My unpopular opinion is that Legend of Korra was a really good show especially considering that it wasn’t supposed to exist beyond the first season, and that its third season (and the fallout from it) is up there with the best of anything from ATLA
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I only watched both Avatar and Korra this year and I absolutely preferred Korra! I wish they had more comics for it as I crave for more! (Thank you fanfic for filling the gap 🙏🏼)
100 percent. Korra really stuck with me. In addition to the villains, I love them pushing to a new 'age' and wish they would continue pushing forward with a new series...
Think a lot of people were put off by Korra being the polar opposite of Aang (arrogant, aggressive, short-tempered). It works one you realize she's *supposed* to be annoying at the beginning but it's tough to get over that initial negative impression.
You can actually see that they didn’t plan ahead - Amon is just too good of a villain (even better than Ozai, may I say?) and all others in my opinion didn’t come close. My only problem is that I didn’t like Korra’s “team” - it felt like a copy of Gaang. I wouldn’t mind her being “solo Avatar”
I loved Legend of Korra all throughout, especially the last season. My only complaint is that I wish they had built up Korrasami a bit better. But like you said, it was only suppose to end after a couple of seasons so can’t really hold a grudge there.
Here is my even hotter take. I like LoK MORE than ATLA. Take Spirit Bending and some weird lore additions out and frankly I think its a great sequel series.
I'm a big history & politics nerd so seeing the evolution of the old world into the new scratches an itch in me most ppl likely don't have
ATLA is an incredibly political show but I think LoK took things much more directly and modern than most ppl likely expected so it rubbed them the wrong way. But we can see a world in ATLA rapidly industrializing and its interesting seeing it develop culturally & politically in this fantasy world
And lets face it, even with some lackluster here or weird lore added there... Zaheer is the single greatest villain in the universe's lore and is easily one of the best villains of all animation. That mfer will make you an anarchist in some form or another.
I went down the rabbit hole with the retrospective of that show and that seems to be the idea that it was supposed to be a rush one season show. Then it started printing money and they told the writing team, “why you not printing money.” Then we got what we got.
You can skip season two and start with season 3 and it will mostly make sense as long as you know that the hard border between the spirit realm and the human one is gone.
Stripping away the simplistic good v evil narrative and giving an Avatar a complex, modernizing society to contend with while stripping the role down to its essence and asking what its purpose is…I thought it was masterful (even if season 2 was…Not Good)
Agreed, and my hottest take is: Every single one of Korra's antagonists except Unalaq/Vaatu was a direct result of Aang's mistakes and a rebuttal of his pacifist philosophy. I don't think Aang was entirely wrong, but his inability to deal decisively with anything was what defined her whole journey.
This is a recurring theme in the series. Aang suffers from Roku's hesitation and soft hand; Roku was soft because he didn't want to be Kyoshi (decisive badass criminal).
Kyoshi had to clean up the mess Kuruk left behind by dying young with work undone - a direct result of Yangchen's choices, etc
Yep and I appreciate that about the stories they tell... But it's bizarre to me how many diehard Aang fans don't see how Korra's stories follow this pattern too. Aang is their special angel who healed the world through the power of love and his only mistake was leaving too soon. 🙄
Yeah, I think it's that people bond with Aang as a kid and hate to see his legacy produce a bunch of villains. Part of growing up is accepting the unintended consequences of our actions.
(My main gripe with Legend of Korra is that the gaang seem to be terrible parents!)
Oh wow. I hadn't thought of it like that. Now I need to go re-watch both complete series...es? Serieses? No, series. I think. God help me I was an English major. ANYway. I've got two shows to watch - thanks for sharing the take!
No problem! Yeah, it really makes you think differently when you start looking at how Aang's post-Avatar arc created problem after problem as he refused to eliminate zealots, command benders, or put down regimes - things every other Avatar did. It hit me with Isami's dad and the caste issue.
I'mma have to take notes this time around, man. When I first watched it it was like "oh cool, a neat animated kids adventure show with magic!" I was a fair way into it before it fully hit me that it was a little more than that....
Honestly even season 2 wasn't *that* bad. Like yeah, it had Issues(tm), but when I was rewatching it a while ago I kept being like "Holy shit, that was from season 2?"
If that's an unpopular opinion, good thing I've never been popular. I could nitpick but honestly the show is genuinely great, and you're right that especially the third season goes amazingly hard.
It gets better the further away we get too! Especially with our increasingly complex and unstable world; it’s nice to see our “heroic” character contend with something more morally complicated than “beat the bad guys, save the day”
ACAB, even Toph, but I kind of get where her particular blend of braggadocio and thrill seeking got her there. She gets to feel safe from being controlled or repressed (because she's the one doing the control and repression) and she gets to have exhilarating fights and chases.
And yet the actual politics of it was: Beat the bad guys, save the day. It wasn’t that everyone in the Fire Nation was bad but that only the Fire Nation had truly evil and irredeemable people in charge, and fixing the 100 year war was as simple as taking out the single leader.
She has her own unique journey that many young people can relate more to beyond being the savior of the world. I love both, and I get tired of the hate on Korra
Completely agreed. The character developments that happened over its course were painfully beautiful. I didn’t realize this is an unpopular opinion until now. 😅
Legend of Korra was absolutely a fantastic show. It's not perfect by any means, but what show is. I offer a different hot take: Aang learning spirit-bending cheapened the weight of his final choice with Ozai. He should have had to choose to either kill Ozai or spare him.
Book 1 was fun, book 2 was a mistake, 3 redeemed that mistake and single handily justified the whole show, and book 4 is too much like book 3 for me to be upset about it’s shortcomings.
Couldn't agree more!! I love Korra as a character because she's the only character I've found who I actually relate to. I was her age when it came out and seeing her go through PTSD and disabling injuries and anxiety and shit resonates with me a lot more than any of the gaang do
Season 3 of Korra had some of the best bending fights of either show, and that’s coming from someone who thinks ATLA is the single best piece of fiction ever created
I liked it a lot more than most but personally still preferred ATLA. I just felt like the love triangle thing wasn’t fully developed enough imo honestly. 🤷♂️
The only thing LOK was missing was an uncle iroh like character. (I know his spirit was in that one episode.) But his overwhelming wholesomeness was what put ATLA over the top.
Korra is amazing. Korra seasons 3 and 4 are right on par with ATLA. It’s just a very different show than ATLA and people shouldnt go into it expecting more Avatar. But the character writing is just as amazing and it goes even further into the political side. Such a good show
While I can respect this opinion I do feel like Korra just lacked something..m perhaps it needed better character development? I'm not sure. It felt like a fanfic at points.
Absolutely right. It was a great show given the fact that it came after legend of aga, which was very beloved. Loved Season one very much. Still trying to get hold of the other seasons
I love LoK for they way they let the world evolve in reaction to what came before it. Definitely a show I’m keeping in my back pocket for if/when I have kids. I’ll have them watch because I think it will help them understand how our history affects us!
I feel like it didn’t do so well at first cause people kept comparing it to Avatar the Last Airbender. Once you see it as its own work and disconnect it, I think the show was great.
It’s excellent, really does a good job of modernising the issues and world post TLOA. I didn’t watch it for years as I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was.
My only real gripe with Korra is trying to canonize an explanation for bending and the avatar. The world of ALTA felt real because the mythology behind bending varied from culture to culture, just like our world. Let magic be mysterious you know?
I’ll die on the hill that, while ATLA is the most constantly good show, Korra arguably surpasses it in its 3rd season. Its lows are also lower (Unalaq for me), but it definitely didn’t deserve the hate it received.
Also korra herself is one of the best characters in both shows and I find a lot of the issues people have with her were intentional character flaws that make her arc more interesting. She’s an avatar who gets in over her head in a world that didn’t ask for another avatar
See, I got bored with Korra and gave up after the first season... But then several of my friends told me to keep going. I'm glad I did as it got really good. The thing I liked less about Korra were the side characters. I don't think they were as good as team Avatar in the Aang period.
I loved ATLA I dare say that I enjoyed Korra even more. It dealt with heavier things, it had an excellent cast of characters, and it was so fulfilling to see such long arcs about healing.
We got spoiled with an excellent show and an excellent follow-up.
I just wish they gave more time to the Equalists and the political ramifications of non-powered individuals rebelling against a society that is run primarily by those with magical powers.
Considering the circumstances surrounding the show it’s honestly amazing it came out in the condition that it did. There were faults, yes, but I don’t think it ever comes close to the levels of bad, or even mediocre.
It’s a decent show. I wish it was treated better in its production/release.
I actually loved how much real politics Korra had to contend with versus the much cleaner, simplistic world that Aang had to deal with (even burdened with the unrelenting horror of being the sole survivor of a genocide)
Agreed. At first I thought Korra was kinda bratty and annoying but I think it is a much more complex and complicated show than Avatar. Avatar is still prob the better show as it executes the simplicity so well, but yea, Korra took a little while but by the third season it's incredible
Aang was sheltered until he woke up. Korra was sheltered until she moved to the city. Both were equally bratty and annoying due to this social blinder forced onto them by the adults in charge.
It was their shared weakness. Both series are coming of age stories.
Sometimes I think people forget we all have an allowance to make young'n mistakes as a young'n.
How many times did Zuko not follow Iroh's wisdom? His quest to find the avatar was a quest for acceptance. Even when his father let him back home, Zuko struggled until he found self acceptance.
ding ding! i love how you put this. the discourse between the two shows drives me up the wall because it always gives misogyny. both shows are strong in their own right
It is sad that we all breath in prejudice like it is an airborne pollution. Some people don't even know they are shedding.
The people who always blame the writing on why they hate female protagonists are the most frustrating because, without awareness of the obvious pattern, they are stuck.
There were some good moments and the world building was decent, but it wasn't gripping. The story was good, but something went wrong with the execution.
Not controversial enough.
Imo, the first season had one of the best and most nunanced liberty vs. security subplots-ever. And seasons 3-4 are right up there with some of the best A:TLA moments. (Season 2 is hit or miss, though).
Just finished ATLA for the first time with my girlfriend this past week and I'm blown away by just how mature and well-written its themes are. we started Korra and I'm just not seeing it yet like I was after S1 of ATLA. hoping it picks up though
I'll be real, they're both 10/10 and trying to debate a "best one" in franchises tends to be a fruitless ebdeavor that just devolves into talking shit, but I've found I like Korra a little more and ATLA a little less every time I rewatch them.
Aviator the last air bender wasn’t made to be profitable it was made for art. While legend of Kora was made to cash grab the fans. While the story was great and the animation was great too.
If they had the time that the other creators had it would have been glorious.
I think it might have had a better reputation if it weren't attached to Avatar... Any show living in the shadow of ATLA is gonna be seen as a let down.
I always get shade when I say that Korra was lowkey a better show. My season rankings are: tlok 1 or tlok 3 (I can’t pick), atla 1,2, and 3 in any order, tlok 4, tlok 2. Korra 2 is terrible but Korra 1 and 3 are masterpieces
Korra made sense to me. She wasn't a humble air nomad, and she lived in a time when people were excitedly awaiting the next avatar.
And then she had to follow after one of the most beloved avatars??
Korra deserves a break!
My Unpopular opinion about Legend of Korra is that she had higher conflicts and higher stakes than Aang. The internal struggles were heavier. And the villains were deadlier. Bonus points to Zaheer who stole the show on each episode he was in.
I think that’s where most fans in the Last Airbender fandom have ended up as time has gone on. I’m not sure it’s that unpopular of an opinion anymore, but get the point. The amount of hate Korra got during its run was crazy.
I feel The Avatar was way better written. Had a lot of time to develop the story and characters. Kora, seemed... fabricated... like they needed to create a sequel and wasn't sure where it was headed and made it up as it went along. Great show, but Avatar was a better story.
I didn't care much for book 2, but I loved it otherwise. Korra is my least favourite character from either team avatar - not a bad character, one I dislike - but I love the rest of the show
I think it took the writers a minute to figure out how to adapt to a much shorter season length. Also IIRC Nickelodeon slashed their budget. Seasons 3 & 4 were amazing!!!
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"Yes I do.."
Chills to this day!!
I wish Mako was a better character considering he's supposed to be a tribute to Iroh's voice actor...
I'm a big history & politics nerd so seeing the evolution of the old world into the new scratches an itch in me most ppl likely don't have
Kyoshi had to clean up the mess Kuruk left behind by dying young with work undone - a direct result of Yangchen's choices, etc
(My main gripe with Legend of Korra is that the gaang seem to be terrible parents!)
And S2, though a mess, has that magnificent origin story of bending.
Anyways, Korra forever!
The Red Lotus because of the power and influence given to the White Lotus who were given the task of raising the next Avatar.
Kuvira because of Aang and Zuko’s choice to deal with the Fire Nation colonies by taking Earth Kingdom land.
And didn’t the earth nation fall in ATLA explicitly because evil people in leadership defected to Azula?
It’s a great sequel because it goes to a new place.
We got spoiled with an excellent show and an excellent follow-up.
It’s a decent show. I wish it was treated better in its production/release.
It was their shared weakness. Both series are coming of age stories.
How many times did Zuko not follow Iroh's wisdom? His quest to find the avatar was a quest for acceptance. Even when his father let him back home, Zuko struggled until he found self acceptance.
The people who always blame the writing on why they hate female protagonists are the most frustrating because, without awareness of the obvious pattern, they are stuck.
Imo, the first season had one of the best and most nunanced liberty vs. security subplots-ever. And seasons 3-4 are right up there with some of the best A:TLA moments. (Season 2 is hit or miss, though).
If they had the time that the other creators had it would have been glorious.
(I'm watching & enjoying the live action ATLA at the moment, and might get around to LoK eventually!)
And then she had to follow after one of the most beloved avatars??
Korra deserves a break!
The Wan episode alone may be peak Avatar, and the nuance and different villains gave us a different look at the role of the Avatar