The Legend of Korra
The Legend of Korra logo
Also known as
Avatar: The Legend of Korra
The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra
Legend of Korra
Genre
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Format
Animation
Created by
Michael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko
Voices of
Janet Varney
JK Simmons
David Faustino
P.J. Byrne
Mindy Sterling
Seychelle Gabriel
Steve Blum
Composer(s)
Jeremy Zuckerman
Country of origin
United States
Language(s)
English
No. of seasons
2 No. of episodes
26 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Michael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko
Joaquim Dos Santos
Production company(s)
Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Broadcast
Original channel
Nickelodeon
Original airing
April 14, 2012[Chronology
Preceded by
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Legend of Korra is an American animated
television series, that premieres on the Nickelodeon television network on
April 14, 2012. The series is a companion to Avatar: The Last Airbender, which
aired on the same network from 2005 to 2008, and is currently set to run for 26
episodes. It takes place in the same fictional universe as the original show,
whose societies have incorporated in them a multitude of elements derived from
East Asian and Inuit cultures. In it, some people have the ability known as
'bending', by which they control and manipulate either water, earth, fire, or
air. A single being known as the 'Avatar', described as the 'physical
embodiment of the world's spirit', has the power to bend all four elements and
is responsible for maintaining both the balance of nature and peace between the
world's four great nations. Korra, protagonist of the new series, is the next
incarnation of the Avatar after Aang of the original series. Set seventy years
after the defeat of Phoenix King Ozai and Princess Azula in the four-part
finale of the original show, creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan
Konietzko follow Korra as she learns Airbending, having mastered the other
three elements, while facing an anti-bender revolution by a group known as the
Equalists.
Series overview
The series focuses on Korra, a teenage girl from
the Southern Water Tribe and the current incarnation of the Avatar, who,
according to the president of Nickelodeon, will be "hotheaded,
independent, and ready to take on the world".She has already mastered
Water, Earth, and Fire, but has yet to master Air. The character was partly
inspired by Avatar Kyoshi of the original series, who the creators say was
well-liked among fans. To avoid repetition of Aang's adventures, the show is
set in a single place, called Republic City, a metropolis inhabited by benders
and non-benders of all nations and founded by Aang and Zuko after the 100-year
world war of the original series. The city's police are Metalbenders (a subset
of Earthbenders), taught their art by Toph Bei Fong of the original series, and
led by her daughter. The city's most popular sport is pro-bending, which sets
teams of benders against each other. The conflict of the first season centers
upon a group of anti-benders, called the Equalists, who use chi-blocking to
subdue their enemies. A concept drawing of the city, released with the
announcement of the series, shows the city's design inspired by Shanghai in the
1920s and 1930s, Hong Kong, Manhattan, and Vancouver. In the show, Korra learns
Airbending from Tenzin, youngest child of Aang and Katara, and must contend
with an anti-bender revolution in Republic City. Korra's final design was
revealed at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Convention, along with her companion Naga.
It was also mentioned that Aang found a small colony of flying bison after the
war, and that the second season will include ring-tailed winged lemurs.
Production
A test photo released after the announcement of the
series showing Korra overlooking Republic City.
It was announced at the annual Comic-Con in San
Diego on July 22, 2010 that a series based on Avatar: The Last Airbender was in
development at Nickelodeon and due for release in October 2011. It will involve
Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators and producers of the
original series.[9] Tentatively titled Avatar: Legend of Korra, it was intended
to be a twelve-episode mini series set in the same fictional universe as the
original show seventy years later. The show's premiere was delayed to April 14,
2012 to permit the addition of 14 episodes. It has also been confirmed in the
San Diego Comic-Con 2011 that the first twelve episodes will be in the first
season and the other fourteen in the second season and that the title was
changed to The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra. It was later changed again on
March 14, 2012 to The Legend of Korra. While the show will air soon on
television, the first two episodes were released on a viacom-owned website. The
episodes were to be released only if "Korra Nation" reached 100,000
likes and shares. At midnight on March 24th, the first two episodes were
released together in an hour-long episode.
The show is expected to be darker-themed than the
original show, but with a balance between mature themes and a sense of fun and
adventure; also included will be some "cheesy teen romance" featuring
protagonist Korra. The creators also confirmed that they will personally write
all of the episodes, explaining that, as a mini-series, filler episodes will be
omitted, allowing for a more concise story. Joaquim Dos Santos and Kihyun Ryu,
who worked on the animation and design of the original series, will also be
involved in this show, as will storyboarder Ian Graham. Furthermore, Jeremy
Zuckerman, who composed the soundtrack for the original series as part of
"The Track Team", will also be returning to score The Legend of
Korra.
Dante Basco, voice actor of Prince Zuko in the
first series, has confirmed his return to the series, representing a character
related to Zuko in some way Basco also confirmed that one of the episodes is
currently titled "Skeleton in the Closet".Similarly, Dee Bradley
Baker has confirmed that he will also return to the series, voicing several
animals and humans. He also called the series The Journey of Korra, though it
is unknown whether this was an error. Rob Paulsen has confirmed that he and Eva
Marie Saint will both voice characters in the series, although Paulsen's role
will be relatively minor. Richard Epcar
is also confirmed to portray a character.
Characters
- Korra (Janet Varney, Cora Baker in a flashback) is the main protagonist of the series and the next Avatar, after Aang. She is a hot-headed 17-year-old from the Southern Water Tribe, described as "ready to take on the world." Before the beginning of the series, she has already mastered Waterbending, Earthbending, and Firebending, and must learn Airbending from Tenzin, who is the youngest son of Aang and Katara. Korra has a polar bear dog named Naga as her animal guide. According to the character bios that Nick has released, polar bear dogs are wild, but Korra managed to tame one.
- Mako (David Faustino) is a firebender and one of Korra's friends. 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 light-hearted and humorous. He also participates in pro-bending, the most popular sport in Republic City, in the hopes of escaping their life on the streets. Bolin has a pet Fire Ferret named Pabu. Bolin was described as "always having a lady on his arm"
- Tenzin (J. K. Simmons) is Korra's airbending master. He is the youngest of Aang and Katara's three children, and the only one who is an airbender. He has three children himself who are all airbenders, with a fourth on the way. He lives on Air Temple Island, a sanctuary Aang built after the century-long war and where Korra stays during her Avatar training.
- Chief Lin Beifong (Mindy Sterling) is Toph Beifong's daughter and head of the Republic City police. The police use metalbending to subdue criminals, taught to them by Toph herself. Unlike other characters, Lin feels Korra is a threat to Republic City and tries her best to contain the Avatar's often destructive fights.
- Jinora (Kiernan Shipka) is Tenzin's eldest daughter, an airbender, and an avid reader
- Ikki (Darcy Rose Byrnes) is Tenzin's youngest daughter, second child, and described as "fun, crazy, and a fast talker". Ikki is also an airbender.
- Meelo (Logan Wells) is Tenzin's only son and the youngest of his three children. Meelo resembles Aang (his grandfather) and is described as erratic or active, in contrast to his solemn father Like his sisters, Meelo is an airbender
- Pema (Maria Bamford) is Tenzin's wife, a non-bender, and the mother of Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo At the start of the series, she is pregnant with their fourth child, who she hopes will be a non-bender like her. But the children's grandmother, Katara, senses another airbender, to Pema's dismay.
- Amon (Steve Blum) is a mysterious masked man who leads "the Equalists", an anti-bending organization which uses chi-blocking skills to subdue their foes. He has been confirmed as the major antagonist of the series.
- Naga (Dee Bradley Baker) is Korra's female Polar Bear Dog and animal guide. The polar bear-dog was created during the early stages of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, but was not included, but the creators wrote in their book that they thought it would pop up somewhere.
- Pabu (Dee Bradley Baker) is Bolin's black-footed red panda ferret (Fire Ferret). He is mischievous and assists Bolin in pranks on Mako
- Katara (Eva Marie Saint) is one of the few surviving cast members of the first series, now an elderly woman, and Korra's waterbending master.
- Hiroshi Sato (Daniel Dae Kim) is a barrel-chested businessman with a big personality. His family lineage extends back to the first Fire Nation colonists. He initially grew up poor, but developed and mass-produced the "satomobile", the Republic City equivalent of the Model-T. He is also the father of Asami Sato.
- Asami Sato (Seychelle Gabriel) is a young non-bender and daughter of Hiroshi Sato. Asami has lived a life of luxury, but despite this, her fancy clothes, and polite manners, she also can be tough. She is an expert driver and isn't afraid to mix it up on the racetrack. Asami has also had the best self-defense training money can buy and is also a big fan of pro-bending and goes to every match.
- Lieutenant (Lance Henriksen), second-in-command to Amon. He is an intense, disciplined fighter who augments his amazing skills with two electrified kali sticks.
The following voice actors have been confirmed to
be in the show's cast, but the characters they will voice are currently
unknown:
Other Voices
Rob Paulsen
Richard Epcar
Dante Basco
Critical reception
The Filtered Lens wrote a rave review of the
premiere stating that the show smartly separated itself from its predecessor
while having enough connections and references to please their fans, awarding
the first episode a score of 9.5 out of 10.Also, IGN praised the pilot episode,
saying "The Legend of Korra promises to be an excellent addition to the
Avatar mythos, pleasing both fans and newcomers alike." and giving it a
score of 9 out of 10.
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