• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Legend of Korra |OT| - Saturday Mornings Just Got Better

Status
Not open for further replies.
Wow, this show is great. I just watched the first three episodes which I DVR'd.

I have one question though:

Where did the Air Acolytes come from? Since the first season it's been implied that bending was hereditary, so one would think that Tenzin and his children are the only Airbenders left. However, dozens of other airbending nomads live on the island with them.
 
Valhelm said:
Wow, this show is great. I just watched the first three episodes which I DVR'd.

I have one question though:

Where did the Air Acolytes come from? Since the first season it's been implied that bending was hereditary, so one would think that Tenzin and his children are the only Airbenders left. However, dozens of other airbending nomads live on the island with them.
Click to expand...

Its a good chance they might not even be benders at all (or benders of a different element) but they are just following the Culture/teachings. (eg "All life being sacred", being Vegetarians, etc)
 
Uhm no. It's not hereditary, it's just a thing of being born in an environment which is predisposed to a particular Bending skill. Also explain why you have different subsets of benders such as Swampbenders are a subset of waterbenders. Kinda like how German people learn how to speak German and not French.

Recall that humans first learnt bending from the original benders. Dragons for Fire, Flying Bisons for Air, Badgermoles for Earth and the Moon for Water. Would it really be such a stretch that a sufficiently proficient Airbender, such as Aang, would be able to teach his skills to someone who wasn't exposed to the art since birth?

edit:
to clear up some possible confusion. I'm not saying that the ability to bend isn't hereditary but saying that someone who is capable of bending is much more likely to learn the bending technique he's exposed to from birth/make sense for his environment. With the Avatar being the sole expection of being able to learn all styles instead of just the one.
 
PK Gaming said:
Bwah

I missed episode 3... (I don't think Canada even HAS a nick channel) how would I go about to watching it?
Click to expand...

I was about to say it will be airing again at 3pm EST on Nick but with you being not having it and/or in Canada i'm not so sure.

Might have to wait on Amazon or iTunes then.


This is ignoring the possible "other" methods that might exist.
 
FillerB said:
Uhm no. It's not hereditary, it's just a thing of being born in an environment which is predisposed to a particular Bending skill. Also explain why you have different subsets of benders such as Swampbenders are a subset of waterbenders. Kinda like how German people learn how to speak German and not French.

Recall that humans first learnt bending from the original benders. Dragons for Fire, Flying Bisons for Air, Badgermoles for Earth and the Moon for Water. Would it really be such a stretch that a sufficiently proficient Airbender, such as Aang, would be able to teach his skills to someone who wasn't exposed to the art since birth?
Click to expand...

Bryke has said that bending is a mixture of the spiritual and genetics.

And about swampbenders, do you not remember the line from that episode where one of the swampbenders noted that he and Katara were kin? And the old official TLA website confirmed that the swampbenders originated from the Southern Water Tribe.

And combined with the fact that sources have confirmed that Tenzin and his children are the only airbenders, then there is little evidence that someone can simply learn to bend another element outside mythology.
 
Valhelm said:
Wow, this show is great. I just watched the first three episodes which I DVR'd.

I have one question though:

Where did the Air Acolytes come from? Since the first season it's been implied that bending was hereditary, so one would think that Tenzin and his children are the only Airbenders left. However, dozens of other airbending nomads live on the island with them.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's been confirmed on the Welcome to Republic City site, that the Air Acolytes are adapting all the air nomads teachings, like living peacefully etc.

But that's it, the only airbenders are Tenzin and his kids and Korra.
 
Is this show in HD? Is there a nick HD channel or does xfinity just suck and I can't find it? Pretty sure it's grainy on my dvr
 
Obsessed said:
Lightning became much weaker...

and so much more common. How?
Click to expand...

I agree with Raxus. I think it was something of a trade secret for the royal family of the Fire Nation. It wasn't that other people couldn't perform it; they simply didn't know the process. I would imagine that even now it isn't the most widespread ability among firebenders (I imagine it is somewhat akin to metalbending, where it is known by a subset of earthbenders now that the secret is out, but not all earthbenders are capable of doing it).

jdogmoney said:
We didn't see what exactly he did, and there was no fantastic lightshow. Not convinced.
Click to expand...

Yep.

When I didn't see the lightshow, I became skeptical.

LAUGHTREY said:
I just hate it when people try to read the characters minds. Like "so-and-so goes through this this and this, he did this because of this" and they never EXPLICITLY (even though it can be heavily implied even, most of the time it isnt so heavy handed) say what the characters motivations are, you need to recognize that you are consuming a well written piece of dialogue and not something that is complex.

tl;dr I'm saying that complex characters only really exist in books.
Click to expand...

I feel like BorkBork and Jintor already answered the rest of your response, but I think you have a fundamentally incorrect view of how fiction is supposed to be approached - or perhaps an inconsistent one. The process you just described of imputing character motivations and thought processes based on the limited information you are given is a huge part of the depth that one can find in literature, and this is something that is just as applicable to other fictive mediums such as movies, television shows, or plays. In reading, it is a fundamental part of the process of making meaning of the text. Outside of the most simplistic children's fiction where you are told explicitly how anyone feels and why they feel the way that they feel and why they are doing what they are doing, you are going to have to come up with your own conclusions about why a character did or said whatever they did. This doesn't mean that you're able to just project whatever you want; what you come up with ought to be consistent with what you are explicitly told and shown. But even within constraints like those, there's plenty of room for disagreement and speculation about character motivations.

I remember having a conversation like this a few years back when I was arguing with someone about The Wire. He was insisting that one of the characters had actually never changed and that the character arc he was taken on was unrealistic and insufficiently justified, and that one had to simply project or mind read in order to see the character development. But that wasn't the case at all. There, you simply had to pay attention to the events that the character was going through, his reactions to those events, the effect that some of his professional relationships were having on him as a person, and seeing how his issues of guilt plus his own positive relationships could have led him onto the path that he ended up taking. None of this was explicitly stated; it was shown in his interactions, in his changed behavior, in his non-verbal body language, etc., but it is the sort of reading behind the lines of the limited context that you are given that you're supposed to do in order to understand characters.

And the exact same thing is possible in Avatar: The Last Airbender (as can be seen from the series of essays I linked to a few pages back), or in literature (for a good and relatively brief example, BorkBork actually has some great essays about Ursula K LeGuin's The Wizard of Earthsea books; for a much longer example, Brian Boyd's Nabokov's Pale Fire: The Magic of Artistic Discovery is a much more complex and long-form version of essentially the same speculative process). In short, I think that the exact same thing that gives the characters and stories in books their depth is something that can be applied to a television show, even a cartoon, so long as the creators are actually trying to create something internally-consistent and coherent.
 
Spirit bending returns in a less flashy form. I feel that. I'm gonna guess he'll try that on korra, and her will will be overpowering like ozais was initially. I know its probably a stupid thought, but I would love the spirit sword to make a reappearance. I really believe there was more behind that blade then what we've seen. Also, its nice to see a villain who apppears sinister and with a clearcut defined goal. Ozai didn't seem that overpowering in the fear department except that he was a great fire bender. the cool calculating villian type is one that I always get behind.
 
I've been thinking about it all day, and provided they stick within the established (and rather complete, I might add) lore of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I can't really think of many ways that Amon gets his power.

1) He's actually an energybender, and the story of the spirits is true.
2) He's lying about the spirits, and he just has sufficiently advanced chi blocking techniques (he is touching chi lines when he removes people's bending, after all) to take away bending.

However, in his speech in today's episode, I do think he's lying somewhere. I have no basis for this, but from a storytelling standpoint there should be a grand reveal later in the series, and I don't think Amon's story adds up completely. There needs to be a deception or misdirection about his character to add intrigue and depth to the plot (in my view).

If 2) is the truth, then he probably just made up the spirit story to give himself some authority or gravitas, when in reality he just has a grudge against benders after what happened to him and his family.

If 1) is the truth, and he can energybend, then -- and I should add that I'm pulling this out of my ass here with no proof that he's lying -- what if he wasn't telling the truth about what's behind the mask? Maybe he wasn't burned, but had an encounter with Koh in the spirit world, which could add a lot more depth to his motives and set up an arc for Book Two (which I think is probably Spirit)?

I'm prepared to make a little bet that he actually doesn't have a face under the mask. It'd be a great return of an amazing spirit from the series, who we know has crossed the avatar in past lives. It'd also allow for some depth to be added to the spirit world in a way that wasn't done in ATLA, especially post-Book One: Water.
 
A few thoughts on the episode:

Firebenders actually ARE the source of the cities power, I wouldn't have thought that. Also, lighting has become widely "available", probably because Zuko shared the knowledge.

On the account of Zuko, the statue of him is awesome. :)

The atmosphere in this episode was amazing. The music really helped to achieve that and Republic City at night has a really great vibe. The fight against the chi blockers and the revelation in the end definitely were my favourite parts of this episode.

Mako is slowly warming up a bit and we learned some new things about him today. Kind of understandible that he's rather serious when he was forced to grow up at such a young age.

And last but not least: Amon! He is one scary motherfucker. Like I said before, the hand placement definitely looks like energybending, but the light stuff is missing. Imo this makes two possibilities likely: 1. it is actually energybending, only he mastered it as far that that doesn't happen anymore because he can easily overpower normal benders. 2. Like others have speculated, it is some sort of chi blocking, that takes notes from energybending somehow.

Either way, Amon became a huge threat with just this one episode. I'm looking forward to what he will do next, who he is and what his motivations are.

Parallax said:
A good theory, but what reason would tenzin have for "NO MORE BENDERS"? He's one himself, as well as his children and parents. His brother doesn't seem to be one though.
Click to expand...

Tenzin being Amon would be kind of lame and even predictable imo. I don't see that happening. Of course we won't have any real proof for or against that theory until the inevitable "Tenzin goes on a badass rescue mission" and faces Amon to save Korra.
 
CoolS said:
Mako is slowly warming up a bit and we learned some new things about him today. Kind of understandible that he's rather serious when he was forced to grow up at such a young age.
Click to expand...


He was alright and i liked his reaction when he got money and when it went away again. lol


Its kinda hilarious how firebending is the cause of suffering once again.

One person loses their parents to it
Another loses their family to it
The leader of one of the biggest bender gangs bends it.
 
Infinite Justice said:
Its kinda hilarious how firebending is the cause of suffering once again.

One person loses their parents to it
Another loses their family to it
The leader of one of the biggest bender gangs bends it.
Click to expand...

Concerning firebending: I find it interesting that Korra only used it against the Chi blockers. Sure, there was no water around, but throw a little earth in there!
 
i love how tough the enemies are in korra. usually the grunts are easily expendable but it took the trio to take down one of them

imon is crazy. he definitely did not spirit bend and theres definitely a way to reverse what he did. i just feel it

i also thought its kinda lame how everyone knows how to lightning bend now :/ doesnt feel special at all anymore
 
effingvic said:
i love how tough the enemies are in korra. usually the grunts are easily expendable but it took the trio to take down one of them

imon is crazy. he definitely did not spirit bend and theres definitely a way to reverse what he did. i just feel it

i also thought its kinda lame how everyone knows how to lightning bend now :/ doesnt feel special at all anymore
Click to expand...

The way they depict it it never really was, it's just that the knowledge wasn't availabe to everyone and that's why only the Royal family could do it in TLA.

Same thing with metalbending.

ffdgh said:
one thing i never got, how does fire bending lead to lightning?
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure right know, but I think it had to do with fire being a very raw form of energy.
 
CoolS said:
Concerning firebending: I find it interesting that Korra only used it against the Chi blockers. Sure, there was no water around, but throw a little earth in there!
Click to expand...

I guess it would have taken too much time to conjure given how they were hopping around like rabbits and how it was easily dealt with ON THEIR BIKES. Best foot soldiers ever.

ffdgh said:
one thing i never got, how does fire bending lead to lightning?
Click to expand...

i guess its a intensity of heat thing (Yellow/Orange - hot, Blue - hotter, Lightning - crazy hot)
 
CoolS said:
The way they depict it it never really was, it's just that the knowledge wasn't availabe to everyone and that's why only the Royal family could do it in TLA.

Same thing with metalbending.
Click to expand...

i dunno man, in ATLA, lightning bending was like one hit kill kinda thing, and learning to redirect it was a huuuuuuuuuuuuge deal. now dudes line up to use that to power factories :|
 
Finally got around to watching the new episode.

Nom nom nom. So much action.

With the whole spirit world thing I say it's more likely than ever that Amon has some relation to Koh.
 
effingvic said:
i dunno man, in ATLA, lightning bending was like one hit kill kinda thing, and learning to redirect it was a huuuuuuuuuuuuge deal. now dudes line up to use that to power factories :|
Click to expand...

Speculation: I think it might have had something to do with the fact that only some members of the Fire Nation Royal Family knew the secret behind it, and those firebenders (Iroh, Azula, and Ozai) just so happened to be the two most powerful firebenders in the series, and Azula was certainly no slouch herself. So maybe it just so happens that the lightning we were seeing was how good it is in the hands of the very best and not necessarily any firebender who learns how to lightning bend?

Similar to how, say, the wave created by a beginning water bender doesn't compare to an advanced one doesn't compare to a master who doesn't compare to the Avatar, I suppose.
 
Lotta metal benders.. lotta lightning benders..
Could bloodbenders make a return?

I like how amons face is all burned an disfigured like the zuko.. or is it??
 
Loofy said:
Lotta metal benders.. lotta lightning benders..
Could bloodbenders make a return?

I like how amons face is all burned an disfigured like the zuko.. or is it??
Click to expand...

Well lightning and metal are useful for technological development. I can't see why katara would have passed on bloodbending.
 
Ignis Fatuus said:
Finally got around to watching the new episode.

Nom nom nom. So much action.

With the whole spirit world thing I say it's more likely than ever that Amon has some relation to Koh.
Click to expand...

I dont know about that, but its pretty obvious now that the spirit world is going to play a pretty significant part in the overall conclusion to the story.

Aang - spiritual dude, didnt like fighting - had to fight to end conflict
Korra - fighter chick, doesnt care about spritual crap - spirit crap will help end the conflict

No way does this conflict and all of the bender hate get resolved just by beating Amon up. That simply wouldnt work. Spirit power to the rescue!
 
Mumei said:
Speculation: I think it might have had something to do with the fact that only some members of the Fire Nation Royal Family knew the secret behind it, and those firebenders (Iroh, Azula, and Ozai) just so happened to be the two most powerful firebenders in the series, and Azula was certainly no slouch herself. So maybe it just so happens that the lightning we were seeing was how good it is in the hands of the very best and not necessarily any firebender who learns how to lightning bend?

Similar to how, say, the wave created by a beginning water bender doesn't compare to an advanced one doesn't compare to a master who doesn't compare to the Avatar, I suppose.
Click to expand...

hmmm i guess, that does make sense. i just hope people dont go around bloodbending like its nothing

was there some kind of advanced airbending that im forgetting about? or maybe korra will invent something new?

Slamtastic said:
Korra learns the reverse of Amon's power and gives bending to everyone.
Click to expand...

that would be awesome
 
It's so good. Everything. The music. The action. The animation. As a fan of the first series, I couldn't have asked for more.

Also, I'm glad for as strong as Korra is for her age, she's still a novice in the grand scheme of things. She's going to have to train hard.
 
Loofy said:
Lotta metal benders.. lotta lightning benders..
Could bloodbenders make a return?
Click to expand...
Obsessed said:
Well lightning and metal are useful for technological development. I can't see why katara would have passed on bloodbending.
Click to expand...
Spoiler (?) from the Welcome to Republic City flash site:
the information site on waterbending says that extremely advanced waterbender can learn bloodbending. It kind of sounds like they imply that bloodbending is "more" common than during TLA
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Wife Just Got Laid Off 😔
2
97
1K
Aesius replied
The Legend of Korra and Last Airbender Sequel First Look
News 
11
1K
lifa-cobex replied
my cat just got diagnosis with diabetes
39
1K
Beretta replied
‘Avatar’ Sequel Series ‘Seven Havens’ Ordered at Nickelodeon, Set After ‘Legend of Korra’
News 
33
2K
Lambogenie replied
RONDA ROUSEY vs. GINA CARANO | Saturday May 16 | LIVE on Netflix
2
63
407
DeepEnigma replied
Top Bottom