A lot of people like to focus on the Equalist aspect of Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and how it depicts privilege and birthright. However, the show itself presents these themes as background to the real story of the characters and their interactions. If the political themes present in Legend of Korra were intended to be something of significant importance, we should expect them to be reflected in the main characters, as they are the ones closest to the audience and most capable of delivering any message. But when we examine Legend of Korra’s main cast, the opposite message is sent.
By having characters disconnected from the equality themes like this, Legend of Korra takes us, the audience, away from those themes. They become a distant, though interesting, element of the world, even when they are driving the plot. Meanwhile, almost all of the characters’ growth occurs separate from the show’s more political themes.
The majority of the most engaging moments in Legend of Korra have nothing to do with the immediate plot events that surround the Equalist movement and Amon, or the Order of the Red Lotus, or militarism and Earth Nation nationalism of Kuvira, but are when the show moves away from those things.
Interesting! It's definitely true that many character growth segments for Korra occur outside of the political intrigue narratives, such as in Book 2 when she has a vision of Wan and in Book 4 with the entirety of "Korra Alone." – Emily Deibler8 years ago
I have just started getting into Legend of Korra. I will keep your comments in mind as I explore. Munjeera – Munjeera8 years ago