June

June was a bounty hunter who traveled around the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. Of all the bounty hunters in the world, she was the best and most expensive of her time. She was a mercenary and had no allegiance to any nation, only to the highest bidder for her services.
She was a confident and self-assured woman who possessed a dry, sarcastic wit. She was also considered beautiful, in a dangerous sort of way, and had incredible physical strength. June would arm wrestle men in bars on a bet, before squandering her winnings on a round of drinks. June wore a band with a skull motif around her top-knot.
She tracked her prey with the help of her mount, Nyla, a shirshu. Though blind, it saw by means of its powerful scent receptors, reportedly sensitive enough to "smell a rat a continent away". To capture her targets, June depended on her shirshu to use its long whip-like tongue coated in paralyzing toxins to stun them.
== History ==
June originated from the Earth Kingdom. Her mother was an infamous thief known for robbing Earth Kingdom nobles, and her father was a bounty hunter. In her childhood, June loved to listen to her parents' stories, and spent much time traveling with her father. It was from him that she adopted the tracking and fighting skills she employed. June's father received a shirshu from a rare animal collector in payment for a bounty, and gave it to her. The shirshu, named Nyla, became June's inseparable companion.
Early in 100 AG, June tracked a fleeing target who had stowed on board Zuko's ship and captured him while inflicting mild damage to the ship. Iroh developed an immediate interest in her while Zuko was angered, though quietly impressed, with her proficiency and skill. After finding the huntress, they employed her to track down Aang by following his trail after obtaining Katara's scent from her necklace. They successfully found Aang at a nearby abbey where she was largely occupied with an angry Appa. Eventually Nyla was "blinded" by a large quantity of perfume that Katara had waterbent over it. As the shirshu lashed out in confusion, June and Zuko were both temporarily paralyzed. Iroh caught and supported her and was content to feign paralysis simply to get close and hold her. Although the act clearly annoyed her, she could not do anything about it.
At summer's end, a reformed Zuko and Team Avatar went in search of her hoping to use her shirshu to find the unaccounted-for Aang. Initially, June was not interested until Zuko gave her some encouragement, mentioning "the end of the world". However, Aang's scent could not be found, as if he did not exist. Instead, Zuko suggested they search for Iroh, hoping he would know; she soon led them outside the broken walls of Ba Sing Se, saying that Iroh was just on the other side of the large pile of debris and with her job complete, she wished the group good luck before riding off.
After the Hundred Year War, Zuko hired June in one of his many attempts to track down his long lost mother; to no avail. Later, she was hired to kidnap Iroh from Ba Sing Se and bring him to Daxia.
== Personality ==
In June's profession, she had to mix with a variety of people from unsavory to low life as well as regular characters. Her determination, resolve and superior physical strength enabled her to get the job done in the toughest of assignments. June's character along with her shirshu's abilities made her a force to be reckoned with.
A fearless woman who was rarely misunderstood, June was also confident and decisive, though occasionally sassy. While she was often dark and uncaring, she did not ask for payment from Zuko when he said that the world would be destroyed and needed her help, proving that loyalty to her pocket was not the only consideration.
== Abilities ==
June was a professional bounty hunter and an experienced shirshu rider. Despite her slender frame, she was also deceptively strong, as she was able to effortlessly defeat a muscular man in an arm-wrestling match and lift up a grown man. Additionally, June proved to be a formidable fighter, as she demonstrated amazing speed, hand-to-hand combat skills, and evasiveness. She was able to defeat multiple opponents before a cup she was drinking from, which she had thrown in the air, hit the ground. She was also known to be skilled in using the whip.
== Appearances ==
=== Avatar: The Last Airbender ===
==== Book One: Water (水) ====
==== Book Three: Fire (火) ====
=== Graphic novels ===
== Trivia ==
* In "Bato of the Water Tribe", June treated Nyla harshly, but in "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters", she treated him much more kindly, calling him her "snuffly wuffly".
* June was featured in the Super Deformed Short School Time Shipping with her shirshu, Nyla.
* June's design was inspired by staff writer Lisa Yang, and her shirshu's name Nyla is also the name of Yang's Rottweiler.Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, page 67.Basco, Dante (host), Varney, Janet (host), DiMartino, Michael Dante (guest), Konietzko, Bryan (guest). (June 29, 2021). "Origin Stories with Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko Pt. 2". Avatar: Braving the Elements. Episode 3. iHeartRadio.DiMartino, Michael Dante & Konietzko, Bryan (July 29, 2008). "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters" commentary. Book 3: Fire, Volume 4 DVD.
* Iroh appeared to have a small crush on her.
* By the time Team Avatar met up with June, she and Nyla had been together for more than seventeen years.
* A cut concept for the invasion storyline in Book Three involved June tracking down and recruiting Team Avatar's allies such as the mechanist.DiMartino, Michael Dante & Konietzko, Bryan (July 29, 2008). "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King" commentary. Book 3: Fire, Volume 4 DVD.
== References ==
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pt-br:June
ru:Джун
Category:A to Z
Category:Characters
Category:Earth Kingdom characters
Category:Graphic novel characters
Category:Mercenaries and bounty hunters
Category:Minor characters
Category:Neutral characters