A lot of creators take up the issues and problems that we face as a society and try to incorporate them into their shows and movies to spread more awareness about the same. Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko also tried to do a similar thing with their animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
Mike DiMartino once even opened up in an interview and talked about how they incorporated these issues so that their series can ‘stand the test of time.’
The creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender open up about the political themes in the series
Avatar: The Last Airbender was first released back in February 2005 and quickly went on to become one of the most successful animated series of all time. The animated series revolved around the story of Avatar Aang and his journey of how he developed his bending skills to fight and defeat the Fire Lord Ozai and establish an era of peace after a hundred years of war.
However, other than being just a series for kids, Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, The Legend of Korra also managed to include some of the worst societal issues from all around the world including racism, class discrimination, elitism, and many more in the shows.
Once in an interview with Polygon, the creator of the shows, Michael Dante DiMartino opened up and talked about how the change in world culture and politics has not changed his outlook of the series. He said,
“We created ATLA and TLOK as series that would stand the test of time and deal with subjects and issues that people and societies have always struggled with. So, the shifts in the world right now haven’t changed how I see both series, but I have been surprised just how troublingly relevant some of the political themes are.”
DiMartino also went on to talk about how the issues of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra were also very similar despite being years apart according to the timeline of the series. He said,
“But it’s all cyclical — which is another thing we were exploring. I’m thinking specifically in regard to the Ba Sing Se episodes in both series and how the lies and power struggles the past with Long Feng and King Kuei reverberates into Korra’s time with the Earth Queen, whose tyrannical behavior is a reaction to her ancestor’s past weakness.“
All seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender are currently streaming on Netflix.
Korra was the hardest character to crack for the creators throughout The Legend of Korra
Korra was the protagonist of the series, The Legend of Korra, and was a reincarnation of the Avatar whose duty was now to establish and maintain peace in the modern world after the death of her predecessor, Avatar Aang.
However, the character traits of Korra were very different than those of Aang. Unlike Aang, who was honest, kind, and humble, Korra used to fight her opponents in a morally grey way and was stubborn and rude at times. Once in an interview with Polygon, Michael Dante DiMartino opened up about how she was the hardest character for him to crack despite being the protagonist of the series. He said,
“For me, Korra was the hardest to crack because she wasn’t the reluctant hero and wasn’t going on a typical hero’s journey. She didn’t fit the mold in many ways. I remember early on trying to figure out who or what would challenge her the most.
Once we figured out that people like Tenzin and Lin Beifong could actually hinder Korra in her quest to study airbending and take on the job she was meant to do, that helped me understand her predicament better.”
The Legend of Korra was a massive critical success when it was first released back in 2012. The show even averaged a viewership of almost 4.5 million on its premiere. Other than being praised for its writing and storyline, The Legend of Korra was also appreciated for addressing various socio-political issues throughout the show.
All seasons of The Legend of Korra are currently streaming on Netflix.
