| "I stand before you humble and honored to serve as your next president, with no illusions about the challenges we face. If the events of the past several months are any indication, there are still dark times ahead. Our path is far from certain. Our republic and this city are unique in the world. There's no place else where so many disparate groups and traditions have come to live as one. But Republic City is only in its infancy-- And too often, our differences become a source of conflict. But it doesn't have to be that way. Next time you're walking down the street, look up. Say "Hello!" to that stranger passing you by. Imagine what it's like to walk in their shoes. If enough of us do that, we might someday find balance as a society, and with one another. But I realize that peace and harmony won't happen overnight. After all, the Avatar has been trying to achieve balance for millennia and there is still much work to be done." |
| — President Zhu Li's speech to Republic City. |
Turf Wars Part Three is the third and final installment of the Turf Wars trilogy. It was released early at a special Gallery Nucleus signing event on August 11, 2018, in comic book stores on August 22, 2018, and was released in mass market retailers on September 4, 2018.
Overview[]
When Asami is kidnapped, Korra sets out to the Spirit Wilds to find her. Now teeming with dark spirits influenced by the half spirit-half human Tokuga, the landscape is more dangerous than ever before. The two women must trust in each other and work together if they are to make it out alive. Their fate is revealed in this stunning, action-packed conclusion to The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars!
Synopsis[]
As the Creeping Crystal Triad clean up and repair their hideout following last night's confrontation with Team Avatar, they discuss Tokuga's mutation and the upcoming election, while Jargala plays pool nearby. They suddenly hear a loud rumbling from outside, and after Jargala storms over to the door, thinking that Korra has returned, the hideout is suddenly hit by a blast of flame. The attackers are revealed to be Tokuga and the Triple Threat Triad, using the tanks and Mecha suits stolen from the depot the previous night. Tokuga claims the Creeping Crystals' turf for his own triad and tells Jargala to leave while she can. Jargala is persuaded by one of her men that they are outmatched and should retreat, but not before she warns Tokuga that the conflict is not over.
At the Republic City spirit portal, General Iroh is alerted by one of his men to the appearance of Tenzin and the Air Nation, who have arrived to protest the occupation of the crater around the portal by the United Forces. Iroh orders them to leave but assures Tenzin that he also wants to see a peaceful resolution to the crisis. He suggests that they return to Air Temple Island and wait for President Raiko to be distracted by another crisis and call off the United Forces, but Tenzin insists that the Air Nation will not leave until the United Forces do.
Lin Beifong tells Korra that they cannot attack Tokuga because he is keeping hostages.
Elsewhere, the Republic City Police surround the area around the destroyed Creeping Crystals hideout, as Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Lin observe from the roof of a nearby building. Korra asks why they cannot go after Tokuga now, to which Lin explains that Tokuga is not letting anyone in the area leave their apartments, and threatening to destroy the neighborhood if the police attempt to move in. A frustrated Korra asks if this means she should sit here and do nothing, and Lin gently assures her that she knows about Korra's relationship with Asami, before promising that they will save her. Korra thanks her, but admits that the current situation feels different than the previous times she and Asami have been in tough spots.
Asami is then revealed to be imprisoned within the now abandoned Earthen Fire Refinery alongside Wonyong Keum. The property developer tries to ask about Asami's well-being and make small-talk, but Asami ignores him and then tells him not to pretend to care about her, as his greed regarding the spirit portal was what led to her imprisonment. Wonyong justifies his actions against the Air Nation on the basis that he was simply defending his property against them, but Asami retorts that he hired criminals to try and threaten them. Wonyong responds by claiming that running a business sometimes requires unsavory partnerships and remarks that Asami likely learnt that from her father. Furious at the comparison, Asami tells Wonyong that her father eventually came to regret his involvement with the Anti-bending Revolution and sacrificed himself to save Republic City, before asking Wonyong what he would be willing to sacrifice.
Tokuga threatens to strangle Wonyong so that Asami agrees to help.
Tokuga then enters the room where the two of them are imprisoned. Asami tells him to let her and Wonyong go if he has gotten everything he needs, but Tokuga replies that Korra has not suffered enough for causing his mutation. Asami tells him that Korra was trying to stop the dragon eel spirit, only for Tokuga to dismiss this as an attempt by Asami to defend her girlfriend. He explains to a surprised Asami that he found out about the relationship by watching her office, then adds that he also wants Asami to make something for him, presenting a blueprint that Asami recognizes as one of her father's designs. When asked how he acquired the blueprint, Tokuga answers that he found it in one of Wonyong's safes, with Wonyong explaining that Hiroshi had given him the blueprint years ago, while trying to persuade him to support the Equalists. Upon realizing that Hiroshi wanted him to help make illegal weapons, Wonyong walked out on their deal and disassociated himself from Future Industries. Asami recognizes the device on the blueprint as a gas dispersion pump intended for the Equalist mecha tanks, and Tokuga reveals that he plans to attach it to an airship and use it to attack Republic City with poison gas. Asami reluctantly agrees to help Tokuga when the triad leader threatens to strangle Wonyong to death with his tentacle arm.
In his office, Raiko reads about Zhu Li's decision to run for president and fears that the presidential race is now lost, as people will want a fresh face and a fresh start. Wenyan replies that Zhu Li is a former assistant with no campaign experience. Raiko responds that Zhu Li has been helping out the evacuees, to which Wenyan suggests that she is simply taking advantage of the evacuees' situation for her own benefit. Raiko then points out that Zhu Li helped to take down Kuvira's colossus during the invasion of the United Republic of Nations, an act which Wenyan spins as Zhu Li being irresponsible and foolish. He declares that he will spin things so that no-one votes for Zhu Li, before the council page enters the office with the news of the airbenders' occupation of the spirit portal. Seeing the crisis as an opportunity to change the narrative, Raiko and Wenyan head to the portal.
Back on the streets, Mako and Korra have an awkward conversation about the former's arm, before Korra expresses a belief that she could have avoided the current situation if she had stopped the dragon eel spirit from attacking Tokuga, recalling the gang leader's warning that her actions had consequences. Mako replies that Tokuga is unhinged and trying to get at her and reveals that he has a way to look for Asami without tipping Tokuga off, but that he cannot let Lin know about it. He also admits that he found it hard to deal with the fact that two of his exes have ended up together, but assures Korra that he thinks she and Asami are perfect for each other.
Raiko arrives at the portal and warns the airbenders to leave, or he will force them out. He states that the land around the portal belongs to Wonyong, with Tenzin replying that he and the airbenders are bringing attention to the property developer's attempts to misuse it. Iroh again tells Tenzin to return to Air Temple Island, but Tenzin again refuses, to which Raiko responds by having United Forces waterbenders hose the airbenders with bent jets of water. The airbenders make no attempt to retaliate, and Iroh tells Raiko to let him call off the waterbenders. Raiko initially refuses but relents when the general points out that the airbenders are not fighting back. Soon afterward, Zhu Li, Varrick, a camera crew and a large crowd of Republic City citizens force their way onto the land to protest the occupation of the portal, Zhu Li hoping to persuade Raiko to open a dialogue about the portal's future. Addressing the crowd, she declares that the portal is a symbol of harmony and peace and should be open to all, rather than be occupied by businessmen or politicians.
Jargala Omo displays the properties of jennamite to Mako, Korra, and Bolin.
As the protest takes place, Korra, Mako, and Bolin track Jargala down to a dilapidated building in Republic City. After Mako explains that they want to make a deal, Korra asks Jargala if there are any underground tunnels or passageways in her old territory that could be used to move around undetected. Jargala replies that there are, but questions why she should tell her secrets to the Avatar and the police. Mako replies that he knows where Tokuga is hiding, guessing that Jargala would want to regain her former territory. Jargala asks if the trio wants to help her get revenge on Tokuga, but Korra replies that they just want to rescue Asami, and Jargala agrees to help them.
Jargala leads the trio through a network of underground passages said to be as old as the city itself, to the Earthen Fire Refinery, Mako explaining that it is the only building with enough space for the Triple Threat Triad to store their stolen airships. They arrive just as Asami applies the finishing touches to the gas pump and launch their attack, overpowering the triads and forcing Tokuga to flee on one of the airships, taking Asami and Wonyong with him. Jargala stays behind to retake her gang's territory, as Korra, Mako, and Bolin head back to the portal, Korra predicting that Tokuga will return to the place where their conflict began.
Asami explains her plan of escape from Tokuga's airship to Wonyong.
Aboard the airship, Asami and Wonyong look down at the people assembled around the spirit portal, Wonyong concerned for their safety. Asami quietly tells him that they will be fine, but the two of them will not be if Tokuga releases the gas, admitting that she had not anticipated herself and Wonyong being bought on board the airship. Realizing the implications of this, an alarmed Wonyong asks Asami what she has done, earning the attention of Zhen and another Triple Threat stationed in the room. Asami manages to clear things up with the triads and whispers to Wonyong that she has a way for the two of them to escape, but he has to trust her. Wonyong agrees, and Asami instructs him to grab a pair of gas masks in a nearby emergency cabinet when she tells him to.
As the crowd notices the airship, Tokuga, speaking through the airship's speaker system, declares himself the future leader of Republic City. He claims that he is stepping in because Raiko and Korra have both failed the city and that the new portal is a symbol of destruction, not peace. He then announces that he will restore Republic City's status as the most dominant power in the world and that Raiko and Korra are to answer to him. He orders Raiko to permanently withdraw the United Forces from Republic City, threatening to use his poison gas if the president refuses and warning that he will use Asami and Wonyong as hostages against any attack on his airship. Not wanting to back down after all the problems caused by his surrender to Kuvira, Raiko has Iroh comply with Tokuga's demands but orders him to secretly send planes to take the airship down, despite the risk this would pose to Asami and Wonyong. Korra, Mako, and Bolin arrive at the portal during this time, and after being warned of Raiko's plans by Iroh, Korra borrows Oogi from Tenzin to fly up to the airship.
Back on the airship, Asami deliberately sets off the pump she had sabotaged, flooding the airship's interior with poison gas, and uses the chaos to subdue the Triple Threats on-board while Wonyong grabs the gas masks. Tokuga is unaffected by the gas due to his half-spirit physiology and overpowers Asami before ripping off her gas mask. Korra rescues Asami, and Tokuga uses his tentacle arm to shatter the airship's windows, causing the gas to descend down to the crater. Asami pilots the airship through the spirit portal to keep the gas from harming the civilians, having guessed that the spirits will be immune to it as Tokuga is, while Korra battles Tokuga. The triad leader manages to block Korra's chi with his tentacle arm, but before he can finish her off, Asami banks the airship to the right while yelling at Tokuga to not touch her girlfriend, sending Tokuga falling out of one of the broken windows. Tokuga manages to grab hold of the window frame with his tentacle, but then Wonyong appears and chops off the end of it with a fire ax while declaring that Keum Enterprises belongs to him, severing Tokuga's grip and causing him to fall away from the airship.
Zhu Li rescues a toddler who was left behind during the spirit portal evacuation.
Back on the Republic City side of the portal, Raiko and Wenyan flee, while Zhu Li coordinates the evacuation of civilians from the area as Varrick's camera crew films her. As the last of the civilians leave, Zhu Li sees a little girl named Sachi down with an injured leg as the poison gas approaches her and runs forward to rescue her. Tenzin and the airbenders use their bending to stop the gas from reaching them, and everyone else, allowing Zhu Li to return Sachi to her parents. Varrick goes up to hug his wife, declaring that she never ceases to amaze him, while quietly confirming that his film crew captured the rescue on camera. After learning that Raiko's escape was also caught on film, Varrick declares that he has himself a docu-mover.
In the Spirit World, Bolin approaches the now-crashed airship as Korra, Asami, and Wonyong emerge from it. Korra tells Asami that she was right, recalling her words about how the couple could overcome anything as long as they were together, and they share a tender embrace. Moments later, the group are confronted by dark spirits, the dragon eel spirit among them. Korra tries to smooth things over with the spirits, suggesting that they work together for the sake of peace, but the dragon eel spirit replies that there will never be peace between humans and spirits as long as humans like Wonyong seek to exploit the Spirit World. Disheartened, Korra wonders if the spirits were right about the Republic City spirit portal not being meant to exist, but Asami tells her that the portal is too precious to close. Wonyong agrees with her words and offers to abandon his claim to the land around the portal. When the dragon eel spirit asks him why he would do this, Wonyong replies that he owes Korra and Asami for saving his life, and he does not want to cause further trouble in Republic City, but would rather help Korra bring about peace. Hearing these words, the spirits agree to allow the portal to remain, but the dragon eel spirit warns Korra that she will hear from the spirits again if things do not improve.
Wonyong invites Asami to do business with him in the future.
After the spirits leave, Korra thanks Wonyong for helping to defuse the situation, while Asami apologizes for misjudging him. Wonyong suggests that their companies work together in the future, to which Asami tells him not to get ahead of himself, but that she will consider it. Mako then joins the group and reveals that Tokuga has disappeared from the area where he fell but has not gone back through the portal. Korra guesses that Tokuga will lay low for a while, but will return in the future, as Tokuga is shown hiding in the foliage of the Spirit World.
Three weeks after the events at the spirit portal, Zhu Li's supporters are at the ballroom of the Four Elements Hotel to await the result of the election, which is due to be revealed that evening. At the party, Bolin greets Mako and reveals that he has quit the police force, now that the triad situation is under control. When Mako asks why he would leave when he loved being a cop, Bolin replies that while he enjoyed it, he does not want to be tied down.
Elsewhere, Tonraq approaches Korra and asks how she and Asami are doing, causing Korra to remark that she did not think he wanted her to talk about her private life. Realizing that she is referring to their previous meeting at the South Pole, Tonraq begins to explain himself, but Korra tells him not to worry about it, and that she accepts that her people have their customs. Tonraq agrees but adds that he does not want them to dictate how he talks to his daughter, acknowledging that they can be emotionally stifling, and assuring Korra that he and Asami will always have his support. After exchanging a hug with her father, Korra sees Asami approaching her and asks if they can talk, but Asami replies that the election result is about to be announced.
Zhu Li is revealed to have won the election, having gotten 68 percent of the vote. After being congratulated by Varrick, she makes a speech to the assembled guests, where she calls upon them to support one another and not let their differences divide them, and promises that she will continue working to help rehome the evacuees. She also reveals that Wonyong has donated the land around the spirit portal to the city, and she will grant it to the Air Nation. She closes out her speech by quoting the words Avatar Aang had heard when he received energybending from the last lion turtle, stating that "though darkness thrives in the void, it always yields to purifying light."
As Zhu Li recites her quotation, Korra takes Asami's hand and leads her out of the ballroom and onto a balcony overlooking the spirit portal. Asami asks why they are here, to which Korra replies that she can no longer keep her feelings to herself and confesses her love for Asami. Asami smiles and replies that she feels the same way, and the couple settles into a close embrace as they observe the new spirit portal.
Production notes[]
Transcript[]
- Main article: Transcript:Turf Wars Part Three
Goofs[]
- On page 50, Tokuga is drawn with a human right arm along with his tentacle arm in the bottom-right panel.
- On page 68, the Republic City Four Elements is shown with the domed building and the park behind it to its right, whereas the domed building and the park were to the left of the hotel in the animated series.
Trivia[]
- The bartender in the Creeping Crystal Triad's hideout bears a resemblance to Michael Dante DiMartino.