How Did Aang Die in ‘The Legend of Korra’?

Avatar: The Last Airbender introduced a fascinating fantasy world full of lovable characters and its own element-bending power system, where the most powerful individual is the Avatar, who can manipulate all the elements. In each generation, the Avatar is reborn to complete the cycle. The series follows Avatar Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), a 12-year-old tasked with ending a war that lasted a hundred years. The show established such a fan base that, despite the 15 years since it ended, it’s still popular. Avatar: The Last Airbender is being remade as a live-action series by Netflix and has inspired many stories within the world, including graphic novels, several book series, and numerous upcoming projects from Avatar Studios. But most like the original is the spin-off show The Legend of Korra.

As a direct sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra takes place only 70 years later. The minimal time gap allows for several of the original show’s characters to be alive in the spin-off, including appearances from Aang’s friends Katara (Mae Whitman), Toph (Michaela Jill Murphy), and Zuko (Dante Basco). However, the nature of the story requires Aang’s death. The Legend of Korra is about the Avatar after Aang, Korra (Janet Varney). And for the Avatar spirit to be reborn, it first must die. Aang cannot be alive for Korra’s story, but his friends and children offer the new Avatar guidance, and Aang’s spirit lives on in Korra. But the series doesn’t go in-depth into what happened to end Aang’s life. His quest to bring balance to the world met a happy conclusion in the series when he was still young, so his later years are still largely unexplored, leading to many fans wondering about the events of Aang’s death.

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How Did Aang Die in ‘The Legend of Korra’?

Avatars often live dangerous lives as they defend the balance of their world, yet many live long lives, some unnaturally so. Kyoshi (Jennifer Hale) lived an astounding 230 years, but few share her longevity. Roku (James Garrett) lived only 70 years, and Avatar Kuruk (Jim Meskimen), known for living a short life, died at 33 due to his fights in the Spirit World. However, even non-avatar characters live a surprisingly long time. King Bumi (André Sogliuzzo) lives to at least 112, and Avatar: The Last Airbender shows him still active at that age. And Sozin (Ron Perlman), the Firelord who began the war, lived until 102. Aang saw a close call in his series when Azula (Grey DeLisle) electrocutes him in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se, but Katara manages to bring him back from the brink of death with spirit water. Yet he could not live forever. And, based on Korra’s age, we know that Aang didn’t enjoy an unexplainably long life, dying at only 66, biologically.

Aang’s age is complicated by the 100 years he spent frozen in ice before siblings Katara and Sokka (Jack De Sena) discovered him at the beginning of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Interestingly, this event is important to his death as well. When he runs away from the Airbenders, hoping to escape his fate as the Avatar, he and his trusty flying bison, Appa (Dee Bradley Baker), are caught in a storm. They fall into the ocean, nearly drowning. But the fatal conditions triggered his Avatar State, allowing Aang to create an air bubble for him and Appa. But in the freezing water, they are frozen into an iceberg, where they stay until an angry Katara accidentally bursts it. So, although he behaves and appears as a 12-year-old in the series, Aang is technically 112 based on his birth year. The years frozen while in the Avatar State took their toll. As Aang grew older, he learned that time drained his life force, causing him to die of old age at the (biological) age of 66. With so many threats that an Avatar has to deal with, there are many ways he could have gone, but fortunately, Aang died peacefully.

Aang Leaves Behind a Legacy

Despite Avatar: The Last Airbender ending when Aang was still young, he continued to be an influential Avatar. After ending the war, Aang spent the rest of his life remaking the world. He re-established the Airnomads and founded Republic City, introducing democracy. Though the series doesn’t show these actions, they are evident in The Legend of Korra, and the comic series explores them more completely. The world has changed by Korra’s time, with advancements that can only happen during times of peace. This proves that Aang’s later years were focused on industrialization and creating a new world.

Despite the genocide that killed Aang’s people, there is a new Airnation in The Legend of Korra, consisting primarily of Air Acolyts, non-benders willing to live the life of nomads. Aang managed to pass on the traditions and culture of the Airnomads to a new group, while Aang left the airbending tradition in the hands of his son, Tenzin (J. K. Simmons). Though Aang never met them, his ability was passed on to four grandchildren through Tenzin. He and his wife, Katara, also had two other children, a waterbender, Kya (Lisa Edelstein), and Bumi (Richard Riehle), who isn’t a bender until Korra makes her mark on the world.

The Legend of Korra also reveals some of Aang’s struggles in his later years as Avatar. Aang gives Korra glimpses of his fight with the bloodbender Yakone, which resulted in Aang taking away the man’s bending. Though that ended the problem within Aang’s lifetime, Korra faced Yakone’s sons, who carry their father’s hatred of the Avatar, proving that Aang made many enemies even in a time of relative peace.

Aang’s Connection to Korra in ‘The Legend of Korra’

Despite everything Aang accomplished, his greatest legacy is the following Avatar. Aang’s spirit lives in Korra, as do all the past Avatars. Korra and Aang are opposites. Where Aang works in compromises and peaceful resolutions, Korra is determined and always ready for a fight. But the fiery Avatar is still connected to her predecessor. The previous Avatar often acts as a guide to the new one, and Aang does this for Korra. Korra struggles with the spiritual side of her Avatar training but does manage to talk to Aang by the end of Season 1. Her direct communication with Aang triggers the Avatar State and helps restore the bending she lost. Aang also teaches her the concept of engerybending. But Aang can’t take care of all Korra’s problems. During her journey, Korra loses her connection to the past Avatars and seems to restart the Avatar cycle entirely. Yet Korra still has the Avatar’s spirit, and though she cannot communicate with Aang directly, he lives on in her and any Avatars who follow.