Although The Legend of Korra is still a great series and a wonderful sequel that fleshed out the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender even more, it still isn't as good as its predecessor in many ways that makes it often times fall short of the high expectations put upon it. However, the sequel does have the prequel beat in a very big and important way, showing that the series was a step up in a few ways.

Avatar: The Last Airbender had a singular main antagonist: Fire Lord Ozai. This storytelling method is very common, as having a singular main big bad gives the story a much clearer goal for the protagonists, as well as giving most of the focus to this major obstacle. Furthermore, the viewers feel a sense of intimidation and intensity when a story hones in on that one villain, and Avatar: The Last Airbender did exactly that.

Legend of Korra Blessed Fans With Multiple Amazing Villains

The Series Produced All-Time Antagonists

The caveat to this approach is that there is a big disparity in the quality of the main antagonist and the secondary ones. While the series managed to craft a possibly even more amazing villain in Azula, those two are the most noteworthy antagonists in the series, with the rest being largely forgettable.

The Legend of Korra took a different approach to its antagonists, with each book having a different main villain that Korra has to take down. While it isn't as long-term focused as the prequel, the series managed to pull it off, giving fans multiple amazing and unique villains to push the protagonist like never before. They were varied, interesting, and all challenged Korra in very different ways. Each season having a different overarching villain made them all exciting and memorable.

One advantage of having such an incredible cast of villains is that Korra always had to adapt to new threats, never really getting a moment of respite. Viewers witnessed her being constantly pushed to her limits and, true to her character, she struggled but ultimately emerged much stronger. While Aang faced his share of terrifying enemies, The Legend of Korra did a better job depicting how the villains relentlessly tormented the protagonist without giving her a break.

Amon nearly erased her bending abilities, Kuvira easily overpowered her in front of hundreds, Zaheer restrained her with effortless ease, and Unalaq attempted to strip her of her Avatar status. Throughout all of this, Korra endured tremendous hardships and grew immensely as a result.

Korra's Antagonists Had Much More Depth

The villains in The Legend of Korra were much more nuanced and interesting than in the prequel, and the dynamic they had with Korra added a lot of depth. Aang's relationship with Ozai was comparatively lacking compared to Korra's relationships with her antagonists. The villains had a much more intriguing tie-in with Korra, and this is why her fights were so intense and emotional. Zaheer pushed her and forced her to question her own ideals, as she was one of the cogs in the system that he wanted to take down.

Amon and Korra were fated to battle, as each represented the antithesis of the other. Kuvira's philosophy or ruling with a strong fist contrasted very well with Korra's gentle approach to leadership, and seeing their friendship turn antagonistic, among other reasons, makes this possibly Korra's best dynamic in the series. Unalaq's thirst for the spiritual realm forced Korra to finally acknowledge the other realm and finally restore order between the human and spiritual realms. Korra's villains made her a fabulous character and challenged her not just physically but also ideologically, resulting in amazing characterization and development on both ends.

Furthermore, the villains were not as black and white as in the previous installment, but instead pose viewers with moral dilemmas with their ambiguity. The Legend of Korra's more mature approach to its antagonists made the series more complex as a whole, providing incredible depth and nuance that leaves fans conflicted. The villains aren't cartoonishly evil but instead have realistic origins and motivations, and at times, they are even sympathetic, which makes them some of the series' most popular characters.

Korra's World Was Made More Interesting By The Antagonists

The Villains Fleshed Out The World Even More

Another great thing the villains in The Legend of Korra did was flesh out the world and lore, as well as increase the political intrigue, making the already rich franchise even more interesting. The Last Airbender did this, but not on the level of its sequel. For example, Book 1 explored the animosity and bitterness that non-benders had, and the injustice they faced from the people blessed with powers, leading to Amon and the Equalists.

Book 2 was even more interesting as it expanded on the Spirit World and showed the backstory of Avatar Wan, Vaatu and Raava. This was monumental in the franchise, as it gave fans a clear vision of the role and weight of the Avatar role, as well as expanding on an unexplored part of the lore.

Book 4 mainly dissects the politics of a world in crisis and how it led to the birth of an ultra-nationalistic dictator in Kuvira. Kuvira showed that any nation is capable of being the aggressor, not just the Fire Nation, as her staunch authoritarianism led to a failed invasion of Republic City as well as indoctrination, propaganda, censorship, and dictatorship in the Earth Nation.

All this isn't to say that Avatar: The Last Airbender had a bad cast of antagonists, far from it. They were amazing in their own right and served their purpose very well, but The Legend of Korra simply had a stronger and more nuanced villain cast that heightened the series to incredible highs and challenged Korra very well. From the intimidation factor, their interesting philosophies and goals to the conclusions, if there's one thing The Legend of Korra has, the amazing prequel beat, it is this.