Avatar: Why Korra Struggled To Learn Airbending | Screen Rant
Much like her predecessor, Aang, who struggled to learn earthbending in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Korra initially struggles to master airbending in The Legend of Korra. The aptly named first season, “Book One: Air” introduces Korra who, now seventeen and having mastered three of the elements, must learn to airbend from the only living airbending master, Tenzin, the youngest child of Avatar Aang and Katara’s and the first Airbender to be born in over a century.
In the shows’ shared universe, the Avatar is the only person able to master all four elements and whose duty it is to maintain balance and act as a bridge between the human and spirit worlds. Part of an Avatar’s training involves learning to bend fire, water, air, and earth, and to enter into the Avatar state. Both Legend of Korra and The Last Airbender see their respective Avatars learning to control their abilities, though Korra is already much further along in her training at the beginning of the series than Aang was.
When Aang struggled to learn earthbending, the reason appeared straightforward enough: earth is the opposite element of air. Katara herself explains that, where air is shifting, free-flowing, impermanent, earth is the opposite. It is solid, unmoving and, much like Aang’s earthbending teacher Toph, extremely stubborn. Therefore, as an Air Nomad, Aang’s natural affinity is contrary to the earth element, which makes learning how to bend it extremely challenging for him.
Korra, despite being his spiritual successor, is very different from The Last Airbender’s protagonist. She is often rash, cocky and driven to action. Whereas Aang was reluctant to accept his responsibilities as the Avatar, Korra eagerly stepped into the role – even as a toddler, yelling, “I’m the Avatar, and you gotta deal with it!” Being from the Southern Water Tribe, one might expect her to struggle with firebending, the element which directly opposes water. Yet, Korra was quick to master firebending as she found it an effective way of focusing her quick temper and passionate nature.
When the audience first meets Korra, she is self-assured and set in her ways; she has to learn humility and become more flexible before she is able to master airbending, something which happens after Amon succeeds in blocking her waterbending, firebending, and earthbending. The feelings of vulnerability and self-doubt that this encounter provokes in Korra lay the foundations for her to finally understand airbending, and eventually defeat Amon and have her other bending abilities restored. Legend of Korra's first season set up the mastery of airbending as an opportunity for growth for Korra's character, marking the beginning of an impressive character arc for Aang's successor.