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Everyone has favorites and today I’m going to talk about my favorite avatar and why I love them so much. Korra is my favorite avatar. She’s one of my most favorite characters in both Avatar:The last Airbender and Legend of Korra. I relate to Korra in a lot of ways. Korra is a strong independent woman who knows what she wants and continuously tries to improve herself. Throughout the four seasons of Legend of Korra, Korra goes through major life events that make her change her habits and way of thinking. She has amazing character development. Korra went from a strong headed teenager to a thoughtful leader. I also really like Korra because she’s a really good bender and always has tricks up her sleeve. Korra is a bisexual woman and so am I. I really enjoy that kids can see that liking boys and girls is okay too. Overall, Korra is a character that shows how pushing yourself can make you open up to new ideas and be able to better yourself.
Everything has a beginning for the Avatar cycle it started with Wan. Wan became the first Avatar about 10,000 years before Korra became the Avatar. During Wan’s life the spirit world and the physical world were one. So all humans had to live on Lion Turtles for shelter and protection from spirits. Wan was a very poor boy so he had to steel for food. On Wan’s Lion Turtle there was a very rich family that Wan tried to steal from. Short story is that in result Wan decided to leave the Lion Turtles protection and go live in the spirit wilds. Before living any Lion Turtle it will give you a gift, power to use an element. For Wan’s Lion Turtle the gift was the power to control fire. Once Wan was living in the spirit wilds he had nowhere to go. He came across an animal stuck in a trap and wanted to get him down. But other humans were coming so Wan protected himself and the animal from the other humans by using his power of fire. The animal and him became best friends and were always seen together after that.
One day Wan came across to very large spirits fighting. The dark colored spirit was telling Wan how the light colored spirit has kept him trapped for ten thousand years. Wan thinking how horrible that is and decided to use fire to separate the two spirits and free the dark colored spirit. What Wan didn’t know was that he just freed the most evil spirit in existence. Wan then decided to help Raava, the light colored spirit, defeat Vaatu, the dark colored spirit. In Wan and Raava’s journey together they came up with a plan to fight Vaatu. Wan decided to learn different elements of power. Wan learned to bend earth, water, air, and fire. Getting each element of power was difficult because they had to travel to each Lion Turtle and ask for the gift. But Wan could only control one element at a time. Raava, the spirit of good, would hold the other three powers until Wan wanted to change them. When Raava and Vaatu finally had to fight each other Wan was there trying to help the whole time. As Vaatu grew stronger during the fight Raava grew weaker and Wan got desperate. Wan told Raava that they needed to merge together and become one to defeat Vaatu. When Wan and Raava merged they became the most powerful being in the world. Wan and Raava won by putting Vaatu in an elemental prison in the tree of time. Wan and Raava remained one and became the world’s first Avatar. Together they decided it would be safer for everyone if the physical world and spirit world were separate. The Avatar then became the bridge between the two worlds.
When Avatar: The Last Airbender was just an idea the creators decided to base all of the four nations; Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and the Air Nomads, off of real life civilizations. Basing fictional cultures off of real ones gives a base idea of the style of clothes, way of life, and fighting styles of each culture. The Fire Nation is inspired by the cultures of China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The red and gold motifs displayed in the Fire Nation architecture and clothing are seen in traditional Chinese and Southeast Asian cultures. The island of the Fire Nation is influenced from Iceland in the way the country looks overall. And some off the smaller islands of the Fire Nation are volcanic islands and look a lot like Hawaii, Japan, and the Polynesian Islands. Water Tribes are influenced by Arctic cultures like the Inuit and Yupik. A lot of the clothes are similar in style, such as thick fur coats and animal skins to protect them from the cold. People of the Southern Water Tribe live in igloos just like the Inuit. Other elements of the Water Tribes society is based of off other indigenous cultures such as Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. Water Tribe warriors will wear war paint into battle like the Native Americas do. The Air Nomads are based on Tibetan culture, the Shaolin Monks, and Sir Lankan Buddhism. The Air Nomads also have a lot of similarities with Hinduism such as believing the the seven chakras. Buddhist and Hindu groups are vegetarian which is something that all Air Nomads participate in. Air Nomads shave their heads, wear breathable clothing, and have their own meditation practices which all resemble Buddhist monks. The Earth Kingdom is the largest country and holds the most people. Having so many people from different parts of the country are based of off different cultures. A lot of the cultures are influenced from China and its neighboring countries. A lot of the food shown in the show from the Earth Kingdom resembles Chinese dishes like roast duck and jook. In several small farming villages the clothing and food are based off of Korean culture. Even the capital city of the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se, is influenced Qing Dynasty China.
Firebending - Lightningbending & CombustionEarthbending - Metalbending & LavabendingAirbending - Spirtbending & FlightWaterbending - Healing & BloodbendingEach element has its own bending style and different extensions of that kind of bending. There are different bending styles on basic moves and training for each main element. All four elements also have different sub-bending elements that connect to the main element. Fire is the element of power. A lot of the movements that firebenders make are on the offense. Firebending is based off of an ancient dance that people made by watching dragons dance together. During Avatar: The Last Airbender, not many people knew about the dance because of the strict rules of the fire nation. But in one of the later episodes, Aang and Zuko go to a temple where they dance with the last two remaining dragons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPi-38oUtC8
Air is the element of peacefulness. Airbenders are monks and relate a lot of their culture to airbending. Many airbending moves are on the toes where they can move in any direction at any given moment. Airbending was said to be from watching and learning from flying bison. Flying bison are very large animals that have the ability to fly peacefully through the air. Views of ALTA see Aang’s bison, Appa, throughout the whole series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj-fblJ7k4U
A ship is when someone wants to see two characters be in a relationship. There are lots of different ships in the Avatar world. Not everyone who has watched Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra will agree on every ship. People have their own opinions on characters and who they think they like. I will be sharing my top ten favorite ships from ATLA and LOK. 10) Sokka and Zuko - Zukka Sokka, a nonbender from the Southern Water Tribe, has a little bromance with Zuko, the exiled price of the Fire Nation. A bromance is when two boys have a good connection but they aren’t romantically involved with each other. Sokka and Zuko become friends in the third season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is mentioned that as they grew older they became very good friends and kept in touch with each other. The video attached is from an episode where Zuko tries to make Sokka feel better but it’s a little awkward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vr9xPqGD8o 9) Kuvira and Baatar Jr. - BaaviraBaatar Jr is the son of Suyin Beifong. Suyin is the daughter of Toph Beifong. Suyin Beifong is a earth and metal bender like her mother and she married Baatar who is a nonbender. Baatar Jr was the first and Suyin and Baatars five children. Baatar is a nonbender who is very smart and is an architect. Kuvira is an earth and metal bender who was raised and trained by Suyin Beifong. When Kuvira became an adult she started on a journey to unite all of the Earth Kingdom. Kuvira became the enemy but Baatar Jr stayed by her side. In Legend of Korra, Kuvira and Baatar Jr were engaged until Kuvira betrayed Baatar Jr in one of the final episodes of the show. The video that is linked shows when Kuvira is trying to take charge and everyone is against her and Baatar Jr is deafening her and supports her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veHxgsjvohU 8) Ty Lee and Azula - Tyzula Azula is the daughter and favorite child of Fire Lord Ozai. Azula is a true antagonist in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is mean and will be the boss whenever she wants to. Azula is a firebender and can also bend lighting. Even though Azula is a rude person she does have a few friends. One of her friends is Ty Lee. Ty Lee is an energetic girl who lived with the circus for a while and she’s a nonbender. But Ty Lee can hold her ground, she can defend herself against anybody. Azula teases Ty Lee a lot but in one episode she becomes jealous because Ty Lee attracts all the guys. Ty Lee comforts Azula and tries to make her feel better. Overall, Azula and Ty Lee have a cute friendship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2GeJAvULnk 7) Zuko and Jin - Jinko
6) Varrick and Zhu Li - Zurrick Varrick and Zhu Li are important characters in Legend of Korra. Varrick is a rich entrepreneur from the Southern Water Tribe. He spends lots of his time traveling and everywhere he goes he brings his assistant Zhu Li. Over the course of LOK, Varrick begins to help the Avatar and her friends. First seeing Varrick and Zhu Li’s relationship one might think that they don’t like each other or that they are just boss and employee. But as one watches them over several episodes they can see how much Varrick relies on Zhu Li. In the fourth season of Legend of Korra, Varrick and Zhu Li actually start to work together. That is when Varrick realizes how much he loves Zhu Li and asked her to marry him!! The last episode of LOK is centered around Zhu Li and Varrick’s wedding which takes place on Air Temple Island in Republic City. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwgzc52Gpgs 5) Toph and Sokka - Tokka
4) Bolin and Opal - Bopal Bolin and Opal are a couple from Legend of Korra. Bolin is a good friend of Korra in the series and helps her in every season of the show. Bolin is an earthbender and a lavabender. Bolin and his brother Mako live in Republic City in the beginning of the show. They are very close because they grew up as orphans on the street of the city. Opal is the daughter of Suyin Beifong, and her grandmother is Toph Beifong. Opal is the only airbender of the earth and metalbending family. Opal became an airbender of harmonic convergence when more airbenders were popping up. Bolin and Opal have a real relationship in the show and it’s very adorable. They enjoy each other and flirt with each other. They are super cute together. The video linked is when Bolin and Opal first meet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R4K1UyAP4I 3) Katara and Aang - Kataang
2) Jinora and Kai - Kainora Jinora is the oldest child of Tenvin, son of Aang and Katara. Jinora is an airbending master. She is a very smart girl and helps her father in rebuilding the Air Nation. Kai is a new airbender, he gained his powers after harmonic convergence. When Kai and Jinora first meet they are already flirting with each other. In the fourth season of Legend of Korra, Kai and Jinora are in a relationship and they are going on missions together to try and help the Earth Kingdom stay afloat. Jinora and Kai get along very well and are such a cute couple. The video attached is one of their first conversations by themselves in the show. Kai is being so sweet to Jinora and it’s wonderful!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSAUydi5HpM 1) Korra and Asami - Korrasami
Aang and Katara fell in love when they were young. In the last episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender they kissed each other. Watchers of the show learn that they got married and had three children when Legend of Korra came out. Aang and Katar's first child was a nonbender named Bumi. He grew up to be a general for the United Nations. Their second child, Kya, is their only girl. She inherited waterbending from Katara. Kya grew up and became a loving aunt to her youngest brothers childern. Aang and Katara's youngest child is Tenzin who was the only airbender among their children. When Tenzin became an adult he had four children with his wife Pema. he also became a council member of Republic City.
Legend of Korra is about the next avatar after Aang, it comes after Avatar: The Last Airbender. The whole show revolves around Korra, the next avatar, and her journey in finding her true self. There are four seasons of LOK; Air, Spirits, Change, and Balance. In each season Korra faces new threats and challenges. A lot of LOK is located in Republic City, which is one of the largest cities located on the United Nations land. Republic City was created by Aang and Fire Lord Zuko before Korra was born. Republic City is one of the most diverse cities in the avatar world. All types of benders and non benders live in the city together. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBNpGCIavwA - Intro to LOK) When Korra was discovered as the avatar, there was no questioning if she really was the avatar. As a baby Korra could control three of the four elements. Korra was found in the Southern Water Tribe and could easily control water, earth, and fire as a small child. It wasn’t until Korra was 17 that she mastered those three elements. But through all those years Korra could not do any airbending. The one airbending master in the world, Tenzin, Aang’s son, was supposed to move to the Southern Water Tribe to teach Korra airbender but he couldn’t because of his work in Republic City. Korra then decided that she needed to learn airbender and leave for Republic City by herself. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta7TV68ff3c - Baby Korra) Through the four seasons of Legend of Korra, Korra has many ups and downs. She makes friends in Republic City and she also faces the most evil of spirits. Korra finds that being the avatar is one of the hardest things to do by yourself. Korra grows over the seasons and grows into a great avatar that helps the world when its in need. |