Korra Is Related To Princess Yue – Avatar Theory Explained

An Avatar Universe fan theory has connected Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe from Avatar: The Last Airbender to The Legend of Korra protagonist, Avatar Korra, but could the two be blood relatives? Although it hasn’t been confirmed by the shows’ creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the structure of Water Tribe history and culture lends itself to the theory. Arguably, the possible relation between Korra and Princess Yue could have strengthened the bond between the two shows, its theme regarding spirits, and its tradition of strong female characters.

Separated by 70 years, the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra follow two incarnations of the Avatar, the protector and peacekeeper of the world and the only bender able to master all four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. In addition to the Avatar’s duties to maintain balance amongst mankind, they are also known as the bridge between the human and spirit worlds. An Avatar must protect spirits and the Spirit World from the destruction of humans and vice versa.

Both Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra must navigate the Spirit World and connect with their past lives to seek advice and wisdom on their path towards becoming fully realized Avatars. The final episodes of season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, where Princess Yue makes her first appearance, and The Legend of Korra, Book 2: Spirits, depend heavily on the Spirit World and the attempts by both Aang and Korra to defend and connect with spirits. The events of the ATLA season 1 finale and Korra’s spiritual struggles in Book 2 would make a familial connection between Princess Yue and Avatar Korra all the more intriguing, but what evidence is there of a connection between the two?

Princess Yue’s Sacrifice In Avatar: The Last Airbender

Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe makes her first appearance in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book One: Water, episode 18, “The Waterbending Master.” Through interactions with the Gaang (a.k.a. Avatar Aang and Company), the audience learns that Princess Yue was very ill as an infant, and her father, Northern Chieftain Arnook, feared she might die. None of the Waterbending healers could help her, so Arnook took his daughter to the Spirit Oasis. The Spirit Oasis is a garden in the Northern Water Tribe where the spirit and human worlds overlap. The Moon and Ocean spirits, Tui and La, live in a mortal form in the Spirit Oasis. Arnook brought Princess Yue here and prayed to the Moon Spirit that she might recover. Arnook’s prayers were answered, as the Moon Spirit gave Yue a piece of its life essence to heal her. Her parents named her Yue, meaning “moon,” to honor the spirit.

During ATLA’s season 1 finale, Admiral Zhao and the Fire Nation plan to destroy the Moon Spirit in order to eradicate the abilities of all Waterbenders. When Admiral Zhao succeeds in killing the Moon Spirit, whose corporeal form is a koi fish, Yue remembers that she was touched by the spirit and, thus, carries part of its life force. In order to restore the balance between the Moon and Ocean Spirits and restore Waterbending to the entire tribe, Princess Yue sacrifices herself to restore the Moon Spirit.

Princess Yue’s sacrifice brings her storyline to an abrupt end but also makes her one of the more memorable characters outside of the Gaang from season 1. Her short romance with Sokka makes her death all the more affecting and her heroism all the more poignant. Fans have speculated ever since whether or not Princess Yue was merely returning the Moon Spirit’s life force that she had borrowed as an infant or if she truly became a part of the Moon. Either way, her sacrifice for the benefit of the Spirit World had a lasting impact on the Avatar Universe and poses an intriguing question regarding the Northern Water Tribe and the Avatar after Aang.

Northern Water Tribe Leadership & Tonraq’s History

The Legend of the Korra offers further details about Water Tribe culture, traditions, and politics through the character of Tonraq, Avatar Korra’s father. Korra was raised in the Southern Water Tribe, but in The Legend of Korra Book 2: Spirits, it is revealed that Tonraq was originally from the Northern Water Tribe. Tonraq would have been first in line for the Chieftain position, but he was exiled from the Northern Water Tribe, and his brother Unalaq became the Chief.

From this information, it appears that the succession of power in the Water Tribe passes down from father to son. When Avatar Aang visited the Northern Water tribe, women had arranged marriages and were not allowed to train as Waterbenders, so it’s unlikely that the succession of leadership would pass through a daughter. With this connection drawn between Princess Yue of the Northern Water tribe and Korra’s father Tonraq, who was supposed to be the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe before his brother interfered, fans have speculated that Avatar Korra is the distant relation of Princess Yue.

How Korra Can Be Related To Princess Yue (The Moon)

Since Princess Yue was the daughter of Northern Tribe Chief Arnook, and Water Tribe leadership appears to pass from father to son, the line of succession can theoretically be traced to Korra. However, questions arise when one considers that Yue’s spirit was transferred to Tui. If she had lived, her future husband would most likely have taken the position. However, since she essentially dies, the theory offers two possibilities: Arnook and his wife had another child after Yue who became Chieftain, or Arnook had a sibling whose eldest male child would have been the next in the line of power.

Either of these possibilities allows Avatar Korra to claim a blood relation to Princess Yue. Does this mean that Korra’s potential great aunt or cousin is the Moon Spirit, the root of all Waterbending? That depends: Avatar lore is clear that Yue saved Tui the Moon Spirit by returning the life essence it had shared with her as a baby. Whether this means that her spirit moved on or was actually absorbed into the Moon Spirit is left unclear. It very well could be that Yue gave Tui her life essence when she returned what it had bestowed upon her, meaning that her life essence is a part of the Moon Spirit.

Even if that is not the case, Princess Yue was still blessed by Tui and gave her life to restore the sacred and eternal balance between the Moon and the Ocean Spirits. By her actions, Tui survived and all of Waterbending was restored. Yue was not the Avatar, yet her sacrifice was very much the action of an Avatar when faced with such a choice. Furthermore, considering how much Avatar Korra struggles with her spiritual connections in Book 2, a familial relationship with Yue could have been an interesting development for her character. Book 2: Spirits would have been an apt opportunity for Korra to visit the Spirit Oasis, and reference the most important Waterbending spirit, Tui, and Princess Yue’s sacrifice. For Korra to learn that she had a relative who gave her life to save such an important spirit could have been inspiring for the young Avatar on her journey to connecting with her spiritual side. Had Korra visited the Spirit Oasis in Book 2, she may have found it easier to meditate into the Spirit World as Aang once had.

The relationship could have also drawn a compelling parallel between Avatar Korra and an influential female character from ATLA who was, unfortunately (but necessarily), written out too soon. Although ultimately the theory has neither been confirmed nor denied, a familial relationship between Avatar Korra and Princess Yue could have created a strong personal connection between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra and honored Yue’s sacrifice by carrying on the tradition of strong female characters in a descendent who became the next Avatar, an equally strong warrior and the protagonist of her own show.

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