Following the success of the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, showrunners Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko created a follow-up series titled The Legend of Korra which is set 70 years after its predecessor. The story follows the central protagonist Korra who is the next Avatar after Aang, and her journey towards conquering the elements.
The series which ran for 4 seasons, was well received for its narrative and character sketches. The show saw various antagonists who challenge Korra in her journey to fulfil her destiny. One of the aspects that stood out was how nuanced these villains were without being mere cardboards figures. The creators credited another animated film produced by Studio Ghibli for inspiring them in this regard.
The Legend Of Korra Creators Took Inspiration From This Studio Ghibli Film
The Legend of Korra which followed the popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, was praised for its solid narrative that continued the legacy of the airbenders after Aang, through the journey of Korra. Despite a benchmark already being set by its predecessor, the show received critical acclaim for continuing to push the narrative forward with a fresh spin.
One of the defining factors that worked for the script, was the portrayal of the antagonists that Korra faces during her quest to become the Avatar. While the tendency in many instances is to paint villains in a two-dimensional manner, The Legend of Korra applied various grey shades to the characters as well.
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The antagonist Zaheer is considered one of the most versatile villains of the story. As someone with a mysterious and painful past, his brutal actions have reasons that echo strongly with a lot of human sentiments. Despite being a negative character, many of his opinions regarding a lot of issues that plague the society, made a deep impact with audiences.
Showrunner Bryan Konietzko spoke to Polygon about these intricate nuances to the character and how he felt that even a villain could make people contemplate the truths of life. The creator revealed that the inspiration to bring humanity to a negative character came from the popular Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke.
“If a character is simply “evil” and aware of it, then that’s really static for me. It is far more dynamic and realistic if that character believes they are on the right side. One of the things that resonated with me so deeply about Princess Mononoke was how there weren’t any villains, but rather people with competing interests.”
This unique way of depicting differences touched a chord with Konietzko and fellow writer Michael Dante DiMartino who were then inspired to write characters in these shades for the series. Their efforts were rewarded with audiences and critics lauding the way these roles were depicted.
Why Korra Was The Most Difficult Character To Write In The Animated Series
The Legend of Korra which followed the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender, found a steady fan base thanks to a solid narrative that traced the journey of the titular protagonist’s quest to become the next Avatar after Aang in the 2005 show.
Showrunners Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko looked back on the series and revealed that Korra was the most challenging character to write. Unlike the regular path that protagonists take which involves uncertainty in their abilities before finding inspiration and courage, Korra was a confident seeker of her destiny from the get-go.
This made the writers go down a different path to create challenges for the character. Speaking to Polygon about how they developed Korra’s arc, DiMartino said,
“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 (who should be her mentor figures) 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.”
In addition, the presence of an antagonist like Amon in the series who is seen to possess the power to permanently erase the art of bending, provided further incentive for Korra to prove her skills and protect her craft.
The Legend Of Korra is streaming on Netflix.
