Kuvira

"earth"

- Pledge your loyalty to me, and I'll give you a new purpose in your lives.

Kuvira is a metalbender who was formerly part of the Metal Clan in Zaofu. Prior to her departure in 171 AG, Kuvira served as both the captain of the city's guard and part of Suyin Beifong's dance troupe. Following the outbreak of anarchy in the Earth Kingdom, the remaining world leaders appointed her to re-establish order in the country in time for Prince Wu's coronation, giving her the title, the "Great Uniter". In her pursuit of order, Kuvira offered to protect the nation's states from bandits in exchange for their loyalty. She leads an army of citizens with Baatar Jr., to whom she is engaged.

Early life
Kuvira grew up in Zaofu, where she became heavily influenced by Suyin's progressive ideology concerning modernization and self-fulfilment. She became part of the matriarch's dance troupe and eventually became captain of the city's guard.

Defending Zaofu
In 171 AG, Kuvira and the other members of Suyin Beifong's dance troupe rehearsed a routine for an upcoming recital. The rehearsal ended following the arrival of Avatar Korra and her friends.



Several days later, Kuvira accompanied Suyin's family and Team Avatar to a rooftop where they bade farewell to Opal, who left Zaofu to train at the Northern Air Temple. After the airbender's airship left the city, Kuvira used her radio to command the other guards to begin securing Zaofu for the evening. Later that night, Kuvira attacked Zaheer and his group after the four managed to infiltrate the city in an attempt to kidnap Korra. She helped the other members of the Metal Clan trap the criminals in a makeshift metal prison, before ordering them to surrender and return the Avatar. Following the group's escape, Kuvira and the other guards searched the city, albeit to no avail, as they were unable to find any traces of the four benders.

Kuvira was questioned by Aiwei, along with the rest of the city's guards, in an attempt to determine the identity of Zaheer's accomplice. When Aiwei's involvement in the attempted kidnapping of Avatar Korra came to light, Kuvira was ordered by Lin Beifong to search the city for the truth seer and determine where the tunnel underneath his home led, which she eventually traced to a dead end with no signs of Aiwei.

Stopping the Red Lotus
Kuvira traveled with Team Avatar, their allies, and several other members of the Metal Clan to the Northern Air Temple in an attempt to free the airbenders held captive by the Red Lotus. Adhering to Zaheer's demand to meet Korra alone at Laghima's Peak, Kuvira went with Suyin, Lin, Tonraq, and the other metalbenders to the base of the peak, where they prepared to use their bending to aid Korra if it became necessary. She climbed to the mountaintop with the rest of the metalbenders after Mako alerted Lin that they had been double-crossed, but was immediately blown off the peak by one of P'Li's combustion beams. Using her cables, Kuvira managed to save herself and rejoined the other metalbenders atop the cliff, where they attempted to subdue P'Li. In the midst of the battle that ensued, Kuvira used her cables to save Tonraq after Zaheer used airbending to throw the waterbender off the cliffside.



Following the fight, the group reassembled at the base of the peak, where Kuvira tended to Tonraq's wounds. While bandaging the tribal chief's arm, Kuvira introduced herself by name after the waterbender thanked her for her help and addressed her by her rank. She requested to accompany Suyin and the members of Team Avatar to a series of caves near the temple in order to rescue the missing airbender, but was ordered to remain with the injured, much to her disappointment.

Reuniting the Earth Kingdom
After the defeat of the Red Lotus, Kuvira was appointed by the remaining world leaders to neutralize the anarchy and reunite the Earth Kingdom states while Prince Wu was still in exile in Republic City waiting for his impending coronation as the new Earth King. Kuvira left Zaofu, and assembled a massive army which included Bolin, Varrick, Zhu Li, and Baatar Jr., with whom she fell in love with, and recently, betrothed. Kuvira's decision to leave was much to Suyin's dismay. With modernized airships, mecha tanks and a high-speed train, Kuvira traveled to states overran by bandits and bargained with their leaders, offering protection and supplies, provided that they pledge allegiance to her.

Annexation of the state of Yi


Bn 174 AG, Kuvira had conquered ninety percent of states in the Earth Kingdom. Unsatisfied, she declines to drink celebratory tea, vowing to celebrate only when her mission was completed in entirety. While traveling to the state of Yi, Kuvira's train was forced to stop as the tracks were blocked by a pile of rocks left by bandits. Although her soldiers assured her that they would handle the situation, Kuvira opted to confront the bandits herself, who immediately began to attack her with earthbending when she exited the train. Kuvira dodged and deflected the attacks with relative ease, before launching a series of metal strips which she used to cover her opponents' eyes and restrict their limbs. After subduing all of her attackers and binding them to the train tracks, Kuvira removed the metal strips covering their eyes and addressed the earthbenders, whom she berated for causing chaos where she was attempting to restore order. She ordered them neither to speak over her nor grovel over their predicament, before offering them the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves and serve as productive members of the Earth Kingdom. She proceeded to threaten to leave them stuck to the tracks if they refused to comply, prompting the prisoners to pledge their loyalty and join her army, much to her satisfaction.

After arriving to the state of Yi, Kuvira was pleased to see Opal and Bolin reunite, remarking that they were her favorite couple. After receiving harsh criticism from Opal, Kuvira urged the airbender to let go of what happened three years ago, remarking that she and her army were there solely to help the state recover. She acknowledged that rumors of her conquering towns may paint her in a negative light, but assured Opal that she was only concerned in providing a better future for the Earth Kingdom people by laying the groundwork for citizens to achieve their own greatness. She urged Opal to move on, revealing that she and Baatar Jr. were engaged, much to the airbender's surprise.



Shortly after, Kuvira met with Yi's governor in her train, where she urged the leader to reconsider her offer, remarking that bandits outnumbered his people and out-supplied his state. She was refused once more and accused of only wanting access to Yi's ore reserves, which prompted Kuvira to reprimand the governor for his pride, which would not be enough to protect Yi as the state fell apart and his people went hungry. Despite her efforts, the governor refused to yield, forcing Kuvira to call her troops back. Kai urged the metalbender to remain behind and help, which prompted Kuvira to hand him the contract. Uninterested in further negotiation, Kuvira told the airbender that she would only assist the state if the governor signed the document, remarking that she and her army would only remain stationed at the border for one day.

Kuvira returned to the state capital after the governor acquiesced and signed the contract, immediately distributing parcels of food, deploying soldiers, and providing the city with several modernized mecha tanks for protection. She declared that Yi was under her army's full protection before subsequently forcing the governor to pledge his allegiance to her if he wished to keep his position.

Personality


Kuvira is driven by a fierce desire to protect the citizens of the Earth Kingdom and persistent on achieving national unity through the use of military force. Her willingness to usher in an age of solidarity and collective well-being stems from Suyin Beifong's progressive ideology, to which she was exposed from a very early age. Kuvira demonstrates a capacity to be cold and unforgiving to those who defy her or criticize her motives, having shown willingness to leave a group of bandits to die if they refused to become productive members of the Earth Kingdom. In addition, she did not hesitate to leave the capital of Yi without providing aid to its impoverished citizens when she was disrespected by the state's governor, whom she berated for failing to put his citizens' needs ahead of his own pride. Kuvira is persuasive and capable of convincing state leaders into pledging their allegiance to her, but is also proficient in the use of intimidation if individuals refuse to comply with her requests. She has also shown herself to be loyal and obedient to authority, following orders from her former superiors with no protest.

Metalbending
Kuvira is proficient in the use of metalbending, capable of traversing several terrains and climbing large mountainsides with relative ease using metal cables. She also demonstrates incredibly physical strength, having been able to grip Tonraq with a cable and support his weight. Coupled with great aim and agility, Kuvira can subdue several opponents simultaneously by covering their eyes and binding their limbs with metal strips.

Other skills
Kuvira is an effective leader, as evident by her service as captain of the guard in Zaofu and further by her accomplishments as the "Great Uniter". She is capable of engaging in persuasive negotiation, but can also employ intimidation in order to convince state leaders into pledging their allegiance to her and her cause. Using these abilities, Kuvira has managed to bring ninety percent of Earth Kingdom states into her control, earning her a fierce reputation in the Earth Kingdom.

Trivia

 * Kuvira is a Hindi name meaning "courageous woman", befitting her personality.
 * Kuvira's image was on the back of the newspaper Lin Beifong was reading in Zaofu. The text below her picture read, meaning "security team".