The firebending phenom who served as a member of the Fire Ferrets and Team Avatar is a controversial character. Throughout The Legend of Korra's four seasons, Mako spends time both winning over the hearts of fans and ruining his likability.

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Mako's impressive firebending skill offered him the chance to serve Korra as a useful combatant on a number of different occasions. Unfortunately, Mako's personality often pushed him away from his allies and made him one of the hardest main characters to like from TLOK.

10 He Called Korra A Fangirl Before Even Asking For Her Name

Mako, Bolin and Korra disappointed with their performance

When Mako and Korra are first introduced, the resident firebender of the Fire Ferrets shows just how unlikable he can be. Not only does Mako completely disrespect Bolin's boyish charm, but he goes on to call the Avatar a fangirl.

Mako's blunt personality is often useful, but the fact that Korra stuck around after hearing the word "fangirl" come out of his mouth is astonishing. Fans are also impressively patient for giving Mako a second chance after he verbally disrespected the Avatar during their first interaction.

9 He Kept His Feelings About Korra From Bolin

Bolin upset with Mako

After calling Korra a fangirl and learning of her role as the Avatar, Mako continues to mess up his relationship with Korra and Bolin when he refuses to deal with his own feelings.

On the other hand, Bolin is open and honest about his feelings for Korra. After Bolin opens up, Mako lies to his brother's face about his own unexplored feelings. This moment proved that Mako would rather save face than open his heart to his brother and his future girlfriend.

8 Mako Cheated On Asami With Korra

Korra & Mako Kiss on a Rooftop at Night, with the City in the Background

Mako's inability to deal with his feelings for Korra pushed him into an awkward love triangle between the Avatar and the wealthy Hiroshi Sato's daughter.

RELATED: The Legend Of Korra: 10 Things That Were Actually Adorable About Asami & Mako's Relationship

At the start of their relationship, Mako saw Asami and Korra as nothing more than well-qualified trophies to hoist up on his mantel next to the Pro-Bending Championship trophy that he never won. This explains why he was never able to choose between the two and ended up cheating on Asami on multiple occasions.

7 He Refused To Trust Korra's Accusation Of Hiroshi Sato

Mako looking angry

Many fans defend Mako for his loyalty to Hiroshi Sato, but questioning a friend and the Avatar's allegiance to the truth is a recipe for disaster that certainly doesn't earn the Pro-Bender any likability points. Of course, Mako owes Asami some degree of loyalty, but the fact that he prioritizes Hiroshi's word over Korra's is proof of the fact that he cannot help but attach Asami's value to her father's good name.

Of course, at this point in the story, Mako and Korra's relationship is a bit muddled by a cheating fiasco, but it should be noted that Mako is the one who cheated. Looking back now, it appears as if Mako is as proficient at finding fault with his friends to avoid personal responsibility as he is proficient at firebending

6 Mako Snitched On Korra, Then Broke Up With Her In Public

Mako in jail

Korra and Mako never truly managed to see eye to eye. This fact came to steal likability points from Mako after he went behind his partner's back to tell President Raiko about Korra's plan to lead General Iroh to the South Pole.

It is completely fair for Mako and Korra to have different political opinions, but the moment Mako betrayed Korra's trust in order to fight for his own side doomed their relationship. He then went on to further condemn himself by breaking up with Korra in front of all of his peers at the police station.

5 He Failed To Acknowledge Bolin's Incredible Success As A Mover Star

Bolin Giving Mako His Mover Poster

Mako fails on a number of different occasions while working through his relationships with Korra and Asami, but few fans can say that he fails as an older brother. Those few fans that do say so can make a pretty good argument due to Mako's inability to celebrate Bolin's success as a mover star.

RELATED: Legend Of Korra: 5 Ways Mako Is The Better Brother (& 5 It's Bolin)

While the mover industry is steeped in a bit too much meta-irony for fans to take seriously, Bolin is still TLOK's equivalent of Charlie Chaplin. This deserves recognition and praise regardless of how ridiculous the mover industry is.

4 Mako Hypocritically Discredits Kai's Plan To Join The Airbenders

10 kai airbending in prison

Truthfully, Mako is well warranted for distrusting Kai. The former thief-turned-airbender hustled his way past Tenzin, Korra, and Bolin and ran off the moment he set foot in the Earth Kingdom.

Still, Mako's disapproval of Kai comes off as a bit hypocritical when fans consider the fact that Mako literally joined a gang to make it through his formative years of development. All Kai tried to do was join a peaceful, vegetarian gang of monks.

3 He Lied To Korra About Breaking Up With Her

korra and mako from the legend of korra

When Korra was chased down by an evil spirit and lost her memory, Mako had the chance to finally take responsibility for his actions and set things right between him and Asami. Unfortunately, Mako failed.

This failure ruined any chance he had of rekindling a relationship with his old flame. Let's all just take a moment to remember that Mako broke up with Korra in a public place, then, in another public setting, Mako lied to Korra about the fact that they broke up. This may be Mako's most despicable move in all of TLOK.

2 Mako Let His Emotions Get In The Way Of Bolin's Diplomacy

mako police uniform the legend of korra

The Pro-Bender-turned-detective is an accomplished crime solver, but Mako's habit of leaning into his emotions in times of stress is one of his greatest weaknesses. This habit rears its ugly head when Mako and Bolin are kidnapped by the Red Lotus.

Instead of joining in on Bolin's attempt to humanize himself to their captors using conversation and humor, Mako lets his anger get the best of him and shuts down Bolin's attempt at diplomacy. Though the two make it out with their lives, it is a bit sad that Mako refuses to let Bolin do what he does best.

1 Instead Of Doing His Job, Mako Awkwardly Third Wheels At Lunch With Korra & Asami

Mako and Prince Wu

Prince Wu has never been a fan-favorite TLOK character, but his vibrant personality and innocence have helped him garnish quite a few fans over the years. These fans were surely appalled when Mako allowed Prince Wu to get kidnapped all for the sake of awkwardly joining Korra and Asami for lunch.

The young detective may have been invited, but it didn't take long for fans to realize that Mako was the third wheel in this situation. Not only did Mako create an awkward situation for Korra and Asami by forcing himself into the conversation, but he also let his feelings get in the way of his job.

NEXT: Legend Of Korra: Mako's 10 Best Fight Scenes, Ranked