Avatar Wiki
Advertisement
Avatar Wiki
This article is about the real world.
This article is about the first book of The Legend of Korra. For the first book of Avatar: The Last Airbender, see Book One: Water.
"Back on Avatar, the first series, fans were like 'Wait there's one more book, there needs to be air'. We were always like, well Aang had already mastered air, each season was about what the Avatar was trying to master. When we came up with the character of Korra, it was the perfect opportunity to have that book, you know, and not be redundant for Aang."
Bryan Konietzko about Book One: Air.[1]
Korra Book 1

The cover of the DVD box set for Book One: Air features Team Avatar, with Korra in the foreground.

Book One: Air () is the first book of The Legend of Korra, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The nomenclature refers to the Avatar Cycle: water, earth, fire, and air. The primary focus of the season is Korra's attempts to learn airbending from Tenzin while defending Republic City from the Equalist revolt, led by the masked Amon.

The season began on March 24, 2012, with the online airing of "Welcome to Republic City" and "A Leaf in the Wind", and ended at twelve episodes on June 23 of that year with "Skeletons in the Closet" and "Endgame". It was followed by Book Two: Spirits, which began airing on television on September 13, 2013.

Episodes[]

Korra in Republic City
Original air date: April 14, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 101
Summary:
Avatar Korra leaves the safety of her home and travels to Republic City to begin her airbending training. Once there, she is shocked to find the bustling metropolis rife with corruption, criminal bending gangs, and a vocal anti-bending movement.
Meditation practice
Original air date: April 14, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 102
Summary:
Frustrated with her failed attempts to master airbending on Air Temple Island, Korra disobeys her teacher, Tenzin, and shifts her focus to Republic City's famous Pro-bending Arena. There, she befriends the brothers Mako and Bolin, who compete in pro-bending matches on their team, the Fire Ferrets. When their waterbender leaves the team, Korra steps up and takes his place.
Amon removes firebending
Original air date: April 21, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 103
Summary:
Mako and Bolin look for ways to acquire the thirty thousand yuans required for their team to remain in the Pro-bending Tournament. Bolin finds himself in a dangerous situation after accepting a job from the Triple Threat Triad. Worried, Korra and Mako search for him and they learn of an upcoming Equalist rally. Attending the mass meeting, Korra learns more about the anti-bending movement and their mysterious leader, Amon. However, they are forced to intervene in order to save Bolin's bending abilities.
Korra facing Amon
Original air date: April 28, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 104
Summary:
Mako meets Asami Sato in a small accident, leading to a romantic date and her introducing him to her father, Hiroshi Sato, who offers to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in the Pro-bending Tournament. Meanwhile, Korra is coerced into joining Councilman Tarrlok's task force, intending to rid the city of Equalists. She later challenges Amon to a duel at Aang Memorial Island, which ends up being a trap, during which he warns her of his upcoming plans.
Bolin encouraging Mako and Korra
Original air date: May 5, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 105
Summary:
The pro-bending championships begins, with the Fire Ferrets getting off to a good start. However, Korra and her teammates struggle to work together after romantic rivalries shake their foundation and threaten to end their shot at the championship.
Amon speeching in the Arena
Original air date: May 12, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 106
Summary:
Korra and the Fire Ferrets prepare for the pro-bending championship final as the growing Equalist movement threatens to force the tournament's cancellation. At bidding of the Avatar and Chief Lin Beifong, the United Republic Council disregards the threat, resulting in dire consequences for the Pro-bending Arena, the tournament's competitors, and its bending spectators.
Mecha tanks attack
Original air date: May 19, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 107
Summary:
Mako and Bolin find new residence at the Sato estate after the attack on the Pro-bending Arena. Korra begins to suspect that an ally is working for the Equalists, culminating in the discovery of an underground Equalist factory.
When Extremes Meet
Original air date: June 2, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 108
Summary:
Saikhan's appointment as Chief of the Metalbending Police Force signals the tightening of Tarrlok's control over the city. Mako, Korra, Bolin, and Asami form Team Avatar and impede the Councilman's plans, much to his displeasure. Korra confronts Tarrlok late at night, resulting in Tarrlok's exposure as a bloodbender. In order to keep his secret, he captures the Avatar.
Korra meditating
Original air date: June 9, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 109
Summary:
Korra tries to meditate on the visions of Aang's life that have been plaguing here while being confined in an unknown area. Meanwhile, after hearing from Tarrlok that Korra had been captured by Equalist, Tenzin, Lin Beifong, and Team Avatar set out to find her, leading to the discovery of an underground Equalist base where several police officers were held captive. At Tarrlok's hideout, Amon and his Equalists arrive. After Tarrlok's bending is stripped by Amon, Korra sees the opportunity to escape and finds her way back to Republic City.
Republic City under attack
Original air date: June 16, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 110
Summary:
Mako's doting over a recovering Korra puts a strain on his relationship with Asami. In the city, Tenzin fights off a kidnapping attempt of the Equalists and ends up the sole council member left, prompting him to request help from the United Forces. When Republic City comes under attack from Equalists, Team Avatar takes action. Back at Air Temple Island, Pema goes into labor while Lin Beifong and the three airbending children manage to defend the island. When more Equalists come, the islanders are forced to run, with Team Avatar retreating in the city's sewers, while Tenzin, his family, and the Air Acolytes flee on the sky bison. In order to secure the airbenders' safety, Lin fights off the Equalists, which leads to Amon taking her bending.
Yakone and his sons
Original air date: June 23, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 111
Summary:
From their underground base, Team Avatar spies on the Equalist activities while awaiting the arrival of General Iroh's fleet. After the fleet is destroyed by Equalist biplanes, Team Avatar splits up; General Iroh, Bolin, and Asami set out to destroy the airfield, while Korra and Mako go to face Amon. Once the duo, donned in an Equalist attire, arrives at Air Temple Island, Korra and Mako find an imprisoned Tarrlok, who reveals that Amon is in fact his brother, Noatak, a Northern waterbender, and the son of Yakone.
Amon's mask
Original air date: June 23, 2012
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos & Ki Hyun Ryu
Production number: 112
Summary:
Korra and Mako are set to expose Amon's true identity to his followers, but discover that he has captured Tenzin and his family. Amon baits her and succeeds in taking Korra's bending except for airbending, since she had not yet unlocked the fourth element. After using her last element to expose Amon's true identity, the Equalist leader flees the city with Tarrlok, who uses an electrified glove to blow up their speedboat. Meanwhile, Iroh managed to take down the airplanes that had taken flight, while Asami and Bolin took care of the grounded vehicles and captured Hiroshi. Although Katara failed to restore Korra's bending, the Avatar manages to finally establish a link to her spiritual side and Aang helps her to unblock her bending, which gives Korra the ability to energybend and restore the bending abilities of others. Korra and Mako admit their feelings toward each other, starting their relationship.

The episodes were released on individual box sets of DVD and Blu-ray on July 9, 2013.

Volume title Episodes Release date
Book One: Air (DVD) All episodes of Book One July 9, 2013
Book One: Air (Blu-ray) All episodes of Book One July 9, 2013

The 2-disc DVD release contains the following features:

The 2-disc Blu-ray release contains the same puppet short as well as:

  • Audio commentaries for all 12 episodes.
  • Creators' Favorite Scenes: Animatics - Animatics for select scenes from every episode except for 2, 7, 9, and 11.

Trivia[]

  • One of the most prominent references and inspirations for Book One was Shorpy.com, which gave the creators a glimpse of what child factory workers had to deal with in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This time period correlated with their use of "street urchins" in Republic City.[2][3]
  • The first two episodes were released online before airing on television.
  • This book has the least amount of chapters in the Avatar franchise, only reaching 12 episodes.
  • Nicktoons re-aired Book One in July 2012 under the name Korra: Making of a Legend, with additional commentaries from the creators of the show.
  • The first two episodes were the most watched of the book, reaching 4.55 million viewers in the U.S.
  • The Legend of Korra was originally intended to only consist of Book One, but the series was ultimately extended to four books.[4]

References[]

  1. Commentary for Making of a Legend, "A Leaf in the Wind".
  2. The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book One: Air, page 62.
  3. DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan; Dos Santos, Joaquim & Blum, Steve (July 9, 2013). "The Revelation" commentary. Book One: Air Blu-ray.
  4. Christopher John Farley (March 8, 2011). The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra: The Creators Speak. Speakeasy. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on March 8, 2011.

See also[]

Advertisement