I decided to do this with Katara because, of all the characters on my dislike list, I think she's probably the most likable.
One of my favorit things about Katara is that she's just a genuinely nice girl. She always goes out of her way to help those who need her help--like that town she dressed as the Painted Lady for. I may not like her character but I am 100% down with that and I can relate to just wanting to help people. Along the same lines I can appreciate that she's a merciful person. Like when she decided not to kill the man who killed her mother. I would have kicked his pantat, keledai a good one. But she let the dude live and that takes a certain kind of strength.
Despite some of my past arguments she has her selfless moments. I do think she's done some pretty selfish things--especially surrounding the water scroll--but she's also done a lot that was completely selfless; again I refer to the polluted river town and things like the Serpent's Pass. She just goes out of her way to help those in need.
This is probably a bit of a shallow reason; but she is pretty. I do really like her eyes--especially the color. She's also got a nice skin complexion and I liked her season 1 hair a lot.
I also admire her for her bravery. It takes balls to leave your tribe to help the avatar save the world. It takes balls to part-take in an invasion of the api Nation. And it takes balls to get yourself imprisoned to help someone like Haru and his family.
And last but not least--while I do think she sort of over-does this one--I still appreciate her optimism. She never gives up hope and is a beacon of hope for others. And I think that's kind of sweet.
Mai during Azula's favorite game, "Set Mai's Hair On Fire"
