When Avatar: The Legend of Korra premiered in 2012, it had a lot to live up to. Fans of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender series had witnessed some of the best animated television to come out of the West with a show that appealed to both a young Nickelodeon audience and older viewers who could enjoy its surprisingly adult themes. The new show had its detractors, but generally speaking, the writers delved into some really interesting ideas, creating truly great moments along the way. The follow-up has done so well, it’s even due to become a live-action series.
One of the most interesting aspects of TLoK was the fact it was set roughly seven decades after ATLA, at a time when technology was catching up to the awesome power of benders. With that said, the main source of power in the show remains within those with the ability to manipulate the elements, who themselves saw some advancement in their abilities. In TLoK, lava bending was introduced as a subset of earth bending, metal bending became mainstream, and even lightning bending, once the preserve of the Fire Nation royal family, was democratized by Lord Zuko between the end of ATLA and the beginning of TLoK. This means we get a whole host of talented new fighters using their gifts to gain power, restore balance, or just deliver some amazing fight scenes. If you’ve ever wondered who the strongest benders in TLoK are, then read ahead for our definitive ranking!
10. Bolin
A charming, strong, yet klutzy earth bender, Bolin manages to provide comic relief, emotional moments, and some of the best fight scenes in the series. We’re first introduced to the character when Korra sneaks away from Air Temple Island into Republic City so she can watch a professional bending match. Bolin and his older brother Mako, both orphans, are two-thirds of an up-and-coming team, and at first, the younger of the pair is smitten with Korra. This soon develops into one of the show’s most wholesome friendships, cemented when Korra and Mako save Bolin from the Equalists later on in season one.
Bolin’s introduction as a relatively successful pro bender shows us he’s already a powerful fighter, but as the series goes on, we see him develop his skills until he’s one of the most accomplished earth benders in the world. Although he never quite gets the hang of metal bending, in season three, he masters a new subset of the art that’s only introduced in TLoK: lava bending. And what’s more powerful than being able to control lava?
9. Mako
Accidental ladies’ man Mako begins the series as Korra’s love interest, but he’s so much more than a piece of arm candy. The fire bender shows all the characteristics of his kind, with a flaming temper and burning desire to win, but he’s mostly defined by his protective nature and love of his little brother, Bolin. As the series goes on, Mako joins the Republic City police force, and by the fourth and final season, he’s risen to a respectable rank, although he ends up on bodyguard duty for the spoiled Prince Wu, heir to the Earth Kingdom after Zaheer murders the Earth Queen at the tail end of season three.
Mako isn’t just an excellent and adaptive fighter, but he also has the ability to lightning bend, a skill that was democratized by Lord Zuko yet something only a small number of talented fire benders can do. With his powerful bending, Mako saves the day on a number of occasions, most notably in season three when fighting the Red Lotus.
8. Lin
The daughter of ATLA fan favorite and the first-ever metal bender Toph, Lin is Republic City’s chief of police and just as sardonic as her legendary mom. Her dad’s identity is the source of much speculation in the fandom, but when your mother is as cool as Toph, does it really matter who the other parent was?
The earth bender is also a master metal bender, her skills perhaps only matched by her sister Suyin, who we meet in season three. Although Lin suffers some serious damage throughout the series, including briefly losing her bending in season one, she remains strong and solid as a rock, just like her mom.
7. Tenzin
Aang’s son and, for a time, the only other air bender in the world, Tenzin tries to take himself very seriously. Both a spiritual and political leader thanks to his lineage, he and his family call Air Temple Island, just off Republic City’s coast, home, and that’s where they welcome Korra when she comes to live in the metropolis. Voiced wonderfully by J. K. Simmons, Tenzin is a kind of father figure for Korra as she embarks on her Avatar journey, although by the end of the series, their relationship is much more balanced.
Tenzin shows off his incredible bending talents numerous times throughout the series, most notably in season three when he almost manages to hold off members of the Red Lotus as they try to capture the air benders who were created when Korra opened a new portal between the physical and spirit worlds. Despite his best efforts, he’s captured, but not without putting up one heck of a fight.
6. Kuvira
The Great Uniter carries on TLoK‘s knack for providing us with complex, interesting villains with her turn in season four. We’re first introduced to her in the previous season when she appears as one of Suyin’s most trusted lieutenants, but after the demise of the Earth Queen, she slowly becomes the eminent power in the Earth Nation, taking advantage of the power vacuum that appeared once the ruler was murdered by Zaheer.
Although Kuvira battles a mostly weakened Korra throughout season four, there’s no doubt her supreme earth bending ability is one of the reasons she manages to take over vast swathes of the Earth Kingdom. Combine that with a maniacal drive for power, and you’ve got the recipe for one of the most powerful benders in the series.
5. P’Li
The second combustion bender (a subset of fire bending) we know of in the Avatar universe, facing up against P’Li is a terrifying prospect for even the most hardened fighters. A member of the Red Lotus, this season three villain has explosive powers that allow her to not only subdue other benders and fighters, but also make it impossible for them to even try and fight back.
Her telekinetic form of fire bending does have one weakness, though: being turned in on itself. That’s how Suyin manages to finally defeat her in a battle, much to Zaheer’s dismay.
4. Zaheer
Another complex yet terrifying villain, Zaheer is the definition of a moral gray area. Born a non-bender, he’s the imprisoned de facto leader of the Red Lotus who manages to gain air bending abilities once Korra opens up the new portal into the spirit world. A keen student of air bending philosophy, he takes to his new talents like a duck to water, easily defeating his guards, releasing his fellow Red Lotus members from their carefully designed prisons, and even learning how to become weightless and fly.
Zaheer, with the help of a few others, also comes closest to defeating Korra and ending the Avatar cycle. While he’s thwarted in the end, the result of his attacks is a horrifically weakened Avatar, which sets the stage for the fourth and final season of the series.
3. Unalaq
Korra’s uncle Unalaq is introduced as her spiritual guide at the beginning of season two after showing some impressive abilities while subduing angry spirits. However, we quickly learn he’s been manipulated by Vaatu, the spirit of darkness and chaos and the anathema to Raava, the spirit of light who is fused with the Avatar.
While Unalaq’s water bending is supremely powerful, he appears this high on the list because of his eventual fusing with Vaatu, which turns him into a Dark Avatar and nearly allows him to completely throw off the balance of the world. Although his immense power is eventually defeated, it’s a close call, and winning against him takes all the luck and skill that Korra has.
2. Amon/Noatak
Season one’s villain is the sort of bad guy who makes your blood run cold. Although he’s introduced as an Equalist and we don’t see him use his bending until later on (or at least we’re not aware he’s using his power), Amon is a powerful water bender, and possibly the strongest blood bender of all time. The son of one of Republic City’s most hardened criminals, his backstory is tragic, and although his methods are extreme, there is some perverse justification behind his desire to eradicate the world of bending and create a more egalitarian power structure in society.
Born Noatak, Amon was trained in the tundra by his evil father. A water and blood bending prodigy, he eventually escapes the clutches of his abusive parent, only to end up falling into the same patterns of destruction as his dad. His greatest skill, and the reason he’s so high on this list, is his ability to take away people’s bending, a talent that many believed only the Avatar had. He also comes closest to defeating Korra by himself, while she was at her strongest.
1. Korra
Could it have been anyone else? By default, the Avatar is the most powerful bender in the world thanks to their ability to harness all four elements and enter the Avatar State. Given Korra is already an excellent fighter, and much more aggressive than her predecessor Aang, it’s no surprise to see her top the list.
With that said, Korra does find herself nearly defeated more times than Aang ever was. The growth of technology and an ever-changing world means her powers have to be utilized in new ways, and while the overarching villain of ATLA is your classic, irredeemable bad guy colonialist, Korra had to battle villains who, in many cases, had a point, all while dealing with some pretty unique personal issues. Despite this, she battles through, proving that physical power isn’t everything.
