Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, creators of the hit cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, Legend of Korra, share some interesting news in the wake of their Avatar Studios announcement.

Legend of Korra paved the way for LGBT+ representation in children's cartoons all the way back in 2014, with the confirmation that Korra and Asami, both of whom were women, were indeed a couple. Since then, fans have been eager for more LGBT+ characters in the Avatar universe. The Legend of Korra comics, published by Dark Horse Comics, are a continuation of the story established in the TV show, and were used by writers to address the subtleties of sexuality in the Avatar universe that they could not address in the show itself. Kya, the daughter of Aang and Katara, reveals to Korra and Asami that she has dated women, and goes on to tell them about the intricacies of same-sex love throughout the nations, as well as the persecution that same-sex couples faced in the Fire Nation after Fire Lord Sozin outlawed same-sex relationships.

In spite of this, many fans were unsatisfied with the LGBT+ representation in the Avatar-verse. Issues with censorship made it difficult for creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino to develop Korra and Asami's romantic relationship onscreen, and many claimed that it was unclear whether they were actually romantically involved or not. However, the announcement of the new Avatar Studios has many hopeful that they will finally get the LGBT+ representation they deserve—especially in the wake of recent shows like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Owl House, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, all children's cartoons featuring explicitly LGBT+ characters and relationships.

And it seems as though LGBT+ fans finally will get their much-wanted representation. In a recent interview, Konietzko states that including more LGBT+ characters will definitely be a priority with their new studio. He even mentions a few well-loved characters from the original 2005 cartoon: Zuko, Sokka, and Toph.

"We never confirmed who these characters ended up with after the show for a reason," Konietzko says. "We see Zuko, Sokka, and Toph as adults in Legend of Korra, but there's never any mention of a spouse or partner, despite both Zuko and Toph having children."

This is true: Toph has two daughters, Lin and Suyin, and Zuko has a daughter, Fire Lord Izumi. However, there is never any mention of their other parent. Sokka is never shown to have had any children, but Suki, his girlfriend in Avatar: The Last Airbender, is strangely absent.

"We'd toyed with the idea having LGBT characters in the original cast, but it was never really feasible," Konietzko continues. "And then Korra happened, and Korrasami happened, and we suddenly realized that we could finally do what we'd always wanted. And especially with our new studio, we don't have to worry about Nickelodeon saying no, so we pretty much have free rein to make these things happen."

When asked about what his intentions were for Zuko, Sokka, and Toph, Konietzko laughed and said, "It's always been pretty clear that Toph is not your traditionally feminine girl, and this is our chance to get a little deeper into this side of her character. Yes, Toph prefers women, and it's great that we're finally getting the chance to get that out in the air. We're currently drafting up a story that delves into her romantic life as a teenager and adult. It's pretty great stuff."

As for Sokka and Zuko? 

"We always thought that there was this really great chemistry between the two of them, and that it would make for a great romantic relationship. Of course, nothing ever happened between them in the show, but we left the both of them intentionally partnerless in Korra just in case we ever got the chance to make that happen. And now we're finally getting that chance, and it's amazing. We're really excited to explore what a relationship between the two of them might look as more mature young adults—there's some important stuff that I'm not allowed to say yet, but I think it's going to be a really amazing story for the two of them."

This is really exciting news—Avatar: The Last Airbender's fanbase has grown exponentially since its release on Netflix last spring, and with this resurgence in popularity has come a huge wave of fans that like to pair Sokka and Zuko together, making "Zukka" the show's most popular relationship. Even more so than "Kataang" (Katara and Aang) and "Zutara" (Zuko and Katara), two relationships that were immensely popular back when the show was originally airing.

SIKE!!!!! april fools bitch! sorry for getting your hopes up. zukka ain't canon yet. YET.

anyways check out my zukka fic: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dickpuncher420

and my art blog: https://dickpuncherdraws.tumblr.com/

sorry again lmao, this was just too good an opportunity to pass up

-dickpuncher420