Fisherman

:This page is about the man met by Aang and his friends. For the fishmonger whom Korra encountered during her travels, see Fishmonger.
The fisherman was an old and surly Earth Kingdom citizen who, together with his wife, made his living in a harbor town.
== History ==
One day, the fisherman intended to go out at sea with his wife, though the two got into an argument about whether or not they should go fishing. The old woman told him not to, as there was a storm brewing, though he quickly dismissed this claim, emphasizing the tranquility of the weather, and told her to stop "nagging". His wife countered that she could feel with her joints that bad weather was upon them, though he once again brushed off her worry, this time noting that since it was "her joints against [his] brain", he would go with the latter. As she angrily refused to go along with him, the fisherman exclaimed he would hire a new fish hauler and pay him double for his work. When Sokka readily volunteered, the fisherman promptly hired him on the spot.
When his wife later referred to Aang as the "boy with the tattoos", the fisherman recognized them as airbender tattoos and identified him as the Avatar. As opposed to being glad to see him, he accused him of abandoning the world, leaving behind a time of war and suffering to continue. When Aang fled on his glider, the man yelled after him to "keep flying" and although Katara reprimanded him for his harsh words, declaring him to be a "horrible old man", he remained unfazed. When Katara left on Appa, dousing him with water, he told Sokka that his friends were impolite. As Sokka commenced to recall another instance in which they had been rude, the fisherman gruffly cut him off, handed him more supplies, and ordered him to get below deck.
Shortly after the fisherman set sail with Sokka, they were caught in the powerful storm his wife had predicted. Hanging on to the ropes of the boat for dear life, Sokka commented that he was too young to die, to which the fisherman replied that while he was not too young, he still did not want to die. When lightning struck their vessel and caused the mast to break down, they were nearly crushed under its weight. At the last second, however, Aang used his waterbending to sever the beam, saving them all. As Sokka tied a rope around his and the fisherman's waist, they both were pulled atop Appa's saddle by Aang. Their salvation was short-lived, however, as a wave swallowed them and pulled them below the surface. Despite hanging on to Appa's saddle, the fisherman was barely conscious. He was saved by Aang once again, when he entered the Avatar State and created an air pocket around them all, preventing them from drowning. After Appa broke through the surface, they returned to a cave where the fisherman happily reunited with his wife.
Inside the cave, the fisherman was ordered by his wife to apologize to Aang. Reluctant to do so, he suggested that he could offer him a free fish instead. When Aang noted that he did not eat meat, the fisherman declared that fish was not meat. As Sokka approached him, intending to claim his pay for helping to haul the fish, the elderly man gave him a raw fish. After bickering some more with his wife, the fisherman approached Aang and acknowledged that he would not have been there if it were not for him, and officially thanked him for saving his life.
== Appearances ==
=== Avatar: The Last Airbender ===
==== Book One: Water (水) ====
== References ==
de:Fischer-Ehepaar
es:Pescador
fr:Pêcheur
ru:Старый рыбак
nl:Oude Visser
Category:A to Z
Category:Characters
Category:Earth Kingdom characters
Category:Merchants and businesspeople
Category:Minor characters