The Legend of Korra

The Avatar has free will though. Raava doesn't really influence them at all from what we see. She just grants them the ability to bend all the elements and maintains their connection with the past lives. She might also be responsible for their actions during an involuntary Avatar State but we don't know that for sure.

I'm not saying that the Avatar isn't separate, I'm saying that the way the Avatar's personality develops may be indirectly influenced by being fused to a Spirit of Light and Order.

It all kind of depends on how "souls" work, I suppose.

Solid stones larger than houses, man.

Concrete probably saved lives.

Free will doesn't mean unpredictable. Free will isn't the source of evil. It's not like most people are actually choosing evil.

I'll be honest, the use of incredibly abundant and abnormally tough platinum as an arbitrary side-step for the Story-Breaker Power that metalbending can be is a leedle BS.

I'm fine with it honestly. Metalbending is done when the earthbender moves the rock fragments that are still in the metal. Theoretically if you created a pure enough metal people shouldn't be able to bend it.

I'd be less mad if it wasn't platinum which is hilariously awful as armor and expensive. Plus I'm pretty sure the mining process is hella destructive and toxic.

Just say rolled homogeneous steel or titanium or composites or something. If it's about purity or refinement then proper armor grade steel is more than refined enough to get rid of all the bits of earth or whatever.

edited 2nd Aug '15 2:31:24 PM by LeGarcon

That mercury must have been more like metallic mud, really.

I don't think the Avatar can be truly evil, not because of Raava, but because of Wan. The Avatars are reincarnations of each other. Sure, they have greatly different personality and methods, but I figure it is because their upbringing is different. Deep down, however they are all fundamentally good people because that is what Wan was. So I don't think a "sociopath Avatar" can actually happen for that reason.

A "completely misguided Avatar" could, though. They are not perfect and they are not omniscient. Just because they are "good", it doesn't mean they can project their goodness properly or even fairly. I could totally see a tyrannical Avatar, for example. For the "greater good", of course, but still tyrannical. Korra herself flirted with that possibility. Specially early on, she had the tendency to ignore what other people think to do what she decides it is good. Apply that in a large scale and that is a tyrant in the making. I think that was kinda the point of Kuvira, she was Korra with that mentality and an army.

Hey guys I have a couple of videos comparing Avatar and Korra videos.

Here's one I did a while ago of Combustion Man vs P'Li: link.

Here's a newer one of Azula vs Ming-Hua: link.

The thing is, though, it is fundamentally good people that make the worst villains, because they will do the most heinous things in the name of what they see as righteous and good. Remember what Madara told Obito? About how he corrupted him because he was truly kind and loving at heart and would be a monster of turned?

edited 2nd Aug '15 6:39:41 PM by OmniGoat

Oh, yeah. I don't disagree. I was just addressing the "sociopath Avatar" comment. I would actually love if the next Avatar series had the Avatar as the villain.

It's the world of Avatar. Things like spirits, platinum, and daddy issues are commonplace.

Note to self: Order a "My other ride is a sky bison" bumper sticker.

I really like the fact that the Kuvira conflict ended with Wu intending to dissolve the Earth Kingdom into a democracy of nation-states. The fundamental problem with opposing Kuvira is that her actions are entirely within the spirit of the Earth Kingdom's royalty. It's a nation founded on bloody conquest in the name of unification, with the specialness of its royal line coming simply from the fact that they are descended from the ruler who finally won the unification wars and brought the whole of the Earth Kingdom under his thumb.

The nation was founded not through diplomacy or peaceful alliance, but through people like Kuvira bringing the smaller states in line through intimidation and waging war on the larger. In keeping with Korra's central theme of change, Wu demonstrated an enlightened attitude in recognizing that, and transitioning the kingdom toward a new path that is better than the lawless anarchy Kuvira initially sought to rescue them from, but not so oppressive as either she or his power-hungry ancestors would have it.

Wu is the greatest political thinker of the Avatarverse.

I'm honestly curious if people like Amon and Kuvira will actually go on to inspire political movements in the Avatar world's future.

I feel like the equalists would find some way to found their own country free from benders.

Not if they have good education systems. That's kind of why we have history lessons.

We have terms named after dictators like Hitler and Stalin. Maybe the future Avatar society will have Kuvirism.

Wuism will be the default political philosophy of the future.

Wu. Wu.

I feel like the victim mentality propagated by the Equalists will morph into non-benders rallying for equity benefits on grounds of being permanently handicapped by their lack of superpowers.

Which may actually be fair.

edited 4th Aug '15 8:31:48 AM by TobiasDrake

The Equalists never became a majority movement though.

Eh, not so sure. Like, Asami the rich heiress should get benefits because she doesn't have superpowers like Mako and Bolin the kids who had to eat garbage not to starve?