Legend Of Korra: Will It Bend!

[Jahkaivah]

GUYS!

WHY IS THIS SHOW SO AWESOME?!?! Seriously

[Anarion]

I wonder about energy bending being truly permanent. Surely someone with great chakra control would be able to reawaken their lost abilities in much the same way Aang was supposed to regain the avatar state.

As to Amon's actually having the ability. I don't see why not. The spirit world can't all be in harmony. And a dangerous and powerful villain who claims and then demonstrates a dangerous and powerful technique should reasonably be taken at face value.

All this means is that Korra's true test will be mastering occlumency energy bending.

My prediction that will probably end up being wrong is that near the end of the series Amon ends up using energy bending on Korra and it turns out that his spirit is not as unbendable as he thinks. It's been an open question since Aang nearly turned entirely orange what happens if you energy-bend without the requisite strength of will, or against an opponent with an equally strong spirit.

I'm also quite curious about the proficiency exhibited by the Equalist mooks. While mooks who aren't Cobra/Stormtrooper soldiers is a good thing, these guys in eps 3 are way too good.

Granted the protags aren't experienced in fighting chi-blockers, but it's still not easy to just up and dodge fire/rocks. Zuko couldn't do it when he was flame-less. And, Dim Mak is not some basic martial art. Even in wushia novels with magic kung fu, it was always a highly advanced knowledge. Always.

Each and every single one of Amon's ninja mooks are as good as Ty Lee was. His core troupe better have some special origin. Not just "Oh I trained them for 2 weeks."

I had forgotten about the Kyoshi warriors, so I'm willing to believe that Chi blocking in combination with intense physical training is a thing that might have spread around a bit. Still though, there are many episodes left, so I'm sure they'll explain something about how Amon set up his organization.

[dehro]

I wonder about energy bending being truly permanent. Surely someone with great chakra control would be able to reawaken their lost abilities in much the same way Aang was supposed to regain the avatar state.

nuh-uh... aang's bending was blocked because his chakras didn't allow the bending (or energy) to flow.
it was still there though...so it was just a matter of unclogging the pipes..so to speak
aang's energy bending technique removes the bending altogether. not quite the same thing

[BRC]

I think people are over-reacting to the Equimook's facelessness. Remember when Azula needed a Quirky Miniboss squad she just called up her friends who happened to be a kung fu acrobat and an apathetic ninjas. Badasses just kind of happen in the Avatarverse. If the Equimooks had unique outfits and quirky personalities nobody would mind them.

Just think of the Equimooks as the Yu-Yan Archers, only (Hopefully) they aren't totally forgotten about after one episode. Also, I wouldn't put the Equimooks at Ty-Lee levels just yet. She and Mai took down a platoon of elite Earthbenders (The Terra Team), the Equimooks took down Korra and Mako.

I think people are just shocked to see Faceless Mooks beating Protagonists.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I think people are just shocked to see Faceless Mooks beating Protagonists.

I haven't seen the episode, but from the linked clip way back in the thread, weren't there only about three or four of them? Against three protagonists. I'm not sure why faceless mooks won. Although I do agree and think they're an elite force, probably only a couple dozen of them in the entire city.

Maybe the Conservation of Ninjutsu is in effect, and it wouldn't matter how many guys fought the protagonists, they were inherently more powerful for this fight. That's probably the most reasonable meta explanation.

[Xondoure]

nuh-uh... aang's bending was blocked because his chakras didn't allow the bending (or energy) to flow.
it was still there though...so it was just a matter of unclogging the pipes..so to speak
aang's energy bending technique removes the bending altogether. not quite the same thing

And we know that how? It's not like there are a great many details involved. What if taking away Ozai's bending was simply blocking his chi from flowing through his chakras? The trick being to not corrupt your own energy wrestling with the other person's force of will.

[Anarion]

I think people are just shocked to see Faceless Mooks beating Protagonists.

Okay, yes, this is true. But, I'm worried that later on when the characters get more powerful there is going to be some scene where they blast their way through a ton of these same faceless mooks and there will be a fridge logic moment wondering where they all came from.

[Dienekes]

GUYS!

WHY IS THIS SHOW SO AWESOME?!?! Seriously

Mostly clever writing, dialogue, and setting ideas. The animation is also very fluid and it takes a new-ish spin on magic to ground it in the interesting stylization of martial arts. While a kid show that holds a fairly simple moral dichotomy (the feisty teen is the good guy, the looming masked man is the bad guy for example) it doesn't talk down to it's audience and throws in dashes of moral grey to keep it interesting. This all completely outbalances the handful of negatives (some odd pacing, cliched romantic storylines, some whiny protagonists, and a few uninteresting but still important characters though admittedly these flaws were in the first series the second does not yet have odd pacing moments and uninteresting but still important characters, though I have to admit Bolin hasn't really grabbed my attention yet, though since he is in the unfortunate position of being compared to Toph this was likely to happen).

At least that's why I think it's awesome.

As for the super mooks. I have a feeling that we've already been introduced to Amon's elite guards. The Lieutenant (guy voiced by Admiral Hackett who took out the brothers) is supposed to be Amon's right hand man according to wiki. When we see a real mook, Korra kicks his arse easily enough to start the steam.

[Lord Raziere]

I'm not that particularly shocked about mooks beating protagonists.

Mostly because I don't see them in metafictional ways. I see them as they Are.

and what they Are, are two pro-benders and an inexperienced Avatar who has only faced other benders in all of her training.

I mean really White Lotus, when were you going to get around to training the Avatar to defend against chi-blockers huh? don't ya think that part of bending might be a little important, considering how often combat comes up in this world?

[Seerow]

Okay, yes, this is true. But, I'm worried that later on when the characters get more powerful there is going to be some scene where they blast their way through a ton of these same faceless mooks and there will be a fridge logic moment wondering where they all came from.

Well obviously those faceless mooks, being blasted through so easily, aren't as well trained as the ones that are being faced now.

Alternatively, they follow ninja logic, where as an individual they are highly deadly, but in large groups they become weak mooks easily taken out by the dozens.

[Flickerdart]

It's been an open question since Aang nearly turned entirely orange what happens if you energy-bend without the requisite strength of will, or against an opponent with an equally strong spirit.

Well, we were told that someone whose spirit is bendable could become "corrupted", but Amon doesn't strike me as especially pure anyhow. It'll be interesting to find out what happens when he tries to bend a pure spirit, as opposed to thugs.

[BRC]

Well, we were told that someone whose spirit is bendable could become "corrupted", but Amon doesn't strike me as especially pure anyhow. It'll be interesting to find out what happens when he tries to bend a pure spirit, as opposed to thugs.

Well it depends what you mean by "Pure". Ozai was hardly "pure", he was power-mad and genocidal. He was certainly strong-willed, but if we're treating Aang the pacifist as our model for Purity he wouldn't fit the bill.
Maybe it's about Resolve, when the Lion Turtle called Aang "Pure", he meant that Aang was determined to achieve his goals without violating his principles. I actually got the impression that the Lion Turtle taught Aang Spiritbending because he saw how determined Aang was to find a way to stop Ozai without killing him.

Hrmm, there is an interesting idea, Spiritbending as a battle of Wills. Ozai was difficult to Spiritbend because he was highly determined. He may have been a megalomaniac with genocidal tendencies, but he saw himself as working towards a higher cause, advancing the glory of the Fire Nation.

So when Aang (Determined to save the world without compromising his principles), tries to spiritbend Ozai (Insanely determined to rebuild the world in the Fire Nation's image), you get this huge, glowy battle-of wills.

Then you have Amon (Determined to end the inequalities caused by Bending) vs the Triad Leaders (No real goals besides making their own lives better at the expense of others), and it's barely a formality. The Triad Leaders crumple under Amon's touch.


Also, a thought concerning Lightningbending. Iroh describes how a firebender can only use lightning once they have achieved inner peace. Zuko couldn't do it because he was so conflicted, while Azula and Ozai could do it because they were so Amoral that they didn't realize they had anything to be conflicted about. Zolt could probably use it for a similar reason.

Which brings us to the industrialized Lightningbending we saw in the latest episode. Maybe it's doable because they've managed to remove anything the Bender could be conflicted about. They're just doing a job, putting electricity into the machine. It's Inner Peace through detached apathy rather than tranquility of mind, but it's Inner Peace.

[MLai]

I see the proliferation of "master" bending (lightning, metal) as just change in society akin to China/Japan at the end of the dynasties and the advent of Industrial Revolution. Kung fu became less spiritual and less social/ morally powerful, replaced by impersonal Industry. So lightning and metal became less about higher mastery/ discipline, and just became another tool.

Since someone asked:

1. There were just 2 ninja mooks fighting Korra and Mako. Barehanded. The protags lost without landing a single blow on the mooks.

2. The tazer-sticks man fought Bolin and Mako together, defeating them without being touched once. Only reason Korra took him down in 1 blow is because she suckerpunched him. Otherwise he would have handed her her ass as well, considering he's higher than the mooks in #1.

Oh and I don't think we should trivialize the mooks by saying "Oh Korra/ Bolin/ Mako don't know how to fight nonbending chi-blockers." Korra especially, is versed in martial arts, street experience or no. The mooks are indeed as awesome as Ty Lee. Just look at the way they move; they're practically plotbenders.

Ppl in this Avatarverse don't just attain super ninja level overnight. Benders can only move that way due to bending-aid.

[BRC]

I mean really White Lotus, when were you going to get around to training the Avatar to defend against chi-blockers huh? don't ya think that part of bending might be a little important, considering how often combat comes up in this world?

It is weird that Korra had never heard of Chi-Blocking before. Mako knew what it was, and Katara (Otherwise known as the person running Korra's training) Had been on the receiving end of Chi-Blocking several times. I would imagine they would at least explain what Chi-Blocking is, preferably they would bring in a Chi-Blocker or two for Korra to train against. If the Kyoshi warriors are still around (don't see why they wouldn't be) they would probably be allies of the White Lotus, and unless they've forgotten what Ty-Lee taught them (Don't see why they would), they should have Chi-Blockers.

[Knaight]

Regarding Amon: It's worth noting that spirit bending is useful primarily as a weapon of terror, and a weapon good for controlling image. Amon is dangerous because of his charisma, because he knows and can manipulate people, and the spirit bending plays into that. Permanently removing bending is not in and of itself a big deal, as there are known ways to do it - killing people. When it comes to actually physically damaging an opponent, it isn't even as effective as the alternative. It's easier to just kill somebody with a knife or similar. However, that fails miserably on the social aspects. Just killing people isn't enough for something to be a weapon of terror. Murder is a great deal better at removing any sympathy people might have than not-Murder. After all, to non benders all bending does is reduce the bender to having their capabilities, so it doesn't necessarily look all that bad.

Regarding "Master Techniques": What hasn't really been mentioned yet is the idea of bending as something akin to technology. Technology can improve, technology can be further developed, so on and so forth. Ideas can be technology, and as it moves on stuff that used to be limited to a select few become widespread. As an analogy, take math. A thousand years ago, being able to understand algebra at all was a pretty big deal. If you could use algebra, you were likely a mathematician. Sure, some math was near universal, with counting and arithmetic being the obvious examples, but algebra had yet to proliferate. Today, being able to do some algebra in developed nations means you didn't sleep through math class from age 10-13 or so onward - or you did, but probably because it was too easy. Societies change, and the specific capabilities change with them. What was once remarkable becomes commonplace, what was once commonplace becomes remarkable. The people for whom algebra was a huge deal viewed a large, even encyclopedic knowledge of plants and animals in a certain area as routine, which is now a big deal for those that grow up within cities. The benders for whom lightning bending is trivial seem to have blind spots regarding things other than bending as in sports.

Regarding the fighting ability of Mako and Bolin: They're generally athletic, fairly good at pro bending, and fairly unimpressive in actual combat. This shouldn't be surprising, as sport combat can get fairly far away from what is actually useful. Modern fencing is probably the best example of this, riddled as it is with lunges that leave one wide open, performed with the intent of hitting an opponent a tiny fraction of a second before getting hit. They make perfect sense within that context, but in a situation with different parameters, such as getting hit at all being bad it breaks down. Pro bending focuses on two things - not getting pushed almost straight backwards by certain small objects, and pushing people straight backwards with certain small objects. Some skills transfer, but it's unsurprising that being very good at those two skills doesn't make one good at dealing with other things. This even shows up outside of Mako and Bolin, in the pro bender that Korra casually tossed over the side of the ring, who wasn't able to do much of anything to resist.

[thubby]

for all we know, they were intending to.
she left secretly, remember?

[Xondoure]

Is it just me or would it be helluva lot more efficient to use a combination of earth and waterbenders to construct artificial rivers for hydro electric power?

[Starbuck_II]

Granted the protags aren't experienced in fighting chi-blockers, but it's still not easy to just up and dodge fire/rocks. Zuko couldn't do it when he was flame-less. And, Dim Mak is not some basic martial art. Even in wushia novels with magic kung fu, it was always a highly advanced knowledge. Always.

She should have used more earth bending like when she fought lighting rod man. Especially after noticing they dodged/evaded the flames she shot. Switch tactics! But no she stuck to fire...

The team members problem (Bolin, etc) were the earth bender was fighting defensively. He made earth walls straight up for defense (horizontally up), but when Korra used it she used it offensively (at an angle) and thus defeated lightning rod man.

[Seerow]

Is it just me or would it be helluva lot more efficient to use a combination of earth and waterbenders to construct artificial rivers for hydro electric power?

Who's to say they don't do both?


My thought was Mako still isn't making too much money off this job despite the level of firebending expertise required to do it, not because lightning benders are crazy common, but because it's just one of several ways Republic City gets its power. So they're only getting paid as much as the next most efficient energy source costs.

[Mutant Sheep]

Well, I just found the intro episodes for all the Gaang on Comcast on demand, and finally saw the whole finale four parter without crappy amv's blocking it. And now I finally feel ready to watch Korra religiously.

[Flickerdart]

I wonder if Korra would be capable of sustaining a wide-angle blast of flame (carpeting the floor in fire so that the enemy couldn't just jump out of the way)? Or just combine Fire and Earthbending to turn the ground into lava.

[BRC]

I wonder if Korra would be capable of sustaining a wide-angle blast of flame (carpeting the floor in fire so that the enemy couldn't just jump out of the way)? Or just combine Fire and Earthbending to turn the ground into lava.

Wide-Angle blasts of flame would be possible. Very difficult to sustain, but possible, and you couldn't do it while doing anything else unless the floor was made of something flammable that you just ignited.

Turning the ground into Lava would be the single most powerful act of firebending we've seen so far by far (It takes a LOT of heat to melt rock).

[Dr. Roboto]

Is it just me or would it be helluva lot more efficient to use a combination of earth and waterbenders to construct artificial rivers for hydro electric power?

Perhaps the technology in the Avatarverse progressed differently than ours. I mean, since they have people who can produce large amounts of electricity for apparently extended amounts of time, they didn't have to figure out the whole "current = rotating electric field" thing, just like how in the original series, the engines and balloons were powered by firebending instead of coal or wood. They'll eventually figure it out, but until then they have ways of powering their lightbulbs.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering how it's viable to wear your opponent down as a strategy in the three-minute Pro-Bending rounds, but it's possible to work a full (I'm assuming) shift at a power plant, while performing constant bending.

[golentan]

Perhaps the technology in the Avatarverse progressed differently than ours. I mean, since they have people who can produce large amounts of electricity for apparently extended amounts of time, they didn't have to figure out the whole "current = rotating electric field" thing, just like how in the original series, the engines and balloons were powered by firebending instead of coal or wood. They'll eventually figure it out, but until then they have ways of powering their lightbulbs.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering how it's viable to wear your opponent down as a strategy in the three-minute Pro-Bending rounds, but it's possible to work a full (I'm assuming) shift at a power plant, while performing constant bending.

Yeah. Technology is not a linear A-B-C thing the way so many think. New techniques are based on old, but quite often leaps of logic are as important, and I think most people forget that it's possible to, for example, leapfrog steam/internal combustion and go straight to electrical power.

As for the pro-bending thing... well, it's a matter of forced pace. At the power plant, Mako can pace himself and conserve his power, and he might be absolutely bone tired at the end but since the job doesn't rely on his reaction time it's okay. Meanwhile, in a fight you have to go flat out at your opponent's pace rather than your own, and enough exhaustion to put you at (for example) a 1/10th second time lag is absolutely exploitable death at top level performance. Check out fencing for an example of a combative sport: victory at professional levels is most often measured in fractions.

[Battleship789]

Perhaps the technology in the Avatarverse progressed differently than ours. I mean, since they have people who can produce large amounts of electricity for apparently extended amounts of time, they didn't have to figure out the whole "current = rotating electric field" thing, just like how in the original series, the engines and balloons were powered by firebending instead of coal or wood. They'll eventually figure it out, but until then they have ways of powering their lightbulbs.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering how it's viable to wear your opponent down as a strategy in the three-minute Pro-Bending rounds, but it's possible to work a full (I'm assuming) shift at a power plant, while performing constant bending.

For the same reason a 5 round bout in boxing leaves the two participants exhausted, but they can train for 10+ hours a day, I would guess.

When you are fighting an opponent a lot of your energy goes into corrections, defense, recovery and the mental aspect. While it is possible to somewhat simulate the conditions of a fight during training, it is much simpler (and less risky to the boxer) to train without them. Because of this, most training regiments focus on other aspects (speed, strength/power, technique, overall fitness) and use sparring to test and gauge progress, rather than be the focus of training.

[Flickerdart]

We only saw a moment of the work at the powerplant. It's quite possible that shifts of benders alternate, with one shift doing work for say five minutes and then resting for fifteen, likely with high-calorie food provided to keep their energy levels high.

[dehro]

And we know that how? It's not like there are a great many details involved. What if taking away Ozai's bending was simply blocking his chi from flowing through his chakras? The trick being to not corrupt your own energy wrestling with the other person's force of will.

we know that because first Guru Pathik explains to Aang how he can't reach avatar state on account of his chi being blocked in his uhm...5th chakra.. (and all the while Aang can still do regular bending of elementS)
whilst in the last episode Aang says, and I quote: "I took your firebending away"
and does so by energybending the stuff outta him.
as I said... 2 very different things.

It is weird that Korra had never heard of Chi-Blocking before. Mako knew what it was, and Katara (Otherwise known as the person running Korra's training) Had been on the receiving end of Chi-Blocking several times.

they probably were gonna teach her about them, once she'd mastered all 4 elements at her own pace, which is more urgent. then again, there was no sense of urgency at all. they were supposedly at peace, remember? the only reason why there's any urgency in her learning to airbend, go avatar and do spirit stuff is 1) because she's eager and 2) because we know she's gonna need it because the show has started. in times of peace there is no real urgency for the Avatar to get at the top of his game. look at Avatar Roku. he learned he was the avatar at Korra's current age, and he learned earthbending as an adult.

come to think of it, I still don't really understand if Korra being able to bend 3 elements as a child isn't a stupid mistake or has a significance. all previous avatars had to be told they were it...and it happened traditionally at 16...except in Aang's case because war was brewing

[Flickerdart]

Korra is a min-maxer - she dumped her mental ability scores and the spiritual side of her gestalt for early entry into the three schools of bending she thought were the most powerful.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

It is weird that Korra had never heard of Chi-Blocking before. Mako knew what it was, and Katara (Otherwise known as the person running Korra's training) Had been on the receiving end of Chi-Blocking several times. I would imagine they would at least explain what Chi-Blocking is, preferably they would bring in a Chi-Blocker or two for Korra to train against. If the Kyoshi warriors are still around (don't see why they wouldn't be) they would probably be allies of the White Lotus, and unless they've forgotten what Ty-Lee taught them (Don't see why they would), they should have Chi-Blockers.

It might have been in the curriculum, immediately after "mastering the four elements". If I were in charge of the Avatar's training, I'd place the mastering of the four elements before "facing non-standard attacks". In fact, I'd follow this list:

• Master the four elements
• Master the Avatar State
• Advanced combat techniques

The world is in peace. There is no overt danger. Whatever is happening in Liberty City is a long way away from the south pole, and it is a minor matter that will be solved "soon" (according to the council member that drops in for occasional visits). Learning about chi-blockers wouldn't be a priority.

Is it just me or would it be helluva lot more efficient to use a combination of earth and waterbenders to construct artificial rivers for hydro electric power?

I agree with Dr. Roboto: when you have a controllable, naturally occurring source of electricity on demand (i.e. lightning benders), there might simply not have developed the necessary technology to create hydro electric generators. And if they did, they are probably in the next room over, with a bunch of water benders pushing the water manually through the turbine.

I suspect, in fact, that the technology they are missing is long-distance energy transportation. If they know their science, that means that their electricity is direct current, which in its early days required an energy plant in every neighborhood.

Grey Wolf

[Lord Raziere]

Yea, I think its going to be awhile before the Avatarverse gets an Alternating Current or a bending equivalent, it seems they mostly figured out this stuff through bending first and science second.

The huge leap in tech was probably a fluke, a thing that occurs when the nations actually started to work together and have towns with more than one kind of bender around- the benders had to do some kind of work…..