This "What if This Character had a Crush" meme is originally by KeybladMagicDan. Furthermore, this is dedicated to those who find the idea of shipping Inuyasha with Katara and vice-versa not only interesting but also extremely plausible.
The idea of Katara having a crush on Inuyasha sprung forth in my creative mind when I was having a lovely chat with one of my best friends, RivaAnime, in regards to our favorite ships for Inuyasha as well as other lovely candidates thoroughly deserving of Inuyasha's affections. By the time she mentioned Katara and how much beneficialness she can do for Inuyasha in terms of compassion, healing, and courage, I was all eyes and ears for this prospect. It also made me think of a lovely scenario for these two. Ergo, this crossover pairing between a kind and courageous waterbender and a fierce and tough dog hanyo is what I ended up welcoming with wide open arms.
I may have been the biggest Zutara and InuAya stan ever since I was between my pre-teens and early teens because of how lovely and beautiful they were together as well as just how much of a devoted shipper I was of these two couples. However, I never thought of having Inuyasha and Katara be fully involved in a romantic relationship with each other. The thought was quite cute and sweet yet nothing more, as it all stemmed from Inuyasha deserving someone a whole lot better and more competent than an atrociously abusive excuse of an archer with a green mini-skirt to complete her lame school uniform. I bet you all know who she is and I bet you all know how much I loathe her to this very day. However, for this sake of this post, I am not going to mention her name and I will strictly focus on the plausibility of Inuyasha x Katara as a couple.
While Zuko and Katara bear a relationship based on trust, compassion, and respect and Inuyasha and Ayame have a relationship based on acknowledgment, strength, and loyalty, Inuyasha's and Katara's relationship would seem to bear the fruits of compassion, understanding, loyalty, kindness, trust, and true unconditional love.
Unlike that stupidly incompetent and manipulative bitch in a green mini-skirt, Katara is a strong fighter, a compassionate healer, and virtuous soul who stands up tall and strong for her beliefs. She does not need rescuing and can take fantastic care of herself. All of these traits would make Inuyasha admire her a whole lot more than he can give himself credit for. Seeing that both Inuyasha and Katara lost their mothers, they would even learn to empathize with each other without the necessity of animosity or being on the verge of a horribly karmic relationship. Every scar Inuyasha has on his body will end up being healed by Katara's touches and he will be forever thankful that she tended to them with care and precision. The best attribute about Katara with Inuyasha is that she does not treat him like her pet dog by any stretch of the imagination and actually acknowledges him as her equal and as an individual.
Inuyasha would find Katara's kindness, courage, and strength very laudable and will display a lot of loyalty towards her with every single fiber of his being. She will never give up on him and he will never give up on her. He will always protect Katara from every single harm and will ensure that she does not end up getting hurt. In Katara's eyes, the best physical aspects about Inuyasha is how much he keeps his body toned and his overall strength intact in the most thorough way possible, considering how athletic, muscular, and virile he is. Aside from his outstanding physique and his resilience in battle, Katara would root for Inuyasha to never give up and would also find a direct, honest, supportive soul in him. This also comes to a head that Inuyasha would never treat Katara like an idealized goddess but treat her like a real human being with primal doubts and uncertainties as well as huge hopes for a brighter and more just future.
There is no shadow of a doubt that they will be happy with each other and will grow old together. However, this is mainly a crush. Given that Inuyasha was 17 back in 2000 and Katara was 14 back in 2005, that would mean that Inuyasha is technically eight years older than Katara in human years, which signifies how their perspectives of love would also be greatly different. Sure, Katara loves Inuyasha for his valiant attitude, blunt directness, super strength, and attentiveness and Inuyasha loves Katara for her compassion, honesty, understanding, and willingness to listen to him and trust him, but they feel that they would be much better off as best friends for life. This is attributed to the fact that Inuyasha already has someone courageous, strong, and valiant in Ayame, with whom he has established a strong relationship with when they were children and were blessed by both his father and her grandfather, and Katara is already betrothed to Zuko thanks to Iroh blessing their matrimony to unite the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe.
In another universe, Inuyasha and Katara would definitely have it made in the shade within a heartbeat. They listen to each other, they truly care for each other, they fight for each other, and they have seen the best and the worst sides of each other without even flinching. Even with the eight-year difference they have, they would see each other as equals in terms of courage, steadfastness, and compassion. Furthermore, they can even be themselves with each other and they want the best from each other. Therefore, their relationship would be based on healing and unconditional love which tight-knit lovers would end up being flushed with boundless envy and their will be not a sight of animosity or distrust whatsoever.
In conclusion, if I were not such a huge Zuko x Katara and Inuyasha x Ayame stan, I would easily ship Inuyasha and Katara together as one amazingly dynamic couple. Hence, Inutara would have been my ultimate OTP for life and not just my ultimate crossover OTP for life. While Zuko has seen the best and worst in Katara without even flinching as well as completely understanding and appreciating her for who she is as a person and while Ayame has always championed Inuyasha in terms of his strength, determination, and bravery as well as respected him as a respectable and honorable warrior, Inuyasha and Katara would have each others' backs, find great opportunities to grow stronger than they already are, and be sure to keep on persevering despite how treacherous the road can be. Nothing is ever going to knock them down.
I hope you all enjoyed this look at Inuyasha and Katara as a couple and I would love to hear from you if you are also an Inutara shipper or if you think that they are much better off with other people. I would also love to thank my dearest friend, RivaAnime, for her input on this wonderfully unique and amazing idea. Riva, you totally rock. So, take good care of yourselves and stay safe, everybody.
Inuyasha from Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.
