Catra's Arc is Not About Redemption

[@fRkOdCmK]

Dude this video is such a hidden gem. This is why I'm so tired of people saying that Catra's redemption arc was bad. It wasn't even about redemption. It was about healing! I love She-Ra so much

[@koimcarthur8835]

Thanks, I appreciate it! Seeing people who didn't think Catra's "redemption arc," was good and even seeing people who thought her arc was good but it was about redemption is part of what pushed me to make this video. I'm glad you see it how I do!

[@peeblekitty5780]

Absolutely agree! As I once heard it put, Catra's arc in s5 is not about redemption, but _recovery._ She is damaged, and the show has shown to us time and time again that "redemption", especially punitive, does nothing helpful, only causing more pain and pushing hurting people over the edge and never giving them the chance to be better. The only thing I'd really argue with here is the use of "justifiable" to describe all her actions throughout s1-4. I'd instead use "sympathizable" or "understandable." Her actions are not good or justified in most of these cases, but in most of these cases she's having a literal psychotic break, is desperate for validation, or is scrambling for safety from her abuse in a way that I'm sure many people would given her situation and her upbringing. We can _understand_ why she does what she does, even as it's not justified or good. And I do think these actions merit redemption--but redemption is, as you said, subjective. There was no way the writers could have "redeemed" her enough to make up for all the bad she did, especially in the eyes of more vindictive viewers--and given the time and room they had left in the story, there was no way to make that work in a way that was natural. So they never gave her that redemption arc. Because, while still important, redemption is not what Catra needed. What Catra needed was the chance to heal. How she goes on to realize and make up for her immoral actions from there is left to the fans, but what's important is that now she's able to engage with making amends in the first place. And everything in the ending points to that she will, that things are looking up for all of them.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Hi, thanks for watching my video and leaving a comment! I use the word justifiable because of how you mention in your comment, she acts as many people would given her situation and her upbringing. From a morally objective standpoint Catra's actions standing alone are not good. But context is everything, if what Catra does makes sense and it is what many/most people would do in the given context (situation and upbringing) then who are we to say that what she did is wrong if we would have done the same thing? Alternatively, if I try to put myself in Catra's shoes it is hard for me to picture doing something else with the given context. I have another video talking more about this, how the events of She-Ra logically follow each other based on character motivations and relationships and given the initial starting point of the show (kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3qTqZiHhL5grtk). So, this is why I say that what Catra did was justifiable, I feel like we are mainly on the same page with this though and this is more an issue of the semantics of language. Totally agree that Catra would be making amends in past the ending of the show, I still don't think this would be redeeming herself because I don't think she needs to be redeemed, but that is subjective and I have no issue with you thinking that what she did does merit redemption.

[@peeblekitty5780]

Another caveat: Scorpia's unconditional love doesn't ground Catra not (just) because she's closed off to making new vulnerable connections, but because Scorpia doesn't see her at all. Scorpia is pursuing her in such a way that merely projects this fantasy of ideal lover onto her, and hardly if at all actually sees _who_ Catra is, what she's going through, or at all respects her need for physical and emotional space. She only tried to understand why Catra was the way she was in an effort to excuse her actions or see them as good ("She's misunderstood!" "Oh, that's my Wildcat, always on goal!"). While sweet, and absolutely not deserving of the way Catra treated her in return... that's not genuine love. That's attachment to an idealized version of a person, forcing a fantasy onto someone who is _very clearly_ trying to distance herself from such things to avoid being hurt.

[@koimcarthur8835]

I think that Scorpia genuinely tries to understand Catra, but because Catra is so closed off it is hard to do so. Catra didn't actually need physical or emotional space in seasons two and three, Catra thought that making close connections was a way for her to get hurt so she was trying to close herself off but that was not necessarily a good thing because she was in some pretty bad relationships which led her to close herself off in the first place and that's not how everybody acts in relationships. Scorpia's smothering was not exactly consensual which is not good but in terms of what Catra needed it wasn't bad either. Scorpia in season three episode three shows that she knows the Fright Zone isn't the best place for Catra and she tries to get Catra to think about why she wants to go back to the Fright Zone. Scorpia does try to excuse Catra's actions but I don't think that needs to be interpreted as her seeing Catra in an ideal light. Saying that Catra is misunderstood could be a showing of Scorpia's frustration that Catra is closed off and it is difficult to understand what she is going through. In season four even once she admits to herself that Catra was a bad friend she still understands the significance of finding Shadow Weaver in Bright Moon so Scorpia is clearly trying to understand why Catra does what she does, she just doesn't always have the most success with it. To me Scorpia seems very eager to get to find out who Catra actually is, she wants Catra to trust her and open up to her so that she can help her and a lot of the time that comes across as extreme loyalty because that is as much as Scorpia knows how to give. But I think the show does display enough extra effort on Scorpia's behalf for me to not classify this as Scorpia projecting her idealized partner on to Catra.

[@misfits9294]

THANK YOU!! Catra's arc was about healing. It was about breaking the cycle of abuse, just like Adora's, but unlike Adora, she was there to show the full level of hurt and toxicity by staying in that situation and mindset. But in the end, she ended up getting out. Her story really resonates with me as a sufferer of familial abuse. I know my own parents also suffered abuse, and that cycle continued onto me, and I have to work hard every day to undo that damage and not continue it. I think Catra's story works well because she is so young, y'know? If she was 30 or 40 and putting that abuse onto others it's less excusable because you had more time to grow out of it. But Catra is like 22 by the end of the series tops, and has never had time to get out of her abusive environment. She-Ra is one of my favorite shows because it came to me in a moment of my life I was in Catra's position; around the same age, fully processing everything that happened to me and having a great amount of anger and pain that I didn't know I would ever get out of. And as Catra started breaking the cycle, I was too; it was so important to me when season 5 came out and she was free of all that hurt and rage.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Hi, thanks for watching! I'm sorry for everything that you had to go through, but I am so glad that She-Ra helped you work through some tough stuff, it is a really special show. I think that you are right, it would feel a lot more uncomfortable if Catra was older and likely had more time to process what she was going through. If that was the case, then what she did would be a lot less excusable. She is super young though and she never has time to process anything. I am 24 now and it is pretty clear that everyone who is my age or younger, including myself, still have a lot to learn haha.

[@misfits9294]

@@koimcarthur8835 Thank you, and no problem!

[@SannidhiDeshpande]

Bro I can relate to you so much, thanks for this comment, and hope you’re doing ok!

[@LegacyElite84]

Your videos are criminally underrated. You bring such an analytical and in depth view to arguably one of the best shows I've ever seen. Thank you for making this.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy them. She-Ra really is a fantastic show!

[@TheNerdWithASuit]

Great video. I did my own video essay on She-Ra and while I do think Catra did have a "redemption arc", I think at the same time you're right as well. It's just that redemption arcs can take on vastly different forms in writing. A lot of people like to bring up Zuko as the gold standard, and while by all means I find that to be true, what people seem to forget in comparison to Catra is that Zuko didn't really need to change his mentality. He always knew the Fire Nation was wrong. He got his scar because he spoke out against the military's decision and from that point on his mentality was irreversably altered to the point he needed to change his actions moreso than his state of mind. Catra on the other hand did have to change her mentality and this is where I think the differences in arc lie. Catra also knew the Horde was bad and knew she was being manipulated, but unlike Zuko she had to change her own outlook on life where vegeance and continuing the cycle of abuse was justified because that's all she was taught and lead to believe in. That's what happens when she doesn't have an Uncle Iroh. I think a lot of people look at her arc as "poorly written" for a multitude of hollow reasons (let's not lie, how a lot of people hold female characters compared to male characters is a huge chunk of that) but I think another big reason why is that Catra's redemption is a bit out of control because it's a story of her mentality just as much as decision making. It's really the realization that she needed to understand she needs to break the chain that's the core of her journey above the actions. But even then, as far as I'm concerned, she paid her dues. She saved Glimmer's life, got the rebellion past the Horde blockade, and saved the whole planet/universe with her love to Adora. Though I do understand that even if she did more or if her bad actions weren't as intense, plenty of people would still hate her. I mean, just look at Skyler White discourse... To me, there are three main types of redemption arcs we are accustomed to: *Redemption Where Actions are Corrected:* Zuko and Yondu *Redemption Where Mentality is Changed:* Catra and Vegeta *Redemption Where You Get Close Despite Impossible Odds:* Anakin Skywalker, Heisei Godzilla, and Arthur Morgan I want to do another video essay in the future about Catra's redemption even though I have already talked about her a lot, but videos such as this, Princess Weekes, and discourse I've seen on how Horde Prime reflects a toxic belief in baptism being the solution to all problems, makes me want to talk about what her arc means to the show and other people. There's arguably a good amount of ableism from people who think she should have suffered more considering how a lot of people claim they support mentally abused people, but will then say they are past the point of no return when they display their trauma in a way that isn't meek or submissive. One of the reasons I love Catra's character and She-Ra's writing as a whole is that it treats abuse victims with the intensity they deserve in more shows in all honesty. It shows people that plenty abusive victims will lash out and cause destruction, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for them to change, later help themselves, then find a new better life. It teaches people that even if your abuse makes you cruel, that doesn't mean you will forever be deserving of misery. People who say she didn't "deserve" redemption seem to not have a grasp on what redemption is to begin with. Redemption is not something you are given. It's a long, streneous, and intricate process with no defining flipping of the switch moment.

[@lanfae9353]

This is really interesting. I don't know if this really makes her arc not at least a _type_ of redemption arc, because I don't think redemption vs healing is mutually exclusive, but you are right that it is more of a healing/self-actualization arc and doesn't really follow the traditional pattern of a redemption arc in most media. I also think you have a lot of very good insights into Catra's point of view and what her motivations are. It's true that a lot of the time, she made the only decision she really _could_ in the moment with the resources she had at hand, and I think a lot of people who criticize her really harshly lack empathy for people struggling with mental illness and/or trauma from abuse. It's a messy reality that abuse victims often act out in destructive ways, _usually_ self-destructive like we see with Adora, but sometimes also destructive to others like we see with Catra. That's why I like that this show highlights both sides of this reality. You've got an interesting video analysis here! I might watch more of your videos later.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Hey, thanks for watching my video! You are totally justified thinking that this is some form of redemption arc. Like I said in the opening, redemption is very subjective and if you think that this was partly about redemption then that is totally valid.

[@gianfranksproductions491]

Y'all know it's more of a healing/self-actualization arc for Catra's character other than a typical redemption arc, when Adora/She-Ra *literally* heals Catra in the near end of the Season 5 episode titled "Save The Cat".

[@CatraKinne]

THANK YOU this needs more likes

[@koimcarthur8835]

Thanks!

[@auroracatradora7446]

Thank you so much for this beautiful video, this talk about redemption has always been ehxausting when it dismisses the main core of the show, which is to reject the christian faith concepts of original sin and break the cycle of abuse, which Catra does masterfully by trying to heal

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

Horde Prime is more of a fascist overlord & although his forced control of his clones & eventually Catra -- as well as other chipped victims -- does echo that of cults, there is no direct indication that the series is rejecting Christian values.

[@StareachValcin]

I honestly think that this is a fair analysis about Catra's character arc, especially from Catra's perspective. I do honestly think that Catra does go through a redemption arc, at least during season 5.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Hey, I see that you left comments on all my She-Ra videos. Thanks for taking the time to watch my videos and give your opinions! Sorry for my late response I was on vacation without internet. Yeah I can definitely see how you would think that Catra went through a redemption arc in season 5. As I said, redemption is kind of a subjective topic.

[@millieboon]

Well in s4 u start to see how she’s getting affected but she’s so far gone that the only thing she has is hordak

[@koimcarthur8835]

@@millieboon yep, if I was arguing that Catra had a redemption arc then that arc starting in season 4 would be a good argument. I would say at the moment she realized Scorpia was gone is when it would have started because then Catra realizes that pushing people away is not a great choice.

[@sparxstreak02]

The video title alone sent me into a fit of Glee! 😁 I've always found myself calling Catra's journey more of a Transformation Arc rather than mere redemption as this showed her truly beginning to find herself, along with reflecting on her past as a child. When she remembers Adora telling her "I'm always gonna be your friend." even though that doesn't quite work out for a long time, she realises the intent behind Adora's words that even though her best friend automatically went with doing what was 'right' above all else, that never stopped her from caring about Catra (even though at this point Catra thinks Adora has stopped caring about her due to her actions at the portal) which I'd say was a major motivator behind her decision to defy Prime. I do agree Catra changes for personal reasons rather than for morality's sake (although even wanting to be there for certain individuals while being a better person is still selfless since you're putting someone else first) but I do think she slowly starts to care about people outside her inner circle before Shadow Weaver's sacrifice (which I interpreted in a number of ways) - shown when she's horrified by the flash vision of the people of Elberon getting chipped & it makes sense she would worry about this as she knows the pain of being controlled in this way, which ties back to her caring for more personal reasons. Her care for people in general does grow over time - Prime saw her feeling sorry for Glimmer, she tries to reassure Netossa about Spinnerella despite the latter literally netting her earlier & given that she bonded with Melog - a magical creature who responds to emotions, confirmed to me that Catra (unlike Adora) always possessed a deep sense of empathy but seldom showed it due to how she grew up. However there are moments of her demonstrating this with Shadow Weaver, Scorpia & Entrapta earlier on & although manipulation also played a factor in some of this too, empathy was nonetheless shown from Catra. However, I do think Catra will continue to make up for her mistakes (with her friends' support) along with the rest of the Rebellion following the aftermath of the war, as Etheria would still need help in rebuilding despite magic being returned to it. I also imagine she might go looking to go make amends with Lonnie. Kyle & Rogelio (with Adora realising she needs to do the same!)

[@koimcarthur8835]

Yeah Catra no doubt could always empathize, that was made clear many times in the show which you have pointed out. I always looked at Catra being horrified of the chipped Etherians as a reminder of her recent trauma, but that is just speculation. Before the end of the show Catra's actions were more "selfless", in the sense that she was thinking about how she has hurt people that she has had interactions with before. It really comes down to trying to guess her motivation though. I think most of it was "selfish" up until Shadow Weaver's sacrifice but everybody is entitled to their own opinion and there's reason to believe this isn't the case. I guess the reason I see it the way I do is because She-Ra is a show based very much on character dynamics so in season 5 Catra has to deal a lot with specific people who she had bad interactions with but in terms of morality Catra's larger issue was her part in the war and this is addressed far less. I made a video "How Character Dynamics Elevated She-Ra" where I talk about how this show is setup with such a strong dependency on character dynamics and a bit about how it can affect the way we view the show.

[@theleemaaeras2083]

Thank you for this. I nearly cried at the end of the video. I think more people would need to hear what you have to say here. The need for survival indeed removes all ability to see the bigger picture, and to think about others. It does not remove empathy, but it makes thinking about others' well being so small, so not a priority. Catra's story and arc are complex, and beautifully realised, and it is a story of becoming one's own person, of grasping one's life in one's hands, of choosing, for oneself. Not a redemption arc. I agree so much with you. Thank you for this.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Thanks for watching the video! I'm glad that you enjoyed it, and that you agree with what I had to say. The survival aspect of Catra's decision making seems to be greatly underemphasized in many anti-Catra arguments that I have seen.

[@koimcarthur8835]

@Erik Kemeey who is forgetting her actions? I just acknowledged her actions for 30 min in this video, the person who made this comment was elaborating on the motivation for her actions. That is not forgetting her actions, these are attempts to interpret them.

[@harpinedoodles]

i could not agree more! i could go on and on about catras character, and her arc, as im sure a lot of people could too. however, i honestly think you of all the videos i have seen and watched through, you explained her perfectly. i even found myself swayed with some of your points, ones that i didnt even recognize were there. everyone talks about the typical "she was abused, adora didnt recognize nor help in the matter of her abuse(granted adora suffered a form of manipulation), etc etc" you are the first person i have seen to even discuss the motive that catra had, losing that safety, thriving without being attatched to adora(and let me just say that i come from a place of having to distance myself from someone i was close to, and im a lot better for it). you may not have experience in film ,or anything, but my goodness, you are more than fit for this! you have experience in people, you quite literally read catra like a book, thank you so much for this amazing video!

[@koimcarthur8835]

Thank you for taking the time to watch this and leave such a nice comment! I'm glad that you enjoyed my analysis, I know that there is a lot of analysis of Catra on KZbin and I'm happy you took the time to watch this video despite the poor production quality. Good for you to distance yourself from that person you were close to, that is obviously not an easy thing to do, but sometimes it is what is best for us, and it's great that you are now better off for it!

[@IceFireofVoid]

I'm so annoyed with people arguing that Catra was irredeemable based on her actions she did as a direct result of her trauma and history of growing up abused. She's a very realistic portrayal of that, which we don't get much of in media, being that it involves all the scars and the ugly side of trauma and trauma recovery. Catra's haters, knowingly or not, often end up spewing ableist rhetoric which suggests that trauma victims are too broken to deserve healing. It's gross.

[@koimcarthur8835]

This is a very good point, thank you for bringing it up. People do deserve to heal and I really hope that most people recognize that. Where this becomes more complicated is that it is not the responsibility of others to wait for a trauma victim to heal or to make sure that they do, at the expense of their own health. In She-Ra the people surrounding trauma victims suffered but they forgave and worked things out with the trauma victim. I think some viewers of the show may be confusing their feelings that the people surrounding the trauma victim should not suffer because of the trauma victim with the idea that the trauma victim should not be able to heal entirely. I can't say for sure if this is what is actually happening in the minds of some viewers but I really hope they don't just straight up believe that some people don't deserve to heal.

[@koimcarthur8835]

@Erik Kemeey the main point of what? my video, another video, that everyone anti Catra wants to make? Catra's actions are forgotten by the characters or the audience? If by the characters then I would say that isn't quite true, her actions are more understood/forgiven. If by the audience then I am really confused by your point, if you are pro or anti Catra and you are analyzing her, then you are looking directly at her actions and trying to interpret them so you are not forgetting them. I would say the whole series was them trying to push Catradora together, their misconceptions of themselves and each other keeping them from being together was the main conflict of the show, so yes they had to focus on the main conflict in the final episodes, I think that should happen in most stories.

[@JuanGomez-ke5py]

Yeah my problem with it the show told me to go back to an abusive relationship

[@koimcarthur8835]

@@JuanGomez-ke5py sorry that's what you took away from it, the show is pretty nuanced and it is possible to draw that conclusion unfortunately.

[@NeedsContent]

This video is spot on. People judging her character through a modern lens is very myopic, and really just reveals people's privileged perspective. Thanks for sharing this!

[@pridecat]

4:59 - 5:31 this is an extremely important argument. obviously catra intended to hurt adora, but not to leave permanent pain or scars. she-ra is a self-healing being, even though that ability had not been unlocked until s3. if a claw scratch (which i get minor ones all the time as an owner and they don't even hurt much) is enough to take her down, then catra never would've had to work hard to lead the horde to victory in the first place. after all, she said herself ominously right before princess prom -(literally the greenish screenshot shown about 20 seconds after the mark)- that the best way to get to adora is from the heart, i.e. all the emotional ways they fought, such as the confrontation in *"promise" when adora was hanging off the cliff and catra left her (not to die, knowingly).

[@boombuffoon4514]

I can't believe I was lucky enough to come across this video essay. Out of all the arguments for or against catra's arc-this is one of the best (and like you said, you don't even study film or storytelling!) It reminded me of a post I saw once that pointed out that while Adora encourages Catra to be more selfless, Catra encourages Adora to be more selfish.

[@harpinedoodles]

that quote has honestly stuck with me ever since i saw it. its truly an amazing way of painting their arcs, and good lesson to learn

[@koimcarthur8835]

Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoyed it. That is a good post you came across, that is what the end of their arcs is about and that is exactly what they help each other to do.

[@ANALYZNERD]

I've always felt that pulling the lever was an act of suicide. Just my thought

[@LolimuseBroccolious]

A hidden gem

[@user-idgaftbh]

I SOO AGREE so many ppl say stuff abt catra being evil and stuff BUT THATS NOT TRUE

[@penguinlingo8203]

This is incredibly underrated ! good job

[@sparxstreak02]

21:44 You don't know how CATHARTIC it was to hear that. I usually find Perfuma to be a fun character to watch but she reeeaallly annoyed me in this ep. I understand why she would clash with Catra & that she'd hold resentment towards her for her past treatment of Scorpia but I still think she should've apologised to Catra after the mission, as she was still the one in the wrong during their confrontation - especially since her theory of using 'feelings' to free Scorpia ultimately failed & put everyone in danger (which she NEVER gets reprimanded for!) & yes she & Adora managed to escape by the skin of their teeth thanx to Scorpia gaining back control for a millisecond but they still got VERY lucky. But I can at least imagine she did so after they made peace with one another.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Yeah I really don't know what Perfuma was doing in this episode, but it was really interesting that she was so hard on Catra. I guess it just goes to show how important it is to try to understand the entire story. Perfuma just instantly rushed to conclusions about Catra and disregarded Catra's ability to make impactful suggestions for something Catra did entirely unrelated to tactical competency. Even those who seem to care for others as much as Perfuma does can be in the wrong if they fail to engage with the entire story. Perfuma didn't try to understand why Catra pushed Scorpia away, she was just upset that it happened. Her plan to use feelings to save Scorpia was such a Perfuma thing to do though. I'm just happy that it didn't really work all too well.

[@sparxstreak02]

@@koimcarthur8835 Yeah, Perfuma always aims to be ultra kind & positive but she's also incredibly judgemental when someone dares to be something other than positive even though we're all allowed to feel OTHER things or take a more pragmatic approach based on our reality - it doesn't mean we stop trying. Or if they do something wrong & as you said, never asks why but just reprimands. It's a major reason why this ep's my least fav of S5. And absolutely right on dismissal of tactical competency! The fact is, Catra DID know how to save Scorpia better than Perfuma - a former chipped victim would have the best idea to save ANOTHER chip victim 🙄 At least she doesn't hold grudges for long but seeing someone who strives to imbue goodness admit they're wrong would've been a more powerful message than just 2 polar opposite people making peace. They got there halfway with Catra being the bigger person (almost saintly so!) but not having Perfuma correct her own mistake was a real miss on the writer's part.

[@peeblekitty5780]

@@sparxstreak02 Exactly. Perfuma absolutely radiates toxic positivity. No Negative Energy Here Guys, Put On A Smile! Meditation And Kale Will Solve Everything! Like, no, people have to work through their emotions. Practicality has its place, anger and grief and sadness and other such "ugly" emotions have their place and need to be expressed in a healthy way and not stomped down all the time, otherwise you're going to be super bottled up and not emotionally authentic. Although, it is gratifying to me that you can see the results of that mindset on herself. She tries to keep to this zen attitude but you can absolutely tell sometimes that she is THIS 🤏close to fucking losing it at any given moment. --it's really funny tbh--

[@FromMic]

Catra isn't a redemption because she has nothing to redeem. She is a child abuse survivor, plain and simple. People that don't see that and paint her as some sociopath completely undeserving of love and healing have zero empathy whatsoever.

[@tylerleach8796]

Um...yeah, I love Catra and the arc she goes through...but it was 100% about redemption. In fact, she has what I consider one of the best redemption arcs out there.

[@MatteoBiondillo]

Yup, it was redemption, but no one gave it to her nor redemption is something deserving in general, it's a choice the person makes, it's not something that's given to you (except fpr the writers 😂). Catra made that choice and that's why she redeemed herself, plus people downplay the kiss a lot, she and Adora BOTH saved the Universe with THAT, if that is not a GREAT heroic act, then i don't know what the antis standards are. Sad that all of it got squeezed by season 5 which is probably one of my least favourites, too many things and too little time to explore, season 4 was a BOMB tho, that's where we got to see the truth about Catra, she hid all of her vulnerable points to avoid getting beaten, but she wasn't true to herself and that's what led to her downfall.

[@koimcarthur8835]

I'm not going to argue with this, as I mentioned in my video, redemption is subjective. I can see how a lot of people would see this as a redemption arc, if you think that it is 100% about redemption then that is valid, but I respectfully disagree. I don't think that what she did needed redeeming, I can't picture her making other reasonable choices in the moment, and I don't believe her primary intention was to make up for her actions it was more of a side effect.

[@koimcarthur8835]

@@MatteoBiondillo season five was unfortunately rushed and yet there still seemed to be a surprising amount of filler, they still had some fantastic episodes though.

[@sparxstreak02]

You know, despite Adora saying Catra tried to kill her several times, Catra never actually dealt anything resembling a definitive final blow. At Princess Prom & the Crystal Castle Catra simply leaves Adora in precarious situations, she mainly toys with her during the Battle of Bright Moon & lets the armada try to do the heavy lifting. When she captures Adora in the Northern Reach & the Crimson waste, again she doesn't kill but rather disarm her. When she pulls the portal lever & lets herself fall into the dissolving space time she is putting herself in danger just as much as Adora. The closest she comes to delivering a blow herself was when she attacks her viciously after remembering painful memories. While it is dangerous, its not precise & she's acting on raw emotion rather than specific intent to kill (the way an assassin would for instance) Even during the invasion of Salineas, we see HORDAK wielding the weapon that destroys the kingdom but never Catra interestingly (all based on what the audience sees of course, but still) Its like she could never bring herself to deliver that direct finality on someone else's life - least of all Adora's.

[@koimcarthur8835]

Excellent points, in my video "Catradora Continued- Defending Catra" I spend a good chunk of time analyzing Catra and Adora's fighting styles and I came to the same conclusions. Catra is incredibly non violent when she fights.

[@phantom-ri2tg]

Didn't Catra openly say she'd rather the world be destoryed? I have not seen the show just clips but from what I have seen this show has an issue of show not tell. But more than this I will say one thing people seem to ignore. Catra is a soldier at war. In war innocents are made to fight and kill each other in the name of the good for their (whehter it is actually for the greater good is another story.) Pretty much no one is again to wait for someone to resolve their personal issues. Which thinking on it and this video. makes me actually sympathize with Catra. because I can imagine she figured this out. someone who most certainly hasn't figured it out though? The idiot that says you need to keep harming my friends and causing problems because that was the choice you made. Adora could have just forcefully captured Catra and pretty much everyone in the whole story would be better off for it. it reminds me of some scenes I saw in first season of Adora just casually mocking her friend for laughs. the same episode where Adora was carelessly handling situations do to the power high of being She-Ra and apparently ends on her basically being "okay you saved us but I am still going to dismiss your efforts." I see people talking bout how Adora messed up because she left behind Catra. Again I haven't watched the show but I am suspecting there is a bigger unaddressed issue here.

[@bnashee]

@@phantom-ri2tg i would suggest definitely watching the show to get the full scope of what is going on here. Catra as a character is a deeply hurt and abused kid and every action she takes is a result of both that and the fact that she is a child soldier and has only really known abuse through her formative years. She does what she does because it is neccesary to survive in her position and because she literally doesnt know how to be any other way when the only adults in her life are actively abusive toward her

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

*You know, despite Adora saying Catra tried to kill her several times, Catra never actually dealt anything resembling a definitive final blow.* Mainly because she can't. She-Ra is more powerful than everyone, save her own big brother He-Man. There's reasons why they're "the most powerful woman/man in the universe", after all.

[@sparxstreak02]

@@TherealRNOwwfpooh not in her normal form though & Catra had plenty of goes at her then too.

[@mariedit9935]

So I finally rewatched She-Ra last december and it's the third time I've watched the show, I watched it once on may 2020 and then rewatched on january 2021 aaand I actually understand and feel for Catra way more now.

[@TheBarOst]

thank you, there's never enough analysis on this show :D

[@sophiegibbons2522]

I really think entrapta at least partially forgave catra because she got to see first ones tech

[@koimcarthur8835]

Like Entrapta forgave Catra because she was driving the ship and seeing First Ones tech and she was basically in a good mood, I could see this being a factor. Or do you mean Entrapta forgave Catra because Catra originally got her a job tinkering with First Ones tech?

[@QueenPersephoneKore95]

*This video is pure gold...they should give you a medal and make a statue of you...thank you so much for all of this!!! 🥺🥲🤩😍*

[@koimcarthur8835]

Thank you! I don't think that's really necessary, but I appreciate the support!!