While Avatar: the Last Airbender had Fire Lord Ozai and Princess Azula as its main antagonists, its successor show, The Legend of Korra, features a unique villain in each of its four seasons. When the first season launched, Korra was pitted against the anti-bender revolutionary Amon, a masked menace in Republic City.

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By season 2, the plot shifted to the fractured Water Tribe, and the northern water chief, Unalaq, was convinced that returning the spirits to the world would lead to salvation. But he got carried away, and he nearly plunged the whole world into one hundred centuries of total darkness! So, which of these two powerful men ranks as the best villain in The Legend of Korra?

10 Amon: a mysterious figure

Just who is that, under the theater mask and hood? Until the end of season one, fans have no way to know! Amon is one scary villain, since he's got that deep and confident voice and glaring eyes through the holes in that mask.

This makes Korra and the viewer alike uneasy, and they can't easily catch Amon during his down moments and capture him. If he were to walk about unmasked, there's no way to get an ID on him. He's a slippery one, for sure.

9 Unalaq: family matters

This is Tonraq, Korra's father and Unalaq's brother. These brothers grew up in the Northern Water Tribe until Unalaq lured Tonraq into attacking a spirit forest in order to wipe out some bandits.

This act unleashed the spirits' fury, and Tonraq emigrated to the Southern Water Tribe in shame. Truly, a despicable ploy on Unalaq's part! His connection to Korra makes his villainy that much more painful.

8 Amon: a good speaker

How did Amon go from obscurity to the biggest threat Republic City had seen at the time? He didn't just have combat power and a clear goal in mind. He also knew how to stir up the masses.

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By means of public speakers and radio, Amon enticed many of the city's non-benders to join him and see things his way, and the Equalist movement's support base grew rapidly. Not many bad guys can rake in so many followers, so fast, but Amon did it.

7 Unalaq: He didn't mean any harm at first

unalaq legend of korra

Unalaq is fascinating to watch in season 2 since he gradually slides into villainy, rather than being a total monster the whole time. This makes him more dynamic, and it's a great effect.

At first, Unalaq is pretty sympathetic, being a spiritual man who wanted to restore the world's balance in spirits and heal the Southern Water Tribe. But then he goes to the dark side...

6 Amon: Steampunk flair

You've probably seen the "steampunk" aesthetic before, it's a Victorian revival art movement based on brass and copper gears, steam engines, lightning guns, radios, 1900-era cars, and more.

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Steampunk is popular for cosplay and fiction alike, and Amon's Equalist movement brings it to the fore. Just look at those motorcycles and goggles and zap-gloves! This style helps prove that Korra really does live in a more advanced era than Aang did.

5 Unalaq: he brings in the spirits

Spirits have been part of this franchise from the beginning, but many of them were eccentric loners who had a minor role in the story. Think of Koh the face stealer, or the panda guardian of a forest in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

It's time for a spirit bonanza, and Unalaq leads the way. With his interest in spirits, these entities are seen in a stunning variety and quantity, and some are pretty friendly. Like Jinora's flying rabbit spirit friend, for example! Cuddly! As opposed to those dark spirit monsters...

4 Amon: he's inevitable

For much of history, benders dictated the flow of society and history, and the Fire Nation is always ruled by a succession of fire-benders while Water Tribe leaders are typically benders as well. And in historic times, the entire Air Nation was made up of benders!

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With more international mingling and advanced tech in Korra's time, the bender-non-bender disparity became ever more obvious, and it makes total sense that non-benders were painfully aware of their inferiority. How could a revolutionary like Amon not happen? He's a natural extension of the world's progress and change.

3 Unalaq: he unleashed Vaatu

Unalaq becomes the Dark Avatar.

Season 2 brought us all kinds of new spirits big and small, cuddly and scary alike. But there is also a final boss: Vaatu, the ultimate dark spirit! He is the counterpart to the light spirit, Raava, and they've been dueling since the dawn of time.

Unalaq is setting a high bar, unleashing a monster like this and fusing with it. The stakes have never been higher: if Unalaq gets his way, a new era of darkness will begin, and last for 10,000 years! Now, we can't have that.

2 Amon: tragic mafia family

This is Yakon, Amon's father. Now, while Unalaq has a familial connection to Korra (being her uncle), Amon is connected to Republic City's most powerful criminal and a master blood-bender.

Avatar Aang wiped out Yakon's bending, but this criminal mastermind was obsessed with victory, and he entrusted his mission to his sons Noatak (Amon) and Tarrlok. Indeed, Amon temporarily achieved his mobster father's wishes and conquered the city... but not in the way Yakon would have expected! Tarrlok, meanwhile, is horrified and pleads with Korra to end the story of this tragic family.

1 Unalaq: he nearly destroyed the Avatar cycle

These are all of the previous Avatars: Aang, Roku, Kyoshi, and more, going all the way back to Wan (the first). But once Korra dueled Unalaq/Vaatu, Raava was left vulnerable, and Unalaq got to work.

With Raava in his grip, Unalaq destroyed Korra's connection to the previous Avatars one by one, until none were left! Raava was lucky to survive at all, and Korra was missing one of her most potent weapons in the battle against evil. No villain had achieved anything like this before, and it's an act of villainy for the history books. Fortunately, Korra (with Tenzin's aid) learned another type of bending, and jumped right back into battle to finish things at last.

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