Avatar State
A seventeen-year-old Avatar navigating a modernizing world while mastering the four elements.
The Legend of Korra centers on Avatar Korra, a seventeen-year-old from the Southern Water Tribe and the reincarnation of Aang. Set seventy years after the original series in a modernizing world, the story follows her journey to maintain balance while facing political unrest and terrorism. Unlike her predecessor, Korra begins as a master of three elements but must learn airbending under Tenzin, Aang's son. The series spans four seasons from April 14, 2012, to December 19, 2014, totaling 52 episodes across Books One through Four.
- User
- The Avatar
- Source
- Spirit Raava
- Origin
- Wan (First Avatar)
- Visual Trait
- Glowing tattoos and eyes
- Risk
- Cycle ends if killed while active
- Status
- Restored after Book 4
Lore & Background
The series is set in a fictional universe where bending allows telekinetic manipulation of water, earth, fire, or air. Only the Avatar can bend all four elements and maintains global balance through cyclic reincarnation among the four nations: Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. Due to a past genocide, only one living family of airbenders existed at the start of the series until Harmonic Convergence in Book Two created new airbenders. The Avatar state connects the host to Raava, the spirit of light, a bond formed when the first Avatar, Wan, fused with Raava during the decamillennial alignment. This connection allows access to past lives and bending mastery, though Unalaq temporarily severed this link by freeing Vaatu, the spirit of darkness, before Korra restored the balance.
In Their Own Story
In Book One: Air, Korra moves to Republic City, a 1920s-inspired metropolis founded by Aang, to learn airbending. She joins a pro-bending team with brothers Mako and Bolin and befriends Asami Sato while fighting the Equalists led by Amon, who strips benders of their abilities. Book Two: Spirits sees Korra confront her uncle Unalaq, who frees Vaatu during Harmonic Convergence to become a dark Avatar; after defeating him, Korra leaves the spirit portals open. Book Three: Change begins with nonbenders gaining airbending powers as Tenzin and friends recruit them to rebuild the Air Nomads, only to face Zaheer of the Red Lotus who kills the Earth Queen and captures Korra to end the Avatar cycle. In Book Four: Balance, set three years later, a recovering Korra faces Kuvira's Earth Empire, defeats her spirit-powered superweapon, and leaves with Asami for the Spirit World.
Reader's Guide
The narrative follows four distinct seasons, each telling a standalone story across 52 chapters. Book One focuses on political unrest in Republic City; Book Two expands to the Southern Water Tribe and spirit world; Books Three and Four take place largely in the Earth Kingdom. New episodes began distributing via the Internet starting with episode 9 of season 3. The series features main voice actors Janet Varney, Seychelle Gabriel, David Faustino, P. J. Byrne, J. K. Simmons, and Mindy Sterling. It addresses sociopolitical issues including social unrest, terrorism, race, gender, and sexual orientation, culminating in a final scene depicting the beginning of a same-sex romance between Korra and Asami Sato.
Did You Know?
- The series ran for exactly 52 episodes across four seasons from April 14, 2012, to December 19, 2014.
- Korra was inspired by creator Bryan Konietzko's sister and female MMA fighters.
- The final scene depicts the beginning of a same-sex romance between Korra and Asami Sato, unprecedented for children's television at the time.
- Book Three introduces new airbenders born as a result of Harmonic Convergence.
- Republic City is described by creators as 'if Manhattan had happened in Asia'.
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