The Dec. 19th series finale of Legend of Korra had all the hallmarks of a mind-bending Avatar finale.
But undeniably, the best part of the episode was when fandom's favorite ship, Korrasami, literally walked off into the sunset, err I mean, Spirit Portal, together.
Fans have shipped Korra and Asami since Season 1 when they were competing over the same sad boy (sorry Mako).
So when the show's co-creator, executive producer, and story editor Michael Dante DiMartino wrote this on his Tumblr...
Our intention with the last scene was to make it as clear as possible that yes, Korra and Asami have romantic feelings for each other. The moment where they enter the spirit portal symbolizes their evolution from being friends to being a couple.I've already read some heartwarming and incredible posts about how this moment means so much for the LGBT community. Once again, the incredible outpouring of support for the show humbles me. As Tenzin says, "Life is one big bumpy ride." And if, by Korra and Asami being a couple, we are able to help smooth out that ride even a tiny bit for some people, I'm proud to do my part, however small it might be. Thanks for reading.
...and co-creator and executive producer Bryan Konietzko confirmed the ship to be canon despite the potentially ambiguous (aka no Avatar finale kiss) ending...
Korra and Asami fell in love. Were they friends? Yes, and they still are, but they also grew to have romantic feelings for each other. Once Mako and Korra were through, we focused on developing Korra and Asami's relationship. Originally, it was primarily intended to be a strong friendship. Frankly, we wanted to set most of the romance business aside for the last two seasons. Personally, at that point I didn't want Korra to have to end up with someone at the end of series. We obviously did it in Avatar, but even that felt a bit forced to me.The more Korra and Asami's relationship progressed, the more the idea of a romance between them organically blossomed for us.
...fans everywhere rejoiced!!!
When you grow up as weird as I am, it is SUCH A BLESSING to see yourself reflected on stage and screen. #Korrasami #KorrasamiConfirmed
I've never been so hype over the pairing of non-fictional characters before LOL But #Korrasami was groundbreaking on many levels. Yes.
My desktop right now. Huhu all the feels. #Korrasami HAHAHA
Just read the confirmation of #Korrasami by Bryan Konietzko. I could cry like a little girl right now! #LegendOfKorra http://t.co/RhvybjTvew
Konietzko went on to discuss the struggles of battling his own preconceptions while trying to get a LGBT couple on air.
However, we still operated under this notion, another "unwritten rule," that we would not be allowed to depict that in our show. So we alluded to it throughout the second half of the series, working in the idea that their trajectory could be heading towards a romance. But as we got close to finishing the finale, the thought struck me: How do I know we can't openly depict that? No one ever explicitly said so. It was just another assumption based on a paradigm that marginalizes non-heterosexual people. If we want to see that paradigm evolve, we need to take a stand against it. We approached the network and while they were supportive there was a limit to how far we could go with it, as just about every article I read accurately deduced. It was originally written in the script over a year ago that Korra and Asami held hands as they walked into the spirit portal. We went back and forth on it in the storyboards, but later in the retake process I staged a revision where they turned towards each other, clasping both hands in a reverential manner, in a direct reference to Varrick and Zhu Li's nuptial pose from a few minutes prior. I love how their relationship arc took its time, through kindness and caring. If it seems out of the blue to you, I think a second viewing of the last two seasons would show that perhaps you were looking at it only through a hetero lens.Was it a slam-dunk victory for queer representation? I think it falls short of that, but hopefully it is a somewhat significant inching forward.(Despite what you might have heard, bisexual people are real!)
Thank you, Legend of Korra.
And let's hope girls fighting over boys, but then falling in love with each other becomes a wonderful new trope.
