Future Industries

"URN"

- ... all I had to my name was an idea; the Satomobile. Now, I was fortunate enough to meet someone who believed in me and my work ethic. He gave me the money I needed to get my idea off the ground and I built the entire Future Industries empire from that one selfless loan.

Future Industries is a large company founded by Hiroshi Sato and currently owned by his daughter, Asami Sato. Using state-of-the-art technology such as the assembly line, the factory produces over one hundred luxury Satomobiles on a daily basis. Despite high demand, Future Industries' only known competitor is Cabbage Corp, which produces the cheaper, more compact Cabbage Car.

Hiroshi Sato realized that not everyone in Republic City would be able to afford their own Satomobile, and for those less wealthy, he developed the taxi cab as a way to get around. Aside from being a practical and cheap means of transportation, they are also suitable for romantic rides through Republic City Park.

As well as producing cars for the common man, Hiroshi Sato also designed a race car. As the ultimate transportation method for thrill seekers, the sleek design and high-powered engine enables the car to reach top speeds while smoothly maneuvering its way around a racetrack.

History


After Hiroshi's daughter, Asami Sato, met Mako and took him out on a date, she brought him to the factory to meet her father. Here, the industrialist briefly explained his past life to Mako. When Asami cut him short, stating that he should stop bragging and tell Mako the good news, Hiroshi announced his decision to sponsor his pro-bending team, the Fire Ferrets, so they could compete in the tournament. The only condition was that the team would have to wear the company's emblem on their uniforms, something Mako did not object to whatsoever.

Following the Equalists' attack on the Pro-bending Arena, the Fire Ferrets were staying the Sato estate when a raid on Cabbage Corp's headquarters took place, turning up electrified gloves and Equalist propaganda. However, when Korra overheard a suspicious phone conversation between Hiroshi and an unknown individual, she left the estate and contacted Lin Beifong and Tenzin, and the Metalbending Police Force investigated the company's factory, but this investigation came up empty. However, after they received a tip from a former Equalist, the investigators made their way back to the estate and found an underground factory run by Hiroshi. They discovered that Future Industries was manufacturing the electrified gloves along with a new weapon, mecha tanks, for the Equalists.

In the weeks that followed, the Equalists built up their power base and launched an all-out attack on Republic City, overthrowing the United Republic Council and installing Amon as its new leader. During an attempted intervention by the United Forces led by General Iroh, it was revealed that Future Industries also produced heavily-armed biplanes, which they deployed in large numbers to decimate the United Forces fleet entering Yue Bay. These biplanes were stationed at a secret airfield located beyond the outskirts of the city operated by Future Industries, leaving much of the city unaware of their existence. Hiroshi Sato personally led the attack on Iroh's fleet, and soon made plans to attack Commander Bumi's fleet which was called in to relieve Iroh's forces.

Despite the initial success of the battle General Iroh, along with Bolin and Asami located the airfield and proceeded to destroy its biplane fleet. Iroh was eventually successful in thwarting the attack on Bumi's fleet and Bolin destroyed the airfield's runways, rendering it inoperable. The airfield also hosted numerous mecha tanks, most of which were destroyed through the trio's combined attacks.

Hiroshi Sato himself was subdued and captured by his daughter as he attempted to flee the airfield. The Equalists were subsequently defeated when Korra revealed Amon's true bender status to the city. Asami now runs Future Industries, and Hiroshi himself has been taken into custody. Six months after father-daughter encounter at the airfield, Asami is now running the company in her father's place. Their newest line is a more domestic model of the biplane. However, due to Hiroshi's previous actions and involvements, no other company wants to do business with Future Industries. Asami told an employee she was going to the South Pole to get help putting the company back on top.

Trivia

 * The company is also responsible for the development of the police cars and the airships used by the Metalbending Police Force.
 * According to Shiro Shinobi's radio broadcasts, Future Industries provides sponsorship for pro-bending matches.
 * The factory is located at the southern edge of Republic City, which seems to be the city's more industrial sector.
 * Guided tours of the factory are also available.
 * The distinctive four-chimney external design of the Future Industries factory seems to have been inspired by London's historic Battersea Power Station.
 * Future Industries resembles the Ford Motor Company in both industry sector and time period. Henry Ford pioneered the assembly line mass production technique, allowing the construction of hundreds of cars every hour at incredibly low cost. Ford's founding also took place toward the end of the second Industrial Revolution, paralleled by Future Industries' radically advanced technology.