Absolutely no relation to NLK
Even though he was hardly popular, I think Mako dying in the finale would've left a sour taste in some people's minds considering the ending.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
Serial Procrastinator
Mako was the most popular that he'd ever been in season 4.
Though his death might have cast a bit of pallor over the mostly happy ending.
edited 26th Apr '18 8:44:12 AM by Sigilbreaker26
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"
Queen of Good Things, Honest
This is true. With how many people flipped their shit about Korrasami getting canonized, the last thing we needed was to also add claims of Die for Our Ship to the fire.
My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.
It also might have led to some "Korra only chose Asami because Mako was gone" arguments.
I think if any of the main characters were going to die, it should have been Tenzin at the end of season 3. Thematically it works best there, and it would have given the new Air Nation a good sideplot in season 4 about working without him. By the time of the finale, the pain would have lessened enough that it wouldn't have hurt the positive tone of the ending.
Serial Procrastinator
Tenzin dying means more Jinora and I'm not sure if I want that.
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"
Fair point.
Funny but not helpful
Kai dies and reveals he was Raiko all along somehow
Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Queen of Good Things, Honest
Tenzin dying means Jinora's prominence is better justified. Him being alive didn't keep her out of focus, but him being dead means she has an actual reason for that focus: because with the ways of the Air Nomads as passed down by Aang dying with Tenzin, the oldest and most attentive of his children is the closest thing to a knowledgeable master left.
That could have been Jinora's arc: having to step up and fill shoes she's in no way prepared for, based on whatever documentation Tenzin left behind and her own memory of his teachings that shaped most of her young life.
My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.
Absolutely no relation to NLK
On the other hand. Tenzin is the best and he should be happy.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
Queen of Good Things, Honest
Tenzin's been happy for decades. He's an old man and everyone's gotta go some time.
My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.
Absolutely no relation to NLK
He is young at heart!
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
Serial Procrastinator
No he isn't.
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"
I’ve never liked the idea of keeping characters around for no reason. It robs the story of the ability to move forward by keeping an albatross on it. And it is something a lot of Korra vets do, whether forced on them or not (looking at you Shiro from VLD).
“Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.”
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Lol Shiro is one of the only reasons I kept watching VLD.
But I agree about Tenzin. He really was the most well-written character in LOK. Losing him probably wouldn't have been the best idea.
Tenzin isn't exctly that old. He's in his mid-fifties by the end of the series.
What's VLD?
Mistakes Were Made
Voltron: Legendary Defender
‘My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’
Absolutely no relation to NLK
I'll agree that LOK would've been better off with some of the ATLA baggage.
Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.
I’m not advocating senseless death, just occasionally, it’s smarter to move the plot forward with it or a similar tool.
Serial Procrastinator
I do get that, I hold a similar view (mainly because it helps prune large casts).
But I don't think Korra as a series would really benefit a lot from killing Tenzin.
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"
Queen of Good Things, Honest
It made sense for the scene in question for Tenzin to go down fighting to the last breath. It could even have paralleled the death of Monk Gyatso.
In the long run...well, given where they wound up going in season four, it would have ultimately been to the detriment of season four's story. Korra getting help from Zaheer to reconnect to her spirituality is a scene that simply does not work if Zaheer killed Tenzin.
edited 26th Apr '18 2:50:46 PM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.
I would have been open to Tenzin dying if Jinora had been a more well-written character with a better storyline. You would think that Korra and Jinora's relationship would be more of a powerful dynamic considering they are the two most prominent females in the show other than Lin. Not to mention, Jinora is Korra's true spirit guide as opposed to Tenzin.
edited 26th Apr '18 4:26:19 PM by deuteragonist
The King Without a Kingdom
I had a weird feeling that Kai would die at some point. I don't know whether that was because I hated his guts or I thought it would be thematically appropriate, though.
It's been 3000 years…
Queen of Good Things, Honest
Probably just hating him. He's an easy character to hate, but it's Nickelodeon. They'd sooner canonize an LGBT relationship than let a child character die.
edited 26th Apr '18 7:38:54 PM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.
A sufficiently large cast can have Anyone Can Die.
Supernatural has Everyone Will Die, Multiple Times If You're The Winchesters.
Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you