Top 5 Legend of Korra Episodes

TV & Film

Jun 20

Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

In 2012, Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which transported the Four Nations to a distant future that altered the rules and introduced a diverse cast of new characters.

While the series proved to be controversial at times, with discussions and debates on the characters and storylines continuing over a decade after the show’s conclusion, there’s no denying the series’ progression of The Last Airbender’s story, and its impact on Western Animation, and what kinds of stories can be told in children’s media.

These are the top five episodes of The Legend of Korra.

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5: Beginnings Part 1 & 2 (Season 2 episodes 7 and 8)

Our first choice is the only two-parter on the list, and comes from the largely reviled second season. Amidst jumbled storylines, confusing lore drops and some questionable character decisions, Beginnings Parts 1 and 2 were a breath of fresh air for longtime fans of The Last Airbender, removing us from the main narrative to briefly explore a different corner of this world.

Following an ambush at sea, Korra wakes up on a remote island with no memory of who she is. With some help from some Fire Nation sages, she undergoes a spiritual journey which leads to her uncovering the long lost origins of The Avatar from ten-thousand years ago.

The two-parter mainly follows Wan, voiced by Steven Yeun in his first voice-acting role, as he goes from a petty thief to master of the four elements, to the bridge between humans and spirits when during an event known as Harmonic Convergence, he finds himself merged with the Light Spirit Raava to battle against the Dark Spirit Vaatu, starting the cycle of Avatars.

The two-parter not only answers questions some fans have had since The Last Airbender, its action, characters, and art style inspired by traditional watercolor paintings. While fans still debate the lore introduced, there’s no denying that these episodes are a very bright spot in an otherwise frustrating season.

4: Endgame (Season 1 Episode 12)

The first season finale from The Legend of Korra gave viewers an intense showdown following an immense amount of setup. While definitely not perfect, it tied the show’s first story arc in a neat, if not bittersweet bow.

Following the reveal of the Equalist leader, Amon, secretly being a Bloodbender, the episode becomes a race against the clock to expose his lies and bring balance before he wages a war on benders.

This season finale is packed to the brim with impressive action sequences, plenty of heart, and a couple of moments that left viewers speechless, be it in horror or awe as Korra comes into her own as the Avatar.
Overall, Endgame is a solid bookend to The Legend of Korra’s first outing, and had the series ended here as anticipated, it would still go down as a solid ending. Fortunately, there were still more stories to tell.

3: Enter The Void (Season 3 Episode 12)

Season Three of The Legend of Korra is considered to be one of the show’s strongest entries, raising the stakes and building upon what came before while also raising the stakes on a personal level with its main antagonists, Zaheer and the Red Lotus. After nearly a full season of an intense game of cat-and-mouse between Team Avatar and the Red Lotus, tensions came to a head in the penultimate episode of the season.

After the recently-revived Air Nomads are abducted and held hostage in exchange for Korra, both sides clash as we get to not only see the conviction of the Red Lotus, but Korra and her allies in some of the most intensive and visually creative bending battles put forth in the Avatar series in an elaborate back-and-forth with some incredibly brutal moments further raising the stakes.

Between the heightened emotional stakes and intensive battles, and an ending that left audiences speechless, this episode from The Legend of Korra’s third season is surpassed only by-

2: Venom of the Red Lotus (Season 3 Episode 13)

The Season Three Finale, which delivered not only one of the most brutal and intensive battles in Avatar, but also the most personal and intense stakes.

Following a brutal defeat in the prior episode, Korra is taken prisoner by the Red Lotus, and poisoned by Zaheer, what follows is Korra having to fight for her own life while her allies fight to save the Airbenders. The season three finale is The Legend of Korra firing on all cylinders to deliver an emotional, pulse-pounding and stomach-churning series of events that blows away the already-shaky status quo, perfectly coinciding with the season’s theme of change. New revelations and incidents give the characters, and audience very little breathing room.

By the end of this episode, and this season, no one comes out unscathed, all have been fundamentally changed by their experiences, especially Korra. This episode would serve as the emotional baseline for the show’s final arc, and another one of the best episodes of the series.

1: Korra Alone (Season 4 Episode 2)

The first episode of The Legend of Korra’s final season opens with a three-year timeskip, and a new threat taking root in the Earth Kingdom, and as our cast comes back together, Korra is nowhere to be found.

The season’s second episode, Korra Alone, brings the story back to Korra, exploring her life during the timeskip as she recovers from the immense physical and psychological wounds inflicted upon her by Zaheer in Venom of the Red Lotus. This episode would take a deep dive into Korra’s emotional state through her physical rehabilitation under Katara, and then her long road of redemption as she ventures out on her own, aimlessly wandering the world and new locations while being haunted by her past self, a physical manifestation of her trauma that she repeatedly fights and tries to escape.

This episode woefully demonstrates how recovery from trauma is not a linear journey, and in a time when the Avatar is needed more than ever, Korra has a long way to go before she’s ready to save anyone, and yet she must act quickly. The episode ends on an exciting note, with the return of Toph, a fan favorite who was noticeably absent for most of this sequel series. This episode quickly gets audiences invested in Korra’s road to redemption throughout the remainder of the series, and excited to see what her new mentor has in store for her.

All four seasons of The Legend of Korra are streaming on Paramount Plus.

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