The Legend of Korra

The Legend of Korra was an animated television series that ran on Nickelodeon from 2012-2014. It served as the sequel to the acclaimed series Avatar: The Last Airbender, staring the Avatar after Aang, Korra. Like its predecessor, the show was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, but lacked Aaron Ehasz as the Head Writer.

Main Characters

Avatar Korra (voiced by Janet Varney): Korra is the main protagonist in the series, and the Avatar after Aang. Unlike her predecessor, Korra is hot-headed and very arrogant, being able to bend earth, fire, and water by the time she was four years old. Korra was born in the Southern Water Tribe, and spent most of her life there before the series started.

Mako (voiced by David Faustino): Mako is a Firebender, and serves as Korra’s love interest for most of the series, though he also dated Asami. Mako’s work goes from pro-bending matches, a power plant using his lightning bending, and working for the police. He’s named after Makoto “Mako” Iwamatsu, who voiced Uncle Iroh in the first two seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Bolin (voiced by P.J. Byrne): Bolin is a Earthbender, and Mako’s younger brother. He served as a slight love interest to Korra and Asami. Bolin is the comic-relief character, and doesn’t have much going for him.

Asami Sato (voiced by Seychelle Gabriel): Asmai is a Nonbender, and served as a love interest for all the characters, but got with Korra at the end. She’s a wealthy woman who’s the daughter of a businessman, who made goods for nations after the 100-year war. Asami took over the company after the first season due to her father being thrown in prison.

Tenzin (voiced by J.K. Simmons): Tenzin is the third and youngest child of Aang and Katara, as well as their second son, and only one of their children who is an Airbender. Tenzin spent most of his childhood training and traveling with his father, much to the disappointment of his siblings, Bumi and Kya, who Aang neglected throughout most of their lives. After Aang’s death, Tenzin became the new leader of the Air Nomads, and had four children with his wife Pema, being Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan, with all but Rohan being confirmed Airbenders. Tenzin also served as Korra’s Airbending master and mentor throughout the series.

Lin Beifong (voiced by Mindy Sterling): Lin is the daughter of Toph, and like her mother, is an Earthbender, and the Chief of Police of Republic City. Lin’s father was named Kanto, though she never met him because it didn’t work out between him and Toph. Lin is shown to be a rule-follower like her mother was in her adult years, which resulted in a 30-year split between her and her half-sister Suyin. Though not as much as ex-boyfriend Tenzin, she served as a mentor to Korra, showing her how Republic City works.

Minor Characters

Amon (voiced by Steve Blum): Amon is the main villain of the first season of the series, and the leader of the Equalists, a group of Nonbenders who resent the Benders of Republic City for having all the power, both physically and politically. Amon claimed he had the power to remove someone’s Bending due to being blessed by the Spirits, and he temporarily took away Korra’s bending. However, he was exposed as a fraud who used Bloodbending to block one’s Bending, along with his story of being facially burned by a Firebender being false as well.

Unalaq (voiced by Adrian LaTourelle): Unalaq is the main villain of the second season, as well as Korra’s uncle. Unalaq is more in-tune with the spirits than Amon, and wanted to open the spirit portals, to merge with Vaatu, the embodiment of chaos and darkness to plunge the world into the image of Vaatu. He is also more manipulative, convincing Korra to open the portals which were closed for 10,000 years, despite both her father To raw and her mentor Tenzin telling her not to listen to Unalaq.

Zaheer (voiced by Henry Rollins): Zaheer is the main villain of the third season, as well as the leader of the Red Lotus, a faction that tried to hunt Korra when she was little, believing it was the White Lotus’ true purpose. Zaheer is an anarchist, believing that all governments are in the way of true freedom. Zaheer is also a major follower of Air Nomad culture, where he gets a lot of his philosophy from. After the second season’s events, he was given Airbending due to harmonic convergence, causing him to break free from prison, and free his fellow Red Lotus members. He manages to poison Korra, but is defeated at the end of the season.

Kuvira (voiced by Zelda Williams): Kuvira is the main villain of the fourth and final season, as well as the new leader of the Earth Kingdom after Zaheer killed Earth Queen Hou-Ting, who later forms the Earth Empire. Her goal is to harvest the Spirit Vines which destroyed parts of Republic City after Korra left the Spirit Portals open, and make weapons to take over the world.

Controversy

When it was released, the show received some backlash from fans of the original series for a multitude of reasons.