Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most popular American-made anime of all time. It told the story of Aang, as he learned to master the four elements and become the Avatar. The adventures continued in The Legend of Korra, a sequel set 70 years after the conclusion of the first series.
This time, the story revolved around Aang's successor as the Avatar, Korra, and her adventures in Republic City. While The Legend of Korra was also an amazing series, it didn't always do right by the characters from The Last Airbender. They weren't all terrible choices but such classic characters definitely deserved better ends to their respective stories.
10 Sokka Became A Posturing Politician
Throughout Team Avatar's adventures, Sokka played a deceptively important role. He was the only regular member who wasn't a bender of any kind — which is why it was important that he was a part of the group, as he reminded the Avatar that the war they were fighting also impacted normal humans.
By the time The Legend of Korra started, Sokka had been dead for a while. While he still had heroic adventures, as depicted in a few flashbacks, others showed that he became the Chairman of the United Republic Council and a career politician. It wasn't a good look on Sokka.
9 A Lot Of Them Were Already Dead
Seeing the next step in ATLA's worldbuilding was intriguing to say the least. After the formation of the United Republic, a lot of technological advancement took place, including the invention of motor vehicles and the development of high-rise buildings.
The downside was that many of the key people from Avatar had been long gone by this time. It wasn't a surprise that Uncle Iroh had passed away, given that he was quite old by the time the first series began, but it was disappointing to find that others like Aang were also dead.
8 Toph Being A Cop Didn't Add Up
As the new world of The Legend of Korra came into focus, the various contributions offered by Team Avatar's members became increasingly clear. This included Toph Beifong, possibly the world's greatest Earthbender and the inventor of Metalbending.
It was revealed that she established the police force of Republic City, which was staffed exclusively by Metalbenders. This never really made sense as Toph was not someone who had any respect for authority figures, let alone becoming one herself.
7 Korra Should Have Talked To Uncle Iroh More
Of all of the characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender, the most lovable by far was Uncle Iroh. Well, considering only human characters, at least. He stayed by his nephew Zuko's side through most of the series, offering him sage guidance and wisdom whenever Zuko needed it — not to mention a lot of tea.
After supporting Zuko, Aang, and the rest of Team Avatar for a long time following the end of Hundred Year War, Iroh chose to ascend to the Spirit World. He continued to advise Korra on occasion, but nowhere nearly as much as he should have — Iroh could have played a much bigger role in her training.
6 The Fire Was Drained From Zuko
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of the most interesting arcs was Zuko's. He went from a brash young Firebender seeking his father's approval & hunting Aang to a core member of Team Avatar and one of Aang's closest friends. Zuko helped bring peace to the Fire Nation and the world.
Although he was still alive during the events of The Legend of Korra, he seemed somewhat beaten and downtrodden by life. Zuko had lost much of the fire that made him a fearsome adversary to some and a valuable ally to others.
5 Zhao Didn't Need To Come Back At All
The ranks of the Fire Nation's military were filled with career-minded people who would stab each other in the back to get ahead. No one played these angles better, or more often, than Admiral Zhao, who was as much an enemy of Zuko's as he was Aang's.
Instead of dying when the Ocean Spirit took him, Zhao spent the next 70 years trapped in the Fog of Lost Souls in the Spirit World. Aang's children ran across him there at one point — it was an odd, unnecessary moment, especially since Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin just leave Zhao behind.
4 What Happened To Appa?
While he never had much to say, Aang's flying bison, Appa, was a key character in the original series. He was the primary mode of transportation for Team Avatar through all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender and beyond.
While the average life expectancy of a flying bison isn't known, it's likely that Appa died along with Aang, 17 years before the start of The Legend of Korra. Other flying bison appear in the series but Appa's ultimate fate was never formally discussed. Given his importance, it seems like a missed opportunity.
3 Azula is completely MIA
Zuko had a lot of skeletons in his closet but none were worse than his own sister, Azula. She was a considerably more powerful Firebender than her brother, not to mention more calculating and vicious. In fact, it took the combined might of Katara and Zuko to defeat Azula in the end.
The graphic novels that discussed the aftermath of Avatar: The Last Airbender provided an insight into what happened to Azula after the conclusion of the series. That said, her absence from The Legend of Korra was a slight against the significance of her character.
2 Katara's Story Was Still Secondary To The Avatar's
For one hundred years, Aang and Appa were trapped in ice, only being freed when Sokka and Katara accidentally found them. The pair of siblings later accompanied Aang on his path to becoming the Avatar and defeating the Fire Lord.
However, Katara's story always felt secondary to Aang's — there were times when it felt like she simply existed to push the Avatar forward. The same was true in The Legend of Korra, as Katara only popped up when Korra needed help.
1 Aang Died A Surprisingly Ordinary Death
At the core of Avatar: The Last Airbender was Aang's journey as he tried to fulfill his destiny and save the world. His heroism led to a new, unified society and the establishment of the United Republic — a boon to the world's new social norms.
Aang passed away long before the events of The Legend of Korra, at the surprisingly young age of 66. Apparently, being frozen in ice for a century drained his life force and caused him to die — relatively young compared to his predecessors. Given everything Aang had gone through, it was a rather unsatisfying conclusion to his story.
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