After spending two seasons on the air, Legend of Korra had firmly established itself as a fully separate tale set in the world of benders and hybrid animals, moving past the days of Aang and the original Team Avatar and allowing Korra to take her proper spot atop the mantel.

With that said, season 3 is widely regarded among fans as the best season of LoK as it had several ties/call-backs to the original series and pitted Korra against some of the baddest benders the world had ever seen. And despite being the highest-rated season for the series, some of the episodes still far surpass others in terms of their individual ratings.

10 In Harm’s Way, Episode 4 (8.6)

When Harmonic Convergence allowed people to start gaining the ability to air-bend, Korra and Tenzen went in search of them and ultimately made their way to Ba Sing Se. However, upon arrival, one of their new recruits (Kai) gets taken prisoner and is forced to become an airbending soldier for the Earth Queen.

Luckily, Jinora is able to locate Kai with her spirit powers and they manage to break all of the captured airbenders out. Meanwhile, Zaheer and his band of villains reach the Northern Water Tribe where they free his girlfriend from her icy fortress.

9 The Metal Clan, Episode 5 (8.6)

Toph was so iconic that it only made sense there would be an entire city devoted to learning and studying different variations of metal-bending. It only makes more sense that the city was run by Toph’s daughter (and Lin’s half-sister) Su. Things got even better when it was revealed that Su’s daughter (Toph’s granddaughter) Opal was actually an airbender.

When Team Avatar arrives to take Opal away for training, Lin and Su’s history is uncovered and it’s revealed that the two half-sisters haven’t spoken in over 30 years.

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8 Old Wounds, Episode 6 (8.6)

After the revelation that Lin and Su hadn’t spoken, Korra did everything she could to try and ease the tension between the two and figure out how to resolve their issues. Instead, Lin decides to ignore her and get some acupuncture to try and calm her nerves.

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Unfortunately, all Lin does is dredge up old memories of her past (that include working under Toph on the police force and dealing with Su as a young, rebellious kid) which results in Lin confronting her sister in a battle. Eventually, after fighting it out, Lin and Su are finally able to bury the hatchet and move on.

7 Rebirth, Episode 2 (8.7)

The opening episode may have got people excited with the prospect of finding new airbenders, but it also got fans scared when it introduced Zaheer, a new airbending villain who was dangerous before even getting his new abilities. So, during this follow-up episode, Team Avatar begins their search for new airbenders (after Korra gets kicked out of the city by the President) and they meet one named Kai, who agrees to go with them.

However, while this is happening, Zaheer manages to break out two more associates who happen to be just as deadly and skilled at bending as he is. Also,  Zuko makes his first LoK appearance at the end.

6 The Stakeout, Episode 9 (8.8)

Team Avatar had managed to escape Zaheer’s attack in the prior episode, but rather than be prey they decided to become the predator and went after Zaheer themselves. Trailing the traitorous Aiwei to find him, Korra eventually encounters Zaheer in the Spirit World where Zaheer openly tells her that he is part of an organization called the Red Lotus and their purpose is to destroy the Avatar and bring chaos to the world.

While giving her this info, Mako, Bolin, and Asami try to protect Korra’s physical body from the other Red Lotus members, only for Korra and Asami to get captured by the Earth Queen’s soldiers instead.

5 The Terror Within, Episode 8 (8.9)

This was the episode prior to Team Avatar setting out to find Zaheer when the Red Lotus members somehow managed to infiltrate Zaofu and capture Korra in the middle of the night. Luckily, the villains are apprehended and square-off in an epic battle against Zaofu’s defenses, ultimately failing and having to retreat.

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Since Zaofu is the most secure city in the world, Su has Aiwei interrogate the guards to see who betrayed them and let Zaheer in, only for the traitor to end up being Aiwei himself.

4 Long Live the Queen, Episode 10 (9.0)

Despite being taken prisoner by the Earth Queen’s forces, Korra and Asami managed to escape their grasp, only to get stranded in the middle of a desert with the men who captured them, all the while trying to fend off a gigantic spirit monster.

Since the Red Lotus members weren’t able to retrieve the Avatar, Zaheer set his sights on ridding the world of it’s political leaders before dealing with Korra. So, the Red Lotus traveled to Ba Sing Se and met with the Earth Queen – only for Zaheer to literally take her breath away, killing her from suffocation.

3 The Ultimatum, Episode 11 (9.3)

Once the Red Lotus members had wiped out the Earth Queen, they decided to set their sights on the Air Temple and attack all of the new airbenders that Tenzen had been training. While Korra and Team Avatar try to reach the air temple in time, they don’t make it and the airbenders try to escape.

In order to aid their retreat, Tenzen, Kya, and Bumi face-off against Zaheer, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua in an epic 3v3 battle (one being air vs. air). Sadly, they’re no match for the Red Lotus and end up getting captured and held hostage as bait for Korra.

2 Enter the Void, Episode 12 (9.4)

When the Red Lotus takes Tenzen and the airbenders hostage, Korra offers up herself in exchange for their safety. However, it turns out to be a trap and Zaheer tries to get away with Korra only to be stopped by Lin, Su, and Korra’s father, Tonraq.

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Meanwhile, Mako, Bolin, and Asami try to rescue Tenzen from the Air Temple and get thwarted by Ghazan and Ming-Hua, who try to bury them in lava, only to have Bolin discover that he’s a lavabender as well. While that happens, Zaheer’s girlfriend P’Li ends up getting killed by Lin and Su, causing Zaheer to let go of all earthly-tether and be able to fly without any type of glider.

1 Venom of the Red Lotus, Episode 13 (9.6)

After losing to Zaheer and getting herself captured, Korra is informed by the Red Lotus members that they plan to poison her with Mercury while she’s in the Avatar State, thus ending the Avatar Cycle forever. Luckily, while in the Avatar State, Korra manages to put up a phenomenal fight that has Zaheer on the run. While they fight it out, Bolin and Mako get a rematch against Ghazan and Ming-Hua, ultimately killing the both of them.

With Korra incapacitated, the captured airbenders band together and save the day, bring down Zaheer, and manage to get Korra to Su in time for her to bend the mercury out of Korra’s body. The season ends with Jinora getting her airbending master tattoos (as a result of her leading the airbenders when they took down Zaheer together).

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About The Author


Jonathan Meschutt
(212 Articles Published)

Jonathan Meschutt is a writer based in Upstate New York. He’s had every job you could think of, including garbage man, dishwasher, administrative assistant, catering cook, and a dozen more, but now works as a list writer for Valnet Inc, and is covering entertainment topics for Screen Rant. He has a B.S. Mass Communication degree, focused on Film (see what he did there?) and has spent the past three years as the writing assistant to an Emmy nominated television screenwriter.

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