The Legend of Korra

Breaking Stereotypes Since Episode 1

 

“Water, earth, fire, air. (DiMartino & Konietzko 2005)” Ask any person who grew up watching Nickelodeon during the mid 2000s and they will likely know the significance of these words.  This was how Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of Nickelodeon’s most popular shows, started. That series took place in a world where people were certain people were able to manipulate the elements of water, earth, fire, and air using a technique known as bending. The show revolved around Aang, the current Avatar, the only person who could use all four elements, and a young Airbender who was the last of his kind due to the war that was started by the Firebenders. Aang had to learn to use water, earth, and fire to bring peace and balance back to the world (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2005). It also was something very different for western cartoon shows, since it had a very different style of animation that was Asian-influenced, with each style of bending, the way of manipulating an element, being based on an Asian-based martial art (Lasswell, 2005).  Due to the success of the series, it was granted a sequel series: The Legend of Korra. Like its predecessor, The Legend of Korra takes place in the same universe, and has the same Asian-based theme only 70 years into the future (Farley, 2011). However, it is also breaking barrios in different ways than Avatar: The Last Airbender did, specifically around the general stereotypes of women and femininity. Although the Legend of Korra does reinforce some of the stereotypes of femininity, such as women wanting a relationship and being overly emotional, it also breaks stereotypes by placing a woman as the lead character with a very powerful role, and putting other women in central roles that are not typical of what a woman does as her work. It presents a feminist stance with women having the same rights and abilities as men, with some of the female characters even having higher-ranking roles than the other males do. Seeing women with these powerful roles and more aggressive attitudes implies to younger viewers watching the series that a girl can be powerful, strong, and have a take-charge attitude, which may lead to young women wanting more in-charge roles when they are older and society accepting women in those roles.

 

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after Aang and his friends have brought peace to the world. Aang has passed, which means that the cycle of the Avatar has continued and a new Avatar has been born. Since Aang was an Airbender, the next Avatar would be born as a Waterbender (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012), and after a few years of searching, the series starts off by showing Korra being discovered to be the next Avatar. From there, it immediately skips several years to when she is 17 and has already mastered Waterbending, Earthbending, and Firebending (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). Now, she has to wait to be trained in Airbending by the only current airbending master available, Aang’s son Tenzin. However, although she is ready to start training, something urgent in Republic City, the new capital of the new united world that Aang and his friends created, keeps Tenzin from being able to train Korra in her current home. Angry, but not discouraged, later that night Korra sneaks out of her home and goes to Republic City. There she not only begins to learn airbending, but also meets a group of friends in the form of the firebender Mako and the earthbender Bolin, brothers who were orphaned at a young age, and Asami Sato, the daughter of the wealthiest industrialist in Republic City. However, once all of the benders living in Republic City are threatened by a mysterious figure known as Amon, it is Korra’s duty as the Avatar to bring peace and restore balance to the city as well (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012).  

 

When it comes to stereotypes of women, The Legend of Korra is breaking down several negative stereotypes. However that does not mean that it does not reinforce some of them as well. One of those stereotypes is that women have to be in a relationship in order to be happy. This comes from the 1950’s idea of feminine mystique, which is a false belief that requires omen to find identity and meaning through their husbands and children (Hutchinson, 2013b). This essentially means that there is a need for a woman to find a relationship in order to truly find her place and be happy. This need for a relationship was very prevalent Legend of Korra. At the start of the series, when Korra meets Mako and Bolin, the three form a bond very quickly, and soon worked as a team in the pro-bending tournament. However, they also end up in a love triangle, with Bolin liking Korra, Korra liking Mako, Mako initially forming a relationship with Asami, and finally it all culminating in the form of a relationship between Korra and Mako (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012).  The fact that Korra not only wanted the relationship with Mako, but even the show going as far as to have him essentially cheat on Asami so that he and Korra end up together shows how even a show that breaks so many stereotypes can still reinforce one of the most common ones.

 

Another stereotype that Legend of Korra reinforces is that women are overly emotional, illogical, and are not rational (Hutchinson, 2013b). In other words, women tend to think with emotion instead of using logic when they are about to do something. While this is not the case for every female character in the series, it is a defining characteristic of Korra. However, Korra’s personality is a tad different than what you would expect from a typical female character, as Korra is a very stubborn and hotheaded character that isn’t afraid to fight (Farley, 2011). When we are first introduced to Korra, she is a 4-year-old kid who shows off her abilities in an aggressive, show of manner, shouting, “I’m the Avatar and you have to deal with it! (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012) ” However, this attitude makes her easily angered, and it causes her to often act without thinking. Although this attitude is presented as being the reason that she has trouble learning Airbending, which requires a calm mind and a free spirit, this attitude also serves as a plot device because it gets her into a lot of precarious and life-threatening situations. Korra’s inability to think before acting leads her to do a variety of non-level headed things such as getting into a full out street fight with local gang members, followed by being chased by the police force in the first episode (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). As the series continues, and the main villain, Amon, begins attack benders and taking away their ability to bend, she continues to act based off her emotion, anger, and pride, attempting to try and take him down on several occasions, only to fail and almost lose her ability to bend early on in the series (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). Even later, when she is angered by the acts of Republic City’s lead councilman, Tarlock, she goes to fight him without fully thinking about what he is capable of doing, and once again she loses (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). It isn’t until the very end of the series does Korra begin to act after forming a plan, and that is after Republic City is in all out war with Amon and his army (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). Although Korra’s attitude is what someone would tend to expect from a typical male instead of a female character, the fact that she still tends to think with her emotions before thinking with logic reinforces the stereotype that women often think emotionally and do not act rationally. However, this is also a common trait that teenagers exhibit, and most of the other teenage characters end up making similar rash decisions, while the adults all tend to think with their heads first. Therefore, those watching the series may simply think that the actions Korra takes are rash and emotional not because she is a woman, but because she is a teenager, which allows the viewer focus less on the stereotypes it reinforces, and more on the way it breaks others.

 

The list of stereotypes that The Legend of Korra breaks is quite large, however at the very top of that list is the stereotype that women are weak, passive, and not very smart (Hutchinson, 2013b). This stereotype is broken not only by Korra, but also by every major female character in the series. Korra, Asami, and Lin Beifong, the chief of the Metalbending Police Force, are all smart, strong, and take action whenever they deem it necessary. Korra being the Avatar has the ability to manipulate all 4 elements, which leads to her taking place in the majority of the fights in the series. Asami, the only non-bender of the main cast, not only uses technology to her advantage, but is also a very skilled martial artists, having been trained from a very young age. Lin Beifong is the daughter of Aang’s Earthbending teacher, Toph Beifong, the world’s first Metalbender. She is a master Earth- and Metalbending, which she demonstrated throughout the series, culminating in her last action scene where she takes down one of Amon’s industrial blimps by herself in order to let Korra, Tenzin, and his family from escaping Amon’s clutches (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). Since The Legend of Korra is primarily an action-adventure series (Farley, 2011), by making half of the main characters women, the series is able to show that women are just as smart, strong and active as their male counterparts.  This implies to younger viewers that just because someone is female, that doesn’t mean that she is inherently weak or is not willing to fight when she deems it necessary, and therefore should never be taken lightly or for granted.

 

Another aspect of The Legend of Korra not only allows it to break stereotypes, but also gives the series a feminist stance. That is because most of the female characters work outside of the home (Hutchinson, 2013b), and not only are they not subordinate to men at their jobs (Hutchinson, 2013b), they actually have some of the most important jobs in the series. Korra is the Avatar, who is regarded as the protector of the world in the series, and therefore has the most important role in the series. Asami is the daughter of the wealthiest industrialist in the city, and after he betrays the city, she becomes the head of the company (DiMartino & Konietzko). Lin is the chief of the police force and has an entire squad of men under her command, and even when she resigns from her position, the men remained loyal to her when she came to rescue them from Amon (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). Even characters from the old series such as Katara, Aang’s love interest and eventual wife, and Toph hold or have held very powerful positions. Currently, Katara is considered the most respected and powerful Waterbender in the world, with her overseeing most of Korra’s training, and her input was necessary for Korra to finish (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012) . As for Toph, she started the first Metalbending school, and was eventually head of Metalbending Police Force herself (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). In a genre dominated by men as the principle major characters, having a large cast of female characters that are able to hold the same powerful roles as men gives the show the ability to present a different kind of action show and to bring wider audience. It may also make more viewers likely to accept that women can hold important and powerful roles and be as efficient as men.  

 

What is interesting is that while The Legend of Korra reinforces certain stereotypes by the way Korra acts, the series breaks that stereotype using Asami, who actually breaks quite a few stereotypes of women by herself. Along with the stereotypes of being illogical and finding happiness in a relationship which are reinforced by Korra, there is a belief are techno-phobic, and are bad drivers (Hutchinson, 2013), and Asami breaks each of them. In all honesty, there is a binary opposition that occurs between Korra and Asami. However, this is not a virgin/whore binary that is presented when typically dealing with two female characters. The virgin/whore binary is when one of the characters is presented as saints, unable to be bad, or whores, those who are presented as naughty (Hutchinson, 2013b). This does not occur between Korra and Asami because both of them appear to have similar values, and each merits being with Mako for good reasons. Instead, they are simply a normal binary opposition, where the two are paired against each other and compared (Hutchinson, 2013a). Through this we can see how Asami continually breaks stereotypes. Regarding being overly emotional or needing a relationship, not only does she not show any hostility towards Korra for taking Mako; she also is able to go on without being completely crushed by the incident (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). As for being illogical, Asami normally thought before she acted, even under pressure, such as when she choose to act like she was initially on her father’s side when it was revealed that he was working with Amon, only to trick him and use his lowered guard as a way to stop him (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). Finally, compared to Korra, someone who was relatively sheltered from technology for most of her life, Asami is frequently seen using technology in battles, and she is an expert driver (DiMartino & Konietzko, 2012). Thanks to Asami, The Legend of Korra is able to counter the stereotypes it reinforced with Korra.

 

This series has the potential to have very large implications. Very few series of the action-adventure genre have so many powerful female characters that have main roles in the story and the world they inhibit. Young viewers who are exposed to this may be able to accept that women are able to have the same take-charge attitude that men have. Since Korra is the main protagonist of the series, younger viewers may not relate Korra’s personality and attitude as a bossy attitude, the way women with this attitude are typically viewed (Costanzo & Newsom, 2011) and may in fact see it as simply an aggressive, take-charge one, which is normally associated with men (Costanzo & Newsom, 2011). Seeing characters such as Asami Sato may show viewers that women can be as rational and calm as men can. Finally, seeing such a large cast of female characters holding powerful positions in society may cause younger viewers to accept women in very powerful roles in real life.

 

All of this leads to something that could lead to a big change, especially in the United States. By seeing and accepting women in important, powerful roles in this series, when the younger viewers of this show get older, they may be able to see more women in larger powerful roles in real life. According to the documentary Miss Representation, due to the lack of female role models in powerful roles both on and off the screen, fewer people are able to believe that a woman would do a good job holding any role in government. Which then leaves women extremely underrepresented amongst Congress, causing this misrepresentation to be reflected by the bills that are brought fourth for discussion (Costanzo & Newsom, 2011). However, because the younger generation is now being exposed women having powerful and influential roles thanks to The Legend of Korra, there is a chance that this could change. When this generation of young viewers grows up, they could feel that it is perfectly acceptable for women to have very high positions in public office. This could potentially lead to more women not only running for Congress, but actually winning seats. If that happened, women could eventually be no longer under- or misrepresented in the United States government, and the amount of bills introduced that are clearly against or potentially harmful for women would be reduced.  All of this is possible thanks to one very popular series.

 

In conclusion, although it may not break all the negative stereotypes surrounding women in the media, but The Legend of Korra is breaking enough of them. By showing women can hold important roles in society the same way men can, it can lead to viewers accepting this in real life. This series could have an impact that changes the way women are seen in the media and in the government, and there is a chance that in the future, women could stop being underrepresented in both. Now the pressure is on Korra, because as the Avatar, she not only has to maintain peace and balance in her world, but she may now have to bring it to ours as well.

 

Work Cited

Custanzo, J. & Newman, J. N. (Producers) (2011) Miss Representation [Motion Picture] United States: Girl’s Club Entertainment

 

DiMartino, M.D, & Konietzko, B. (Producers). (2012). The Legend of Korra [Television series]. Burbank, CA: Nickelodeon Animation Studios

 

Farley, J. (2011, March 8) The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra’: The creators speak. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/03/08/the-last-airbender-legend-of-korra-the-creators-speak/?KEY

 

Hutchinson, R. (2013a).  Analyzing Media Texts 1: Semiotics.  Communication Studies 101, Lecture.   

 

Hutchinson, R. (2013a).  Images of Women in the Media.  Communication Studies 101, Lecture.   

 

Lasswell, M. (2005, August 8) Kung Fu fightin’ anime stars. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/28/arts/television/28lass.html?ei=5090&en=2d9845c5b0133bb9&ex=1282881600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&_r=0