Asami Sato

"URN"

- It's all right. People usually assume that I'm daddy's helpless little girl, but I can handle myself.

Asami Sato is the only child of the former wealthy industrialist, Hiroshi Sato. Although a nonbender, when she discovered that her father was working with the Equalists and he invited her to join him, she stuck to her beliefs and turned against him, later becoming part of the new Team Avatar. She has since become the new leader of Future Industries, planning to bring the company back to the peak of economic dominance and restore its reputation.

Early life
When Asami was six, her mother was killed during a break-in and robbery of their mansion by the Agni Kai Triad. However, the fact that her father forever held a grudge against all benders for her death was unknown to young Asami. After her mother's murder, Hiroshi had Asami trained by the best self-defense teachers money could buy to ensure she would always be able to protect herself. As she grew, she lived a life of luxury, but despite her fancy clothes and polite manners, Asami also developed a tough side and is unafraid to stand up for what she believes in. Along with her hand-to-hand combat skills, she also became an expert driver due to her testing Satomobiles for her father's company. She was also a big fan of pro-bending, attending every match she could.

Meeting Mako
While riding her moped through Republic City, Asami accidentally ran into Mako when he suddenly appeared from behind a car and crossed the road without looking, trying to catch the trolley. In the middle of their ensuing conversation, Asami recognized him as a member of the Fire Ferrets and was very apologetic. To make up for the accident, she invited him to dinner at an upper-class restaurant, even going so far as to make sure he was provided with the proper attire for it.

During their date the following night, she informed Mako that she was a big pro-bending fan and that she had caught all of the Fire Ferrets' matches that season. As she expressed her excitement to see Mako play in the tournament, she learned that the team had not acquired the amount of money needed to compete. When the waiter arrived carrying their main course, he addressed her as "Miss Sato". When Mako inquired if she was related to Hiroshi Sato, she invited him to meet her father.



Asami headed home and told her father about the Fire Ferrets hard earned success in the Pro-bending Arena as well their poor financial state. When she introduced Mako to Hiroshi at Future Industries the next day, she politely cut her father short when he got carried away telling the story of his empire growing from an idea and from one selfless loan, since she wanted him to tell Mako some good news instead; Future Industries was going to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in the championship tournament.

Mako later accompanied Asami to a gala Councilman Tarrlok threw in Avatar Korra's honor at City Hall, where she was introduced to Korra. She amiably greeted the Avatar, commenting that she had heard so much about her from Mako. However, her polite introduction sparked a rather jealous reaction from Korra.



Her relationship with Mako continued to grow during the ensuing weeks, and during a heart-felt carriage ride through Republic City Park, she rested against Mako, stating that she felt "so safe" with him.

Supporting the Fire Ferrets
On the morning of the Pro-bending Tournament, Asami entered the gym where the Fire Ferrets had been training and presented the team with their new uniforms. After she affectionately greeted Mako with "sweetie", the two rubbed noses, and they left together to go on a lunch date. Asami was present at every tournament match, keeping an eye on Pabu, and afterward always came to the locker room to congratulate the team, especially Mako, for their victories.

As the Fire Ferrets entered the ring for the Pro-bending Championship finals, Asami blew Mako a kiss from afar, which he returned with the same gesture, to Korra's slight annoyance.

Gaining Korra's approval


After the Equalist attack on the Pro-bending Arena, Asami offered Mako and Bolin a place to stay at her family's estate. However, she had not cleared it with her father first, remarking that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. When Korra came to visit the next day, Asami took her and the brothers to the racetrack where Future Industries test-drives its new Satomobiles. Noticing Korra's interest, she invited the Avatar to take a drive with her. Since Korra did not know how to drive one, she sat behind Asami and together they raced one of the test drivers. After driving in second place nearly the entire course, Asami managed to pass the other driver and win the race. When Asami told Korra that people should not be afraid to mix it up sometimes, Korra apologized for having judged her so quickly. Asami did not mind, as the majority of people thought of her as a helpless rich girl when she was actually quite capable of taking good care of herself, being a competitive driver and an expert in self-defense techniques.

A startling discovery
The next day, however, Korra accused Hiroshi of having ties with the Equalists and despite their newfound respect for each other, Asami refused to believe her. She rushed to her father's defense, claiming that they not being benders did not imply they supported the Equalist movement, even calling Amon and his supporters "monsters". As Tenzin, Lin, and the Metalbending Police Force continued their investigation of Future Industries, Asami showed complete disapproval and disgust toward them, accusing them of lying just to persecute her father. She aided them nonetheless to show that Hiroshi was innocent of any wrongdoing.



When Lin used her seismic sense to discover a hidden tunnel underneath Hiroshi's workshop, Asami was completely taken aback. Desperate to know the truth, she wanted to investigate the tunnel herself, but was halted by Lin who ordered her to stay behind with Mako and Bolin under supervision of Officer Song for safety. After a suspicious sound came from the tunnel, Mako and Bolin overpowered their guard and headed down to investigate. Again, Asami was asked to stay behind, this time by Mako who wanted to keep her safe.

However, Asami did not listen and ventured down anyway, discovering the hidden factory where her father and the Lieutenant were about to attack Mako and her other friends. Completely heartbroken upon discovering her father's true allegiances, she sadly asked him why he had chosen to support Amon. Hiroshi told her that benders stole the love of his life and were responsible for her growing up without a mother. Believing that benders had completely ruined the world and that Amon would change things for the better, he took off one of his electrified gloves and offered it to her, hoping that she would join him as part of the Equalists. Hesitating, a deeply conflicted Asami accepted it. However, after telling her dad that she loved him, she used the glove to electroshock him, completely surprising Mako, Korra and the others as her father tumbled to the ground. As the Lieutenant quickly came to Hiroshi's defense, Asami had no trouble knocking one of his kali sticks out of his hand and shocking him with the other, successfully incapacitating him, which allowed her to escape with Korra, Tenzin, Lin, Bolin, and Mako. Heartbroken, she stared at her home from the police airship as they made their way back to the city. Mako came to console her and she buried her face into the firebender's body.

Forming Team Avatar


After escaping the factory, Asami, along with Mako and Bolin, moved to Air Temple Island. Korra and Ikki showed Asami her room on the island, where Asami was told by the airbender that Korra also liked Mako. Asami reacted with mild confusion, stating that she was not really aware of that, but decided not to act on it. Later, when Team Avatar decided to patrol the city, she offered her Satomobile as a method of transport for the team when Naga refused to carry the group. Armed with the electrified glove her father had given her, she drove the car through the streets. Using a police monitor that her father installed, they soon found, chased, and captured several Equalists, much to Tarrlok's dismay. As they continued patrolling the next night, Asami observed Mako and Korra's interaction in the backseat of her Satomobile with suspicion. When Asami and the team arrived at the Dragon Flats borough and saw a group of nonbenders being arrested, Tarrlok ordered to arrest Asami too as she was a nonbender and the daughter of an Equalist. At Mako's attempt to stop the police, she was taken to prison along with her boyfriend and Bolin.

Searching for Avatar Korra


Asami was also freed from her prison cell by Lin Beifong, along with Mako and Bolin. Mako and Asami kissed passionately when they were reunited. Soon after, she joined Mako, Bolin, Tenzin, and Lin in the search of Korra, who Tarrlok claimed had been taken by the Equalists. While exploring the underground tunnel system used by the Equalists, Mako was very short with Asami, prompting her to ask his brother Bolin whether or not Mako's determination to protect Korra stemmed from strong feelings for her. Seeing right through the earthbender's evasive answers, she pressed him until he admitted that Mako and Korra shared a kiss during the Pro-bending Tournament. Asami was taken aback at the revelation. Bolin tried to downplay the kiss, but Asami expressed doubt that it meant nothing.

After discovering that the Equalists did not take Korra and that Tarrlok was behind Korra's disappearance, she returned with the others to City Hall to expose him. However, Tarrlok escaped after he incapacitated Asami and everyone else with his bloodbending. The group was able to locate the Avatar later that evening when they found Naga howling while roaming the streets, carrying a weakened Korra. Although Asami was glad to have found Korra without major injuries, she was crestfallen seeing how concerned and caring Mako was with Korra, when Mako pushed the group overcrowding Korra out of the way and carried the Avatar in his arms. Asami looked on with sadness and pain-filled eyes as Mako set Korra down on Oogi and gently brushed her hair from her face.

The Equalist attack


After finding Korra, Asami and the rest of Team Avatar returned to Air Temple Island to rest. After a meal, Asami offered to help Pema clean the table, which the latter accepted gladly. When Mako entered the kitchen, asking for hot water to make tea for Korra, an irritated Asami suggested he should heat it himself because he was a firebender. Sensing tension between the couple, Pema left the room, allowing them to talk. She expressed her concern for the way Mako had been treating Korra and told him that she knew he had kissed the Avatar, and implored Mako to be honest about any feelings he had for Korra. When the firebender asked her if they could deal with their relationship problems later, Asami left the kitchen, stating coldly that "there might not be any relationship to worry about later". Asami subsequently lost trust in Mako.

Later, when the Equalists began attacking Republic City, Asami assumed her position as the driver of Team Avatar's Satomobile. She made the automobile crash into several mecha tanks, disabling them, and knocked out several Equalists with little trouble and saving Tenzin. She returned with the others to Air Temple Island, though when it became apparent that they were no match for the number of incoming Equalists, Asami went into hiding with the rest of Team Avatar until the United Forces arrived.

Confronting her father


After Korra and Mako returned from a reconnaissance mission, an annoyed Asami told them that they had taken a long time, scoffing at Mako's defending argument that it was merely reconnaissance. Gommu interjected the brewing argument and invited them all to dinner, serving the team some street gruel, which was made from the scraps of the "finest dumpsters the city ha[d] to offer". As he said this, Asami was taking her first bite and became visibly sickened, spitting her food out and placing her bowl on the ground for Pabu to eat.

On the day of the arrival of the United Forces, Asami accompanied the team to await the soldiers. However, she was forced to watch from the sideline how the Equalists destroyed the incoming fleet with their fast biplanes and naval mines. After Korra saved General Iroh, Asami retreated back to the sewers with the others, where a telegram was sent to warn Commander Bumi about the fast moving aircrafts.

After agreeing to take out the Equalist airfield, Korra decided to boldly attack Amon in an ambush by herself. When Mako insisted on accompanying Korra, Asami realized that he could not help his feelings for Korra. Before Mako and Korra headed out to face Amon, Mako pulled her aside to apologize for their messed-up relationship and to let her know how much he still cared for her. Asami told him that she cared about him too and kissed him on the cheek, ending their romantic relationship on a good note. She parted ways with him and Korra to accompany Bolin and Iroh on the mission to wipe out the airfield.



The trio arrived at the field on Naga. As they approached the field, Asami wondered why there were only fence posts visible. It turned out to be an electric fence, causing the three to be electrically stunned, and when they came to, they were enclosed in a cell. Hiroshi arrived to apologize for hurting Asami, and he also expressed his hope that she would "come to her senses," so they could be a family once again.

However, Asami coldly rebuffed Hiroshi, asking him how they could be a family again after what he had done and telling him that her mother would hate him for what he had become. Hiroshi immediately lost his temper with Asami, shouting at her that he was avenging his wife's death. He gloated to Iroh that he had intercepted his message to Bumi and that his airplanes would destroy the fleet before they ever came near the city. After he left, Naga charged in and broke the trio out of prison. As Iroh hijacked an Equalist biplane to pursue the other airplanes, Bolin started destroying the runways with his earthbending while Asami ran into the hanger and hopped in a mecha tank, happily noting that the controls were similar to a Future Industries forklift. She proceeded to destroy the remaining aircraft inside the hanger. As she was doing this, her father arrived in another mecha tank, ordering her to stop "aiding the people who took her mother away". Again, Asami stated that he was not doing what he was doing out of love for her mother anymore, but out of hatred for all benders. Her words and further rejection of him send Hiroshi into a blind rage and he proceeded to violently attack her. Asami tried to defend herself, but Hiroshi quickly managed to knock her into one of the planes. After breaking the glass of her mecha tank's cockpit, he prepared to kill her, bellowing that he now saw she was beyond saving.



However, before it could come to pass, Bolin rode in on Naga, launching earth projectiles at Hiroshi's mecha and calling Hiroshi a horrible father. This attack, combined with a powerful punch from Asami's mecha, effectively put Hiroshi's mecha out of commission. He vainly attempted to escape on foot, but Asami, agreeing with Bolin's earlier statement, fired an electric bola at her father, capturing him and ending the fight.

At the South Pole
Asami was present when Katara attempted to restore Korra's bending at the Southern Water Tribe compound and watched her emerge from the room with a sad appearance. She was also present when Korra restored Lin Beifong's bending abilities. She smiled when Tenzin addressed Korra as "Avatar Korra".

Business deal with Varrick


Six months after Amon's defeat and Hiroshi's imprisonment, Asami had assumed control of Future Industries. She started working on remodeling the biplanes that were previously manufactured for Equalist use to have a more commercial purpose. However, due to Hiroshi's Equalist ties, no major company or investor wanted to do business with Future Industries, prompting Asami to take a trip to the Southern Water Tribe in order to save her company from bankruptcy.

Asami attended the Glacier Spirits' festival with the rest of Team Avatar, hoping to convince Varrick to go into business with her in order to save the struggling Future Industries business. She invited Bolin to come along with her as her assistant, though she instructed him to just stand with her and be quiet. When she entered Varrick's ship, they found the businessman sitting on a pillow, pretending to levitate. To soothe his ego, Asami joined in with the rest of the gathered crowd by applauding Varrick when he announced he had levitated a foot of the ground. Much to her shock and dismay, however, Bolin blurted out the truth to the businessman, seemingly angering him. Asami was pleased to note, albeit confused, that Varrick liked Bolin's honesty and was commended by Varrick upon her decision to bring her "tiger shark" to their meeting.



Asami was guided along by the extravagant businessman to have some tea with him, though before she could bring up her business plan, she was sat down to watch Varrick's latest invention, a moving picture. When Asami attempted again to bring their meeting back to her suggestion, she was promptly cut off and stared intently in the eye by Varrick. Initially shocked, Asami sternly stared back, which caused Varrick to exclaim after a few seconds that they had a deal. Pleased, Asami hugged Bolin and thanked him for his help, noting that he truly was a natural assistant.

Several days later, Asami awaited Varrick in his house on the mainland together with Mako and Bolin, growing anxious at the businessman's tardiness, fearing he might have reconsidered on helping Future Industries out of financial stress. As Desna and Eska suddenly barged into Varrick's home, looking for the rich entrepreneur, Asami inquired what he had done. She was shocked to learn that he was wanted for treason and that Korra's parents had been arrested. As Desna and Eska's search of the room proved to be futile and left, Asami chided Bolin for groveling for Eska, telling him to stand up for himself. When she told him to just be honest about his feelings, the muffled voice of Varrick contradicted her, and she was surprised to learn that both Varrick and Zhu Li were hiding in a stuffed platypus bear.

Escape from the Southern Water Tribe


Asami attended the trial of Korra's parents, knowing that Bolin had been tasked by Varrick to bribe the judge. However, she grew irritated with the earthbender as he had given all the money to some random spectators, thus forsaking their chance to free the defendants. Afterward, she returned to Varrick's quarters, where Korra came asking for help in breaking Tonraq out of prison. As such, Team Avatar and Varrick concocted a plan together to free Korra's father and Varrick's rebels.

When Korra tunneled the prison and created an impromptu hatch to the inside, Asami took out the patrolling guard with her electrified glove, enabling Mako to snatch his keys. However, after learning from Unalaq that Tonraq was being transferred to the Northern Water Tribe, Asami, Mako, and Korra quickly exited the prison to get to Varrick's yacht.



Asami piloted Varrick's biplane to take Korra close enough to the Northern Navy's blockade in order for her to clear them out. From their elevated position, it was easy to spot the ship that was transporting the prisoners to the North. Asami directed the aircraft after the ship and she jumped out of it together with Mako and Korra right before she let it crash on the surface. The plane's explosion served as a welcomed distraction for the threesome to sneak on board and take out the guards, freeing the prisoners. As the freed men made their way back to the mainland, Asami and her friends set course for Republic City, intending to persuade President Raiko to deploy the United Forces in order to save the Southern Water Tribe from a northern attack.

Business problems
Arriving at Republic City, Asami checked up on Future Industries' affairs, and, after seeing the company's latest figures, she met up with Varrick again to figure out a way to make some sales. However, before she could board his yacht, she was nearly run over by an angry Korra, who was also on her way to see the businessman. As they boarded together, the Avatar saved her from being impaled by an arrow Varrick had shot at a target she had accidentally walked in front of. Asami did not make anything of it and cut right down to business, namely her company's near bankruptcy. After pondering over several different ideas, Varrick suggested she sell some mecha tanks to the Southerners, so that Future Industries could profit from the brewing Water Tribe Civil War. Although acknowledging it would be dangerous, Asami agreed with the idea, glad that she could do something for her company and the Southerners at the same time. After the brainstorming session, she watched the propaganda movie Varrick had created to get the people of Republic City to support the Southern Water Tribe, although she herself did not seem very convinced.



Shortly afterward, Asami was informed of the ambush on the ship that was carrying her mecha tanks to the South. She rushed over to the police headquarters in order to verify if the truth behind it and was told by Mako that the entire shipment had been stolen. In an attempt to reassure her, Mako promised to find whoever was responsible and let her attend the interrogation of the ship's captain. When Mako left the room upon hearing the captain speak of remotely detonated bombs, Asami was approached by Varrick, who also had received the news of the theft, and together they heard Mako pitch his idea of the Northerners not being responsible for the attack. When Lu and Gang were laughing at Mako's efforts, Asami came to his aid, but was told to leave the interrogation room, just as Mako, by an angered Chief Beifong.

Outside the police station, Asami heard that Mako planned on setting up a sting operation in order to smoke out the true thieves. Upon noticing that he was hesitant to go through with the plan, as it meant risking his career, Asami pleaded with him for his help, as Future Industries was all that she had left of her family and its survival was depending on her shipments reaching the South. After Varrick offered one of his ships, Mako agreed, and together the two teenagers started to prepare the bait ship.



After the ship was loaded with empty crates and the true cargo was stocked in a Future Industries warehouse, Mako and Asami traveled to the Triple Threat Triad headquarters in an attempt to gain some help for their sting job, after Mako told her that Korra was out of town, and Bolin was too preoccupied with shooting his mover. Asami offered the triad some new, state of the art vehicles in exchange for their help, which the mobsters accepted.

Awaiting the ambush, Asami and Mako were joined by Two Toed Ping on their lookout. She was shocked to learn that Mako had broken up with Korra and did not tell her about. The two continued to talk to the gangster, learning why he was called Two Toed Ping. When Mako overheard Shady Shin and Viper talking about how they betrayed the teenagers, Asami was told by Mako that they needed to get off the ship. Piloting the speedboat, Asami tried her best to avoid any obstacles the pursuing mobsters threw at them, eventually managing to shake them off.



When Mako told her that the Triple Threats were paid to distract them, she instantly deduced that it had to do with her real shipment of equipment. She hurried to the warehouse and discovered it to be empty. Devastated over having lost everything, she implored Mako to stop his investigation, as she no longer had the heart to continue. He reassured her that he was not giving up on her, to which Asami reacted by kissing him. She immediately apologized afterward, though was ensured by Mako that it was fine. She was left at the warehouse by him, as he promised her to find out who was responsible for the theft.



The next day, Asami met with Varrick and sold him a controlling share of her company. The prospect of having saved Future Industries cheered her up, but in the middle of the meeting, Mako entered and told her he had made a big break in the case. However, unwilling to tell her who he had uncovered as the one behind her Future Industries' robbing, he left her with the promise of filling her in later.

Growing doubtful
A while after officially entering into business with Varrick, Asami was told by Mako of the shipping global's hand in the theft of her merchandise. Asami struggled to believe him, not seeing the reason for why Varrick would attack his own ships. She attributed Mako's suspicions to him having had a busy week and suggested that a relaxation was in order. The closeness she displayed toward the firebender alarmed Bolin, who deduced that they were dating again. However, as the earthbender voiced his conclusion, Asami and Mako were quick to refute his claims.



Asami later visited Mako at his apartment to invite him to dinner at Kwong's Cuisine in order to help him relax and relive their first date. The two shared a kiss, though their intimate moment was interrupted when the police came by to investigate an incriminating lead on Mako that they had gotten from some arrested Triple Threat Triad members. Asami was shocked to learn that Mako had explosives and a detonator hidden away in his back room, and Lu and Gang pointed out that Mako had been using her the entire time to get to Future Industries' wealth. Mako refuted the allegations, claiming that he would never do anything to hurt her and pinned the blame on Varrick, Asami was left with doubts, unsure whose story to believe.

Harmonic Convergence


Asami passed on the chance to visit Mako in jail, stating it was too painful as the location reminded her of her father. Instead, she accompanied Bolin to the Pro-bending Arena where the finale of his movie premiered. When Bolin left the loge, Asami followed him outside to see what was bothering him. Together, they reminisced about how much things had changed since their first encounter. She invited him to return watching the mover with her, though was told to go ahead as Bolin wanted to be by himself for a while. She cheered him on when he later saved President Raiko from being kidnapped. She congratulated him on his victory and suggested that they visit Mako to tell him what happened. However, before they could leave, they were interrupted by Korra's arrival. When the President turned down the Avatar's plea for help again, Asami readily offer her assistance, much to Korra's gratitude. Together, they all went to pick up Mako from jail. Asami smiled at her boyfriend, though grew angry when Mako did not tell Korra he was now in a relationship with Asami. However, she did not say anything about it, focusing on the dire situation at hand instead. She visited Varrick in jail with the others, chiding him for having stolen her property, though relented slightly when he pointed out that he also saved her company.



Asami steered the battleship they acquired from Varrick toward the Southern Water Tribe, though as they were almost at their destination, she picked up a distress signal of the Southern Water Tribe rebels. They continued their journey toward the Southern Water Tribe compound. Asami suggested an aerial assault on the Northern defenses at the South Pole; she would create a diversion with Mako and Bolin's help by using Varrick's plane in order to provide Korra, Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin an opening to fly in on Oogi. Although she managed to evade the ice projectiles for quite some time, successfully completing several attacks, Asami's plane was brought down by Desna and Eska, forcing her to crash land. They were apprehended by the twin and imprisoned in the same tent as Korra and the others, who had also been brought down. She was freed by Bumi and subsequently asked by Korra to fly Tonraq back to the healing huts to get treatment.

Asami remained at the healing hut with Katara, Tonraq, and Senna, watching over Jinora. When the young airbender awoke, she immediately inquired about the safety of her friends and was relieved to hear that Korra had saved the world.

Post-Harmonic Convergence


Following Harmonic Convergence, Asami met with Korra at President Raiko's press conference. Seeing the Avatar lament her poor approval among the citizens, Asami tried to tell her not to take it to heart, believing it to be nothing but frustration. After returning to Air Temple Island, Asami wondered where Mako was, to which Bolin answered that the firebender remained at police headquarters. Soon after, she became witness to Bumi's newfound airbending abilities. She watched the next day as Bumi attempted to airbend again. Lin and Mako soon visited Air Temple Island and gave the group reports of other airbenders in the city. The young industrialist also watched with concern as Mako acted awkwardly around her and Korra.

Asami and Korra went out for a drive, the former offering her friend the keys to a Satomobile, believing she was capable of a relaxing ride. It turned out to be anything but, as she had to give panicked instructions at points. Once they settled, the two talked about everything that had happened while they were each involved with Mako. Soon, they approached a mass of vines, which Asami quickly alerted Korra to, stopping just in time.

Discovering new airbenders


After Team Avatar decided to travel the Earth Kingdom in the search for airbenders, Asami furnished them with a Future Industries airship, believing they should travel in style. When Asami and the group arrived at the first village, they met Kuon, the new airbender, and joined his family for dinner, but the conversation quickly fell apart when he refused to leave his home. As they left, Asami believed they could have tried harder to convince him to join them. Further visits to villages failed to yield any success, and the group decided to put on an "air show" to help convince other airbenders to join them. When Korra used her airbending to "capture" Mako, who was playing a firebending convict, overdid it somewhat, both Asami and Korra chuckled with joy. After the show was complete, they managed to recruit just one airbender, a boy named Kai, who claimed his parents were killed by outlaws. Instead, the young boy was a thief who was being pursued by the town police force. Still, the group accepted him as he said he would make a change.

In Ba Sing Se
As the group neared Ba Sing Se, Asami watched as Jinora attempted to train Bumi as he sparred unsuccessfully with Kai. Upon arrival in the city, the group went straight to the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace, where they were greeted by Grand Secretariat Gun. Later, after Korra was given orders by Earth Queen Hou-Ting to retrieve tax payments, Asami went with the Avatar to the town they were held in. Just as they were about to return to Ba Sing Se, they were confronted by Gombo and his bandits. The girls were able to fight them off, Asami able to shock one of the motorcyclists. After they secured the tax money, Gombo yelled at Korra that the money was for the people, not the queen, causing Korra to wonder to Asami if they were truly on the right side.



The next day, Asami practiced sparring with Korra as the Avatar vented her frustrations about the Earth Queen exploiting her and lying about the existence of airbenders in the city. When Korra kicked one of Asami's arm pads out of her hand with an airbending-assisted swing kick, she promptly asked for a break, saying Korra's letting off steam was starting to hurt. At that moment, Mako and Bolin arrived, the latter exhaustively trying to explain what happened to them in broken sentences, before Mako clarified that they learned that the Earth Queen was imprisoning airbenders to conscript into her army. At that point, the queen and Grand Secretariat Gun arrived, the latter of whom told the group that airbenders had been reported in the Yang Province, allowing the queen to insist that they could leave by that evening. Asami, however, bought them time by claiming that their airship needed repairs and they would have to stay one more night.

Back at the team's house, Asami listened as they discussed where the airbenders could be. After finding out they were being held underneath the Earth Queen's Temple, they discussed what they could do to free them. Upon hearing a knock at the door, Asami believed it to be the queen, but it was actually Lin, who came to inform the group of the escape of four dangerous criminals who were after Korra; she insisted the Avatar return to Republic City. However, at Korra's insistence to free the airbenders, Lin joined their plan.

At nightfall, Asami retrieved her airship and, upon Lin receiving word from Bumi that they had the airbenders, took off alongside the police chief's airship. The group was able to flee the city successfully with the freed airbenders and made their way to its outskirts. That morning, the group split off, with Tenzin, Jinora, and the airbenders using Asami's airship to venture to the Northern Air Temple, while Asami continued with her friends and Lin to journey for more airbenders with the police airship.

In Zaofu
While the group was taking a rest stop, Asami informed them that she got word on the radio about another airbender having been reported in Zaofu. The team ventured into the city sans Lin, who told them not to tell anyone of her presence. After disembarking from the airship, they were greeted by the city's emissary, Aiwei. As they ventured through the city by train, Asami viewed all the city's sights with awe and listened as Aiwei explained what had happened to Toph. The team was soon introduced to the city's matriarch, Suyin Beifong. At that point, Aiwei informed Suyin that there was one other person who had come with the team having detected Korra's lie with his seismic sense. Korra acknowledged that Lin was with them, and Asami was shocked to learn that Suyin and Lin were related. They ventured back to the airship where Asami watched as their troublesome relationship was explained.



Asami joined the group again as Suyin led them to her home and introduced her family before being told that their accommodations were ready and that an appetizing meal would be prepared for them. The dinner was relatively peaceful until Lin's sarcastic remarks provoked hostility with Suyin. Varrick soon arrived, irking Asami, who wondered what he was doing there. Varrick danced around the question and asked "their" company was doing, to which Asami reminded him that Future Industries solely belonged her because of his plot to kidnap the president, though the industrialist contested that he was never proven guilty. Asami listened as Varrick explained that he had been granted refuge by Suyin and was working for her as head of the technology department, while pitching to her the idea of a revolutionary high-speed rail.

The next morning, Asami joined her friends, Suyin, and Opal for breakfast. While they were in the dining hall, they were forced to duck when their dishes were yanked over to Varrick's magnetic suit.

Sometime later, Asami watched as Bolin and Korra sparred with Wei and Wing, respectively. She implored the four to clean up and prepare for Opal's farewell dinner. During the meal, Varrick introduced Asami and Korra to an airbender finder. Asami took the device and pointed it at Korra, but nothing registered, leading her to believe it was broken, to which Varrick explained one would need to airbend into it for it to work. At Suyin's call, Asami joined in a toast to Opal and later watched as the airbender left for the Northern Air Temple.

That night, Asami awoke after hearing the calamity that stirred from the arrival of the Red Lotus into the estate and the capture of Korra. She found Mako and Bolin down in front of her door, though assured a worried Mako the criminals would not be able to get far because the guards, Lin, Suyin, Wei, and Wing had them surrounded. However, Ghazan divided the groups with a pool of lava. Asami joined the siblings and Lin in hiding behind metal floor decor. They were saved from a combustion attack by P'Li when Suyin and her twin sons bent another panel in its path to shield them. Asami believed there was no way to cross the moat, which prompted Suyin to devise a plan; her and Lin would dive through the metal dome on cables to rescue Korra. The teenager watched as the strategy played out successfully and Korra was rescued, though had to duck when Zaheer led his group's escape under a cloud of dust. Asami joined the team back at Suyin's office as Korra was given antidote to recover from the paralysis of shirshu-spit darts.

The group soon realized that a guard was responsible for allowing the Red Lotus to reach them; specifically, a young man named Hong Li. In investigating his house with her friends and Aiwei, Asami found a book full of guard movements and schedules. With that and a message from Zaheer and company to prepare for rendezvous, Team Avatar believed they had enough evidence, but Aiwei insisted they wait until Hong Li cracked. While investigating the battle scene, she listened as Mako expressed his doubts over the guard's guilt. They were surprised there by Varrick, who had come digging for pumice stones. Asami watched in disgust as Zhu Li rubbed them on the industrialist's feet. He explained to the group that if one was to construct a conspiracy, they would tell everyone that someone was guilty and plant the evidence on them, prompting Mako to realize only one man could keep such a secret: Aiwei.



Team Avatar made their way to Aiwei's house and entered in search for evidence. Asami only found an empty book, but when Mako, Bolin, and Korra found a secret passageway behind Aiwei's bookshelf, she saw the emissary returning and alerted the trio, but they were caught by him before they could leave. After Korra explained why they were there, he invited them to sit and share tea, asserting the guard's guilt. When he asked who they thought could be guilty, Asami lied, saying they did not know. Aiwei caught on to their suspicion and began to flee by raising a metal wall. Korra guided the team through by bending a hole in it, but as they entered the passageway, they found a bomb, which promptly detonated. Asami was shielded by Mako while the group as a whole was protected by Korra's air sphere. By the time they recovered, Aiwei was gone.

Regathering in Suyin's office, Asami stood by as Korra and Lin argued over the potential search for the group, and was led to believe they would be leaving Zaofu when Suyin agreed with her half-sibling about ensuring Korra's safety. Later, however, they were again approached by the matriarch, who informed the team she had a fully-loaded jeep for them to use in a search for Aiwei. Asami listened as Suyin explained she had only said what she did to please Lin and instead bought the team time to begin their search. Asami rode in the vehicle with Bolin and Mako while Korra rode on Naga, beginning the journey.

Misty Palms Oasis and capture
With Naga's tracking abilities, the team followed Aiwei's trail to just outside the Misty Palms Oasis and made their way to a tavern, hoping to find information on his whereabouts. There, they saw wanted posters of them issued by the Earth Queen because they had freed her airbenders. As Korra was making threats about the queen, Asami noticed the patrons threatening them, prompting the team to leave.



On the oasis' outskirts, Team Avatar found Aiwei's jeep. While Bolin and Mako went into the oasis undercover, Asami scrounged around the jeep for clues. While unsure of why Zaheer and his crew were after Korra, she found a note which instructed Aiwei to go to Xai Bau's Grove at sundown. They tried to find the location on a map, Asami shooing some spirits away in the process, but they were unable to spot it. Mako returned to alert the girls they had found Aiwei going into the Misty Palms Inn, while Asami told him about their own findings. Trying to keep the advantage, Mako suggested a stakeout mission.

The four tried to request the room across from Aiwei's at the inn, but the innkeeper initially denied them service because teenagers had previously trashed another room. They were soon spotted by Macao and Lily. Fearful they may have been bounty hunters, all four took an attacking stance, but the two turned out to actually be fans of Bolin's movers and asked him for his autograph. This fact prompted the innkeeper to grant them a room after all, but the room across from Aiwei's proved to be small, cramping the four, Pabu, and Naga in. After Bolin found a Pai Sho board, Asami decided to play the game with him. When Bolin bragged about his learning of the street variation with Shady Shin, Asami told him she was taught by her "diabolical genius" father and would "destroy" him. At her friend's offer, she took the first move. Asami played the game slowly and with strategy as per her beliefs, confusing Bolin, who thought the game was fast-paced and one of chance. She dismissed the variation as not real, prompting the earthbender to pull out the rulebook. After he read off that the game was described as both one of strategy and chance, Asami took the book, reading the game had many different variations in many cultures. Upon him reading winning the game required knowing one's opponent, the young industrialist suggested she knew Bolin well because she had just pulled a winning move. Asami was subsequently engaged in several games, but won every time over the next few hours. Eventually, in the last game, she appeared to have been beaten, but Pabu jumped on the board, sending the game pieces flying.



Near sundown, after no break in the stakeout, Asami feared Aiwei may have slipped out, but Mako told her otherwise as he had logged a recent movement. Korra decided to confront Aiwei directly, the others trying to stop her. They instead found Aiwei meditating, which brought the Avatar to realize that, when she and Asami were looking the map earlier, the spirits had come to warn them that Xai Bau's Grove was in the Spirit World, which was where the emissary had gone to. Asami and her friends kept watch over her physical form as Korra meditated into the other realm herself. After nightfall, they saw Ming-Hua and Ghazan approaching. Asami was advised by Mako to get Korra to safety, which she did by taking her body and riding out with Naga. However, after getting out of the oasis, they were soon trapped in four slabs of rock and placed in a prison transport. When Korra returned to her physical form, believing the Red Lotus had captured them, she asked Asami where they were. Confused about who that group was, Asami informed her friend they were actually taken by the Earth Queen's forces and being returned to Ba Sing Se.

Escape from the airship and the Si Wong Desert
At Fort Bosco, Korra and Asami were loaded onto a Ba Sing Se airship for transport to the capital city. Being chained to the floor of the prison hold, Asami, fearing discomfort, asked the guard, Arik, to be chained to a railing instead, convincing him she would be unable to go anywhere regardless. She subsequently thanked the guard for doing so before he left.



Knowing the queen's airships were produced by Cabbage Corp and thus cheaper than Future Industries' work, Asami came up with a plan. She was able to break the railing off from the wall and jump over it, giving her some freedom to move her hands again, criticizing the ship's construction as "shoddy workmanship". Still, she knew she needed the keys to get Korra out of the locks, and thus used the broken railing to open a floor panel. Heading below the prison hold, Asami instructed her friend to call for help in five minutes.

After getting the keys and hearing Korra's help signal, she knocked out the distracted Arik and unlocked the Avatar's restraints. They made their way to the cockpit and, after Korra beat back the captain and co-pilot, Asami tried to take control, only to find Korra's attacks had damaged the steering and radio system while the airship was descending rapidly. She urged the Avatar to grab onto something as the airship crashed into a sand dune.

When the two emerged on the ship's roof, Asami stated any landing one could walk away from was good, but was skeptical in this case because they were stuck in the desert. She was not sure if the airship could be started again as it needed to be dug out even if Korra metalbent the propellers back into place. After the crew re-emerged and with a need to get to Ba Sing Se as soon as possible, Asami urged the group to work together in getting the airship rebuilt, only to be told by the captain the ship was going nowhere and neither were the girls as they were still prisoners. Asami, however, soon spotted a creature roaming underneath the stand, which convinced the crew to join in an attempt to repair the airship.

The industrialist was able to get the ship functional again and told Kong to get the engine started, but just as this was done, the creature from earlier, a sandshark, emerged and destroyed the airship. Following the initial shock, the group ran as the ship and its supplies fell around them. At the captain's suggestion they would need to wait just a few hours for help, Asami was not sure they had such time. She suggested the construction of a makeshift sand-sailer with the remnant metal, needing a sail and a sled.



Upon completion, Asami commented the ship was not pretty but would do the job. The group appeared to have successfully fled the creature pursuing them, only for it to make an attempt to swallow them whole. However, Korra used her firebending to throw it down, giving them a safe escape to the Misty Palms Oasis. With the sailer breaking upon arrival, she jokingly asked the Sandbender Tribes if they wanted to buy it. The captain thanked her for getting them out and complimented her on having a good head before he and his crew left the girls.

Asami and Korra made their way to a tavern, where they found Tonraq, Lin, and Lord Zuko. Asami asked if they had found Bolin and Mako, to which Lin told them that the Red Lotus had taken them per eyewitness reports she received. The two girls were asked by Tonraq if they heard what had happened to the Earth Queen. Confused, they promptly heard over the radio that the queen was overthrown and Ba Sing Se was in chaos.

Reunion and attempt to warn Tenzin
After Naga and Pabu found that Bolin and Mako had made their way to the Misty Palms Oasis, Asami and Korra emerged from the tavern. Asami hugged Bolin tightly while she was slightly lifted off her feet. She was soon mistaken for the Avatar by Mako and Bolin's grandmother, Yin, who said she was a nice girl. She also grew a bit nervous when Yin asked Mako why he was not dating someone nice like them, turning the conversation to what had happened to the brothers. After they explained the dire risk of Zaheer wiping out the new Air Nation and with the group needing a solid radio signal, Asami went with them to Zaofu.



At Zaofu, the group learned Suyin and her guards had found a signal at the Northern Air Temple, but were not getting any answers. When Korra went to meditate and attempt to find Zaheer in the Spirit World, Asami came along with her, watching over her body while she ventured in. After Korra returned, Asami asked her friend if she found Zaheer, to which she was told she found someone else and needed to talk to another person.

Personality


Asami is a sweet and caring young woman, yet she is also independent and capable of fending for herself in tough situations. Even though she is quite used to luxury due to her wealthy background, she does not think of herself as "Daddy's little girl", despite what some may think, and maintains a humble and modest demeanor, using her wealth and fortunate ability to help others.

Although the murder of her mother at the hands of a bender could instigate a hatred toward them, like it did with her father, Asami's high morality and judgment prevented her from developing any prejudice against benders in general. She was able to choose the moral high ground above the only family ties she still had left, her father, showcasing her strong character.

Despite having a friendly personality, Asami has shown a capacity for jealousy that surfaced when she saw indications of romance between Mako and Korra. However, her remarkable character resurfaced once again in the face of hardships -in this case of the romantic type- and, although hurt and offended, Asami showed no spite toward Korra even when she was threatening to steal her boyfriend. Her caring nature is still prevalent, shown even after her break up with Mako, as she wishes him well before he embarks on a dangerous mission.

Combat


Asami is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat; since she was little, her father put her in self-defense classes so she would be able to protect herself. Her prowess was shown to be great enough to easily disarm the Equalists' Lieutenant and knock him out with his own weapon. Using the electrified glove given to her by her father in addition to her self-defense skills, Asami is a formidable opponent when fighting Equalists, easily being able to take out five of them with little effort just by using an electrified glove to stun them. Asami has also proven herself to be nimble, able to jump over a speeding motorcycle while kicking the rider off and still landing gracefully.

Other skills
Asami is an expert driver, having learned through testing her father's Satomobiles, and is fully capable of rivaling Equalist motorcyclists. She is capable of controlling any other vehicle engineered by Future Industries, such as mopeds, forklifts, and mecha tanks, which she noted were operated similarly. She can also drive a motorboat, skillfully being able to escape and divert enemies during speed chases. Asami is a practical thinker and a capable engineer, able to repair and construct vehicles with limited resources, such as when she spearheaded the building of a makeshift sand-sailer using materials from a destroyed airship. She is also a skilled Pai Sho player, proving herself to be a good methodical strategist.

Appearances
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Book Three: Change (易)
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Trivia

 * The lineage of the Sato family can be traced back to the first Fire Nation colonists.
 * Despite being part of a family with Fire Nation lineage, Asami has green eyes, which are usually displayed by people of Earth Kingdom descent, instead of the standard amber for those of Fire Nation descent.
 * Bryan Konietzko conceived her as a Hollywood Golden Age actress in the Avatar World, with her hair inspired by Rita Hayworth. Although having designed her before watching the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist, Bryan Konietzko stated he was fine with saying that Asami's design was influenced by Lust and is flattered by the fact that people would think so, as "Lust is such a killer design". He did, however, say that he used Lust's lipstick color for Asami.
 * Asami, like Katara, lost her mother to a firebender at a young age.
 * Asami's femininity serves as a foil to Korra's tomboyish, aggressive tendencies.
 * Regardless, the two seem to convey a balance of traits; just as Asami is seen being bold and adept at combat, Korra is likewise shown to have a softer, more feminine side with a curiosity toward make-up and romance. Unlike Korra, Asami is shown to be more stoic and prefers to think before acting.
 * Asami is the third character, after Zuko and Toph Beifong, to have joined the Avatar and to have a father who is antagonistic toward them and their allies.
 * Asami's relationship with her father and history parallels Zuko's such that both their fathers were a part of the series' antagonist. To begin with, they both had to live in the absence of a caring mother. Once Asami, like Zuko, realizes the cruelty of which her father is a part of, she had to choose between helping her father or joining the Avatar; Asami chooses to join the Avatar in ending that cruelty. The actions of their respective fathers led to a loss of their high social status for a period of time. Both Asami and Zuko become sickened by their respective fathers' goals. Both of their fathers wanted to kill their own children for refusing to help their respective causes: Ozai was willing to kill Zuko after the latter makes the Fire Nation's cruelty known, while Hiroshi wanted to kill his daughter for refusing to take part in his revenge. Asami and Zuko renounced their desires for their fathers' love: Asami because her father was consumed by hatred and Zuko because of his father's lust for power. A key difference, however, is that Asami almost immediately rejected her father, while Zuko strived for a long time to regain his father's love, impossible as it was. Also, Asami and Zuko both view their fathers as the worst fathers. Both children duel their own fathers as their fathers prepare to kill them for acts of defiance. Also, like Zuko, Asami assumes her father's mantle after his defeat and during his imprisonment. Moreover, Asami tries to restore the honor of Future Industries similar to how Zuko tried to restore the honor of his country.
 * Asami's relationship with her father is also similar to Teo's in the respect that they discover that their fathers were secretly building weapons for a cause that their children opposed.
 * Asami is the first nonbender to join the new Team Avatar, as well as the first nonbender shown opposing the Equalists.
 * Asami is the only member of the new Team Avatar to have a confirmed last name, and the fourth character overall in The Legend of Korra with a confirmed last name.
 * Meelo seems to have a crush on her, as shown when he called her a "beautiful woman" and when he asked for a piece of her hair.
 * Her break-up with Mako in "Skeletons in the Closet" is similar to the break-up scene at the ending of the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, where Knives Chau tells Scott Pilgrim to pursue Ramona Flowers, and ends their romantic relationship on a good note with a kiss on the cheek. Interestingly, Ramona was featured on Bryan Konietzko's tumblr during the season finale weekend. The movie also featured Mae Whitman (who voiced Katara in the first Avatar series) as antagonist Roxie Richter.
 * The concept art for Book Two: Spirits at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 showed Asami wearing a pilot's outfit. This notable achievement as the only known woman to pilot an aircraft in the Avatar universe could be compared to Amelia Earhart, the first woman to pilot an aircraft solo.
 * Asami was originally envisioned as an antagonist, like her father, but after developing her character, the creators realized she would be better as an ally of Korra's. Their plan was to make Asami an Equalist spy who would use Mako as a means to get close to the Avatar.
 * Prior to confirmation of Book Two: Spirits, an early script for "Endgame" had Asami join the United Forces at the end of the episode.
 * Asami is the second person to be mistaken as the Avatar, the first one being Sokka in the comic, "Sokka the Avatar".