‘The Legend of Korra’: Is Korra Stronger Than Aang?
The Legend of Korra arrived on Netflix on Aug. 14. The TV show’s presence on Netflix has rekindled a years-old debate that first began when the show premiered on Nickelodeon in 2012. Is Korra more powerful than Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender?
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.]
Fans are still debating this question
If one does a quick search online, it is clear to see that fans have been debating whether Korra is stronger than Aang for quite some time. With both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra on Netflix now, it seems that debate among fans has only strengthened.
“I think Korra is more powerful than Aang physically and probably spiritually as well. It’s hard to compare them since they both accomplished so much as the Avatar and are great at different things. We never see Aang (or Korra) in their primes and it isn’t that fair to judge them against each other when Aang is younger/less experienced. Regardless, Korra’s feats in battle and defeating more threatening enemies are more impressive to me than what Aang did,” one Reddit user proposed.
Another Reddit user disagreed, writing, “Korra is canonically weaker in Avatar form that Aang, due to her losing all the power and experience of the previous Avatars, vs Aang having all of the ones before her.”
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Why fans think Aang could be stronger than Korra
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang was already a master of airbending by the time he was 12 years old. He was also skilled at fighting and could take on multiple people at once with just airbending.
Most Avatars do not learn they are the Avatar until they are 16 years of age, but Aang was told when he was 12 years old because of the growing strength of the Fire Nation. While in the Avatar State, he kept himself alive in ice for 100 years. Upon waking up, he then proceeds to learn the other three elements within a very short time frame.
Aang also learned energybending at a young age. He uses this newfound power during his fight with Fire Lord Ozai to take Ozai’s firebending away. Aang learned how to energybend so he would not have to kill Ozai as it went against his morals. He is seen using energybending in a flashback in The Legend of Korra when he takes away a bloodbender’s power.
When audiences first meet Aang, he has trouble entering the Avatar State. He could only do so during times of distress and he did not have control over it. By the end of the series, he has learned how to control it. Aang also always had a strong connection with the Spirit World during Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Reasons Korra is stronger than Aang
When audiences meet Korra, she is 16 years old and has already mastered waterbending, earthbending, and firebending. Aang’s son Tenzin then teaches her airbending during the first season. Unlike Aang, Korra is shown to be able to break out of a bloodbender’s control without going into the Avatar State.
While Korra constantly struggled with her spiritual side in The Legend of Korra, she still showed remarkable strength with it. At the end of Season 2, she unlocks the ability to become a spirit titan even after losing her connection to past Avatars.
Korra becomes skilled at metalbending and healing, both rare forms of earthbending and waterbending. Even without bending, Korra possesses a great deal of raw strength.
In Season 3 of The Legend of Korra, a villain named Zaheer poisons Korra in an attempt to force her into the Avatar State to kill her. He ended up underestimating Korra, and she is able to resist going into the Avatar State long enough to survive.
Who is more powerful?
With both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, fans do not see Aang or Korra reach their full potential. Instead, they see the two characters overcome their weaknesses as they learn to be the Avatar.
In some ways, Aang and Korra are complements of the other, and what one excelled at the other struggled with. However, when you compare their ages, skill sets, and the villains they faced during their seasons, Korra comes across as stronger and more powerful than Aang.
