Well Roku didn't know about Rava. Korra might actually be the first avatar in an extremely long time that knows Rava exists.
Like, Wan knew, and probably the next few avatars knew, but at some point that knowledge was lost.
How can the knowledge be lost if the Avatars are connected to each other?
Simple, no one asked.
Well don't the establish that it's harder to contact a past life the further back it is? It's why Aang only rewound through four cycles.
It's also worth noting that with no White Lotus there wouldn't be any other way to pass along information to a new Avatar unless they contacted their past selves and that might have taken a few generations to figure out.
StragintDo Not GiftAlways DeclinesRegistered Userregular
I don't think what Roku said is wrong. The avatar state has always been a power boost but what makes it far more dangerous and powerful is the knowledge of ten thousand years of avatars to focus that power. Each avatar probably added new techniques to the pool of knowledge. Now Korra may not think of some devastating use of her powers when a past avatar had developed something perfect for a situation.
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What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
Not so much lost, as buried. Aang went back hundreds(?) of avatars before he found out about removing someones bending ability. There were thousands before that.
I'd also agree that Korra has lost some of the power of the Avatar state. Not the raw power, but the experience that came from the avatars before her. Aangs powertrips tended to result in him using skills he didn't normally posses, in addition to more power.
When Korra went full avatar state on Zaheer, it was a more powerful version of herself, chucking rocks about and trying to punch the problem to death.
seems like something they could build a comic volume around, kind of like the search for Zuko's mother
I'm almost certain they did this to depower her somewhat.
I'm not sure why that would matter, since
Wan's story retconned the avatar state from being "past lives power-up" to "Raava power-up"
Raava gave Wan the ability to bend all four elements and created the Avatar cycle. It seems like the Raava Avatar state power-up is that it allowed Wan to use all four elements simultaneously. However, for future Avatars, the Avatar state allows them to use all four elements at the same time and gain access to the knowledge and experience of their past lives.
That's how the power-up originally occurred, yes, but what we've seen since season 3 onward is in contradiction to that.
I mean, Korra already can bend all four elements without going avatar state.
And not having any of her past lives anymore doesn't make her avatar state mode any less devastating than Aang's was.
So basically, it got retconned, because that is NOT consistent with the way it worked from the first series.
But the Avatar state allows the Avatar to control all four elements at the exact same time like when they do the thing where they're surrounded by all four elements.
And that's something Korra didn't do after losing her connection with the previous Avatars. She pretty much just used stronger versions of regular bending powers. She didn't really combine the different powers like Aang did when he was in the Avatar state.
It is entirely possible that since Raava just emerged victorious from harmonic convergence, she is way more powerful than she has been for several centuries and that is why there hasn't been a serious loss to the sting of the avatar state.
Also
Korra's mental trauma blocked her from going Avatar state for most of Season 4. She didn't have her past lives to tap into to give her confidence or anything. That's a good sign that she was utterly alone.
Except then it wouldn't give Korra anything, since after the fight with Vaatu, she lost her connection to her past lives. Even after she rejoined with Raava, she didn't have that any more. For her, the avatar state is literally just a big power boost.
Yes, but that in itself is in contradiction with the established lore about the avatar state from the first series.
The whole story with Wan did add some cool ideas and I loved it, but it blatantly rendered all the established backstory about the avatar state pretty much obsolete and unimportant.
You can argue about how she's lost her ability to touch on her past lives, which is totally true, and it's a shame.
But clearly this has not dampened the actual effect of her going Avatar State. At ALL.
The end result is the same as it ever was.
So clearly the value of the past lives is NOT what makes the avatar state so powerful.
Which is, if you recall, directly in contradiction with what Roku told Aang about it.
Like, Roku straight up tells Aang in TLA's second season that what makes Avatar State so dangerous is that it channels all the knowledge of his past lives, and THAT is why he's so dangerous in that state. It wasn't a literal power boost, but just an influx of ten thousand years of knowledge from past lives, granting him ultimate mastery of all four elements.
Korra no longer has ANY of that.
And yet, Avatar state still wrecks everyone's shit just the same as ever.
So either Roku was wrong, or it got retconned.
HMMMMM
Both knowledge and power make the avatar dangerous and I would indeed argue that the knowledge that can be pulled from past lives is what makes the avatar up to Aang's life so dangerous.
Like, as terrifying as Korra can be in her avatar state, she wasn't doing anything she didn't know about either. Aang however routinely used it to use techniques he hadn't been taught.
I actually think the Avatar state IS less powerful in book's 3 and 4
Still insanely powerful, but not quite the instant win button it used to be.
Yeah
In previous series' avatar state wasn't just powerful. It was creative. In that form Anng and Korra both clearly were tapping into more techniques then either knew. I don't know about season 3 of korra but in for she just seems more powerful. Her way of beating Kuvira the first time was blasting her with air then trying to hit her with a big rock.
Except then it wouldn't give Korra anything, since after the fight with Vaatu, she lost her connection to her past lives. Even after she rejoined with Raava, she didn't have that any more. For her, the avatar state is literally just a big power boost.
Yes, but that in itself is in contradiction with the established lore about the avatar state from the first series.
The whole story with Wan did add some cool ideas and I loved it, but it blatantly rendered all the established backstory about the avatar state pretty much obsolete and unimportant.
You can argue about how she's lost her ability to touch on her past lives, which is totally true, and it's a shame.
But clearly this has not dampened the actual effect of her going Avatar State. At ALL.
The end result is the same as it ever was.
So clearly the value of the past lives is NOT what makes the avatar state so powerful.
Which is, if you recall, directly in contradiction with what Roku told Aang about it.
Like, Roku straight up tells Aang in TLA's second season that what makes Avatar State so dangerous is that it channels all the knowledge of his past lives, and THAT is why he's so dangerous in that state. It wasn't a literal power boost, but just an influx of ten thousand years of knowledge from past lives, granting him ultimate mastery of all four elements.
Korra no longer has ANY of that.
And yet, Avatar state still wrecks everyone's shit just the same as ever.
So either Roku was wrong, or it got retconned.
HMMMMM
Both knowledge and power make the avatar dangerous and I would indeed argue that the knowledge that can be pulled from past lives is what makes the avatar up to Aang's life so dangerous.
Like, as terrifying as Korra can be in her avatar state, she wasn't doing anything she didn't know about either. Aang however routinely used it to use techniques he hadn't been taught.
So yeah, it's both. Knowledge and power.
Knowledge that Korra is clearly no worse off without.
Honestly, I think you're just making excuses.
The show is not as well written as its predecessor, and I just think that's evidence of such.
seems like something they could build a comic volume around, kind of like the search for Zuko's mother
I'm almost certain they did this to depower her somewhat.
I'm not sure why that would matter, since
Wan's story retconned the avatar state from being "past lives power-up" to "Raava power-up"
Raava gave Wan the ability to bend all four elements and created the Avatar cycle. It seems like the Raava Avatar state power-up is that it allowed Wan to use all four elements simultaneously. However, for future Avatars, the Avatar state allows them to use all four elements at the same time and gain access to the knowledge and experience of their past lives.
That's how the power-up originally occurred, yes, but what we've seen since season 3 onward is in contradiction to that.
I mean, Korra already can bend all four elements without going avatar state.
And not having any of her past lives anymore doesn't make her avatar state mode any less devastating than Aang's was.
So basically, it got retconned, because that is NOT consistent with the way it worked from the first series.
But the Avatar state allows the Avatar to control all four elements at the exact same time like when they do the thing where they're surrounded by all four elements.
And that's something Korra didn't do after losing her connection with the previous Avatars. She pretty much just used stronger versions of regular bending powers. She didn't really combine the different powers like Aang did when he was in the Avatar state.
And if anyone, at any point in the series, were to acknowledge this apparent change in her usage of the avatar state after season 2, I might believe that it was intentional.
But how many people have actually seen Korra fight in the Avatar state? How many people have seen both Korra and Aang fight in the Avatar state?
Tenzin, maybe. That's pretty much the only person who spent a decent amount of time around Korra and Aang and would have had a chance to see them both fight.
None of the old gaang is ever around when Korra uses the avatar state.
And I mean, Korra doesn't use the avatar state like Aang before book 3 because she's not Aang. They are about as far apart in their approaches to problems as you can get.
Aang only used the avatar state as a last resort, and he stayed in it till the fight was over. Korra pops in and out of it way more.
Aang used the knowledge of the past avatars a lot, to do things he didn't know how to do before. Korra just used it as a power boost, and never really pulled on the techniques of the other avatars.
Korra's use of the avatar state didn't change much after losing her connection to her past lives because she pretty much never used that connection to begin with.
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turtleantGunpla Dadis the best.Registered Userregular
Like, a big part of Korra's character arc in season 1 is her complete lack of spirituality. It's why she had so much trouble learning to air bend. It's absolutely believable that she quit caring about learning about the avatar state once she figured out how to use it for a power boost.
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BroloBroseidonLord of the BroceanRegistered Userregular
I don't think Aang ever had the ability to control the avatar state over the events of The Last Airbender. The only time we see it is during his flashback in S1 of Korra where he fights Yakone. Every other time he fell into the state involuntarily.
I don't think Aang ever had the ability to control the avatar state over the events of The Last Airbender. The only time we see it is during his flashback in S1 of Korra where he fights Yakone. Every other time he fell into the state involuntarily.
In the original series he controls it twice
Once for about four seconds before Azula blasts him in the back
But how many people have actually seen Korra fight in the Avatar state? How many people have seen both Korra and Aang fight in the Avatar state?
Fair enough.
Also I should add that you're correct in that she hasn't really done the cool "bend all four elements on myself/my target" trick since s2.
But my point here is that all that knowledge is clearly not the power boost for Korra that it was written for Aang, and kind of never has been, due to the reveal that the major power source was, in fact, Raava, and not just her past lives.
And after losing that connection, all it did was (arguably) change up how she wrecked everything in her path when going avatar state, while the end result of said avatar state is exactly the same.
So you can argue about what a shame it is that she lost her past lives (and I would agree!)
But clearly she's no worse off for it, which kind of devalues that whole element of the story. (no pun intended)
Aang in the Avatar state could change the level of the ocean by heaving on it, and also do crazy bullshit like condense stone until you had hundreds of pounds worth in a ball the size of your fist what
Kiyoshi could break off pieces of continents and move them over the surface of the planet
Korra in season 4 managed to make waves roughly on level with how Katara was fighting during the arrival of Sozin's comet
All the bending in Legend of Korra is less extreme, but Korra got more of that than most. If we assume the avatar state is always supposed to grant the same level of power, then Korra losing her connection to her past lives has very much resulted in her not being as powerful as past avatars when tapping into the power of the Avatar State
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masterofmetroidHave you ever looked at a worldand seen it as a kind of challenge?Registered Userregular
That was kind of the point of Season 2's entire arc
Yes the past lives are important and worth remembering, yes it's a shame she lost them, but at the end of the day Korra is the Avatar because she is the Avatar. She doesn't stop being an invincible force for good just because she loses her connection to her past, anymore than she did when she lost her bending or when she lost her ability to walk. The power being the Avatar gives you is secondary to the will and drive it takes to use that power for the right reasons, which is why Korra can pull what she does in Book 2 without the literal thing that supposedly makes her the Avatar.
Aang in the Avatar state could change the level of the ocean by heaving on it, and also do crazy bullshit like condense stone until you had hundreds of pounds worth in a ball the size of your fist what
Kiyoshi could break off pieces of continents and move them over the surface of the planet
Korra in season 4 managed to make waves roughly on level with how Katara was fighting during the arrival of Sozin's comet
All the bending in Legend of Korra is less extreme, but Korra got more of that than most. If we assume the avatar state is always supposed to grant the same level of power, then Korra losing her connection to her past lives has very much resulted in her not being as powerful as past avatars when tapping into the power of the Avatar State
True enough.
But before or after Season 2, Korra never really did anything on that level at all.
They just aren't really taking things to that scale with Korra. Kuvira's Eva 01 aside. :P
Things are just considerably less grand here, albeit season 2 did explore some pretty crazy things with the spirits and the spirit world.
Regarding the Avatar state, with spoilers for the finale:
I don't know if the Avatar state is supposed to be weaker because Korra has lost her connection to the past avatars, or because Korra herself has struggled greatly with spirituality and connecting to her past lives in general. I think the moment where she finally unlocks her true potential is when she steps in front of the spirit cannon in the finale, and shields herself and Kuvira from all of it. She's putting herself in life threatening danger for a dictator that's caused untold damage and loss of live, because it's the right thing to do. There's a clarity of purpose there that she'd never had before.
Regarding the Avatar state, with spoilers for the finale:
I don't know if the Avatar state is supposed to be weaker because Korra has lost her connection to the past avatars, or because Korra herself has struggled greatly with spirituality and connecting to her past lives in general. I think the moment where she finally unlocks her true potential is when she steps in front of the spirit cannon in the finale, and shields herself and Kuvira from all of it. She's putting herself in life threatening danger for a dictator that's caused untold damage and loss of live, because it's the right thing to do. There's a clarity of purpose there that she'd never had before.
Plus, all the compassion for other people she's unlocked.
Season 1 Korra would have pounded Kuvira into the ground without realizing their commonalities.
Except then it wouldn't give Korra anything, since after the fight with Vaatu, she lost her connection to her past lives. Even after she rejoined with Raava, she didn't have that any more. For her, the avatar state is literally just a big power boost.
Yes, but that in itself is in contradiction with the established lore about the avatar state from the first series.
The whole story with Wan did add some cool ideas and I loved it, but it blatantly rendered all the established backstory about the avatar state pretty much obsolete and unimportant.
You can argue about how she's lost her ability to touch on her past lives, which is totally true, and it's a shame.
But clearly this has not dampened the actual effect of her going Avatar State. At ALL.
The end result is the same as it ever was.
So clearly the value of the past lives is NOT what makes the avatar state so powerful.
Which is, if you recall, directly in contradiction with what Roku told Aang about it.
Like, Roku straight up tells Aang in TLA's second season that what makes Avatar State so dangerous is that it channels all the knowledge of his past lives, and THAT is why he's so dangerous in that state. It wasn't a literal power boost, but just an influx of ten thousand years of knowledge from past lives, granting him ultimate mastery of all four elements.
Korra no longer has ANY of that.
And yet, Avatar state still wrecks everyone's shit just the same as ever.
So either Roku was wrong, or it got retconned.
HMMMMM
Both knowledge and power make the avatar dangerous and I would indeed argue that the knowledge that can be pulled from past lives is what makes the avatar up to Aang's life so dangerous.
Like, as terrifying as Korra can be in her avatar state, she wasn't doing anything she didn't know about either. Aang however routinely used it to use techniques he hadn't been taught.
So yeah, it's both. Knowledge and power.
Knowledge that Korra is clearly no worse off without.
Honestly, I think you're just making excuses.
The show is not as well written as its predecessor, and I just think that's evidence of such.
And that's fine. It's still a fun show!
But it is what it is, man.
As memory serves Roku said it taps into the power and wisdom of the past Avatars meaning it's not a retcon to just get a straight power boost. Further, Aang would have been dead a dozen times over without the knowledge of the past Avatars. Hell, I think he might have died in the first episode even ignoring the fact that the trapped in an iceberg bit was only possible due to having old Avatars to rely on for waterbending. I think you are really stretching it to say the Korra is no worse off without the past lives to help. For example, she seems to not have the energy bending technique anymore as there are a couple of super powered villains in need of some debending. Previously she could energy bend if she had the Avatar state glowey eyes.
korra definitely doesn't have the unbendable spirit necessary to bend another's energy against their will
Most of the series sure and since Zaheer still could fly I think its clear she can't take bending away anymore but didn't she save Kuvira by deflecting that energy beam? Sounds pretty Energy bend-y.
Aang was able to levitate and fly really well when he was in the Avatar state while Korra relied on the fire rockets. If Korra had the knowledge of her past lives, she probably could have defeated Zaheer and gotten help much sooner.
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chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
Except then it wouldn't give Korra anything, since after the fight with Vaatu, she lost her connection to her past lives. Even after she rejoined with Raava, she didn't have that any more. For her, the avatar state is literally just a big power boost.
Yes, but that in itself is in contradiction with the established lore about the avatar state from the first series.
The whole story with Wan did add some cool ideas and I loved it, but it blatantly rendered all the established backstory about the avatar state pretty much obsolete and unimportant.
You can argue about how she's lost her ability to touch on her past lives, which is totally true, and it's a shame.
But clearly this has not dampened the actual effect of her going Avatar State. At ALL.
The end result is the same as it ever was.
So clearly the value of the past lives is NOT what makes the avatar state so powerful.
Which is, if you recall, directly in contradiction with what Roku told Aang about it.
Like, Roku straight up tells Aang in TLA's second season that what makes Avatar State so dangerous is that it channels all the knowledge of his past lives, and THAT is why he's so dangerous in that state. It wasn't a literal power boost, but just an influx of ten thousand years of knowledge from past lives, granting him ultimate mastery of all four elements.
Korra no longer has ANY of that.
And yet, Avatar state still wrecks everyone's shit just the same as ever.
So either Roku was wrong, or it got retconned.
HMMMMM
Both knowledge and power make the avatar dangerous and I would indeed argue that the knowledge that can be pulled from past lives is what makes the avatar up to Aang's life so dangerous.
Like, as terrifying as Korra can be in her avatar state, she wasn't doing anything she didn't know about either. Aang however routinely used it to use techniques he hadn't been taught.
So yeah, it's both. Knowledge and power.
Knowledge that Korra is clearly no worse off without.
Honestly, I think you're just making excuses.
The show is not as well written as its predecessor, and I just think that's evidence of such.
And that's fine. It's still a fun show!
But it is what it is, man.
As memory serves Roku said it taps into the power and wisdom of the past Avatars meaning it's not a retcon to just get a straight power boost. Further, Aang would have been dead a dozen times over without the knowledge of the past Avatars. Hell, I think he might have died in the first episode even ignoring the fact that the trapped in an iceberg bit was only possible due to having old Avatars to rely on for waterbending. I think you are really stretching it to say the Korra is no worse off without the past lives to help. For example, she seems to not have the energy bending technique anymore as there are a couple of super powered villains in need of some debending. Previously she could energy bend if she had the Avatar state glowey eyes.
RIght, except
then it turns out that Raava was the big source of Avatar power, as demonstrated in the two part mid-season bit, and evidenced by Korra continuing to get a huge power boost from going avatar state despute having no past lives to draw power or knowledge from.
That's pretty blatantly a retcon, bruh. See, when a new chapter in an established franchise introduces an idea that contradicts previously established facts, that is generally considered a retcon.
Sometimes the writers will try to patch this up by having characters recognize the inconsistency and attempt to explain it away somehow, which is a best case scenario.
It's not really an inherently good or bad thing (Wan's story is my favorite part of season 2, in fact), that's just what it's called when that happens.
As for the lack of energybending; she never really needed to energybend anyone except to restore people's bending in the aftermath of Amon's mess.
None of her opponents thus far turned out to be completely unstoppable and thus didn't really require energybending.
Tarlok took care of Amon, and Unalok and Vaatu ended up dead.
Zaheer can't do any real harm while he's shackled up.
And Kuvira straight-up surrendered, so there was no need to take her bending away.
I don't see why she can't do it anymore, since Aang literally showed her the technique at the end of S1 just like the old lion turtle showed him.
Aang reserved debending from people who were too dangerous to just lock up.
Such as Yakone, who could bloodbend everyone in a single courtroom, just by looking at them. That dude was a monster that needed to be put down.
And then having him resulted in creating two MORE monsters bent on terrorizing the goddamn city.
So maybe energybending your enemies into submission isn't really the best way to go, maybe?
korra definitely doesn't have the unbendable spirit necessary to bend another's energy against their will
Most of the series sure and since Zaheer still could fly I think its clear she can't take bending away anymore but didn't she save Kuvira by deflecting that energy beam? Sounds pretty Energy bend-y.
I'm pretty sure Aang didn't intend for energy bending to be used on every criminal supervillain to come along.
Zaheer is bound by chains, in a reinforced cell, deep underground.
He's going nowhere anytime soon.
Yakone could have straight-up killed Zaheer by looking at him. He was an exception.
then it turns out that Raava was the big source of Avatar power, as demonstrated in the two part mid-season bit, and evidenced by Korra continuing to get a huge power boost from going avatar state despute having no past lives to draw power or knowledge from.
That's pretty blatantly a retcon, bruh. See, when a new chapter in an established franchise introduces an idea that contradicts previously established facts, that is generally considered a retcon.
Sometimes the writers will try to patch this up by having characters recognize the inconsistency and attempt to explain it away somehow, which is a best case scenario.
It's not really an inherently good or bad thing (Wan's story is my favorite part of season 2, in fact), that's just what it's called when that happens.
As for the lack of energybending; she never really needed to energybend anyone except to restore people's bending in the aftermath of Amon's mess.
None of her opponents thus far turned out to be completely unstoppable and thus didn't really require energybending.
Tarlok took care of Amon, and Unalok and Vaatu ended up dead.
Zaheer can't do any real harm while he's shackled up.
And Kuvira straight-up surrendered, so there was no need to take her bending away.
I don't see why she can't do it anymore, since Aang literally showed her the technique at the end of S1 just like the old lion turtle showed him.
Aang reserved debending from people who were too dangerous to just lock up.
Such as Yakone, who could bloodbend everyone in a single courtroom, just by looking at them. That dude was a monster that needed to be put down.
And then having him resulted in creating two MORE monsters bent on terrorizing the goddamn city.
So maybe energybending your enemies into submission isn't really the best way to go, maybe?
no it is
just make sure they don't secretly bust out of jail
Korra never energybent, all she did was get taught how to undo the bloodbending damage done by Amon. The people affected by that didn't have their bending taken away, they had the parts of their brain or body or whatever that allow chi to flow and thus allow them to bend be blocked off. Korra had no idea how to fix it until she tapped into the past Avatars and they helped her figure it out. If Amon had happened after Season 2 instead of before those people would have been fucked. That's the power Roku was referring to, not the literal power of the state itself.
I think overall I might like LoK's music more than AtlA's. Last Airbender has some stand out pieces like "Peace" and "The Last Agni Kai", but Korra's score is just really poignant.
Halos Nach TariffCan you blame me?I'm too famous.Registered Userregular
Yeah, I actually just got the LoK OST as a birthday gift. The LoA has some standout pieces, but a lot of it is fairly simple background music (not, exactly surprising) whilst the LoK tracks have both more standouts and most of the background stuff has that great 20s/swing thing going on which is just fun to listen to.
Korra's central character arc was really strong, though
Specifically she kind of lived in Aang's shadow - often very literally, on Air Temple Island and whenever she looked up at that statue. By 13 he was better at communicating with spirits, a master of every element, more spiritually enlightened, in control of the Avatar state, measurably more powerful as a bender, a more accomplished martial artist, and had a force of will so powerful that reality had to bend in order to accommodate him, something that none of his forebears could claim (something that, when she ended up being introduced, even Raava could not claim). He was the apotheosis of avatars and his voice hadn't even really changed yet.
But
But but but
Over the course of the series Korra rejected those lines of comparison with her past lives, seeking out her own values. She lost her connection to other avatars, opened the doorway for spirits to live among humans, united nations, and saw changes made to regimes which had stood since time immemorial
She broke off from the idea of what an avatar is supposed to be and defined it for herself, which is why the show is called The Legend of Korra instead of Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Where Aang maintained the status quo during the most active part of his life, bringing changes only in fits and starts, Korra's passage shook the foundations of the world, often literally.
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Well don't the establish that it's harder to contact a past life the further back it is? It's why Aang only rewound through four cycles.
It's also worth noting that with no White Lotus there wouldn't be any other way to pass along information to a new Avatar unless they contacted their past selves and that might have taken a few generations to figure out.
What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
I'd also agree that Korra has lost some of the power of the Avatar state. Not the raw power, but the experience that came from the avatars before her. Aangs powertrips tended to result in him using skills he didn't normally posses, in addition to more power.
When Korra went full avatar state on Zaheer, it was a more powerful version of herself, chucking rocks about and trying to punch the problem to death.
But the Avatar state allows the Avatar to control all four elements at the exact same time like when they do the thing where they're surrounded by all four elements.
And that's something Korra didn't do after losing her connection with the previous Avatars. She pretty much just used stronger versions of regular bending powers. She didn't really combine the different powers like Aang did when he was in the Avatar state.
Also
Both knowledge and power make the avatar dangerous and I would indeed argue that the knowledge that can be pulled from past lives is what makes the avatar up to Aang's life so dangerous.
Like, as terrifying as Korra can be in her avatar state, she wasn't doing anything she didn't know about either. Aang however routinely used it to use techniques he hadn't been taught.
So yeah, it's both. Knowledge and power.
In previous series' avatar state wasn't just powerful. It was creative. In that form Anng and Korra both clearly were tapping into more techniques then either knew. I don't know about season 3 of korra but in for she just seems more powerful. Her way of beating Kuvira the first time was blasting her with air then trying to hit her with a big rock.
Knowledge that Korra is clearly no worse off without.
Honestly, I think you're just making excuses.
The show is not as well written as its predecessor, and I just think that's evidence of such.
And that's fine. It's still a fun show!
But it is what it is, man.
And if anyone, at any point in the series, were to acknowledge this apparent change in her usage of the avatar state after season 2, I might believe that it was intentional.
But I don't believe that is the case.
Tenzin, maybe. That's pretty much the only person who spent a decent amount of time around Korra and Aang and would have had a chance to see them both fight.
None of the old gaang is ever around when Korra uses the avatar state.
And I mean, Korra doesn't use the avatar state like Aang before book 3 because she's not Aang. They are about as far apart in their approaches to problems as you can get.
Aang only used the avatar state as a last resort, and he stayed in it till the fight was over. Korra pops in and out of it way more.
Aang used the knowledge of the past avatars a lot, to do things he didn't know how to do before. Korra just used it as a power boost, and never really pulled on the techniques of the other avatars.
Korra's use of the avatar state didn't change much after losing her connection to her past lives because she pretty much never used that connection to begin with.
In the original series he controls it twice
Once for about four seconds before Azula blasts him in the back
And then in the fight with Ozai
Fair enough.
But my point here is that all that knowledge is clearly not the power boost for Korra that it was written for Aang, and kind of never has been, due to the reveal that the major power source was, in fact, Raava, and not just her past lives.
And after losing that connection, all it did was (arguably) change up how she wrecked everything in her path when going avatar state, while the end result of said avatar state is exactly the same.
So you can argue about what a shame it is that she lost her past lives (and I would agree!)
But clearly she's no worse off for it, which kind of devalues that whole element of the story. (no pun intended)
And that is basically the point I was getting at.
Kiyoshi could break off pieces of continents and move them over the surface of the planet
Korra in season 4 managed to make waves roughly on level with how Katara was fighting during the arrival of Sozin's comet
All the bending in Legend of Korra is less extreme, but Korra got more of that than most. If we assume the avatar state is always supposed to grant the same level of power, then Korra losing her connection to her past lives has very much resulted in her not being as powerful as past avatars when tapping into the power of the Avatar State
Yes the past lives are important and worth remembering, yes it's a shame she lost them, but at the end of the day Korra is the Avatar because she is the Avatar. She doesn't stop being an invincible force for good just because she loses her connection to her past, anymore than she did when she lost her bending or when she lost her ability to walk. The power being the Avatar gives you is secondary to the will and drive it takes to use that power for the right reasons, which is why Korra can pull what she does in Book 2 without the literal thing that supposedly makes her the Avatar.
True enough.
They just aren't really taking things to that scale with Korra. Kuvira's Eva 01 aside. :P
Things are just considerably less grand here, albeit season 2 did explore some pretty crazy things with the spirits and the spirit world.
Yessssssss
Season 1 Korra would have pounded Kuvira into the ground without realizing their commonalities.
As memory serves Roku said it taps into the power and wisdom of the past Avatars meaning it's not a retcon to just get a straight power boost. Further, Aang would have been dead a dozen times over without the knowledge of the past Avatars. Hell, I think he might have died in the first episode even ignoring the fact that the trapped in an iceberg bit was only possible due to having old Avatars to rely on for waterbending. I think you are really stretching it to say the Korra is no worse off without the past lives to help. For example, she seems to not have the energy bending technique anymore as there are a couple of super powered villains in need of some debending. Previously she could energy bend if she had the Avatar state glowey eyes.
Most of the series sure and since Zaheer still could fly I think its clear she can't take bending away anymore but didn't she save Kuvira by deflecting that energy beam? Sounds pretty Energy bend-y.
Tal, I wish I could say I was surprised to see this kind of talk coming from you.
Why I fear the ocean.
RIght, except
That's pretty blatantly a retcon, bruh. See, when a new chapter in an established franchise introduces an idea that contradicts previously established facts, that is generally considered a retcon.
Sometimes the writers will try to patch this up by having characters recognize the inconsistency and attempt to explain it away somehow, which is a best case scenario.
It's not really an inherently good or bad thing (Wan's story is my favorite part of season 2, in fact), that's just what it's called when that happens.
As for the lack of energybending; she never really needed to energybend anyone except to restore people's bending in the aftermath of Amon's mess.
None of her opponents thus far turned out to be completely unstoppable and thus didn't really require energybending.
Tarlok took care of Amon, and Unalok and Vaatu ended up dead.
Zaheer can't do any real harm while he's shackled up.
And Kuvira straight-up surrendered, so there was no need to take her bending away.
I don't see why she can't do it anymore, since Aang literally showed her the technique at the end of S1 just like the old lion turtle showed him.
Aang reserved debending from people who were too dangerous to just lock up.
Such as Yakone, who could bloodbend everyone in a single courtroom, just by looking at them. That dude was a monster that needed to be put down.
And then having him resulted in creating two MORE monsters bent on terrorizing the goddamn city.
So maybe energybending your enemies into submission isn't really the best way to go, maybe?
I'm pretty sure Aang didn't intend for energy bending to be used on every criminal supervillain to come along.
Zaheer is bound by chains, in a reinforced cell, deep underground.
He's going nowhere anytime soon.
Yakone could have straight-up killed Zaheer by looking at him. He was an exception.
just make sure they don't secretly bust out of jail
LoK suite live
the-legend-of-korra
Specifically she kind of lived in Aang's shadow - often very literally, on Air Temple Island and whenever she looked up at that statue. By 13 he was better at communicating with spirits, a master of every element, more spiritually enlightened, in control of the Avatar state, measurably more powerful as a bender, a more accomplished martial artist, and had a force of will so powerful that reality had to bend in order to accommodate him, something that none of his forebears could claim (something that, when she ended up being introduced, even Raava could not claim). He was the apotheosis of avatars and his voice hadn't even really changed yet.
But
But but but
Over the course of the series Korra rejected those lines of comparison with her past lives, seeking out her own values. She lost her connection to other avatars, opened the doorway for spirits to live among humans, united nations, and saw changes made to regimes which had stood since time immemorial
She broke off from the idea of what an avatar is supposed to be and defined it for herself, which is why the show is called The Legend of Korra instead of Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Where Aang maintained the status quo during the most active part of his life, bringing changes only in fits and starts, Korra's passage shook the foundations of the world, often literally.
That's kind of spectacular.