I’ve been around the block a few times with Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender and anything involving that franchise. And let me say one thing that will spark some flames:
The Legend of Korra is not better than Avatar: The Last Airbender and never will be.
It felt good to say that, because I often see people compare the two shows, and I don’t think they can be compared. I think Legend of Korra is a great series, but it will never surpass the original because the story just isn’t as tight or as well-written as the first three seasons of ATLA.
That said, it is better in one specific way — one that, I think, many fans would agree with — and I have to talk about it.
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s villains (aside from Ozai and Azula) aren’t the best
Hear me out before the pitchforks emerge.
I really do love Avatar: The Last Airbender and its whole story. I think it’s a great fantasy series to start with, and if you’re looking for one big baddie to take down and focus on, this is the series for you. Fire Lord Ozai is genuinely a scary guy, and we see that as the series goes on.
In fact, it’s one of the few things I’m excited for with the third Netflix season of the live-action adaptation. I think Daniel Dae Kim does a decent job as Ozai, and while I don’t necessarily agree with diving deeper into his mind than we did in the original show, I think he’s a great character.
That being said…one big villain and one amazing side villain do get tiring after a while. It’s the same thing that happens with other big adventures. It doesn’t necessarily make them bad, but writers often feel the need to add secondary villains and antagonists to make them truly terrifying.
For example, with Ozai, we had his daughter, Azula, who was also Zuko's sister. She was a great secondary antagonist and really well-written, but at the end of the day, Ozai has always been the main villain, and no one else really stands out.
The same goes for other big stories — like the Harry Potter books with Voldemort, the Hunger Games series with President Snow and the Capitol, and more. That’s just how it goes.
It doesn’t make them horrible. It just makes them… I don’t know, a little boring. Ozai wants to take over the world and become an all-powerful leader. Bada bing, bada boom. It’s fine. But I want more from a story that is so.... vast and large with its worldbuilding.
Which is what makes the villains in The Legend of Korra so much better.
Each villain has a different story, a different want, and different powers
I think The Legend of Korra was made for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender who grew up and wanted more intense and scary villains, because that’s exactly what you get here.
This series doesn’t have the strict storyline the first series had. Each season has different stories that don’t connect as much, not in the way Avatar: The Last Airbender did. But each season has new villains, and they are terrifying.
One can literally suck the air out of people’s lungs and kill them. Another can strip bending away, making benders entirely useless. One is a demonic spirit called Vaatu, who is literally an amalgamation of darkness and chaos. I mean, what?
You don't see villains like that in Avatar: The Last Airbender. We see side villains, side plots, and more, but they don’t really feel like villains to me. They’re just hindrances to the main quest of taking down the Fire Lord. For Korra, though? I am locked in and ready for these villains because they are terrifying.
For that, The Legend of Korra has my praise. And if you haven’t seen it, I’d definitely suggest checking it out — mainly for the villains and to experience legit evil, not just a powerful bender using his army to rule everything. Dictators are scary, but an evil spirit that could harm the very fabric of existence? Yeah…that’s just a little higher grade.
Again, I’m not saying that the first series’ villains aren’t great, because they are. But when you get to a show where it’s new villains each season, and each one is deadlier than the last, that’s the kind of story I want to see. And I think you would too if you’ve never seen it before. With the new Avatar: Seven Havens releasing soon, you might as well check out Korra's story in the meantime.
Stream all 4 seasons of The Legend of Korra on Paramount+.
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