Pabu is a pet animal of Bolin and has a very fun relationship with the team Avatar in The Legend of Korra. He is also known to play practical jokes on Mako. His razor-sharp teeth, speed, and agility have helped the team get out of many tough situations. He is a fire-ferret and plays a similar role to what Momo played in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender series. He is an integral part of the team and mostly provides comic relief.
However, his role is more developed than Momo’s. He has substantial scenes where he is only the focus of attention. He also developed a close relationship with Naga (Korra’s animal guide), replicating Appa and Momo’s relationship. In this article, we will take a closer look at the role of Pabu in The Legend of Korra.
History
We see in a flashback that Pabu was originally bought by the owner of a pet animal shop. He bought the fire ferret to feed his Pythonaconda snake. When Pabu learned of his fate, he escaped from the pet shop. To save himself, he ran towards a passing-by Bolin, who took a liking for the ferret. The shop owner, however, got the animal back.
Mako refused to allow Bolin to buy the ferret, and Bolin then broke into the shop to rescue it. Pabu and Bolin were nearly strangled to death by the snake, but luckily Mako came to Bolin’s rescue. Mako then allowed Bolin to adopt the Fire Ferret naming it Pabu.
Bolin and Pabu then started to perform tricks in hopes of raising enough money to pay the entry fee of the Pro-Bending Tournament.
Meeting the Team Avatar
Pabu met the Avatar team when Korra, Naga, and Mako traveled toward the Triple Threat Triad’s headquarters to look for Bolin. Naga chased Pabu until stopped by Korra, who then introduced Naga to the fire ferret as a friend.
Naga and Pabu then immediately became cozy. Pabu even stood up on Naga to drink water. Bolin was giving Pabu a bath when Mako asked for his advice on dating Korra, but he remained silent. Later, when Pabu and Bolin witnessed Mako and Pabu sharing a kiss. Heart-stricken Bolin took Pabu to a noodle shop where they ate noodles all night. The next day Bolin referred to Pabu as the only one he could trust now.
When they exited the noodle shop, Pabu crawled on his stomach since he was so full that he couldn’t even stand.
Equalists Attack
When the Equalists attack the Pro-Bending Arena, they tie the fire ferrets to a pillar in an area they had rigged to blow up. Pabu came to his friends’ rescue and chewed all the ropes tying the team to the pillar. The team barely escaped in time before the whole area exploded.
After the attack, Pabu shifted to Sato’s residence with Mako and Bolin on Asami’s invitation. However, all of them had to later relocate to the Air Temple Island when Hiroshi Sato was discovered to be an ally of the Equalists.
Pabu also saved the group with Naga’s help when the team Avatar went to destroy Hiroshi Sato’s Airfield but was knocked out by an invisible electric fence and arrested by the Equalists forces. Naga broke open the holding cell where the team was being held captive, and Pabu used his teeth to chew the ropes tying the team.
Further Adventures
Pabu then went on to star in The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South as Jiju with Bolin and became a movie star. During the film’s premiere, Pabu was given a private room he only shared with Naga.
Pabu then accompanied the team to the South Pole, hoping to defeat Unalaq before the harmonic convergence. The team then moved to Ba Sing Se, where Bolin was instructed to hide the fire ferret since the Earth Queen does not like animals.
Pabu also went to the Misty Palms Oasis, where he started a tug-of-war contest with Naga using Lin’s scarf that Mako previously owned. However, they were both caught by Lin Beifong, who expressed her disappointment in them.
Kuvira’s War
Bolin left Pabu at the Air Temple Island while he joined Kuvira’s army. He met Pabu only when he came back. Pabu then stayed at the Air Temple Island during most of the war.
He also dressed in a suit at Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding.
Conclusion
Pabu was an integral part of the core character line-up of The Legend of Korra. If you like this article, you can also visit our website to read other articles on the Avatar universe.