Neytiri became the mother of three biological children: Neteyam, Lo'ak and Tuktirey, as well as the adoptive mother of Kiri. When she is around 34 years old in 2170, during the Second Pandoran War, Neytiri and her family became refugees when they are forced to flee to the Metkayina clan. During this time, Neytiri and Jake both struggle to adapt to the new environment.
Neytiri was born in 2136 as Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite, her name meaning she is the daughter of Mo'at. She grew up learning through songs, as all Na'vi do, learning to love and celebrate their connection with Eywa and all other life. Since she was born after humans colonized Pandora and met the Na'vi, she was used to hearing about them from her clan, and she learned how to speak some English from her mother Mo'at who also took it upon herself to learn the Sky People's language.
She would eventually be trained as a hunter and completed Iknimaya, naming her female ikran Seze. It is likely she also went Uniltaron as well, although it is unknown what Neytiri's spirit animal would be.
In 2142 when Neytiri was a young girl, Dr. Grace Augustine contacted the Omatikaya Clan and proposed the idea of a school where the Na'vi and humans can interact. Mo'at and Eytukan were against the idea but consulted Neytiri, Sylwanin, and the other children for their opinions on the matter. The children requested to visit Hell's Gate, and Mo'at took them there to meet Grace and learn about human operations. Grace gave Neytiri and the other kids a tour of the base and taught them how to play basketball.
After returning home, Mo'at talked to the children about what they thought about attending the human school. Neytiri was excited by the idea, and Sylwanin pointed out that at the school, the Sky People would be able to learn from the Na'vi and not the other way around. Mo'at and Eytukan agreed to the school, but were interrupted when Ateyo showed up with a sick child who visited Hell's Gate with Mo'at. The boy had a fever since shortly after disembarking from a Samson aircraft. Soon, many other children came to Mo'at with symptoms of a mysterious illness, and Eytukan declared that the humans must have poisoned them. Neytiri also fell ill and worsened as the days went by.
Thankfully, Mo'at uncovered a cure for the disease with the help of Mireya and Grace learned that the sickness was being caused by chemicals which had been accidentally leaking from RDA machinery into the local water supply. The two of them cured all of the affected Omatikaya members with the cure made from the syekalin flower, the taste of which Neytiri notably disliked.
Death of Sylwanin[]
Neytiri and her sister with Grace in school.
Later, Neytiri became Grace's student at the established school and learned to speak English; she was considered to be Grace's "best student" along with her sister, Sylwanin. Tragically, the schoolhouse closed in 2152 when Sec-Ops soldiers pursued Sylwanin after she and other young hunters set a bulldozer on fire. They fled to the school hoping Grace would protect them, but they were all killed and Sylwanin was killed right in front of Neytiri, riddled with bullets in the doorway. Although Grace managed to save many of the other students, relations between the humans and the Na'vi became more strained than ever, and Neytiri's parents forbade humans from entering their land.
Due to the customs of the Omatikaya clan, Neytiri became the new tsahìk-in-training after Sylwanin's death and thus was betrothed to her sister's fiancé, Tsu'tey.
Two years later in 2154, shortly before meeting Jake Sully, Neytiri is meditating at the Tree of Souls with her parents and Tsu'tey. After reflecting, Tsu'tey is excused and leaves to join his group, but Mo'at orders Neytiri, much to her annoyance, to stay, as a Tsahìk is always listening for the will of Eywa. One day while Neytiri is hunting in the woods, she spots an avatar and begins to stalk him. As she is about to kill the armed intruder with a bow, a woodsprite floats down and gently touches her arrowhead, which she takes as a sign from Eywa.
3D Version: red/cyan, cross-eyedNeytiri reprimands Jake Sully in the forest.
She continues to follow the avatar because of this symbol. When the avatar is attacked by a pack of viperwolves, she protects him by fending off the creatures, severely wounding one with an arrow. Upon the situation calming down, Neytiri then speaks in Na'vi to the dying viperwolf while ignoring the avatar. The avatar, whose name is Jake Sully, tries to thank her for the assistance, but this angers Neytiri and she angrily scolds him by telling him not to thank her for that as she was forced to needlessly kill three of the viperwolves to protect him which was very sad only. Neytiri told him that all of this, referring to the viperwolves' deaths were his fault, as they did not need to die. Jake asks why Neytiri saved him, and she admits it is because he has a strong heart. After the brief interaction, Neytiri begins to leave, however Jake follows her, asking for her to teach him. While running away, Neytiri tells Jake that Sky People cannot learn and don't See, and that he should not be here, meaning in the forest and on Pandora, as he does not know the ways of the forest. During their conversation as Neytiri saved Jake from falling off a bridge-like vine, dozens of woodsprites begin to land on Jake. Amazed by the sight, Neytiri sees this as a good omen from Eywa and decides to take him to Hometree, the home of her clan.
Neytiri teaches Jake how to say her name.
Along the way, Jake is ambushed by Tsu'tey and his hunters. Neytiri defuses the conflict, saying there is a sign and the matter should be left for her mother to decide. At Hometree, it is agreed that the clan will let him stay for refuge, but Neytiri is reluctantly forced to become Jake's tutor. During dinner, Jake sits near Neytiri and learns her name, albeit after mispronouncing it once. She shows him to the hammocks where they fall asleep.
The next day follows with Neytiri teaching a persevering Jake how to form tsaheylu, the bond, to ride a direhorse: a horse-like creature the size of an elephant. Over the next couple of months, she teaches him the Na'vi language, archery, how to move stealthily and balanced as Na'vi, and how to kill an animal with the appropriate respect, among other customs. Most important is the preparation for the taming of Jake's own banshee; a rite of passage for all prospective Na'vi hunters. During this time, Neytiri's resentment towards Jake diminishes and they gradually start to fall in love.
After much preparation, Neytiri notions to Jake that he is ready to tame his own banshee. Jake, Tsu'tey, and two other Na'vi initiates climb Iknimaya in the Hallelujah Mountains, to the Banshee Rookery, where Neytiri meets up with them on Seze, her own banshee. When Jake tames and tentatively flies his own banshee, nearly falling to his death in the process, Neytiri is very proud, and their relationship begins to flourish, much to the disdain of Tsu'tey. Having successfully tamed his banshee, Jake accompanies Neytiri on several hunts, including the Great Hunt.
Neytiri bonding with Jake.
During the celebration of the hunt the following night, Neytiri asks Jake to dance with her, and Tsu'tey, along with Neytiri's parents, notice their bond growing.[2] Later, when out hunting with Neytiri, the two of them are pursued by a Great Leonopteryx. They manage to escape the beast, and back at Hometree, Neytiri explains the cultural significance of the creature and anyone who is able to successfully tame it. Jake finally undergoes the ceremony where Eytukan declares him a part of the People, and the entire clan accepts with the symbolical joining of hands, Grace and Neytiri looking on proudly.
Neytiri decides to commit her love with Jake as they mate with their queues.
Later, after taking him to the Trees of Voices, Neytiri informs Jake that he may carve his own bow from Hometree and choose a woman for his mate, naming a few potentials while avoiding his eyes. Jake rejects each suggestion, claiming he has already chosen a mate, "but this woman must also choose me". Neytiri replies, saying that she had already accepted Jake's proposal. She then initiates the Na'vi mating ritual by joining their queues. After they perform the custom, they spend the night together under the Tree of Voices.
When Neytiri wakes the morning after she and Jake mate, she discovers the forest being torn down by several RDA bulldozers, destroying the sacred location they had spent the night under: the Trees of Voices. Neytiri can't wake Jake, as he terminated the link when he had fallen asleep the night before, so she drags his unconscious avatar away from the bulldozers. When he finally reconnects with his avatar, he quickly used a rock and destroys one bulldozer's cameras in an attempt to get them to stop. Neytiri is devastated by the carnage that the RDA had caused, sobbing openly as Jake leads her to safety as the Tree of Voices was destroyed by the RDA.
Neytiri says, "I trusted you... I TRUSTED you!" after learning Jake's original motive.
Returning to the Hometree, Tsu'tey recognizes that Neytiri and Jake have mated, and confronts Jake. When Mo'at questions her, Neytiri explains that she and Jake are mated for life, and it can't be changed. Jake tries to explain his true mission but before he can, his and Grace's avatar bodies fall to the ground, their connections severed at the mountain camp by Quaritch. Tsu'tey tries to kill Jake, but Neytiri protects her mate's avatar. When Jake and Grace return in their avatar forms, Jake explains that the RDA is coming to destroy Hometree and reveals that he was sent by the RDA to learn their ways in order to convince them to leave Hometree. The clan was enraged by the revelation and upon realizing that Jake knew about the RDA's intentions all along, a distraught and heartbroken Neytiri loses faith in Jake. She furiously rejects him and denounced his betrayal by saying he will never be one of the people with Grace told her that they tried to stop them. The Na'vi take Jake and Grace captive before preparing for the defense of their home.
Colonel Quaritch's hostile Sec-Ops force arrives at Hometree and proceeds to fire gas canisters into the settlement. The Na'vi, with the use of bows and arrows, make a futile stand against the humans, but are quickly overwhelmed. When the fleet switches to incendiary missiles, the Na'vi flee into the forest. Hometree is destroyed by the high-explosive rocket fire, and many Na'vi are killed. When Neytiri searched and found her father Eytukan, she began weeping as her father was impaled by a sharp piece of wood, much to her shock and misery. Before his death, he gave Neytiri his bow and told her to protect the clan, leaving her devastated. Shortly afterward, Jake approached Neytiri and tried to comfort her, but she angrily rejected him again, demanding him to leave the forest forever and eventually yelled at him to never come back after pushing him back, before she continued crying over her father's deceased body, although she does hold remorse over it while she, her mother and the Clan migrate to The Tree of Souls.
Gathering All Na'vi Clans for Battle[]
Neytiri realizes Jake's loyalty to the Na'vi by becoming Toruk Makto.
Neytiri, Mo'at, Tsu'tey, and the surviving clan members go to the Tree of Souls, where they begin to pray to Eywa. Meanwhile, Jake devises a plan to come back to the clan not only to help them against the RDA but also to try and prevent Grace from dying. Jake manages to bond with the feared great leonopteryx, becoming the sixth Toruk Makto. The Omatikaya, along with Neytiri, are in awe and accept Jake again, as he has become Toruk Makto, a leader that can help them defeat the humans. Also, Neytiri and the rest of the Omatikaya see that he has not betrayed the Na'vi, but has rather come to see that the Sky People are destroying all that is good on Pandora and that he is now, as Toruk Makto, truly one of the People. Neytiri slowly approaches Jake and says "I see you", a Na'vi greeting meaning "I see who you truly are", and Jake says it back to her. Remorseful for her previous behavior against Jake, she tells him that she was afraid for her people's sake until Jake's return.
Jake tells Mo'at that Grace is dying and begs the help of Eywa. When night falls, the clan gathers and attempts to perform a consciousness transfer on Grace to transfer her human mind permanently into her avatar. As the ritual begins, Neytiri chants and prays with the rest of the clan for Eywa to save Grace, but unfortunately, her injuries are too severe and the transfer fails. Neytiri is mournful of her passing, removing Grace's exopack from her human body and resting a hand on her face.
Neytiri overhears Jake's prayer to Eywa.
Neytiri witnesses Jake's speech in front of the survivors of the Omatikaya clan with growing excitement. After the speech and with a plan of how to strike against the RDA, Jake takes her to the waiting great leonopteryx. With both on its back, the giant creature sets off for the other Na'vi clans, followed by many Omatikaya warriors on their banshees. Neytiri passionately aids Jake in translating his call to battle for the members of the distant clans. The night before the final assault on the RDA, Neytiri overhears Jake pleading Eywa for her help in the battle. She tells him that Eywa does not take sides and will only protect the balance of life and embraces him.
When Quaritch's forces appear, over two thousand Na'vi warriors led by Jake and Tsu'tey take to the skies and attack the fleet, causing huge losses on both sides. As the battle wages on, the Na'vi begin to retreat before the might of the RDA's forces. Attempting to escape from a pursuing Samson, Neytiri flies low over the battle on the ground and is shot at by Lyle Wainfleet in an AMP suit. Thrown to the ground after falling to the jungle floor below, Neytiri survives uninjured, but Seze is killed. Neytiri attempts to flee from the advancing ground forces and hides behind a tree, with Quaritch's soldiers bearing down on her, preventing her from escaping. When all things seem bleak, the native wildlife of Pandora strikes back in force, signaling that Jake's earlier plea to Eywa for help was not unheard. The ground and aerial troops are scattered by the wildlife and destroyed, while the Valkyrie shuttle carrying the explosives is destroyed by Jake before it reaches the Tree of Souls.
A thanator finds Neytiri in the jungle and allows her to ride it through tsaheylu. Jake manages to bring down Quaritch's Dragon Gunship, but the Colonel manages to get into his AMP suit and escape the ship's destruction. Quaritch finds the camp containing the avatar link units by chance, where Neytiri engages him on the back of her thanator. However, Quaritch kills the thanator with his AMP suit knife and is about to kill Neytiri when Jake arrives in his avatar form to challenge him. As they fight, Jake destroys the AMP's life support but is caught in the suit's grip. Neytiri saves Jake by shooting two arrows into Quaritch's chest, killing the Colonel. The camp is damaged during Quaritch's attack and exposes the interior and its inhabitant to the toxic Pandoran atmosphere, leaving Jake's human body suffocating.
After Neytiri kills Quaritch, she holds Jake's avatar body and realizes that he isn't there. She rushes into the link shack and finds Jake's real body lying on the floor, unconscious. She holds him in her arms and puts an exopack on his face, saving his life. Jake is able to breathe again and he puts his hand on her cheek and says "I see you". Neytiri starts to cry and responds with "I see you" as she holds his hand closer to her cheek and closes her eyes. This is the first time she sees him in his human form. This permanently reaffirms their love for each other, as the Na'vi often see humans as demons or evil.
Neytiri weeping for Tsu'tey as he dies.
After Jake has reconnected to his avatar, he and Neytiri are guided through the jungle by Ka'ani to a mortally wounded Tsu'tey, who had been found in the jungle by a group of surviving Na'vi warriors. Tsu'tey knows that his death is inevitable and decides to give leadership of the Omatikaya to Jake and begs him to end his suffering by killing him. Jake refuses first, but Tsu'tey says that he will be remembered since he battled with Toruk Makto. He honors Jake by calling him brother and states it would be a great honor to have him be his last shadow. Neytiri shows deep sorrow and weeps for him as Jake mercifully kills Tsu'tey to end his suffering before praying that his soul will become one with Eywa.
3D Version: red/cyan, cross-eyedNeytiri watches Jake as he becomes a Na'vi.
Having put an end to the RDA's attack, the Na'vi round up the remaining humans to be sent back to Earth, while allowing a handful to stay with them on Pandora. This includes Norm Spellman and Dr. Max Patel. Jake decides to stay in his avatar form forever, and concludes his final entry log of his experiences on his birthday. Returning to the Tree of Souls, he undergoes the consciousness transfer from his human body to his avatar form. Neytiri watches over Jake's two bodies during the process. After his human body passes away, she removes his exopack and kisses the shut eyes of his former body. As the consciousness transfer was completed Jake awakens to a new life as a Na'vi.
Two weeks following the Na'vi's victory over the RDA, several clans were still struggling with the losses and damages they suffered during the battle, and Neytiri had volunteered to assist them in Jake's place; Jake remarked that the other clans would have more trust in her due to her being fully Na'vi. She planned to leave with Ikeyni to assist the struggling Olangi clan, who had suffered the heaviest casualties during the battle. Before departing, she finds Jake at the gravesite of his human body; he was still suffering internal conflicts about his transition into his avatar body, and Neytiri takes note of this, remarking that it isn't healthy for him. She discusses her journey with him, promising to visit the Tayrangi clan, and sets off on her direhorse.
Neytiri, with her eye on fire, tells Jake he will always bring suffering onto others and will never change.
During Jake's tormented nightmare in his coma, Neytiri is one of the figures who Jake sees, along with his brother Tom, Tsu'tey and Quaritch. The Neytiri in Jake's dream has one of her eyeballs on fire and is crying, but the tears only come from one of her eyes. She agrees with Tom's claim that Jake's existence is one that will always hurt other people, and that Jake can never change this aspect of himself.
Neytiri, in reality, would return only a couple of days later after receiving news that an attempt had been made on Jake's life by the family of Tsu'tey: Artsut, Ateyo, and Arvok, though the latter had been coerced into participating. Thankfully Jake had survived and Neytiri finds him again back at the gravesite of Jake's human body, where they embrace and the worried Neytiri questions him about what happened. He is dismissive of the situation and downplays the events, remarking that it's "just a scratch", but Neytiri is concerned and points out that Jake doesn't seem himself. He states that in fact he has never felt more like himself and finally leaves his human body behind.
At some point, Neytiri became pregnant with her first child, Neteyam, and gave birth in 2155. On the occasion of Neteyam's birth, Neytiri sang a Songcord for her son. The Sully's firstborn was welcomed by the entire Omatikaya clan, and since she and Jake had also adopted Kiri who was born from Grace's avatar around the same time, they both performed the first connection ritual with Eywa, also singing verses from the songcord for Kiri.
Neytiri cuddling with her family.
In the years that followed, she gave birth to two more children: a son, Lo'ak, and a daughter, Tuktirey. A human boy named Spider Socorro was very close to the Sully family and spent much of his time with the Sully children. The family probably knew the identity of Spider's father, Miles Quaritch, from the beginning. Neytiri was the only family member who did not accept Spider. In her opinion, the boy belonged to his own kind.
Neytiri embracing Lo'ak after his fall.
During Lo'ak's ikran taming, Jake becomes concerned for Lo'ak's welfare, although Neytiri insists the danger is part of the rite. Neytiri is emotionally shaken and weeps in joy that Lo'ak is alive. Later, Jake and Neytiri have a discussion about their children facing dangers. Though they sympathize with each other's viewpoints, Neytiri mentions Jake has been breaking the Three Laws of Eywa by teaching their hunters to use guns made of metal. Jake insists even though he is not human, he still feels he is a marine and that he is still like the Sky People.
After Lo'ak tamed his own Ikran on the second attempt, and the clan celebrates his success, by decision of the council of elders, the Omatikaya were given a new Hometree. Neytiri made sure that the whole family held a proper thanksgiving prayer meeting. Neytiri does not like that Kiri has invited Spider into the family gathering. Jake tries to talk to Pentìyaru about the Sky People potentially returning, but Neytiri insists they just enjoy themselves for tonight. Neytiri also tries to convince Jake that their people need hope, although Jake feels as if he is lying to his people. In their conversation, Neytiri expresses her concerns about Spider, thinking that the boy is a bad influence on her children and she doesn't like that Kiri spends so much time with him. But Jake tells her not to be so hard on him, and also explains to Neytiri on what the word "sin" means.
Neytiri and Jake realizing the humans are returning after seeing the light in the sky.
After the two put their kids to sleep, Jake and Neytiri go on a night date. As they rest on the ground, Jake looks up and sees a massive light in the sky, making Jake and Neytiri realize the RDA is back much to their horror. Later on, after the children suddenly disappear during a council meeting and are found, Neytiri has a massive argument with Spider regarding human nature and their previous war with the Na'vi. Neytiri demands that Spider stay away from Kiri. When Frances Ardmore broadcasts her message to the humans, Neytiri is at a loss, and Jake tells her that everyone are simply scared for their lives.
Kiri angrily shouting at her mother for taking her away from Spider.
Jake and Neytiri talk about their upcoming plan to fight the RDA in space. As the Sully family prepares to go their own ways, Kiri can not be found. Neytiri and Jake find Kiri at Hell's Gate, trying to convince Nash McCosker to let her take Spider with the Sully family. Neytiri grabs Kiri's arm and tries to take her away from Spider which upsets Kiri and makes her shout, "Let go of me!" Kiri insists Spider is their family, but Neytiri tells her that he is not. This causes Kiri to flee in anger. Neytiri tells Jake not to follow in order to give Kiri time to process.
Jake and Neytiri "purify" their spirits with Mo'at by inflicting pain on themselves because they believe it should be done before they betray Eywa by using steel weapons. They depart on their space shuttle and Ardmore contacts them via a video message. Jake's team tries to blackmail the RDA by threatening destroy Hell's Gate and several other structures on Pandora that the RDA desire to reclaim. Ardmore's team agrees they will talk physically. As the Na'vi are in their shuttle, Jake and Neytiri are displeased to see that Neteyam has sneaked on board.
Neytiri twisting Ardmore's arm, causing it to snap.
The Na'vi meet the RDA on their ship, though interactions between the two groups prove tense. Jake and Neytiri meet with Ardmore and Jake reveals that there is 3.2 trillion dollars worth of unobtanium stashed away on a derelict ship in space which is also rigged with explosive. He suggests that the RDA take this material and go, but General Ardmore remains adamant. In response to this, Jake orders his ground team to blow the refinery on Pandora, which they do. The RDA turns hostile but Jake reveals other buildings are still intact. Though Jake briefly attempts a treaty, he then goes onto say that the RDA would just break it again.
McCosker appears on a radio message to Ardmore saying the explosives on Pandora are disarmed and the Sully children have been captured. Jake and Neytiri are horrified that their plan seems to have failed by this unexpected turn of events. Jake orders Norm to use an explosion on the RDA ship. The commotion lets Jake and Neytiri separate and, with Josh Winslow, they decide to find the ship's auxiliary weapons to threaten the other RDA ships. It works, but Winslow ends up dying. After a large battle in space, Jake and Neytiri manage to get away, though Ardmore refuses to give up and proceeds to follow.
Neytiri arrives to protect her family.
The ship carrying Jake, Neytiri and Neteyam descends back to Pandora, with RDA ships chasing after them. Jake and Neytiri fly to Hell's Gate on their banshees to rescue the children with Neteyam following after them. The children flee into the forest with the RDA following them. Jake and Neytiri catch up and the whole family reunites. Jake sends a radio message to Mingxia for backup. Their shuttle must land somewhere, making the ocean the safest place. Water then begins to fill their room, leaving the family to flee outside. The group uses a beacon and Norm and Wu Mingxia rescue them in a Samson.
Aiding the Resistance (TWOW)[]
As soon as the RDA returned to Pandora, instead of remaining on orbit they started disembarking into the moon's atmosphere with their ten ships, namely the ISV Manifest Destiny, with their high powerful energy from their engines thrust lead to sending firestorms towards the ground, causing a region of the forest near the Omatikaya to be burned down, including many Hometrees. The firestorm also burned many of the fleeing animals to their deaths.
Neytiri weeping when the forests and its animals are burned.
After, the RDA dropped a Landing Module to the burned land and started using their bulldozers, marking the re-colonizing of Pandora again by humanity. Neytiri, Jake and the remaining animals reached higher ground and watched the fires from afar. The horror of the sight made a distraught Neytiri weep, and Jake cradled her as the destruction led to the land of the Omatikaya becoming torn apart due to the RDA's actions. The company subsequently built Bridgehead to make it the new home for humanity. Over the next year, Jake and Neytiri, along with the rest of the Omatikaya clan and the Resistance, campaign to hinder the RDA's expansion into Pandora during the Second Pandoran War.
Neytiri fighting the RDA during a supply run.
One day, they launch a guerrilla attack on a Mag-Lev train carrying resources to the new Bridgehead base, resulting in destruction of the railway. From the back of her mount Neytiri shoots down the flying machines protecting the train, killing the pilots with her arrows. Neteyam, for his part, was injured when a Kestrel Gunship attacked them. Upon returning to High Camp, Jake berates his sons for disobeying his orders and Neytiri points out that his son is injured and needs treatment. Later, during a private conversation, Neytiri reminds Jake that the boys are his family, not a military unit, to which Jake confesses that he only wants to protect them and tries to maintain discipline.
Neytiri threatening to kill Quaritch again as many times as necessary.
A few days later, while Neytiri was on a flight with Jake and Neteyam, they receive a call from Lo'ak, his sisters, and Spider, informing them of suspected armed Avatars at Site 26 and Jake orders them to leave quickly and quietly. Jake, Neytiri and Neteyam fly off in their ikrans to rescue the children. Neytiri lurks in the forest and kills a male Recom named Sean Fike and a female Recom named Walker, during which Neytiri is shocked to hear that Miles Quaritch has returned as a recombinant and she vows to kill him as many times as necessary. Despite her and Jake's best efforts, Spider ended up being abducted.
Knowing the danger Spider's knowledge poses to their safety, and also to avoid further persecution of the Omatikaya clan, Jake tries to convince Neytiri to banish themselves and retreat to the Metkayina clan's reef. Neytiri initially refuses to do so, saying that the forest is all the children know, and she herself cannot leave her people since her father entrusted to her to protect the clan and reminded Jake that he is Toruk Makto. Jake explains that the children are in mortal danger as Spider was captured by Quaritch and since Spider knows their whole operation and might give their location away to the RDA, their family must protect the Omatikaya at all costs since the clan could be executed for harboring the Sully family. Although devastated, Neytiri begrudgingly accepts the idea. At the Tree of Souls, Jake transfers chief leadership to Tarsem.
Neytiri and Tuk flying to the reefs.
Following the transfer of leadership, the Sully family, in front of the entire clan, abandon their current home, mount their ikrans, and migrate to the lands of the Metkayina clan. Desperate, Neytiri cries and during the flight, turning back to watch the forest as she leaves it behind. Jake watches her and the others with determination and remorse. After migrating across the sea to the reef clan, Jake seeks sanctuary from the clan leader, Tonowari. His mate Ronal is incredibly skeptical, however, causing Neytiri to defend Jake as the one who helped resist the Sky People.
Neytiri asks for a future with her family.
The two start growling at each other and Jake tries to apologize for Neytiri, saying she is exhausted, but she tells him not to apologize for her. Jake's request ends up being accepted, though Tonowari insists they learn sea life and pull their own weight. It is not entirely known how Neytiri pulls her weight around the village, and she is not seen learning how to free-dive or ride an ilu or skimwing like Jake and her children, though she is seen apparently cooking.
While making dinner with Kiri after she was bullied by Aonung, she asks her daughter what is bothering her to which Kiri states grumpily that she is fine, only briefly mentioning that she is upset by not being like everyone else. Despite Neytiri's sincere concern, Kiri continues to be upset, shrugging off Neytiri when Neytiri fixes Kiri's hair braid behind her ear; although this scene later returns with Kiri venting to Jake about missing Spider and feeling Eywa's heartbeat. In the evening after, while talking with Kiri, Jake is informed by Aonung and Neteyam that Lo'ak is missing. This leads to when Lo'ak is found, Neytiri becomes upset with Lo'ak, having learned that he went hunting beyond the reef. Although Tonowari clarified that his son was at fault for taking Lo'ak away from the reef, Lo'ak decided to take the blame from Aonung.
Neytiri convincing Ronal to help Kiri.
When Kiri suffers a seizure while connected to the Spirit Tree, Ronal wants to help her with a ritual method. Upon seeing Norm and Max already trying to help Kiri, Ronal becomes discouraged and outraged, saying that they do not need her help. Neytiri is disgusted by how easily Ronal gives up on saving Kiri and reminds Ronal that she is the Tsahìk. Seeing Ronal acquiesce to helping, Neytiri orders Norm and Max to leave so Ronal can work. Ronal is eventually able to help Kiri awaken from her coma, much to Neytiri's relief.
Later, when the clan sounds a shell alarm, Neytiri sees that the tulkun have returned home. She along with Jake riding their skimwing, watch the tulkun in amazement. Neytiri even notices a mother with her baby. On a rainy day, Tonowari breaks the news to Jake and Neytiri that the Sky People are nearby and are searching for them. Neytiri thinks they should find Quaritch and kill him, although Jake is reluctant and thinks it is an unwise move, saying it would reveal their location. Later, Neytiri chastises Lo'ak for speaking back against Tonowari when he warns of Payakan, after the latter found out about his friendship with the outcast.
When Ronal discovers the corpse of her spiritual sister Ro'a who was killed by tulkun hunters, Neytiri feels sincerely sorry for her, presumably because she remembers what it was like losing Seze. As she and Jake move past Ro'a, she and Jake discover a tracking device embedded in Ro'a's body. Jake realizes that the device is meant to lead Quaritch to them, and convinces the Metkayina to tell their tulkun to flee the village. However, Neytiri is upset because she believes they should fight, but Jake tells her that it is a trap and Quaritch is hunting them. After receiving a distress call from Lo'ak that he is in danger with his siblings and friends, Neytiri prepares for war, grabbing her bow and riding her ikran along with Jake and the rest of the clan riding their skimwings. She helps fight the RDA around the SeaDragon.
Neytiri horrified by the death of her son.
During the skirmish, Neteyam dies and Neytiri is horrified. Jake tells Neytiri that now is not the time for mourning when their daughters need saving, and she must have a strong heart. Fueled by Neteyam's death, Neytiri goes completely berserk while aboard the SeaDragon with Jake, and goes on a murderous rampage where she brutalizes and kills all of Quaritch's squad including Zdinarsik. Neytiri ends up breaking her father's bow during her rampage. She later holds Spider hostage in an attempt to get Quaritch to release Kiri. She lightly cuts Spider's chest as a warning and then threatens to fatally stab him. Quaritch releases Kiri but the ship begins to sink as Jake and Quaritch get in a knife fight.
Neytiri and Tuk trying to survive the sinking ship.
While fleeing, Tuk falls down a shaft and Neytiri jumps in after to rescue her. The two become involved in an intense race against the flooding, but they soon become trapped. Kiri uses her bond with Eywa to summon a gill mantle and bioluminescent squids that help her save Neytiri and Tuk, and which then guide the entire family to the surface. Kiri hands the gill mantle to Neytiri and they are able to escape. Neytiri finds the rest of her family and they all lovingly embrace.
When Spider returns to the group, Neytiri is not seen acknowledging his presence or looking in the boy's direction. Instead she is focused on cradling Neteyam and stroking her hands through his hair. In the aftermath, the Sully family sorrowfully conduct Neteyam's funeral according to Metkayina customs. Neytiri wears Neteyam's neckpiece and sings the first verse of the songcord from his birth. They lay his body to rest in the Cove of the Ancestors where it is absorbed by the Spirit Tree.
Neytiri within the Spirit Tree.
Jake then proceeds to inform Tonowari and Ronal of his decision to leave the reef and move far away. Tonowari, however, respectfully identifies him as part of the Metkayina clan and welcomes his family to stay. Neytiri joins Jake to visit Neteyam's memory within Eywa at the Spirit Tree. Neytiri smiles in their shared vision as she sees Jake with Neteyam, while her true body's face is filled with a blissful look of happiness and serenity.
Personality and Traits[]
Neytiri Interview
Neytiri respects the Na'vi way of life and is careful to obey their laws and traditions; at least initially. Due to being raised among the Na'vi, her and Jake do not always see eye to eye, but they try to pragmatically work together and cooperate through the various conflicts they face in their lives, showing Neytiri's ability to see someone else's perspective. Neytiri is said by Grace to have been one of her best students at her school, suggesting she is quite intelligent and curious. Neytiri looked up to her older sister Sylwanin as a role model and was taught by her that not all human beings are evil, though her view of the species was heavily damaged after Sylwanin was murdered by one. The event made her grow to believe that Sky People are unable to See.
However, after her chance encounter with Jake and seeing signs he deserves protection by Eywa, Neytiri begins to question the ideas taught by her clan, seeing that there are more truths to the world than the ones her clan believes in. For example, after Tsu'tey claims Jake is a "demon in a false body", she does not automatically believe this claim as she has already repeatedly seen Jake's innocence and his caring, loving side. Neytiri begins to internally struggle between following her clan's expectations of her, versus her own true feelings. She begins to develop a more rebellious side; Neytiri is not someone who would just blindly follow orders and has been known to disobey her parents and her mate. She disobeys her parents by mating for life with Jake and later she disobeys Jake when he orders her to retreat from advancing human troops, which would have likely resulted in her death if Eywa had not sent the Pandoran wildlife.
Like her mate, Neytiri is brave, loyal, strong-willed, and shares a love of flying and frequently rides on her ikran, Seze. Neytiri cares for Seze and mourns her when she is killed. Neytiri is devoted to her people and is willing to put herself in a dangerous situation for the sake of her clan. At one point, she plans to take on a group of AMP suits and human soldiers single-handedly, even though it could be suicide.
Neytiri weeping as her father dies.
Neytiri is also quite wise for her years, possibly due to having to endure an extreme amount of tragedy, such as her sister's death as well as her father's later on. She can usually see past someone's flaws to the heart within, supported by her relationship with Jake; she falls in love with him because of his strong heart, and even when she sees him in his human form, she does not stop loving him and weeps due to being overwhelmed after finally seeing the man behind the avatar.
One of Neytiri's greatest fears is the idea of change and she is resistant to it due to her past experiences with losing her loved ones. She yearns for a simple and peaceful life, and abhors Jake's idea to move away from her clan. Sometimes her desire for her life to stay the same may cloud her judgement, as her children would technically be in the grounds of a war zone.
Neytiri has a tendency to get angry when people close to her do wrong or when others try to offend or harm her loved ones. When Tsu'tey tries to kill Jake's unconscious body, she attacks Tsu'tey, flinging him away, and then ferociously defends Jake's vulnerable body. When Jake reveals his true mission to the clan, Neytiri is heartbroken and yells furiously at him for that, probably thinking his love for her was a lie, resulting in his rejection from the clan as a traitor. However, she later forgives Jake when he returns to the Omatikaya as the sixth Toruk Makto because she realizes that he was a traitor to the Sky People, not the Na'vi and that his love for her is true and far deeper than Neytiri ever thought. When Quaritch tries to kill Jake, Neytiri uses all her rage and emotion to kill the colonel. It is also shown that when Neytiri is under heavy mental stress, she can lose her temper at others in a rude fashion; when Norm and Max flew across the world for the sole purpose of trying to help Kiri awaken from her coma and they volunteered their free time to help her family, she shouted at them "Out! You have done nothing!" despite their good will and efforts.
"Get your hands off my bow, pinkskin!"
Due to her life experiences, Neytiri displays incredible disdain towards humanity. For example, she claimed a young Spider should be with his own kind instead of mingling around her children, and also once told Tuktirey that humans have their heads in the clouds. One of her challenges involve accepting Spider around her family, whom she reacts with bias and hostility around. Another is being more compassionate since she does not naturally feel it for humans, as the RDA's Sec-Ops was responsible for the deaths of her sister, father and son. It has been said that Neytiri will eventually learn that not all humans are the same.
An enraged Neytiri killing humans.
Neytiri also believes that all humans are responsible for the war on Pandora, which is shown when she entirely blames Spider for nearly getting Kiri and Lo'ak killed when investigating the RDA Scorpion, despite Lo'ak being the one indirectly responsible, as well as being aggressive towards Norm and Max, despite their siding towards the Na'vi as well as trying to help Kiri recover from her coma. 15 years later, after the untimely death of Neteyam, a darker, more aggressive, and more violent side to Neytiri is shown as a result of her severely damaged mental health, internalized trauma, grief, and rage at the Sky People for killing her family and ruining her life. Neytiri once again has to find it within her heart to accept, forgive or work with the human invaders.
Abilities[]
Neytiri after shooting an arrow into Zdinarsik's head.
Neytiri is a formidable warrior who is incredibly skilled with a bow, and taught Jake how to use one as well. She is also skilled in close-range combat with her knife. She single-handedly defeated the pack of viperwolves that had attacked Jake using both her bow and knife. Neytiri managed to kill the deadly warrior, Colonel Quaritch, with her father's bow, even when the latter was armored with an AMP suit and the Na'vi have a very slim understanding of technology. However, Quaritch was distracted when trying to slit Jake's throat and hadn't noticed Neytiri's actions. Neytiri was also able to slaughter over ten fighters on the SeaDragon.
In addition to her fighting skills, Neytiri is also an excellent flyer.
Like many Na'vi, Neytiri learned English at Grace's school. Her speech is a little broken and accented at first, but it improves through her time with Jake.
Canonicity Notice The contents of this section are non-canon to the Avatar franchise (source).
Neytiri as the narrator.
Neytiri is one of the supporting characters in Avatar: The Game (iOS/Android). Neytiri is the narrator of the story of Ryan Lorenz, voiced by Zoe Saldaña that her sister, Sylwanin, had told her. She made a brief appearance late in the game.
Neytiri's full name is incorrectly named in-game: not "Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite", but "Neytiri Dis'kahan A'itey".
Canonicity Notice The contents of this section are non-canon to the Avatar franchise (source).
In the mobile version of the game, the intro sets the year to 2086 (2056 in some versions), instead of 2154. Neytiri first meets Jake while searching for new unobtanium deposits, after which he decides to follow her. However, after catching up with her, Jake passes out and sees her Dream Hunt, during which Eywa warns him of the danger ahead. Waking up after the Dream Hunt, Jake follows Neytiri again, already riding a banshee, but crashes in the jungle as a result and Neytiri is captured by RDA forces and Jake has to go to Hell's Gate to save her.
Note: Neytiri was only available in earlier versions of the game.
Commander Information[]
Neytiri was a Legendary Commander and thus harder to obtain and more powerful than other Commanders. She was removed later on in the game's development for unknown reasons. A version of her artwork, where she is riding her thanator, exists in the game's files, but was never implemented before the game was cancelled.
Biography[]
"Neytiri is the daughter of Eytukan and Mo'at and the Tsahik-in-training. She is a fierce warrior of the Omatikaya Clan and is known as one of the most deadly ikran riders that Pandora has ever known. Her passion burns as brightly as Polyphemus in the Pandoran sky. She is always willing and ready to leap into combat with a mind as steady and sure as the hand that nock her arrow."
Unclear canonicity The information on this page comes from Avatar: Reckoning, a cancelled video game. Information and elements from this game are under questionable canon status.
Neytiri was a playable boss fight in the cancelled MMORPG Avatar: Reckoning, known as "Thanator Rider". She appears during Raven's first training in the holographic lab: she and her thanator sneakily attack Lyle Wainfleet in his AMP suit. In bad shape, Wainfleet asks Raven to go ahead and finish the mission. Raven then confronts and fights Neytiri on her thanator.
After roughly 1/4 of Neytiri's HP bar is depleted, a cutscene begins where Neytiri gets the upper hand and fires her bow into Raven. Later, Will Murphy says that the RDA is using this hologram simulation to warn all new recruits of the dangers that await them outside the secure base.
In an early build of the game, the encounter was simply a cutscene and was set at daytime instead of nighttime.
Trivia[]
Character Development and Design[]
James Cameron concept, circa 1976.
James Cameron painted a similar character around 1976 for his short film Xenogenesis. He stated in an interview, "Her name wasn't Neytiri and it was in a completely different context, but I was already thinking about it then."[3]
James Cameron mentioned in his artbook Tech Noir that early concept art of Neytiri was inspired by actress and activist Q'orianka Kilcher in the film The New World.[4]
Neytiri was originally named "Zuleika Te Kaha Polenoma" in James Cameron's first concept (Project 880). Her role was pretty much the same as in the movie, except for a few extra scenes, for example Zuleika was kidnapped by humans and held in Hell's Gate along with other Na'vi, until she was saved by Josh Sully.
In 2006, temporary actor Yunjin Kim played the role of Neytiri in a prototype to demonstrate the new technology.
In the script, Neytiri is stated to be 18 in human years.[6]
In the script, she is named "Neytiri te Ckaha Mo'at’ite".[7] In both the extended re-release and the Extended Collector's Edition, she gives her full name to Jake during his first night with the Omatikaya clan.
The white hand print.
During the final battle in the first Avatar, Neytiri has a white hand print on her chest as part of her warpaint. It has five fingers, indicating that it is Jake's hand.
It is stated in the script that Neytiri is pregnant with Jake's child at the end of the film but was taken out in the final release.[8] This is among the deleted scenes (New Life) from the Extended Collector's Edition.
Saldaña said she never wanted to portray Neytiri as a character who needed to be "empowered" by feminism. Instead, she simply wanted to capture Neytiri's powerful "essence" due to the Na'vi not caring for gender roles.[9]
In the original script, Neytiri feels ashamed of having mixed race children since a line reads, "Ronal’s derision strikes close to her own secret shame about her mixed-blood children."
Neytiri is also greatly offended by Ronal touching her children without their consent, finding Ronal's behavior extremely rude.
In the original script, Neytiri has a horrific nightmare of the Omatikaya Hometree falling, suggesting she might have severe PTSD from the incident.
Neytiri killing a man.
Blood splattered on Neytiri's face.
In a violent deleted scene, Neytiri viciously stabs one of her victims to death 28 times, and also kills a man who begs for his life. She then continues to defile his body with multiple stabbings as she seems to shout, "You, you, you, you, you, you, YOUUUUUUUUUU!" Later, when Neytiri holds Spider hostage, she truly considers killing him by cutting his throat, even after Quaritch has released Kiri, showing how much pain, anger and a desire for revenge Neytiri was feeling due to her son's death. Jake, Kiri and Quaritch convince Neytiri out of killing Spider.
The canonicity of the scene is debatable due to it being deleted, however, it is notable that blood suddenly appears on Neytiri's face when Spider looks at Neytiri's face again, suggesting it did happen.
The soundtrack for The Way of Water has a track called "Bad Parents" that plays during a scene with Neytiri and Jake, suggesting that the two of them can be considered flawed parents. The track plays during their killing spree on the SeaDragon, possibly hinting the film's creators felt Jake's and Neytiri's actions were risky, reckless and endangered their daughters' lives when Quaritch could have seen Jake's and Neytiri's rebellion and executed Kiri and Tuk as backlash.
Neytiri drenched in blood and about to slash Spider with her knife.
Neytiri is drenched in blood in concept art in the scene where she threatens to cut Spider.
Neytiri's racism, bigotry and disdain towards humanity and Spider has been somewhat controversial. Writer Amanda Silver said she agreed with portraying this side of Neytiri, saying it makes sense for her character given her backstory, and that she feels it is fine for female characters to have flaws because it helps portray them as being fully fleshed-out as opposed to being perfect or one-dimensional Mary Sues.[10] Fans generally agree that Neytiri is justified in her feelings due to her history, but her acting on her feelings towards Spider (i.e. trying to ban him from seeing her children) is wrong. They also feel she is a hypocrite.[11]
Other[]
Neytiri in Fortnite.
Neytiri is called, referred to, and alluded to by other terms, such as: My daughter (by Mo'at), and His batshit crazy wife (by Recom Quaritch).
Neytiri was added to Fortnite in 2025 alongside Jake as part of the Avatar: Warriors of Pandora Bundle. Her inclusion can be seen as rather ironic as she can fight with guns, breaking the Three Laws of Eywa.
Neytiri bears a strong resemblance to Thorneypaws, a minor character in the 1985 comic Timespirits (as seen here). However, the developers of Avatar did not mention it as a visual influence. There is a plant called Thorny Paw which may have been a tongue-in-cheek reference to the similarity between Neytiri and Thorneypaws.
„Don't thank. You don't thank for this. This is sad. Very sad only!“- Neytiri to Jake after saving him from the viperwolves.
„All this is your fault. They did not need to die.“- Neytiri to Jake after saving him from the viperwolves.
„You're like a baby, making noise, don't know what to do.“- Neytiri to Jake after saving him from the viperwolves.
„You have a strong heart. No fear. But stupid! Ignorant like a child!“- Neytiri explaining why she saved Jake's life.
„He will try to kill you.“- Neytiri telling Jake how to tell that a banshee has chosen him.
„I am with you now, Jake. We are mated for life.“- Neytiri to Jake after they mate under the Tree of Voices.
„I trusted you... I TRUSTED you! KAWKRR! Ke slayu nga Na'viyä haxpì! ...YOU WILL NEVER BE ONE OF THE PEOPLE! Kawkrr, Na'viyä Kawkrr!“- Neytiri yelling at Jake after discovering his original mission.
„Ma Sempul. Get away. GET AWAY! Get away from here! Never come back!“- Neytiri rejects Jake after her father's death.
„I was afraid, Jake, for my people. I am not anymore.“- Neytiri to Jake after he becomes the sixth Toruk Makto.
„Our great mother does not take sides, Jake. She protects only the balance of life.“- Neytiri to Jake after overhearing him pray at the Tree of Souls.
„Eywa has heard you!“- Neytiri after the creatures of Pandora fight back during the Battle of Ayram Alusìng.
„Nìfkeytongay oel sempulit ultxarun a krr, stom put tspolang. (When I first met your father. I was trying to kill him.)“- Neytiri telling her children how she met Jake in the Na'vi language.
„Ma Jake, your son is actually bleeding.“- Regarding Neteyam.
„Neteyam and Lo'ak try to live up to you. It is very hard on them... you are very hard on them. This is not a squad, it is a family.“- To Jake regarding his parenting style.
„Demon! I will kill you as many times as I have to!“- To Quaritch.
„You cannot ask this! The children, everything they've ever known, the forest! This is our home! My father gave me this bow as he lay dying and he said, "protect The People." You're Toruk Makto!“- To Jake.
„My husband was Toruk Makto. He led the clans to victory against the Sky People.“- Defending Jake from Ronal.
„I pray for the strength that I will not pluck the eyeballs out of my youngest son!“- To Lo'ak.
„Release... or I cut!“- Threatening to kill Spider.
„It is alright. Stay close to me. Stay close to mama! It's okay!“- Comforting Tuk.
„Ma Jake!!!“- Calling to Jake after she and her daughters survived and escaped the sinking SeaDragon.
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