The Legend of Korra ending explained

The confrontation and the new portal

In Book 4's finale, Korra confronts Kuvira amid the danger from a spirit-energy weapon. Korra's response to the released energy leads to a new spirit portal in Republic City. The resolution is both physical and personal: the conflict does not end simply because one fighter overpowers the other.

This event belongs to the conclusion of Balance. It is separate from the Book 2 conflict with Unalaq and Vaatu, which affects Korra's connection to past Avatars.

Korra and Asami

The final scene brings Korra and Asami together as they leave for a trip into the spirit world. Their relationship is romantic, and the Turf Wars comics continue it explicitly. The ending is not the beginning of a romance with Mako, and Asami's role is not reduced to the team's former love triangle.

What happens next in the comics?

Read Turf Wars after finishing the show. It follows the immediate post-finale period, including Korra and Asami's relationship and the effects of the portal. Ruins of the Empire comes afterward and continues the political aftermath of Kuvira's story.

Collected editions and individual parts can package the same storyline differently. The comics reading guide helps avoid buying or reading the same material twice.

Is this the catastrophe in Seven Havens?

The finale itself does not show the Seven Havens setting replacing the world. The successor series introduces a later catastrophe and the Avatar's changed reputation. Those should not be collapsed into the final portal scene without additional evidence.

For the later allegation, read Did Korra destroy the world?. For the sequence of the television books, use the season guide.