Following up a fantastic series like Avatar: The Last Airbender must have been far from an easy feat. The creators not only needed to satisfy fans of the original but find new and exciting ways to establish the sequel as its own thing. The Legend of Korra lasted for four seasons, with a total of 52 episodes, and aiꦉred on ✤Nickelodeon from 2012 to 2014.
Set 70 years after its predecessor's finale, The Legend of Korra introduced audiences to the title character and the next Avatar tasked in-with bringing balance to the world. Taking a page from The Last Airbender, this children's show presented a colorful and action-heavy story w🌜hich did not hesitate to tackle mature themes of self-discovery and politics. The plot gets going by sending Korra - who is 💦originally from the water tribe - to Republic City to learn airbending from Tenzin, who happens to be Avatar Aang's son. Over the course of four seasons, we are treated to a new sport, a wacky parody movie series, and some good old fashion fascism.
Yeah - that last point is no exaggeration, as The Legend of Korra gets incredibly dark ꦬat times, often surpassing its predecessor. While some dark secrets added to the cartoon's overall appeal, others left us scratching our heads.
Let us take a look at 25 secrets the creators of The Legend Of Korra want to bury.
25 Nickelodeon Was Notꦕ Too Sure About A Female Protagonist
It seems strange to think about now, but Nickelodeon almost passed on The Legend of Korra due to the lead character being a woman. It should be noted, American cartoons hardly ever go with a non-male lead, with Kim Possible and Daria being two rare exceptions. Animation director Yoo Jae-myung revealed in a 2013 that the network needed some convincing before agreeing to go with Korra as the follow-up꧟ to🔯 the hit series. While the cartoon did end up receiving a fair amount of critical acclaim, the ratings were less than stellar, with most of the final two seasons not even broadcasting on television. It's a sad reality of network television broadcasting — luckily they did (finally) break the mold.
24 ꦉ The Villains Had A🍷 Point...
A hero is only as compelling as their villain, which goes a long way to explain why Korra is such a great protagonist. Each season's main antagonist brought up a genuine issue which needed to be addressed within the Avatar universe. Just focusing on Amon, his Equalist movement aimed to protect non-benders, who were constantly at the mercy of thꦰose gifted with elemental powers. Gangs often took advantage of those who could not defend themselves, with the police largely consisting of benders. This meant anyone not able to manipulate an element was instantly on the losing end of a power struggle. Obviously, Amon took things a hundred steps too far, but it was a cause worth fighting for.
23 The Live-Action Princess Yue And Asami Sa𝄹to Share A Bond 🦩
Try as fans might, M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender is impossible to truly forget. The questionably paced and acted adaptation of the cartoon's first season left most viewers wondering if the filmmakers got anything right. Seychelle Gabriel portrayed Princess Yue in the live-action version, who is not the worst realized character in the movie (which is not saying much). Thankfully, the talented actress earned a second chance to leave a positive impression on Avatar, after being cast as Asami Sato for The Legend of Korra. It might not be obvious at first l🐲isten, as 🥀Seychelle is actually given decent lines in the cartoon, but Princess Yue and Asami share an unexpected bond.
22 Remember When Bolin Was In Love With Korra?🐭 🍌
Bolin developed into a fan-favorite. His lovable and goofy personality worked wonders alongside Mako's brooding angst and Korra's occasional seriousness. The Legend of Korra threw out quite a few plot threads in the beginning of its run which did not amount to match, including Bolin crushing on the Avatar. Seriously, remember that little nugget from season one? Thankfully, this storyline did not last t🃏oo long, as Nickelodeon is probably not the network most people turn to for melodramatic soap operas. Anyway, his relationship with Eska was one of the highlights of season two, and not even the Avatar could stand in the way of their passionate romance.
21 🥃 Katara Keeps On Coming Bac﷽k For More
Aang's missus does not play a significant role in the sequel, possibly due to being nearly 90 years old. While still energetic for her age, Katara just cannot move the way she used to. Despite barely showing up, the high-ranking member of the White Lotus always pops in to chat when there is a finale. Continuing Avatar: The Last Airbender, no season is complete without an appearance from the talented waterbender. Katara served as one of Korra's masters, teaching her how to waterbend. She had three children with Aang, who each take on substantial roles during the sequel, so Katara indirectly influences how things play out during The Legend of Korra.
20 This One Slipped Past The Animator𝄹s...
For the most part, The Legend of Korra is a visual treat. The backgrounds tend to be well animated and colorful, with the action crisp and fast-paced. If෴ it was not for the internet - and people like us - this error might have slipped through the cracks without anyone the wiser. In one particular scene, Toph is animated with six fingers. This happens during a flash-back with Aang, so unless there was an epic dropped storyline which saw the earthbender temporarily grow an extra finger, this inconsiste🦹ncy should be credited as an unexpected but humorous mistake.
19 No Meat No Korr𒉰a
The Avatar franchise in general shares a few similarities with popular anime, especially when it comes to the design of the characters and focus on spirituality. Still, the most blatant anime-inspiration arises from Korra's eating habits. The Avatar hates visiting the air-temple due to their vegetarian diet, as she cannot eat meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yes, at times, Korra thinks with her stomach and not her brain. Sound familiar? She would fit perfectly on a cover of Shōnen Jump alongside Dragon Ball Z's Goku, One Piece's Luffy, and Naruto. Actually💟, thatဣ is a cross-over which needs to happen sooner rather than later.
18 🐼 Korra Prefers To Let Her Fists Do The Tal♕king
Despite being in seemingly peaceful times, nearly every nation in The Legend of Korra is riddled with corruption and incompetence. As the Avatar, Korra serves as a mediator between the separate tribes, as she tries to find a solution that satisfies all parties. A known pacifist, Aang rarely resorted to violence, despite being stuck in the middle of a war. His replacement tends to take a different stance on negotiations, like threatening to murder Judge Hotah if he does not reverse his sentencing. Sure, he was on the take, but violence is never the answer. Considering Korra is extremely confident in her physical abilities, it is hardly surprising she prefers herไ fists to words.
17 First, There Was Pro-Bending...Later O꧒n Came Korra 🧸
Pro-Be💛nding is the popular in-universe sport allowing different elements to compete against each other. The gameplay is similar to dodgeball, with the goal being to knock the three opposing players out of their zone. When one player is eliminated, their tea🐓m loses part of their area, as they slowly are cornered. In an with Hollywood Reporter, co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko answered a few questions, confirming the idea behind pro-bending formed prior to writing Korra's character. The sport served as a way to modernize bending for the upcoming series and illustrated how the world had changed since Aang's day.
16 Season One Ma🔜de A Big Deal Out Of The Triads...For Some Reason
Korra's first proper fight is against three members𒊎 of the Triple Threat Triad. The largest of multiple gangs operating within Republic City, the opening season repeatedly stressed that tensions were high between the criminal organizations. Bolin went a🍨s far as to declare a turf war could be imminent. Four seasons later, and nothing really comes out of it. The Triads were quickly forgotten, only rarely showing up as goons for Amon or Varrick. The comics eventually made good on the original plot thread, but the cartoon kind of dropped the ball. Republic City's underground belly is rarely ever touched upon, so a short arc might have been worth exploring.