The Legend Of Korra’s Biggest Complaint Was Inevitable Thanks To 1 Last Airbender Change

The Legend of Korra has proven more divisive than Avatar: The Last Airbender since it debuted, but one of the biggest complaints about the sequel series was inevitable given a change it made that set it apart from the original show. Both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra follow the current Avatar on their journey to master all the elements. Aang faces a tyrannical leader who conquered the world while he was asleep in an iceberg, while Korra handles several individual threats. Both shows have their merits, but there are significantly more harsh realities watching Legend of Korra years later.

Many criticisms leveraged at The Legend of Korra can be chalked up to its lack of a long-term plan, as Nickelodeon renewed the series season by season. This prevented the creators from creating the type of overarching plot that The Last Airbender is often praised for. There are also more subjective critiques of the series, like preferring Aang over Korra as a main character. And one of the biggest complaints about The Legend of Korra stemmed from a change the creators made to the new cast of characters — and it was probably inevitable given this update.

The Legend Of Korra’s Focus On Romance Is A Major Criticism Of The Series

One of the biggest criticisms about The Legend of Korra has to do with its romantic subplots, which lead to the sequel series having more drama between its main characters than The Last Airbender. While ATLA isn’t devoid of romance or arguments between its leads, the original show avoids unpopular tropes like love triangles, as well as long-lasting fissures within Team Avatar. When characters like Toph and Katara fight, it typically concludes quickly. Team Avatar’s friendships take center stage in the original series, which benefits from keeping the romance to a minimum.

By contrast, The Legend of Korra digs deeper into romantic subplots, with its characters fighting over one another and explosively breaking up. This prevents the central group from feeling as tight-knit as the original team. It’s no wonder, then, that this element of The Legend of Korra often receives so much ire from viewers. From the love triangle between Korra, Mako, and Asami to Bolin’s failed attempts to date Korra, the dynamics in The Legend of Korra feel significantly more strained. Anyone looking for the friendships present in The Last Airbender will be disappointed, but the teenage drama is inevitable given one change.

The Legend Of Korra’s Romantic Drama Was Inevitable Given The Characters’ Ages

The Legend of Korra‘s romantic drama may be among the show’s biggest complaints, but it was inevitable given the characters’ ages. The sequel series’ Team Avatar are in their late teens when the series begins, and they become adults as the story continues. This is a big change of pace from Avatar: The Last Airbender, which primarily follows pre-teens and young teenagers. Aang and Toph are both 12 in the original series, and Katara and Sokka are only a few years older. Zuko is the oldest member of Team Avatar at 16, and he’s far more preoccupied with his honor than his relationship with Mai.

Although Avatar: The Last Airbender touches on relationship drama in certain episodes — Book 3’s “The Beach” comes to mind — and sees Aang crushing on Katara for most of its run, its characters don’t primarily focus on romance. And that’s developmentally appropriate for them. With The Legend of Korra‘s leads nearing young adulthood, it makes sense that they’d be more interested in dating and relationships. They’re acting in character for their ages, even if it comes off as irksome to viewers. By aging up the leads in The Legend of Korra, The Last Airbender creators made this criticism inevitable.

Why The Last Airbender Sequel Featured Older Characters Than The Original

There’s no definitive answer as to why Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko made the characters in The Legend of Korra older, but it likely has to do with the sequel’s more mature themes. Although The Last Airbender tackles serious subjects for a children’s show, TLOK takes a more nuanced approach to politics and digs into complex topics like PTSD. There’s no denying it’s a darker series than The Last Airbender, and a slightly older cast makes sense for that.

Additionally, the creators and Nickelodeon might have been hoping to attract fans of the original series by aging up the characters. Those who grew up with Avatar: The Last Airbender would be slightly older when The Legend of Korra came out. An older cast would be more likely to appeal to the now-older original audience. However, it seems many of these viewers didn’t jibe with The Legend of Korra‘s romance subplots, even if they made the characters’ ages more believable.