The Legend of Korra Will Finally Get the Respect it Deserves on Netflix

Avatar: The Legend of Korra was divisively received among fans, and although it did win many over, the Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel series never quite got the respect it deserved. Now that the animated series has been confirmed for a Netflix release next month, The Legend of Korra has a second chance at getting the audience that unfortunately was not around the first time. In the years following its initial release, the sequel has gotten more of a cult following thanks to sequel comics and more — but this will undoubtedly be that final push it needs.

For a little bit of context, The Legend of Korra was immediately met by ire from some of the fan base for a number of complicated reasons. There were those who did not like the fact that the sequel did not follow Aang after the events of the original series, those who did not like the new cast, those who did not like the new Avatar being a woman of color, and those who had issues with its take on the original series’ formula.

Although the official sequel was overseen by the original creators, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, it did not follow the same formula of needing to learn one element per season. This time our Avatar, named Korra, already had a mastery of three of the four elements with her needing to learn airbending from a member of Aang’s future family.

The different type of villain was divisive as well with Season 1 and 2’s expanding of the Avatar lore overall with more of the spirit world. But even if fans had issues, the sequel had enough goodwill based on franchise recognition alone. Then again, the more it decided to dive further into its darker tones and issues (especially when it began teasing a romantic homosexual romance for the main character) the more it started to disappear from Nickelodeon television.

Shorter episode orders for the series overall became a persistent issue with dedicated fans as Nickelodeon made it tougher to keep up with new episodes by continuously shifting it around the broadcast schedule. The first season had a prime Saturday morning slot, but its older tone overall eventually shifted it to an evening airing for later episodes. There was a year long hiatus before Season 2 even aired, and half of the season was aired an hour later than the first half. Season 2’s final episodes were held back for a few weeks too before finally airing.

This got even worse with the third season as episodes were uploaded to Nickelodeon’s website sporadically long before they aired on television with the final half of the season only releasing online. And the fourth? It was completely relegated to Nickelodeon’s website. So even if an Avatar fan initially wrote off the sequel in the beginning, there was no real way to see more and potentially change their mind on the matter without going through a ton of trouble.

That’s going to change next month. With the Netflix audience being ultra-perceptive to new Avatar: The Last Airbender content as many new fans witness the original animated series for the first time, and many nostalgic fans are seeing it for the first time in a long time, a sequel is going to hit the right spot. The Legend of Korra‘s complete series will be available in an easy to access way for one of the largest audiences ever. It’s finally going to get the respect it long deserves.

Are you going to watch Avatar: The Legend of Korra when it releases August 14th on Netflix? Have you seen the original series for the first time and want more? Have you already seen the original animated series and have never seen the sequel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!