[Avatar: The Last Airbender] Reasons why Zutara should've happened instead of Katang.

1.) Katara was the first person to touch his scar.

2.) They both lost their mothers at a young age.

3.) Zuko and Katara are basically yin and yang. Zuko was dark on the outside but had goodness inside of him. Katara was cheery and light on the outside but carried darkness and anger inside her heart.

4.) They're both late bloomers in their elements.

5.) They both created another personality. He created the Blue Spirit, and she created the Painted Lady.

6.) Katara was the one who encouraged Zuko to make amends with his uncle.

7.) Zuko was the one who understood Katara's need to face her mother's killer. Basically, he was there for important and impactful event in her arc.

8.) She was willing to use her water abilities to heal him.

9.) She was the first to see good in him which was exactly why she was the angriest when he betrayed them.

10.) They're both far closer in age than her and Aang are (physically, he's only twelve, and in reality, he's old enough to be her great grandfather).

11.) Even their voice actors ship them.

12.) HE TOOK A LIGHTENING STRIKE TO PROTECT HER!!!!!!!!!! HOW MUCH MORE DO Y'ALL NEED?!?!?!

13.) They were both the most mature individuals of their respective groups.

14.) Back to #3, they're both polar opposites. Blue and red, water and fire. Katara and Zuko, from the elements they wield to the very core of their characters, are polar opposites that were meant to be paired together. And as they say, opposites attract.

15.) Zuko managed to turn Katara's heart from her stigma towards the Fire Nation.

16.) Katara was there for Zuko during the most important fight of his life when he fought against his sister Azula.

17.) A union between a Southern Water Tribe member and a Fire Nation prince could've represented the potential for lasting peace after the war, especially with Zuko's desire to change his nation from within. 

18.) Honestly, Aang liking Katara was like a kid having a crush on his babysitter. And Mai was about as flat as cardboard. There's a reason why many feel that they weren't the best pairings for these two.

19.) In the early concepts for the show, Zuko and Katara were originally going to end up together, but the show writers rejected that idea for a more cliched ending that had the hero save the day and get the girl.

To sum it all up, because of their strong character development together, the potential for a powerful narrative about forgiveness and peace between nations, their compelling dynamic as polar opposites, and the way their shared experiences throughout the series created a deep connection that many saw as more romantic than Katara's final pairing with Aang. Zuko's complex journey of redemption heavily involved Katara, with her compassion and understanding playing a crucial role in his transformation.