When does The Legend of Korra take place?

Flameo, hotman! Sit back, relax, and grab some fire flakes, because we’re here to talk about The Legend of Korra.

Unlike most people, I didn’t watch Avatar: The Last Airbender until it came to Netflix in May. Needless to say, I absolutely sped through it, as it is hands down one of the best animated series ever made. It has consistent characterization, well-developed minor characters, amazing redemption arcs (looking at you, Zuko!), and heartfelt moral lessons.

Once I finished ATLA, I knew I had to watch The Legend of Korra. While the series finale of ATLA was satisfying, it left you wanting more. If you’re not up to speed on your Avatar history, let me remind you how the cycle works.

The Avatar, the only person able to bend all four elements, is reincarnated into the four nations in a cyclic order: fire, air, water, and earth. Aang was an airbender, so when he passed away, the Avatar was due to be reincarnated into one of the water tribes. That means that the Avatar after Korra would be an earthbender, and so on and so forth.

Aang’s successor, Korra, was subsequently born in the Southern Water Tribe after his death. Since she was born in the Southern Water Tribe, Korra was able to study waterbending under an elderly Katara, now considered the best waterbending master in the world.

Throughout The Legend of Korra, we see several ATLA characters in their old age. Katara, Zuko, and Toph are still around, but viewers learn that Sokka and Aang both died before the start of the series. So how long after the events of Avatar does The Legend of Korra take place?

What year is The Legend of Korra set in?

As reported by Insider, The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender. That means that Katara is 85 years old when you see her in season 1 of TLOK! Korra is 17 at the beginning of the series, meaning that Aang died around 17 or 18 years prior.

If you poke around on the Avatar Wiki Fandom page, you’ll find out that Aang died at the biological age of 66 years old. Due to the 100 years he spent frozen in an iceberg in the Avatar State, his life force was severely depleted. He was technically 165 years old when he died, though that time was mostly spent in the Avatar State.

Sensing his impending demise, he tasked the Order of the White Lotus with protecting the next Avatar. At the beginning of The Legend of Korra, we know that Aang’s wishes have been honored, as Korra has never left the Southern Water Tribe. However, Korra quickly realizes that she needs to be her own kind of Avatar, and she sets off to learn airbending in Republic City.