Korra’s recovery, Zaheer’s fate, and airbender antics are all discussed in a new video interview with The Legend of Korra co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino.

Speaking to IGN in a new video interview, Konietzko and DiMartino shared their thoughts on the epic finale of The Legend of Korra season 3 – and hinted at the Avatar’s upcoming tribulations.

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According to Mike DiMartino, who heads the show’s writing team, The Legend of Korra was structured “around Korra’s big sacrificial moment of saving the Air Nation and giving her that really big heroic moment. But,” he notes, “it definitely came at a big price – a big cost to her emotionally and physically.”

“It’s a bittersweet victory for Korra,” DiMartino observes. In Book 4, he says, Korra will have “some recovering to do.”

The co-creators also address the unprecedented intensity and drama of Book 3.

“There were some discussions [with Nickelodeon] about how far we could take it,” DiMartino admits, discussing the euphemistic language the show had to employ to avoid words like “death” or “killed.”

Related: The Legend of Korra season 3 finale recap: Your earthly tether

But “we weren’t just trying to do it because we like doing mean things to our characters. We had to back Zaheer’s talk up with this very serious action.”

Though fans were intrigued by Zaheer and the Red Lotus, the co-creators don’t intend to set up the lone survivor as Korra’s nemesis for Book 4.

“He’s not dead,” Konitezko confirms, “but we do have a new threat and a new enemy for Korra to face.”

“But it all ties in… to Book 3,” he teases.

Similarly, fans can expect to see “the residual effects” of Tenzin’s new mandate for the airbenders in Book 4. As a wide-scale peacekeeping force, the Air Nation can take some of the burden of maintaining balance off of Korra’s shoulders – though many fans question whether or not Korra will welcome this change.

Konietzko and DiMartino also speak about the upcoming Legend of Korra video game, which they considered a “fun, rewarding and positive” experience. With a story written by staff writer Tim Hedrick and “an awesome new villain,” the co-creators seem just as eager as fans to get their hands on the new downloadable game.

What are your thoughts on ‘The Legend of Korra’ season 3 overall?