i think what makes catra's redemption arc my favorite that i've seen is that she actively struggles with it in a way redeemed characters rarely do. she expects to die back on horde prime's ship and earn redemption via sacrifice, but she has to live through the consequences

her gut reaction to adora saving her is to hold onto her, but once she's slept it off and learned behavior kicks in she goes back into her old ways of shutting down and cutting off the people who care about her which she very quickly realizes will not benefit her.

her first selfless act after being rescued, the first one that she knows she will have to face the consequences of, is possible because she asks adora for help, something she could never ask of anyone the entire series. she goes through horde prime's memories knowing it will hurt

her to do so, not because someone asked but because it was the right thing to do despite how vulnerable it would make her. it's such a smart concise way to show something pretty lofty - that catra doesn't quite know what it means to trust or befriend someone, but they can both be

achieved by allowing yourself to be vulnerable and putting others before yourself. and there are little things along the way that show she's choosing to be better. she works on her anger, she can sense when adora is tense or upset and will do something to cheer her up, like their

little race in the fright zone. she gives netossa reassurance when she worries about spinnerella being chipped, and she listens to perfuma when she tells her it's worth it to open herself up to others. she has to actively choose to be good every day, and she does. the show has

posited her as selfish before but not necessarily in an evil way, just that her mentality is so focused on personal relationships that she doesn't get or really want to understand the bigger picture. the last few episodes turn this neutral but bad-leaning trait into a good one,

one that adora desperately needs to learn, and catra is finally able to be the one guiding her instead of adora trying to bring catra to their side. we see a role reversal of save the cat when catra is the one to save adora, and she saves her by embracing what everyone else has

taught her and teaching adora something in return: by opening herself up and accepting that regardless of adora's feelings, catra loves her, staying by adora's side even when she's upset that adora would sacrifice herself, and finally telling adora she loves her, she's able to

reach through to adora and teach her that it's okay to want things, and that she has to be present for the people she loves and that sacrifice does not equal love. catra starts her redemption arc ready to sacrifice herself for selfish reasons and learns to be selfless through the

season where adora ends that same arc ready to sacrifice herself for selfless reasons and learns to be selfish. catra's redemption arc is so ingrained in the framework of the season and ties the themes of the show together so well i truly have never known a better redemption arc