Avatar: The Legend Of Korra

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I continue to be mad that Korra constantly bends with punches, what the fuck ever happened to distinct martial arts forms for each element?

Like the real-life martial arts they're based on, they change, evolve, and adapt over time and often become new ones as a result.

Edited September 28, 2013 by ChaosSupremeSonîc

[Sonictrainer]

I hope we see Blueberry Spicehead in a future episode

[DarkLight]

I have to ask. Would it really shock anyone if it's later revealed that Unalaq and the twins can blood-bend? Considering they have a thing for possession and control over others, it honestly wouldn't be very surprising. For all we know they could be just reserving the ability until they pushed to using it like Tarrlok did.

 

EDIT: Wait. Since Unalaq is such a traditionalist and is from the Northern Water Tribe, I don't think he'd allow Eska to waterbend for combat unless that 'women can't waterbend to fight' rule was abolished in the 60 years that have passed.

 

EDIT 2: Or he could've just been faking the traditionalist thing. Whatever works and makes more sense.

Edited September 28, 2013 by DarkLight

[Eternal EX]

I'm actually expecting someone from either water tribe to blood bend. Hell, I'm waiting for Korra to do it once. Katara was her teacher, so I'd assume she'd learn from her. Isn't that something the avatar should know how to do?

[Wraith]

The Avatar shouldn't need such a cruel form of bending. If anything, Katara will just teach her how to bend her own blood to resist it like she does.

[DarkLight]

I'm not too sure Katara would want to pass along that ability to her as well. She's seen first-hand on how dangerous it is and how corruptive it makes the user (Hama). Granted, she used it to stop Hama and to track down her mother's killer, but besides that, she probably never wanted to use again. She likely told Korra it existed and she knew how to do it but also told her to understand why she shouldn't learn it.

Edited September 28, 2013 by DarkLight

[Rinzler]

Like the real-life martial arts they're based on, they change, evolve, and adapt over time and often become new ones as a result.

That shouldn't mean that every bending form has to look the same.

[Noir]

Like the real-life martial arts they're based on, they change, evolve, and adapt over time and often become new ones as a result.

 

That's a good point, but the series never really implies that's what happened. Avatar made bending out to be this art form that hasn't changed since it was conceived and if we're to believe it's evolved in the past few decades they should at least mention it.

[Dejimon11]

 

 

run for your lives

[DarkLight]

So weird to think that Eska actually cried given by her messy mascara look.

[BlazingTales]

That's a good point, but the series never really implies that's what happened. Avatar made bending out to be this art form that hasn't changed since it was conceived and if we're to believe it's evolved in the past few decades they should at least mention it.

Are you familiar with hybrid martial arts/MMA? It's a modern fighting style that combines various disciplines, and saw its rise in urban environments that hosted different fighting styles. Republic City is the first time benders of all elements have lived under one nation, so it's easy to deduce that cross-contamination can happen. It's not like there's no precedent: in the original series, Iroh adapted a waterbending technique with his firebending to redirect lightning.

Civil Wars, Part 2 is easily the best of the season so far, the wait for next Friday will be agonizing. Also, can we all agree that Varrick is the best character?

Because Varrick is the best character. <3

Nick's website hints that Varrick has some involvement with the triads, I'm curious to see how that develops...

Edited September 28, 2013 by BlazingTales

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

That shouldn't mean that every bending form has to look the same.

So 70 years since the original series, means nothing should change andeverything should be the same and not develop into new forms for changing times despite the world becoming more of a melting lot than ever before. When different cultures blend, they tend to assimilate knowledge from each other and develop them in unique ways, hence Empire City being created precisely for that mix of cultures as was intended from the creators in the first place. Hence why you see waterbending in the United Republic being more aggressive than its traditional form or Earthbending in the Republic being more evasive than original Earthbending.

And given how they've mixed, the elements of their culture mixed with them, but just because they look the same doesn't mean they are the same: you can punch like a boxer bending water, earth, air, or fire but water doesn't burn, air doesn't quake, and so forth.

Nevermind that even in the old series, none of this stopped the different element forms from learning from each other. Lightning redirection was learned from waterbenders.

I mean seriously, what the fuck? It's not like the traditional styles are gone.

That's a good point, but the series never really implies that's what happened. Avatar made bending out to be this art form that hasn't changed since it was conceived and if we're to believe it's evolved in the past few decades they should at least mention it.

You mean Toph metalbending I the fly when it was originally thought impossible isn't an indication of changing forms? Or Zuko learning the true form of firebending from dragons instead of the hate-filled style used by the Fire Nation wasn't an indication that the arts can change? Or bloodbending being developed by Hama?

How exactly is all this not in itself an evolution of the bending arts when you were seeing it with your own eyes 70 years before Korra? And where did this implication come from?

Edited September 28, 2013 by ChaosSupremeSonîc

[Rinzler]

So 70 years since the original series, means nothing should change andeverything should be the same and not develop into new forms for changing times despite the world becoming more of a melting lot than ever before. When different cultures blend, they tend to assimilate knowledge from each other and develop them in unique ways, hence Empire City being created precisely for that mix of cultures as was intended from the creators in the first place. Hence why you see waterbending in the United Republic being more aggressive than its traditional form or Earthbending in the Republic being more evasive than original Earthbending.

And given how they've mixed, the elements of their culture mixed with them, but just because they look the same doesn't mean they are the same: you can punch like a boxer bending water, earth, air, or fire but water doesn't burn, air doesn't quake, and so forth.

Nevermind that even in the old series, none of this stopped the different element forms from learning from each other. Lightning redirection was learned from waterbenders.

I mean seriously, what the fuck? It's not like the traditional styles are gone.

You mean Toph metalbending I the fly when it was originally thought impossible isn't an indication of changing forms? Or Zuko learning the true form of firebending from dragons instead of the hate-filled style used by the Fire Nation wasn't an indication that the arts can change? Or bloodbending being developed by Hama?

How exactly is all this not in itself an evolution of the bending arts when you were seeing it with your own eyes 70 years before Korra?

 

The fact that they've changed isn't the problem. All of them look much too similar to each other, which makes the fight scenes much less interesting to watch regardless of the animation bump.

 

And honestly I have a hard time believing that the motions for bending air should be the same for bending freaking stone.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

The fact that they've changed isn't the problem. All of them look much too similar to each other, which makes the fight scenes much less interesting to watch regardless of the animation bump.

Once again: blending cultures. They learn from one another and develop new forms with similarities and differences. Compare japanese Karate to the Chinese Kung-fu it was developed from, and you'll see it's the same principle.

And let me remind you that the traditional styles are still there, outside of the United Republic which modernized them.

And honestly I have a hard time believing that the motions for bending air should be the same for bending freaking stone.

Despite it being shown to you thanks to the Avatar combining it with the modern style of fighting used in the show, as mentioned in the first season with Pro-bending.

I think the creators knew what they were doing when progressing the series and the martial arts developing from Kung-fu and modernizing to Boxing or MMA. I don't see how it's so hard to grasp that changing times leads to changing techniques that adopt new things to them, even becoming similar at times.

Edited September 28, 2013 by ChaosSupremeSonîc

[Eternal EX]

This has been bugging since the end of the last series. If the Avatar (Aang or Korra) Can take one's bending and return it. Would it be possible to give a completely non-bender the ability to bend any of the elements?

[goku262002]

I'LL GET YOU FOR THIIIIIIS!YOU WON'T ESCAPE... MY WRAAAAATH!

Good episode. Korra really Batmanned up, and Varrick is an absolute treasure.

This post sums things up about how I feel. but to add, loved the scenes with Bolin Also,

This scene man...

Edited September 29, 2013 by goku262002

[Sonictrainer]

 

Did anyone else notice the money has Aang on it?

[goku262002]

Hmm, seems they used a younger Aang for that pic, all the statues and everything we have seen for Aang have been his 40 year old look.

[Tails spin]

I'm actually expecting someone from either water tribe to blood bend. Hell, I'm waiting for Korra to do it once. Katara was her teacher, so I'd assume she'd learn from her. Isn't that something the avatar should know how to do?

In the Last airbender Katara said she would never bloodbend again after learning it. so I doubt she would teach it. unless we have a writer's change.

[goku262002]

And thats why Korra was pretty useless against Amon until her airbending ex machina kicked in. Katara should've taught her for the very fact that there was going to be other blood benders out there and she needed to know how to react and fight it when that time came.

Blood Bending is evil yes, but when your the avatar you need to learn it for the very fact that its one of the bending traits that can kill you if it catches you off guard.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

And considering how much crime is in Republic City, they shouldn't take any chances of her coming across another bloodbender.

 

That, and it would be awesome if she learned lightningbending...or would that be too much?

[goku262002]

 

That, and it would be awesome if she learned lightningbending...or would that be too much?

Hell no! nothing should be too much for the Avatar!!

The Avatars are basically sponges for knowledge and they use that knowledge for future avatars via Avatar State. fuck let Korra learn Blood and Lightning Bending, its gonna benefit some future Avatar later. 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Well its not like she'd be too powerful since Chi-blocking can be an effective counter, so okay then...

[DarkLight]

Honestly, if Korra would've showed any interest in learning blood-bending, it should've been right after returning from Republic City after the fight with Amon. But it's likely not to be touched upon as of now since there's a lot going on. Could it be brought up eventually? Who knows but with the supposed great focus on spirits this season, anything's possible. Plus, as brash and quick-to-act as she is, I think her resisting the temptation makes her a slightly better character than if she did.

 

Anyone can say reasons why she should. "She's the Avatar!" "She should be prepared for any other blood-bender she could face!" But personally, regardless of any good intention you give it, it's still something that is bound to corrupt the mind and lead to more trouble than good in the end.

 

However, if people are suggesting that she should just learn how to resist blood-bending like Amon did, then maybe that could be done without teaching the technique itself. It's a good compromise for those who want her to be less vulnerable to blood-bending thus becoming a more efficient Avatar and to those who don't want her to know the practice without letting the power go to her head. 

Edited September 29, 2013 by DarkLight

[Wraith]

Keep in mind that Hanna created the Bloodbending technique herself and Katara was hell bent on keeping it from spreading around. Even when Yakone and his sons did it, it was considerably different.  What if a future Avatar abuses the technique? What if people begin to mimmick the Avatar and Blood Bending catches on again? There are too many variables. At best, she should learn how to resist it.