodbending, which is something that Canon!Katara was so horrified by that she had it made illegal.
20	* {{Chickification}}: Canon!Katara was an ActionGirl, while this Katara does little more than angst about not being with Zuko and then just lounges around once she does hook up with him.
21	* DisproportionateRetribution: Killing Mai with Bloodbending after Mai stabbed Azula and it was discovered Mai made her miscarry. Admittedly, Mai was trying to kill her at the time, but Katara was perfectly capable of simply using bloodbending to incapacitate her and drag her off to trial.
22	* ForgotAboutHerPowers: She can bloodbend during the day, but doesn't think to use it immediately after Mai showed herself for quick incapacitation.
23	* GodzillaThreshold: Katara hates bloodbending, but will use it when her friends and family are seriously threatened. And to take revenge on people who murdered her children.
24	-->[[DirtyBusiness Yue, forgive me ...]]
25	* GratuitousPrincess: While canon Katara had no title, this Katara is the Princess of the Water Tribes. They do have a monarchy in canon, and the comic handwaves something about her being related to the royal family and becoming princess due to a changing of the guard there.
26	* HealingHands: Like in the show, she can use waterbending to heal. She uses it to keep Azula alive for the finale until Sokka can retrieve her from the Spirit World.
27	* InNameOnly: This isn't the kind waterbender with ChronicHeroSyndrome you know from the show.
28	* ItsAllAboutMe: A major character trait of hers. When she says that Kuzon died a day before her birthday, she ''emphasizes the part about her birthday''.
29	* MakingASplash: She can do this, as is shown in her fight with Mai.
30	* MsFanservice: She's beautiful, has giant breasts, and often wears ''incredibly'' low-cut gowns.
31	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Katara is horrified with herself for having [[spoiler:killed Mai with bloodbending]].
32	-->(''Crying silently'') But I did kill someone. I couldn't kill the man who took our mother, but somehow I [[spoiler:was able to kill Mai]]. What does that make me now?
33	* PayEvilUntoEvil: So your boyfriend's jealous ex is attempting to assassinate you, tried to kill your best friend, and murdered your child. What do you do? Well, if you're Katara, ''murder her in a horribly painful way!''
34	* PrincessClassic: In the show, she's a commoner, but in HIBY, she resembles a stereotypical Disney Princess.
35	* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything : She's a princess, and her royal duties mostly consist of living it up with Toph and snuggling Zuko. Somewhat justified, given that she's still a teenager, and presumably not yet expected to govern.
36	* SheFu: Katara's acrobatic dodge when Mai attacks her in Chapter 4 is worthy of ''Film/TheMatrix''.
37	* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: Bites it pretty fast in ''Rise of the Agni Army''.
38	* TeenPregnancy: Her first pregnancy was when she was ''fourteen''.
39	* VaporWear: Look at the dress she's wearing in the character image. Does it ''look'' like she's wearing anything under that?
40
41	!! Zuko
42	[[quoteright:189:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiby_zuko.jpg]]
43
44	Zuko is the Fire Lord, and he has been in love with Katara ever since he met her a few years ago [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender when he was chasing after the Avatar]], and he got her pregnant. However, he was engaged to another woman for political reasons, and had to marry her. That woman was Mai, his girlfriend from the show. Zuko does not love Mai, and as long as she's his wife, he can't marry his true love- Katara.
45	------
46	* ArrangedMarriage: His marriage with Mai was arranged for political purposes, despite there being no hint of that in the show.
47	* DisproportionateRetribution: Find out that your wife concealed evidence of your lover's pregnancy and killed the baby? Hit her, verbally abuse her, and divorce her to go run off with your lover.
48	* DomesticAbuse: He gets angry and ''shoves Mai to the ground'' when he realizes that she's concealed evidence of Katara's pregnancy.
49	* GainingTheWillToKill: Zuko eventually had his father, the deposed Fire Lord Ozai, executed, because even in defeat he was too dangerous to be left alive.
50	* InconsistentColoring: His skin tone changes colours from panel to panel.
51	* ItsAllAboutMe: His marriage with Mai is supposed to be very important, politically speaking. Her family is the most important in the country, second only to the Royal Family, and their support is important. Yet Zuko divorces her without a second thought for the princess of a nation that just recently was an enemy of the Fire Nation. In a real nation, this would create political chaos, and potentially a rebellion. As it is, Zuko still has a hard time winning over the Senate for his divorce and remarriage.
52	* PatrioticFervor: Heroic example. Zuko wishes for the Fire Nation to expand again, whereas most of his privy counselors prefer a neo-isolationist attitude after the debacle of their [[ForeverWar last great foreign venture]]. His marriage with Katara is partially intended to bring the Water Tribes under his sovereignty. Though to be fair, this might just be an argument he uses in favor of the marriage to obtain agreement to it, since the Senate and other Fire Nation nobles [[MalignedMixedMarriage are against it]].
53	* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything : He's Fire Lord, a position that holds a lot of political responsibility, but he neglects it for Katara. And while he's HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee for it, it's obvious that he's supposed to be in the right and the Senate is supposed to be wrong for trying to make the Fire Lord ''behave like a Fire Lord''.
54	* ReformedButNotTamed: Zuko is still one of the good guys since he joined them late in the original series, but his ruthlessness remains, and indeed, may have increased after he became the Fire Lord.
55	* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: When shoving Mai to the ground, he demands that she call him by her title, and as he casts her out, says, "I am no longer Zuko to you."
56	* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: He gets out of his dispute with the Fire Senate, not by actually becoming a responsible leader, but by basically saying "I created the Senate, therefore I am above it".
57	* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler: Gets killed early on in ''Rise of the Agni Army''.]]
58	* SympatheticAdulterer: He's meant to be justified in his affair with Katara because Mai is evil.
59	* VillainousLineage: Defied. He struggles against his fathers' villainous legacy, and to rule the Fire Nation fairly. This was why he instituted the Senate, as a check on his power so he would not be tempted to misuse it. However, he is observably colder and more ruthless here than in the series, so ruling is taking its toll on him.
60
61	!! Toph
62	[[quoteright:208:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiby_toph_in_a_ballgown.jpg]]
63
64	Katara's friend and, aside from Azula, the most OOC character in the comic. There's no trace of the tomboy who loved getting her hands (and feet) dirty here- she's calm, demure, and feminine. She often acts as Katara's handmaid and sidekick. She is in love with Aang.
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66	* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: She has two children who appear to be around kindergarten-age in the epilogue, which takes place when she's 21.
67	* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: She doesn't angst as much as Katara, but the angst she does have is notable because she's supposed to be ''Toph'', who is more likely to ask AngstWhatAngst
68	* BabiesEverAfter: She has a boy named Poe and a girl named Ling.
69	* BadassBoast: When Sokka doubts her LivingLieDetector ability.
70	-->'''Toph:''' Are you serious! I am Toph, I always know when someone is lying!
71	* BetaCouple: With Aang.
72	* BlueBlood: She was already upper-class (and so presumably nobility) in the series, but HIBY specifies that she is a Countess of the Earth Kingdom.
73	* {{Chickification}}: ''Oh, so much''. Canon!Toph was a carefree, badass tomboy, while this Toph is quiet and wears [[PimpedOutDress Pimped Out Dresses]] without any complaints.
74	* DishingOutDirt: Can Earthbend, which she uses ''once'' for quick transportation.
75	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Toph is much more of a GirlyGirl in her first couple of appearances than she ever was in the show. In the later chapters, she is closer to her canon personality, though still noticeably more feminine. {{Lampshaded}} by the characters themselves:
76	-->'''Katara:''' Wow, Toph, thank you. Back then, I didn't think you would be capable of ever talking like this. You know, people will start thinking you're growing soft! (''Giggles'')
77	-->'''Toph:''' Let them think that. I'll just hit them with the biggest rock I can find!
78	* GratuitousPrincess: Downplayed; while canon Toph was wealthy, she wasn't a member of nobility. This Toph is explicitly said to be a Countess.
79	* InformedFlaw: Toph is blind, as per canon, but you'd be forgiven for not noticing this. She references color, calls Katara beautiful, etc. The latter may be justified, given her Daredevil-like blindvision, but in canon that's still black and white.
80	* InNameOnly: You'd never know that this was supposed to be Toph if the other characters didn't keep calling her that.
81	* LivingLieDetector: She still has this ability, although the description of the mechanics are backwards [[note]]She says she can tell Azula is telling the truth because her heartbeat is frantic. Lie detectors work on the concept that the act of lying ''causes'' your heart to beat faster.[[/note]] Ironically, the only time she uses it is on Azula, [[ConsummateLiar the only person in canon who has established that she is immune to it]].
82	* MsFanservice: Like the other heroines, she has gigantic boobs and is prone to wearing low-cut dresses. At one point, she wears a thin nightgown and [[VaporWear nothing]] [[NippleAndDimed underneath]].
83	* NippleAndDimed: The flimsy nightgown she wears after her sex scene with Aang shows her nipples.
84	* UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn: Her children in the epilogue, Poe and Ling, are twins.
85	* VaporWear: Her infamous nightgown and her more low-cut dresses.
86
87	!! Aang
88	[[quoteright:287:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/coming_forth_the_avatar.jpg]]
89
90	The Avatar, the only one who can bend all four elements to his will. In the show, he's an incredibly important figure, but here, he's just there to be Toph's boyfriend, though he also aids Sokka in getting to the Spirit world to rescue Azula in the climax. He's best known for his creepy design and for his [[FunnyBackgroundEvent bored expression]] during the whole melodramatic climax.
91	------
92	* BetaCouple: With Toph.
93	* BlowYouAway: His native power, and the only one he's seen using.
94	* ElementalPowers: He can use all four, though he's not seen doing so.
95	* {{Flight}} His only use of his bending prowess in HIBY is to take Toph on a flight with him.
96	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: ''The'' funny background event of the comic, although it's probably unintentional. Aang has a hilariously bored expression throughout both the HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee scene and the finale.
97	* OutOfFocus: Hero of the show, side character of HIBY. He's really only there to be paired with Toph and to make sure that everyone (Except for Mai, that [[DesignatedVillain evil]], [[StrawmanHasAPoint evil]] [[UnintentionallySympathetic woman]]) gets hooked up.
98	* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Being the Avatar doesn't seem to give Aang any responsibilities at all. He's free to cavort with Toph around her estate for months on end, despite the fact that he's a very important figure and world peacekeeper.
99	* PowerGlows: An unusual and FridgeHorror-riddled variation. His tattoos normally glow when he's in the Avatar state, but in this story, they glow when he's having sex with Toph, which gives the implication that Toph is potentially being subjected to a ManOfSteelWomanOfKleenex scenario.
100	* UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn: His children in the epilogue, Poe and Ling, are twins.
101
102	!! Azula
103	[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiby_azula.jpg]]
104
105	Once princess of the Fire nation, before [[BroughtDownToNormal her bending was removed]] and she was banished. She showed up in front of Sokka in a ninja costume, poisoned, with a horrible wound on her side. She quickly fell unconscious, and when she woke, she had amnesia. From that point on, she is the most OOC character in the story. Her memory loss became an excuse to erase all her personality and replace it with giggly innocence. It later turns out that she was hurt by Mai (or on Mai's orders, at least), after Azula attempted to blackmail her.
106	------
107	* AmbiguouslyBi: Like Katara, she has a fair amount of LesYay with Katara despite having a male love interest. She calls Katara beautiful, and when she's shown having nightmares about her past, it's Katara who comes to her bedside and holds her as she cries.
108	* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: Amnesiac!Azula is, of course, incredibly remorseful about all those crimes she committed in her past but doesn't remember. The characters and the narrative repeatedly refer to her as "pure" and "innocent" without these memories.
109	* AmnesiacDissonance: When she first appears, she suffers from more or less complete amnesia, save for strange but vague nightmares about what is eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:her childhood and her father, Fire Lord Ozai]]. Her amnesiac personality is naively sweet and innocent, which causes conflict when she eventually recalls more of her past.
110	* BabiesEverAfter: Though [[spoiler:she was killed by Sho]], Azula [[spoiler:was revived by the spirit waters]], and so can be married to Prince Sokka after all and have a happy ending and the family she always wanted. She speaks the final lines of the story's narration:
111	-->[[spoiler:Now I have a beautiful daughter who will rule the water Tribes one day, with the love and wisdom my family and friends have shown me. I have been brought back to life, and life has shown me that all things are possible.]]
112	* BroughtDownToNormal: Aang removed her bending before the start of the story (she gets it back near the end).
113	* DelusionsOfEloquence: Minor example. When she tries to maintain the distance to her budding love interest Sokka (who is a prince for real in HIBY), she calls him "Your Majesty" several times. Since Azula is a princess herself, she ought to know that this is the style appropriate for a ''reigning monarch''; a prince or princess is styled "Your Highness" (with or without some additional adjective), and even then usually only the ''first'' time one addresses him or her in a given conversation. However, she is obviously nervous at the time, so her confusion makes sense.
114	* EasyAmnesia: She apparently got amnesia from the poison Mai used on her, and it's used to give her a complete personality wipe.
115	* EasilyForgiven: The main characters trust her surprisingly quickly, for someone whom they know as a ManipulativeBastard who's not above playing herself up as weak to make people underestimate her.
116	* {{Expy}}: By the end, she's pretty much Yue mk. 2.
117	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Part of her PrincessClassic persona. One notable scene has her feeding some turtle-ducks (as a direct contrast to her portrayal in the series, where she was mean to them).
118	* HighlyVisibleNinja: Her introduction has her in what would be a stereotypical ninja costume if it wasn't {{Stripperiffic}}, and she later spies on Sokka in a bright salmon-pink dress.
119	* IdentityAmnesia: She doesn't remember that she's supposed to be a clever, [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] princess instead of a cute, innocent PrincessClassic.
120	* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: Pretty often.
121	* InNameOnly: This person is in no way the Azula everyone knows. {{Justified\|Trope}} due to her amnesia; she acts relatively more in-character later when she has her memories back. Also, she gets considerable CharacterDevelopment along the way as she thinks over what her past really means.
122	* LettingHerHairDown: After her redemption, she usually wears her hair down. The symbolism is different from the series, where her loose hair signified her haircut unraveling along with her sanity; here, it shows her peaceful and contented, more according to the standard trope.
123	* LockedIntoStrangeness: Her white hair. She even passes it on to her daughter Miracle.
124	* MeaningfulName: Her name apparently means "dragon," according to the author.
125	* MsFanservice: Her introduction has her in a {{Stripperiffic}} ninja outfit, she's later seen in her underwear, and from that point on she mostly wears very low cut dresses.
126	* MysticalWhiteHair: Has it after dying and being brought back at the spirit oasis.
127	* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Depowered Azula breaks down the fetters Aang put on her mind to reactivate her firebending through ThePowerOfLove when she sees Katara and Sokka menaced by Mai's assassin. However, just as she is about to wreak havoc on the attacker, she [[spoiler:ends up [[IronicEcho taken down in the same way she defeated Aang in "The Crossroads of destiny"]]]].
128	* NiceGirl: Absolutely no trace of Azula's previous villainy remains.
129	* ObliviousToHisOwnDescription: When she loses her memory a second time when she dies, and Sokka comes looking for her in the spirit world.
130	-->'''Sokka:''' (''Sad'') Well ... I'm honored that I remind you of someone you hold dear. Truth is, I came here searching for the one I love. She died [[spoiler:with a dagger in her heart]] trying to save my life ...
131	-->'''Azula:''' That's really sad. I'm sorry that happened to you. [[DramaticIrony What is she like?]]
132	* PaperThinDisguise: Despite being one of the most recognizeable people to the Gaang due to her sharp features, tall stature, pale skin, and almost uniquely golden eyes, nobody is able to recognize her simply because she is wearing a ninja mask covering her mouth.
133	* PlayingWithFire: She's a prodigy firebender, though she never really demonstrates it in HIBY. Except for [[spoiler:breaking her de-bending and getting her powers back]].
134	* PrettyInMink: Her epilogue dress has a fur trim.
135	* PrincessClassic: Even more so than Katara.
136	* PrincessesPreferPink: Wears a lot of pink after her EasyAmnesia.
137	* ReformedButNotTamed: Subverted. Azula's newfound goodness seems to rest on her amnesia, and so the heroes are somewhat worried about what will happen when she regains her memories. There are some dark hints that she will revert to villainy, but ultimately she retains both her new allegiances and her new, sweet personality. [[spoiler:Or so it seems; in the sequel comic, she is again a downright terrifying LadyOfWar in her first appearance there, though she remains [[GoodIsNotNice one of the good guys]].]]
138	* ShockAndAwe: She's so good at firebending that she can lightningbend. That she ''does'' demonstrate, not that it stops [[spoiler:Mai from nearly killing her with a knife]].
139	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her ninja costume from the beginning.
140	* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Has amber eyes.
141	* TeenPregnancy: She's pregnant during the finale, when she'd be 17.
142	* VaporWear: She does have underwear (and she's seen in it in her second scene), but several of her dresses make its absence rather obvious, her epilogue clothing most of all.
143	* WinterRoyalLady: In the end.
144
145	!! Sokka
146
147	Katara's brother, prince of the Southern Water Tribe, and another of our romantic heroes. He lives on Toph's estate with Katara. He's the one who kicks off the plot by accidentally mailing Mai a letter telling of Katara's pregnancy by Zuko. His main role in the story is as Azula's boyfriend.
148	-----
149	* ButtMonkey: He's this for the first part of the story, where he manages, ''somehow'', to send an important letter to the Fire Nation instead of the Northern Water Tribe, but once Azula enters the picture, he turns into a Standard Romantic Hero.
150	* TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong: He's the only one of the main characters who doesn't immediately trust Azula. It's treated as him being unreasonable, but he does have a point that canon!Azula is a dangerous ManipulativeBastard who might be tricking them.
151	* CrashIntoHello: Downplayed, since it's not their first meeting, but just when Sokka realizes that he is falling in love with Azula, she [[ItMakesSenseInContext falls down on him out of a tree]].
152	* EpicFail: He once accidentally sent a messenger hawk to the Fire Nation, when he ''meant to send one to the Northern Water Tribe''.
153	* IdiotBall: Not checking where the messenger hawks were supposed to be going, resulting in a message going to the Fire Nation.
154	* MrExposition: Gives us a big info-dump on what happened between the end of the show and the beginning of the comic.
155	* PrinceCharming: Sokka is a prince for real after Pakku became king of the Water Tribes, and has achieved some maturity and polish in the years since his canon adventures. Though occasionally, his old personality still slips through.
156	* SoldierVsWarrior: Alluded to by him, discussing his Water Tribe traditions with Azula:
157	-->My dad always told me you never want to be a soldier. A soldier fights for someone else's beliefs. A warrior fights for his own.
158	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: His IdiotBall moment resulted in Mai poisoning Katara, causing her to miscarry, Zuko blowing up at Mai and leaving her for Katara, and then Mai attempting to murder Katara in revenge.
159	* YouDontLookLikeYou: Beginning partway through the second chapter of the comic, Sokka wears his hair in an unrestrained, almost Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio style that makes him look incredibly different from his canon self.
160
161	!! Mai
162	[[quoteright:187:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiby_mai.jpg]]
163
164	Zuko's wife by ArrangedMarriage. She's possessive of Zuko and jealous of romantic competitors, to the point where she causes Katara to miscarry and later tries to kill her. She has a brother named Sho, in defiance of the canon fact that her only brother is Tom-Tom (who's far younger than her). OOC, but not as much as the main heroes. She's also far more sympathetic than she's supposed to be, mainly because the people she does horrible things to are horrible people who usually have done horrible things to her first. Well, except [[WouldHurtAChild Katara's unborn child]].
165	------
166	* ArrangedMarriage: Her marriage to Zuko was this, although it seems she really loved him.
167	* BadassBoast: Her vow to have her revenge on Katara if it's the last thing she does:
168	-->I won't sleep until it's done. That peasant took everything from me. My throne, my husband. I won't be satisfied until I see her head ''' ''[[BoldInflation ROT ON A SPIKE!]]'' '''
169	* BadassNormal: She doesn't have any bending, just her knives, and she manages to nearly kill Azula with them.
170	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: While she looks mostly like her canon self, there have been a few changes to make her look unappealing, like removing the healthy glow to her cheeks. Or the very fact that she looks like her canon self. The rest of the girls are given huge breasts, [[PimpedOutDress beautiful low-cut gowns]], and other things to make them MsFanservice. Mai is the only one who looks and dresses like she did in the show.
171	* CardCarryingVillain: In true DastardlyWhiplash tradition, she gloats to Katara about how she "took [[RougeAnglesOfSatin pleaser]]" in causing her to miscarry.
172	* CombatPragmatist: She is completely ruthless and even uses {{poisoned weapons}}, something she coolly discusses with Sho.
173	-->'''Mai:''' Do you have the poison I asked for?
174	-->'''Sho:''' Of course. Laced on your blades, like you asked.
175	-->'''Mai:''' Good ...
176	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Katara bloodbends her to death.
177	* DoubleStandard: Often what Mai does is no worse than what the heroes do, but whenever she does it, she's pure evil.
178	* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Her skin is actually paler than it is in the show.
179	* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Clearly what was intended with her. However, it should be noted that she's the only royal who does ''not'' abandon her duties go run off with a lover at some point.
180	* HeroKiller: She nearly kills Azula with a thrown knife, and Azula is only brought back with spirit help.
181	* IdiotBall: If she didn't want Zuko to see the letter from Katara, why didn't she just ''burn'' it, instead of tearing it up and then leaving it in her room where anyone could stumble on it, as Lin eventually did?
182	* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Taunts Katara by confessing to causing her miscarriage.
183	* MasterPoisoner: Both the incidents of poisoning in the comic were caused by her. She's used two different poisons:
184	** A poison that causes miscarriage, even in rather far-along pregnancies, immediately after ingestion (as in, one bite of the poisoned fruit and you show symptoms a few seconds later). The only other symptom appears to be bleeding from the crotch. Mai uses this one to abort Katara's first pregnancy.
185	** Ginseng Lotus, or Kiss of the Dragon, which affects only firebenders, and causes memory loss, nightmares, and hallucinations even if the victim is healed. It's also noted that very few people have the know-how to make it.
186	* MurderTheHypotenuse: Tries this with Katara, but gets it turned on her instead.
187	* NoNonsenseNemesis: Mai is completely singular about obtaining her revenge on Katara, plans her moves carefully, and is utterly ruthless about implementing them.
188	-->'''Mai:''' And if anyone, and I mean anyone, gets in your way--''kill them''...
189	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Mai demeans every aspect of Katara's birth and character in her angry imprecations against her, from her race ("Water Tribe trash") to her parentage ("peasant") to her morality ("tramp" and "whore"). While Mai ''is'' a [[BlueBlood Fire Nation noblewoman]] who might well hold these opinions based on her own class and background, she never gave any hint of that in the show. Though given the circumstances, it's perhaps understandable (if not excusable) that she should resort to slurs she wouldn't ordinarily use.
190	* PreAsskickingOneLiner: To Katara, when the latter says she'll have Mai imprisoned on death row for her crimes.
191	-->'''Mai:''' Not today... Princess, the day will be painted red with your death.
192	* PsychoExGirlfriend: Seemingly becomes literally psychotic when Zuko leaves her for Katara, if nothing else certainly murderous.
193	* SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: Mai receives a massive villainy upgrade, as compared to the series (and even the official sequel comics, divisive as ''those'' were), becoming a ruthless, selfish PoliticallyIncorrectVillain.
194	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Katara ruined her life, so now she's going to PayEvilUntoEvil.
195	-->'''Mai:''' You couldn't imagine what it was like to have the man you love cry out someone else's name in his sleep. Force a smile for everyone, knowing he loves another ... A ''[[FantasticRacism Water Tribe whore]]'' ... Tell me something, Princess -- Do you miss your little boy?
196	* {{Yandere}}: She wants to be with Zuko so much, she'll murder and force abortions.
197
198	!! Iroh
199
200	Zuko's uncle and a side character in HIBY. His carefree old man persona is less ObfuscatingStupidity than it is on the show, although it's notable that his goal after the show ended was pretty much to have a relaxed rest of his life. He's a bit obsessed with Pai Sho, which gave Diaz an excuse to use the "holding out the white lotus tile" shot from ''[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheWaterbendingScroll The Waterbending Scroll]]'' several times.
201	------
202	* BigFun: Likes playing [[RougeAnglesOfSatin Pie]] Sho and gets drunk with the kids.
203	* CoolOldGuy: Like in canon.
204	* DeusExMachina: He manages to find Ursa and bring her over to meet her kids again.
205	* {{Flanderization}}: His eccentric traits are played up, to the point at which they're his dominant personality.
206	* MrExposition: He gives a big exposition-dump to Zuko in the beginning.
207	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: It's never explained ''how'' he tracked down Ursa. He just shows up with her one day and re-introduces her to Azula and Zuko.
208
209	!! Ursa
210	[[quoteright:111:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ursa_outta_nowhere.jpg]]
211
212	Azula and Zuko's mother, who went missing when they were young. She is brought back by Iroh, but disappears before the fifth chapter. Her final scene is confirming that Azula (who got hit in the chest with one of Mai's knives) is still alive, and she doesn't seem to have accompanied the party on their trip to the north pole to fully heal Azula.
213	------
214	* AdaptationalBadass: It is revealed that Azula inherited her blue-hot fire from her mother. Which makes a certain sort of sense, since Ozai did not have it, but the flashbacks in the series never showed Ursa as a particularly powerful firebender.
215	* PlayingWithFire: She uses blue flames like her daughter.
216	* PurpleIsPowerful: She wears purple robes.
217	* UnexpectedCharacter: No one really thought that she'd show up.
218	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: We never find out what happened to her between her appearance in the show and now, and later on she just vanishes from the story and isn't mentioned again.
219
220	!! Cameo Characters
221
222	Several canon characters make cameos at Katara's birthday party. They are, in order of appearance, June the bounty hunter, Bumi, Piandao, Aunt Wu, Guru Pathik, Ty Lee, and Hakoda. Why June, Aunt Wu, and Guru Pathik would come is left unexplained.
223	------
224	* {{Chickification}}: June the tough-as-nails bounty hunter giggles and likes the opportunity to dress up.
225	* ContinuityCavalcade: Not done too well, as we don't see ''why'' several of these people would go to the party.
226	* MsExposition: Ty Lee is there to provide exposition on why Sokka is no longer in a relationship with Suki (apparently long distance relationships don't work out).
227
228	[[/folder]]
229
230	[[folder:Original Characters]]
231	!! Sho
232
233	A firebending assassin whose aid Mai enlists in her campaign against Katara. At one point he calls her "Little Sister" (otherwise usually "Your Highness" or the like), which may just be part of his style, or else imply that he really is her older brother by blood. If so, his existence would contradict canon, as in the show Mai's only sibling was Tom-Tom, who was a toddler. Despite this, he is perhaps the most well-received of the comic's original characters.
234	------
235
236	* BadassBoast: His revenge oath against Katara and her friends after she [[spoiler:uses her bloodbending to kill Mai]].
237	-->I will take all from you. One day, I will come back, and I will take your loved ones from you. [[ItsAllAboutMe Not because you took mine from me]], but because [[TheFightingNarcissist it's been a while since I've seen my own blood]] ... Especially you. Look for me, '' '''waterbender''' '', for you are going to be the first one to suffer. And suffer you will ...
238	* BoxingLessonsForSuperman: He can and usually does fight perfectly well without his firebending, to the point where the only firebending move we see him perform is to ''escape'' a fight that's not going his way.
239	* ConsummateProfessional: He is a professional assassin, and does a good job helping Mai execute her schemes against Katara.
240	-->Quick, stealthy and clean--like you asked for, Your Highness...
241	* DeusExMachina: The first indication we get that he's a firebender is when he busts out a firebending shield to cover his escape (much like Azula in the series).
242	* DissonantSerenity: Takes almost everything with a slightly amused little smile, whether it concerns the murder of a child or life-or-death combat. The one thing that ''does'' clearly upset him is [[BloodMagic Mai's death]]--brought about in a supernatural manner that he did not believe possible, and that is certainly unsettling in any case.
243	* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Like his sister, he has very pale skin and black hair. It's probably to make him look even more evil.
244	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Apparently averted. Despite willingly aiding Mai in her quest for revenge, he doesn't swear revenge for her death, but rather, that Toph drew his blood.
245	* {{Expy}}: Sho rather resembles Major Solf Kimblee of the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga/anime, a SociopathicSoldier with a slightly different supernatural power set, both in appearance and in character.
246	* FightsLikeANormal: The only time we see him using his firebending is to ''leave'' a fight.
247	* GracefulLoser: Fitting his status as a Kimblee {{expy}}, he evinces no hard feelings when the heroes defeat him; that is, after all, merely the fortunes of war, and to some extent even his own fault for [[TheSocialDarwinist not being good enough]].
248	-->'''Sho:''' Looks like I am [[TheFatalist divinely outnumbered]]. I have underestimated the Water maiden--and you as well, Lady Beifong...
249	* InexplicablyAwesome: We don't know any of Sho's story, which is too bad, as the tale of how a nobleman ended up dropping off the radar and becoming a bounty hunter/assassin could be an interesting one.
250	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When he's outnumbered and his sister is killed by a psychotic bloodbender, he uses his firebending to [[VillainTeleportation teleport away]].
251	* LikeBrotherAndSister: With Mai, assuming that they are not siblings by blood.
252	* ThePhilosopher: His musings about human will, effort and fickle fate show that he has a quite different outlook than his co-conspirator, Mai, who is simply a WomanScorned.
253	* PlayingWithFire: He's a firebender, although the first indication we get of this is when he uses it to VillainExitStageLeft.
254	* PreAsskickingOneLiner: He delivers one to Sokka, dripping contempt at the PrinceCharming:
255	-->Watch, Prince, as no fairy tales have happy endings!
256	* PsychoForHire: He's attacking Katara for free as a favor to his sister, but this is his day job.
257	* PsychoticSmirk: He usually sports one that makes him appear slightly absent-minded as well as cruel.
258	* RememberTheNewGuy: Canon is very clear that Mai has no siblings near her age, but HIBY throws in Sho, an accomplished {{bounty hunter}} who seems to be a little older than Mai.
259	* TheSocialDarwinist: All life is struggle, and literal battle provides the truest measure of a man, his will to power. Sho's own purpose in life is to help with that.
260	-->'''Sho:''' Ask yourself this question: Do you have what it takes to save the ones you hold dear?
261	* SpockSpeak: Tends to speak in a formal and slightly idiosyncratic style, with understated emotion (amusement, usually), a high degree of precision, and some unusual constructions.
262	* StrongFamilyResemblance: Not to GenerationXerox levels, but he looks quite a bit like a younger Fire Lord Ozai. Which makes sense, since Mai's family is related to the Fire Lord's.
263	* VillainTeleportation: He uses his firebending for this.
264
265	!! Hana
266	[[quoteright:127:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiby_azula_and_hana.jpg]]
267
268	One of Toph's maids, who helps Azula get dressed when she first wakes up with EasyAmnesia.
269	------
270	* SherlockScan: How she deduces that Azula is probably from the Fire Nation- she checks her eyes and undergarments.
271	* ShipperOnDeck: She seems to ship Azula-Sokka.
272
273	!! The Fire Nation Senate
274
275	Between the end of the show and the beginning of ''How I Became Yours'', Zuko apparently instituted representative democracy. The Senate was the result, and their only role in the story to [[HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee haul Zuko to trial]] for abandoning the Fire Nation to run off to his mistress, making him and Aang [[DeusExitMachina miss the battle with Mai and Sho]]. They come off as the only rulers in the comic who take responsibility for the nation that they rule.
276	------
277	* DeusExitMachina: Their summons draw Aang and Zuko away from the fight with Mai and Sho.
278	* FantasticRacism: Not all, but a number of the senators oppose Zuko's proposed MalignedMixedMarriage with Katara, on the grounds that a Waterbender should not be allowed to marry into the Fire Nation royal family.
279	* HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee: They're the ones doing the hauling.
280	* NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: Their role in the story is intended to be this, although frankly they take their job of ruling the Fire Nation more seriously than its actual ''ruler'' does.
281	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: They are politicians rather than bureaucrats proper, but play a role equivalent to this in the narrative by delaying Aang and Zuko so they can't participate in certain critical events.
282
283	!! Lin and Lau
284	[[quoteright:195:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lin_the_suki_copy.jpg]]
285	[[caption-width-right:195:Suki's first clone]]
286	[[quoteright:229:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lau_the_suki_copy.jpg]]
287	[[caption-width-right:229:Suki's second clone]]
288	[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/suki_boiling_rock.jpg]]
289	[[caption-width-right:254: The original image]]
290	->''Here's your gift my lady! Straight from the Fire Nation!''
291	-->'''Lau''', delivering poisoned fruit to Katara (the only line the pair have between them).
292
293	Lin is a servant of Mai, and Lau is presumably a servant of Toph. They're unrelated and each have small roles; Lin finds the letter from Katara that Mai hid, and Lau delivers the basket of poisoned fruit to Katara. The most notable thing about them is that they both steal Suki's design- more specifically, a shot of her in prison uniform sitting on a rock from the episode ''The Boiling Rock pt 1''. Lin is better known and more blatant about it, but Lau's design is similar enough to both Lin and Suki that it's pretty obvious that she too was copy-pasted and recolored.
294	------
295	* AnimeHair: Downplayed, but Lau's ponytail appears to be a case of this, as nothing is shown that keeps it in its shape.
296	* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: They're from different countries and have never met each other, but they're almost identical, right down to having very similar hairstyles and nearly the same pose. This, of course, is because they're both copied from the same image of Suki.
297	* {{Maid}}: Both of them.
298	* RedEyesTakeWarning; Subverted with Lin, who's more of a ShrinkingViolet, despite having reddish eyes.
299	* TheQuietOne: Lin, who doesn't speak in her one appearance. Iroh instead tells Zuko what she discovered.
300	* ShrinkingViolet: Lin, who is quiet and rather timid, and doesn't say a word in the one panel that she's in, despite her role being to have found out important information that Mai hid from Zuko. Lau appears to be more outgoing, and actually speaks in her one appearance.
301	* SmallRoleBigImpact: Both of them, though Lin more than Lau. If Lin hadn't discovered the letter while she was cleaning and told Iroh, the plot wouldn't have happened, and if Lau hadn't given Katara the fruit, she wouldn't have miscarried (though, since Lau was following Toph's instructions, a case could be made for Toph to be the one at fault).
302	* SpannerInTheWorks: Mai's plan to conceal Katara's pregnancy from Zuko would have worked if Lin hadn't discovered the letter while she was cleaning Mai's room.
303	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom:
304	** Lau, who gives Katara the basket of fruit that Mai poisoned.
305	** Lin too, if you use the AlternativeCharacterInterpretation that most everyone does with regards to Zuko. She discovers that his wife was hiding a lover's pregnancy from him, and indirectly tells him so. This sends him into a rage, and he [[DomesticAbuse abuses]] his wife and abandons the Fire Nation to hole up with the lover.
306
307	! The Children
308
309	''How I Became Yours'' ends with BabiesEverAfter, and these are the babies. They are Katara and Zuko's children Kuzon and Lilith, Aang and Toph's twins Poe and Ling, and Azula and Sokka's daughter Miracle. They are the main characters of HIBY's sequel, ''Rise of the Agni Army''.
310	------
311	* ColorCodedPatrician: Kuzon and Lilith wear red parkas in the Water Tribe.
312	* DeadGuyJunior: Kuzon gets this twice over. He's named after his stillborn older brother, who in turn was named after Aang's old friend from the Fire Nation.
313	* IronicName: Lilith, in Hebrew mythology, is Adam's first wife. She didn't obey him and so was cast out, becoming a demon. This has far more similarities to ''Mai's'' story than to Katara's.
314	* MakingASplash: Kuzon.
315	* MysticalWhiteHair: Miracle, who inherited it from her mother.
316	* OddNameOut: Lilith? What's a name from Hebrew folklore doing in a FantasyCounterpartCulture to the Far East?
317	** And then there's Poe. No, not as in the ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'', as in the poet Edgar Allan Poe.
318	* OnlySixFaces: More like only ''one'' face, in HIBY's epilogue at least. Poe and Ling at least have the excuse that they're twins.
319	* PlayingWithFire: Lilith and Miracle.
320	* ShockAndAwe: Miracle.

Context Characters / HowIBecameYours