Pro-bending referees

"URN"

- The Avatar will be permitted to continue, so long as she solely bends water.

The pro-bending referees enforce the rules of pro-bending at the Pro-bending Arena in Republic City. There are at least two referees present during each match, each with different tasks. One is the head overseer of the game while the other serves as more of a linesman.

History
When Avatar Korra made her debut in the pro-bending ring alongside her Fire Ferret teammates Mako and Bolin, the referees were on duty for the match. As the Avatar had never been in a pro-bending match before, she was not familiar with the rules. In the opening seconds of round one, she used waterbending to knock one of her opponents over the side of the ring, which was not allowed by the rules of pro-bending. The referee called a penalty and ordered Korra to move back to zone two. Soon afterward, he pointed out that she was over the line and administered another one zone penalty. When she exposed herself as the Avatar by earthbending, the official once again called a penalty, but this being the first time the Avatar had stepped into the ring, he was not entirely sure how to deal with the situation. Eventually, the referee allowed her to continue participating under the condition that Korra would restrict herself to the use of one element only, which in her case was water.

A referee later officiated the Fire Ferrets' quarterfinal match in the tournament against the Boar-q-pines. After the teams split rounds one and two, he declared round three a tie, forcing a one-on-one tiebreaker round. He tossed a coin which would allow a team the first choice of who to send up for the round, which was won by the Fire Ferrets.



After the Buzzard Wasps scored a decisive victory in round one of the semifinals of the Pro-bending Championship Tournament and gained the advantage in round two, sending Mako back one zone and Bolin over the edge, Korra bent water up from the ring's trough to grab the opposing firebender by the leg for a throw. She then proceeded to continue bending water at her from below. The referee called a penalty for unnecessary roughness and ordered Korra to move back one zone. Korra responded that she would "unnecessarily rough [him] up" and waterbent a sizable blast in his direction. The referee then gave her a yellow fan warning.

During the championship match of the tournament, the White Falls Wolfbats committed a series of illegal moves which the match's referee seemed to ignore, making Mako believe that he had been paid off, while the fans booed him and Shiro Shinobi pointed out his many mistakes over the radio. The referees' mistakes allowed the Wolfbats to claim their fourth consecutive pro-bending championship.

When the Equalists attacked the arena, Tahno asked the referee what was going on, but was left without an answer.

Trivia

 * They are voiced by Tom Kenny in "A Leaf in the Wind" and "And the Winner is", and Jeff Bennett in "The Spirit of Competition".