The Legend of Korra

The Legend of Korra
Logo for The Legend of Korra
Genre	Action/Adventure Fantasy Comedy-drama
Created by	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko
Written by	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko
Directed by	Joaquim Dos Santos Ki Hyun Ryu
Voices of	Janet Varney J. K. Simmons David Faustino P. J. Byrne Mindy Sterling Seychelle Gabriel Steven Blum Dee Bradley Baker Jeff Bennett
Composers	Jeremy Zuckerman Benjamin Wynn
Country of origin	Template:TVUS
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko Joaquim Dos Santos
Producer	Tim Yoon
Running time	24 minutes
Production companies	Nickelodeon Animation Studios Studio Mir (animation)
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	April 14, 2012 (2012-04-14) – present

The Legend of Korra (in Latin America, Avatar: The Legend of Korra) is an American animated television series that premiered on the Nickelodeon television network on April 14, 2012. It was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko as a sequel to their previous show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired on the same network from 2005 to 2008. Like its predecessor, the series is set in a fictional world where some people can "bend", that is, telekinetically manipulate the elements of water, earth, fire, or air. Only one person, the "Avatar", can manipulate all four elements, and he or she is responsible for maintaining the balance in the world. The series follows Korra, the current incarnation of the Avatar as she travels to the metropolis of Republic City to learn airbending and face an anti-bender revolutionary group, the "Equalists".

The series was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010 as Avatar: Legend of Korra. It was initially conceived as a miniseries of 12 episodes, but is now set to run for 52 episodes separated into two seasons and four "books", which tell separate stories. Several producers and voice actors from the original series, including designer Joaquim Dos Santos and composer Jeremy Zuckerman, also worked on The Legend of Korra. Book One – the first twelve episodes – received positive reviews for its animation, setting, mature themes and portrayal of romantic relationships, although its pacing, character development, and speedy resolution of conflicts was criticized. The series received an average of 3.7 million viewers when Book One aired from April to June 2012.

Series overview

The Legend of Korra was initially conceived as a 12-episode miniseries. Nickelodeon later expanded it to a full 26-episode season, and in July 2012 again to two 26-episode seasons. While Nickelodeon divides the series in two seasons for administrative purposes, the creators conceive of it as consisting of four separate "books" composed of 12 to 14 episodes ("chapters"), with each book telling a stand-alone story. The Legend of Korra is intended to conclude with the fourth book.

Season	Book		Chapters	Originally aired (U.S. dates)
				Season premiere	Season finale
1	1	Air	12	April 14, 2012 (2012-04-14)	June 23, 2012 (2012-06-23)
	2	Spirits	14	2013 (2013)	TBA
2	3	TBA	13	TBA	TBA
	4	TBA	13	TBA	TBA

Setting and plot

Setting

See also: Avatar: The Last Airbender: Series overview

The Legend of Korra is set in the fictional world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The world is separated into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. The focus of the series is "bending", the ability of some humans (and animals) to telekinetically manipulate the element associated with their nation (water, earth, fire or air). Bending is carried out using spiritual and physical exercises, portrayed in the series as similar to Chinese and other Asian martial arts.

Only one person, the "Avatar", can bend all four elements. Cyclically reincarnating among the world's four nations, the Avatar is responsible for maintaining balance in the world. Like its predecessor, The Legend of Korra focuses on the current incarnation of the Avatar: Korra, a 17-year-old girl from the Southern Water Tribe. At the start of the series, she has mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, but must complete her training by learning airbending from Tenzin, the youngest child of Aang and Katara from the original series.

The series is mostly set in Republic City, the capital of the United Republic of Nations, a state that emerged after the end of the war that occurred in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The metropolis, described as "what if Manhattan had happened in Asia" by the series's creators, has become a melting pot for people of all nations. The residents are united by their passion for "pro-bending", a spectator sport in which two teams composed of one earthbender, waterbender, and firebender try to throw each other out of a ring using bending.

Plot

Main article: Book One: Air: Episodes

In the beginning of the series's first half-season, Book One: Air, Korra clashes with police chief Lin Beifong (the daughter of Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender) after dispensing vigilante justice to the local triads. Shortly thereafter, the two main antagonists of the season are introduced: the Equalists, an underground activist movement; and Tarrlok, an ambitious politician. The Equalists are non-benders led by a mysterious masked man, Amon. Their goal is to bring about "equality" between benders and non-benders. Councilman Tarrlok believes in aggressive tactics for bringing the Equalists to justice, despite protests from his pacifist colleague Tenzin, Korra's airbending trainer. As Korra explores Republic City, she meets the brothers Mako and Bolin and joins their pro-bending team, the "Fire Ferrets". They are successful in the league, but romantic tensions among them and Asami, Mako's girlfriend, put a strain on their relationship.

As the story progresses, Korra discovers that Amon has the power to remove a person's bending ability. Tarrlok cajoles Korra to join his anti-Equalist "task force", and the Equalists begin using terrorist tactics, climaxing in an attack on the pro-bending arena, where Amon strips the winning team of their bending. But when Tarrlok continues indiscriminately repressing non-benders, Korra refuses to continue supporting him. After Tarrlok imprisons her friends to blackmail her, they fight. Tarrlok overpowers Korra with bloodbending, an illegal form of waterbending, and kidnaps her, framing the Equalists. Tenzin, Lin, and Korra's friends eventually discover Tarrlok is lying, but as they do Amon shows up and takes Tarrlok's bending away. Korra escapes, only to find Republic City facing an Equalist military coup.

In the two-part finale of Book One, naval reinforcements from the United Forces, led by Zuko's grandson Iroh, are defeated by Equalist biplanes. Attempting to find Amon, Korra learns that Tarrlok and Amon are both sons of the bloodbending gangster boss Yakone, who was defeated some 40 years ago by Avatar Aang, as well as water- and bloodbenders. In a showdown with Amon at one of his rallies, Mako and Korra manage to overpower and publicly unmask Amon as a waterbender, but only after he stripped Korra of her power to bend all elements but air. Amon flees with Tarrlok, who later detonates their boat on the open sea. The despondent Korra finally manages to establish spiritual contact with her predecessor Aang, who restores her bending powers, allowing her to do the same for Amon's other victims.

Broadcast

Before the show premiered on television, it was announced that the first two episodes would be pre-released online if "Korra Nation", an online social-networking platform for the show, reached 100,000 likes and shares. The goal was reached and at midnight on March 24, the first two episodes were released on a Viacom-owned website. They remained online for the duration of the weekend. The first twelve episodes ("Book 1: Air") of the first season aired on Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon HD between April 14, 2012 and June 23, 2012. For U.S. residents, they are available for free viewing on the channel's website and for purchase through digital download services. Nicktoons is re-airing the twelve episodes, with a few minutes of commentary from the series's creators during commercial breaks, from July 9 to July 20, 2012 under the name Korra: Making of a Legend. The series premiered on YTV in Canada on June 9, 2012, and is scheduled to air on Nickelodeon Canada as well as Nickelodeon UK and Ireland in late 2012.

In June 2012, Nickelodeon began producing the second part of the first season ("Book 2: Spirits"), which is expected to air sometime in 2013.

Production

File:Avatar-legend-of-korra.png

A test photo released after the announcement of the series showing Korra overlooking Republic City.

The Legend of Korra was co-created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California. Animation work was mostly done by South Korean animation studio Studio Mir. Production of the series was announced at the annual Comic-Con in San Diego on July 22, 2010. It was originally due for release in October 2011. Tentatively titled Avatar: Legend of Korra at the time, it was intended to be a twelve-episode mini series set in the same fictional universe as the original show, but seventy years later. The show's premiere was delayed to April 14, 2012, to permit the addition of 14 episodes. At the San Diego Comic-Con 2011, the creators confirmed that the first twelve episodes would constitute the first book and the other fourteen a second book. Also it was revealed that the title would be changed to The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra. In March 2012, it was renamed again to its final title: The Legend of Korra.

The show is darker-themed than the original show, but with a balance between mature themes and a sense of fun and adventure. Also included was some "cheesy teen romance" featuring protagonist Korra. It was announced early on that the show's creators write all of the episodes themselves and that filler episodes would be omitted, allowing for a more concise story. However, when the series was expanded from its original 12-episode schedule to 26 (and eventually 52), more writers were brought in so that the creators could focus on design work. Joaquim Dos Santos and Kihyun Ryu, who worked on the animation and design of the original series, are also involved in this show, as is storyboarder Ian Graham. Jeremy Zuckerman, who composed the soundtrack for the original series as part of "The Track Team", also returned to score The Legend of Korra.

Characters

Primary characters

• Korra (Janet Varney) is the series's protagonist and Aang's successor as the Avatar. She is a seventeen-year-old from the Southern Water Tribe, described as a "headstrong and rebellious girl". She has already mastered bending water, earth and fire, but must learn airbending from Tenzin. Her rambunctious character, intended to be Aang's opposite, was inspired by Bryan Konietzko's "pretty tough" sister, and by female MMA fighters, notably Gina Carano.
• Mako (David Faustino) is a firebender and Korra's love interest. He is described as "dark and brooding", having grown up on the streets with his younger brother Bolin, but he participates in pro-bending tournaments in the hopes of winning the big jackpot. He is named after the late Mako Iwamatsu, who provided the voice of Iroh in the original series.
• Bolin (P. J. Byrne) is another of Korra's friends, an earthbender, and Mako's younger brother. In contrast to Mako, Bolin is often lighthearted and humorous. He also participates in pro-bending, the most popular sport in Republic City, in the hopes of escaping life on the streets. Bolin was described as "always having a lady on his arm".
• Asami Sato (Seychelle Gabriel) is the only daughter of the wealthy industrialist Hiroshi Sato. Although a non-bender, when she discovered that her father was working with the Equalists, she turns against him, joining the "new Team Avatar". As of Book Two, Asami has taken over her father's business.
• Tenzin (J. K. Simmons) is Korra's airbending master and the youngest child of Aang and Katara from the original series. With his wife Pema and his airbender children, he lives on Air Temple Island, a sanctuary Aang built after the Hundred Years' War. Throughout the series, he attempts to teach Korra airbending while also serving as a Republic City councilman.
• Lin Beifong (Mindy Sterling) is Toph Beifong's daughter and the head of the Republic City police. Lin initially considers Korra a threat to Republic City and tries to contain the Avatar's often destructive fights. Her character was inspired by that of Toph, and her appearance is based on one of the producers at Studio Mir, which animates the series.
• Amon (Steve Blum) is the masked leader of the "Equalists," an anti-bending revolutionary organization. He has the ability to remove a person's bending ability. In the first season finale, his identity is revealed as Noatak, Tarrlok's brother, and also a bloodbender. He is the main antagonist of the first season.
• Tarrlok (Dee Bradley Baker) is the Northern Water Tribe's representative on Republic City's governing council. A waterbender, he is an ambitious and charismatic politician who resorts to increasingly repressive methods to counter the Equalist threat. He is eventually revealed as a bloodbender and, later, as Amon's brother.
• Naga (Dee Bradley Baker) is a female polar bear dog and Korra's companion, animal guide and mount. Despite her intimidating appearance, she is described as a "sweetheart" and as Korra's best friend. Undyingly loyal, she is very protective of Korra and has learned how to use her strength to help Korra out of perilous situations.
• Pabu (Dee Bradley Baker) is Bolin's fire ferret (a black-footed red panda ferret). He is mischievous and assists Bolin in pranks on Mako.

Recurring characters

• Pema (Maria Bamford) is the wife of Tenzin and the mother of their four children – Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan.
• Jinora (Kiernan Shipka) is Tenzin's first child and eldest daughter, and an avid reader.
• Ikki (Darcy Rose Byrnes) is Tenzin's youngest daughter, his second child, and described as "fun, crazy, and a fast talker".
• Meelo (Logan Wells) is Tenzin's eldest son and the third of his four children.
• Rohan is the second son and fourth child of Tenzin and Pema. He is born in the first season during the Equalist attack on Republic City.

Keita Gotō, one of the inspirations for Hiroshi Sato.

• Hiroshi Sato (Daniel Dae Kim) is a Fire Nation-descended non-bender and the owner of Future Industries. He developed and mass-produced the "Satomobile", the show's equivalent of the Model-T automobile. The character's design was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt and by the Japanese industrialists Keita Gotō and Iwasaki Yatarō.
• Saikhan (Richard Epcar) is a metalbender police officer who replaces Lin Beifong as chief of police after the Equalist attack on Republic City's pro-bending arena.
• Lieutenant (Lance Henriksen) is Amon's second-in-command. He is an intense, disciplined fighter who augments his combat skills with two electrified kali sticks.
• Iroh (Dante Basco) is a general of the United Forces, the Avatar world's equivalent of the United Nations. The series's creators conceived the character as "a swashbuckling hero-type guy". He is a grandson of Zuko from the original series, who was also voiced by Dante Basco, and he is named after the character Iroh from the original series.
• Yakone (Clancy Brown) is a mobster, bloodbender, and Amon's and Tarrlok's father. He is seen in Korra's flashback visions of a Republic City 42 years before the series' start. Yakone clashed with Avatar Aang (D. B. Sweeney), Sokka (Chris Hardwick), and Toph (Kate Higgins) some time in between the fictional time periods covered by the two series.
• Katara (Eva Marie Saint), now an elderly woman, is one of the few surviving characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and is Korra's waterbending tutor.
• Bumi (Dee Bradley Baker), a commander in the United Forces, is Aang and Katara's second child, and the only non-bender among their three children.
• Kya, the eldest child, a waterbender, and the only daughter of Aang and Katara. She is described as a "hippie", who is an expert at healing.
• Tonraq and Senna, Korra's parents.

Reception

Critical reception

David Hinckley of the New York Daily News wrote that the "visually striking" series is "full of little tricks and nuances that only true fans will notice and savor, but nothing prevents civilians from enjoying it as well." Brian Lowry of Variety felt that the series "represents a bit more ambitious storytelling for older kids, and perhaps a few adults with the geek gene." Prior to the season finale, Scott Thill of Wired hailed The Legend of Korra as "the smartest cartoon on TV", able to address adults' spiritual and sociopolitical concerns while presenting an "alternately riveting and hilarious ride packed with fantasy naturalism, steampunk grandeur, kinetic conflicts, sci-fi weaponry and self-aware comedy".

Elements of the first season that received particular praise were the exceptional quality of the animation, the background paintings and the martial-arts action scenes, as well as the series's innovative and engrossing visual design and style. The writers were credited for finding a believable balance between magic and technology and for their mature and nuanced portrayal of romantic relationships and conflicts. Critics also praised the writers' willingness and ability to tackle difficult themes such as social unrest, terrorism, Tarrlok's murder-suicide of Amon, as well as (depending on the interpretation of a scene from the season finale) Korra considering suicide after losing her bending.

The first season's pacing was less well received: In a season limited to 12 half-hour episodes, according to critics, the series should not have attempted to cover multiple storylines such as Korra's training, the pro-bending competition and the Equalist uprising. The resulting compressed storytelling limited the development of the main characters, including that of Mako, who according to IGN "never really came into his own" and whose romance story arc with Asami and Korra was not well received by many fans. The season finale was criticized for resolving all problems too rapidly and neatly, notably through Aang's appearance as a "deus ex machina".

Awards

The Legend of Korra has been nominated for or won the following notable awards:

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Status	Ref.
2012	PAAFTJ Television Awards	Best Animated Series	The Legend of Korra	Nominated
		Best Directing for an Animated Series	Joaquim dos Santos and Ki Hyun Ryu for “Welcome to Republic City”	Won

Ratings

The initial airings of Book One, excluding re-runs and digital downloads, drew an average of 3.7 million viewers per episode.

External links

• Official website
• The Legend of Korra at IMDb
• Studio Mir (Animation Production Studio)
• Avatar Wiki, an external wiki
  • The Legend of Korra