History Analysis / TheLegendOfKorra

There is a clear drift in social classes in Republic City, as the sudden appearance of Sparky Sparky Bush Man clearly indicates in the first episode. There are also [[StreetUrchin Street Urchins]] like Skoochy that wander the streets of Republic City asking for money from strangers. There are sets of gangs who terrorizes civilians and actively participate in illegal activities, like bribery and extortion. The citizens in question would probably be pretty sick and tired of seeing benders impose their will in this manner, if they have not already have resentment about their powers. This is where Amon comes in. Here we have a charismatic guy with a passion in his voice that probably mirrors their complaints about benders. They look at him and say to themselves "Wow he's been through the same things we have" and they quickly find a connection with him that they can easily identify with and understand. The ''massive'' crowd that showed up at Amon's rally rectifies this. They see Amon as a RobinHood-esque hero who tries everything in his power to help his fellow people. Of course, this could all be smoke and mirrors so Amon could replace the Avatar as a world hero that succeeded in riding the world of benders, so this all could be an elaborate ruse. So, this really depends on the viewer's interpretations.

And finally, [[UpToEleven “Balance”]] is where the limits against S&P are pushed as far as possible and dismissing the relationship as still a CrackPairing is comparable to believing [[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune]] are “just cousins.” In “Korra Alone,” despite still having a company to run that’s shed it’s bad rep, Asami clearly enjoyed looking after Korra to the extent she was ready to drop it all and be the only one to volunteer to join her on the trip to the Southern Water Tribe where the best healers in the world are, so she’d “only” be useful as moral support. The same episode is a taste of the bond remaining strong enough between them even after three years that Korra only feels comfortable/close enough to Asami to actually write her, let alone with the full details about the Avatar State and while in “After All These Years,” Asami is friendly enough with Mako and only tolerates [[CasanovaWannabe Prince Wu,]] she only truly perks up when she hears Korra’s name is brought up, but it’s “Reunion” that really cements it right from the get-go. Korra blushing at Asami complimenting her new hairstyle is hardly the tip of the iceberg as Mako’s ''painfully'' steps behind the two in both conversation, as a third wheel in effectively finding out his ex-girlfriends are now dating each other as well as arguing with Korra on the train where Asami is silent, and in combat where he’s arguing with Asami’s route in the car yet Korra silently and intuitively aids her driving during the chase as effortlessly as hunting Equalists back in Season 1 followed by both already getting into position to jump off the train where a FreezeFrameBonus confirms Asami is held closer/more intimately to her than Mako. Even [[ClipShow “Remembrances”]] squeezes in a little more focus with not only them bonding over the tea Asami made and Korra complimenting her for it, (which is another call back to the Pema’s kitchen scene minus Mako both physically and emotionally,) but of all the stills from the episode Konietzko could post on his tumblr page, it’s ''that'' one despite it not being particularly scenic as a stealth nod to the audience. However, it’s not until “The Last Stand” where after the day is saved and the series winds down where the relationship undeniably evolves far beyond the realm of mere crack pairings and wishful thinking is cemented/blessed by the creators as canon as much as Nick will allow. Asami is the first to put a congratulatory hand on Korra after Kuvira’s hauled away, they sit together during the wedding with Bolin’s speech about “the longest of long shots” also being applicable to them and ''Korra'' is the comforter to Asami this time around in grieving over Hiroshi more emphatically than Mako, (who’s not only unmentioned in this conversation, but not seen again after his declaration of loyalty to Korra,) and Asami bonded over their dead parents in Season 1 before Korra suggests the relaxing vacation. Mako even came out of the fight worse than Korra or anyone else on the team yet Asami outright states she couldn’t have been able handle losing both ''Korra'' and her father in the same day.

* In the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' CharacterAlignment stance (which is quite Grey, to say the least), the Equalists pretty much count as [[LightIsNotGood White villains]], being fundamentally a WellIntentionedExtremist organisation that fundamentally desires equality, only that they went too far and use methods like terrorism and stripping benders of their identity. Even from a practical stand point in regards to attack mechanics they are very White, preffering to incapacitate their foes above lenghty combat or killing.

At first, it was easy to write off [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Korra and Asami Sato]] being an actual couple as the usual Avatar shipping mess right up there with Korra/Bolin, Korra/HOWL and even [[FoeYay Korra/Amon]] simply because it was “Anyone But [[OfficialCouple Makorra]]” no different than “Anyone But [[Wrestling/JohnCena Cena]]” yet a rewatch of Seasons 1, 3 and 4 paints a ''much'' broader picture of not just a relationship, but one as organic and nuanced as Aang and Katara or ''any'' serious romance instead of just “[[PerverseSexualLust Oooh yeah,]] GirlOnGirlIsHot!” purely for shock value’s sake. After all, Bryke are very willing to push the envelope in the name of progressivism.

* Korra is female, but not necessarily feminine or masculine; as her gender rarely comes up in the show. That being said, Korra’s body shape is decidedly feminine (particularly when idealized by the fandom). However, she is also particularly muscular, and the show (probably due to it’s Y7 rating) emphasizes her buffness over her buxomness. Arguably, Korra’s Amazon-like nature makes her appealing and relatable on a visual level.

At first, it was easy to write off [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Korra and Asami Sato]] being an actual couple as the usual Avatar shipping mess right up there with Korra/Bolin, Korra/HOWL and even [[FoeYay Korra/Amon]] simply because it was “Anyone But [[OfficialCouple Makorra]]” no different than “Anyone But [[Wrestling/JohnCena Cena]]” yet a rewatch of Seasons 1, 3 and 4 paints a ''much'' broader picture of not just a relationship, but one as organic and nuanced as Aang and Katara or ''any'' serious romance instead of just “[[PerverseSexualLust Oooh yeah,]] GirlOnGirlIsHot!” purely for shock value’s sake. After all, Bryke are no strangers to GettingCrapPastTheRadar and doing so in the name of progressivism.

In “Air,” [[AudienceSurrogate Korra admitted she expected Asami to be “prissy” because she was pretty and rich,]] which not only Asami was [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore used to hearing, but didn’t take it personally]] and [[PluckyGirl just]] [[CombatPragmatist kept]] [[BadassDriver proving]] [[TheStrategist her]] [[SheFu mettle]] [[BeingGoodSucks as]] [[TheDeterminator a]] ''teammate'' '''not''' a DamselInDistress as a different yet ''equal'' kind of female figure than Korra that quickly earned her respect. The MeetCute between Mako and Asami is the sugary, too-good-to-be-true stuff of cliché rom-coms yet how the ice is broken between Korra and Asami is more organic and fitting of the show’s intended tone. At this point, they’re foils regardless of a male love interest as Korra’s definitely a tomboy at face-value, wants to be girlier as seen with the powderpuff in “The Aftermath,” but [[SheCleansUpNicely cleans up nicely]] anyway compared to the overtly girly Asami who’s [[GirlyBruiser “not afraid to mix it up,” even if that means fighting, driving and coordinating attacks]] ''simultaneously'' [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished without even smudging her makeup.]] Not just to avoid being labeled TheScrappy ([[RonTheDeathEater despite what some of the fans thought otherwise,]]) she remained [[NiceGirl kind and supportive of Korra to a fault]] even as the LoveTriangle got messy because there was not only a little thing called ''saving the world'' going on, but kept the blame squarely on ''Mako'' considering Korra’s [[CountryMouse sheltered]] [[NoSocialSkills upbringing]] making her practically a child in the ways of love and he actually knows better. All of this displayed a maturity beyond her years that laid the groundwork of her being a consistent confidant to Korra when she needed it most rather than be another teenager also figuring herself out. However, this connection wasn’t as one-sided as it appeared to be as while Korra needs Asami’s support in being the Avatar, Asami needs Korra just as much upon futher notice that despite her friendly demeanor/reputation, [[LonelyRichKid she’s never seen with actual friends like the expected Girl Posse, only servants and businesses, in other words, only people reliant on her money,]] so between the betrayals of [[EvilAllAlong her father]] and [[YourCheatingHeart Mako]] with Bolin being both a package deal with Mako and never particularly close with him to begin with, Korra’s both all she’s got and birds of a feather in their ordeals.

* In the ''MagicTheGathering'' CharacterAlignment stance (which is quite Grey, to say the least), the Equalists pretty much count as [[LightIsNotGood White villains]], being fundamentally a WellIntentionedExtremist organisation that fundamentally desires equality, only that they went too far and use methods like terrorism and stripping benders of their identity. Even from a practical stand point in regards to attack mechanics they are very White, preffering to incapacitate their foes above lenghty combat or killing.

* In the ''MagicTheGathering'' CharacterAlignment stance (which is quite Grey, to say the least), the Equalists pretty much count as [[LightIsNotGood White villains]], being fundamentally a WellIntentionedExtremist organisation that fundamentally desires [[CaptainObvious equality]], only that they went too far and use methods like terrorism and stripping benders of their identity. Even from a practical stand point in regards to attack mechanics they are very White, preffering to incapacitate their foes above lenghty combat or killing.

As a final note, Korra seems to be the only character to raise concerns about her disconnection to the past lives. Not even Raava seems to be bothered by this. The explanation given by some fans is that LoK is supposed to be Korra’s story. She is the focus of this show. Like any of us would want to be….

Here, they’re ''definitely not'' the same tenuous pairing of Season 1 and have a genuine and distinct bond which takes to heart Korra’s statement in “A Breath of Fresh Air” about [[FriendlessBackground “never having a girlfriend to hang out with and talk to before.”]] After the necessary talk about Mako in the same episode, the pair routinely pass the BechdelTest as their conversations are about the current mission and/or their current conditions rather than anything “girly” and nothing about “boys” unless it’s logically mission-related like being split off from Mako and Bolin or dealing with Zaheer. There’s more credence to the ship now that the love triangle’s undeniably disposed of and explicitly without damaging things between them, the previous traits of Asami emotionally supporting Korra and backing her up with plans are even more emphasized and there’s a clear dynamic as intuitive as a non-comedic version of Varrick and Zhu Li where they instinctually cover each other’s weaknesses with their respective strengths.

In “Air,” [[AudienceSurrogate Korra admitted she expected Asami to be “prissy” because she was pretty and rich,]] which not only Asami was [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore used to hearing, but didn’t take it personally]] and [[PluckyGirl just]] [[CombatPragmatist kept]] [[BadassDriver proving]] [[TheStrategist her]] [[SheFu mettle]] [[BeingGoodSucks as]] [[TheDeterminator a]] ''teammate'' '''not''' a DamselInDistress as a different yet ''equal'' kind of [[GirlsNeedRoleModels female figure than Korra]] that quickly earned her respect. The MeetCute between Mako and Asami is the sugary, too-good-to-be-true stuff of cliché rom-coms yet how the ice is broken between Korra and Asami is more organic and fitting of the show’s intended tone. At this point, they’re foils regardless of a male love interest as Korra’s definitely a tomboy at face-value, wants to be girlier as seen with the powderpuff in “The Aftermath,” but [[SheCleansUpNicely cleans up nicely]] anyway compared to the overtly girly Asami who’s [[GirlyBruiser “not afraid to mix it up,” even if that means fighting, driving and coordinating attacks]] ''simultaneously'' [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished without even smudging her makeup.]] Not just to avoid being labeled TheScrappy ([[RonTheDeathEater despite what some of the fans thought otherwise,]]) she remained [[NiceGirl kind and supportive of Korra to a fault]] even as the LoveTriangle got messy because there was not only a little thing called ''saving the world'' going on, but kept the blame squarely on ''Mako'' considering Korra’s [[CountryMouse sheltered]] [[NoSocialSkills upbringing]] making her practically a child in the ways of love and he actually knows better. All of this displayed a maturity beyond her years that laid the groundwork of her being a consistent confidant to Korra when she needed it most rather than be another teenager also figuring herself out. However, this connection wasn’t as one-sided as it appeared to be as while Korra needs Asami’s support in being the Avatar, Asami needs Korra just as much upon futher notice that despite her friendly demeanor/reputation, [[LonelyRichKid she’s never seen with actual friends like the expected Girl Posse, only servants and businesses, in other words, only people reliant on her money,]] so between the betrayals of [[EvilAllAlong her father]] and [[YourCheatingHeart Mako]] with Bolin being both a package deal with Mako and never particularly close with him to begin with, Korra’s both all she’s got and birds of a feather in their ordeals.

Another question raised about The Legend of Korra's technology is whether or not it can truly be classified as SteamPunk. This was the way much of the advertising described the setting, and some of the art style does seem reminiscent of it, especially when we catch glimpses of the factories. Many have noted that actual ''steam'' power seems fairly scarce in the new series, as most things seemed powered by electricity. Also, SteamPunk as a genre is usually combined with Victorian England in terms of style, since that's where this technology was most prevalent in RealLife. Some might argue that the distinctive Asian stamp of the Avatar universe erodes a lot of the tropes and styles usually associated with true SteamPunk. Perhaps a better classification would be DieselPunk, as the setting combines electricity, combustion engines and MagiTech.