| "Republic City stands as a beacon of freedom ..." |
| — Councilman Tarrlok to the United Republic Council.[1] |
Republic City is the capital city of the United Republic of Nations as well as one of the largest and most modern cities in the world,[5] with a population of millions.[6] Located on the shores of Yue Bay, it was founded by Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang after the conclusion of the Hundred Year War as a haven for immigrants from all across the four nations, growing from its origins as Cranefish Town in the territory of the former Fire Nation colonies.[7][8] Being a modern urban center, Republic City boasts significant high-rise development as well as the widespread use of automobiles, motorcycles, and airships.[9]
Republic City is home to a variety of iconic landmarks. These include a monumental statue of Avatar Aang in Yue Bay, a spacious city park, many suspension bridges, and skyscrapers. The Metalbending Police Force utilizes metalbending for civil law enforcement. Pro-bending is the city's most popular sport.
Republic City faced high levels of crime and civil unrest and during the time of Avatar Korra, several major events which occurred in the city, such as the Anti-bending Revolution led by the Equalists,[9] the assault of the Dark Avatar, which created an enclave of Spirit Wilds within the city,[10] and the invasion by the Earth Empire,[6] which devastated the area of the Spirit Wilds and the surrounding cityscape, though also resulted in the creation of a spirit portal within the ruined remains of the downtown district.[11]
History
Development
- See also: Tienhaishi and Cranefish Town
The area which Republic City would later occupy was first settled by humans at some point during or after the era of Raava. Protected by a spirit, Lady Tienhai, the city of Tienhaishi was established which would prosper for thousands of years. However, the settlement had to be abandoned during Avatar Yangchen's time, and most of the region became uninhabited wilderness.[12][13]
After the Hundred Year War, the area became increasingly cosmopolitan, as the older Fire Nation colonies in the region were granted autonomy, attracting new migrants and merchants from across the world.[14][8][15] As a result of the mixture of different cultures, business quickly began to boom in the old colonies. The world's first joint business venture between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom citizens, the Earthen Fire Refinery, was set up to mine the large crystal depository under the area where Tienhai's city was originally located. The refinery attracted many workers, resulting in the development of a village.[12][13]
Republic City evolved from Cranefish Town.
In the subsequent time, the settlement grew as more factories were set up, and more people of different ethnic and social backgrounds arrived seeking work, allowing industry, trade, and innovation to quickly expand in the city.[14] What had begun as a minor village rapidly expanded into a large town, nicknamed "Cranefish Town". Upon learning of this name and deeming it horrible, Sokka took it upon himself to come up with something better. Cranefish Town experienced much strife due to its expansion, including unemployment, crime, and violence between benders and nonbenders,[7] a conflict that quickly evolved into a bender supremacist movement that was ended by Avatar Aang and his allies.[16]
Early period of Republic City
Despite being affected by social tensions, ideological conflicts, and many other problems, Cranefish Town continued to grow and began to truly prosper. Meanwhile, Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, and Earth King Kuei agreed to transform the former Fire Nation colonies and associated territories, including Cranefish Town, into a fifth nation separate from the original four. This new nation would be a society open to anyone from the four nations to reside in and be governed by a council with representatives from each of the four nations, becoming a safe haven for those who wished to live together in a multicultural society.[14] They named this unique sovereignty the United Republic of Nations and made Cranefish Town, renamed to "Republic City", the capital.
Republic City takes on a more dangerous feel at night.
With the resources of all four nations, Republic City developed into a metropolis within a few decades. Despite its prosperity, the city continued to face internal strife. Bending criminals greatly grew in power, eventually forcing Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko to intervene personally.[17] Around 128 AG, the crime boss Yakone used the outlawed ability of bloodbending to terrorize the city, but was eventually tried by the United Republic Council and dealt with by Avatar Aang after his attempted escape from punishment.[18]
In the mid 150s AG, Yinuo and Wakkanai invented a new way to desalinate the water around Republic City. Wakkanai looked to the investment of Iknik Blackstone Varrick, who tampered with Yinuo's experiments to have him banned from further research by city regulators. Varrick helped Wakkanai strike a profitable agreement with the city, where she would manage the city's water treatment facilities in exchange for generational rights to their profits.[19]
170 AG
By 170 AG, Republic City began to experience demographic and political problems as a direct consequence of its nature as a large city. Organized crime became rampant and the Anti-bending Revolution commenced as a result of growing inequality between benders and nonbenders.[9] During the revolution, Amon and the Equalists threatened the city and its benders, eventually using a fleet of airships to bomb the city in an attempt to gain control. Following the abduction of all Council members and the destruction of the United Forces' First Division during the resulting battle, the Equalist forces assumed control of Republic City. However, due to Team Avatar's continued effort in the war, the Equalist forces were soon crushed and Amon's true identity as a bender was revealed. These events eradicated the morale of the revolution's combatants, resulting in a ceasefire and eventually ending the Equalist rule in Republic City.
In the aftermath of the revolution, it was determined that the former parliamentary political system was flawed due to the failure of the Council in representing the interests of the majority. The government underwent a major reform, in which the United Republic Council was dissolved and an elected president was placed at the head of the Republic City government.
However, in light of the Equalists' defeat, the bending triads resumed their usual criminal activities, forcing the Republic City Police Department to deal with them once more.[4]
171 AG
As the Water Tribe Civil War ignited, news of it reached Republic City and tensions grew between the Northern and Southern residents of the city. The Southerners held a peace march outside their cultural center, supported by Avatar Korra, while the event was being deplored by Northerners supporting Chief Unalaq. The same night, the Agni Kai Triad bombed the cultural center, though many, including the Avatar, assumed the Northerners to be responsible.[20]
On the night of Harmonic Convergence, the city came under attack by the Dark Avatar, a fusion of Unalaq and Vaatu. The United Forces attempted to drive him off, but their attacks proved ineffective, and they were quickly defeated by a massive display of waterbending. Unalaq proceeded to destroy the city, toppling Aang's statue before infesting the metropolis with vegetation. Republic City was spared destruction when an astral projection of Avatar Korra intervened and managed to purify and destroy the Dark Avatar.[10]
With the spirit portals left open, Republic City became overgrown by spirit vines.
As a result of Korra leaving the spirit portals opened, Spirit Wilds began to overtake the city, thoroughly disrupting city life by forcing many people out of their homes,[21] tampering with the public water service, and blocking several streets. For two weeks, Korra attempted to remove the vines from the buildings and streets though discovered that, when agitated, they simply regenerated quicker and stronger than before. Eventually, she concluded that the spirits and vines should stay in their place. However, this was not to the liking of President Raiko, who, fed up with the destruction that followed in the wake of the Avatar, ordered her to leave the city.[22] A few weeks later, Raiko welcomed the Avatar, debilitated by injury after facing the insurrection of the Red Lotus, back to the city.[23]
171 - 173 AG
In the three years following the Harmonic Convergence and the Red Lotus insurrection, Republic City began to grow accustomed to the Spirit Wilds. It eventually became a cultural tourist attraction of sorts where both the people and spirits coexisted harmoniously. Republic City Park was renamed Avatar Korra Park in honor of Korra and with the help of Asami Sato and Future Industries, Central City Station was modernized to link the city with the Earth Kingdom.[24] With the spirit vines overgrowing many of the city's buildings and roads, the city's infrastructure underwent several changes to accommodate to this new landscape; as such, Future Industries built several elevated roads to circumvent the vines.[25]
174 AG
Feeling threatened by Kuvira's Earth Empire, President Raiko fortified the borders of the United Republic and ordered his troops to guard the rail lines into Republic City. He also agreed with Wu to start evacuating the city, entrusting the royal with coordinating the effort together with the police force.[26] Considering it was a voluntary evacuation, it was initially going slow, with only eighteen families responding to the request. However, when Raiko made the evacuation mandatory due to Kuvira's imminent attack on the city, the citizens flocked to Central City Station and other transportation hubs to leave the metropolis. Although Mako initially created a panic by confusing the people with his evacuation instructions out of the manual, Prince Wu managed to calm everyone down and coordinate the exodus in an organized manner with Pema's help.
To demonstrate the power of her spirit energy cannon, Kuvira opened fire at the United Forces battleships located in Yue Bay.
A week later, Kuvira and her army arrived at the city that was now largely deserted. When President Raiko ordered her to retreat, Kuvira demonstrated the power of her spirit energy cannon by destroying the United Forces' battleships, which prompted the president to surrender the city to her rule. However, before Raiko could officially turn over Republic City, Team Avatar intervened and kidnapped Baatar Jr., who was on his way to present Raiko with the Earth Empire's terms. Kuvira later blew up a Future Industries factory in an attempt to take out Korra,[6] before marching her army into the city. Much of the city was devastated during Team Avatar and their allies' attempt to destroy the Colossus in the final battle against Kuvira.[27]
Kuvira's spirit energy cannon tore open a new spirit portal in the heart of Republic City.
When Kuvira attempted to use her discarded cannon in a last-ditch attempt to kill Korra, the weapon began absorbing energy from the surrounding spirit vines, the influx of energy causing it to spin out of control. As the energy beam threatened to kill Kuvira, Korra deflected it with her energybending. The resulting reaction created an explosion, however, that devastated the surrounding area and created a new spirit portal. When Korra and Kuvira emerged from the portal, the latter ordered her forces to stand down and surrendered to face justice for her crimes, restoring Republic City's autonomy. In the aftermath of the battle, Raiko and Tenzin agreed to expand Republic City rather than reconstruct the downtown area.[11]
The major infrastructural damage caused by Kuvira's failed invasion, as well as having to relocate the government and recruiting additional police officers to deal with the growing unrest in the city, quickly depleted the city's funds. Keum Enterprises bought the land surrounding the spirit portal and intended to turn the area, as well as the Spirit World itself, into an amusement park, which intensified the already tumultuous balance between the humans and the spirits.[28] At the order of President Raiko, the United Forces came to occupy the spirit portal as the conflict began to escalate.[29]
Asami Sato and Zhu Li Moon worked on construction projects to house evacuees displaced by the invasion. Raiko visited the evacuee camp during his reelection campaign, where the Avatar disagreed with the policing of the spirit portal. The president's unpopularity led to Zhu Li entering the race as a presidential candidate.[29]
Tenzin and the Air Nation arrived at the portal to protest the United Forces occupation, refusing to leave until the military withdrew. Raiko arrived at the portal, and a futile attempt to have the airbenders leave led to the president ordering the army to hose them with water. Zhu Li and Varrick soon arrived on the scene, with the former hoping to open a dialogue with the president about the portal, and professing that it was a symbol of peace.
At that moment, Tokuga arrived on his airship, declaring that the portal was a symbol of destruction, and that he would restore Republic City to its former glory. He ordered the United Forces to withdraw, threatening to release poison gas if they did not comply, and had Asami and Wonyong as hostages to prevent any attack on his airship. The president ordered General Iroh to stand down but secretly send planes to take down the airship in spite of the risk to the hostages. After being warned by the general, Korra flew to the airship with Oogi to rescue Asami, while the industrialist sabotaged the pump to flood the ship with poison gas. Asami piloted the ship through the portal and into the Spirit World, while Zhu Li coordinated the evacuation of civilians on the other side.
Three weeks later, the results of the presidential election were announced, and Zhu Li was revealed to have won the election with sixty eight percent of the vote. The president-elect gave a speech at the Republic City Four Elements, where she called upon them to support one another and not let their differences divide them, and promised that she would continue working to help rehome the evacuees. She also revealed that Wonyong had donated the land around the spirit portal to the city, and she would grant it to the Air Nation.[30]
Two months after Zhu Li's election, Kuvira's trial began in Republic City, at the same time that Earth King Wu announced the first democratic elections in the Earth Kingdom in the State of Gaoling.[31] Kuvira initially pled not guilty, but following her temporary release to confront Guan and the remnants of the Earth Empire's military, she came to admit her responsibility and entered a guilty plea. In light of her genuine remorse, President Moon and Suyin Beifong agreed that she would be sentenced to house arrest in Zaofu.[32]
c. 176 AG
The Terra Triad began to become more prominent in Republic City once more thanks to the backing of San Ho, a wealthy and elusive Earth Kingdom businessman with ties to the criminal underworld. They began to extend their reach into the Dragon Flats borough.[33][34] San Ho was actually Yinuo, who bore a grudge against Varrick and Wakkanai, and wanted to take revenge. He managed to kidnap Varrick, now the First Gentleman of the United Republic, and planned to kill him in an explosion that would force the Utilities Commission to remove Wakkanai's rights to the water treatment plants. Since the police no longer took Varrick's disappearances seriously, President Moon enlisted a group of her contacts, Enuk, Changunak, Zhu Song, Slate, and Pianchir Jing, trusting them to find her husband.[35][36]
Cityscape
Republic City's skyline prior to the Unalaq Crisis.
In contrast to the other major cities of the world, Republic City is a true metropolitan urban center. The city has developed the architectural and technological sophistication to construct taller buildings, resulting in significant high-rise development. Stylistically, the city generally incorporates traditional ornamentation with far more advanced structural techniques, such as the design of City Hall and the Pro-bending Arena. Despite this, there are still landmarks built entirely in a traditional style, such as Air Temple Island. Beneath the city there is an extensive tunnel network. The metropolitan area is divided into many boroughs.
Downtown
Downtown during the day
The bustling center of the city, downtown is reminiscent of all the different elemental bending traditions in both its architecture and its population. In downtown Republic City, tall, well-crafted buildings line the cobblestone streets, and a railroad track sits elevated above the roadway, offering transportation to those wishing to explore the city. This sector is representative of a cultural melting pot of shops and stands featuring goods from all three nations. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of Republic City, protected by a massive police presence operating from their headquarters and airships. Despite this security, downtown suffers from organized crime as much as the remainder of Republic City. The Triple Threat Triad, the largest bending triad of the whole city, claims the downtown area as their turf and runs protection rackets throughout it.[37] However, the downtown area sustained severe damage during Kuvira's failed invasion in 174 AG, and Raiko and Tenzin agreed to expand Republic City rather than reconstruct the downtown area.[11] As such, the government was forced to relocate elsewhere in the city, and the homeless residents had to take refuge in a tent camp on the outskirts of the city. The different triads also lost their turf with the destruction of downtown, causing them to scatter. Tokuga, the new leader of the Triple Threads, took advantage of the chaos and attempted to reunite all the triads under his rule, which intensified the conflict between the triad members that refused to fall in line.[28]
Avatar Korra Park
- Main article: Avatar Korra Park
The city park.
Located in the city's central peninsula, Avatar Korra Park, formerly known as Republic City Park, is landscaped with small hills, deciduous trees shading impeccably kept grass, and fine stone arch bridges. Due to the poverty of a large number of Republic City citizens, the city park has also become a place popular with vagabonds such as Gommu, whom Korra met soon after her initial arrival in the city. Fishing in the ponds here is strictly prohibited by the park officials, who patrol it to ensure that all civilians bide by this rule.
City Hall
- Main article: City Hall
The City Hall.
City Hall is a center for governance in Republic City, and secondarily a venue for public press conferences and gatherings, which are held at the large square before its front entrance. It is here that Avatar Korra made her first official appearance to the city's inhabitants.[9] While the building has an entrance typical of traditional architecture from the Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation, certain distinctive features, including the large dome and four spires at the corners, are derived from a new style developed after the Hundred Year War. After the destruction of downtown, the government had to be relocated elsewhere in the city.
Kwong's Cuisine
- Main article: Kwong's Cuisine
Kwong's Cuisine is a lavish restaurant known for its strict dress code. It is located at the intersection of two streets where cable cars pass.
Police headquarters
- Main article: Police headquarters
The police headquarters.
The police headquarters, often referred to simply as "Headquarters", is the base of operations for the metalbending police, and also where apprehended criminals are booked and jailed. The architecture of the police headquarters is comparable to that of standard Earth Kingdom buildings, with both the exterior and the interior being largely geometrical in design. Headquarters is overseen by Chief Lin Beifong. On the Headquarters' facade stands a statue of Toph Beifong.[38] After the destruction of downtown, the police relocated to a less ornate building elsewhere in the city.[28]
Port
Republic City port during the day.
Republic City's port hosts a significant amount of international commercial traffic, and serves as the terminal for a cargo steamship line to the Southern Water Tribe. Automobiles are brought to the port and loaded onto the ships, on which they are taken regions across the world. The area has road access as well as a railroad line. Several wooden piers extend into Yue Bay, some of which have structures constructed above them. One of these buildings exhibits Earth Kingdom architectural features, having brown sides, a green roof, and a dome. In addition to foreign steamers, the port also serves as a terminal for the Air Temple Island ferry. A suspension bridge is built above the area.
Yue Bay
Aang Memorial Island
- Main article: Aang Memorial Island
Aang's statue watches over the city.
Aang Memorial Island is a small islet off the coast of Yue Bay, located near Air Temple Island. It features a massive statue of a teenage Avatar Aang created by the Fire Nation some years after the end of the Hundred Year War for display in the bay of Republic City, where it would stand as a symbol of peace and goodwill.[39] Aang is depicted in Air Nomad attire, with the accompanying necklace he wore when Fire Lord Zuko announced the war's end at his coronation.
Air Temple Island
- Main article: Air Temple Island
Air Temple Island is home to Tenzin, his family, and the Air Acolytes.
Located in Yue Bay, Air Temple Island is the home of Tenzin and his family, some of the most important figures in Republic City. The temple was originally built by Avatar Aang himself.[39] Comprised of several unique facilities, including a tall tower with boasting traditional architecture, several smaller dormitories with blue roofs, and an open training area, Air Temple Island is also the residence of the Air Acolytes, who serve to carry on the customs of the now-extinct Air Nomad civilization.
Pro-bending Arena
- Main article: Pro-bending Arena
The Pro-bending Arena at night.
Pro-bending is the most popular sport in Republic City, and official pro-bending matches are held in the city's Pro-bending Arena. As a testament to the sport's popularity, this building has a golden appearance and is lit at night, making it a prominent city landmark. The arena is spacious enough to hold the pro-bending ring on which the contestants compete, a large pool of water far below the ring, and seating for the great number of spectators that attend each game.[40] The arena is one of Republic City's most renowned cultural marvels, and people from all over the world come to visit and watch the world's greatest benders compete.[41]
After the Pro-bending Tournament was completed, the Equalists attacked this arena, leaving the roof and the pro-bending ring heavily damaged.[42] Following the attack, in which the championship team was stripped of their bending by Amon, the arena was closed indefinitely.[43] However, within the six months following the end of the Equalists' revolution, the arena was re-opened, allowing pro-bending matches to resume.[4]
Dragon Flats borough
- Main article: Dragon Flats borough
The Dragon Flats borough is a neighborhood home to many non-benders.
The Dragon Flats borough is one of Republic City's many residential sectors. It is known for being Hiroshi Sato's birthplace and an active triad territory. Before a successful raid by Councilman Tarrlok's task force, it hosted an underground training facility for Equalist chi-blockers.[18] Due to continued Equalist activity in the area, its residents were for a brief amount of time put under a curfew, which was unsuccessfully resisted by nonbenders.[1]
Chi-blocker training camp
- Main article: Chi-blocker training camp
The chi-blocker training camp was a secret Equalist facility used for instructing nonbenders on chi-blocking. It was hidden in a secret cellar underneath a bookstore, and was successfully invaded by Tarrlok, Korra, and the remainder of the task force. Several people who had been participating in Equalist activities at the time were captured by the task force and arrested.[18]
Industrial areas
This is one of many industrial areas in Republic City.
Rally building
- Main article: Rally building
The rally building is a large convention hall formerly operated by the Equalists. It is located near an industrial sector of Republic City's waterfront, at the intersection of two minor roadways and is the place where Amon's revelation rally was held.
Republic City power plant
- Main article: Republic City power plant
The Republic City power plant is the main source of electricity for the city. It is operated by firebenders through the use of lightning generation. According to Mako, the pay for the job is decent.[2]
Republic City underground
Republic City tunnel network
- Main article: Republic City tunnel network
A typical underground Equalist facility within the Republic City tunnel network.
The Republic City tunnel network is a system of subterranean passages located underneath Republic City. It is a heavily complex network of tunnels, but upon first glance, the system seems to be largely unused. However, due to growing unrest among the citizens of Republic City, it had at one point become the primary site of operations for Equalist activity. During this time, the tunnel network hosted Equalist prisons, training camps, and garages.[44]
Spirit Wilds
- Main article: Spirit Wilds
A spirit portal was formed in the heart of Republic City's Spirit Wilds.
Following Avatar Korra's decision to keep the spirit portals open in the aftermath of the Unalaq Crisis during Harmonic Convergence in 171 AG, the Spirit Wilds partially reemerged over the city. The proliferation of spirit vines brought destruction to large parts of the city, prompting many citizens to evacuate from boroughs which became virtually uninhabitable.[22] This vegetation became home to spirits that migrated to the physical world. At first, the citizens struggled to cope with these changes, but they eventually learned to coexist; roads were built around the vines and the spirits eventually became a tourist attraction.[24] After Kuvira's attack on Republic City, the explosion of her spirit energy cannon resulted in a slight expansion of the spirit wilds in the downtown area and the creation of a new spirit portal.[11]
Other locations
Bi Mi Tang Dumpling
- Main article: Bi Mi Tang Dumpling
Bi Mi Tang Dumpling serves as the Terra Triad's headquarters. The restaurant serves hopelessly mediocre dumplings, but the customers are not always there for the cuisine. Rather, it is a location for "business" in the criminal underworld of Republic City.[45]
Central City Station
- Main article: Central City Station
A statue of Fire Lord Zuko is situated at the entrance to Central City Station.
Central City Station is the city's main hub of transportation, though in recent years, it has hosted less ridership due to the advent of the Satomobile. Nonetheless, it remains a busy commercial center, which is symbolized by the monumental statue of Fire Lord Zuko at its front entrance.[18] By 174 AG, with the backing of Future Industries, the station had been renovated to include a new rail-line system allowing for travel to the neighboring Earth Kingdom.[24]
Fan's Dumplings
Fan's Dumplings is an upscale dumpling restaurant. Asami Sato enjoyed dining at this restaurant, twice offering to take Korra on a date here.[29][46]
Harmony Tower
- Main article: Harmony Tower
The Harmony Tower is a tall lattice structure located north of the downtown area that allows citizens to see a clear, panoramic view of Republic City.[47]
Kyoshi Bridge
- Main article: Kyoshi Bridge
The Kyoshi Bridge is one of Republic City's many suspension bridges. It serves as a freeway for vehicles entering and exiting the city. It was also used as a hiding place by Daw, who was spotted on the bridge and later rescued by Avatar Korra.[22]
Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall
- Main article: Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall
The Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall resembles Ba Sing Se.
The Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall is a building complex in Republic City built in the style of its Earth Kingdom namesake. It features different commodities sold in each of its district rings.[48]
Narook's Seaweed Noodlery
- Main article: Narook's Seaweed Noodlery
Narook's Seaweed Noodlery is a restaurant in the Little Water Tribe neighborhood of Republic City.[49][50] It serves traditional Southern Water Tribe cuisine, and its noodles are advertised as the best in the United Republic.
Republic City prison
- Main article: Republic City prison
The Republic City prison is a large, fortified building located in Republic City. After the Unalaq Crisis, it became covered with spirit vines, though with the necessary repairs made to the building, it continued to house various criminals.[10]
Republic City University
An institution of higher learning, Republic City University accepts students from the United Republic and beyond, from political agitators to foreign royal heirs.[51][52]
Silk Road Bridge
- Main article: Silk Road Bridge
The Silk Road Bridge is one of Republic City's many suspension bridges. It is here that Korra, Tenzin, and Lin Beifong received information regarding Hiroshi Sato's secret factory.[43]
Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center
- Main article: Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center
The Cultural Center acts as a point of focus for the Southern Water Tribe in Republic City.
The Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center is a building in Republic City that hosts cultural activities and acts as point of focus for the Southern Water Tribe. A statue of Sokka holding aloft a boomerang is situated at the entrance to the center. A peaceful protest was held in front of the center to convince President Raiko to aid the Southern Water Tribe against the Northern invaders.
Triple Threat Triad headquarters
- Main article: Triple Threat Triad headquarters
The Triple Threat Triad headquarters is the base of operations for the Triple Threat Triad, Republic City's most notorious organized crime faction. It is disguised as a restaurant and located on a minor roadway near Central City Station.[2]
Warehouse 26
Warehouse 26 is an old building that is somehow still standing. Broken beams and windows keep most people away. It is a solid stone structure that has all the telltale signs of earthbending and is difficult to enter without a capable earthbender. The entire structure has been fortified and converted into offices and headquarters for both the San Ho Consortium and certain faces of the Terra Triad, like Steely Ning. When the First Gentleman, Varrick, was kidnapped, he was held in a windowless stone room here until the Terra Triad moved him to the water treatment facility.[53]
Water treatment plant
Located near the center of the old city, the water treatment plant has been a fixture of the area for as long as anyone can remember. It is the source of fresh water for the extensive plumbing throughout the city. The plant provides clean water for every resident of Republic City. Beneath the plant are the catacombs, where all the pipes connect into a central location. There is also a mural rife with Southern Water Tribe symbology, depicting the Water Tribe bringing fresh water from deep underground (the aquifer) to help create a thriving Republic City. Images of Water Tribe women in a joyous celebration surround the reservoir.[45]
Companies
Cabbage Corp
- Main article: Cabbage Corp
Cabbage Corp is a leading automobile manufacturer. One of its most popular models is the Cabbage Car, a cheaper and more compact alternative to vehicles produced by Future Industries, the company's main rival. Cabbage Corp's current owner is Lau Gan-Lan. The company is also the airship supplier for the Earth Kingdom Air Force.[54]
Future Industries
- Main article: Future Industries
Future Industries is a manufacturing company founded by Hiroshi Sato and led by his daughter, Asami. Using state-of-the-art technology and the assembly line, the factory is able to produce over a hundred luxury Satomobiles on a daily basis. Although the automotive industry is where the company primarily does its business, it has the resources to also manufacture weapons and airplanes. Despite high demand, Future Industries' only known competitor is Cabbage Corp.
Public safety
Firefighting
Republic City firefighters wear distinctive protective clothing.
The Republic City firefighters form an official organization recruited from waterbenders that provides fire protection, technical rescue, and the primary response to fire hazards in Republic City. The firefighters typically wear distinctive carmine red and dark gray protective clothing as well as helmets. Operating in teams of four, the waterbenders have access to fire trucks to reach their destination, where they use their bending abilities to extinguish the fire. In doing so, the fire engines, hydrants, and water ponds around the city serve as sources for firefighting water. The Republic City firefighters also have their own logo, depicting a red flame that is to be extinguished by a blue wave.[20][55]
Demographics
An anti-bending protest in Republic City Park led by a protester shows the inevitability of civil unrest.
The population of Republic City is large by world standards, and the mass influx of immigrants from the four nations has caused considerable demographic challenges. The foremost of these challenges is inequality: the gap in wealth is considerable. Newcomers to the city appear unaware of these phenomena until their arrival, when they are presented with a considerable surprise. The Avatar herself believed its citizens to all be "living it up" and was shocked to discover vagabonds in the city park. With these difficult conditions, the populace seems ready to be stirred into a revolt against the perceived bending elite. A protester expended relatively little effort in arousing anger in a crowd against an annoyed Korra.
As the center of commerce throughout the nations, organized crime appears to be very common in Republic City. Gangs such as the Triple Threat Triad lay claim to certain boroughs of the city, which they call "territories". In these areas, the control of triads appears to be considerable, with shopkeepers forced to pay them in order to secure their safety. This power over local business is significant considering the regular and frequent airship patrols by the city's police forces.[9]
Transportation
A trolley station in Republic City.
The use of modern transportation methods such as automobiles, motorcycles, and airships is widespread in Republic City. The city also has invested considerably in advanced transportation infrastructure, with feats of engineering such as an elevated mass transit system and several suspension bridges connecting the city center with its outlying boroughs.[9]
Notable figures
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Trivia
- The concept of Republic City is inspired by several real world past and present locations from the late 1800s to the 1930s. This includes Shanghai circa 1920s, Hong Kong, and Western cities such as New York, Chicago and Vancouver. In particular, the statue of Aang in Yue Bay, Avatar Korra Park, and the Silk Road Bridge are inspired by the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and the Brooklyn Bridge, respectively, in New York City.[56]
- The concept for the city's underclass of orphaned, hardened street kids like Skoochy was inspired by photos of children living in American cities during the 1920s that Bryan Konietzko found on the online archive Shorpy.com.[57]
- The rapid urbanization and technological advances of the World of Avatar mirrors that of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century in the real world, in which automobiles, towering buildings, trolleys, and other great engineering feats came to be.
- The park in Republic City resembles Hyde Park in London, with its "Speaker's Corner", where anyone can stand up and speak to the public. In Avatar Korra Park, a man is speaking to the public with a megaphone about the Equalists' views against benders.
- Similarities can also be traced with other European landmarks; the Harmony Tower is reminiscent of Paris' Eiffel Tower, and City Hall closely resembles Berlin's Reichstag.
- The city is divided into boroughs. The only one known is the Dragon Flats borough, home of Hiroshi Sato's family.[18][38]
- The city also contains at least one ethnic enclave, referred to as the Little Water Tribe, which is further subdivided around the communities of citizens descended from Southern or Northern Water Tribe immigrants.[50]
- Of the six members of the original Team Avatar, four of them are known to have statues located in Republic City.
- Republic City is located near Makapu Village and Taku.
- Republic City has a zoo that houses at least two badgermoles.[27]
- The elevated railway transportation can be compared to the elevated railway system, or EL, built in Chicago during the early 1900s, and the street trolley system can be compared to San Francisco's street trolleys also built during the early 1900s.
- Tarrlok's seizing of control of major law operations and using the police to oppress nonbenders makes Republic City appear to operate like a police state, just as Ba Sing Se was before the end of the Hundred Year War.
- It appears that during the time of Yakone's trial, Republic City's citizens were still using animals for transportation, as evidenced by the lack of motor vehicles and Yakone utilizing an ostrich horse carriage as a method of escape.
- In "And the Winner Is...", a Cabbage Corp advertisement on the radio describes the company as "Republic City's trusted name in technology for over fifty years". This would mean that Republic City was, to some extent, up and running by 120 AG, a mere twenty years after the end of the Hundred Year War.
- In the German dub of The Legend of Korra, Republic City is called "Republica"; in the Greek dub, it is called "Democratic City"; and in the Dutch dub it is called "Republicasia".
- Republic City has at least five newspapers: the Yuan News (聯合日報),[58] the Republic News (共和國新聞),[58] the United Daily News (聯合日報),[59] The Elemental Times, and The Republic Reporter.[60]
