Republic City is the main location of The Legend of Korra. It is the capital city of the United Republic of Nations as well as one of the largest and most modern cities in the world, with a population of millions. Located on the shores of Yue Bay, it was founded by Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang after the conclusion of the Hundred Year War as a haven for immigrants from all across the four nations, growing from its origins as Cranefish Town in the territory of the former Fire Nation colonies. Being a modern urban center, Republic City boasts significant high-rise development as well as the widespread use of automobiles, motorcycles, and airships.
Republic City is home to a variety of iconic landmarks. These include a monumental statue of Avatar Aang in Yue Bay, a spacious city park, many suspension bridges, and skyscrapers. The Metalbending Police Forceutilizes metalbending for civil lawenforcement. Pro-bending is the city's most popular sport.
Republic City faced high levels of crime and civil unrest and during the time of Avatar Korra, several major events which occurred in the city, such as the Anti-bending Revolution led by the Equalists, the assault of the Dark Avatar, which created an enclave of Spirit Wilds within the city, and the invasion by the Earth Empire, which devastated the area of the Spirit Wilds and the surrounding cityscape, though also resulted in the creation of a spirit portal within the ruined remains of the downtown district.
History[]
Development[]
The area which Republic City would later occupy was first settled by humans at some point during or after the era of Raava. The local guardian spirit, Lady Tienhai, decided to allow the small tribe to stay, and protect it from harm including other spirits. In the course of several thousand years, the small village expanded into a powerful city-state with its own monarchy. By the time of Avatar Yangchen, the settlement had become part of the Earth Kingdom and developed into the grandest city of the world.
All changed, however, when Lady Tienhai fell in love with the city's king. To stay with him, she assumed a mortal form, and eventually died. This enraged General Old Iron, a powerful spirit who had long despised humanity. General Old Iron decided to destroy the settlement to "avenge" Tienhai, but was stopped by Avatar Yangchen. She struck a deal with the vengeful spirit, and the city was consequently abandoned. Centuries passed, and nature reclaimed the entire region, though a few small villages continued to persist.
The Fire Nation conquered the region during the Hundred Year War, and several Fire Nation colonies such as Yu Dao were established in the vicinity. Following the war's end in 100 AG, Team Avatar, led by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, came to an agreement with Earth King Kuei on the establishment of the Harmony Restoration Movement, which would return the Fire Nation colonies to the jurisdiction of the Earth Kingdom. One of the procedures of this action was the relocation of Fire Nation citizens from the foreign settlements they had created over the past century. This order of removal had negative demographic consequences not considered by any of the parties to the agreement. A year into the operation of the movement, Zuko withdrew his support after being accused of being a traitor by his own people, precipitating a confrontation with his friend Avatar Aang.
Cityscape[]
In contrast to the other major cities of the world, Republic City is a true metropolitan urban center. The city has developed the architectural and technological sophistication to construct taller buildings, resulting in significant high-rise development. Stylistically, the city generally incorporates traditional ornamentation with far more advanced structural techniques, such as the design of City Hall and the Pro-bending Arena. Despite this, there are still landmarks built entirely in a traditional style, such as Air Temple Island. Beneath the city there is an extensive tunnel network. The metropolitan area is divided into many boroughs.
Downtown[]
The bustling center of the city, downtown is reminiscent of all the different elemental bending traditions in both its architecture and its population. In downtown Republic City, tall, well-crafted buildings line the cobblestone streets, and a railroad track sits elevated above the roadway, offering transportation to those wishing to explore the city. This sector is representative of a cultural melting pot of shops and stands featuring goods from all three nations. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of Republic City, protected by a massive police presence operating from their headquarters and airships. Despite this security, downtown suffers from organized crime as much as the remainder of Republic City. The Triple Threat Triad, the largest bending triad of the whole city, claims the downtown area as their turf and runs protection rackets throughout it. However, the downtown area sustained severe damage during Kuvira's failed invasion in 174 AG, and Raiko and Tenzin agreed to expand Republic City rather than reconstruct the downtown area. As such, the government was forced to relocate elsewhere in the city, and the homeless residents had to take refuge in a tent camp on the outskirts of the city. The different triads also lost their turf with the destruction of downtown, causing them to scatter. Tokuga, the new leader of the Triple Threads, took advantage of the chaos and attempted to reunite all the triads under his rule, which intensified the conflict between the triad members that refused to fall in line.