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| 2 | %% Trope names NEVER go in spoiler tags for any reason. If the name of the trope is a spoiler, either don't add the example at all or embed it as a pothole from another example. Read Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers for further details. |
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| 4 | [[WMG:[[center: [- '''Tropes for ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'''''\ |
| 5 | TheLegendOfKorra/TropesAToF | TheLegendOfKorra/TropesGToL | '''Tropes M to R''' | TheLegendOfKorra/TropesSToZ ([[ShipTease/TheLegendOfKorra Ship Tease]], [[ShoutOut/TheLegendOfKorra Shout-Out]], [[WhamEpisode/TheLegendOfKorra Wham Episode]])]]]]-] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | [[folder:M]] |
| 10 | * MadeOfExplodium: |
| 11 | ** PlayedWith. When Hiroshi is looking out the window of his mecha he sees Lin stabbing away at another, which then appears to explode. Cut to a different POV and its revealed to really have been Korra blowing fire on his window. |
| 12 | ** In "Endgame," one biplane blows up for no other reason than that its propellers get stopped by a bola. |
| 13 | * MadeOfIndestructium: Aang's statue. It's survived having a plane run into it, which only served to knock off the giant Equalist mask covering it, and being ripped from its pedestal by a Kaiju-esque spirit. In the latter case, while it was ripped off, it came off completely intact. |
| 14 | * MadnessMantra: |
| 15 | ** Slowly developed by those trapped in the Fog Of Lost Souls. |
| 16 | --->'''Zhao:''' I am Zhao the Conqueror! I am the Moonslayer! I WILL CAPTURE THE AVATAR! |
| 17 | ** Subverted in the case of Tenzin, who is almost [[SanitySlippage driven insane]], but then adopts a SurvivalMantra after seeing a vision of his father. |
| 18 | * MagicAIsMagicA: Bending follows specific rules. Certain characters seeming to violate the rules are major plot points: [[spoiler:Amon and Tarrlok can bloodbend when there is not a full moon, and using that with chi blocking, Amon is able to block others bending indefinitely.]] |
| 19 | * TheMagicComesBack: In the Book 2 finale, Korra decides to keep the spirit portals open so humans and spirits can interact again. [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore This also has the effect of giving air bending abilities to non-benders all over the world in Book 3.]] |
| 20 | * MagicFire: A Fire Sage uses a firebending technique akin to [[HealingHands healing]], [[spoiler:after Korra has been rendered amnesiac and weak by a dark spirit possession]] in order to figure out what's wrong with her via examining her chi with a white and gold flame. |
| 21 | * MagicPlasticSurgery: Utilized by Yakone to start a new life for himself in the Northern Water Tribe after breaking out of jail and fleeing Republic City. Strangely, [[LamarckWasRight Tarrlok and Noatak resemble his new face]] [[FridgeLogic more than the original]]. |
| 22 | * MagicVersusScience: The primary theme of Book 1. Continued in Book 2, especially where Vaatu and Wan Shi Tong scoff at human 'stuff' (the act of having evolved and technology, respectively.) |
| 23 | * {{Magitek}}: While a lot of the technology is what you'd expect to find from the 1920s, things are supplemented by bending. Lightningbending generates electricity, metalbending and firebending aid the working of metal and the making of buildings, etc. |
| 24 | ** Varrick tries to combine spirits with tech, but that turned out to be a bad idea. |
| 25 | ** There are a variety of implements designed for and used by benders made possible by industrial and technological advancements made since Avatar Aang's youth. Metalbenders can use metal cables stored on spools mounted on their hips or backs. [[spoiler:Zaheer's "True Flight"]] was approximated with the advent of the airbender wingsuit and proliferated to all the new airbenders. Earth Empire metalbenders are are covered in metal that can quickly be launched in a FlechetteStorm. None of them are imbued with "bending" powers, but they were specifically designed as tools for those skilled in their particular bending arts. |
| 26 | * TheMagocracy: The modern United Republic Council is made up of five benders representing each ElementalNation (Earth, Fire, Air and North & South Water), so Republic City lacks non-bender representation within its government. Nominally, this trope is not in play--a previous iteration of the council is shown to have at least two non-benders, Sokka and an Air Acolyte, though by the time the series starts, the city government is de facto controlled completely by benders. |
| 27 | ** Republic City averts this from Book Two onward as the city is now led by a democratically elected president. |
| 28 | * MalevolentMaskedMen: All of the Equalists wear masks. Some are GasMaskMooks, and the leader wears a WhiteMaskOfDoom. |
| 29 | * ManBitesMan: Bumi bites Ghazan during his fight with him. |
| 30 | * ManInTheIronMask: Tarrlok, who is imprisoned in Air Temple Island because [[spoiler:he is Amon's brother.]] This ultimately proves to be Amon's undoing as [[spoiler:Tarrlok's knowledge of Amon's true past is used to turn the Equalists against him.]] |
| 31 | * MarketBasedTitle: Due to the legal issues surrounding the name "Avatar," the show is referred to as just ''The Legend Of Korra'' in the United States, and ''Avatar: The Legend Of Korra'' for international audiences. |
| 32 | * MassOhCrap: Team Avatar and the entire cast are horrified when Kuvira's HumongousMecha steps onto the scene. |
| 33 | * MassSuperEmpoweringEvent: Harmonic Convergence has the side effect of granting airbending to non-benders all across the world. |
| 34 | * MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Bolin is first seen in the background in "A Leaf on the Wind" as he walks past Korra arguing with the gym manager of the Pro-bending Arena. He does a DoubleTake when he sees her, slicks back his hair and walks over. In "The Spirit of Competition," he explains to Korra that he liked her from the very moment he saw her. |
| 35 | * MeaningfulEcho: The scene where Amon demonstrates the ability to remove people's bending is extremely similar to the scene where Aang did the same thing to Ozai. Right down to the dialogue. |
| 36 | -->'''Zolt:''' What... what did you do to me? |
| 37 | ** At the end of Book 2, Korra announces that the fallout from Harmonic Convergence has ushered in a new age. In the season premiere of Book 3, we have Zaheer announce this: |
| 38 | --> "It's the dawning of a new age. The end of the White Lotus, and the end of the Avatar." |
| 39 | * MeaningfulName: Amon is the name of an Egyptian god. This comes from the root amen, meaning "what is hidden." Amon always wears a mask. It could also refer to Marquis Amon, the 7th listed demon in Literature/ArsGoetia. |
| 40 | ** It's also the name of the demon who personifies the Deadly Sin of Wrath. |
| 41 | ** It's also the name of the chakra located at the base of the skull. |
| 42 | ** In Book 3, there's a nerdy-looking Airbender named {{Otaku}}. |
| 43 | * MechaEnablingPhlebotinum: [[BigBad Kuvira]]'s colossus and its WaveMotionGun are powered by [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent spirit vines]], letting it drain limitless energy from the SpiritWorld and NoSell the {{EMP}}s that disable conventional mecha suits. |
| 44 | * MedievalStasis: Averted. The technology present in Aang's time has advanced and spread, with Republic City boasting radios, electricity, cars, skyscrapers, cameras, microphones, and trains. A post-war development boom erased the Fire Nation's previous technological advantage. However, the Air Temples use less technology, save for radios and lamps, and the Earth Queen has been slowing down change in the Earth Kingdom, especially in Ba Sing Se. |
| 45 | ** On the other hand, the flashbacks to the time of Avatar Wan show a world that is much more advanced than would be expected given the 10,000 year gap. |
| 46 | * MeetTheNewBoss: Prince Wu, who is being groomed to take over the Earth Kingdom after the assassination of the Earth Queen, is shown to be just as spoiled and vain as she is. At least in this case, Republic City is something of a moderating influence. |
| 47 | * MeetingTheParentsSequel: Korra's parents are briefly seen in the first episode, telling her goodbye as she heads off to Republic City. They're not seen for the rest of the season, but are given a proper introduction in Season 2 when she goes home. |
| 48 | * MenAreTheExpendableGender: Averted. Whether they are Equalists, Red Lotus or random bandits, the mooks who are getting their asses kicked by Team Avatar almost always include women. Justified in-universe in that bending ability is not limited to any gender, although this is probably not [[MugglePower the reason for the Equalists' equal-opportunity recruitment.]] |
| 49 | * MegaCorp: Future Industries is a large business empire that provides products to Republic City and beyond on nearly every scale, from automobiles to airships for the police, and war equipment. However, its villainy becomes obvious when it's revealed that Hiroshi Sato has been bankrolling the Anti Bender movement, not unlike Worthington industries, and creating mecha tanks and other weapons to use against benders. After the Equalists are defeated, Hiroshi's business empire all fell apart, and thanks to his reputation, no one was willing to do business with the corporation under the reins of another Sato. |
| 50 | * TheMentor: Deconstructed in Book 2 as both Unalaq and Tenzin try to assert themselves as the Avatar's spiritual mentor. The conflict arises because while both have considerable intellectual knowledge of the spirits, Unalaq seems more concerned with [[EvilMentor manipulating Korra for his own ends]] [[spoiler: and is in cahoots with the spirit of chaos and season's BigBad, Vaatu]]. While Tenzin is so bound by his duties in the physical world that [[spoiler: he's never entered the Spirit World and his efforts to help Korra do so are useless]]. |
| 51 | ** Finally reconstructed at the end of ''The Guide'', when it turns out [[spoiler: Jinora]] is destined to be Korra's spiritual guide, and with the help of her new mentor, [[spoiler: Korra successfully enters the Spirit World for the first time in her life]]. |
| 52 | * MetaPower: In Season 2 the lion turtles are revealed to have the ability to both grant and take away Bending by using energybending, which they gave to humans to defend themselves as they foraged through the Spirit Wilds 10,000 years ago. |
| 53 | * MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: When Varrick is arrested, his prison cell is spacious with two desks, a king-sized bed, and chair and table. His assistant, Zhu Li, is also with him in the cell. He explains that since his company had built the prison, he designed the cell for himself— expecting to need it one day. |
| 54 | * MilitariesAreUseless: Played with. On one hand, the United Republic Forces have been routinely trashed by the current Big Bad if engaged. However, this is usually just because they're way over their paygrade. Against a conventional, even if unknown, threat like Equalist Biplanes, they lose but still do some damage and hold their own. Against Vaatu or [[spoiler: Kuvira's super mech w/spirit cannon]], they just don't have the firepower to do anything. Note that they are never treated as incompetent - Bumi and Iroh II were both veterans of its service and [[spoiler: Korra even outright describes them as more than capable of taking out Kuvira's [[BadassArmy military]] save for her superweapon.]] |
| 55 | * MiniMecha: The mecha-tanks. They were built by [[spoiler:Hiroshi Sato,]] for the Equalists. |
| 56 | * AMinorKidroduction: The series opens with a brief look at four-year-old Korra as part of an EstablishingCharacterMoment, before jumping ahead in an AgeCut thirteen years later to the present day. |
| 57 | * MisaimedMarketing: In-Universe. The announcer uses Bolin throwing up last night's meal as the ''perfect'' time to advertise "Flameo Instant Noodles, the Noodle-iest noodles in the United Republic!" |
| 58 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Animals from the original show, with some new additions. |
| 59 | ** Korra's CanineCompanion Naga the Polar Bear dog, [[CanisMajor just as giant as one might assume]][[note]]if not ''larger''. Naga appears to be substantially larger even than the average size for a real-world female polar bear, being closer in size to the average for the much larger males - despite being a female. As she is the only polar bear dog seen in the series, whether the sexual dimorphism present among real-world bears applies is unknown.[[/note]] |
| 60 | ** Bolin's pet fire ferret Pabu, a mix between a ferret and a red panda. |
| 61 | ** Descendents of [[ThereIsAnother rediscovered]] Sky Bison and Ringtailed Winged Lemurs (close cousins to Flying Lemur Momo) live on [[IslandBase Air Temple Island]]. |
| 62 | ** The flashback to Wan's era gives us the cat-deer, essentially a pronghorn antelope with the paws and face of a household cat. |
| 63 | ** Lizard-[[CreepyCrows crows]] scavenge in Republic City's urban sprawl. |
| 64 | ** Spider-Rats are mentioned at one point, as are Dolphin-Piranhas; but never shown. |
| 65 | ** Notably averted with wolves, who are shown to be as normal as in RealLife, and [[spoiler:one of the first victims of Amon's blood-bending]]. |
| 66 | * MonumentOfHumiliationAndDefeat: [[spoiler:After the Equalists take down The United Republic's government, Aang's statue is made to wear a giant version of Amon's mask.]] |
| 67 | * MonumentalDamage: In the Book 2 finale, [[spoiler:the giant version of Unalaq pulls down]] the statue of Aang that looks a lot like the Art/StatueOfLiberty. |
| 68 | * MonumentalDamageResistance: In the beginning of Book 3, mere weeks after the finale of Book 2, [[spoiler: Aang's harbor statue is re-erected, seemingly none the worse for wear.]] |
| 69 | * MoodWhiplash: |
| 70 | ** "The Voice in the Night" ends with [[spoiler: Korra sobbing into Tenzin's chest as she admits that, for the first time her life, she is ''terrified'' and has no idea what to do]]. "The Spirit of Competition" begins with upbeat big band music and turns into a {{shipping}} plot. |
| 71 | ** "And the Winner Is..." starts with the continuation of the [[TournamentArc Pro-bending Championship]] now with more serious opponents and ends with [[spoiler: a terrorist attack led by Amon]]. |
| 72 | ** "Civil Wars: Part 1" shows the familial issues with Tenzin and his siblings fighting, the Water Tribes issues escalating, and Korra's still troubled life with her family. [[spoiler:Then there is a tearful healing moment for Korra's family as her father and mother tell her they just wanted her to live a normal a life as she could before they were no longer needed in her life and she says she will always need them]]. And then [[spoiler:Unalaq arrives to arrest both Senna and Tonraq for being party to the assassination attempt on his life]]. |
| 73 | ** In Book 2, "Beginnings: Part 2". At the end, [[spoiler: Wan merges with Raava to become the first Avatar (and unleash the Avatar State in the process), triumphing against the spirit of chaos and sealing it away.]] There is a triumphant artshift image of him bending all four elements around himself, stopping warring human nations from attacking each other, while he declares and promises that he WILL stop the conflict created by the evil beings influence and bring peace to the world. [[spoiler: Then it suddenly switches to the scene of a horrific battle that recently ended. With a very old, exhausted Wan in battle armor on the ground despairing that he couldn't keep his promise to bring peace and there "just wasn't enough time" as his old body finally gives out from a life time of constantly trying to end war,]] thus starting the [[spoiler: cycle of reincarnation to maintain balance and end conflict.]] |
| 74 | ** Prince Wu responding to [[spoiler: Kuvira abolishing the Earth Kingdom monarchy]] by [[RetailTherapy going shopping]] and petulantly yelling at Kuvira supporters is amusing. Him shoving children out of his way and breaking down sobbing [[spoiler: while sitting on a replica of the throne]], not as much. |
| 75 | * MookChivalry: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zig-zagged]]. Perhaps the most obvious application on the heroic side is the late season 3 battle of a metal bender security force against P'Li. The combustion bender is a walking artillery piece of death and destruction, but her main weakness is that her power is entirely offensive and she can't use its explosions too close to herself. Additionally, while it affects an area, she can't "sweep" with it. The metalbenders have her surrounded and could theoretically just swarm her to take her out with minimum casualties. Instead they wait until she picks them off one by one... |
| 76 | * MookLieutenant: Unalaq issues orders to a northern commander with a white beard, he can be seen taking away the rebels, and later advising Unalaq on their hideout. Even he seems unnerved by Desna and Eska. |
| 77 | * MoralityKitchenSink: There are some outright evil characters, but all of the series' major villains are [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well Intentioned Extremists]] who [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans genuinely believe that they are making the world a better place]]. While [[TheHero Korra]] and most of her allies are unquestionably good, a major part of her character arc is rejecting BlackAndWhiteMorality and understanding that [[VillainHasAPoint her enemies can have worthwhile ideas.]] |
| 78 | * MoreDiverseSequel: This show is more diverse than its predecessor when it comes to LGBT+ characters. Korra and Asami, who are seen holding hands and staring into each other's eyes at the end of the series on their way to the spirit world, are later confirmed in an interview to be bisexual. Other confirmed LGBTQ+ characters in the interview are Kya, Aang and Katara's daughter, and Aiwei. In contrast, none of the main characters in the predecessor are confirmed to be something other than straight. |
| 79 | * MotiveEqualsConclusiveEvidence: |
| 80 | ** Councilman Tarrlok uses the logic that "the terrorist Equalists are angry non-benders, therefore all these non-benders are Equalists". The crowd he refers to is made up of angry non-benders, but clearly aren't terrorists and non-violently protest Tarrlok's false accusation as unfair. Tarrlok uses their protests to reinforce this trope on them. |
| 81 | ** Unalaq accuses his brother Tonraq of conspiring to assassinate him. The judge states that there was a meeting where plans of a civil war was discussed, the meeting took place at Tonraq's home, and Tonraq is chief, and therefore he must be guilty. However, Korra knows her father is innocent because she was a direct witness to the event and Tonraq was not only absent from the assassination attempt, but had confessed sincerely to Korra that he had no intention of murdering his brother. [[spoiler: Unalaq knew all along that Tonraq was innocent and exploited this trope to have his brother found guilty and taken out of his way]]. |
| 82 | ** Northern Water Tribe members are suspected for bombing the Southern Water Tribe cultural center during a peaceful protest made by Southerners. Mako knows better, witnessing that the perpetrator was a firebender and identifying who he is as well as his affiliation with a bending triad. Other cops on the police force tell Mako to quit because it was clear that the Northerners did it. This poor judgement is portrayed as [[CorruptCop laziness on their part]]. |
| 83 | * MuggingTheMonster: In "Welcome to Republic City" Korra readily {{Exploit|ed Trope}}s a [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triple Threat Triad]] PowerTrio's utter ignorance of her identity and skills with BloodKnight zeal, baiting them into a CurbStompBattle. |
| 84 | -->'''Viper''': Who do you think you are?\ |
| 85 | '''Korra''': Why don't you come and find out? |
| 86 | * MuggleAndMagicalLoveTriangle: Mako is in one with Korra (magical) and Asami (normal). [[spoiler: They end up dating each other.]] |
| 87 | * MuggleBornOfMages: |
| 88 | ** Aang and Katara's first child, Bumi, is the non-bender of their three children. Opal Beifong is the ''only'' Beifong SpinOffspring established to definitively ''not'' be an earthbender. [[spoiler:Both end up subverting it when they're granted airbending by Harmonic Convergence.]] |
| 89 | ** Played straight with Baatar Jr., who we can reasonably assume is a non-bender. |
| 90 | * MuggleMageRomance: Like its predecessor, there are plenty of relationships between benders and non-benders, the most prominent being Tenzin and Pema. Eventually, we also have[[spoiler: Korra and Asami]]. |
| 91 | * MugglePower: The entire Equalist movement is based around establishing nonbenders in positions of power and eliminating the need for bending entirely, in response to the oppression of nonbenders by benders. [[spoiler:Despite the Equalist movement being defeated at the end of Book One, in Book Two, the council is disbanded in favour of open elections, leading to the election of a President who happens to be a non-bender.]] |
| 92 | * MugglesDoItBetter: The technology of the Equalists allows them to counteract all known bending disciplines, as well as giving them abilities which ''exceed'' bending. |
| 93 | * TheMunchausen: Bumi is constantly going on about the crazy adventures he had while he was still an active duty officer in the United Republics military. Subverted in that we are later shown one of his zany plans succeeding, implying that those stories may have actually happened as he told them after all. |
| 94 | * MundaneUtility: |
| 95 | ** Firebenders can be seen generating lightning for use at a power plant. |
| 96 | ** The Adventure Game on Nick.com reveals that Future Industries uses firebenders for welding. |
| 97 | ** Korra uses the phenomenal cosmic power of the [[SuperMode Avatar State]] to... win an air scooter race with Tenzin's kids. Tenzin is furious. |
| 98 | * MurderSuicide: [[spoiler:Tarrlok does to his brother, Amon, and himself at the end of Book One.]] |
| 99 | * MusicalisInterruptus: |
| 100 | ** See FandomNod above. As Katara begins her story, dramatic music starts in the background, only for it to abruptly stop when Ikki interrupts. |
| 101 | ** At the beginning of "A Voice in the Night," while Korra practices airbending forms after dinner, she has the radio on to some cheerful music. Halfway through, it is interrupted by a broadcast from Amon. |
| 102 | ** As Tenzin begins to explain to Korra the choices in life which lead to him choosing Pema [[spoiler: over Lin]] a serene, peaceful music wells up, only to break off with him sputtering "Why am I even ''telling'' you this?!" |
| 103 | * MutantDraftBoard: |
| 104 | ** When Tenzin fails to recruit any new airbenders with his sales pitches, Korra tries to forcibly conscript an airbender out of his mother's basement. It doesn't work. |
| 105 | ** [[spoiler: The Earth Kingdom had the real deal going, press-ganging all airbenders in Ba Sing Se into the army using the Dai Li.]] |
| 106 | * MutuallyExclusiveMagic: As in the original series, only the Avatar can bend all four elements, on account of being fused with the light spirit Raava. Everyone else can only bend one. In the case of children of mixed heritage, they may inherit either one, [[MuggleBornOfMages or none at all]], but never both. |
| 107 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: |
| 108 | ** Based on his facial expression, [[spoiler:Zaheer]] gets a subtle one in "Beyond the Wilds" when he hears he [[spoiler:is indirectly responsible for the rise of the worst dictator the Earth Kingdom has ever seen]]. He starts to make amends by helping Korra to overcome her spiritual block. |
| 109 | ** Bataar Jr. experiences this after [[spoiler: Kuvira intentionally nearly kills him in an attempt to kill Korra]]. He expresses his guilt and confusion to Su and worries that his family will never forgive him. |
| 110 | * MyParentsAreDead: In "The Revelation", Mako snaps at Korra when she comments she has people to take care of her, and his brother Bolin explains to Korra that they have been orphaned for quite some time. Later, Mako elaborates further, revealing to Korra that at age eight, he witnessed his parents' murder during a mugging by a [[PlayingWithFire firebender]]. |
| 111 | * MysticalLotus: The Red Lotus is something of an EvilCounterpart to the mystics of the White Lotus, being a group of anarchist terrorists who wish to destroy all nations. The most prominent members are all extremely proficient in bending and use either a rare or unique style. Zaheer, the leader, is highly spiritual and reads airbender teachings. Following [[spoiler:P'li's death, he loses all earthly attachments, enabling him to truly fly]]. |
| 112 | * MythologyGag: In "A Breath of Fresh Air", Meelo forces Bumi to airbend at the dinner table by hurling a plate at him. This is very similar to how the original Bumi caused Aang (Bumi's father/Meelo's grandfather) to expose himself as an airbender in "The King of Omashu" in [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender the original series]]. |
| 113 | [[/folder]] |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[folder:N]] |
| 116 | * NatureVersusTechnology: In the 60 years since the end of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', the bending world has become even more advanced, with automobiles, radio, and lightning benders working in power plants in major cities. While the show isn't anti-technology, it does argue for more of a balance: |
| 117 | ** In Season 1, the naturally-talented benders are antagonized by nonbender Equalists, who use technology to fight on a more even playing field with opponents, bringing them to their leader to remove their bending. While this is treated as wrong, especially when the Equalist tech becomes overpowered, [[spoiler:Asami]] also makes use of tech weapons to defend her bending friends. In addition, Korra is able to connect with her bending more through modern pro-bending than through Tenzin's super-spiritual techniques, which gets him to ease up on his rules of Korra living a totally modern-free monk lifestyle. |
| 118 | ** In Season 2, Unalaq argues that due to this rapid progress, the world has lost touch with the spirits and with nature, blaming the spirits' attack the Southern Water Tribe on the sacred Glacier Spirits Festival becoming commercialized. [[spoiler:While it turns out this was Unalaq's fault, since he sided with the literal force of darkness that caused the spirits to become less peaceful, Korra reconnecting with the spirit of light makes her see VillainHasAPoint, and she leaves the spirit portals open rather than close them back so that the world can reconnect with the spirits and with nature.]] |
| 119 | ** Season 3 sees the results of Korra's decision at the end of Season 2. [[spoiler:While Republic City struggles with the inconvenience of the spirit vines retaking parts of the city and blaming it on Korra, non-benders around the world start gaining the ability to airbend, correcting the imbalance that had been present since the Air Nomads were wiped out 160 years before. Thus, Korra turns her back on Republic City and travels to rebuild the Air Nation.]] |
| 120 | ** In Season 4, when [[spoiler:Kuvira]] creates a tech weapon that is powered by spirit vines, ordering her troops to harvest them to the point of near-extinction, [[spoiler:the spirit vines start fighting back, not just against the troops, but against all humans.]] |
| 121 | * NeutralityBacklash: Unalaq convinces Korra that remaining neutral in the conflict between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes is the proper role of the Avatar. When she tries to mitigate a stand-off between between some Northern troops and Southern civilians, the Southern children the whole thing started over label her "the worst Avatar ever." |
| 122 | * NeverGoingBackToPrison: All of the four main Red Lotus characters feel this way. [[spoiler:When it looks like Ghazan will be defeated by Mako and Bolin, he kills himself rather than be captured and return to jail.]] Their prisons were worst than most, to be fair. |
| 123 | * NeverMyFault: When Raava explained the FantasticRacism between spirits and humans were due to Spirits essentially taking over the world and confining the humans to a few isolated cites she went on to call human selfish and self centered when after generations of being confined to lion turtles they forgot that there were others out there. |
| 124 | ** Varrick is called out on this habit by Asami that ''everything'' he does wrong is "allegedly" and only around the end of the series does he come around. |
| 125 | ** As "Remembrances" [[TakeThatUs gleefully]] points out, this has been Mako's M.O. throughout the series, specifically when it comes to his romantic foibles (ex. trying to deny ''ever'' dating Asami,) and his weak denials of them in the present. |
| 126 | * NeverSayDie: [[ZigZaggedTrope It goes back and forth]] between episodes. Sometimes it feels like they go out of their way to not say "die" or "kill", and other times they just outright say it. |
| 127 | ** Eska and Desna say the words expired and perish, but this is only because they like talking in SpockSpeak. |
| 128 | ** In Book 3, there's the rather grisly on-screen death of [[spoiler:the Earth Queen, who died by asphyxiation]], but the show conspicuously uses eupsemisms like "took out" or "brought down" to refer to the event afterward. And yet, just one episode later, Bumi and Kya observe that they are going to die when [[spoiler:the Red Lotus attacks the Northern Air Temple]]. Two episodes later, Korra even says to Zaheer, [[spoiler:"You killed my father!"]]. |
| 129 | ** In Book 4, one of the heroes attempts to assassinate the BigBad in their sleep, yet everyone chooses terminilogy like "taken out" or "put an end to this" [[note]]Made more jarring when just two books prior, the BigBad of that season accuses the heroes for attemptng to assassinate him, and it was called as such then[[/note]]. Then in the finale, after [[spoiler:Kuvira and Korra get transported to the Spirit World]], the former just asks the latter, "Are we... dead?". |
| 130 | * NeverTrustATrailer: |
| 131 | ** "The Spirit of Competition" looked as if it would focus completely on the pro-bending tournament, but was really an episode about the LoveDodecahedron. |
| 132 | ** The trailer for the Book 1 finale had a blatant lie. The trailer showed a clip with Amon saying that he would rid the world of bending forever that night. It's actually an edited clip of him promising to [[spoiler:rid the world of ''air''bending]], which would have betrayed the plot twist. |
| 133 | ** The first clip released of Book 4 is set not long after the end of Book 3, making it seem as if the series would pick up right where the last season left off. The official trailer, released not long after, then revealed that Book 4 actually has a three year timeskip, putting that clip into context as a flashback. |
| 134 | * NewEraSpeech: |
| 135 | ** Amon gives one of these at an Equalist rally where he publicly humiliates benders on stage in order to incite non-benders to take action and upset the social order. |
| 136 | ** Korra gives one at the end of Book 2 about how spirits and humans can live in peace. |
| 137 | ** At the start of Book 3, Zaheer gives a monologue about how he can use his new Airbending abilities to change the world for what he feels to be the better. |
| 138 | * NGOSuperpower: The Equalists have an truly incredible amount of resources for a revolutionary organization. By the end of the first season, they've built an army large enough to take over Republic City in one day and easily fight off the United Forces' counterattack. They can field airships, motorcycles, armored cars, MiniMecha, and ''an Air Force'', while also having huge hidden factories and airfields to manufacture, store and maintain them all. Justified because they're bankrolled by [[spoiler:Future Industries]], which has those kinds of resources at its disposal. |
| 139 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: |
| 140 | ** Lin Beifong voluntarily resigns from the police force due to her failures to curb the Equalist threat. However, that allows Tarrlok to manipulate the new chief of police. |
| 141 | ** In the start of season 2, [[spoiler: Korra's quickness to trust and help her uncle ends up giving him just what he needs to launch an invasion.]] |
| 142 | ** In Beginnings, [[spoiler: Wan uses his firebending to stop Raava and Vaatu from fighting, freeing the spirit of darkness to wreak havoc on the world.]] |
| 143 | ** Leaving the Spirit Portals open sounded like a good idea, right? Wrong. Turns out that Zaheer gained the ability to airbend, got himself out of jail, and reform the Red Lotus. It later on led to Kuvira's army being able to create spirit weapons, which caused disruption in certain areas in Republic City. |
| 144 | ** "Long Live The Queen" has Korra and Asami attempt to commandeer an airship. During the fight with the captain and co-pilot, Korra slams them into the dashboard so hard that she smashes the steering wheel and the radio, causing the ship to crash in the desert. |
| 145 | ** Suyin [[spoiler: killing P'Li]] in "Enter the Void" turned out to be this since [[spoiler: Zaheer's love for P'Li was his last earthly tether. With her dead, he is able to become the first airbender in thousands of years to achieve the power of flight, which allows him to escape with Korra.]] |
| 146 | ** Suyin again, between books 3 and 4: her refusal of Tenzan and Raiko's request to help bring stability back to the Earth Kingdom leaves open the door for Kuvira to take the job instead. Suyin also acts offended that they even asked her at all, implying she believes the request itself is immoral and no one should accept it, but offers no alternative suggestions for what could be done about a very real crisis, and basically disowns Kuvira for having accepted the job, creating strong animosity between them. |
| 147 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: |
| 148 | ** In "Out of the Past", Korra is solidly trapped in a metal cage, unable to break herself out, and is only freed [[spoiler:when the Equalists try and fail to subdue her and capture her themselves]]. |
| 149 | ** When Tenzin first learns that airbenders are returning in season 3, he has a hard time recruiting people to rebuild the air nation until [[spoiler: he rescues the air benders kept prisoner by the Earth Queen]]. |
| 150 | ** Zaheer [[spoiler: killing the [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Earth Queen and injecting Korra with mercury poison for her to recover after 3 years]]]] ends up leading to an even more [[MagnificentBastard dangerous]] [[PuttingOnTheReich tyrant]] (Kuvira) taking control. Korra even ''thanked him'' for creating Kuvira's rise to power. Oops? |
| 151 | ** Ghazan lavabending the entire Northern Air Temple has led to Bolin, while escaping, to inadvertently learn how to lavabend. Looks like [[HoistByHisOwnPetard that didn't go well for Ghazan the next time they fought]]. |
| 152 | * NoCartoonFish: |
| 153 | ** Practically every animal in the series is a [[MixAndMatchCritters Mix-and-Match Critter]]... except the plain old fish Korra catches in the first chapter. |
| 154 | ** Season two's third episode subverts this. Bolin explains that Eska will freeze him in a block of ice and feed him to dolphin-piranhas if he tries to break up with her. |
| 155 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: While not closely visually related to their historical equivalents, some characters share features of famous people of the World War era (with one or two more modern examples). |
| 156 | ** Varrick's eccentric mannerisms, quick temper, and business layout are very similar to that of American media mogul William Randolph Hearst. In "Peacemakers", he furthers the similarities by openly filming the civil war and splicing it with fake footage to make it propaganda, a practice Hearst used in the Mexican theatre of WWI. |
| 157 | ** Varrick can also be seen as an expy of Howard Hughes, since both men were incredibly prolific and highly eccentric inventors. Hughes was also a well known film tycoon and businessman. |
| 158 | ** The Earth Queen is a dead ringer for the Empress Dowager [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Dowager_Cixi Cixi]], known for her conservatism, autocratic rule, and - according to even the most charitable accounts - her immense wastefulness. |
| 159 | ** After getting his head shaved, Zaheer bears a striking resemblance to his voice actor Music/HenryRollins. |
| 160 | ** Hiroshi Sato after some years in jail looks a lot like Hayao Miyazaki. |
| 161 | * NoEndorHolocaust: Averted and played straight, but justified, in the final episodes. Averted in that the destruction caused by [[spoiler:Kuvira's giant robot laser canon]] and the attempts to stop it is shown completely in all its horrifying glory. Played straight in that no civilians are killed in the fighting, which is justified because the protagonists spend several episodes evacuating [[spoiler:Republic City]] before the fighting starts in earnest. |
| 162 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: The guard aboard the Earth Kingdom airship, who is genuinely nice to Asami, suffers this. She proceeds to use his kindness to escape and clobber him, which leads on to Korra crashing the airship. |
| 163 | * NonHumanSidekick: |
| 164 | ** Korra's polar-bear dog, Naga. |
| 165 | ** Bolin has a Fire Ferret buddy called Pabu. |
| 166 | ** Wan's cat deer, Mula. |
| 167 | ** Bumi has a pet dragonfly-bunny called Bumi Junior, or Bum-Ju. |
| 168 | * NonstandardCharacterDesign: The spirits that appear in book two have a noticeably different art and animation style. |
| 169 | * NoRangeLikePointBlankRange: [[spoiler:When Amon restrains him with bloodbending, Mako blasts him with lightning at point-blank range.]] [[ContractualBossImmunity Naturally, he is unharmed.]] |
| 170 | * NoSell: |
| 171 | ** Flashbacks in "Out of the Past" show that, in the [[SuperMode Avatar State]], [[spoiler: bloodbending has little effect at all upon Aang]]. |
| 172 | ** Amon has the ability to [[spoiler:simply shrug off bloodbending with little more than a few jittery steps, and it is later revaled that he is a ''better'' bloodbender]]. |
| 173 | ** Pretty much anyone fighting against Ghazan. |
| 174 | --->'''Bolin:''' I can't beat this guy! It's like I'm giving him ammo! |
| 175 | * NotAnAct: Mako and Bolin are held captive by Bolin's sort-of fiancee Eska and her brother Desna as Unalaq fuses with the evil spirit Vaatu. Bolin starts blubbering that he and Eska will never be together if the world is destroyed, prompting Eska to kiss and release him (as Mako and Desna share an "are you seeing this too?" look). As Mako and Bolin escape, Mako congratulates Bolin on his acting skills. Bolin mumbles something like "[[SureLetsGoWithThat yeah... acting...]]" and sheds a SingleTear. |
| 176 | * NotBad: In "A Leaf in the Wind" [[TheStoic stoic]] Mako sincerely offers this compliment when Korra successfully follows Bolin's pro-bending advice. It [[ComplimentBackfire backfires]], as she assumes she has been DamnedByFaintPraise, to Mako's confusion. |
| 177 | -->'''Mako:''' ''What?'' I [[LampshadeHanging said]] "Not bad." |
| 178 | * NotMeThisTime: |
| 179 | ** In Book One, Tarrlok kidnaps Korra and frames the Equalists for it, leading the heroes to attack an Equalist base. The Equalists end up going after Tarrlok and trying to kidnap Korra for real. |
| 180 | ** In Book Two, Future Industries shipments bound for the Southern Water Tribe are intercepted by waterbenders assumed to be working for Unalaq. [[spoiler:They're actually working for Varrick, who is trying to bankrupt Future Industries so he can buy a controlling interest.]] |
| 181 | ** Book 3 has Korra and Asami be captured by an earthbender while running away from Ghazan. Turns out said earthbender [[spoiler: was working for the Earth Queen.]] |
| 182 | * NotNowKiddo: In Book Two, Mako is a rookie police officer and a beat cop, and Chief Beifong does not prove amenable to him acting like a detective or bypassing the chain of command, especially not when [[ConflictBall listening to him and working with him might have the whole case wrapped up]]. |
| 183 | * NotSoDifferentRemark: |
| 184 | ** In chapter eight, Tarrlok compares Korra to himself this way, saying they both use force to get what they want. It is promptly turned on him when Korra states that his actions towards non-benders makes him no better than Amon, making his eye twitch in fury. |
| 185 | ** Deconstructed in "The Coronation" when Bolin tries to defend Kuvira's actions by saying that she's just like Korra. Mako, and presumably the audience, is extremely skeptical. Reconstructed in the Book 4 finale, when Korra herself admits she and Kuvira are ''very'' alike. Korra uses this realization to better understand Kuvira's motives. |
| 186 | ** Tonraq tries to argue against Unalaq's [[WillingChanneler willing surrender to Vaatu]] by appealing to his love for his children: He is Desna and Eska's father, so how can he let them down this way by throwing away his humanity and becoming a monster? Unalaq replies that he will be no less human than Tonraq's own daughter Korra, who already has the spirit of Raava inside her, and yet is not generally considered a monster. |
| 187 | * NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Averted. |
| 188 | ** When Korra freefalls from hundreds of feet in the air, Chief Beifong does not catch her. She extends a [[VariableLengthChain metallic cable]], allowing Korra to swing down and slow her descent more gradually and safely. |
| 189 | ** Whenever Korra jumps into the water, she creates a water spout to slow her descent. |
| 190 | ** In a more [[PlayedForLaughs humorous]] example, when Bumi falls off a cliff and [[spoiler: catches himself just short of impact with his new-found airbending]], he notes that falling three feet onto the hard ground and landing on your face still hurts quite a lot. |
| 191 | * NoodleIncident: God only knows what happened when Tenzin and Lin broke up, but given the look on her face it must have been epic. |
| 192 | * NothingIsTheSameAnymore: The second season ends with some pretty major shake-ups to the status quo. [[spoiler:Unalaq opens the portals between the spirit and mortal world, and they stay open. Spirits and humans can intermingle freely again, and will have to learn to get along. The previous Avatar Cycle has been destroyed, so Korra can no longer get help from her past lives. Finally, Korra and Mako permanently break up on amicable terms.]] |
| 193 | * NoYou |
| 194 | ** In "Welcome to Republic City" Korra is not that good with the verbal wit when engaging a member of the local MugglePower movement. |
| 195 | --->'''Protestor:''' [[ElementalPowers Benders]] like ''this girl'' only use their power to oppress [[{{Muggle}} us]]!\ |
| 196 | '''Korra:''' What? I'm not oppressing anyone! You--You're oppressing ''yourselves!''\ |
| 197 | '''Protestor:''' That didn't even make sense! |
| 198 | ** In "The Spirit of Competition," an unhappy Bolin gets one, but he has the excuse of being "[[DrunkOnMilk drunk]]" on his ComfortFood: |
| 199 | --->'''Mako:''' I told you that dating a teammate was a bad idea.\ |
| 200 | '''Bolin:''' ''You're'' a bad idea! |
| 201 | ** "Rebel Spirit" gives us yet another younger-sibling example: |
| 202 | --->'''Ikki:''' I wanna get tattoos! But instead of arrows, I want lightning bolts! |
| 203 | --->'''Jinora:''' You can't get lightning bolts. That doesn't make any sense. |
| 204 | --->'''Ikki:''' You don't make any sense! |
| 205 | ** A more serious variant comes when Unalaq, of all people, questions Tenzin's parenting skills - see InsultBackfire. |
| 206 | ** In "Peacekeepers." |
| 207 | --->'''Korra''': I can't be around you when you're like this!\ |
| 208 | '''Mako''': [[LameComeback ...you're the one who's like this!]] |
| 209 | ** Korra does a bad job describing her conversation with Zaheer, leading to this exchange: |
| 210 | -->'''Korra:''' You have to let me out! The Earth Queen is in danger from a group of terrorists calling themselves the Red Lotus. I talked to one of them in the Spirit World yesterday. He's insane!\ |
| 211 | '''Captain:''' Screaming about terrorists in the Spirit World? ''You're'' the one that sounds insane. |
| 212 | [[/folder]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[folder:O]] |
| 215 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Varrick pretends to be a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, but he's very clever. He exploits the civil war between the Southern and Northern Water Tribes to increase tensions and make it more favorable to war profiteering, at the same time covertly sabotaging Asami's struggling company so he can buy it out. Either that, or he really ''is'' a CloudCuckoolander who simply has no scruples whatsoever when it comes to making money and knows how to use his eccentricities to distract people from the fact that he's manipulating them.]] |
| 216 | * ObliviouslyEvil: Bolin works for Kuvira in Book 4, under the pretense that she is bringing peace to the Earth Kingdom, ignorant of her ruthlessness and her need for absolute control. |
| 217 | * ObviousRulePatch: Pro-bending didn't take into account what would happen if the Avatar became a player. The referees allowed Korra to continue, but only as long as she bent a single element. |
| 218 | * OfficialCouple: |
| 219 | ** Originally, Mako and Korra's relationship was the primary romantic focus of the show, though over time it becomes less relevant. |
| 220 | ** As of the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:Korra and Asami]] have become this, as [[WordOfGod confirmed by]] [[http://mikedimartinostory.com/2014/12/22/korrasami-confirmed/ Mike]] and [[http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace Bryan]] |
| 221 | * OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In "The Spirit of Competition", all we hear of the Wolf-Bats fight is some noise of the hits and the buzzer going off every few seconds. When we look back at them, they won their match in the first round and their opponents are being carried out on stretchers, indicating how brutal the Wolf-Bats' methods are. |
| 222 | * OffscreenTeleportation: Special points to Tenzin in "A Leaf in the Wind" for ''somehow'' making it from Air Temple Island to the Pro Bending Ring in the ''30 seconds'' between the match resuming and Korra getting knocked into the pool below. Airbenders travel ''fast''. |
| 223 | * OhCrap: |
| 224 | ** In "A Leaf in the Wind" the White Lotus guards SpitTake when they are listening to the radio and learn that Korra is playing in the pro-bending playoff. [[BerserkButton Cue Tenzin furiously storming off]] to the pro-bending arena to personally find Korra. |
| 225 | ** Tahno gets a moment when [[spoiler: the Equalists subdue him and Amon approaches him. We get a close up of his face just before Amon takes his bending]]. |
| 226 | ** [[spoiler:The new Chief of Police Saikhan gets one when he sees Councilman Tenzin coming into his station after Tarrlok ordered him to arrest Korra's friends and many innocent non-benders.]] |
| 227 | ** Korra when she realizes that [[spoiler:Tarrlok is a bloodbender and can do it without the full moon.]] |
| 228 | ** Tarrlok in chapter nine when [[spoiler:Amon demonstrates that he can resist bloodbending.]] |
| 229 | ** Amon gets a subtle one in the finale when [[spoiler:Korra calls him Noatak and he realizes she knows his true identity. Being CrazyPrepared, though, he deflects her accusations rather quickly. Later, when he is seen waterbending by everyone, he gets a much better one.]] |
| 230 | ** The Earth Queen, as she watches [[spoiler:Zaheer bending the air out of her lungs]]. |
| 231 | ** The outpost guards in "Kuvira's Gambit" can only stare in fear and confusion at [[spoiler:Kuvira's HumongousMecha emerging from the fog.]] They are DeerInTheHeadlights as Kuvira [[spoiler:fires her spirit weapon and completely destroys the outpost]]. Many similar moments occur as Kuvira makes her way to Republic City. |
| 232 | --->'''Bolin:''' I know what happens next! We gotta get out of here, now! Now! |
| 233 | ** Vaatu gets one despite not having a face when Wan permanently merges with Raava, visibly backing away from the newly formed Avatar; the dot of his diamond-shaped "eye" visibly shrinks to accentuate the effect. |
| 234 | * OminousLatinChanting: The Wolfbat's over the top entrance in "And the Winner Is..." comes complete with a choir chanting ominously in the background. |
| 235 | * OnceASeason: Someone calling Korra "the worst Avatar ever". [[HeroicSelfDeprecation Korra even does this to herself.]] |
| 236 | ** Mako using [[ShockAndAwe lightningbending]] at the end of a season, regardless of whether he's used it earlier in the same book as a FinishingMove: |
| 237 | *** In Book 1, [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe used it to hit]] Amon. |
| 238 | *** In Book 2, used it to HoldTheLine against Dark Spirits to protect Korra's body. |
| 239 | *** In Book 3, used it to [[spoiler: ''kill'' Ming-Hua in a do-or-die situation.]] |
| 240 | *** In Book 4, used it to [[spoiler: destroy the mass of spirit vines powering the Colossus.]] |
| 241 | * OnceMoreWithClarity: Throughout the series, Korra has visions of Aang in the past. In "Out of the Past", these scenes are shown again in context. |
| 242 | * OneNameOnly: In-universe, surnames are the exception instead of the rule, and tend to indicate wealth, as with Lin Beifong, and Hiroshi and Asami Sato, though CombatCommentator Shiro Shinobi also has a surname. |
| 243 | * TheOner: There is a very epic 21 second single shot in "[[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS3E13VenomOfTheRedLotus Venom of the Red Lotus]]" tracking [[spoiler:Zaheer flying at top speed while Korra chases and attacks him with earth and firebending; in the middle of the shot he stops, the camera passes him and turns around to watch him attack Korra]]. It's one of the most visually incredible moments of the show. |
| 244 | * OnTheRebound: Mako gets back together with [[OldFlame Asami]] in less than a week after breaking up with Korra, something Bolin calls him out on. |
| 245 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When Korra uncharacteristically refuses an offer to join an Equalist-hunting taskforce in favor of finishing her training, Tenzin correctly deduces that she's doing so out of fear rather than any sense of obligation. |
| 246 | ** When Tenzin, who normally [[ActualPacifist seeks non-violent solutions to problems]], has had his daughter kidnapped/[[spoiler:trapped in the Spirit World]], he becomes uncharacteristically keen on all-out military assault. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Kya: |
| 247 | -->'''Kya''': Whoa! Since when does my little brother want to crush or blast through anything? |
| 248 | * OpeningNarration: In the same style of the original. The demonstrative benders are the Avatars Kyoshi, Roku, Aang, and Korra. Tenzin inherits the speaking role from his mother. The "PreviouslyOn" segments use a sepia tone and a dramatic announcer, indicative of the era because of their great similarities to 1920's film. |
| 249 | ** The pilot differs slightly from the rest of the chapters, using a longer recap: |
| 250 | --->"Earth. Fire. Air. Water. When I was a boy, my father, Avatar Aang, told me the story of how he and his friends heroically ended the Hundred Year War. Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko transformed the Fire Nation colonies into the United Republic of Nations: a society where benders and non-benders from all over the world could live and thrive in peace and harmony. They named the capital of this great land Republic City. Avatar Aang accomplished many remarkable things in his life, but sadly his time in this world came to an end, and, like the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of the Avatar began anew." |
| 251 | ** Later chapters use a shorter narration and the demonstrative bending is sped up: |
| 252 | --->"Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world." |
| 253 | ** In chapter seven, Tarrlok replaces the announcer in the PreviouslyOn segment, which is also changed to a press conference recap instead of the film style of the previous chapters (though the sepia tone is kept). |
| 254 | * OpposingSportsTeam: The Wolf Bats are a group of cheating jerks that are established champs, in contrast to the honest underdogs of the main characters' team of choice, the Fire Ferrets. |
| 255 | * OppositesAttract: |
| 256 | ** Hot-headed waterbender Korra and cool-headed firebender Mako. |
| 257 | ** [[spoiler:Also the case with the tomboyish, technologically-stunted, Boisterous Bruiser Master-Of-All-Four-Elements Korra, and the feminine, Wrench Wench Ojou, non-bender Asami]] |
| 258 | * OrangeBlueContrast: |
| 259 | ** The pro-bending arena is divided between an orange half and a blue half. Interestingly, the protagonists tend to fight on the blue half while the opposing teams stick to the orange half. |
| 260 | ** During the fight in "The Stakeout," Mako's fire bending and Ghazan's lava bending contrast with the cool blue nighttime pallet of the background and Ming Hua's water bending, creating a stunning visual effect. |
| 261 | * OrbitalShot: Used in "The Revelation" when Korra and Mako are fighting some chi-blockers. |
| 262 | * OrderVersusChaos: |
| 263 | ** This is a battle that Vaatu (Chaos) and Raava (Order) must fight every 10,000 years during Harmonic Convergence. |
| 264 | ** More subtly, Book Three's villain Zaheer is an anarchist and Book 4's villain Kuvira is a dictator. Zaheer is fighting order (in the form of formal governments) while Kuvira is fighting the chaos that erupted after Zaheer's uprising. Both of them briefly help Korra take down the other. |
| 265 | ** Doubling as a RedOniBlueOni couple, this can be said of Korra and Mako. Korra represents freedom-based chaos, as she is carefree, rebellious, and hardly does things by the book. Mako is an officer of the law who stands for logical order, favoring control and oversight. |
| 266 | * OrganicTechnology: The Earth Empire devises a FantasticNuke by harnessing the power of spirit vines. [[spoiler:The robotic Colossus itself is powered by an enormous clump of spirit vines that are even arranged to resemble a brain.]] |
| 267 | * OrgyOfEvidence: In "The Terror Within", [[TheMole Aiwei]] sets this up on a random guard when investigating how the villains infiltrated the ironclad-security city of Zaofu and almost succeeded in abducting Korra. It sets off Mako's suspicion first, since it's his job as a police detective back at Republic City. |
| 268 | * OriginsEpisode: The "Beginnings" two-parter, which explains the early history of the world and the origin of the very first Avatar. |
| 269 | * OurFounder: |
| 270 | ** Republic City has a massive, Art/StatueOfLiberty-esque monument to Aang, one of the city's co-founders, in Yue Bay. His face is also printed on the Yuan. |
| 271 | ** Toph, inventor of metalbending and establisher of the force, has a ''gold'' statue at Police Headquarters. |
| 272 | *** In Zaofu, she has two statues, one of which has her in Metal Clan garb and holding up the city's symbol. |
| 273 | ** Zuko has his own statue at Central City Station, with him holding up an eternal flame. |
| 274 | ** The [[RecurringExtra Cabbage Merchant]] has a statue in front of Cabbage Corp's main building, proudly holding a cabbage above his head. |
| 275 | ** Sokka had a statue in front of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. [[spoiler:Before it exploded.]] |
| 276 | * OurSoulsAreDifferent: "The Beginnings" demonstrates that spirits can fuse with humans temporarily, and in extreme cases bond souls forever. "Darkness Falls" shows that even this permanent bond can be destroyed by an outside force. |
| 277 | * OutOfFocus: |
| 278 | ** Korra's leaving the Spirit Portals open and her limited efforts to find a way for humans and spirits to live together are given only token attention in season 3, and are quickly pushed into the background by Zaheer with season 4 having it relegated to a footnote on a sideplot. |
| 279 | ** Asami gets the absolute ''worst'' of this as her sub-plots either get hijacked by other characters or just remain hers yet overshadowed by others. In Book 1, her being a non-bender rebelling against Hiroshi and the Equalists is put on the backburner compared to [[LoveTriangle Mako fawning over Korra and ignoring Asami until the penultimate episode to officially break up.]] In Book 2, besides being unseen for 4 episodes, her sub-plot to save her company ends up being commandeered by Mako ''then'' Bolin while she [[OnTheRebound rebounds]] with the former and literally ''spectates'' watching the latter do the job for her instead of helping out. Book 3 makes up for previous [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds romantic mess]] by becoming closer to Korra, but still has less individual screentime and lines than Mako. And finally, Book 4 gives her the most sub-plots she's ever had and even more than the rest of the team yet Mako ''still'' gets more screentime/lines as well as getting overshadowed and has such little amount of screentime that even supporting character, ''[[spoiler: Varrick]]'' is more focused on than her. |
| 280 | ** The Fire Nation and its royal family are give much less prominence than in the first show. Korra only very briefly visits the country in season 2 after Iroh tells her to go talk to his mother, Fire Lord Izumi, because he can’t help her. She gets attacked by a spirit on the way to see Izumi and then leaves right after she wakes up from a coma in a temple. As for the royal family, Iroh is a fairly prominent side character in season 1 but doesn’t show up too much after that. Zuko appears in season 3 and in a cameo in season 4 but given that he’s pushing 90 pre-TimeSkip, he’s not in the action very much. Izumi appears in a cameo in the same episode with Zuko and gets to speak a few episodes later. She’s onscreen for, at most, three minutes in the entire show. She and Korra never directly interact and we never see any members of the family interact either. She also has a daughter who they couldn’t fit into the show and who her husband (if she’s even married) and mother are also never explained. It's never even been confirmed whether or not she's a bender. The InUniverse given for this is that Zuko and Izumi are somewhat isolationist. Izumi and her daughter were supposed to have a bigger role in season 4 but they got cut for a lack of time when an episode got cut out of the budget. |
| 281 | %%* OverworkInducedIllness: In "Old Wounds," Aiwei points that Lin, who is taking checking defenses as if she were at work physically unwell from stress. This turns out to be correct, despite [[JerkassHasAPoint Aiwei being a traitor]], and she collapses near the episode's end. |
| 282 | [[/folder]] |
| 283 | |
| 284 | [[folder:P]] |
| 285 | * PairTheSuitors: The first season features a love triangle between Korra, Asami and their mutual love interest Mako. Both girls date, and later break up with, him at different points in the show. [[spoiler: The series finale ends with Korra and Asami becoming a couple.]] |
| 286 | * ParentalAbandonment: Mako and Bolin, whose parents [[spoiler:were murdered when the brothers were eight and seven, respectively]]. They had to take care of themselves at a young age while living on the streets. Mako, in particular, took on the [[PromotionToParent parenting role]]. |
| 287 | * ParentalFavoritism: |
| 288 | ** Apparently Aang spent much more time with Tenzin than with his non-airbender children, to the point of taking him on vacations conveniently without the rest of their family. |
| 289 | ** Lin alleges that Toph letting Suyin off the hook for scarring her and breaking the law is this. |
| 290 | * PardonMyKlingon: "What the flameo happened here?" |
| 291 | * PeoplePuppets: |
| 292 | ** Bloodbending, like in the previous series. [[spoiler:Yakone, Tarrlok, and Amon have the added benefit of not needing a full moon to do it.]] |
| 293 | ** While bloodbending was only used at most on a couple people simultaneously in the previous series, [[spoiler:Yakone, Amon and Tarrlok are shown to be capable of manipulating several benders/nonbenders all at once.]] |
| 294 | ** [[spoiler:Yakone]] takes the cake by far. He could bloodbend a courtroom full of people, simultaneously, on broad daylight and using only his face. It's no wonder that Aang decided to [[spoiler:permanently take his bending away]]. In a very real way he was more powerful than Ozai [[SuperMode during the comet]]! |
| 295 | * PerpetualStorm: There was a blizzard at the South Pole that lasted decades, known as the Everstorm. |
| 296 | * PersonAsVerb: An angry Varrick coined two in the same sentence: [[spoiler:"Zhu Li'd"]] for an act of betrayal, and [[spoiler:"Varricked"]] for suicide by FantasticNuke. |
| 297 | * PetTheDog: After finding Naga and Pabu in visible distress, Lin gets annoyed, as always, when they get too affectionate towards her. Then she hands them a piece of seal jerky which does a great job of cheering them up. |
| 298 | * PhysicalMysticalTechnological: |
| 299 | ** Of Team Avatar, Korra herself is the obviously the Mystical, being the Avatar and having strong connections with the Spirit World, though she prefers using more aggressive Bending styles like Earth and Fire than the more spiritually-driven Air. Bolin is the Physical because he's a strong Earthbender (who later on learns the insanely powerful Lavabending), but doesn't have much in terms of Spirit connection. Asami is the Technological, as she's a non-bender who relies on technology, machines and being a CombatPragmatist to hold her own against bender enemies. |
| 300 | ** Each ArcVillain also follows the theme: Amon is the Physical, as he fights enemies head-on and erases their power, Unalaq and Zaheer are the Mystical, as Unalaq is a powerful Waterbender with connections with the Spirit Realm, and later forms a pact with the evil god Vaatu, while Zaheer is an ascetic Airbender anarchist obsessed with Air Nomad culture and mysticism, whose intense meditation gives him the power to fly freely. Kuvira is the Technological, as her army uses lots of hi-tech weapons and machines including a giant spirit-powered cannon and a HumongousMecha. Subverted with Zaheer, as he tends to use his spiritually-driven Airbending to fight up close instead of being a SquishyWizard. |
| 301 | * PhysicalTherapyPlot: At the end of Book 3, Korra gets poisoned with mercury and nearly dies. Though the direct danger is eliminated when [[spoiler: the majority of]] the substance is removed from her system by metalbenders, she is left stuck to a wheelchair and [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome severely traumatised]]. In Book 4, a WholeEpisodeFlashback shows how she struggles through re-validation, Even when she is able to walk again, her [=PTSD=] still severely impacts her bending capabilities. |
| 302 | * PlotParallel: Ikki's relationship with her brother and sister parallels Tenzin's relationship with his siblings. When Tenzin finds Ikki, they both praise the merits of the other's siblings in a way to put things in perspective. |
| 303 | * PlotRelevantAgeUp: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]: Korra's lack of experience in spiritual matters means she [[spoiler:regresses to childhood within a few minutes of entering the Spirit World. After she learns some useful life lessons and rescues a baby dragon-bird, she returns to her current age.]] |
| 304 | * PoliceAreUseless: Zig-zagged: in general the police are quickly taken down in their first fight against the Equalists, but they were ambushed by mooks wielding weapons specifically developed to be used against them, and tend to improve after experience. As for individuals, they range from [[DefectiveDetective utter incompetents]] [[DonutMessWithACop like Lu and Gang]], to utter badasses like Lin, who is herself sometimes blinded by short temper and stubbornness. |
| 305 | * PortalNetwork: |
| 306 | ** The Spirit World portals can be used for near-instantaneous travel between the poles, as well as between the physical and spirit worlds. Unalaq's ultimate goal is [[spoiler: initially assumed to be]] to use them to unite the Water Tribes. |
| 307 | ** [[spoiler:Korra creates a new spirit portal in the middle of Republic City in the series finale, after bending the out-of-control energy of Kuvira's spirit vine cannon.]] |
| 308 | * PottyEmergency: |
| 309 | ** In season 4, Korra is in a unisex bathroom healing some injuries when a man interrupts really needing it. Korra stops and lets him in. |
| 310 | ** In another instance, Prince Wu goes to use the bathroom in a restaurant and ends up getting kidnapped. [[BrickJoke After he is saved, he rushes off to use the bathroom since he never got to go the first time.]] |
| 311 | * PowersAsPrograms: Bending worked this way in the era before the Avatar. Lion turtles would give people bending powers to protect themselves and then took them back when they were no longer needed. Before he became the Avatar, Wan could only use one bending art at a time and had to have Raava switch them out for him. |
| 312 | * PoweredArmor: After three years and some upgrades, Varrick armed Kuvira's army with these. While smaller than the Mecha Tanks used in the first two seasons, they are faster and more agile while also armed with [[KillItWithFire Flamethrowers]] and [[ShockAndAwe Lightning guns]]. |
| 313 | * PowerProfitPotential: [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraMako Mako]] finds a side gig getting paid to generate electricity with his ShockAndAwe powers. This is also the primary reason he competes in the superpowered "Pro-Bending" sports matches. |
| 314 | * PowerTrio: |
| 315 | ** Korra, Mako, and Bolin as the pro-bending team the Fire Ferrets. This extends to their [[ElementalPowers bending]] itself (Water, Earth, Fire), ChromaticArrangement / ElementalEyeColors ([[ColorCodedForYourConvenience Blue, Red, Green]]), ''and'' their setup as a FreudianTrio (TheMcCoy, TheSpock, TheKirk). |
| 316 | ** The Triple Threat Triad grunts deliberately {{Invoke|d Trope}} this with their [[JustifiedTrope team of three]], an Earth, Fire and Waterbender. In this case, "power" is a relative term: Korra kicks their butts with ease, using their respective elements against them. |
| 317 | * PracticeTargetOverkill: When the Spirit Cannon is first tested, it puts a hole clear through a mountain. |
| 318 | * PreAssKickingOneLiner: |
| 319 | ** Amon: "It is time for you to be Equalized." |
| 320 | ** Jinora: "Stay away from my dad's ex-girlfriend!" |
| 321 | ** Raava: "We are bonded forever." |
| 322 | ** Unalaq: [[EvilCounterpart "We are now one."]] |
| 323 | * PrecociousCrush: Meelo has one on Asami. Jinora and Ikki also refer to Mako as "cute" or "dreamy," though that's at least partly just to tease Korra. |
| 324 | * PretenderDiss: Tarrlok brings up Aang's defeat of a man named Yakone 42 years before the start of the series during his speech calling for an anti-Amon task force, resulting in... |
| 325 | -->'''Tenzin''': This is a completely different situation, and how ''dare'' you compare yourself to Avatar Aang! |
| 326 | * PreventTheWar: In season 1, Korra tries to defuse the Equalist/Bender conflict, and season two she tries to stop the Northern and Southern Water Tribes from fighting. |
| 327 | * PreviouslyOn: Narrated by CombatCommentator Shiro Shinobi, in the style of a sepia-toned 20s-era movie serial with melodramatic background music. |
| 328 | * {{Pride}}: A flaw for a number of characters, namely the title character herself. |
| 329 | * PrincelingRivalry: [[BrainsEvilBrawnGood Tonraq as the strong first born, and Unalaq as the smart plotting second born]]. Unalaq tricks Tonraq into getting himself banished, thus becoming the King in the North, while Tonraq still became a pretty high ranking member of the South. [[spoiler: After experimenting in the Spirit World, and his treachery being unveiled, Unalaq becomes stronger than Tonraq too and actually engages and defeats him in a proper duel.]] |
| 330 | * PrizedPossessionGiveaway: In the episode "The Earth Queen", Mako gifts his beloved scarf (the last link to his deceased father that he owns) to his long-lost grandmother after reuniting with her, saying his parents would want her to have it. |
| 331 | * ProductPlacement: In-universe only. |
| 332 | ** During the bender battle where Bolin vomits over the side, narrator Shiro decides to mention their sponsor Flamey-O noodles. |
| 333 | ** Discussed during the filming of the propaganda movie to draw attention to the Southern Water Tribe invasion. Ginger is shown applying her hair dye in the movie, and it'll sell rapidly after it airs. |
| 334 | * PsychoRangers: The Red Lotus are, in essence, a team of [[EvilCounterpart Evil Counterparts]] to Team Avatar. |
| 335 | * PuppyLove: Season 3 [[ShipTease devotes multiple scenes]] to the crush Jinora harbors towards fellow Airbender Kai, with them both being around 11 years old. [[spoiler:In season 4, it's directly stated the two [[OfficialCouple got in a long-distance relationship]] during the 3-year timeskip]]. |
| 336 | * PurityPersonified: Applies, obviously, to Raava, the spirit of light and peace, but also to [[spoiler: Jinora]], whose innocence and intimacy with the spirits lead to her [[spoiler: fusing with the Korra-{{Kaiju}} to help her defeat Vaatu]]. |
| 337 | * PuttingTheBandBackTogether: Book 4 has Team Avatar having to reassemble again after going their separate ways for three years. |
| 338 | * PyrrhicVictory: |
| 339 | ** The Season 2 finale sees Korra restore the Spirits and end the war in the Water Tribe, but at a great cost to her abilities as an Avatar. [[spoiler: Korra saved the world from Unalaq and Vaatu, preventing darkness from engulfing and destroying the world as they know it, but also broke the previous Avatar cycle in the battle. This winds up costing her ''ten thousand years worth'' of skills and knowledge built up in the lives of previous avatars, as well as apparently permanently destroying the spirits of those previous Avatars, including ''Aang.'']] |
| 340 | ** Book 3 finale serves as one for both Korra and the BigBad, Zaheer. [[spoiler: It ends with Korra depressed, confined to a wheelchair owing to poisoning and with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Goes for the Red Lotus as well: they managed to dismantle the Earth Kingdom's government, the anarchy is slowly spreading, and they managed to badly break the Avatar even though she wasn't killed. However, they lost three of their most powerful members, with Zaheer, the lone survivor, imprisoned again.]] |
| 341 | [[/folder]] |
| 342 | |
| 343 | [[folder:Q]] |
| 344 | * QueerColors: In the series finale, there's a shot of the sky in blue, purple, and pink [[spoiler:as Korra and Asami become an OfficialCouple. Both characters are also confirmed to be bisexual.]] |
| 345 | [[/folder]] |
| 346 | |
| 347 | [[folder:R]] |
| 348 | * RaceAgainstTheClock: The plot of the third chapter of Book One is [[spoiler:to rescue Bolin before the Equalists take away his bending]]. They come right down to the nail. |
| 349 | * RacialRemnant: Tenzin and his family, for the Air Nomads. Until Book Three, when many people gain the power of Airbending and begin to repopulate the Air Nomads. |
| 350 | * RageAgainstTheLegalSystem: Korra herself, when her father is found guilty of high treason. Her first reaction is to threaten the judge's life ''[[SmugSuper in the courthouse]]''. Then, to kidnap him and threaten to feed him to Naga. (The judge is corrupt, and so kind of deserves it, but she doesn't know that, at least not at first. And it does not make her look very good to the courtroom audience any which way.) |
| 351 | * RagtagBunchOfMisfits: |
| 352 | ** The New Team Avatar is this: a cocky, arrogant Avatar-in-training; a wise cracking StreetUrchin and his friendlier younger brother; and a wealthy heiress. |
| 353 | ** Tenzin's airbender trainees can be considered this in "Original Airbenders", when they go to take on the air bison poachers. |
| 354 | ** Zaheer and his crew, as a sort of EvilCounterpart to Team Avatar, consists of a former non-bender turned airbender with a ruthless streak, a laid back earthbender who can bend lava, a psychotic waterbender with no arms, and a vicious combustion bender. The four may be dangerous criminals, but they're also a tight knit group. |
| 355 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: |
| 356 | ** In "And the Winner Is..." Amon delivers one to pro-bending fans about celebrating and praising the flagrantly cheating Wolfbats, (incidentally giving [[EvenEvilHasStandards due credit]] to the above-board Fire Ferrets) drawing a parallel to societal worship of domineering, abusive benders. |
| 357 | ** "Beyond the Wilds" has Korra give a long overdue one to [[spoiler:Zaheer, for killing the Earth Queen and allowing Kuvira to rise to power. He's visibly taken aback by this, and it's enough to make him compliant]]. The same episode features Opal giving one to [[spoiler:Bolin for siding with Kuvira]]. |
| 358 | * RebelLeader: Varrick and Tonraq separately dance around this trope for the Southern Water Tribe, though there's also the one voiced rebel that seems to represent the group and is cast listed as the trope name. Tonraq steps up as the leader at the end of "Civil Wars Part 2". |
| 359 | * RecurringRiff: |
| 360 | ** The SDCC '11 Trailer uses the same score that the trailers for Season 3 of ATLA used. The music is particularly moody and energetic at different times. Special award for the Editor who synched all the action so meticulously. |
| 361 | ** The music heard in the opening is an orchestral version of ATLA's theme. |
| 362 | ** The main theme is remixed and repeated often in every chapter. |
| 363 | ** Korra's theme usually pops up once per episode, and varies in tone depending on the mood of the scene. |
| 364 | ** Appearance of a spirit is often accompanied by a four-note motif. |
| 365 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: During part 1 of the GrandFinale, Lin [[spoiler:frees Hiroshi Sato from prison]] to assist Asami and Varrick with completing the Hummingbirds. While the Hummingbirds are trying to cut the Colossus' armor, Korra freezes it in place with a river, but Kuvira manages to free one of the arms. The cutting isn't finished, so [[spoiler:Hiroshi whispers "I love you" to Asami before firing her ejector seat [[HeroicSacrifice just as the giant metal hand comes crashing down on him]]]]. The plan works, and the armor is cut. |
| 366 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: |
| 367 | ** After [[spoiler: Unalaq fuses with Vaatu]], he develops these [[spoiler: whenever he goes into Dark Avatar State]]. |
| 368 | ** Downplayed with P'Li, whose eyes are russet...but played straight with [[ThirdEye the third one]] [[PowerTattoo tattooed on her forehead]]. |
| 369 | * RedHerringTwist: |
| 370 | ** The Earth Queen's attempts to create an airbending regiment in the Earth Kingdom army greatly hinders efforts to rebuild the Air Nation. Twinned with some hostile remarks from the Earth Queen towards the United Republic, and it seems like the Queen is planning a large invasion. [[spoiler: Then Zaheer kills the Earth Queen...]] |
| 371 | ** Bolin's arc in season 3. He wants to learn metalbending, but for some reason he can't do it. [[spoiler:In the penultimate episode, he learns lavabending. What's more, he first lavabends in a DieOrFly scenario, and later fights Ghazan using it, either of which could have been the scenario in which he metalbent for the first time.]] |
| 372 | * RedOniBlueOni: |
| 373 | ** In Book 2, Korra's the red oni, young and brash as she is, to Unalaq's blue oni, with his preference for more subtle and backhanded means of victory. Notably, Unalaq is actually associated with dark red to contrast the light blue that Korra adopts as the Avatar. |
| 374 | ** Mako is the Blue to Korra's Red; in keeping with his position as TheSpock of Team Avatar, he often has to restrain Korra from doing something rash, like blowing their cover to "go knock some heads", while he himself is rather cold in Book 1 and in Book 2 is often non-committal, problems he himself acknowledges. |
| 375 | ** Asami is also the calm and elegant blue to Korra's brash, rough-and-rumble Red Oni. Just like with Korra and Mako, their ChromaticArrangement is the opposite of their oni, with Asami consistently dressing in red and Korra primarily dressing in blue. [[spoiler:They also double as the OfficialCouple at the series finale.]] |
| 376 | ** Also in Book 2 is Desna and Eska. As the story begins to unravel, Eska defines herself as the Red oni becoming a vicious ex-girlfriend to Bolin. While the outcasted Desna takes over as the Blue oni, being both submissive to his father and sister but open to understanding things, less dramatically than his twin. |
| 377 | * RedundantRomanceAttempt: Bolin initially [[AchievementsInIgnorance attracts Opal without even realizing it]] and needs a [[SarcasmMode genius of love]] like Mako to spell it out to him. And also tell him that his previous love interests were either TheDitz Ginger or AxCrazy Eska, so it's about time to aim for someone who is neither of those things. Bolin initially tries to act smooth which only turns Opal ''off''. She immediately [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out on it]] then advises him to BeYourself, which greatly improves both their growing relationship and each's CharacterDevelopment fitting with the franchise's CentralTheme of Balance. |
| 378 | * RedshirtArmy: |
| 379 | ** The Metalbending Police appear to fill this role considering how the Equalists use electric gauntlets and {{Mini Mecha}}s made of platinum that the former are no match for. |
| 380 | ** The White Lotus {{mook}}s guarding Zaheer's happy little bunch. Zaheer and Co. cut through them like a hot knife through butter. This is somewhat justified though, as none of them were prepared for the idea of Zaheer gaining Airbending abilities. |
| 381 | ** Averted with the Metal Clan, who are able to hold their own against Zaheer of all people, in a world where even the most skilled fighters are usually no match for airbenders due to lack of experience. |
| 382 | * ReestablishingCharacterMoment: In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTophBeifong Toph Beifong]] was a small blind girl who was also a BoisterousBruiser with a propensity for [[TheNicknamer giving out stupid nicknames]]. When Korra finds her in the swamp, she greets her using the nickname she had for Korra's [[{{Reincarnation}} previous incarnation]], then proceeds to spend the day kicking her around the swamp as "training" and laughing her ass off about it. |
| 383 | * RefusalOfTheSecondCall: The living members of the Gaang only show up in a small handful of episodes each. |
| 384 | ** Katara, TheHeart of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original series]], wasn't involved in trying to settle the dispute between the Water Tribes that took place right in her city and ended up causing a civil war. |
| 385 | ** Zuko is living out his retirement in the Fire Nation and only shows up when [[spoiler: the [[BombThrowingAnarchist Red Lotus escapes]]]]. |
| 386 | ** Toph is living [[HermitGuru alone in the Foggy Swamp]]. She joins the main plot for a single episode when [[spoiler:the [[ItsPersonal Beifongs are captured]]]]. |
| 387 | * RegionalRedecoration: |
| 388 | ** It's revealed that the Spirit Wilds that covered the globe during the Era of Raava were created when Vaatu first broke the barrier between the human and spirit worlds. |
| 389 | ** Following Korra's defeat of Unavaatu, part of Republic City gets covered with vines from the Spirit World. |
| 390 | ** After bending the energy of the spirit cannon during the final episode of the series, Korra ends up creating a third spirit portal, leaving a vine covered crater around it. |
| 391 | * RelationshipUpgrade: ''Strongly'' implied between [[spoiler:Korra and Asami in the finale]], and then [[http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace confirmed]] [[http://michaeldantedimartino.tumblr.com/post/105916326500/korrasami-confirmed-now-that-korra-and-asamis by]] WordOfGod. |
| 392 | * TheRepublic: |
| 393 | ** The United Republic of Nations is the first one in the Avatar-verse, headed by a representative council made up of ambassadors from each nation. In Book Two, this council is replaced by a popularly elected president. |
| 394 | ** In the series finale, [[spoiler:Prince Wu declares his plan to reform the Earth Kingdom into a republic or multiple independent democratic nation-states.]] |
| 395 | * ResetButton: The worst of Amon's crimes in season 1 are undone in the last moments of the finale. [[spoiler:Specifically, Korra gets her bending back and can now restore powers to Amon's previous victims using her newly-discovered energybending]]. |
| 396 | * RetiredBadass: |
| 397 | ** A remarkable variation in "A New Spiritual Age": [[spoiler:Uncle Iroh, former Dragon of the West, treats his ''death'' more or less like retirement, spending his days in the Spirit World with the other spirits, enjoying tea, cake and games of Pai Sho.]] |
| 398 | ** Fire Lord Zuko, having abdicated his throne, has spent the last three years roaming the earth astride his magnificent dragon, and aids Team Avatar in the fight against the Red Lotus. |
| 399 | ** Toph left the force [[spoiler: after covering up Su's criminal activity]] to travel the world pursuing enlightenment, and now lives in the Foggy Swamp. With the exception of her daughters, everyone speaks of her with utmost reverence and still regard her as the greatest Earthbender alive. |
| 400 | * TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: |
| 401 | ** The Equalists are ruthless, organized, well-equipped, and determined to wipe out any benders. What makes them scarier is that they seem to enjoy at least some popular support until [[spoiler: Amon is revealed to be a bender himself.]] |
| 402 | ** The rebels in the Southern Water Tribe. While Unalaq's actions are very questionable, they're the ones who escalate things first by trying to kidnap him. Their leader Varrick also seems to be more interested in improving his company's profits than getting the Southerners fair treatment. The rebels make a HeelFaceTurn after Tonraq takes over. |
| 403 | ** The Red Lotus bitterly oppose civilisation and wish to dismantle all forms of government. This begins with them [[spoiler: assassinating the Earth Queen, freeing all of Ba Sing Se's criminals, tearing down the city's inner walls, and starting a citywide riot.]] |
| 404 | * RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: In "Civil Wars: Part 1" Varrick switches between rhetorical and serious questions when complaining about Unalaq's restrictions so quickly Zhu Li and others cannot keep up. |
| 405 | * RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Abound. Aside from Naga and Pabu, the mascots of Team Avatar, there are an unlimited amount of adorable animals ([[FreezeFrameBonus like a reindeer-dog at the Misty Palms Oasis]]) and spirits in the Avatar World. In Korra Alone, one of these spirits (a little yellow blob with leafy ears and a childlike voice) dedicates himself to helping Korra recover spiritually. When she rebuffs his initial offer, he disguises himself as ''another'' critter, a tiny, pure-white dog, scares off her Dark Avatar self and then leads her to Toph. |
| 406 | * RingOut: An [[JustifiedTrope important]] mechanic of [[FictionalSport pro-bending]]. Forcing a player off the back (and only the back) of the arena and into the [[RuleOfPool surrounding pool]] removes them from the game for the remainder of the round. Forcing all three players out in a single round is an InstantWinCondition, which is why, in a best of three rounds format, the third round is always played. It's the only way left to win for a team down two rounds. |
| 407 | * RoaringTwenties: The technology, speech mannerisms and culture are evocative of the real-life 1920's, and WordOfGod says this is the current time period in Korra's day. However, the TimeSkip between seasons 3 and 4 moves the show into the equivalent of the 1930’s, especially with Kuvira being analogous to the fascists who came to power in the decade. |
| 408 | * RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: One of the major themes explored in the series is tradition versus modernity. Spirituality versus progress also plays a part. |
| 409 | * RoyalMess: The Fire Nation's ruler, a position roughly analogous to China's [[TheEmperor Emperor]], is termed "Fire Lord," and as of Korra's era, the title is held [[SheIsTheKing by a woman]]. Justified - in-universe, the title is not a gendered one as it is in English: Ozai stated that he intended to crown Azula Fire Lord. |
| 410 | * RushmoreRefacement: [[spoiler:After Amon conquers Republic City, he has a large copy of his own mask placed over Aang's statue, and covers the Air Symbol on his staff with the Equalist banner]]. |
| 411 | [[/folder]] |
| 412 | |
| 413 |
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