Legend of Korra Book 3

[Saltyk]

You may wanna look again. None of the children had arrow tattoos. Only the adults, who had spent their entire lives airbending so naturally would have mastered it, had arrow tattoos.

Spoiler: Look again

That's Roku with Gyatso, too.​

It was even stated in the episodes of TLA that aired with factoids that only Airbending masters had arrow tattoos. Aang was the youngest person to ever receive his tattoos, though Jinora maybe the youngest, now. It's also been stated that Aang earned his tattoos by mastering 35 of the 36 tiers of airbending and inventing a new airbending technique, the Air Scooter. He was as good an airbender as children twice his age at the age of six, too.

The tattoos were always a symbol of airbending mastery just not thrown in your face, probably because Aang was a bit modest. Half the reason Aang didn't destroy every person he encountered was that he didn't want to hurt people and held back and tried to avoid fighting and harming others.

I also wonder if the whole "he's the Avatar and we need him to BE the Avatar right now because we have reason to believe the fire nation is coming for us" also influenced the choice to give Aang the tattoos.

I don't think so. That seems like it would be out of character for the Air Nomads. I think it was more that because he had already mastered airbending to such an extent they saw the potential to speed up his avatar training, though the potential threat from the Fire Nation probably encouraged that to an extent. I don't think they would have given him is tattoos unless he was worthy of them.

Besides Aang was a powerful airbender. You could tell when he really pulled out all the stops in TLA. Like in the episode The Fortuneteller against the erupting volcano or out in the desert when he created a mushroom cloud with a single move. Gyatso and some of the other masters may have been better than him, but I don't think they forced themselves to give him his tattoos.

It was stated in the Avatar Extras that he was actually better than some of his masters by age 10. And as we saw in Korra, Aang only got more skilled as he aged.

 

[dragoon3zero]

i was only disappointed cuz i was hoping for a fight between the Red Lotus vs. Korra in the avatar state without being poisoned. i'm of the thought that it would've been awesome.

 

[Timpossible]

or have her legs just been seriously injured?

I thought this was just because she was really messed up after that fight and the venom and stuff. And not because she's actually paralyzed.

There is this moment in the fight when she lands on the platform where Zaheer tries to airbend her lungs empty. Watch it closely as to how she lands (a big ass fall straight on the legs).

I know. My first thought also was: "Hey that fall hould have destroyed her whole body!" But then i thought: "But she's in avatar-mode so...fuck it. But wouldn't they have it explained more detailed if she actually is paralyzed/has shattered legs? I'm not institing to be right. Was just my thoughts. And, hell, would be a nice twist to see her go through physiotherapy in the first couple of episodes.

 

[Timpossible]

While the Avatar state seems to make the user endure way more damage than usual (mostly because even with such a fall one could argue that in the subconcience they bend the earth during the landing for a softer impact) she also was poisoned.

For me it is an awesome hook for the last season. The theme of Korra was that she is a relic of times past, the world evolved both on a political and technological state. We have three seasons of people who try to get rid of the Avatar in one way or another. Now I'm looking forward as to how she will recover (or even if she will recover, with a history of disabled characters [for fucks sake, we have a armless woman driving a truck in this season!] using either technology or bending to overcome their disability I see her losing the use of her legs forever) and how she will justify the existance of the Avatar in this world even more.

As I hope more for a "dark side of korra manipulated by the imprisoned zaheer" plotline I see your point an agree: would be veeery interesting.

Also, I feel really bad for Ghazaan. From all of Zaheers posse his scenes with Bolin were great. I feel that if they would've met under different circumstances they would've been not only bros but Bolin would have a master to teach him lavabending, now he'll have to learn by himself. And his death... If he just had another option. This prison was hell, solidarity for 13 years in that environment, without any interactions or whatever. How the Red Lotus was held was not human.

Well. I kinda thought they villians could have used a bit more charakter. I never really could root form them in any way. But yes. That is one reason why I would like a "dark korra" plot. I hoped she would snap and just rip zaheer apart.

 

[Avalanche91]

I was genuinely impressed. I felt like the animation was the best LoK has ever been, the stakes were high and the fights were amazing. I have a few tiny nitpicks (How the heck did she just kick herself free from her platinum chains without any bending?) but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

I can see why Nickleodeon doesn't want to air the show on tv anymore though, what with the gruesome deaths [P'Li in particular] or just tortuous scenarios [korra's expressions/hallucinations when fighting the poison]. With less Nick interference however, there is a part of me that hopes book 4 will be the darkest part of the Avatar mythos yet.

 

[Timpossible]

Another point I forgot to bring up: Korra did not win in this season. By all means, she lost. She was about to get killed, she got saved by her companions who all grew during this season while Korra got smacked down to her lowest. This all goes with the theme that the Avatar has not found his place in this world: Zaheer and companions could've been stopped by everyone else... and they did exactly that.
I'm looking forward to how they will resolve this theme.

I'm looking forward, too. Hope they keep the quality they have in the last 2 episodes.

 

[MiskWisk]

I've got to say I loved the finale. Korra has been developed this entire season into a really likeable character.

Spoiler: Although

I wasn't entirely keen on Zaheer getting flight even if I personally feel that has been so heavily foreshadowed it didn't surprise me at all (damn, I really wanted to come up with a Yahtzee-esque simile/metaphor there) and while I am pleased Bolin got lavabending, that I think should have been saved for season 4.

Spoiler: I really liked

So much though. The use of mercury(?) as the poison just opens up so many paths to make season 4 more interesting. Someone in the thread earlier brought up hallucinations and I am really looking forward to the seeing the full extent of the damage and subsequent healing process... I typed that out and now realise how horrible that sounds. Oh well. I feel that they left the right plot points hanging while wrapping up the correct ones making the finale that much more satisfying. Not to mention the way they dealt with each villain. P'li's mind got blown, Ghazan brought down the house and Ming Hua's death was just shocking.

I do have a question though, is Zaheer the only LOK villain to make it out of his season alive? I don't really count Varrick and the twins, partly because I love them and partly because they aren't really villains at the end. The twins swap sides and while Varrick does do that incredibly smug face when he is revealed as corrupt in the second season, he is just that, a corrupt business man. Okay, maybe he is a villain but still, I think every serious villain in the LOK has died so far bar Zaheer.

Pretty much it for my thoughts. I will leave a quick gif I found on Knowyourmeme that highlights the difference between season 1 start Korra with season 3 end in the spoiler below.

Spoiler: Warning already given

Oh. Before I forget. You know the metal bending captain people believe might have a future role? There is another interpretation of her appearance. Her voice actress is Zelda Williams [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931958/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t16], the daughter of Robin Williams. Her role in the plot so far is specifically to save the life of Tonraq, Korra's dad. Just let that stew for a bit.

 

[Mechamorph]

Aside from a dark!Korra antagonist, one twist they could use in Book 4 is that Korra never recovers. As the world changes and grows, we see it move past the need for the Avatar as a peacekeeper. However Korra moves into the position of honored mentor, more valued for her wisdom than her power. Transitioning from Luke to Obi-wan as it were. The Avatar is more than just the ability to beat down any tyrant, she is the keeper of Balance and now that her physical skills are not available to her, Korra develops her diplomatic and spiritual side and redefines what the role of the Avatar is in the new age. Not that previous Avatars were not primarily diplomats mind you (exhibit A: Aang), its just that the only Avatars in living memory were effectively best known as world saviours through ass-kicking.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Aside from a dark!Korra antagonist, one twist they could use in Book 4 is that Korra never recovers.

This would make sense, since Mercury poisoning, even if a person survive, leaves permanent damage to the body. In real life, if it put her in a wheel chair, she would be unlikely to ever stand up again, let alone be physically active enough to be the Avatar.

I doubt that is what will happen, since "the Avatar's fun advantages reliving her worst memories while sitting in a wheel chair" doesn't sound like something Nick would approve of.

 

[jamail77]

I have a few tiny nitpicks (How the heck did she just kick herself free from her platinum chains without any bending?) but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

I can see why Nickleodeon doesn't want to air the show on tv anymore though, what with the gruesome deaths [P'Li in particular] or just tortuous scenarios [korra's expressions/hallucinations when fighting the poison]. With less Nick interference however, there is a part of me that hopes book 4 will be the darkest part of the Avatar mythos yet.

The Avatar State is a power up. Physically she should be stronger as well and she is already pretty physically strong as it is. That's how she broke the chains.

When I say this it isn't a direct attack at you, I'm just so tired of repeating this ad nauseum, but Nick didn't take this off the air because of the darkness (the creators recently stated in an IGN interview that Nick's only requirement was no mentions of words like "death" and "murder" and that Nick was fully prepared to air those scenes on TV). They took it off the air due to their own stupidity. If it was anyone else they wouldn't have moved the show from a good Saturday time to the "Friday Night Death Slot", so they would never have seen ratings drop, they would never have let leaks happen from their Mexican affiliate, and then they would have fully gone ahead with their plans to do the San Diego Comic Con Book 3 announcement they were planning. Nick decided they would do the opposite of all of that and more when they aired it a week after the leaks happened with no decent advertising all the while bragging how you "can't see these episodes online" then make the episodes only available online. The creators have stated Nick was going to make it all digital anyway (probably after the end of Book 4 from the sound of it), but they weren't going to do it so soon until the leaks happened.

Aside from a dark!Korra antagonist, one twist they could use in Book 4 is that Korra never recovers.

This would make sense, since Mercury poisoning, even if a person survive, leaves permanent damage to the body. In real life, if it put her in a wheel chair, she would be unlikely to ever stand up again, let alone be physically active enough to be the Avatar.

I'm no expert, but with the flexible capabilities of bending to remove more poison than medical professionals themselves normally could with their instruments and the limited time Korra was poisoned, isn't it possible she'll at least partially recover?

 

[Movitz]

So I see some of you good folks putting forward the idea that next season will be about the avatar realising that she isn't needed anymore, that the world has grown away from needing her.

While that is an interesting theme, I have to ask: How?

There's still much conflict in the world, with the equalist rebellion in Republic City, the two water tribes fighting each other and now the Earth Kingdom being reduced too anarchy, so the world simply going all hippie and peacelike and thus not needing any higher authority to judge them can't be the reason.

New technology making bending - and in turn the avatar - useless? I can't think of any that has been revealed in the series. Also, much of the technology through the Avatar series have in many cases been tied to bending (one example being Korra's firebending-ex producing power for the city through his lightning-bending), which is not strange since bending is kinda awesome. I mean, full controll over an element in nature? That alone is awesome and I have a hard time seeing how that would ever turn into a useless trait.

And the Avatar is able to bend ALL elements.

Korra getting her butt kicked one too many times (even though she was supposed to be good at fighting while having trouble with the spiritual side of bending..)? While that does provide a dramatic clue to the whole "Avatar-going-the-way-of-the-dodo-bird", it doesn't do much than paint her as an incompetent Avatar. That doesn't necceserilly say anything about the Avatar's role in the big picture of things. Surely there have been one or more clueless Avatars before, seeing they have been reincarnated a couple of thousand times.

Just my thoughts, now I like to hear yours.