“Coming up with Amon solidified everything”: The Legend of Korra Found its Right Tone With 1 Villain According to Avatar: The Last Airbender Creators
The Legend of Korra is an animated series set in a fictional universe created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The story follow certain people who can telekinetically manipulate or bend the four elements; air, water, fire and earth. But only one Avatar can bend all four elements and is responsible for maintaining balance in the world. The animated series is a sequel to the very popular and successful Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The series ran from 2012 to 2014, with fifty-two episodes divided into four seasons. Janet Varney, Seychelle Gabriel, David Faustino, and more voice the main characters in the series. Upon its release, the animated series just like its predecessor received positive reviews from critics and the audience, with special mention for the writing. The creators talk about creating Korra different from Aang.
The Legend of Korra creators talk about the difference between Aang and Korra
In a conversation with Polygon, The Last Airbender’s creators, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko, were asked about The Legend of Korra and what surprised them the most when it comes to the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender. The two also touched upon the subject of creating distinguished difference between Korra and Aang.
The creators noted that they were aware of the fact that The Legend of Korra was going to be challenging for the audience, adding that they could not please everyone with the sequel. Konietzko added;
“The last thing we wanted to do was make the same series all over again, even if a lot of fans of ATLA might have felt that this is what they wanted from us. It was a deliberate choice to make Korra a very different character from Aang in multiple ways. That provided so many new opportunities with the stories and character dynamics.”
He continued to share that where Aang is a goofy, addable, and optimistic character, Korra is a stubborn, angsty, pugnacious teenager who is bound to put people off. He explained that their main characters aren’t just fictional storytelling devices; they are very real people in their hearts and minds. The creator added that the testimonials from the fans of Korra have helped them along, as they were very powerful and personal.
Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko say Korra is not a reluctant hero
In their conversation with Polygon, the creators were asked about the one character they found challenging to crack through, and DiMartino revealed that for him, it was Korra because she wasn’t the reluctant hero on a typical hero’s journey. He added,
“She didn’t fit the mold in many ways. I remember early on trying to figure out who or what would challenge her most. Once we figured out that people like Tenzing and Lin Beifong could actually hinder Korra in her quest to study airbending and take on the job she was meant to do, that helped me understand her predicament better. And coming up with Amon solidified everything.”
The creator added that while developing Amon and Tarrlok, they understood that no matter how noble a cause is, there will always be someone who will exploit it. But when it came to their villains, the creators were concerned about who they were and how they ended up being out of balance.
He explained that having an antagonist who was philosophically anti-bending gave Korra the perfect obstacle to grow and challenge her worldview which is why he is important. Konietzko also talked about Zaheer, who is Book 3’s villain, and noted that the feedback he has received for the character is that he messes up with their heads because the things he does are so awful, yet they feel that he makes good points.
Bryan Konietzko admitted that Zaheer is one of his favorite villains that they created, adding that a big part of their creative point of view was to explore the gray areas in everything. He lastly added that he and DiMartino built this fantasy world out of the things they love and set out to make shows that they would want to watch.
The Legend of Korra is streaming on Netflix.
