The legacy left by Avatar: The Last Airbender was something that The Legend of Korra was unable to outrun. The 2005 animated series has some of the most dedicated fans out there and the love it has received is fully deserved. However, the fans also seem to have become protective over the world as when the series released its spin-off in 2012, a huge percentage of them were not happy.
There was a lot of criticism about the writing and the differences in the world dynamics in the two series. However, a majority of the skepticism was focused on the new Avatar. Fans did not like how vastly different her character was from Aang. In classic female-protagonist style, many believe her to be ‘difficult’ and ‘unlikable’ due to her desire to maintain peace in her world.
Recently, the creators of both the series, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, voiced their opinions on her character and it may be quite surprising for many fans.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Creators Stand By Korra
Recently, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino gave an interview with Polygon, where they were asked if a particular criticism about The Legend of Korra shocked them. Konietzko spoke on this, starting by saying that when they were creating the sequel, they expected fans not to be okay with the decisions they were taking with respect to the protagonist.
“I think maybe we knew Korra, as a character and a series, was going to be more challenging for audiences, but that was what felt right to us. You’re never going to please everyone, especially with a sequel, so you may as well do what feels best — and that’s just how we make our shows anyway.”
They wanted to make something different from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and that included straying away from a protagonist like Aang. Rather than a light-hearted and goofy character, they went for a fierce and powerful character who knew exactly what she was doing and the weight of her responsibility as the Avatar. However, there was one thing that fans did not like about her character that shocked Konietzko.
“If I was surprised at anything, it may have been that it seemed like people were less willing to let her make mistakes than they were with Aang. But I didn’t worry about that stuff too much. I am always more concerned with the cumulative impact of a character’s arc.”
The animator pointed out how viewers were a lot more critical of Korra whenever she made a mistake, compared to how they would react to Aang. While they made several allowances for his missteps and shortcomings, it would seem that anytime Korra fell, they just stood by and criticized her instead of encouraging her to get back up.
Bryan Konietzko Saw Himself In Korra
Bryan Konietzko then went on to talk about how he and Korra began to blur as he delved deeper into the series. Although the hate she got may have gotten loud at times, it would seem that she had plenty of supporters to keep the animator going. He talked about how when he is working on a project, he ends up leaving a piece of himself in the characters that he creates.
“On the flipside, there are also plenty of people who related to and connected deeply with Korra, and I am one of them. Our main characters aren’t just fictional storytelling devices to me. After the years spent toiling to manifest their stories, they become very real people in my heart and mind.”
“And by the end of that grueling production I felt very close to Korra. I definitely have much more in common with her personality than I do with Aang’s, and her personal struggles and growth felt very real to me. “
This is precisely the reason why Konietzko has such a soft spot for Korra. He understood her struggles and the demons that haunted her as those were the same ones he dealt with himself. He also revealed that he had much more in common with her personality than he did with Aang, which is also bound to surprise fans.
