The Beautiful Journey of CATRA | SHE-RA | A Study in Character, Part 1

[@digimonalvatrax2738]

The more away Catra is from the Horde, the more she opens up to people around her

[@joleedavis9933]

I’m sorry but I just can’t agree that it’s entirely Catras fault that she was left behind all the time or that she was an abuser. A bad friend and boss, but not an abuser. Shadow Weaver literally abandoned her and Abused her what was Catra supposed to do? Be kind and warm to her? She tried and SW rejected it harshly. And Hordak is an imperialist who made her a child soldier, suffocated her and sent her to die. If anything he’s her abuser and I don’t think lieing to him compares to that. She pushed away Adora and Scorpia and Entrapta, yes. But Lonnie and them weren’t her friends and were mean to her before, she was just their horrible boss. Catra never threatened Scorpias life, immobilized her, disempowered her and hurt her the way SW did to Catra. And when she came close to toeing that line Scorpia left and rightfully so. Catra was just an abuse victim who lashed out and was wrongfully villianised a lot, even by fans of this show. I always wonder if we even watched the same show

[@fansdeseriesdecalidad2979]

exacto. No se como otros hasta dicen que era un mounstruo que solo queria poder, cuando ella queria seguridad y mostrarle que era capaz, y eso no hubiera sido por su trauma.

[@ProblematicBeach]

I respectfully disagree. She was very abusive towards scorpia in the end- Dont get me wrong, i Love Catra more than is propably healthy, but that doesnt mean I should excuse her toxic and abusive behaviour

[@joleedavis9933]

@@ProblematicBeach I literally didn’t but okay

[@CrazyFroggy719]

@@ProblematicBeach ik this is hella late but in catra’s defense scorpia kinda deserved it since scorpia was told again and again by catra that she need her personal space and scorpia kept touching her and getting into that personal space when she suupposivily said she “cares about personal space” in the portal dimension, this is in my personal opinion but if i told someone many times to get out of my personal space and they didn’t i would start acting disrespectful and lash out towards that person but idk we’re different people but thats my take on it i like scorpia btw but that one moment still slightly annoys me since people haven’t respected my personal space

[@Nightsoul1323]

Nice character study! I really like the idea that Adora's friendship growing up was a key component of level Catra out and keeping her more villianous behaviors at bay. In losing Adora she didn't just lose her best friend, she lost her lifeline to her gentler side

[@starfruitgrady]

Solid work! Good to see more video essays about our favorite disaster cat! Can't wait to see part 2!

[@DelusionalPoet]

Happy to contribute! Thank you also for the kind feedback. I hope you'll like part 2 as well!

[@samrevlej9331]

I hadn't seen any video tackling Catra's character development mention her relationship with Glimmer much, which seemed strange to me, given how it was the starting point of her redemption. Catra resented Glimmer maybe the most (except Adora) from the start because she felt she was the reason Adora left her. Realizing their parallel trajectory after the Portal and connecting over their horrible situation and their regrets motivates her to reconsider her decisions and change her ways, even if she intends it as a self-sacrificial gesture. I would have loved little snippets of Catra and Glimmer leaning on each other more during and after the return to Etheria, maybe Catra trying to comfort Glimmer over Micah's situation, and Glimmer trying to support Catra against Shadow Weaver's gaslighting of Adora and herself.

[@andrewmalinowski6673]

Aside from becoming an unofficial (sixth) member of the Best Friend Squad during the second half of Season 5 she didn't really seem to lean on anyone besides Adora, but since they had supported each other before leaving Horde Prime it would have been nice to see more of the Glimmer/Catra relationship

[@sparxstreak02]

21:16 ‘And honestly…..the rest is history.’ I can’t quite explain why this specific description of the turning point in Catra’s transformation made me so H.A.P.P.Y. but it did 😊💖

[@kathleencarias]

I normally don't comment on videos, but I know interaction helps the video we watch and this deserves more recognition. Thank you. I adored this video and helped me understand why I never condemned Catra more than necessary after all she had done, and why I feeled that she wasn't bad at her core. She was just angry, abused, confused, "abandoned", and never learned how to deal correctly with this feelings due to her surroundings. Thanks again.

[@DelusionalPoet]

Ohh thank you so much for the kind words! It always makes me feel warm and fuzzy reading comments like these :) I'm glad if I could make her character a little more relatable, I do love Catra a lot!

[@justnojustn3036]

Your main villain are Misunderstood Cargill that just needs her girlfriend Abusive step mother Entrapta's emo machine partner And space hitler

[@DelusionalPoet]

That's pretty accurate lol

[@aidcrazysol738]

Also, Hordak was traumatized by space hitler too

[@Omg-qg8dg]

THIS IS AMAZING! I LOVE HOW WELL YOU EXPLAINED HER CHARACTER

[@DelusionalPoet]

Haha, thanks! I appreciate the enthusiasm and the feedback!

[@leonoraradovcic4328]

Hi. I’m a little late to the She-Ra party as I’ve started watching two years after it ended. And I’m still processing what I saw. All good things. It’s one of those shows that makes you think and feel so much that it’s hard to put it in words. Then I came across your video. Catra has always been my favorite character from the start. I resonated strongly with her because I saw myself in her. Someone mentioned that there wasn’t that many videos describing Catra. Your character study bore deeply in great detail and shown the side of her I haven’t seen before. But truly why it was very difficult to see her only as a villain is her backstory to her relationship with Adora. And, because of that early relationship and shared childhood became the reason why it was so hard to watch them fight each other so much. In my heart I always knew deep down she was never truly a bona fide villain. You made us see with your descriptions and explanation of her character just how beautifully definitely complex she is. There wasn’t not one moment in five seasons that I had a dry eye. Thank you so much for taking the time to delve deeper in our favorite character. And thank you for allowing us to see her and reconnect with her like never before. I can’t thank you enough for such a wonderful video. I’m going to go look for your part 2 now. Peace.

[@DelusionalPoet]

This comment made me feel all warm and fuzzy! Thanks so much for the kind words and I hope you enjoy Part 2 as well!

[@asdfzxcvqwert]

You got me in tears at the end man 😭 FANTASTIC analysis 👏👏

[@DelusionalPoet]

Aw, thank you so much! The show itself has cost me quite some tears as well :(

[@lalablack3775]

this video is wildly underrated

[@AzureOctive]

Thank you for this deep dive, I'm doing some fanfiction writing in an alternate universe where Entrapta is an entirely different personality that basically takes up the same space as Scorpia, herself, and Double Trouble and she's still dealing with betrayal feelings from Adora. The plan is to have her still end up with Adora, showing off that even the best of all three characters still doesn't fit the perfect forever after for her that Adora fills for her. It's the 'hardest no' she's ever had to do because it's so close... maybe that's a good name for the story? 'The hardest no." Anyhow! Thank you for putting in the work here! Gives me a lot to think about!

[@thegneech]

Your value as a person is undeniable regardless of whether I comment, like, or subscribe. That said, as a founding member of the Catra Fan Squad, I really liked this video. :)

[@DelusionalPoet]

It's so kind of you to go out of your way to say that :) Thanks so much, and I hope you're doing well!

[@andrewmalinowski6673]

While I'd agree that it was because Adora left the Horde that pushed Catra to become the "villain" she was throughout most of the series there's also the trace that her feelings for Adora were also what pushed her so hard to "defeat" Adora. I hadn't considered the parallel between Catra and Glimmer during season 4 from reaching their own villain peak before hitting a low and then relying on each other, but it was clear she couldn't manipulate Horde Prime when she'd been brought aboard his flagship and even while away from Adora she'd seemed unable to get her out of her mind as if their childhood had been what linked them together. Every motivation was also to prove herself; after Adora leaves the Horde she takes it personally and during her comments to Scorpia and Entrapta used her own emotional pain to force them to "show the other princesses" they were better, feeling like Shadow Weaver had abandoned her after she'd been manipulated she pushes Scorpia away which Scorpia takes as "protecting" her and learning that Shadow Weaver had chosen the Princess Alliance and Adora over her she decides to show both Adora and Shadow Weaver how dangerous she is. As someone who'd felt abandoned I can relate to her walling off her emotions and pushing others away, especially as she lashes out at those around her almost like it was a reflex. When she first sees Adora outside the Fright Zone she freaks out and zaps her before saying "it was a reflex" and apologizes because she thinks she's protecting herself and when Shadow Weaver leaves she becomes just like her adoptive mother and abuses those around her, likely because she didn't know how else to treat anyone. Shadow Weaver even tells her that she'd been hard on Catra because; "you remind me of myself. I had to fight for everything" which Catra rejects with; "Don't compare yourself to me"

[@k.f.a.9230]

You take a point that I dont see people talking so much: the way Catra atcs by reflex, hurting people, especially because she scared herself when she does that. Beyond Adora's case that you said, when she betrays Entrapta, Catra's face is scared, that is, she feels like the audience feel about this scene: fear. It's normal we get fear about villains, but when the villains get scared about themselves? I think this is some of the reasons why the audience can like Catra even she is the bad guy and, especially, helps us to cheer for her redemption.

[@alexkonischram838]

When season 5 first came out and Catra was redeemed I remember people talking about how rushed her redemption was. I didn’t totally agree with it back then but during my yearly re-watch, I definitely didn’t agree. During season 5 she was definitely pushed to face her insecurities and trauma and push through it, but her redemption started in the beginning. Basically that is to say; agree with the video and thanks for confirming I’m not insane

[@juliene894]

Great work, cant wait for part 2!

[@DelusionalPoet]

I have some good news for you, my friend :)

[@juliene894]

@@DelusionalPoet I just found part 2 haha, thank you. It's a really great analysis! Awesome job!

[@DelusionalPoet]

@@juliene894 At least you didn't have to wait very long! Thank you so much for the kind feedback! :)

[@TheNerdWithASuit]

Great analysis. I avoided seeing a lot of She-Ra essays because I made my own anlaysis, and at four hours it took me about two years to conceptualize and complete it, so for a good amount of time after the show was done, I avoided seeing new essays about She-Ra because I didn't want to risk completely taking all my big and small talking points from other creators and wanted to make sure what I was finding and saying was on my own. But now that it is done, I'm seeing what I avoided, and I'm very happy to see other people had similar takes on how the show approaches the cycle of violence, the themes of selfishness vs selflesness, insecurity, etc. I want to do more essays about She-Ra even if the one I have now is supposedly as much as I wanted to talk about the show itself. I want to do another on how the reboot continues the spirit of the original more than a lot of people say and how the backlash to it ironically does a disservice to the original Filmation cartoon, but another is how I want to look into specifically the discussion about Catra's arc. This video is one of many that's giving me good insights. I think there's a lot of stuff perhaps others may not want to get into in order to risk getting into hot water, but I want to. I think how a lot of people suddenly claim redeeming war criminals and monsters is bad only when it happens to women is indicative of how there is underlying misogynistic biases in a lot of nerd culture. IE when a male character starts as a monster and is later redeemed (Iroh and Vegeta are arguably even worse war criminals than Catra, Vegeta in particular has directly killed billions) people think they "went through a compelling change and earned their forgiveness", but when the same thing happens to a female villain, it's then a story of "being instantly forgiven despite your crimes, accepting abusers and promoting toxic relationships". Which reminds me of how the same people who think that also probably think Amber and Skyler White are more morally repulsive than actual monsters like Omni-Man and Walter White. It goes into a lot of other unfair standards people hold female characters in comparison to male ones. Same thing happens with other stuff (male characters who are naturally skilled and morally amazing are "real men and true role models for boys" but when women are also that they are "Mary Sues and self-inserts"). But I think what essays like and Princess Weekes's also tell us is that a lot of people miss the point of her journey and what it says by having a very limited view on tropes and what they are accustomed to instead of diving deep into how abuse and how redemption works for people. A lot of people, I think, mainly think Catra should have esentially be drawn and quartered because of her attitude and how she wasn't submissive enough as opposed to her actual deeds. Ie way worse monsters in nerd culture have gotten redemption arcs for far less and they get WAY LESS crap in comparison to Catra. Really, I think a lot of people have this idea that all abuse victims are supposed to be meek and quiet if they are "deserving" to be forgiven, but that's just not how it works. It reminds me of what Tim the Fanboy philosopher said about Clay in his Moral Orel video. When all you're given is hatred and violence, for some people that's all they know how to operate or live with. Plenty of abuse victims will lash out and start to become similar to their abusers. Now while that doesn't excuse Catra's actions, it doesn't necessarily make her somebody worthy of execution either considering she had no say in the environment that taught her all these awful things. And that leads me into another thing I want to say. People who ask whether or not Catra "deserved" redemption are missing the point of redemption to begin with. Redemption is not something that is "deserved". That's just straight up forgiveness. Redemption is a long and streneous process that doesn't have one defining moment and happens gradually. And redemption is not about the suffering that comes. I definetly don't think Catra's arc should have been just about her being nearly killed more often or tortured even further or her to get good. Redemption is about the changes and decisions you make after you decide to leave that way of thinking and help those you wronged and do your best to correct your mistakes. And the show displayed that amazingly. People who respond to this by simply saying "Yeah, well, she didn't REALLY change!" to me are ignoring the actual stuff that happened. Other people will say Catra's redemption arc was "good" but will then point to Zuko to stop talking about how "good" they think Catra's was, but I won't even settle for that. In nerd culture, I think Catra's arc is the only redemption arc that can be considered to be in the same field as Zuko's. The two that get close to that field are Yondu and Heisei Godzilla. Anakin Skywalker's works as an operatic space epic, but I think his ending lacks the more engaging introspection into his actions seen in Avatar and She-Ra. Vegeta's has its moments, but it's sort of all over the place (still think it's incredibly odd to me still that Toriyama thought it was fine for not a single person to give a crap when he hangs out with our heroes after letting Cell nearly destroy the world simply because of his pride, or the fact he tried and sometimes succesfully killed plenty of Goku's friends). Catra is one of my favorite characters in nerd culture, and this video, to me, really helps me see that further.

[@DelusionalPoet]

This was a fantastic comment, thank you so much!

[@TheNerdWithASuit]

@@DelusionalPoet No problem! If you want to check mine out, my She-Ra essay on my channel might be your cup of tea! I talk about Catra in it for a good bit as well.

[@marwansobhy7050]

Less than 100 subscribers? Heresy

[@DelusionalPoet]

I'm glad you think so :) I do have a lot of things to improve on still, though!

[@heroboygamebase2286]

Catra ❤ 😻

[@vesselporterman7882]

I did not really like this character, I think she did too much to undo, from her bullying and toxicity. I wish Horde Prime finished her off in all fairness. Loved the show though, one of the best animation shows on netflix.

[@Im_notAwake]

My mum died

[@DelusionalPoet]

Due to the fact that there's not a lot of context for this comment, I'm not sure if this is real, but since there's a chance it is: I am so, so sorry for loss. I can't even begin to fathom what you're going through. If you just need a person listen, don't be afraid to reach out.