Tag: Zaheer

What Book was the best?

One of my all-time favorite TV shows has been Avatar the Last Airbender. It was the show I couldn’t miss in a time where streaming wasn’t available, and I didn’t have a TV. When Nickelodeon transmitted the last episodes, I went to my job so I could watch in the television. This was on a Saturday!

When the sequel, The Legend of Korra, was announced, I knew I was not going to miss it.

Korra was a vastly different series. It had different cast, different plot and the world had evolved. It was still the same, but is like saying the US was the same in the 1920’s and 1930’s. It was the same country but in different conditions.

I re-watched the series last week. The show’s main difference with its predecessor was that it only planned for one season versus Last Airbender’s three. That affected the plot’s pacing and even the villains. The Last Airbender had some of the most iconic villains in a children’s TV show and that was because they were properly developed. In Korra, each season -called Book – had a different feeling, villain, and main theme. While in The Last Airbender the ultimate goal was to defeat the Fire Lord and his family, Korra’s was saving a city from Civil War, then stopping the end of the world, then protecting the Air Nomads, and finally stopping a dictator who took over the Earth Kingdom.

It went all over the place.

Which season was the best? I thought. Since I have a blog and I always wanted to do a list about something, well, here it is!

What is about:

First for people who have never heard of the shows (how dare you? Go watch them!). The show is set in a world where people can control one of the four elements. They are benders, and they formed different countries depending on what element they can bend. The Last Airbender focused more on this since the main plot was the Fire Nation trying to take over the world. At the beginning of the series they had killed the Air Nomads to extinction, one fight away from beating the Water Tribes, and had the Earth Kingdom on the defense.

Here, look at the intro. That is all you need.

Of course, the Avatar Aang stopped them and brought balance to the world.

The Avatar’s main duty was that: bring balance. He/she is the only person able to learn the four elements and can commune with spirits. Each time an Avatar dies, he/she gets reincarnated into continuing a cycle that goes Air-Water-Earth-Fire.

Cast:

Before we go into the list, a brief explanation of Team Avatar:

• Korra: the Avatar from the Southern Water Tribe.  Headstrong and impulsive at the beginning of the series.
• Mako: a Firebender. Former thug. Talented bender and Korra’s first love interest. Cares for others.
• Bolin: an Earthbender. Mako’s younger brother and the series’ main comic relief. Goofy who ended up being a ladies’ man by the end of the series.
• Asami. Daughter of one of the richest and innovative industrialists. She does not bend but knows martial arts and has keen mind for business and inventions. She has a love triangle going on with Mako and Korra.
• Tenzin: an Airbender. Aang’s youngest son. He and his three children are the last Airbenders at the beginning of the series. He becomes Korra’s main mentor.

The Ranking

From worst to best, here is the listing. Most of it is subjective, but this is my list and if you disagree with it, you are wrong.

4th

Book 4: Balance

The last season of the show brought nothing new to the series. All previous seasons had brought something to expand the lore and the world. This season is just picking up the pieces. This is the season where Korra is at her weakest. She has been near death multiple times and is now suffering from PTSD and cannot recover. Kuvira, the main villain, is somewhat interesting and an able fighter but not as interesting as the other villains.

What is good: Korra and Asami’s relationship. When the finale aired, it created a controversy with people divided if they were good friends or partners. If you re-watch the  series, you will figured it out since the clues were there, and the creators have made it official that Korra and Asami are a couple, one the first LBGT couples on a children’s show. The final battle is amusing with great animation.

3rd

Book 1: Air

I think this will be controversial, since the season had Amon, a great and powerful villain. He was mysterious and had a good cause. He wanted equality between benders and non-benders. However, they were lies. Considering this is the first season, most of it is good. At the end, there was nothing else that hook us for future seasons beside name recognition.

 You know what? That was enough.

What is good:  The season is not bad. It is an incredibly good season with great episodes. It introduces characters and there is great tension. Pro-Bending episodes were fun. The season is not as good as the others though.

2nd

Book 3: Changes

The season is better than Book 1 because of the villain. Zaheer was powerful, mysterious and as charismatic as Amon. The main difference is that he genuinely believed what he preached. He was the leader of the Red Lotus; whose leaders were powerful benders on their own. Zaheer was also the first Airbender villain both series has had. When he appeared in Book 4, people wanted to see him instead of Kuvira. Zaheer was also successful in killing the Earth Queen, setting up the conflict for the next season, and almost truly killed Korra and all future Avatars. He broke her. That is not something to say lightly.

What is good: Fights had good animation and created different fighting styles. It introduced magma bending, and the Beifongs. The biggest positive change the season brought to the Avatar universe was the return of the Air Nomads. The audience was finally able to see a large group of Airbending happening at the same time.

1st

Book 2: Spirits

It completely expanded the world’s lore. Season one was just one city, but this once set the seeds for bigger and better things. Unalaq is the weakest human antagonist, but his scheme to bring a Dark Avatar and fusing with Vaatu had the highest stakes of the series. They both wanted the destruction of the known world and almost accomplished it. This was Korra’s at his strongest when she defeated them both.

What is good: Almost everything. All secondary characters had something to do and went through their own story arcs: Bolin became engaged and a movie star, Mako investigated a conspiracy, Tenzin came to peace with his father’s legacy, and Asumi was trying to save her company. It brought funny and interesting characters. There was mystery, family strife and we met the first ever Avatar.