Sokka carried a variety of weapons throughout his journeys. Some, like his boomerang and sword, were used frequently, while others, such as his saber, jaw blade, and machete, saw more limited use.

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Boomerang

Sokka's boomerang was given to him by his father Hakoda before he left to fight in the Hundred Year War with the warriors of the Southern Water Tribe. It was one of Sokka's most prized possessions,[1] and after losing it for a brief period of time, he considered it to be like "losing a part of [his] identity".[2] Sokka was particularly skilled with his boomerang, and frequently used it to hit enemies from a distance.

Though Sokka generally kept his boomerang with him at all times, he lost it after the Rough Rhinos attacked Team Avatar while they were sleeping. Sokka was bitter about its loss, but he managed to get it back when he defeated Yeh-Lu, who had taken the boomerang.[2]

Sokka's boomerang played a crucial role in the defeat of Combustion Man, as no other member of the group could get within range of him without risking harm. The group was hiding behind a pylon, when Sokka threw his boomerang, which hit Combustion Man on his third-eye tattoo. This blow stunned the assassin and blocked his flow of chi to his third eye. When Combustion Man tried to firebend again, he blew himself up due to his blocked chi energy.[3]

While knocking out two firebenders during the passing of Sozin's Comet in 100 AG, Sokka was forced to drop his boomerang and sword to save his and Toph's life.[4]

A year later, Sokka had come to possess a boomerang again and used it to incapacitate a demonstrator outside Yu Dao whom he deemed annoying.[5] He also used this same boomerang to demonstrate his authority to the newly released Princess Azula just before they and Zuko departed to search for Ursa, only to have it zapped clean out of his hand by the princess.[6]

Forty-two years prior to Avatar Korra's arrival in Republic City, Sokka mentioned his boomerang during Yakone's trial at City Hall, in which he referred to it as his "trusty boomerang", and told the story of how he used it to defeat Combustion Man.[7]

Club

Sokka's club is a blunt force weapon used for striking. Its haft was carved from a polar bear femur and fixed with a heavy, solid sphere at the end, which was painted blue. Just beneath the sphere is a notch for hooking an opponent's weapon, and the handle is wrapped with a leather strap for improved grip.[8]

Sokka obtained this weapon during his youth in the Southern Water Tribe, and he used it in defending his village against Zuko's raid. The Rough Rhinos took this club when they stole the belongings that Team Avatar had been forced to abandon,[2] but Sokka managed to retrieve it and continued to use it afterward. However, the club was finally lost to the sandbenders when they kidnapped Appa and took all of the items on his saddle.[9]

Sokka later obtained a new club made from a whale jaw to serve as a replacement.[10] When a meteorite threatened a small Fire Nation village, Sokka used it to snuff out an ember fire.[11]

Jaw blade

Sokka had a jawbone dagger that he primarily used as a hunting tool. He stowed the dagger in a small sheath on the back of his belt. It has one sharpened edge for scraping skins clean, a back edge lined with four sharp teeth for sawing with, and a leather-wrapped grip. It was made by sharpening the jawbone and teeth of a large Arctic wolf.[8]

By sticking the blade into the ground or something connected directly to it, the dagger was able to amplify vibrations from the surrounding environment. This allowed Sokka to accurately detect people in the vicinity by placing his ear against the butt and listening to the strength and frequency of the vibrations.[12] Sokka also used this blade to shave the sides and back of his head.[8]



Machete

Sokka's machete has a hooked edge for hacking, a straight backside, and a flat end, and its grip is wrapped in leather. He most often used it for menial tasks, such as shaving, picking his teeth, or hacking through foliage like he did in the Foggy Swamp[13]. He also used it to slice a cactus apart for its inner cactus juice and also to cut a metal cap off a pipe within the Fire Nation drill.[14]

Though he did not fight with his machete as frequently as his sword or boomerang, he once used it to prevent Mai's darts from hitting Katara.[15] He also used it in a failed attempt to hunt a saber-tooth moose lion cub.[16]

Sword

When training with Piandao, Sokka crafted his own sword using ore from a meteorite, which gave it a distinctive black color.[11] The sword is able to cut through strong metals with little effort. The bottom of the hilt is engraved with the symbol of the Order of the White Lotus.

Sokka's sword is a jian, a straight double-edged sword. It became part of his standard armament along with his boomerang and club. However, he lost it while saving his and Toph's life during the passing of Sozin's Comet in 100 AG.[4]

Traditional whale tooth saber

Sokka's traditional whale tooth saber was a fragile weapon that Sokka used for fishing.[17] When Zuko raided his village, Sokka charged the young firebender with one of these weapons, and the Prince smashed it to pieces.[18]



Trivia

In the film adaption, Sokka only has his club and his boomerang.

Sokka's club, knife, and boomerang were inspired by traditional Native American weapons and were designed by Bryan Konietzko.[8]

References