Bending the Elements:

Speculative fiction is a genre that entices its audience to open their minds and suspend their beliefs in what they know is real and possible and take a leap into something that they wouldn’t fathom happening in reality. The fantasy world of Avatar: the Last Airbender and its sequel Legend of Korra have managed to do this in an exceptional way. Though much of the fandom focuses on characters and story development as reasons to gravitate towards the series, the world building is an exceptional piece of the story as well.

Both Avatar and Korra feature the art of elemental bending endowed into a part of the population. Though the division isn’t wholeheartedly explained until the sequel series, each nation has its own unique form of elemental bending. Mastering the techniques provides the wielder with a specialized fighting style and also impacts how they do things in their everyday life. Fans get many subtle examples of how bending impacts each nation. For example, in Avatar the Northern Water Tribe uses an ice gate system that allows benders to restrict those that enter. By melting part of the wall, the water rises and allows the canoes into the main part of the city. Likewise, earth benders must open and close the gates to great cities like Omashu and Ba Sing Se. Even down to the smaller aspects of daily life – such as Katara and Toph separating earth from water to use for cooking.

There is also a cultural entertainment aspect to bending. Avatar features a fire bending juggler early on those uses his bending to mimic a knight taming a fire dragon. Fans also briefly see a performance by Master Paku and his students during the feast honoring their arrival to the Northern Water Tribe. However, in Korra, we see bending take a whole different twist towards entertainment in pro-bending. Like reality’s sports, pro-bending is an athletic team-based sport that pits two teams of each element against one another to see who the best is. Pro-bending plays a huge factor early on in Korra and seems to have a strong impact on the city as well.

Outside of bending, there are many other cultural aspects and lore that build the overall world of Avatar and Korra. The key aspect of this lore is that of the spirits. Fans learn early on that the world centers much around the spiritual beliefs of the nations and around the interactions of spirits and man – and that the Avatar acts as a bridge between the world of man and the world of spirits. From hostile interactions, like the enraged spirit of Hei Bai to Aang’s conversations with his past lives, there are examples throughout the show – including journeys into the spirit world. In Korra, fans are granted the opportunity to learn much more about the history and influence of the spirits as a result of Harmonic Convergence and the opening of the spirit portals.

This arc is when fans are opened up to much of the lore that was previously speculated in Avatar. In Korra, this lore is granted through the arc of Avatar Wan, the first Avatar. Not only do fans learn the true origins of elemental bending and why there are both benders and non-benders, but fans witness the conflict that forged the first Avatar into existence. Previously, it was imagined that bending was learned by the nations’ elemental equals – the moon, badgermoles, dragons, and flying bison. This lore goes back deeper and further, to a point where spirits inhabited the world and humans lived in cities on the backs of giant creatures called lion-turtles for protection from the spirits.

Because Avatar and Korra take place decades apart, fans also get to see how the world has changed. From the primitive lion-turtle-cities of the first Avatar to the industrialized Republic City, there is a huge growth in society, culture, and development of the world. In Avatar, the dominant method of transportation is by boat or by land animal. The Fire Nation domineers the field with large steam ships and even small steam engine river boats. The vessels of the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom are predominantly sailing vessels that are dwarfed by the ships of the Fire Nation. Land transportation is typically on foot or by animal, including animal-drawn carriages and wagons. The exception to this is in the capitol of the Earth Kingdom, where earth benders drive linked train-like cars across a mock rail system and in the war balloons and airships utilized by the Fire Nation near the end of the series.

Korra shows a boom in industrialization not unlike that of the real world near the end of the nineteenth century. “Satomobiles” resembling vehicles from the 1920s are extremely populous, as well as other vehicles such as motorcycles, mopeds, and box trucks. The police force uses airships similar to blimps to patrol the skies as well. In the first season of the show, fans are introduced to the industrial inventor Hiroshi Sato who is responsible for most of the technological growth and development. During the course of the first season, we see his list of innovations grow even more – including biplanes, mines, mecha tanks, and more. We also see an advancement in weaponry, from basic hand weapons (like swords, spears, knives, and axes) and archery to more advanced weapons. The Equalist organizations prefer their electrical weapons, portable explosives, and mecha suits. For benders, there are also innovative weaponry developments, including fire bending cannons and metal bending cables.

Though many of the developments allow non-benders to lead more comfortable lives, much of this is due to the bending population. Fire benders that are able to lightning bend use their abilities to generate electricity for the population. As a result of the founding of the skill of metal bending, the police force – predominantly formed of metal benders – can manually open and close the metal doors of the cells as well as use their cables as a more flexible mode of transportation. Similarly, water benders form the majority of the firefighting force in the main city and use their bending to easily disperse flames. The graphic novels of both series goes further in depth on the developments leading to Korra and after the end of the series.

These amazing world-building aspects, coupled with dynamic, relatable characters and the captivating storylines make Avatar and Korra shows like non-other. While many fans may attribute their infatuation of the show to what the plot and characters demonstrate, there is much about the world itself to appreciate as well. From the concept of elemental bending, the lore and culture of the world, and its history and modernization, the fantasy is allowed to take root because of the strong world-building done by the creators. Its uniqueness, diversity, and attention to detail makes it, in my opinion, one of the most unique and captivating out there.