[Airbender] The legend of Korra: I am the solution.

cloudeagle

So there was this show called Avatar: the Last Airbender. Despite the fact that it was on Nickelodeon, it was the ridiculously fantastic tale of Aang, a boy with the potential to master the art of airbending, waterbending, earthbending and firebending to unite a fictional, Asian-inspired world. Think detailed martial arts combined with hurling around huge chunks of the elements. Also it was surprisingly funny. Seriously, if you haven't watched it, you need to.

Then a live-action movie came out. It sucked a fattie. Please please please don't bring it up.

The one good thing about the movie is that it caused Nick to greenlight a sequel series, called The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra, set to air for 26 episodes in 2012. What's it about? From Wikipedia:

The series will focus on Korra, a teenage female protagonist from the Southern Water Tribe and the current incarnation of the Avatar, who, according to the president of Nickelodeon, will be "hotheaded, independent, and ready to take on the world." She has already mastered the elements of Water, Earth, and Fire, but needs to master Air. The character was partly inspired by Avatar Kyoshi of the original series, whom the creators say was very popular among fans. Set at least 70 years after the defeat of Phoenix King Ozai and Princess Azula in the series finale of the original show, creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko plan to follow Korra as she learns Airbending while facing an anti-bender revolution.

In order to avoid repetition of Aang's adventures, the creators wanted to root the show in one place, called Republic City, a steam-punk style metropolis where people of all nations, benders and non-benders, live together. A concept drawing of the city, released with the announcement of the series, shows the city's design as inspired by Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s, Hong Kong, Manhattan, and Vancouver. In the show, Korra will have to learn Airbending from master Tenzin, son of Avatar Aang and Katara, and contend with an anti-bender revolution taking place in Republic City.

Sounds like good stuff. And thanks to Comicon, we now know at least one more character that will be in the show, namely:



A big ole dog.

Edit: A trailer was shown at comicon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEWb7xPGHiQ

(If that doesn't work, try http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=257029334313667&id=209565489060052 )

The city is called United Republic and it was founded by Aang and Zuko.

The two guys in the poster with Korra are Mako (firebender) and Bolin (earthbender), and they are brothers.

The polar bear dog is female and her name is Naga.

Bolin has a pet fire ferret named Paboo.

There will be new flying bison and new lemurs.

There will be two seasons -- season 1 will have 12 episodes, season 2 will have 14 episodes.

Aang and Katara had three kids, Tenzin being the youngest and only airbender. Tenzin is voiced by JK Simmons.

Tenzin has three kids of his own.

Anti-benders use chi-blocking.

There are metalbending cops.

Toph traveled the world to teach metalbending after the war was over, and her daughter Bei Fong is the chief of police.

There will be mixed martial arts in the series, and the music was described as 1920s jazz invented by the Chinese.

spool32

I'm concerned we won't get as much philosophy of the elements as we will class warfare, according to the summary. Also, if the new Avatar already has three of the four elements... that's a lot less opportunity.

"hot-headed and independent" is definitely not a mode of thought conducive to airbending, though. Will she mostly struggle against her own stubbornness in her efforts to master the air?

Tertiee

Is it just a dog?

Terrendos

Surely it must be a bear-dog.

King Riptor

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

Lanz

Polar Dog! :O

Couscous

I can understand them not wanting to be to continuity heavy when it comes to the characters in the previous series.

DevoutlyApathetic

Yea, their decision to make it markedly different is confidence inspiring. I could be just the opposite but nothing strikes me as "Not Avatar-y".

The upcoming struggle that is going to require a great figure to bring to it's conclusion feels very "Avatar-y" to me.

I do hope we get slightly less "Why does it have to be me?" from Korra than Aang though.

kime

Based on her personality and how far along the Avatar track she is, I expect her to be much more confident in who she is than Aang. Which is good. While I liked Aang, I don't need to different stories of the same internal problems.

pyromaniac221

Yes please this is what I want.

Everything about this show sounds wonderful so far

Bagginses

Given how far tech is supposed to have come and the presence of an anti-bending movement, I'd like to guess that the new schtick will be that she questions whether or fights to prove that the destiny she's been preparing for her whole life is still relevant.

Tiger Burning

d'aww, lookit dat dog. Er, dog-bear. Polar bear dog. Southern wolf bear. Whatever. Lookit. d'aww

Nightslyr

I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the main characters from the original series reappear in flashbacks. I'd love it if Toph was still alive and kicking ass.

That worg Korra is riding looks pretty cool. A fitting Appa for her.

Krieghund

It's only been sixty years. I would expect almost everybody to still be alive. If only barely. Nobody was over sixteen at the end of Avater were they?

Gabriel_Pitt

Tertiee wrote:

Is it just a dog?

Belle! The white beast!

Terrendos

King Riptor wrote:

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

casting spoilers:

Dante Basco, the guy who did the voice of Zuko, was called in to do voice work on Legend of Korra for an episode. Whether that means we'll see Zuko again is unknown, though I suspect they may use this series to finally resolve the whole "what happened to Zuko's mother" thing, probably in flashback form.

Centipede Damascus

Oh man that giant polar dog looks great.

I need more details! I am really stoked for this show!

Antimatter

eeeeeeeeeee that reminds me of my teddybear that's basically a dog bear

SO EXCITED FOR THIS SHOW

GoodKingJayIII

If there's one thing I've learned from Penny Arcade, it's that everything is better with a big, hungry-ass dog.

Can't wait.

FCD

Gabriel_Pitt wrote:

Tertiee wrote:

Is it just a dog?

Belle! The white beast!

Oh man, I remember that show! And it was a Nickelodeon series as well. Yeah, definitely reminiscent of that.

Quid

spool32 wrote:

I'm concerned we won't get as much philosophy of the elements as we will class warfare, according to the summary. Also, if the new Avatar already has three of the four elements... that's a lot less opportunity.

And a lot more opportunity for other things. Besides, the actual learning of elements took up very little time in the first series.

Zomro

King Riptor wrote:

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

That saddens me a little bit. I was really pulling for Sokka to be a member of the Order of the White Lotus in the future. Cause, you know, sword master Sokka as a White Lotus would be fantastic. Extra awesome if he was a Grand Lotus.

Schrodinger

Zomro wrote:

King Riptor wrote:

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

That saddens me a little bit. I was really pulling for Sokka to be a member of the Order of the White Lotus in the future. Cause, you know, sword master Sokka as a White Lotus would be fantastic. Extra awesome if he was a Grand Lotus.

Sokka had very little actual sword skills. He had creativity and could think outside the box, but that's not really something you can teach.

Schrodinger

King Riptor wrote:

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

That just seems way too rehashy. Aang had the masters he had because of the peculiarities of his situation and the context of the war. Take away the context of the war, and you have a different set of teachers.

DHS

Schrodinger wrote:

Zomro wrote:

King Riptor wrote:

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

That saddens me a little bit. I was really pulling for Sokka to be a member of the Order of the White Lotus in the future. Cause, you know, sword master Sokka as a White Lotus would be fantastic. Extra awesome if he was a Grand Lotus.

Sokka had very little actual sword skills. He had creativity and could think outside the box, but that's not really something you can teach.

He was also sixteen. He did have an Entire Lifetime to hone up, every "master" starts at exactly wear Sokka was. How does him not being good at sixteen preclude him from ever becoming a "master" later in life? Most of that, aside from creativity is just practice and time. I'm not sure what you objecting to, there.

King Riptor

Schrodinger wrote:

King Riptor wrote:

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

That just seems way too rehashy. Aang had the masters he had because of the peculiarities of his situation and the context of the war. Take away the context of the war, and you have a different set of teachers.

Well it's implied the teachers are chosen by different traditions but they are generally the best Benders in their respective nations.
So by default if they're still alive at least two of them would be Zuko and Toph.

RMS Oceanic

Posting this early fanart just because.

In other news, I like that we're with a more grown up Avatar who is at a different stage of her training. For one thing we've seen how to Earth/Water/Firebend, but now we have time to see how to learn Airbending.

Also, JK Simmons is in it.

Quid

Assuming Zuko and Toph wanted to. Also Zuko wasn't the best fire bender there was, he just happened to be the only master they could actually get to that would help them.

Bionic Monkey

King Riptor wrote:

Schrodinger wrote:

King Riptor wrote:

Yeah that's a polar bear wolf for sure.
Not entirely happy about the rumor that there's no old characters excluding Aangs ghost but I am still holding hope that Toph and Zuko were two of Korras teachers.

That just seems way too rehashy. Aang had the masters he had because of the peculiarities of his situation and the context of the war. Take away the context of the war, and you have a different set of teachers.

Well it's implied the teachers are chosen by different traditions but they are generally the best Benders in their respective nations.
So by default if they're still alive at least two of them would be Zuko and Toph.

Toph, yes. I don't know if Zuko could qualify as the best bender in his nation. He barely beat

his sister, and her, only because Kitara helped out.

Mr_Rose

Are we really spoilering stuff from the original series that ended how many years ago?

Anywho; Zuko was actually winning for a while there, until Azula cheated and involved someone outside the Agni-kai ring (Katara) and lost by default. Then promptly got her ass handed to her by a master of her opposed element.

Quid

He still only won because she was unstable. His uncle, father, and the leader of the rebellion were all better than him.

Mr_Rose

Not gonna deny that.

But he did also only just that month learn a whole new approach to firebending more suited to his personality and fundamentally opposed to that which his family taught.

I would say the Sokka-the-swordmaster caveat above applies here too. IE kid was what, eighteen? Mastery comes with time and experience.

Quid

Sure, but there's no reason to assume he became the best either.

WMain00

Quid

Main makes a valuable point.

see317

Quid wrote:

Sure, but there's no reason to assume he became the best either.

No, but there's also no reason to believe that he stopped training. It seems likely that as the new Fire Lord, Zuko would try and institute the Dragon's form of fire bending across the entire Fire Nation, possibly banning the older more rage driven style of his father. One would imagine he'd have the Avatar's backing on such a decision. Since he and Iroh are the only remaining practitioners of the form it seems logical he would be one of the best at it.

Of course, this is all pretty pointless anyway. The creators have been pretty clear they don't plan to bring the old crew into their new adventure.
That said, I want a polar beardog. I'd bet it'd shed something terrible, but it'd be worth it.

HappylilElf

I refuse to get excited about this because I am impatient as hell.

That said I wold probably kill somebody for a higf quality print of the bear calvalry image.

While riding a bear of course.

Quid

see317 wrote:

Quid wrote:

Sure, but there's no reason to assume he became the best either.

No, but there's also no reason to believe that he stopped training. It seems likely that as the new Fire Lord, Zuko would try and institute the Dragon's form of fire bending across the entire Fire Nation, possibly banning the older more rage driven style of his father. One would imagine he'd have the Avatar's backing on such a decision. Since he and Iroh are the only remaining practitioners of the form it seems logical he would be one of the best at it.

The art he has all of a few months practice in.

Cantido

Steampunk + 70 years = More Steampunk? They should have cars and trucks now. Oh, nevermind. That idea sucks.

Centipede Damascus

I wonder if the technology will be at a similar level to, say, Fullmetal Alchemist. That could be really cool.

Bethryn

Quid wrote:

The art he has all of a few months practice in.

How much time you've spent bending doesn't determine whether or not you're a world class bender. Katara bested her waterbender tutor despite him having years of practice over her.

It's primarily a kid's show, and kids don't really enjoy having to have characters grow twenty years to master an art to the level the adults around them have. There were surely better martial artists in the world than the Power Rangers or the Karate Kid, for example.



Also, yes, I did enjoy writing that first sentence.