Why "The Legend of Korra" Deserved Better

     

When it comes to shows that defined Gen-Z's childhoods, we often think of SpongeBob or Avatar: The Last Airbender. But a show that many neglects to mention is The Legend of Korra, which I believe had the chance to grow with the audience that loved Avatar so much. 

The Legend of Korra is a show I had never heard of until recently, something that I now realize is a shame. Because the fantastic thing about the show is that it was made for children while still not constantly feeling like a kid's show; in it, Korra faces villains who represent political ideologies like Communism, Theocracy, Anarchism, and Fascism. These are topics that typically would never are discussed in a Nickelodeon TV show. But The Legend of Korra doesn't shy away from these problematic issues and instead embraces them. 

In the third season, Korra faces a team of villains who represent anarchy and, in doing so, has to face herself. When battling these villains, she gets knocked down, and instead of putting on a brave face and going back to the fight, she retreats to focus on herself. The start of season four shows Korra discouraged and alone. She is not the picture-perfect hero and is instead depicted very realistically as someone who needs help. While most shows based on heroes typically show them as invincible, The Legend of Korra doesn’t do this and instead shows heroes as what they truly are, people. 

Another aspect of the show that stands out is its inclusion of character deaths on a kid’s show. In doing this, the show is normalizing an aspect of life that many kids have yet to grasp fully. By embracing it The Legend of Korra is instead showing its viewers that death is simply a part of life that will happen for us all. 

But the show doesn’t stop there when it comes to being revolutionary. It also has plenty of representation because all characters are either Asian or Indigenous Inuit people. This means that kids who look like Korra or Asami have someone to look up to who is strong and complex. But the representation doesn’t stop there. At the end of the show, Korra and Asami actually get together, which was unheard of at the time it was aired. By showing the love story of these two characters, the writers were able to validate many young girls and normalize their love for many others. 

Overall, I think that The Legend of Korra makes up for what its predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender lacked, maturity. Because while ATLA shows complex issues like fascism and familial strife, it shies away from going very deep into said issues. But in The Legend of Korra, the audience is expected to have grown up and, in turn, be able to handle more complex subjects like death, mental illness, and representation. This show knew its audience, and it succeeded in growing up with them.