History TearJerker / TheLegendOfKorra

* Near the end of the episode, Zaheer breaks the news of P'Li's death to Ghazan and Ming-Hua. Both are quite saddened, particularly noticeable in Ming-Hua, since it was the first time she was ever shown to be upset by anything.
** As Zaheer relays this news, he starts to ''descend to a lower altitude'', meaning P'Li is still his earthly tether and he still loves her.
* A Meta-example. Kuvira is voiced by Creator/ZeldaWilliams, the daughter of Creator/RobinWilliams, who tragically committed suicide less than two weeks before this episode was released. We see Kuvira introduced as she helps someone's father (Tonraq). It's truly a heartbreaking moment when you think about the grief Zelda was going through at the time of the episode's release.

* Katara makes it clear that her brother and most of her friends are dead. This means she lived long enough to not only see her immediate family, husband included, die, but many friends as well. And ''then'' it hits you that she's been teaching and caring for ''the reincarnation of her dead husband'' for ''seventeen years''.

* While funny and somewhat karmic, Zaheer's meltdown at the end becomes a lot less amusing when you consider that he is grieving his dead [[UnholyMatrimony lover]] and [[VillainousFriendship friends]], and basically saw his whole cause [[PyrrhicVillainy fall into ruin.]]

** Just hearing her voice regress into childhood can inspire some serious AdultFear.

** [[AdultFear Or how about Tenzin desperately asking Korra what the hell happened to his daughter after she didn't wake up]].

* When Tonraq realizes Korra never came back to Air Temple Island, his reaction is so subdued it's almost as if he was expecting this. Which means, whenever he reads one of her letters saying she was there, he was holding onto the hope that she was, and that everything was okay after all. But in that single moment, it becomes clear to him that he was just deluding himself, and that it's a truth that had been obvious since the day Korra left the Southern Water Tribe. It counts as AdultFear when he realizes his little daughter is missing in action. The tipoff was probably the fact that she ''[[OutOfCharacterAlert left without Naga]]''. Korra has only ever left Naga in situations where it'd be too dangerous or impractical to take her along, so it's troubling indeed that she would leave behind her spirit animal and childhood companion ''voluntarily.''

* Heavy bit of AdultFear when Ikki is revealed to be missing at the Southern Air Temple. She hasn't been found all day.

** The atmosphere as he steps off the cliff with Korra is strange, it's as if he wouldn't mind if he fell to his death at that point now that P'Li is gone. Been able to fly was good for him but he was ready, perhaps even partly wanting, the alternative. It makes for a chilling CallBack to Aang's refusal to let go of Katara back in the original series.

* Zaheer's reaction to P'Li's death and particularly ''[[http://s4.postimg.org/dd02gk84t/Dispassionate_Ruthless_Bastard.jpg the look on his face.]]'' The man was on the verge of tears. Despite his ruthlessness, he genuinely and clearly loved P'Li and now she was taken from him and in the most brutal way at that. Never before has an ''Avatar'' villain [[note]]Not even Amon in his final moments[[/note]] looked so... ''human''.

* Just before the ending: Korra, with all but her airbending removed, goes up to the edge of a cliff and starts crying. Judging from the way her tears fall over the edge, it is implied she is contemplating ''suicide'', a fact made even worse since we had just seen an on-screen suicide.

* The simple fact that Aang and Sokka are both dead by the time this series begins.

* The spirits denying Korra's request for their assistance in protecting Republic City. Even if her intentions were noble, they viewed it merely as Korra being NotSoDifferent from Kuvira in using spiritual power for war/her own benefit.

--->Mako: I'm gonna zap these vines with some electricity.
--->Bolin: Let's back it up, okay? I said that will make the vines explode!
--->Mako: Exactly! This is our only way of shutting this thing down. I can handle it.
--->Bolin: No, you can't! This isn't the time to prove how awesome you are. I ''already know'' how awesome you are...! ''You're awesome''.
--->Mako: I don't have time to argue! I'm doing this. So get out of here!
--->Bolin: ...Okay. But for the record, I do not approve. Just.. get out as soon as you can. Promise? [offers hand clasp]
--->Mako: Promise. [accepts hand clasp, quickly turns into hug]
--->Bolin: I love you.
--->Mako: I love you, too. Now go!

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Toph's stubbornness and {{Jerkass}} attitude was cute when she was a kid and her friends were able to handle it, but to her children it just comes off as plain brusqueness. Toph would never admit it, but she knows that she comes close to driving Lin away again, after being estranged from her for decades.

->''"[[FamousLastWords It will be just like the good old days.]]"''

** It gets even harsher in [[TimeSkip Book 4]]: RealityEnsues, and it turns out that such severe trauma takes a ''long'' time to heal. Even ''three years'' after the battle with Zaheer, she's still recovering, and [[ShellShockedVeteran obviously hasn't bounced back to her previous state]].

* RealityEnsues: Toph's stubbornness and {{Jerkass}} attitude was cute when she was a kid and her friends were able to handle it, but to her children it just comes off as plain brusqueness. Toph would never admit it, but she knows that she comes close to driving Lin away again, after being estranged from her for decades.

* The prospect of the people's freedom [[RealityEnsues quickly turns sour once it's revealed that chaos has taken over and that looters and rioters have begun to run amok among the populace.]]

** The spirits denying Korra's request for their assistance in protecting Republic City. Even if her intentions were noble, they viewed it merely as Korra being NotSoDifferent from Kuvira in using spiritual power for war/her own benefit.

** Zaheer in the PetTheDog moment ''calls back'' Korra when she tries to walk away after the JumpScare. At this point he has no reason to: he's in prison, and she's no longer considered important as the Avatar. He knows something is wrong, however, because Korra hasn't been in the spirit world for three years, and she must be desperate if she's come to see ''him''. He has to tell her that she shouldn't have survived having that much poison in her body, and that he can sense how much power she has.
** Zaheer is in NeverMyFault for poisoning Korra and destroying the Avatar. Technically TheBadGuyWins because while he didn't kill Korra, he destroyed her ability to enter the spirit world and the Avatar State, as well as her reputation. The Avatar is no longer considered important or useful. On top of it all, he ''broke'' her.
** Zaheer seems genuinely sad that his attempts at bringing freedom to the world only led to the rise of a powerful dictator. Even sadder is that he is probably realizing that his friends died, hurt for nothing. Or worse, died for helping create the very thing they were all fighting against. Even Zaheer admits he's not the same man he used to be.

* The Red Lotus are a ragtag bunch of TrueCompanions, from multicultural backgrounds, who firmly subscribe to NoOneGetsLeftBehind, and (at least see themselves as) working to take down oppressive governments. [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Remind you of anyone?]]

* The Red Lotus are a ragtag bunch of TrueCompanions who firmly subscribe to NoOneGetsLeftBehind, represent each of the four elements, and (at least see themselves as) working to take down oppressive governments. [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTeamAvatar Remind you of anyone?]]

** Made even worse by [[https://i.redd.it/95eg4zeuj6j51.png this]] semi-canonical[[labelnote:*]]drawn by storyboard artist Eugene Lee and included in the official Art Book, but Bryan Konietzko confirmed that Ming-Hua was born without arms[[/labelnote]]picture of them as teenagers.

** It might even have been the practical thing to do. If she had lost all her bending, the world would be without their all powerful Avatar. Killing herself and continuing the cycle would have been her last act of service as the Avatar.

** Korra even says that she doesn't think she's a proper Avatar anymore. It's just about as blatant as you can get without outright saying it that, yes, Korra did want to commit suicide over losing her bending. Keep in mind, she knew that she was the Avatar since she was four years old (if not even earlier than that.) From the moment we first saw her, she was locked up by the White Lotus to protect and train her. Unlike every other Avatar that came before her, being the Avatar is her entire identity. From everything we've seen this whole season, bending is pretty much the only thing she's good at. And when that's taken away from her, what does she have left?