While its predecessor only featured a handful of truly evil villains, The Legend of Korra is filled with memorably awful antagonists. Across four seasons, Avatar Korra battles terrorists, CEOs, spirits, and monarchs, nearly all of whom commit unforgivable acts. These villains come from across the world, they utilize every bending style, and they show that malice can come from anywhere.
The Legend of Korra was darker than Avatar: The Last Airbender, and this is reflected by the awful things its villains do. Many of them, like Amon and Zaheer, are designed to represent specific political philosophies — and how easily those philosophies can be corrupted and twisted for personal gain. In the name of achieving their goals, Korra‘s villains lay waste to cities, kill and torture people, and even try to destroy the entire world.
10 Amon Conquered Republic City Only Out of a Petty Desire for Power
Amon Tortured Korra & Took Away Her Bending
Also known as Noatak, Amon had a painful childhood. He was raised in isolation, forced to undergo brutal bloodbending training, and ultimately left with no choice but to leave his family behind and survive on his own. Amon didn’t deserve this, but his backstory also doesn’t at all make his actions during Book 1 forgivable.
As the first main villain in The Legend of Korra, Amon founded the Equalist Movement, an organization that was, in theory, dedicated to removing power from benders and making society more egalitarian. In reality, Amon merely manipulated non-benders into following him — his only goals were acquiring power for himself and conquering Republic City. He briefly achieves these goals, endanging the entire world by repeatedly torturing Korra and taking away her bending.
9 Tarrlok Was a Complex, But Corrupt Politician
Tarrlok Placed Republic City Under Martial Law
The younger brother of Noatak, Tarrlock is only a marginally better man than his sibling. When he’s introduced in Book 1, the Chairman of the United Republic Council immediately comes off as untrustworthy, and this perception proves to be entirely correct. As the conflict between Korra and Amon gets underway, Tarrlok’s primary goal becomes to use the crisis as a means to amass as much power over Republic City as possible.
As the Equalist Movement gains more influence, Tarrlok stomps down on it in the mostly unnecessarily ruthless way, simply to further his own agenda. He enacts martial law and oppresses Republic City’s non-benders so he can achieve absolute power. Tarrlok does possess more noble qualities, and he sides with Korra toward the end of his story, but that isn’t nearly enough to make up for his crimes.
8 Yakone Is a Villain With Zero Redeeming Qualities
Yakone Abused & Tortured His Sons
As the father of Noatak and Tarrlock, Yakone is responsible for all the evil his sons unleashed upon the world. In his prime, he was one of Republic City’s worst criminals, and he sought to dominate the entire territory. Prior to being brought down by the original Team Avatar, Yakone undoubtedly killed and used his bloodbending against countless people.
Yakone’s worst acts took place after he escaped from Republic City. He horrifically abused both of his sons and only saw them as potential tools to enact his revenge. Yakone shaped them both into the cold-hearted bloodbenders they became, and he even attempted to force Noatak to use bloodbending against his little brother.
7 Hiroshi Sato Could Only Be Redeemed Through Death
Hiroshi Turned on His Own Daughter Out of a Desire for Revenge
Near the end of Book 1, Hiroshi Sato is revealed to be the main financial force behind the Equalist Movement. Despite having previously been presented as the kind and altruistic father of Asami Sato, his true nature is that of a petty and cruel bigot, out to eliminate all benders. For enabling Amon’s conquest of Republic City with his money and technology, Hiroshi is rightfully locked away at the end of the season.
Book 4 attempts to give Hiroshi a redemption arc, but it largely falls flat. Even his reconciliation with Asami feels hollow after he’d directly fought against her. It’s for the best that he at least dies by the end of the season, and that most of the cast are never given the chance to forgive him.
6 Unalaq Is the Evilest Man in The Legend of Korra
Unalaq Aimed to Destroy the World
Unalaq may be the uncle of Avatar Korra, but he’s nothing like his heroic niece. Not content with merely being the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, Unalaq sought to achieve greater power by merging with the evil spirit, Vaatu. After successfully accomplishing this goal and becoming the Dark Avatar, Unalaq subsequently tries to destroy the world.
On his dark path to godhood, Unalaq manipulates Korra and incites a civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. He claims to be a believer in bringing spirituality back to the world, but this ultimately turns out to just be a lie. And, while he doesn’t succeed in his main goal, Unalaq is able to brutalize Korra to the point that she’s cut off from her past lives.
5 Vaatu Is the Embodiment of All Evil in the World of Avatar
Vaatu Exists Only to Spread Death & Destruction
The Legend of Korra reveals that the source of the Avatar’s power is Raava, a powerful spirit that embodies peace. It also reveals that Vaatu, a spirit embodying pure malice and destruction, exists in constant conflict with her. There are several Avatar villains with no good inside them, but Vaatu is the only one who never had the potential to be anything except a monster.
Throughout history, Vaatu has repeatedly attempted to destroy the world. He nearly succeeded after he manipulated Wan into aiding him, and he was only stopped by Wan merging with Raava to form the original Avatar. Come Korra‘s present day, Vaatu nearly succeeded again after fusing with Unalaq.
4 Varrick Is a War-Profiteering Tech Billionaire
Varrick Worked to Engineer the Water Tribe Civil War
Varrick is one of The Legend of Korra‘s most popular characters, one who doesn’t deserve the redemption arc he receives at all. By the end of the series, fans are expected to be happy for him when he marries Zhu Li and gets a happy ending, but he only gets this treatment because of how much viewers loved him. It ignores that, in two of the three Books he appears in, Varrick intentionally causes massive global crises.
During Book 2, Varrick manipulates Asami, steals her company, and enables the Water Tribe Civil War so that he can profit off of it. He’s a selfish, greedy capitalist, and he learns nothing by Book 4. After a tame Book 3, Varrick aligns himself with Kuvira and builds the mechs and spirit vine weapons that make her such a deadly threat.
3 The Red Lotus Were Destructive & Delusional
Zaheer Tortures & Permanently Scars Korra
The Red Lotus was an anarchist group bent on destroying the world’s governments. Composed of Zaheer, P’Li, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua, they genuinely believed the removal of all power structures was best for humanity. But, while they may get points for honesty over the likes of Amon and Unalaq, their status as true believers doesn’t change that they’re all monsters.
The Red Lotus attempted to kidnap Korra when she was just a baby, hoping to end the Avatar Cycle for good. They would have endangered the entire world had they succeeded, and their assassination of the Earth Queen further showed how little they understood what the results of their short-sighted actions would be. Zaheer commits the most vile acts of the entire group, as he tortures Korra with mercury, temporarily paralyzing and permanently scarring her.
2 Queen Hou-Ting Was a Tyrant on Par With Fire Lord Ozai
Hou-Ting Used the Dai-Li to Forcibly Conscript Airbenders Into Her Army
Queen Hou-Ting is one of the Avatar franchise’s most reprehensible rulers. She’s mean, entirely self-centered, and happy to surround herself with luxury as her people rot in slums. And, when airbenders begin popping up throughout the Earth Kingdom, following Harmonic Convergence, Hou-Ting manages to become even worse.
Using her Dai-Li agents, Hou-Ting abducts and conscripts fresh airbenders into serving in her military. Not even children, such as Kai, are immune from this mistreatment and cruelty. Not a single Avatar fan felt upset by her death at the hands of Zaheer.
1 Kuvira Embraced Her Role as a Fascist Dictator
Kuvira Held Prisoners in "Reeducation" Camps
Kuvira may have only become a villain because of Suyin Beifong’s refusal to step up and lead the Earth Kingdom, but that didn’t stop her from taking clear joy in her atrocities. Taking it upon herself to bring the Earth Kingdom back together, following Zaheer’s assassination of the Earth Queen, Kuvira swiftly devolved into a fascist dictator. She started out her crusade by bullying villages into aligning with her, and she went out trying to destroy Republic City with a giant mecha.
Throughout her military campaign, and her formation of the Earth Empire, Kuvira proved herself to be a firm ethno-nationalist. Those living in her territory with Water Tribe or Fire Nation ancestry were placed in «reeducation» camps, alongside any and all political dissidents. Even Kuvira’s personal relationships mean nothing to her, as she winds up trying to kill her entire family.
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Mako
Dee Bradley Baker
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
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Janet Varney
P.J. Byrne
Avatar Korra fights to keep Republic City safe from the evil forces of both the physical and spiritual worlds.
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