– This strip will make way more sense if you’re a fan of Legend of Korra. I am and I hope you are too. The series ended it’s 4th and final season last week. This strip is a pretty huge spoiler, but if you care you probably already know what happened anyway, especially if you’ve been on tumblr the last few days. The series ended with Korra and her friend Asami in a romantic relationship. Which is pretty great for a number of reasons, the least of which is that these were both really fantastic characters who I was rooting for since early in the second season of the show. Despite subtle hints I never really had much hope that we’d see an interracial bisexual couple on a children’s cartoon, but there it is! Korrasami is real. I can’t help but smile every time I think about it.

A lot of you sent me emails and messages after the show aired asking if I’d seen it and what I thought. It obviously made me really happy. I’d never bothered with shipping before, but I shipped the hell out of Korra and Asami, and of course my love for the characters was passed on to Medusa. If anything, I’m a little sad that we’re leaving the characters just as their relationship is beginning. I’d love to see another season of the show so we could watch their relationship grow (and watch Korra beat the hell out of things, because that’s one of the joys of the show for sure).

I’ve had a few people respond to my posts about Korrasami by telling me that actually there’s no evidence that the pair actually get together, and that they’re just good friends. I don’t know what to say to that, other than that their relationship is plainly obvious to me and thousands of other fans. Oh, and both creators of the show have publicly stated that the show does end with Korra and Asami in a relationship, and that they were building toward this since the beginning of Season 3.

So yeah, my ship is canon. I’m thinking about making myself a t-shirt. Something like this:

I’ve read a lot about the Legend of Korra finale this week, and here’s what I’ve come away with. The series didn’t need to end with Korra getting together romantically with anyone. The story didn’t demand it, and Korra certainly doesn’t NEED to be in a relationship. The season arc and finale were about defeating Kuvira and her army, saving Republic City and bringing lasting change to the Earth Kingdom. The narrative didn’t demand a romantic happy ending, and Korra going off by herself into the Spirit World would have been fine. Similarly, if Korra had decided to rekindle her romance with Mako that would have been fine too. It would have been pretty strange considering their history, but it wouldn’t have done much to change the end of the series. The same if she had inexplicably hooked up with Bolin, Bei Fong, Naga or any other characters. Asami is different. Ending the series with the confirmation of Korra and Asami’s relationship is a reflection and confirmation of the series’ themes. The Legend of Korra is a series about embracing change, whether that’s the change of the Equalist’s movement, the change of the Spirit World or the change of the Red Lotus’ philosophies. In each case Korra faced enemies who were violent and destructive, but also at least partially right. Korra learned from her enemies and embraced that change (although not always without struggle). Asami represents that change. Asami is the unintentional endgame of the failed Equalist movement, a powerful, intelligent non-bender who shapes the world around her. An inventor, industrialist and leader who is helping to move the world into the future. Amon wanted to elevate non-benders by eliminating bending. Zaheer wanted to empower the common people of the world by ending their reliance on the Avatar and returning power and personal agency to their hands. Both were wrong in their approach, but right in their assumption that the world was changing. Asami is that change. Ending the series by having Korra and Asami in a relationship is a reflection of the series theme of change and Korra’s own acceptance that the Avatar’s role has changed. It’s the perfect thematic endcap to the series, and meaningful in a way that a relationship with Mako or any other character could never be.

So yeah. I liked the series. I’d recommend it.