The Legend of Korra television series Book One: Air At the beginning of the series, Mako is a member of the Fire Ferrets pro-bending team, alongside his brother and the waterbender Hasook. He initially does not get along well with Korra, mistaking her for one of Bolin's "fangirls" when they first meet, but later befriends her when she joins the Fire Ferrets after Hasook did not show up for a match. Mako later starts dating
Asami Sato, the daughter of wealthy industrialist and Fire Ferrets sponsor Hiroshi Sato. Following the Equalists' attack on the Pro-Bending arena, Mako and Bolin moved in with Asami. Tensions between Korra and Mako again appeared when Korra began to suspect Hiroshi of being an Equalist, with Mako believing her to be acting on her jealousy towards Asami. After Korra's suspicions were proven to be true, he comforted the distraught Asami at the Avatar's urging. Mako – along with Asami and Bolin – later joined Korra in fighting the Equalists. The trio were subsequently arrested by Republic City Councilman Tarrlok, who wanted to use them as leverage against Korra. He, along with Asami and Bolin, were later freed by
Lin Beifong after Tarrlok kidnapped Korra. During the crisis, Mako was very open about his feelings for Korra in front of Asami, leading to friction between the two of them. This was exacerbated when Asami found out about Mako and Korra's earlier kiss. Mako ended his relationship with Asami. Shortly, Mako and Korra later discovered that Amon, the leader of the Equalists, was a powerful bender and not the non-bender he claimed to be. They eventually exposed Amon, ending the revolution, but in the process Korra lost much of her bending. When Korra traveled to the South Pole to receive treatment from Katara, Mako accompanied her confessing his love for her while there. After Korra bending was restored by Aang, the two of them embraced and kissed, with Korra admitting her love for Mako.
Book Two: Spirits By the
second season, Mako has become a police officer for the Republic City Police Force. When a cultural center associated with the Southern Water Tribe was bombed, most suspected that the Northern Water Tribe was involved. However, Mako was one of the few who doubted that the Northern Water Tribe was the culprit. This brought him into sharp conflict with Korra, a native of the Southern Water Tribe. Once Mako revealed Korra's plans to ask the United Forces fleet to help the Southern Water Tribe in their civil war with their northern counterparts to the president, Mako and Korra's romantic relationship abruptly ended in a bitter argument. Determined to find the true culprits of the bombing and help Asami's struggling company, Mako set up a sting operation with the help of a local triad. However, they were double-crossed by the gangsters. During the operation, Asami's company's warehouse was raided, effectively bankrupting her company. While consoling the distraught Asami, Asami kissed Mako. Mako continued his investigation and eventually grew suspicious of the businessman, Varrick. Before he could proceed in his investigation, incriminating evidence concerning the bombing of the Southern Water Tribe center was found in his apartment. Mako was subsequently arrested. After Varrick was arrested for the attempted kidnapping of President Raiko, Mako was released from prison. In his subsequent reunion with Korra, who through an encounter with an evil spirit forgot she broke up with Mako, Korra kissed Mako in front of Asami, Bolin,
Tenzin, Lin, Bumi and Kya. To the chagrin of everyone present, Mako failed to remind Korra of their breakup and that he was dating Asami. This ended Mako's romantic involvement with Asami. At the end of Season 2, Mako assisted in the efforts to keep a multitude of dark spirits away from Korra's meditating body in the Tree of Time while the Avatar defeated the Dark Avatar. After the battle, Korra revealed to Mako that she sensed the two broke up before her encounter with the evil spirit and the two agreed to end their romantic involvement.
Book Three: Change The
third season saw Mako, now uneasy around his ex-girlfriends, accompanying the rest of Team Avatar, Tenzin and Bumi to the Earth Kingdom in their efforts to recruit new airbenders to recreate the Air Nation. Initially they enjoyed limited success as they were able to successfully recruit one person, Kai, a young orphan whose life was not unlike Mako's childhood. However at the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se, the group discovered that a number of airbenders were imprisoned by the Earth Queen. The group would successfully liberate the captive airbenders who all agreed to join the Air Nation. While in the capital Mako and Bolin reunited with their extended family, who resided in the city. In an emotionally poignant moment, Mako elected to give his scarf, which was his murdered father's scarf, to his grandmother, believing his parents would have wanted her to have it. Later Mako and Bolin would find themselves locked in the first of a series of battles with
Zaheer's Red Lotus allies Ming-Hua and Ghazan. The firebender fared poorly against Ming-Hua 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 Mako and Bolin. 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 newly reborn 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; Mako was able to radio Korra about the deception. He and Bolin attempted to battle Ghazan and Ming-Hua, but Ghazan utilized his lavabending to trap the brothers. Thanks to a miraculous act of lavabending from Bolin and the timely appearance of Kai on his baby bison, Lefty, they 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 Mako once again battling Ming-Hua. Utilizing his lightning-bending abilities, Mako electrocuted Ming-Hua, killing the waterbender in the process. Mako then assisted Bolin who was engaged in battle with Ghazan at a cave. 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 The
fourth season began with Mako appointed the bodyguard of Prince Wu, who was next in line for the Earth Kingdom throne. He spent a large amount of his time in this capacity, helping the young prince get through some turbulent times, particularly when
Kuvira refused to hand power to Wu. Later, Mako reunited with Korra, who he had not seen in three years, and Asami. When the businesswoman revealed that she had been worried when Korra informed her that she could no longer go into the Avatar State, Mako asked when Korra had told her that. He inquired what was going on between them, learning that Korra had written to Asami during her absence. This annoyed Mako, who was miffed that he was kept out of the loop. After Wu was kidnapped, the three set out to rescue the prince. The three were successful in rescuing Wu, though in the process, Mako and Korra clashed repeatedly. When Asami remarked that their rescue mission reminded her of their old times, minus the "getting on each other's nerves part", Mako good-naturedly replied that arguing with Korra was normal for him. Wu would eventually be moved to the Asami's mansion, where he would share residence with Mako's extended family Later, Mako suggested that they "toughen up" the prince, so that he would be able to protect himself in the future. Soon however the conversation turned to Mako's past as he told Wu, his grandmother and his cousin Tu about his complicated romantic history with Korra and Asami. He was critiqued by the trio, with Tu making the observation that "...it seems like you're [Mako] so afraid to disappoint anyone that you end up disappointing everyone." After Kuvira's army arrived in Republic City, Mako 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 make an incision in the machine. A team would then enter Kuvira's machine through the hole and destroy the massive machine from its inside. The plan was generally successful as he managed to enter inside the hole with Suyin, Lin, Bolin, and Korra. Mako and Bolin entered the engine room in an attempt to demolish the engine. After defeating the soldiers, the two were unable to shut the engine down. Mako ordered Bolin to remove the cataleptic engineers and leave the room explaining that he planned to utilize his lightning-bending to destroy the engine room. Bolin realized that doing so could cost Mako his life and raised serious reservations. Mako brushed off Bolin's concerns and promised him that he would escape safely, telling him he loved him. In the process of implementing his plan Mako was struck by a bolt of energy, rendering him unconscious. He was saved by Bolin who had returned and carried Mako to relative safety. In the series' closing, Mako attended the wedding ceremony of Varrick and Zhu Li at Air Temple Island. Outside the wedding party, Mako and Korra had a conversation in which the latter thanked Mako for his help. Mako and Korra reaffirmed their close friendship.
The Legend of Korra comic series Turf Wars In part one of the graphic novel continuation of the series, Mako is now a police officer in Chief
Lin Beifong's triad task force, with Bolin serving as his temporary partner. After breaking up a fight between the Triple Threat and the Creeping Crystal triads, Mako and Bolin arrest Two-Toed Ping and Mako tricks Ping into revealing the name of the Triple Threat's new leader. Mako and Bolin 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. Mako goes after their leader Tokuga but loses the fight when Tokuga exploits Mako's injured arm. Bolin comes to Mako's rescue but Tokuga is able to get away. In the aftermath of the battle, Korra kisses Asami out of relief, leading to Mako, Bolin, Jinora and Opal discovering their relationship.
Ruins of the Empire Mako accompanies Team Avatar to Gaoling when remnants of the Earth Empire arise. His arm is healed and out of the sling, though he now has burn scars.
Patterns in Time In other media Together with his brother Bolin, Mako 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." Mako appears in
The Legend of Korra books
Revolution and
Endgame, two novels that together adapt the first season of the series. == Abilities ==