The Legend Of Korra: 10 Things About Kya and Tenzin That you Did Not Know (2023)

The final episode ofAvatar: The Last Airbenderended on one of the biggest teases in all of animation, with Aang and Katara sharing a passionate kiss that marked the officialstartof their relationship. Fast-forward toThe Legend of Korra, and they not only managed to grow old together, but started a family, giving birth to Bumi, a non-bending general, Kya, a Waterbending nomad, and Tenzin, an Airbender who became Aang's pride and joy.

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WhileThe Legend of Korragave fans enough time with all three siblings to get a sense of their personal lives, there's still muchabout them that might not be common knowledge to most viewers. In the cases of Tenzin and Kya in particular, there are several things that fans might not know about Aang and Katara's bending progeny.

10 Kya: She's Named After Katara's Mother

Names are extremely important in the world of Avatar.More often than not, characters are named after one another, and even if they aren't, their names oftencarry somekind of hidden meaning.

While die-hard fans ofAvatar: The Last Airbendermight have picked up on this already, it can be easy to overlook the fact that Kya is actually namedafter Sokka and Katara's mother, who was killed during a Fire Nation raid.

9 Tenzin: He's The Oldest Airbending Master Alive

Back in Aang's time, Airbending masterscamein all ages;some, like Aang, were young enough toearn their tattoos even before they entered puberty, while other Airbending masters, like Monk Gyatso and Sister Iio, had been rocking their tattoos for decades.InThe Legend of Korra, Tenzin and Jinora are the only two Airbending masters with the tattoos to prove it.

Of course, if Bumi manages to earn his tattoos, he'lltake Tenzin's spot as the oldest Airbendingmaster alive, butgiven that he doesn't have a lifetime of experience like his younger brother, Tenzin could very well maintain this titleover the course ofhis entire life.

8 Kya: Her Favorite Song Is "Secret Tunnel"

Kya is oftenregardedas a "hippie", so it's no surprise thata Legend of Korra San Diego Comic-Con fan panel revealed that her favorite song is "Secret Tunnel", a song favored by the Earth Kingdom nomads that the original Team Avatar met in Book 2's "The Cave of Two Lovers".

7 Tenzin: He Broke Up Lin With Because Of Her Aversion To Having Children

Immediately afterAang's death, Tenzin became the last Airbender, just as his father was for most of his life. This meant that the responsibility for rearing the next generation of Airbenders fell solely on Tenzin's shoulders.

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Unfortunately, his former girlfriend, Lin Beifong, was averse to having children, an obvious dealbreaker for Tenzin, causing them to split up, though it might have actually been for the best given that Pema isn't a bender. Thisensured that all of Tenzin's children would be born as Airbenders and not Earthbenders.

6 Kya:She's The Only ChildBorn To An Air Nomad That Can't Airbend

Even if two benders have a kid, there's still a fair chance that their son or daughter will be born without the ability to bend an element. The Air Nomads, however, are an exception. Due to their heightened level of spirituality, every child born to two Air Nomad parents can Airbend. While things get a little more complicated if one of the parents is not an Air Nomad, Kya remains the only person born to at least one Air Nomad parent that lacks the ability to Airbend. After Harmonic Convergence, Bumi gained the ability to Airbend despite lacking such powers before. Kya, on the other hand, was born with her mother's Waterbending abilities.

Many might be tempted to point at Avatar Kyoshi as well, since she was born to an Air Nomad and an Earth Kingdom resident, and yet she became the Avatar during Earth's spot in the Avatar Cycle. While this might mean that she would've been born an Earthbender had she not beenbornas the Avatar, the fact of the matter remains that she technically did become an Airbender,just as she became a Waterbender, Firebender, and Earthbender.

5 Tenzin: His Name's Tibetan Origins

Kya is named after Katara's mother, and it's clear that Aang named Bumi after King Bumi, Omashu's former ruler. Tenzin is their only child who isn't named after someone close to either parent, but this doesn't mean that his name isn't just as significant. It's actually a common Tibetan name,translating to mean "upholder of the teachings".

This name fits Tenzin perfectly, since after Aang's death, the responsibilityrested onhis shoulders to teach Airbending not only to Korra and his children, but the new generation of Airbenders that emerged after Harmonic Convergence.

4 Kya: She Has A Romantic Interest In Women

Many fans have praisedThe Legend of Korra's creatorsfor confirming the romance between Korra and Asami in the graphic novels that continued the story beyond theanimated series. In the graphic novels, there's a scene in which Kya not only voices her supportof Korra's relationship, but spoke about her own experiences in coming out to Aang and Katara, something that was never even mentioned in the series.

She even went as far as to claim that Aang was nothing but supportive, which made many fans sigh with relief given how muchtheyalready learned about his shortcomings as a father.

3 Tenzin: His Beard Tugging Is Inspired By Michael Dante DiMartino

When faced with a difficult dilemma, Tenzin is most often seen stroking on hisgoatee. Not only did this little quirk make him feel all the more realistic, but it was inspired by the co-creator, executive producer, and story editor ofAvatar: The Last AirbenderandThe Legend of Korra.

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Given how much the teams that worked on this show pulled from othertales and cultures to make the world ofAvatar feel just as real as an animated world could, fans can only wonder what other staff members who worked on theseseries inspiredsome more of their favorite character traits.

2 Kya: She CanSense Changes In People's Aura

After traveling the world, it's no surprise that Kya might've picked up a few strange habits, or even techniques, along the way. After Bumi'ssporadicAirbending abilities were made public after Harmonic Convergence, Kya remarked that she had sensed a shift in his aura after the events of Book 2.

While fans may never know how she developed such an ability,it's clear that her heightened level of spirituality is what makes her such a talented healer.

1 Tenzin: He's Never Entered The Spirit World Using Traditional Meditation

As an Airbender, and especially as Korra's mentor, it was expected that Tenzin not only help Korra reach a higher level of spirituality, but also show her how to enter theSpirit Worldthroughmeditation. In Book 2, it was revealed that Tenzin had never entered the Spirit World on his own. Even by the end of the series, he hadn't done so using traditional meditation. Instead, he entered the Spirit World using the Southern spirit portal.

Even after Jinora, Ryu, and a few other tourists were trapped in the Spirit World, he suggested an expedition into the Southern spirit portal to save them, showing that evenin the 3 years between Book 3 and Book 4, he still hadn't figured out how to transition into the Spirit World from the comfort of his own home.

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