Content & Trigger Warnings for The Legend of Korra (2012)
21 content warnings identified across 4 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, The Legend of Korra (2012) contains 21 content warnings : Ableism (depicted), Homophobia / transphobia (depicted), Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Religious persecution, Death of a parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Genocide / ethnic cleansing, Kidnapping / abduction, War / combat, Wrongful imprisonment, Body horror, Confined spaces (claustrophobia), Drowning / underwater scenes, Child abuse / harm to children, Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence, Self-harm / suicide (depicted), Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Gaslighting / emotional manipulation (severity 4/5), Kidnapping / abduction (severity 4/5), War / combat (severity 4/5), Body horror (severity 4/5), Self-harm / suicide (depicted) (severity 4/5), Torture (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
Set up your trigger profile to see which warnings affect you.
Does It Get Worse?
3 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Ableism (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Korra deals with disability after being poisoned and faces struggles with identity |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | All | 1/5 | Referenced | While the show features a same-sex relationship positively, broader series context touches on societal exclusion |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Kuvira's Earth Empire is explicitly ethno-nationalist; she targets non-Earth Kingdom citizens for internment and expulsion |
| Religious persecution | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Spiritual practices and beliefs are weaponized; Unalaq uses religious authority to justify his political ambitions |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a parent | S2 | 2/5 | Referenced | Korra's father Tonraq is captured and nearly killed; parental figures are threatened throughout |
| Forced institutionalization | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Kuvira operates re-education camps for dissenters and ethnic minorities from the Earth Kingdom who resist her regime |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Korra loses her bending and experiences profound despair; the emotional devastation of losing her identity as the Avatar is palpable |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Korra experiences loss and betrayal; the destruction of Raava temporarily severs her connection to all past Avatars permanently |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Korra is left physically and emotionally devastated by her poisoning; the season ends with her in a wheelchair, crying, broken |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Korra struggles with severe PTSD from her mercury poisoning; she hallucinates a dark version of herself and cannot function as the Avatar for three years |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | A character considers ending their own life in a powerful, emotional scene |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Amon manipulates non-benders with propaganda and fear while hiding his true identity as a bender |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Unalaq manipulates Korra extensively, posing as a mentor while secretly working toward the release of Vaatu; he exploits her trust and daddy issues |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Kuvira uses propaganda and manipulation to build her empire; she presents fascist conquest as reunification and order |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S3 | 3/5 | Referenced | The Red Lotus aims to end the Avatar cycle permanently and overthrow all world governments; systemic destruction is their stated goal |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S4 | 3/5 | Referenced | Kuvira's spirit weapon has the capacity for mass destruction; her ethno-nationalist ideology carries genocidal undertones |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Korra is abducted and held captive by Tarrlok; she is imprisoned in a remote location away from her allies |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Characters are captured and imprisoned during the civil war conflict |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | The Red Lotus kidnaps airbenders to force Korra's surrender; Korra herself is captured and chained |
| War / combat | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Equalist revolution brings armed conflict to Republic City; mech-suited soldiers battle benders in urban warfare |
| War / combat | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes; military conflict and spirit world battles |
| War / combat | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Anarchist violence as the Red Lotus assassinates world leaders and attempts to destroy the Avatar cycle |
| War / combat | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Full-scale military invasion of Republic City with a giant mech weapon; aerial and ground combat across the season finale |
| Wrongful imprisonment | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Kuvira imprisons political opponents and anyone who refuses to swear loyalty; internment of non-Earth Kingdom citizens |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Body horror | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Bloodbending is used to forcibly control people's bodies against their will; Amon removes bending abilities in a deeply unsettling physical process |
| Body horror | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Dark spirit corruption distorts and enlarges spirits into monstrous forms; Unalaq's fusion with Vaatu is visually disturbing |
| Body horror | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Zaheer suffocates the Earth Queen by bending air out of her lungs on screen; P'Li's head explosion is implied but visually clear; mercury poisoning distorts Korra's body |
| Body horror | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Korra's PTSD manifests as a dark avatar doppelganger that attacks her; mercury poison flashbacks show her body being violated |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Korra is locked in a metal box during her captivity; the claustrophobic imprisonment is shown in detail |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Korra is chained in a cave; prisoners are held in extreme isolation including a mountaintop prison and underwater facility |
| Drowning / underwater scenes | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Earth Queen is suffocated by airbending — air is removed from her lungs in a drowning-like asphyxiation |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Flashbacks reveal Yakone forced his sons Tarrlok and Noatak to practice bloodbending as children, including on each other; their abusive upbringing drives the season's conflict |
| Gore / graphic violence | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Combat violence including spirit attacks and bending battles; moderate intensity for an animated series |
| Gore / graphic violence | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | P'Li's death by head explosion is shown in silhouette; the Earth Queen's suffocation is graphic for a children's show; combat violence throughout |
| Gore / graphic violence | S4 | 2/5 | Depicted | Combat violence in the battle for Republic City; the spirit weapon causes massive destruction |
| Gun violence | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Equalist technology serves as gun equivalents with electric gloves and mech weaponry used against people |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Tarrlok kills himself and Noatak in a murder-suicide by igniting their boat's fuel; the scene is clearly depicted despite no graphic gore |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Zaheer's plan involves forcing the Avatar State to kill Korra; P'Li's death and Zaheer's willingness to die suggest nihilistic self-destruction |
| Torture | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Tarrlok bloodbends and imprisons Korra in an isolated metal box; the experience is traumatic and terrifying |
| Torture | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Korra is chained and forcibly poisoned with liquid mercury by the Red Lotus; the mercury bending into her body is shown in agonizing detail |
| Torture | S4 | 2/5 | Depicted | Re-education camp conditions and forced labor are shown; prisoners are coerced and mistreated |
Identity & Discrimination
Korra deals with disability after being poisoned and faces struggles with identity
While the show features a same-sex relationship positively, broader series context touches on societal exclusion
Kuvira's Earth Empire is explicitly ethno-nationalist; she targets non-Earth Kingdom citizens for internment and expulsion
Spiritual practices and beliefs are weaponized; Unalaq uses religious authority to justify his political ambitions
Mental Health & Emotional
Korra's father Tonraq is captured and nearly killed; parental figures are threatened throughout
Kuvira operates re-education camps for dissenters and ethnic minorities from the Earth Kingdom who resist her regime
Korra loses her bending and experiences profound despair; the emotional devastation of losing her identity as the Avatar is palpable
Korra experiences loss and betrayal; the destruction of Raava temporarily severs her connection to all past Avatars permanently
Korra is left physically and emotionally devastated by her poisoning; the season ends with her in a wheelchair, crying, broken
Korra struggles with severe PTSD from her mercury poisoning; she hallucinates a dark version of herself and cannot function as the Avatar for three years
A character considers ending their own life in a powerful, emotional scene
Other
Amon manipulates non-benders with propaganda and fear while hiding his true identity as a bender
Unalaq manipulates Korra extensively, posing as a mentor while secretly working toward the release of Vaatu; he exploits her trust and daddy issues
Kuvira uses propaganda and manipulation to build her empire; she presents fascist conquest as reunification and order
The Red Lotus aims to end the Avatar cycle permanently and overthrow all world governments; systemic destruction is their stated goal
Kuvira's spirit weapon has the capacity for mass destruction; her ethno-nationalist ideology carries genocidal undertones
Korra is abducted and held captive by Tarrlok; she is imprisoned in a remote location away from her allies
Characters are captured and imprisoned during the civil war conflict
The Red Lotus kidnaps airbenders to force Korra's surrender; Korra herself is captured and chained
The Equalist revolution brings armed conflict to Republic City; mech-suited soldiers battle benders in urban warfare
Civil war between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes; military conflict and spirit world battles
Anarchist violence as the Red Lotus assassinates world leaders and attempts to destroy the Avatar cycle
Full-scale military invasion of Republic City with a giant mech weapon; aerial and ground combat across the season finale
Kuvira imprisons political opponents and anyone who refuses to swear loyalty; internment of non-Earth Kingdom citizens
Phobias & Sensory
Bloodbending is used to forcibly control people's bodies against their will; Amon removes bending abilities in a deeply unsettling physical process
Dark spirit corruption distorts and enlarges spirits into monstrous forms; Unalaq's fusion with Vaatu is visually disturbing
Zaheer suffocates the Earth Queen by bending air out of her lungs on screen; P'Li's head explosion is implied but visually clear; mercury poisoning distorts Korra's body
Korra's PTSD manifests as a dark avatar doppelganger that attacks her; mercury poison flashbacks show her body being violated
Korra is locked in a metal box during her captivity; the claustrophobic imprisonment is shown in detail
Korra is chained in a cave; prisoners are held in extreme isolation including a mountaintop prison and underwater facility
The Earth Queen is suffocated by airbending — air is removed from her lungs in a drowning-like asphyxiation
Violence & Physical Harm
Flashbacks reveal Yakone forced his sons Tarrlok and Noatak to practice bloodbending as children, including on each other; their abusive upbringing drives the season's conflict
Combat violence including spirit attacks and bending battles; moderate intensity for an animated series
P'Li's death by head explosion is shown in silhouette; the Earth Queen's suffocation is graphic for a children's show; combat violence throughout
Combat violence in the battle for Republic City; the spirit weapon causes massive destruction
Equalist technology serves as gun equivalents with electric gloves and mech weaponry used against people
Tarrlok kills himself and Noatak in a murder-suicide by igniting their boat's fuel; the scene is clearly depicted despite no graphic gore
Zaheer's plan involves forcing the Avatar State to kill Korra; P'Li's death and Zaheer's willingness to die suggest nihilistic self-destruction
Tarrlok bloodbends and imprisons Korra in an isolated metal box; the experience is traumatic and terrifying
Korra is chained and forcibly poisoned with liquid mercury by the Red Lotus; the mercury bending into her body is shown in agonizing detail
Re-education camp conditions and forced labor are shown; prisoners are coerced and mistreated
