Top 10 Avatar And Legend of Korra Antagonists

Turning family members of key characters into standout villains is a thought-provoking storytelling device, and “Avatar” has made good use of it. For Korra, this comes in the form of her uncle Unalaq, a man who’s gifted when it comes to dispelling dark arts. He’s also one hell of a double crosser. Not only did he turn on his own brother and set off events that led to the civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, he also freed the spirit of darkness Vaatu, fusing with him to become a horrific amalgamation known as the Dark Avatar. Needless to say, he won’t be missed at future family gatherings.

A man of no words and serious conviction, this assassin was hired by Zuko to end the Avatar once and for all; a job he took very seriously. Tracking Aang and the gang for miles, his method of killing was explosive even by firebending standards. Able to let loose a concentrated blast from his forehead tattoo that could decimate nearly anything, he certainly proved to be a dangerous albeit short-lived foe. Heck, he was so dead-set on completing his contract that he nearly killed the guy who was going to pay him. Alas, his combustion bending is no match for a well-timed boomerang.

Ba Sing Se may look like a small paradise on first glance, but upon closer inspection it’s clear there’s a divide in living standards between the inhabitants of each area. Even the Earth King himself is a naïve puppet, who was fed lies by the corrupt and deadly Long Feng, leader of the city’s secret police, the Dai Li. In order to maintain control, this efficient cutthroat brainwashed and imprisoned those who got too close to the truth at a secret facility under Lake Laogai. And his plan seemed fool proof - at least until he made one fatal error. That never works out.

From the get-go it was clear that there was more to Zuko than his desperate need to reclaim his honor, and that there was an ember of a good inside. At least, that’s what becomes obvious when you put him in the same room as this guy! In a sense the very first villain of the “Avatar” franchise, Zhao did whatever it took to capture Aang for his own personal gain and the pride of one-upping the Fire Lord’s disgraced son. However, it’s that same pride that ended up costing him. After slaying the Moon Spirit, he ended up facing the wrath of the Avatar Spirit merged with the Ocean Spirit, and he chose to drown rather than accept Zuko’s help.

Long before the Avatars ever existed, there was a battle between the supernatural embodiments of light and darkness. Through deceit, Vaatu managed to end the stalemate and unleash his evil on the world. Only due to the intervention of a human called Wan and the light spirit Raava were they able to seal him away, and in doing so, they became the first Avatar. Vaatu would eventually be freed from his prison by Unalaq, leading to a climactic battle with his old enemy, now in the form of Korra. If ultimate evil did have a voice, he’d probably sound like this well-spoken monstrosity.

Behold the one villain that left Korra utterly broken. Along with his three lethal criminal companions, Zaheer’s desire is true freedom for the world, where the likes of governments and Avatars will no longer hold sway over the people. With his newfound power of airbending and his philosophical nature, the leader of the Red Lotus committed some pretty horrific deeds in the name of his cause: he suffocated the Earth Queen and beat Tenzin to near death, not to mention he poisoned and effectively crippled Korra. He may have lost the final battle, but his actions were most definitely felt throughout the rest of the series.

In our introduction to the brand new Avatar, we were given an equally compelling villain. Leader of the Equalists, a movement that sought to battle against benders, Amon appeared to be a formidable warrior with the power to take away a person’s ability to bend the elements. Underneath that mask, however, it’s a whole different story. Amon’s father wasn’t only one of Aang’s enemies, but also possibly the most powerful bloodbender to ever live - a power Amon inherited. He may have managed to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes and inspire their prejudices, but in the end his hypocrisy and arrogance proved to be his downfall. Like father, like son.

In the wake of Zaheer dismantling the Earth Kingdom came one of Avatar’s most complex dictators. Highly revered as the Great Uniter, Kuvira brought hope and prosperity back to her people to the point where she amassed enough devotion and power that she could demand that the entire world submit to the new Earth Empire - or suffer the consequences. With her mastery of metalbending and an army at her back, not to mention the near unstoppable force of the Colossus at her disposal, the battle between this sympathetic tyrant and the Avatar was a truly worthy choice for Korra’s final outing.

Continuing the work started by his ancestor Sozin, Ozai is the ruthless Fire Lord who holds dominion not only over his own nation, but over the rest of the world as well via subjugation, enslavement, and terror. His presence can be felt throughout the entire series even before his big reveal, and boy what an intro he makes. So without empathy that he was willing to hideously burn his own son’s face, Ozai cares only about power. This is made even clearer during his climactic final battle with Aang where he’s prepared to burn the entire Earth Kingdom to ashes. His defeat may have left him a powerless man, but the impact he made won’t be forgotten in a hurry.


Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



General Fong



Jet





Hama

A master manipulator, completely without remorse, whose inner turmoil led her down to the road to utter insanity; Azula truly was a villain’s villain. The sister of Zuko and a powerful firebender in her own right, she managed to bring down all of Ba Sing Se, practically killed Aang with a lightning bolt, and played every one of her friends and foes like pawns. Her final battle against her brother was the perfect contrast to show just how far she had fallen from grace, lifting the veil to show the madness within her. She’s a monster with a perfect smile that will incinerate you without a second thought, and oh how we love her for it!