is a major fictional character in
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's
animated television series
An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
''
The Legend of Korra
''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...
'', which aired from 2012 to 2014. The character and the series, a sequel to ''
Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...
'', were created by
Michael Dante DiMartino
Michael Dante DiMartino (born July 18, 1974) is an American animator, producer, writer, and director. He is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
and
Bryan Konietzko
Bryan Konietzko is an American animator, writer, producer and musician. He is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and ''The Legend of ...
. He is voiced by
P. J. Byrne
Paul Jeffrey Byrne (born December 15, 1974) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff in the Martin Scorsese film ''The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film), The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) a ...
. Bolin is able to manipulate the classical element of earth, which is known as earthbending. It is revealed in the
third season that he is also able to create and control
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
, which is a very rare sub-ability called lavabending.
Character overview
Bolin (愽林, in in-universe orthography) is an earthbender from a multicultural family who grew up on the streets of Republic City as an orphan with his older brother,
Mako
, better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television d ...
. As an earthbender, Bolin has the ability to move and shape
earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
at will. However, he knows a rare subset of earthbending called lavabending, allowing him to manipulate
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
, turning it into earth and back. As a friend of Avatar
Korra
Avatar Korra is the Title character, title lead character in Nickelodeon's List of animated television series, animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''), in which she is depicted as the curre ...
, the character often plays the role of
comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
within ''The Legend of Korra'', taking over
Sokka
Sokka is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel series ''The Legend of Korra''. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Jack De ...
's role in ''
Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...
''. Bolin is characterized as being somewhat dimwitted, but having a "heart of gold." His enthusiastic personality led him to becoming an
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. Furthermore, much like Sokka, Bolin has had relationships with various young female characters within the show.
Creation and conception
![P](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/P._J._Byrne_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
According to Bryan Konietzko, Bolin's character was inspired by the original concept of
Toph Beifong
Toph Beifong ( zh, c=北方拓芙, p=Běifāng Tuòfú) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', voiced by Jessie Flower in the original series an ...
, who was going to be a male character Konietzko described as "kind of a big, not sharpest tool in the shed." When Toph's character was decided to be a smaller girl, the creators still had many ideas for the male earthbender, which they implemented into Bolin.
Bolin along with his older brother Mako were designed by Ryu Ki-Hyun.
The character went through a series of design changes in its development. Joaquim Dos Santos originally wanted both characters to have strong noses, however the idea was nixed. It was decided that as the younger brother, Bolin's character would have a somewhat simplistic and naive view of the world, while Mako's character as the older brother and provider for the two, would be more cynical and serious in nature.
Bolin and Mako live in Republic City, a “modern metropolis” in the United Republic. According to the creators, the United Republic was founded by Aang and Zuko after the Hundred Year War as a place where benders and non-Benders from all four Kingdoms could live in harmony. Mako and Bolin were created in part to highlight the radical changes that had occurred in the seventy years since the end of the war, specifically the ethnic diversity and blending of cultures of the various nations in the United Republic. The two are the sons of an Earth Kingdom father and a Fire Nation mother. Because of the heritages of their parents, Bolin is an earthbender and Mako is a firebender.
Voice actor
Bolin is voiced by
P.J. Byrne
Paul Jeffrey Byrne (born December 15, 1974) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff in the Martin Scorsese film '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013) and Bolin on Nickelodeon's animated s ...
. Byrne related to the character as he explained, "I'm a people person, I'm a peoplely people, and I think that's what my character is." Fellow ''The Legend of Korra'' voice actor
David Faustino
David Anthony Faustino (; born March 3, 1974) is an American actor and radio personality primarily known for his role as Bud Bundy on the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children''. He has also voiced animated characters for Nickelodeon, including ...
, who voiced Mako, said during the show's run that while they were all given "some freedom", Byrne especially as he was "sort of the comic relief of the show" and that much of his material was improv which would either be kept or cut depending on how it was received.
Appearances
''The Legend of Korra'' television series
Book One: ''Air''
In the first season, Bolin was initially infatuated with
Korra
Avatar Korra is the Title character, title lead character in Nickelodeon's List of animated television series, animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''), in which she is depicted as the curre ...
. He befriended her showing her pro-bending tricks.
When the team needed to come up with thirty thousand yuans to enter the pro-bending Championship, Bolin accepted Shady Shin's offer to work for the local criminal underworld. He along with four
triad members was kidnapped and taken before Amon, leader of the Equalists, a revolutionary movement dedicated to removing bending from all benders. Bolin was rescued by Mako and Korra.
Bolin would take Korra on a date, although his feelings were unrequited. Later Amon and his Equalists destroyed the pro-bending arena, leaving Bolin and Mako homeless.
Asami offered them a place to stay. However, after Hiroshi Sato was revealed as an Equalist, the brothers and Asami moved to Air Temple Island with Korra.
After Bolin and his brother were arrested for allegedly interfering with police activities,
Lin Beifong
is a major character, voiced by Mindy Sterling, in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', which aired from 2012 to 2014. The character and the series, a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', were created by Micha ...
freed the two,
who informed them that Korra was kidnapped. After finding Korra, Amon launched a large-scale attack on the city. "Team Avatar" (Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami) was forced to retreat into the tunnel system of the city, where they would await the arrival of reinforcements.
After the reinforcements were overwhelmed by the Equalists
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
s, the team split up, and Bolin accompanied Asami to an Equalist airfield in order to stop the planes from flying.
They would eventually destroy the airfield capturing Hiroshi Sato in the process.
Book Two: ''Spirits''
In the second season, after the Anti-bending Revolution, Bolin accompanied Team Avatar to the Southern Water Tribe. He became romantically involved with Korra's cousin, Eska, a macabrely domineering princess from the Northern Water Tribe, who was visiting her southern counterparts.
Bolin soon found the relationship borderline abusive and intended to break up with the princess. However, when he tried to do so, Eska engaged herself to him. Bolin secretly left the Southern Water Tribe for Republic City, avoiding an angered and deranged Eska in the process.
Later, Bolin was cast to play Nuktuk, the male lead in the businessman Varrick's film The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South.
The movie was a success and Bolin enjoyed fame and fortune. On the night of the final screening of the film, Bolin thwarted a kidnapping of President Raiko. Despite being outnumbered by the would-be kidnappers, Bolin overpowered them. He forced one of them to reveal who his employer was, thus exposing Varrick's duplicity.
Later Bolin rejoined Team Avatar at the South Pole.
At the end of Season 2, Bolin assisted in the efforts to keep a multitude of evil spirits away from Korra's meditating body in the Tree of Time while the Avatar defeated the Dark Avatar. Bolin had an unlikely ally in this effort in Eska and at one point admitted his love for the princess, who in turn kissed him. Before they were completely overrun by the evil spirits, Korra's returning spirit nullified the threat. After the crisis ended, Bolin suggested to Eska that she live with him at Republic City. However, Eska declined, confessing that she was only caught up in the moment when she kissed him. She told Bolin that he would have a special place "in the organ that pumps
erblood".
i
Book Three: ''Change''
In the third season, Bolin would accompany Team Avatar as well as
Tenzin
Tenzin ( bo, བསྟན་འཛིན) is a Tibetan given name, meaning "the holder of Buddha Dharma". Tenzin can alternatively be spelled as Tenzing and Stanzin as well. Stanzin is generally used by the Ladakhi people, since Ladakhi language ...
and Bumi, in their quest to find new airbenders in the Earth Kingdom to help recreate the Air Nation. Initially they enjoyed limited success.
However at the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se, the group discovered that a number of airbenders were imprisoned by the Earth Queen. While in the capital Mako and Bolin reunited with their extended family, who resided in the city.
The group would successfully liberate the captive airbenders who all agreed to join the Air Nation.
Team Avatar traveled to the Earth Kingdom city of Zaofu to recruit one more known airbender, Lin Beifong's niece Opal. When Bolin met Opal, the two almost immediately fell in love, beginning a romantic relationship. Opal agreed to join the Air Nation, and departed Zaofu to join the nascent Air Nation at the Northern Air Temple.
Later Bolin and Mako would find themselves locked in the first of a series of battles with
Zaheer's Red Lotus allies Ming-Hua and Ghazan. The earthbender was routed by Ghazan and the brothers were captured. The brothers were transported to Ba Sing Se, where there was a bounty on the two for aiding the airbenders' escape,
and incarcerated. After Zaheer murdered the Earth Queen, ushering a period of anarchy in the capital, Zaheer allowed every prisoner to escape except Bolin and Mako. Zaheer informed the two that they would be freed, but only after they agreed to relay a message to Korra.
The two commandeered an airship and subsequently rescued their extended family from their burning house. They reunited with Korra and Asami where Mako relayed Zaheer's message to Korra: Zaheer and other members of the Red Lotus planned to travel to the Northern Air Temple to eliminate the Air Nation unless Korra surrendered to him.
The Avatar agreed to surrender to the Red Lotus in exchange for the Air Nation, who were being held captive by the Red Lotus. When it became apparent that the Red Lotus double-crossed the group; Bolin and Mako attempted to battle Ghazan and Ming-Hua, but Ghazan utilized his lavabending to trap the brothers. Facing certain death in the collapsing temple which was being consumed by lava, Bolin miraculously discovered that he, like Ghazan, could lavabend. Coupled with the timely appearance of Kai on his baby bison, Lefty, the brothers were able to escape the doomed Northern Air Temple.
Later the brothers would be locked in yet another battle with Ming-Hua and Ghazan, with Bolin once again battling Ghazan, this time in a cave. With Bolin utilizing his newly found lavabending abilities, the two were much more evenly matched. However, when Ghazan began to gain the upper hand Mako, having dispatched Ming-Hua, joined the fray. When it became apparent that Ghazan was no match for the two, the lavabender collapsed the entire cave on the three. Ghazan died in the process while the brothers safely escaped.
Book Four: ''Balance''
During the fourth season, Bolin began working to re-unite the Earth Kingdom under
Kuvira, who would become the season's villain. During this season, he was stuck between being loyal to his boss or to his friends, where he believed that Kuvira was doing the right thing despite his friends trying to convince him otherwise. Later in the season, the character realized that Kuvira was going too far and escaped her control.
By helping saving the family of his girlfriend Opal, Bolin regained her trust. After returning to Republic City, Bolin along with Lin, Suyin, and Zhu Li, interrupted a conference of President Raiko's, who was meeting with Korra, Prince Wu, Tenzin and Mako. Zhu Li informed everyone that Kuvira planned to attack Republic City in two weeks. The President ordered the evacuation of Republic City while Bolin, along with the rest of team Avatar, decided to launch a preemptive strike against Kuvira in an attempt to destroy the dictator's superweapon. However their mission was unsuccessful, discovering the army was only hours away from Republic city, a week earlier than expected, They also were surprised that Kuvira mounted her superweapon on a 25-story tall robot, which she controlled through her metalbending. The team briefed their allies on Kuvira's progress.
After Kuvira's army arrived in Republic City, Bolin took part in a plan to stop the large robot: the benders would relentlessly attack the robot to distract Kuvira while two hummingbird mecha suits would cut a circular hole in the machine without being crushed. A team would then enter the suit through the hole and ultimately destroy the massive machine from its inside. The plan was generally successful as he managed to enter inside the hole with Suyin, Lin, Mako, and Korra.
In the process Bolin saved Mako from certain death, carrying his brother to safety after he found him unconscious in the engine room of the crumbling machine. In the series' end, Bolin would preside over Varrick (who he befriended in Season Four) and Zhu Li's wedding at Air Temple Island.
''The Legend of Korra'' comic series
''Turf Wars''
In part one of ''Turf Wars'', Bolin is now a police officer on Chief
Lin Beifong
is a major character, voiced by Mindy Sterling, in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''The Legend of Korra'', which aired from 2012 to 2014. The character and the series, a sequel to ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', were created by Micha ...
's triad task force, with Mako serving as his temporary partner. After breaking up a fight between the Triple Threat and the Creeping Crystal triads, Bolin and Mako arrest Two-Toed Ping. Bolin and Mako reunite with Korra and Asami, who have returned from their vacation in the Spirit World. The reunion is cut short when the Air Nomads are attacked by Triple Threats at the Spirit Portal. Bolin comes to Mako's rescue when he loses a fight with the Triple Threat's new leader, Tokuga, but Tokuga is able to get away. In the aftermath of the battle, Korra kisses Asami out of relief, leading to Bolin, Mako, Jinora and Opal discovering their relationship.
''Ruins of the Empire''
In part one of ''Ruins of the Empire'', Bolin is now Secretary to the President of the United Republic.
''Patterns in Time''
In other media
Together with his brother Mako, Bolin starred in "Republic City Hustle", the first of three character-focused shorts Nickelodeon released in advance of the September premiere of the second season. In this short, a younger Mako and Bolin are shown living on the street, where they "enter the crime-ridden underworld of Republic City."
Bolin appears in ''
The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins'' as a playable character.
Bolin appears in ''The Legend of Korra'' books ''Revolution'' and ''Endgame'', two novels that together adapt the first season of the series.
Reception
Bolin was generally well received by press and fans alike. The character's backstory was commended, with the three part prequel to the series, "Republic City Hustle" praised for sensitively depicting Bolin and his brother's Mako difficult childhood. The depiction of the strong relationship between Mako and Bolin in the series also drew praise with the scene where Mako gives his grandmother his red scarf described as "an unbelievably powerful moment shared by
ako Ako or AKO may refer to: Candace
Places
*Akō, Hyōgo, a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
*Akō District, Hyōgo, a district located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
*Ako, Cameroon, a town in Cameroon
*Ako, the Japanese name of Alexandrovsk- ...
Bolin, and their family".
Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
editor Moddicai Knode praised Bolin's role in the episode "Operation Beifong", seeing it as the start of his character arc. According to Knode, here Bolin finally became as good as a character as
Sokka
Sokka is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel series ''The Legend of Korra''. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Jack De ...
was in the original series. Knode states that it was clear from the start that Bolin was designed to be a similar character to that of Sokka, but he states that "you can't just provide a bit of comedic relief and call yourself the Sokka of the group." Knode claims that to be "the Sokka of the group," Bolin needed enough character growth, to be "the man with the plan" and, optionally, be the character with the most romantic development on the show. Knode praises how the character of Bolin makes bold, risky decisions while acknowledging when he makes a mistake, and that despite not being the "sharpest pencil in the box," he makes up for this by teamwork and "stepping up to the plate."
Matt Patches of ScreenCrush compared Bolin and Varrick's escape in the season four episode "Reunion" to the 2008 film ''
Defiance
Defiance may refer to:
Film, television and theatre
* ''Defiance'' (1952 film), a Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander
* ''Defiance'' (1980 film), an American crime drama starring Jan-Michael Vincent
* ''Defiance'' (2002 film), a ...
'', where the characters are "blasting their way through
nemiesas they survived in the woods." Patches enjoyed the comedy in the dialogue between Bolin and Varrick, but also comments that "there’s a tremendous amount of moral insight too."
Reviewer Michael Mammano of
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
also praised Bolin's role in this episode, pointing out the "sense of authority and competence he’s developed" and noting that he is "far more poised and precise" than in previous seasons. P.J. Byrne also drew praise for his frenetic voicework, with reviewer Oliver Sava noting that Byrne's performance helped convincingly reflect the character's occasionally "chaotic" mindset.
Bolin's relationship with "ice princess" Eska during season two has been criticized for playing an
abusive relationship
Relational aggression or alternative aggressionSimmons, Rachel (2002). ''Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls''. New York, New York: Mariner Books. pp. 8–9. . Retrieved 2016-11-02. is a type of aggression in which harm is cause ...
for laughs, with a scene where Eska forcefully separates Bolin and his friend Korra being brought up often as an example.
Following the conclusion of the series, reviewer William Cannon of the Latin Times listed a number of characters from ''The Legend of Korra'' series who he felt would be suitable to have the lead role in a spin-off series. Bolin and Mako as co-leads made his list, with the reviewer commenting that "the funny awkward brother and the more serious brooding bro" would make "sitcom magic". Cannon felt that the two brothers had the best chemistry on ''The Legend of Korra''. He also believed the fact that the two characters were "powerful benders" would make the spin-off series interesting. In response to Cannon's article, Adam Bellotto of ''Venture Capital Post'' was more reserved in his assessment of Bolin and Mako co-starring in a spin-off series. While he agreed with Cannon that a spin-off series focusing on the brothers would work well, Bellotto felt that such a series would be unoriginal. He held that either a new character or an underdeveloped character from the series was most appropriate to star in a spin-off.
References
External links
Official TV Show Websiteat
Nick.com
Nick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon. The website previously served as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offered online games, video streaming, radio streaming and individual websites for each show it broadcasts. I ...
Bolinat Nick.com
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