The Legend of Korra/WMG/I Knew It

For theories about other subjects, see The Legend Of Korra Wild Mass Guessing Index.

This series will have gangsters

 * Word of God said Republic City would be based on Shanghai (circa 1920s), Hong Kong and Western cities like Manhattan and Chicago. Gangsters could easily take control over the city and profit off the revolution.
 * Gaangsters?
 * It seems highly unlikely since this is still a Nickelodeon show. We'd have A-Team Firing all over the place in such a case.
 * With the Comic-Con trailer, we can confirm fedoras.
 * Kind of confirmed; the leaked material shows Korra in a fight with three bending crooks in fedoras and overcoats. No sign of gang warfare or guns though.
 * The first episode establishes that one of Republic City's main struggles (aside from the social class gap between non-benders and benders) is with organized crime. Those three thugs that Korra fights off are members of a Triad.

There are other descendants of Aang, but not necessarily Airbenders.
So, Aang and Katara have kids, but only Tenzin is an Airbender. For example, lets say they have three kids, one is a waterbender and one a nonbender. They go on to have kids, and some are Airbenders, but by the time of this show, none of them have mastered it or aren’t old enough to learn it. Meanwhile, one is old enough to learn and is training with Tenzin, my money is on Meelo being him, and is learning with Korra.
 * Jossed. Word of God has stated that anyone of Air Nomad descent IS an Airbender no matter what. So any and all descendants of Aang will be Airbenders (hence why his son is the Airbending teacher for Korra). So, like the acorn representing how that forest will grow back, Aang is the seed for his race to be reborn.
 * Technically, Word of God says all Air Nomads were benders, not all people of Air Nomad descent. This is because bending is mostly spiritual, and the Air Nomads were a very spiritual people. The creators went out of their way to Joss bending as purely genetic, so if a person of Air Nomad descent was raised without this spirituality, it's unknown whether or not they would be a bender. So it may depend on how Aang and Katara agreed to raise their children.
 * Word of God says that any children born to Aang and Katara would be Airbenders, Waterbenders or nonbenders.
 * May be correct. At SDCC, the creators confirm that Katara and Aang have three children, and that their Airbending son (Tenzin) will teach Korra. Whether this means that they have an Airbending daughter or two could be possible, but it could also be likely that the two other children were either Waterbenders or non-benders.
 * Confirmed with a new character sheet that's been released - Tenzin has a older sister, Kya, that's a Waterbender, and an older brother, Bumi, that's a nonbender. They don't appear in the first two episodes, however.

One of the younger cast members will still be alive.
Toph, The Duke, Smellerbee, Meng...anyone younger then Katara. Or, given the precedents of Kyoshi (lived to be 230) and Bumi (lived to at least 112)...CoolOldGuy Sokka and Cool Old Lady Toph?
 * Katara probably is, if Aunt Wu's prediction was correct she'll live until shortly after her third great grandchild is born.
 * So what? This series is set seventy years after the original, so Katara would be 84 years old. My Grandmother had eleven great grandchildren when she was 84 (though one of them was adopted). The third of which was thirteen years old at the time. You really don't need to be in your eighties to have great grandchildren.
 * And it's been confirmed by the creators that Tenzin has two older siblings, it's not unreasonable to assume that they're old enough to have Grandkids if the first was born when Aang and Katara were in their twenties. Which also isn't an unreasonable assumption.
 * Jossed they are all dead.
 * Are we sure on that? this troper would like a source
 * It would make sense for the creators to deceive the fans on this anyway, seeing an old character would be far more effective if nobody saw it coming.
 * I'm counting on this. Given the fact that a person with much chi lives longer, it only seems logical that some are still alive. If you say Bumi is the average maximum age for a powerful bender, all would probably still be alive, but apparently Aang died fairly young (for an avatar)
 * Casting Director Andrea Romano confirmed that the ENTIRE CAST of Aang died before the start of Korra.
 * Given their track record don't be surprised.
 * As I remember the quote she wasn't actually saying that they were dead, she was saying that they might as well be because they would not figure heavily in the plot. chances are good that several (if not all) of them are alive and well and living elsewhere.
 * Confirmed!
 * Double Confirmed!

Avatar Korra is a girl.
And thus the creators will pull off the seemingly impossible of having a female main character in a popular show watched by guys.
 * Confirmed.
 * "Seemingly impossible" to have a female main character in a popular show watched by guys? You do know that a lot of franchises with female main characters are marketed towards guys? Tomb Raider and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (yes, despite being a magical girl title, it's marketed as seinen) are just two examples off the top of my head.
 * Seemingly impossible when not played mostly for fanservice.
 * Given the general outcry when a film/series/game/what-have-you is revealed to feature a serious, strong female protagonist, those of us who find it refreshing seem to be relatively few and far between. This editor was entirely surprised to hear Korra was female for exactly this reason.
 * Oh, then in that case, I can see your point. It's just that the original post lacked the clarification and I took it to be in general terms.
 * Yeah, sorry about that. Should have specified female main character as the The Kirk in the power trio or Hero in Five Man Band. Not that I know if there will be any of those, but you get the idea. It's not terribly common to have a bad ass girl at the head of the pack.
 * I don't even remember any general outcries at works of fiction with serious, strong female protagonists. in my experience, they've usually been well-received. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.
 * Korra's voice actress is a comedienne by trade, so Korra being super serious is likely Jossed.
 * Avatar always had a strong female fan base, the show will do fine with the male demographic as long we get other strong male characters as well. Also on another note, The Alien series and the Kill Bill movies have strong male fan followings. Also remember Toph is very popular with males for her tough attitude. If there is a female that's strong and kick ass, both genders will have something to enjoy.
 * While there are movies with female leads popular with men, compare them to the amount of such movies with male leads. It's also rare in children's shows. In Nostalgia Chick's video on the Smurfette Principle, she pointed out that out of thirty shows Nickelodeon made (at the time of her video) only three of them had female leads. So yeah, it's reasonable to be (pleasantly) surprised on the revelation that Korra is a girl.
 * Will the show pass The Bechdel Test? Signs point to yes.
 * At the very least the first episode did pass the test, in a rather epic way.

To add up to the discussion above, Korra's appearance will deliberately not be Fan Service (at least to most male viewers' preferences).
Just to show that it can be done.
 * At least in my opinion Jossed she is an Amazonian Beauty.
 * I wouldn't call it blatant Fanservice, but Korra is a pretty girl with a strong physicality and tough attitude that can certainly be considered attractive... oh my god, I think I'm in love with Aang. Have I Mentioned That I Am Heterosexual Today?

The soundtrack will change with the times.
In Airbender we were listening to more classical with drums and wooden flutes to set the feel of a fantasy/medieval setting. Now, with steampunk we won't have electric guitars, but definitely more metallic industrial rhythm.
 * Confirmed, there will be a Roaring 20's feel to the music.
 * Jazz is from the twenties right? And the creators are huge Cowboy Bebop fans.
 * Not sure how it would work with such music, but it would be nice to have a variation of the original main theme reserved for certain moments so as to avoid interrupting the updated feel.

Eva Marie Saint will play the voice of either an older Toph or Katara.
Because why else would they hire one of the greatest senior citizen actors in history for one of the best shows in history if not for a touching callback.
 * Confirmed.

Republic City was founded after the war
It was part of the Fire Nation's reparations to the other nations, a place of former Fire Nation territory that was ceded to the rest. As it wasn't part of any other nation, it became a gathering point for all, growing into the new "center of the world".
 * The fact that it was never mentioned or alluded to in Airbender kind of confirms that. There's no reason it would have been completely absent from the plot if it had existed then.
 * Given the fact that the Earth King never returned in Airbender, and the broken-up state the Earth Kingdom was in, it's likely that the Earth Kingdom was reformed as the Earth Republic, and Bah Sing Se rechristened Republic City. The image of Korra itself shows heavy signs of being in the Earth Kingdom.
 * Since when did the Earth King "never return?" He didn't return within the life-span of the show, but we never saw if he came back to reclaim his city.
 * There's a comic extra that came out a bit before the third season, which confirmed a lot of things. Such as Zuko and Mai's relationship beginning and the Earth King going off to... join the circus with his bear...
 * I've never seen that. Got a link? Also, does it say that, after he learns Ba Sing Se has been freed, he decides to stay gone?
 * Doesn't look like Ba Sing Se to me. Here's the shot in high res. On the lower right is a lake, harbor, or large river with docks and a long bridge. Ba Sing Se was landlocked. On the other hand, it could have expanded toward Lake Laogai ...
 * The comic does exist, but it doesn't say Kuei never returned: it said he wanted to travel his kingdom for a while.
 * Kuei does return; in The Promise Part 1, within a year of the war, he's discussing what to do about the Fire Nation colonies with Zuko and Aang.
 * Partially confirmed by word of god: Republic City (now renamed to United Republic) was founded after the war by Aang and Zuko. It doesn't say where it is/what territory it's from, though.
 * Confirmed by the opening sequence. After the war, the Fire Nation Colonies in the Earth Kingdom were transformed into the multicultural United Republic of Nations, with Republic City as it's capital city.

Everyone isn't dead...
They're just trying to trick us. Considering the insane life expectancies of powerful benders in the series, I find it highly unlikely they died of old age. And it's also even more unlikely such extremely powerful benders died of unnatural causes. There's just no way everyone has died.
 * It's also important to note that Aunt Wu predicted Katara would quietly pass away in her sleep. Since Water Benders can heal and therefore would probably have even longer lifespans than other bending races.
 * Who's to say they died of old age. There is still infection and blunt trauma they have to deal with.
 * One possible explanation why none of Team Aang is around is that they all died together, possibly helping Aang with his final mission. My guess is that the story will state/imply that all of them are dead, but later on there will be a twist revealing that one or two of them are still alive (maybe hiding from whoever killed the rest of the team). Kinda similar to how Leonard Nimoy was used in the Star Trek reboot movie.
 * The creators have stated Aang died from spending so much time in the Avatar State.
 * To clarify, they said that the 100 years in an iceberg, which was spent entirely in the Avatar State, reduced Aang's life expectancy significantly.

Some of the original voice cast may have small cameos parts.

 * Confirmed. Dante Basco and Dee Bradley Baker both have roles.

Aang and Katara's other children names
Gyatso and Kya.
 * Hmmmm. On one hand, it doesn’t fit with Tenzin, who isn't named after anyone they know (as far as we know at least). But on the other hand, if those are the names, I’d be willing to consider it a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming... Heartwarming it is!
 * Half jossed, half-confirmed. Their names are Bumi and Kya.
 * And Tenzin's name can be taken as a tribute to Monk Gyatso, as Gyatso was named after the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

In one of Korra's first few fight scenes she will use a waterbending move that involves motioning your hand backwards to freeze some one from behind
Katara's Backhanded Freezing move! It'd be great homage.
 * Hah! I can see it now. Korra finishes off most of the bad guys, sees one coming up behind her at the corner of her eye, BACKHAND FREEZING MOVE as if he were a minor inconvenience, walk off scene.
 * This could probably be pulled off with an earthbending move as well, as an Offhand Backhand Batman/Toph shoutout.
 * Heck, Katara was her Bending teacher, it was probably one of the first things she taught Korra.
 * ]

Korra has more power, but less control.

 * In the trailer, Korra's water bending seems less stream-lined and more wavy than usual water bending. She may not have as much finesse as the ones we've seen before.

The anti-bending revolt will utilize Ty Lee's techniques.
Since she's been shown to be able to temporarily prevent her targets from bending via pressure points. Plus, with her joining the Kyoshi Warriors at the end of ATLA to pass on her techniques, it makes sense that they would become more commonplace.
 * Pretty likely, since knowledge of pressure points would be widespread in a world where anyone important is likely to be a badass martial artist.
 * CONFIRMED

Steve Blum will be voicing an Equalist.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's his voice in the TV spot, which focuses heavily on the Equalists. See here. If he's not playing Amon, then he'll be playing a pretty important member of the organization. Given that the creators are Cowboy Bebop fans, this may or may not lead to an Actor Allusion or two.
 * Confirmed. Blum's the voice of Amon.

The Gaang is not actually all dead.
They just said that to throw us off the scent. (This is mostly just me in denial, but hey. It could be true.)
 * The most likely reason for taking that step is because they don't want the Gaang to take the spotlight from Korra or any other new characters. After all, this is their story, not the Gaang's. Andrea Romano specifically said "that whole generation is dead." It is true, from a certain point of view. While people from Katara's generation are still alive, they're not really at the forefront of society anymore: most the world is run by a newer generation. This lets the spotlight stay on Korra, Tenzin, and new characters, and leaves some room for some of the cast from the old show to return in smaller roles.
 * Confirmed for Katara and Zuko, at least.

Korra will be pretty

 * Oh-so Confirmed!

Pro-bending and the Equalist threat have resulted in new bending forms.
During the Hundred Year War, the various bending arts became much more focused on practicality over flash. After seventy years of peace, only the old masters practice the wartime styles. Meanwhile, among the general population, bending has started to loosen up. The pro-bending that the Krew will participate in will introduce two different concepts to Korra's bending: the idea of putting on a good show for an audience instead of going straight for the KO, and how mixed groups of benders have come to combat each other. To Korra, who was trained  this varied style for earth-, water-, and firebending will be a strange concept that she'll need to learn to adapt to. Traditionalist waterbending, for instance, might not put a lot of emphasis on combating earthbenders, let alone how an earthbender and firebender could work together to bring down a waterbender.

The second aspect is that, in Aang's time, Ty Lee's chi-blocking was an extremely unusual fighting style that allowed her to curb-stomp any benders she encountered. In Republic City, however, there's a whole criminal movement trained in it. So in the style of all good arms races, the benders of Republic City have been innovating, adapting their schools to counter chi-blockers. The chi-blockers counter their counters, and the benders do the same... etc. The end result is that there's this whole aspect to bending that Korra's pre-series training hasn't covered because the innovations are taking place on the street level of Republic City, and  simply aren't experienced in that sort of conflict.

To put it in tl;dr terms: Korra was trained to fight the last war, not the war she'll face against the Equalists.
 * This seems to be Confirmed in the second episode where.

Wei Bei is an Earthbender
Just hedging a guess, seeing as the first part of the name means 'towering strength' or something of the sort in Chinese. And the allusion to the Beifongs can't be a coincidence. So call the I knew it if this true.
 * Glad to know I am not the only one to make the connection to the Beifongs.
 * For the last time, Toph's daughter is *Lin*. If anything, Wei Bei's name was released as a Red Herring.
 * Lin is an Earthbender, so call this confirmed.

Katara taught Korra waterbending.
After Aang's death, Katara returned home to the Southern Water Tribe to teach Aang's reincarnation. This will lead to much Aangst on Katara's part as she is once again teaching the Avatar Waterbending. She will do an Obi-Wan and die as Korra's training is complete, telling her to go to the Republic City to find Tenzin.
 * Wouldn't Katara tell her to find an Earthbending and Firebending teacher first? Bad things tend to happen when they bending disciplines are learned out of order, it seems.
 * Of course not. Korra is born to the Water Tribes, so her learning starts from Waterbending, before moving on to Earthbending and Firebending. For her, the Airbending comes last.
 * Confirmed in the newest leaked footage. She doesn't seem to mind teaching her reincarnated husband and cares a lot for Korra.

Korra will quit trying to learn airbending for a while.
She has always excelled at the other elements, and she has a hard time with the spiritual aspect of bending (proof from the leaked clip), and airbending is all about being spiritual. After trying and trying but not being able to even conjure up a light breeze, she'll throw a tantrum and decide she doesn't need airbending. Then she will be defeated in battle by Amon, suck up her pride and finally master airbending.
 * Somewhat confirmed. Korra did say in the second episode during her argument with Tenzin that she didn't need airbending, but she quickly saw the error of her ways and apologized.

Tenzin will be a member of the White Lotus Society
Tenzin will be in his fifties, most likely. This is a little bit young for the members of the White Lotus society, but he is the Avatar's son, and he is likely a master of his craft if he is sought out by the new Avatar.
 * Master or not (probably yes), he's the only known practitioner of his craft. You take what you can get. Katara wasn't the best waterbending teacher in Season 1, but Aang still learned from her when she was the only waterbender available.
 * Confirmed, for all intents and purposes, given his relationship with the elders and his ability to station a guard of White Lotus members at his temple, who act on his orders.

The Equalists sprang from enough people finally getting sick of benders in positions of authority as much as from any bender-hating prejudice.
Benders have held positions of authority in the two largest empires on the Avatar world (the Earth Kingdom was under a police state run by the Dai Li and all of the positions of power shown in the Fire nation were held by firebenders), and the people may have held simmering resentment for benders lording it over them due to having special abilities. This is similar to the many revolutions in real life which eventually led to the end of feudalistic nobility, and in those cases the nobility held power based ultimately on only abstract concepts. The benders actually 'have'' special powers to enforce their authority, which would likely encourage even more resentment from people -- especially if said benders are despotic about it. Even benders not in positions of high authority have been known to bully the powerless (like that Earthbender Zuko protected that town from). It would be perfectly understandable for resentment fostered by the aforementioned to spill over into open revolt.
 * Given that the series likes alluding to actual history, it might relate to how prior to Chinese invasion, Tibet was a fairly unfree and questionably situated theocracy. So, if you parallel the benders to that, you have a rule that people tend to think of as legitimate and benevolent, but which in actuality, at least some people would be happy to be free of.
 * Considering most of the Steampunk technology in the Avatar world is powered by bending, and Republic City is a Steampunk metropolis, it's possible that the entire infrastructure of the city is based around a working class of benders. This of course leaves plenty of room for an oppression/rebellion storyline. Of course, it could be the other way around, and the benders control nearly everything about the city, much like the Dai Li controlled Ba Sing Se.
 * Powered by bending? No they weren't. Most of the Steampunk were based on designs by the Machinist, who was decidedly not a bender. All the Fire Nation's devices worked on mechanism alone. Fire Nation devices could even be commandeered by non-firebenders, like their war balloons or warships. It was the attacks which made use of bending, not the Steampunk itself. The only machine than needed active bending wasn't even Steampunk at all -- it was the waterbender submarines powered solely by waterbending.
 * You forget that neither the northern water tribe nor Ba sing se could even open the gates without the use of benders, not to mention Omashu's delivery system.
 * So? That still doesn't mean all the technology was powered by bending, as we clearly saw several non-benders using technology (The Mechanist's machines and his people's gliders being among the more prominent. And if society has developed enough to be full-on Steampunk and there's a sizable anti-bender faction, it clearly implies that the technology is now even more available and usable to nonbenders than it was previously.
 * My take on this theory: the anti-bender movement is a valid response to the social changes that have taken place in the world of Avatar. In Avatar: The Last Airbender we saw that the various societies were dependent on benders when it comes to their defense, infrastructure, etc. However, in 70 years various steam-based technologies (developed by The Mechanist and other scientists like him) have replaced the need for bending power, and therefore benders aren't needed anymore to make society run smoothly. This loss of social status has made benders bitter, so now they're constantly abusing their powers, demanding that "regular" people (i.e. non-benders) treat them like superior beings. In the authoritarian age of ATLA, where the rule of king was a fact of life, this might've been accepted, but in the 70 years that have passed democratic movements have emerged in the world of Avatar. That ATLK's central location is called Republic City is an obvious proof of this change. The anti-bender faction is a part of this larger democratic movement; their argument is that true equality is never possible while benders have such power over people as they do. At first Korra remains skeptical of the movement, but by the end of the series she becomes disgusted by the benders' abuse of power and realizes they indeed stand in way of democracy, so she uses energybending to remove bending from everyone in the world. Thus the world of Avatar takes a big step towards true egalitarianism.
 * I was completely agreeing with your theory until the part about taking away bending from everyone. First how would she do that? Second why would she do that? Bending is an integral part of the world's culture. Just because some Jerkasses misuse their talent doesn't justify taking away the core of almost every single human's beings. That's like taking away everyone's legs because someone made fun of a paralyzed kid. Plus energybending is a risky and time consuming experience and as Ozai proved, it is not a toy.

Any ideas on Korra's animal guide? Every Avatar is supposed to have one
I'm thinking some sort of water/land/hybrid thing. Platypus bears anyone? "So, he's your animal guide, just like Appa is to me" This kind of implies that animal guides are, if not compulsory, common for Avatars to have. It makes sense, how else are you supposed to travel the world, enforcing peace and justice throughout if you don't have a big monster to bus you around? Imagine Aang's adventures completely on foot. As for Kyoshi and other Avatars, the animal guide may just not have been shown in their montages for whatever reason.
 * Why do so many people say that every Avatar is supposed to have an animal companion? There's no evidence that either Kyoshi or Kuruk had them, that's far from every!... Sorry, it's just that every site I go to assumes that 'every Avatar has an animal guide' which is a little annoying to me since it's not.
 * Note this line from Aang regarding Roku's Dragon
 * Re-read my complaint. I wasn't annoyed that the op thought there might be an animal guide, I was annoyed that they said that every Avatar has an animal guide. The statement "Every Avatar has an animal guide" is a WMG of it's own that I've seen a LOT of people treat as 100% fact even though they don't know that it is. It's that one tiny but significant word that's pissing me off...
 * You're kind of a cranky troper, aren't you?
 * Note: We didn't see Kyoshi nor Kuruk have Animal Guides. Also note: Roku did not have his dragon until later in his life. Last, note that the only reason that Aang had Appa was because every Airbender got an Air Bison when they were 6 years old as a lifelong companion. It stands to reason that Avatars may all have animal companions of some sort just for being the Avatar, but nowhere is it said that Avatars need Animal Guides.
 * I wasn't saying the animal guide idea was 100% fact, just 100% sense. Maybe Korra won't have an animal guide, but it sure would make trekking from the south pole to the middle of the earth kingdom a lot easier.
 * She won't be doing any of that, though.
 * She teleports then?
 * Or swims?
 * Given the prevalence of technology in the world, Zeppelin travel may be quite common.
 * Which isn't something the Avatar spirit could predict, I would think.
 * It's not like she's going to be traveling like the Gaang did. The show's grounded in Republic City. She probably has some bending enhanced parkour.
 * Back to the original WMG, doesn't "anybody" want to give ideas for what new species of hybrid animal we might run into in the series? Evolution has to of taken some toll after over half a century.
 * Evolution does not happen in 70 years. Now, I think it will be a polar bear dog.
 * The avatar isn't guaranteed to have an animal guide. Rather, there is an animal associated with each nation, except for the water tribe. Fire Nation had dragons, Earth Nation had Badger Moles, Air Nomads had Sky Bison. Instead of an animal, the Water Tribe had the moon. So Korra won't have an animal guider per se, although she might have a smaller pet, something along the lines of Momo.
 * * cough* polar bear dog * cough*
 * Dee Bradley Baker has confirmed he will be voicing "Korra's animal." So we definitely know she'll have one, though Exact Words means it might not be an animal guide.
 * One of the creators of the show has expressed interest in using a polar bear dog. He wanted to put it in the first series, but was unable to. But he thinks he may be able to work it into this series...
 * She's confirmed to have a polar bear dog.

The first part of the first episode, based on the leaked material.
Spoilering this on the off chance I'm right/because it has leaked information.


 * As of the release of the first episode, most of this prediction was accurate.
 * As of the release of the first episode, most of this prediction was accurate.

General speculation about Korra's character.
Given the tiny bits we know about her and some of the more sane-sounding theories on this page, I predict Korra will be:
 * Sort of Troubled but Cute, possibly from a broken home and/or a runaway.
 * Partially correct. She's a runaway, but from stifling guardians. She's also not very troubled about her life or life in general.
 * Tough, badass, doesn't take shit from anyone
 * Mostly correct. She's tough. She's badass. She doesn't take shit from most people, but she's willing to obey Tenzin when he first attempts to send her back to the South Pole after she's made her case to him.
 * A scrappy fighter
 * Nope. She's not scrappy-looking at all. While her technical skills are quite good, she mostly relies on sheer brute force to win the day.
 * Major flaw: pride. Has difficulty being taught and being told that she's wrong.
 * So far, this looks to be wrong. Korra does have strong opinions and the will to pursue her goals, but she's as easy-going as Aang was and reacts to criticism with reasonable (if not always the best thought-out) counterpoints.
 * Adventurous, thrill-seeking, tends to get in trouble.
 * Correct. Although her adventurism is less about thrill-seeking than just reacting to having been secreted away by the White Lotus in the countryside for years.
 * Not very "girly."
 * That would be an understatement. She's about 10 times more macho and headstrong than Aang.
 * Most of this is accurate. Though as far as we can see, she's not troubled, yet, anyway.

Korra will study airbending alongside Tenzin's son.
Tenzin is probably an adult at this point; and thus as the last airbender having children is some kind of cosmic demand of him.
 * Plus this will allow the creators to ship Aang's reincarnation with Aang's grandson.
 * No, just just no, hear how wrong that sounds; a boy dating the reincarnation of his own grandpa.
 * Never saw what was so wrong with that. They're not the same person, and they're not physically related (as far as we know). All the claims of reincarnation being equatable to relation always struck me as very WallBangery. And besides that, it's only ever cited in Ship-to-Ship Combat situations, so it's more of a weapon than an opinion.
 * Avatar reincarnation doesn't exactly work like that. Each Avatar's individual spirit is unique, it's only the Avatar Spirit that is reincarnated each time. Think of it like the Avatar having two spirits - their own "soul" and the "Avatar Spirit". So although she has access to Aang's spirit via the Avatar Spirit, she is not technically Aang's reincarnation in the sense the word is usually used.
 * Well, it is redundant to ship a water tribe character with an Air Nomad character. Also, notice when Aang and Kyoshi are on trial, he uses words like "me" and "I" and is tried as if he was Kyoshi. They also share the same spirit.
 * Well, this might be possible. According to a Korean animator for the show, Tenzin has a son.
 * Where did you hear this and where can I read about it?
 * My money is on Meelo being that kid.
 * Confirmed as of SDCC 2011.
 * Don't forget, Aunt Wu predicted that Katara would pass away in her sleep quietly after having her third great grandchild.
 * I seriously do not remember this. Can you point me toward which part of the episode that is?
 * Aunt Wu was also trying to get rid of Katara because of her obsession with hearing Wu's predictions when she said that, so it's questionable in accuracy.

Meelo is Tenzin's son.
He looks like a member of the Water Tribe. And Tenzin does have a Water Tribe mother...
 * Confirmed as of SDCC 2011.

Korra will be from the Southern Water Tribe
Master Pakku will start a new generation of Waterbenders in the Southern Tribe, one of whose descendants will be Korra. Having her come from the Northern tribe would be too easy, and it would explain what happened to the Southern tribe, which leads me to my next conclusion...
 * Confirmed.

We we see interracial children other than Tenzin
Because one of the strong themes of the series, particularly in the third, was how all four could work together, exemplified in the Order of the White Lotus. So, it might not (and perhaps shouldn't) play a big part but it would be appropriate continuity and establish the post-war world for there to be couples from different nations. Frankly this troper is surprised it didn't turn up in the original series, particularly in the third season when we found out what the Fire Nation was like on the inside (and how massive the Earth Kingdom is). (Or did it, excluding the main cast?). And in recognition of shipping wars, we'll see a 'familiar' Fire Nation/Water Tribe couple, who will be minor characters.
 * Confirmed. Korra alongside of an earthbender and a firebender, who are brothers.

The remnants of the four nations and their politics will still have a role to play.
And the Fire Nation is by far the least aggressive, most open-minded of them all.
 * The nations are still around, National Republic is just it's own thing.
 * Partially Confirmed. All the nations are represented on the council

One of the Equalists goals will be learning how to Energybend.
Because 1) energybending is a concept that really needs to be fleshed out, and 2) on paper, it sounds like a perfect way to level the playing field between benders and non-benders. Inevitably, at least one member will learn how to use it, becoming a very dangerous opponent. Said member will likely have a ridiculous amount of willpower, allowing them to avoid the dangers of Energybending.
 * Confirmed, Amon already knows how to Energybend and he's thus been established as VERY dangerous because of it.
 * Not quite confirmed. The way he does 'energybending', if that's what it is, doesn't match what we saw Aang do to Ozai, so for all we know he's using some form of post-hypnotic suggestion. If it IS energybending, the reasons why it doesn't look the same as when Aang did it need to be explained. Call this one played with, maybe, but not confirmed, in this troper's view.

The Equalists will have an Energybender
Mostly because it would be awesome to have the two face each other, and for Korra to face theft of the Avatar State as a possible consequence to defeat.
 * Confirmed, Amon is apparently an Energybender since he can take bending powers away.
 * Not quite confirmed. See the immediate WMG above this one for why.

The bending arts will have evolved since The Last Airbender
No one said that only the technology changed since the last series. Toph had already discovered metalbending and likely taught it to other people and it could have spread throughout the earthbending population. In response to the sudden advantage this would give the Earth Kingdom, the other nations would expand their own bending arts to maintain balance. The Water Tribe may rediscover bloodbending and weaponise with animals instead of people (using it on people would quickly become taboo). Sure Katara would never teach it to anyone, but once word that it's possible gets out someone with questionable character is likely to figure it out and teach other questionable characters how to do it. Perhaps with 50+ years of refining the practice the waterbenders may find a way around the need for a full moon to use bloodbending. The Fire Nation already has access to lightning, which based on Iroh's description of the technique (separating positive & negative energy then letting it crash back together for lighting) sounds like manipulating magnetism to achieve the effect, which makes sense since lightning is electricity and electricity is just another form of magnetism. Figuring out how to adapt the lightning technique to generate magnetic fields would be the perfect countermeasure to metalbending. It would be like having an army of realistic Magnetos. To top it off, Korra will have already learned all three advanced bending arts (metalbending, bloodbending, magnetobending) and will use them all at one point or another to deal with the antibending revolt.
 * I want this to be true so badly... Except I think that magnetobending won't be possible, just doesn't seem likely.
 * Okay fair enough. How about Explosionbending instead of Magnetobending? Similar to what Explosionman did only without the third eye thing and any firebender could do it. Firebender makes a contained "explosion" in their hand and throws it, which then explodes either on contact or when firebender wants it to explode. Size of explosion may vary on firebender's power and what the firebender wants blown up.
 * The already prevalent forms would be more likely to have spread, like sandbending, plantbending or lavabending.
 * Confirmed. Metalbending has been taught to other people, there's even an entire police force of metalbenders. Lightningbending has become more commonplace, we see far more firebenders who can do it, and apparently there are enough lightningbenders to where the power plants can hire and pay groups of them to shoot lightning into a generator.

Pro Bending involves people/companies sponsoring the teams, and Hiroshi Sato sponsors the Fire Ferrets.
Perhaps not every team requires a sponsor, but from what we saw in the released clip, Korra and her team have what appears to be an emblem of half a gear on their uniforms. We know Asami Sato is the daughter to a wealthy industrialist, who is more than likely Hiroshi Sato, so gear emblem = industry = Hiroshi Sato possibly being their sponsor. At his pro bending fan daughter Asami's insistence, Hiroshi Sato becomes a corporate sponsor for the Fire Ferrets.
 * Confirmed in the episode "A Voice In The Night". He sponsors them.

To quote the internet "Bolin will get Friendzoned. Hard."

 * I mean, Korra was impressed with Korra 'after' seeing him kicking ass in the ring. Bolin is nice, but he's nowhere near as badass as Korra herself, and that's probably a prerequisite for Korra to be interested in him. He'll probably still chase Korra, because the whole Hot Amazon schtick is like a Grand Prize for a Casanova, but before the series ends the dreaded "I like you but not in that way" will hit the earthbender in face.
 * Confirmed in "The Spirit of Competition."

The "other" that Pema mentioned in "The Spirit of Competition" whom she thought was wrong for Tenzin is Lin Beifong.

 * It makes so much sense.
 * Confirmed

Tenzin and Lin Beifong have a history.
A romantic history, to be precise. Look at the tension in their first scene together. (It could be that they were simply friends who had a falling-out, but where's the fun in that?)
 * Pema did mention in episode 5 that Tenzin was in love with someone else before she confessed her love...
 * Confirmed! as of Episode 6, when questioned by Korra; Tenzin admits to the two of them having been a couple, although according to him one that had been slowly drifting apart. He also notes here that Lin and his father got along quite well.

Hiroshi is supporting the Equalists. Asami is innocent.
All that fancy tech the Equalists are armed with comes from Future Industries. Hiroshi's wrongdoing will dog Asami in Season 2, as the family company starts to tank due to boycotts and criminal investigations after her father's arrest.
 * Future Industries = Futurism = Fascism! This can only mean one thing: the Satos are Italian!
 * Seeing that Sato is supposed to be reminescent of Henry Ford, who was famously sympathetic to Hitler, this idea isn't entirely without merit. We never see his reaction to the Arena attack, even though he's right there (though Asami dissappears, too). Although it could also be a deliberate Red Herring for fans who are being too clever with real-world analogies.

There are cars that are not Satomobiles, and Hiroshi Sato did not invent the automobile in the Avatar world.
He's just the inventor of the only car common people can afford. Henry Ford didn't invent the automobile; he just revolutionized auto manufacturing in a way that made the automobile affordable to the masses and more than doubled the wages of auto workers.
 * Confirmed; Satomobiles are just one particular make of automobile, with their biggest rival being Cabbage Corp's Cabbage Car, which professes to be cheaper and more compact. The Satomobile was, however, its universe's Model T-equivalent, being the first car to be mass-produced and marketed to the common man.

Metalbending will run into issues as Technology Marches On
Because it is not actually bending the metal directly, but rather the effect of bending the impurities of earth within the structure of the metal. As industrial processing becomes more advanced, the quality of the finished metal will improve to a point where impurities will be virtually eliminated and it becomes impossible to metalbend it. Since earthbenders can bend coal, they probably will be able to bend steel as well because carbon is a key ingredient in steel manufacturing (though there is some doubt over what exactly is the element that Earthbenders are able to bend, whether it's raw carbon, silicon or silicates, whatever). What if new metals or alloys are introduced that do not contain traces of raw earth (gold, platinum, titanium, aluminum or any other modern alloy)? It would be impossible to metalbend it. It might mean that metalbending could turn into an endangered art. Bonus points if Amon has already figured this out and uses this to his advantage.
 * Just a little thing: steel is still the most common industrial metal, and as you say, its strength relies on its carbon content, that is to say, impurities. It doesn't matter if more pure alloys are introduced (though most of them still have some level of impurities in them), since most stuff will still be made of steel, since no other metal duplicates its functions perfectly.
 * Confirmed in episode 7:

There will be bloodbenders.
Lightningbenders and metalbenders have been shown to be fairly common in Republic City, so it seemed likely that there would be bloodbenders, as well. While some argue that only Hama and Katara knew bloodbending in ATLA, and neither are known to have taught the skill to others, the fact that a single woman developed the technique on her own makes it likely that others could have done the same over the years.
 * As of episode 8,  is confirm to be a bloodbender, capable of utilizing the ability even when it isn't a full moon.
 * This opens up the possibility of yet more bloodbenders. It seems likely that at least one member of the Red Monsoons can bloodbend, considering that they are an exclusively waterbending triad and there is no other logical explanation for them to be red -baring, of course, them choosing that name in reverence of bloodbenders. But that would still require there to have been bloodbenders that they knew of.
 * The criminal (possibly Yakone) in Korra's flashbacks appeared to be bloodbending the grown members of the Gaang. He might have been the one to teach  and/or members of the Red Monsoons. Or at the very least served as inspiration to make them attempt to learn bloodbending.
 * He likely was the founder of them and had several members in the court bloodbending with him in the court.

The Pro-Bending Arena (or at least its loft) will be destroyed
The episode "And The Winner Is..." seems set to feature an attack on the arena by Amon. Due either to the fight getting out of hand, or the Equalists' use of explosives, at least part of the arena will be destroyed. With no where else to go Mako and Bolin will be invited to live on Air Temple Island, partially for their own protection.
 * In the trailer we do see a giant ball of flame engulfing what could be the brothers' loft.
 * If the tournament is over, there isn't any reason story wise to keep Bolin and Mako connected to the arena. Living on the island would allow for new interactions between characters.

The cabbage merchant started Cabbage Corp.
Having given up on selling cabbages due to the repeated accidents that occurred, he turned to designing farm equipment. In the ensuing 70 years, he and his descendants transformed the company into an auto manufacturer and the world's leading tractor/harvester company.
 * Confirmed.

Katara and Toph will be still be alive and the dual grandmasters of the White Lotus.
And Katara will have an Eyepatch of Power because it would be awesome.
 * And Toph will have two eye-patches because she finds it hilarious.
 * Half jossed, half confirmed. Katara is alive, though it's unclear if she's a member of the White Lotus. While not directly stated, Toph is heavily implied to be dead.

Zuko LIVES!!
Okay, c'mon, Dante Basco said he was playing a character the audience "would not expect," who is related to Zuko in some way. Who's to say that character isn't Zuko himself? Sure, it'd probably take some work to get Basco's boyish voice to sound like an old man's, but stranger things have happened. And even if Basco isn't playing Zuko, he could be playing a descendant of Zuko's who works closely with the Fire Lord, giving him an opening onto the show.
 * And...well,  is alive. Why not have a December-December Romance to finally appease the Zutarians?
 * Confirmed. Zuko is currently retired from his post as Fire Lord and travels the world as an ambassador.

== Lin Beifong ended up becoming Tenzin's Unlucky Childhood Friend when Pema turned their relationship into a love triangle. She really loathes the avatar because Aang had some role in influencing Tenzin to marry Pema. == As of Episode 5, Pema does confirm that she spoke up because she didn't want Tenzin to be with another woman. Now who could that be? Just take a look Tenzin and Lin's behavior towards each other - there's an unnatural amount of tension. They are 51 and 50 respectively which is highly suggestive. Word of God has it that the two had quite some Foe Yay while children. Did it develop into a romance, which failed?

And just why is Lin acting like an absolute Jerkass to Korra, right from the very beginning? Is it just an extension of her rage against everyone in Tenzin's family? Maybe Aang influenced Tenzin to marry Pema (who's a non-bender) to maximise the chances of him fathering airbender children in hopes of reviving the Air Nomads (it makes sense seeing the way genetics work in TLOK). Cue a heartbroken Lin bearing a permanent grudge against the Avatar - all that anger is now directed towards Korra. It isn't too hard to guess that Lin's most probably unmarried. It also explains part of her very tough and stoic attitude - a love failure can make you very bitter.
 * Confirmed as of Episode 6.
 * Corollary - Lin is a type I Tsundere.
 * And did she attempt suicide? At the very least slash her face in anger? I mean two almost identical scars running parallel on one side of her face seems very unlikely to be caused by random accidents. Oh dear, oh dear.
 * And, this would completely play into the whole "Everyone is Batman" theme going on in this show. Think about it for a minute: a young hothead takes over the role of a legendary hero, who used to work closely with the police chief of a major metropolis. This police chief had a daughter, who became the police chief herself in time, does not approve of the young hothead becoming a Legacy Character, and used to have a relationship with the hothead's mentor. This mentor is a Cool Old Guy and Badass Grandpa who is Not So Above It All. With these character dynamics in mind, ATLA would be to LOK as Batman: The Animated Series is to Batman Beyond. Lin/Tenzin is now, officially, just too damn awesome NOT to have happened.
 * In Episode 6 it's revealed that Lin and Aang got along just fine, her animosity towards Korra is solely due to Korra's destructiveness and her history with Tenzin.

Tenzin and Lin Beifong are ex-lovers.
The two of them might have seen a lot of each other growing up, since their parents were good friends. They started a romance when they were younger, and stubbornly tried to make it work even though their personalities didn't really mesh. Finally, Pema confessed her love for Tenzin, Tenzin realized he loved Pema in return, and he broke up with Lin, who probably wasn't too happy about that development. It could explain why she has such a cold attitude toward him...
 * Confirmed (see above WMG entry with note on episode 6)

Aang will be Korra's Spirit Advisor
... Just like Roku was Aang's. It just makes perfect sense.
 * Pretty much confirmed by this point.
 * And she'll be trained by Aang's son, Tenzin!

Korra will love meat which disgusts Tenzin's family, who are all vegetarians.
Considering she'll be spending lots of time with Tenzin's family, some of her habits may no endear her to them. The Water Tribes probably depend on hunting with very little vegetation (sea prunes) and Korra will enjoy a good roast, though probably not to Sokka's level of obsession. Cue fun times when Korra fixes a meal for her foster family consisting of choice meats that she meticulously prepared and at the dinner table, well, you know. She'll invite Bolin and Mako over to finish the meal while they laugh about it.
 * The meat-loving part seems to be confirmed. As to what Tenzin and his family think, well...it's probably not going to be as bad (or funny) as what Aang's ghost thinks.

The relationship between Korra and Lin will progress similarly to that of Aang and Toph.
After all, in Toph's first couple of episodes, she spent quite a bit of it arguing and squabbling with Aang. After initially clashing, Lin and Korra will becoming Fire-Forged Friends (even if they don't admit it).
 * As of the Winner is...., they seem to have a decent relationship at the end of the episode.

At some point, Mako and Bolin will move in with Tenzin's family.
Somehow, they will lose their home at the arena, and will have no place to stay. Korra will volunteer the Air Temple Island without consulting anyone. Bolin will be thrilled, Mako will be uncomfortable but relieved. The kids will absolutely adore Bolin, as will Pema, because Bolin is an awesome older brother/playmate/live-in babysitter. Tenzin will be apprehensive, yet resigned. He will proceed to flip out when one of the girls (Korra, Jinora, Ikki, or even Pema) inevitably develops a crush on one of the boys.

Asami won't be a double crosser of any kind, but will be mistaken for one
If only because everyone seems to think that Mike and Bryan will play her character out straight by the fact that she looks like the classic Femme Fatale. I'd like to think the two will throw us all for a loop and take her in a different direction. Perhaps she'll seem like a double agent or someone with a very specific and hidden agenda...but in turn, she never was and really meant for the best. Hell...it might even come to bite her in the ass in the long term and kick the bucket for it, leading to all kinds of potential possibilities for Mako's character to develop forward into (hell, Korra too even). At the very least, her being a Femme Fatale just seems too much the obvious route.
 * Now that the synopsis for the next episode has been revealed, I see this as really likely.
 * Modified version of this WMG:
 * Confirmed as of
 * It'll be a Running Gag where people who don't even know who she is will immediately suspect her of being some "Evil Hot Chick about to jump the Avatar/her bending friends" when she's really sneaking around with them on a covert mission.
 * It'll be a Running Gag where people who don't even know who she is will immediately suspect her of being some "Evil Hot Chick about to jump the Avatar/her bending friends" when she's really sneaking around with them on a covert mission.

Asami will keep the electrofist given by her father and use it as her mainstay to keep up with the bending powers of her new comrades in arms.
Because unless she knows Chi-blocking, chopsocky antics will only go so far in fighting the forces against them.
 * It'll be her boomerang, and symbolize that, like firebending, just become something is used by the enemy as a weapon does not necessarily make that thing inherently evil.
 * Confirmed in a recent teaser clip from the episode "When Extremes Meet".

Asami's racing skills are a Chekhov's Skill
And she'll use them in at least one climactic battle to drive while Korra, Mako, and/or Bolin attacks for a mobile assault.
 * Essentially it'll be a more badass Call Back to Korra and Mako's chase against the Chi-Blockers where Naga is either injured, separated or otherwise unavailable/incapable against what's initially "just" some Equalists on bikes before dealing with a Mecha-Tank(s) where she channels Steve McQueen as the rest of the Krew bends through the city in coordination like Bolin/Korra bending the street into ramps and walls, Mako/Korra chucking fireballs at the tanks/blow through walls and Korra making ice to slip up bikers trying to join in the chase and/or clearing wet roads around them.
 * Confirmed in "When Extremes Meet". Though, it's not because Naga was injured... it was because four people was too heavy a load for Naga, and Asami proposed a car as an alternative. The logical presumption is that her driving antics will be useful in more than a few getaways.

The love triangle will not be between Mako/Korra/Bolin but...
Actually, maybe not the most prevalent love triangle will between the three of them. The big love triangle that will be going down will end up being Korra/Mako/Asami. Asami is a non-bender who would find herself falling for Mako in whatever situation that she ends up in with the show. Korra  has a thing for Mako which originally starts from an admiration for his pro-bending prowess and grows into more. This could be an interesting look into the psyche of each character, especially Korra. This could potentially heighten her disdain for the Equalists (she's supposed to be restoring peace between benders and non-benders so this counterproductive thought process could be a huge storyline) and it's a situation that she can't solve with her physical abilities of being the Avatar. Granted, there's probably more important things for her to do, but this would be fascinating.
 * Or, at the very least it's a love Diamond with two triangles consisting of Bolin/Korra/Mako and Korra/Mako/Asami....I think that would make it Bolin/Korra/Mako/Asami.
 * Diamond Confirmed! Bolin likes Korra, Korra likes Mako, so does Asami, and Mako likes both girls. To sum up, Mako two, Bolin friend zoned.

The Equalists are Well Intentioned Extremists
Considering that technology-wise the setting is supposed to be a bit closer to the earlier decades of the 20th century, benders could be seen by non-benders as oppressors. Not in a brutally dictatorial fashion but in more the manner that allowed to the exploitation of workers, suppression of unions and imposing of moral codes by the elite and influential portions of society. Benders, in this case, could serve as an analogue representing the upper crust of society who are mostly deaf to the plight of the lower classes (non-benders) who live among crime and, most likely, poverty. The fact it's labeled as an anti-bending "revolt" would certainly seem to indicate that benders, perhaps, maintain a better standing in society and thus the anti-benders (and their leader) engage in a desperate attempt to change society for the better and bring about a better sense of equality between benders and non-benders. And as the series is said to be a little darker and more mature than the previous one, a group of "villains" fighting to enact social change would offer more shades of gray and fit that tone.
 * Possibly the leader IS a bender himself, but either is hiding it because of shame/some hidden agenda, or shunned the ability after seeing something terrible done with it.
 * Heck, when you consider that the benders' special abilities would probably give them an economic advantage over nonbenders (for example, metalbending would be incredibly useful for construction work), it's not improbable that they would become economic scapegoats; it's certainly not uncommon in the real world for a disproportionately successful minority group to be disliked by the majority. Add in the fact that leadership and law enforcement in the Avatar world seem to traditionally comprise primarily of benders, and you've got yourself a social powder keg.
 * Pretty much Confirmed at this point. Korra's encounter with a homeless man, and to a lesser extent, her run-in with an Equalist recruiter, in the first episode establishes that there is a severe social gap in Republic City, between the benders and non-benders. The Extremist in Well-Intentioned Extremist is guaranteed based on both Amon's demeanor and certain actions that appear to be occurring in the trailers.

The Equalists will use steam powered mecha.
Because that is awesome
 * I FULLY SUPPORT THIS!
 * The first licensed game for Avatar: The Last Airbender, while not very good, did actually have a character who was making steampunk robots that could mimic the Elemental Powers of bending. She was even creating them with the express purpose to tearing down all benders, as well.
 * More to the point, look at what was seen in th background of Amon's little meeting place: Blueprints for something suspiciously robot-like.
 * Aaaaand, what did we get in Episode 7? Mecha-tanks, courtesy of . Can you say, "I Knew It!"?

Proving that being a Chew Toy is In the Blood, the Cabbage Man's descendant will experience the exact same luck as his/her ancestor.
Doesn't matter what he/she decides to sell -- it will get completely thrashed. Most likely in the presence of the heroes.
 * It's been confirmed that the Cabbage Man's "legacy will be present in some form," so probably confirmed.* Related Theory: The Cabbage Man's descendant will be a member of the anti-bender revolt, due to the family grudge against the Gaang. The descendant might also be an effective fighter and major villain.
 * Rule of Funny, dude. You can't turn the comic relief into a the evil villain. That would be like saying we have to take all the times cabbage man had bad luck "seriously" and he has a deep complex regarding cabbages and the gaang's presence.
 * The "major villain" aspect is admittedly the least likely part. But fair enough.
 * Alternatively, the Cabbage Man's descendant WILL be anti-bender due to a family grudge against the Gaang...but will be a minor nuisance at best and only THINKS he's a major villain.
 * Maybe he starts as an anti-bender but Korra ends up saving him/his merchandise and change his ways.
 * Confirmed, kind of. He was set up as an equalist by  He even got to shout his own version of the catchphrase.

Aang took away Yakone's bending.
When Tenzin said (back in episode 3, I think) that Aang dealt with Yakone swiftly, Tenzin didn't say that Aang killed him--that isn't Avatar Aang's way. He just depowered Yakone like he did Ozai. Additionally, Aang could have accidentally transferred the knowledge of energybending to Yakone in the process, and Yakone is somehow connected to Amon, which could explain why the latter can take people's bending away.
 * Confirmed in episode 9.