Welcome to Republic City

"Welcome to Republic City" is the first episode of season one of The Legend of Korra and the first of the overall series. Along with "A Leaf in the Wind", it debuted online on March 24, 2012. It later aired on Nickelodeon, on April 14, 2012, in the one-hour television premiere of the sequel series in general, followed immediately by "A Leaf in the Wind".

Overview
''After Avatar Korra finishes her firebending training, the Order of the White Lotus decides she is ready to start learning the last element, air, with Tenzin, Katara's son. However, when the airbender has to delay its start due to his political duties in Republic City, Korra decides to run away to this city in order to find him and be able to start her training. Once there, the Avatar learns the reality of Republic City, and after defeating some gangsters who abused a man, she is detained for the destruction she had caused. Tenzin, after conversing with Lin Beifong, the Chief Police, succeeds in freeing her to then send her back home. However, after Korra discusses her stay in the city, she convinces him to allow her to live in Air Temple Island and start the training.''

Introduction
After Aang and his friends brought the Hundred Year War to an end, the Avatar and Fire Lord Zuko transformed the Fire Nation colonies into the United Republic of Nations, a society where benders and non-benders from all over the world would live together in peace and harmony, Republic City being its capital city. Avatar Aang accomplished many remarkable things in his life, but his time in this world came to an end, and thus the Avatar Cycle began anew.

Synopsis
In the Southern Water Tribe, the leader of the Order of the White Lotus and two other members walk in the snow toward one of the houses. A man greets them at the entrance, saying that it's an honor they have come. He opens the door letting them inside to see his wife, who is sweeping the floor and welcomes them. The leader of the Order starts informing them about their failed search in the Northern Tribe, to which she answers that they should be happy to know their search has come to an end. The leader, incredulous, asks her what makes her so sure her daughter is the one, so the woman calls Korra, who enters the room, making a hole in the wall using earthbending and then demonstrating, to the surprise of the White Lotus, that she can control water, earth, and fire.



Thirteen years later, Avatar Korra is performing before the Order and her teachers, exhibiting firebending prowess; while fighting two men, Katara comments she is strong to which the leader of the Order adds that she lacks restraint. After finishing, Korra excitedly goes toward the elders, and is told that they haven't decided if she passed her firebending test yet since she has mastered the physical side of bending, but completely ignored the spiritual side, and the Avatar must master both. Korra replies that it just doesn't come easily to her, which is the reason why she should start training with Tenzin, to which Katara agrees and the Order finally decides she can start training under the airbender's tutelage. At this announcement, Korra jumps and celebrates happily, but at the look of the masters, she corrects her reaction, thanks them for believing in her, and leaves. Korra then goes to share the good news to Naga, her polar bear dog and animal guide, and hugs her, prompting the creature to lick her face. After this, Korra decides to take Naga out for a stroll, but the guard of the tower stares at her doubtfully; however, after reassuring him that she will not be going far, he opens the gate, letting the Avatar ride on her pet, who runs rapidly around the place.

A flying bison lands in the Southern Tribe, carrying Tenzin, his wife Pema, and their three kids: Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. The two girls step off the bison with air scooters as Tenzin goes to greet his mother and tell her how happy he is to see her. He then asks her for her help as his son is biting his head. Katara takes Meelo, who tries to escape from her, shouting, "Unhand me, strange woman!", but his father tells him she is his grandmother, and the boy then somersaults over her head and lands behind her. Jinora stands in front of Katara, telling her that she has read everything about her old adventures and has been dying to ask what happened to Zuko's mother, to which the waterbending master says it is an incredible tale. However, before she can continue, Ikki interrupts, jumping in between the two and starting to talk fast, asking a lot of questions.

Pema then steps off the bison so Tenzin goes to help, but his wife says she isn't helpless, just pregnant. Katara salutes and hugs her, saying that the baby is strong and she sees another airbender in her future, but Pema does not seem to like this, commenting how she would like a nice non-bender child like herself who doesn't blast wind in her face every five seconds. In that moment, Meelo asks his mother to look at him as he claims to be a snowbender, blowing away a snow pile in which he had covered himself, causing to splash some in his mother's face. Pema, shaking her head, asks Katara if Tenzin and his siblings were this crazy when they were kids, to which she answers that Kya and Bumi certainly were, but Tenzin had always been rather serious.

The airbending master then notices Korra standing behind his mother and is surprised to see her so big and strong. The Avatar, glad Tenzin has arrived, tells him that she can't wait to get started, but he, with his hands on her shoulders, assents and tries to tell her something. He expresses doubt, however, Pema tells him he will have to tell her sooner or later. Katara guesses that he is not staying, which Tenzin confirms, adding that he will return to Republic City the next morning. Korra, disappointed, insists that he's supposed to stay, but Tenzin apologizes and says her airbending training will have to wait.



That night, Tenzin, Korra, and the White Lotus leader are having dinner. The Avatar keeps asking when her airbending training will begin, but the airbender states that he has responsibilities in Republic City as one of its leaders, where the situation is very unstable. Korra then suggests returning to Republic City with Tenzin and learning the art there, to which the White Lotus leader refuses, emphasizing that it's the Order's task to protect the Avatar while she masters the four elements, and that Republic City is too unsafe for her. Korra then leaves the room, very displeased.

The following morning, Tenzin and his family say goodbye to Katara, who is sad because of their departure. From a cliff, Korra and Naga watch them leave on Oogi. That night, Korra decides to run away and, with Katara's blessing and after saying goodbye to her parents, she gets on a cargo ship headed for the city with Naga.

When they arrive in Republic City, they are amazed at its vastness, and, hungry, start looking for food. However, after Korra realizes she doesn't have any yuans, she catches and then fries some fish with her firebending from the pond of a park. A hobo then appears from a bush and asks her for one. The Avatar grants his request and comments, surprised at the man's living style, how different she thought Republic City was, to which the vagabond says that she still has a lot to learn. A guard of the park then yells at them for having caught fish, which was prohibited there. Korra rides away with Naga and passes by a protestor and a crowd of listeners. The advocate tells people about the Equalist revolt and tries to get people to join the movement. When Korra hears this and his remarks against benders, she disagrees saying that bending is "the coolest thing ever" and when she admits that she'd like to knock him off the stage with her waterbending, the man wins the crowd's support and Korra leaves, vexed.

The Avatar then meets the Triple Threat Triad as they are abusing a phonograph vendor, so she challenges them, to which the gangsters accept mockingly. To the surprise of the three men and the shop owners watching the fight, she defeats them with waterbending, earthbending, and firebending. After this, the metalbender cops arrive, arrest the gang and then Korra for destruction of private and city property, and take her to the police headquarters, where she is interrogated by a displeased Chief Lin Beifong. Although Tenzin then manages to persuade her to drop all charges against Korra, Lin makes it very clear that she will keep an eye on the young Avatar.



At an animal pound, Korra then tries to convince Tenzin to allow her stay, arguing that she has now realized that the city needs not only him but also its Avatar. The airbender is at a lost for a counterargument. An officer, holding Naga on a leash, then catches their attention, asks if this polar bear dog belongs to her.

While traveling on a ferry to Air Temple Island, Tenzin looks solemnly towards the giant statue of his father, Avatar Aang. Upon docking with the island, his kids enthusiastically greet Korra and ask if she's going to stay. Sadly, Korra admits that she has to leave and moves towards the ship ready to go back to the Southern Water Tribe. Before she can board it, Tenzin stops her, admitting that she's right; since Aang's death, Republic City has fallen out of balance and Tenzin believed that by returning alone he'd be upholding his legacy. But now he realizes that Korra is Aang's legacy and lets her stay in Republic City and commence her airbending training. The Avatar's stay on the island is then publicly announced in a press conference in front of Republic City's government hall, during which she states that "Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world," and that she would strive to obtain that goal.

As Amon and the Lieutenant listen via radio, Amon ominously states the Avatar's arrival calls for an acceleration in their plans.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Michael Dante DiMartino
 * Bryan Konietzko


 * Directed by:
 * Joaquim Dos Santos
 * Ki Hyun Ryu


 * Starring:
 * Janet Varney - Korra
 * J. K. Simmons - Tenzin
 * Mindy Sterling - Lin Beifong
 * Steve Blum - Amon


 * Also starring:
 * Maria Bamford - Pema
 * Kiernan Shipka - Jinora
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes - Ikki
 * Logan Wells - Meelo
 * Richard Epcar:
 * Captain Saikhan
 * Firebending gangster
 * Cora Baker - Four-year-old Korra
 * Lance Henriksen - Lieutenant
 * Carlos Alazraqui:
 * Protestor
 * Korra's father
 * Ruffled police officer
 * Stephen Root:
 * White Lotus leader
 * Hobo
 * Phonograph vendor
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Naga
 * Oogi


 * Additional voices:
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes
 * Amy Hill
 * Alex McKenna
 * J. K. Simmons
 * Dave Thomas
 * Michael Yurchak


 * Special guest star:
 * Eva Marie Saint - Katara

Series continuity

 * When Tenzin, Pema, and their children arrive in the Southern Water Tribe, Jinora and Ikki dismount their bison via an airbending technique known as the air scooter, a move invented by their grandfather, Avatar Aang.
 * At the end of the episode, Jinora and Ikki come gliding in with the use of traditional Air Nomad gliders.
 * The way Katara discovered Korra leaving from the Southern Water Tribe is similar to the way Kanna discovered Katara and Sokka leaving in the second episode of the original series. In both cases, a young person is leaving, somehow affecting the Avatar, and the elder lets them go.
 * When Korra arrives in Repbulic City and sees the great statue of Avatar Aang for the first time, she stares at it just like Aang stared at the statue of Avatar Roku at the Southern Air Temple.

Goofs

 * In at least two scenes, Katara has brown eyebrows, and in the rest she has white ones.
 * During Korra's firebending test, she bounces off of a firebender without facial hair, but in the next shot, he has a mustache.
 * Tenzin has light brown eyes in his first scene, but has grey eyes in the following scene.
 * As Korra is leaving Chief Beifong's interrogation room, the Chief briefly has six fingers when pointing at Korra.