Episode no. Season 1
Episode 1 | Running time 22 minutes | |
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos
Ki Hyun Ryu Written by Michael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko Original air date April 14, 2012 (2012-04-14) | ||
"Welcome to Republic City" is the first episode of the Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra. The series premiered online on March 24, 2012 and on Nickelodeon on April 14, 2012, as a sequel to the original series, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Contents
The setting of the second series has changed dramatically from the first series. Most events take place in a city known as Republic City, which is a "steampunk" style city. Most notably, the access to electricity in the new series substantiates the passing of time between the two series.
Plot
Set 70 years after the events of the original series, a girl named Korra is born in the Southern Water Tribe and, as the reincarnation of Aang, is the next Avatar. Three members of the White Lotus respond to claims in the South Pole of a child as the Avatar. They meet Korra, already capable of bending Water, Earth, and Fire.
Years later, a now seventeen-year-old Korra has conquered the art and skill of earthbending, firebending, and waterbending in the Fortress- meant to teach the Avatar the elements away from harm-, but has yet to learn airbending. Her waterbending master, Katara, who is now an old woman (with three grown children fathered by the deceased Avatar Aang), lets Korra go to Republic City after Katara's youngest son Tenzin is not able to teach Korra airbending. Korra travels with her Polar bear dog, Naga, to Republic City. Once there, Korra gets into a fight with a group of men who were going to rob an old man in the city. After being arrested for the damage she has done, she meets Chief Lin Beifong, the daughter of Toph from the original series who is unhappy at Korra's arrival seeing it as a danger to the city. However, Tenzin bails her out of jail and takes her home, preparing to send her back to the South Pole. However, he realizes that the Avatar is a vital part of the idea of Republic City, and allows her to stay and train in airbending. Meanwhile, Amon, leader of an anti-bender equalist group, learns of Korra's arrival, and tells his followers that he will have to accelerate his plans.
Reception
The Legend of Korra received positive critical reviews. The premiere averaged 4.5 million viewers ranking it as basic cable’s number-one kids’ show and top animated program for the week with total viewers. The Legend of Korra also ranks as the network’s most-watched animated series premiere in three years.