Asami Sato
Non-bending engineer and ally in The Legend of Korra.
Asami Sato appears in the Nickelodeon series *The Legend of Korra*, which is set in the world of *Avatar: The Last Airbender*. Unlike most major characters in that universe, she cannot bend any of the four elements. She is the sole child of Hiroshi Sato, a wealthy industrialist who created the Satomobile and runs Future Industries out of Republic City. Asami is a capable engineer, pilot, driver, and hand-to-hand fighter. The series ends with a hint that a romantic relationship has begun between Asami and the main character, Korra—a milestone for LGBTQ representation in Western children’s animation. That relationship is developed further in the comic series *Turf Wars*, *Ruins of the Empire*, and *Patterns in Time*.
The character was first imagined as a double agent for the Equalists, the antagonists of the first season, who would spy on Team Avatar. But the co-creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, liked her so much that they changed her into a friend of Korra’s, involved in a love triangle with Korra and Mako, and unaware of her father’s Equalist ties. DiMartino said they knew they needed a nonbender character after settling on the nonbender revolution storyline. Konietzko suggested to the writing team that Asami might be bisexual before the audience ever saw her or Korra, but he set the idea aside, assuming Nickelodeon would not allow it. That decision was reversed after the second season. An early script for the first season finale had Asami joining the United Forces, but it was reworked before the second season was confirmed.
Konietzko designed Asami based on the idea of a Golden Age Hollywood actress in the *Avatar* world, and her hair was inspired by Rita Hayworth, a 1940s American film star. He noted that any resemblance to the character Lust from the 2009 anime *Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood* was coincidental, as he had not seen that series when he designed Asami in 2010. Konietzko had struggled to draw women before and chose to design Asami himself as a challenge.
Asami’s initial design, from when she was meant to be an Equalist spy, stayed the same after the rewrite. Viewers guessed she would be a femme fatale when she first appeared. After it was revealed she was not a spy, *The A.V. Club* remarked that she was not bad—she was just drawn that way.
Quick Facts
- Series
- The Legend of Korra
- First
- "The Voice in the Night" (2012)
- Creator
- Michael Dante DiMartino / Bryan Konietzko
- Voice
- Seychelle Gabriel
- Occupation
- Industrialist
- Species
- Human
- Gender
- Female
- Family
- Hiroshi Sato (father) / Yasuko Sato (mother)
- Significant Other
- Korra (girlfriend; Book Four: Balance, Turf Wars, Ruins of the Empire, and Patterns in Time) / Mako (ex-boyfriend; Book One: Air)
- Nationality
- United Republic of Nations
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Asami Sato was initially conceived as a duplicitous spy for the Equalist movement, but co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko rewrote her to be a friend to Korra, involved in a love triangle with her and Mako, and ignorant of her father's Equalist activities. DiMartino recalled that they knew they needed a character who wasn't a bender after deciding on the nonbender revolution storyline. Konietzko floated the idea that Asami might be bisexual before the audience saw her or Korra, but shelved it assuming Nickelodeon would not allow it; this decision was reversed after season two. An early script for the season one finale had Asami joining the United Forces, but was reworked before season two was confirmed.
Asami's design was based on an actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood, with hair inspired by Rita Hayworth. Konietzko wrote that her resemblance to the character Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was coincidental. Her design remained unchanged after her role was rewritten from spy to ally. Throughout the first three seasons she wore a red and gray jacket, dark red turtleneck dress, pink leggings, and black boots. In season four she was given a different hairstyle, different clothing, and had grown in height. Her voice actress, Seychelle Gabriel, had previously portrayed Yue in The Last Airbender. Gabriel was surprised by Asami turning against her father and was aware of comparisons between Asami and Batman.
Reader's Guide
Asami Sato's significance lies in her role as a prominent non-bending character in a world defined by elemental bending, and in her groundbreaking romantic relationship with Korra. The series' final scene, indicating the beginning of that relationship, was unprecedented in western children's television for its representation of LGBTQ persons. The relationship was fully explored in subsequent comic series. Asami's character was well-received by reviewers, who were content with her growth past being a love interest for Mako and felt that relationship was not worth reviving; reception to her relationship with Korra was mostly positive. Her design, initially leading viewers to speculate she would be a femme fatale, was noted by The A.V. Club as subverting that expectation. Asami's engineering skills, piloting, and combat ability made her a capable member of Team Avatar despite lacking bending powers.
Did You Know?
- Asami was originally conceived as a duplicitous spy for the Equalists but was rewritten because co-creators liked the character.
- Her hairstyle was inspired by actress Rita Hayworth from the 1940s.
- Voice actress Seychelle Gabriel previously played Yue in The Last Airbender.
- The idea that Asami might be bisexual was floated by co-creator Bryan Konietzko before the audience saw her or Korra.
More in Characters & Avatars
Elsewhere in The Legend of Korra
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced