Zaheer (The Legend of Korra) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zaheer |
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| The Legend of Korra character | |
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| First appearance | "A Breath of Fresh Air" (2014) |
| Last appearance | "Beyond the Wilds" (2014) |
| Created by | Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko |
| Voiced by | Henry Rollins |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Red Lotus leader |
| Position | Antagonist |
| Bending element |
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| Hair color | Black and grey |
| Eye color | Dark brown |
Zaheer is a very important character in the animated TV show The Legend of Korra. This show is a follow-up to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Zaheer is the main bad guy in Book Three: Change. His actions also affect Avatar Korra and the story in the next season.
The creators of the show, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, made Zaheer. He is voiced by actor Henry Rollins. Many critics liked Zaheer because he was a complex and scary villain.
Contents
About Zaheer
Zaheer was born as a non-bender. This means he didn't have the special power to control elements like air, water, earth, or fire. Many people in his world do have these powers. However, after an event called the Harmonic Convergence at the end of Book Two: Spirits, Zaheer gained the power of Airbending. He quickly became very good at it.
Zaheer used his new skills just two weeks later. He is a strong leader of a group called the Red Lotus. This group believes in total freedom and wants to get rid of all world leaders. This puts him against Korra and her friends, many of whom are leaders themselves. The name "Zaheer" comes from an Arabic word that means "enlightenment" or "wisdom."
His Personality
Unlike other villains, Zaheer is shown as someone you might understand. He doesn't want to conquer or control people. Instead, he wants everyone, both humans and spirits, to be free. He truly believes he is starting a revolution that will bring fairness to everyone. He often tries to avoid using deadly force unless he absolutely has to for his goals.
Zaheer cares deeply for his girlfriend, P'Li, whom he saved from a warlord. He also has strong friendships with his Red Lotus teammates, Ming Hua and Ghazan. Before he could airbend, Zaheer was known for his fighting skills and his ability to convince or trick people with his words. This made him just as dangerous as his bending friends.
Zaheer's Changes
Even though he has good traits, Zaheer is still a villain who wants to get rid of world leaders. His character changes during Book Three. His friendly side starts to disappear as finding Korra becomes harder. Near the end of the season, Zaheer stops being polite. He threatens to destroy the new Air Nation. He becomes much meaner when dealing with his enemies.
When his plans fail, he gets angry and shouts that the Red Lotus's mission can't be stopped. He is then put back in prison. After being in prison for several years, Zaheer seems to have accepted his situation. He is very polite to Korra when she visits him in Book Four. Zaheer's intelligence helps Korra recover from her past trauma. She stops blaming him for her slow recovery and faces her fears. Zaheer also helps Korra as a way to make up for taking the Earth Queen's life. This act allowed Kuvira to take control, which led to a much harsher rule.
Behind the Scenes
While making Book Three, the creators, Konietzko and DiMartino, got a call from actor Henry Rollins. He was interested in playing Zaheer. He asked many questions before trying out and getting the role. The creators said Rollins took the role very seriously. He was confused when Zaheer had a funny moment in a Book Four episode. Janet Varney, who voices Korra, said that Rollins recorded his lines in a dark corner of the room. This made him look scary to her, which helped her act out Korra's fear of Zaheer.
Zaheer was the first main villain to survive the season he was in. The creators decided this early on so they could use him again in the final season.
His Adventures
The Legend of Korra
Book Three: Change
Zaheer joined the Red Lotus as a teenager. This group was different from the White Lotus, which served the Avatar and world leaders. The Red Lotus wanted to bring freedom through chaos. Thirteen years before Book One: Air, Zaheer and his friends worked with Unalaq, the villain from Book Two. They planned to kidnap young Avatar Korra. They wanted to teach her their ideas. (Zaheer didn't know that Unalaq actually wanted to use Korra to open spirit portals and release a dark spirit).
However, Unalaq betrayed Zaheer. Zaheer and his group were captured by Tenzin, Sokka, Zuko, and Tonraq. Soon after Book Two ended, Zaheer gained Airbending powers because of Harmonic Convergence. He quickly escaped from prison. After freeing his friends Ghazan, P'Li, and Ming Hua, they started looking for Korra.
After failing to capture her, Zaheer met Korra in the Spirit World. He told her some of their plans, saying she deserved to know why she was being hunted. He was also trying to stall for time so his friends could capture her body. But Korra was captured by the Earth Queen Hou-Ting in the real world. Zaheer went to Ba Sing Se with Bolin and Mako, who were also captured.
Zaheer first tried to convince the Earth Queen to hand Korra over. But when he heard Korra had escaped, he lost his patience. He took away the Earth Queen's air, stopping her breathing and ending her life. This was the first time an Avatar character was shown doing something like this on screen. Zaheer secretly announced what he had done to the world. He invited the Earth Kingdom people to celebrate the Queen's death by causing chaos.
As Ba Sing Se was in riots, Zaheer freed Mako and Bolin from the Earth Queen's jail. He asked them to give a message to Korra: surrender, or the new Air Nation would be destroyed. The Red Lotus went to the Northern Air Temple. They captured Tenzin, his family, and the new Airbenders, but Tenzin fought bravely first.
In the Book Three finale, Korra first agreed to Zaheer's terms to turn herself in. But then she learned Zaheer was bluffing about the Air Nation. In the battle that followed, P'Li was killed. Even though he was very sad about his girlfriend's death, Zaheer's loss helped him unlock the power of flight. This power needs a person to let go of all "earthly tethers" (things that tie them down).
Zaheer captured Korra. The Red Lotus then revealed their plan: they would poison her to make her enter the Avatar State, then kill her to end the Avatar Cycle forever. But the Avatar State's power was too much for the Red Lotus to control. Korra escaped and had a long air battle with Zaheer. When she started to get weak from the poison, Zaheer tried to stop her breathing. But he was defeated by a giant cyclone created by Jinora and Korra. His plans were ruined, and his friends were gone. Zaheer was sent back to prison. However, his claims that the Red Lotus still had many agents around the world made the world leaders worry about the danger his group still posed.
Book Four: Balance
Throughout the final season, Korra suffered from bad memories and fear from her last fight with Zaheer. Three years later, in the episode "Beyond the Wilds," Korra visited Zaheer in his special prison. She wanted to overcome her fear of him. At first, he teased her. But then Zaheer realized how much she was hurting. He told her to let go of what he tried to do.
Zaheer wanted to make up for his actions that led to the rise of the harsh leader Kuvira. So, he helped Korra overcome her fear of him. This allowed her to finally enter the Spirit World and reconnect with Raava, the spirit of the Avatar.
His Powers
Before he could airbend, Zaheer was a master of many fighting styles. He had a lot of experience in combat. He was calm and patient in battle. He was considered so dangerous that he was kept in a special isolated prison. He even had to turn his back to the cell doors when receiving food. He is also very good at public speaking. He can convince people to support his goals, as he showed in his speech to the people of Ba Sing Se.
Airbending
Zaheer is very skilled in Airbending. This fighting style uses moves from aikido and Chinese martial arts like Baguazhang and Xing Yi Quan. The show's creators worked with a professional martial artist to design the fighting styles. Airbending represents freedom. It is known as the "most elusive" of the four bending arts. Airbending involves smooth, flowing movements, quick footwork, throws, and open-hand techniques. It also uses fast, dodging moves that are like the wind. Zaheer is very agile and acrobatic.
Zaheer is not a full Airbending master like Aang or Tenzin. But he had studied airbending forms as part of the Red Lotus's plan to kidnap Korra. He was skilled enough to fight against many powerful benders at once. Since he is not an Air Nomad and not a pacifist (someone who avoids violence), Zaheer often uses airbending to stop his opponents' breathing.
Flight
Zaheer learned how to fly by following the teachings of Guru Laghima. He was the first airbender in four thousand years to do this! When his girlfriend P'Li died during a battle, Zaheer let go of his "final earthly tether" (his last connection to the world). He jumped off the mountain, but he didn't fall.
Zaheer has shown that flight allows for very fast and agile movements. He could move faster than an injured Korra even when she was in the Avatar State. He could also perform airbending attacks while flying. He doesn't seem to use any physical energy to fly. He can float in the air whenever he wants after "entering the void." This is different from most other bending, which needs body movements.
Spirituality
Zaheer knows a lot about Air Nomad spiritual beliefs, ideas, and history. He especially respects the teachings of the famous airbender, Guru Laghima. Through meditation, Zaheer can enter the Spirit World. He can also move himself and others to different places in that world. Because he practiced and meditated for many years, he can still talk to his body in the real world while his spirit is in the Spirit World.
