The Legend of Korra season 4
Korra's self-discovery and Kuvira's authoritarian campaign.
Book Four: Balance is the fourth and final season of the animated television series The Legend of Korra, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It consists of thirteen episodes animated by Studio Mir, released online beginning on October 3, 2014, and later aired on Nicktoons from November 28, 2014. The season follows Avatar Korra's recovery from trauma and security officer Kuvira's authoritarian campaign to unite the Earth Kingdom.
Quick Facts
- Season number
- 4; Book Four: Balance
- Showrunner
- Michael Dante DiMartino; Bryan Konietzko
- Episodes
- 13
- Network
- Nick.com
- First aired
- 3 October 2014
- Last aired
- 19 December 2014
Facts from the source article.
Production
After Nickelodeon reduced the season's budget by roughly the cost of one episode, DiMartino and Konietzko chose to include a clip show episode rather than lay off many creative staff. Inspired by Samurai Champloo's clip show "The Disorder Diaries", they framed edited clips from previous seasons with about five minutes of new animation. Aired as episode 8, "Remembrances", the clip show was intended as a lighthearted romp before the series' dénouement.
Reception
Critics generally responded well to the fourth season, with particular praise for the main antagonist Kuvira, who was seen as a strong foil for Korra. Max Nicholson of IGN found the central storyline of Kuvira’s military expansion less bold than earlier seasons but still engaging, and he commended the show’s treatment of heavy subjects like war, dictatorship, weapons of mass destruction, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The episode “Korra Alone” was widely hailed as a standout, with Nicholson calling it “masterful and heart-wrenching.” “Day of the Colossus” earned acclaim for its action, which Matt Patches of ScreenCrush described as “22-minutes of set-piece wizardry” featuring some of the most imaginative and thrilling action he had ever seen. On the other hand, the clip show “Remembrances” was noted as a weak point. The series’ final scene, where Korra and Asami hold hands, sparked conversation beyond entertainment circles after the creators confirmed it depicted the two entering a romantic relationship. Joanna Robinson of Vanity Fair labeled the finale “the most subversive television event of the year,” arguing it “changed the face of TV” by pushing same-sex representation further than any other children’s show. This view was echoed by reviewers from TV.com, The A.V. Club, USA Today, IGN, Moviepilot, and The Advocate. Megan Farokhmanesh of Polygon noted that by presenting Korra and Asami as bisexual, the series avoided the common mistake of treating sexuality as a simple gay-straight binary. In 2018, io9 placed the final scene at number 55 on its list of the 100 most important pop culture moments of the previous decade. Like the third season, the fourth season received a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from nine reviews, with an average rating of 9 out of 10.
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Elsewhere in The Legend of Korra
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