Lin Beifong's relationships

This page is comprised of Lin Beifong's relationships with other characters in the world of Avatar. Lin is a direct, uncompromising, strict, and occasionally hot-headed woman. As the Chief of the Metalbending Police Force, she regards the city's welfare as her top priority, and her goal is to end all criminal activity in Republic City.
== Relatives ==
=== Toph Beifong ===
Lin is the oldest child of Toph Beifong and inherited her mother's earthbending prowess, receiving training in all the various skills and techniques, including metalbending and seismic sense. Growing up, Lin was given the freedom to make her own choices, as Toph wanted to give her daughter the opportunity to find her own path. Ultimately, however, Lin became more interested in simply getting her mother's attention, though grew cold over not knowing about her father and came to believe that while her mother claimed she and her half-sister Suyin were a blessing, she never meant it and was unhappy with how they turned out. Lin carried on her mother's legacy by becoming the Chief of the Metalbending Police Force, but came to regret how she based her entire life and career solely on the basis of winning her mother's approval, which she did not receive. She later implored her niece Opal to make decisions based on what was best for her and not to make the same mistakes she had. Despite their tumultuous relationship, Toph would later express to Suyin after their reconciliation years later that she was proud of Lin and her accomplishments.
Lin and Toph share certain similarities, such as a tough and straightforward attitude and a dislike for childish antics, such as Bolin's endless talking. Toph also did not let Aang's status as the Avatar affect her judgment, just as Lin refused to compromise and give Korra special treatment when she was arrested for damages to the city. A notable difference, however, is that Toph was quite relaxed about rules, albeit only during her childhood, whereas Lin rigidly follows and enforces them. However, Lin has shown that she is willing to break them when the people she cares about are in jeopardy.
Despite their similarities, Lin and Toph's relationship was strained, as Toph's refusal to discuss anything related to Lin's father weighed on her, which eventually led to them becoming estranged in 154 AG. After making amends with Suyin in 171 AG, Lin considered reaching out to Toph in order to work things out with her as well. However, when mother and daughter reunited by chance in 174 AG, Lin only grew more resentful of Toph, who casually revealed the identity of her father to Bolin. When Toph confronted her about her anger, Lin unloaded on her mother that she made her furious without even knowing or caring about the reason. Although she was still willing to work with her mother to save their family, she declared to be done with her afterward, a decision Toph solemnly accepted if that was what Lin desired. After she was saved by Toph, Lin apologized to her mother for her harsh words. Toph in turn admitted to not being the best parent, though was proud of how her children turned out. Saying that it was enough for her to know that Lin did not hate her, Lin accepted Toph's words and gave her a small hug.
=== Suyin Beifong ===
Ever since she was a young woman, Lin had a rather hostile relationship with her half-sister, Suyin. While their mother was raised in a highly strict environment, Toph gave her daughters more freedom than she had as a child. While Lin was a stickler to rules, Suyin was more rebellious. Lin expressed disappointment in Suyin's association with delinquents and believed she was wasting her immense talent and potential, while also resentful of how Suyin always seemed to escape the consequences of her actions. Suyin in turn believed Lin's strict nature drove others away and the reason why she was always alone. Sometime before 142 AG, Lin and Suyin had a falling out, after which Suyin moved away and established the city of Zaofu. Suyin tried to reach out to her sister, but Lin failed to respond and Suyin ultimately gave up any chance of them reconciling.
Lin and Suyin's hostile relationship reignited when the former traveled to Zaofu with Team Avatar following reports of a new airbender in the city. Despite Suyin's kindness and declaration that she was a new person, Lin remained bitter toward her half-sister. After undergoing acupuncture sessions to relieve her of her stress from the past and present, Lin confronted Suyin over her previous actions, which quickly devolved into an argument over Suyin's refusal to accept responsibility and Lin's continued bitterness. In response, Lin angrily earthbent at Suyin, who responded in kind and dueled her sister, asking if Lin had got her anger out of her system. Before the duel could escalate further, Opal broke up the fight, though Lin subsequently collapsed from exhaustion. After sleeping for sixteen hours, the result of the acupuncture and finally being able to vent all of her pent up frustration Lin awakened refreshed and anew, letting go of her resentment to finally reconcile with her sister and forming a relationship with her estranged family members.
Lin and Suyin's relationship improved immensely after their reconciliation. When Suyin feared for Opal's safety at the Northern Air Temple due to the Red Lotus' approach, Lin was quick to place a comforting arm around her half-sister and ensure her that everything would work out. The sisters were able to work together and when P'Li managed to corner them during their battle atop Laghima's Peak, Lin covered Suyin's head, protecting her against the falling rocks, and told her she loved her, before drawing the combustionbender's fire away from her half-sister, giving Suyin the opportunity to attack an unguarded P'Li.
=== Opal ===
As Lin held a grudge with Suyin due to their history together, she gave her niece the cold shoulder as she did with her half-sister, likely judging Opal to be no different from her mother. When Opal tried to approach Lin and expressed a sincere hope to get to know her aunt, Lin, feeling conflicted, unfairly lashed out at her niece, telling her to get out, causing Opal to leave in tears, and Lin herself was driven to tears of shame after she was left alone and was called out by Korra, saying Lin would always remain a bitter, lonely woman. She only patched things up with Opal after she fainted from her fight with Suyin, following an acupuncture session causing her old memories to resurface. However, after finally letting go of the bulk of her anger and recovering from her exhaustion, Lin took initiative and approached Opal, apologizing for how she treated her and appreciating that Opal acknowledged how difficult it was for Lin to be there. Encouraging her niece to choose her own path, Lin acknowledged that Opal was a bright young woman who showed huge potential as an airbender, prompting the two to end their rift with a warm embrace.
By 174 AG, Lin's trust in Opal had grown to the point where she was willing to take the young woman along with her on a dangerous, unsanctioned mission to save the rest of their family.
== Love interest ==
=== Tenzin ===
Lin and Tenzin seem to have a distant, yet professional relationship. They interact contentiously, but she seems to warm up to him at times. She is not so inflexible or unreasonable as to refuse Tenzin's request to let Korra off with a warning at their first meeting. As the past Avatar's son and Toph's daughter, Tenzin and Lin have known each other since they were children. Eventually, they had a romantic relationship, but it began to falter when Tenzin realized they had "different goals", according to him; one of which was Lin's lack of interest toward having children unlike Tenzin. Pema confessed her love to Tenzin while he was still with Lin, resulting in his decision to break off his relationship with the earthbender. Lin did not take the breakup well, going on a rampage that caused significant damage to Air Temple Island and trying to have Pema thrown in jail. Ever since, their own priorities in life continued to draw them apart, causing their interactions to become somewhat strained. As noted by Korra, Lin appears to still have some unresolved feelings for Tenzin. On the night of the Pro-bending Championship Tournament match, Tenzin requested they call a truce, to which Lin vaguely brought up their old relation and agreed. When they were both caught off guard during the match and stunned by Equalists, Lin's first action upon recovering was to check on Tenzin. When the Equalists invaded Air Temple Island, Lin fought them off to protect Tenzin's family. They left the island on Oogi but were soon pursued by Equalist airships. She saved the airbenders by using metalbending to destroy one of the airships. However, she was defeated by surrounding Equalists and later lost her bending to Amon.
However, even Lin's sacrifice was not enough to save the airbenders, and they were captured and later broken free by Korra. Lin Beifong also attended to Korra's healing session with Katara, however it was unsuccessful. Afterward Korra was visited by Avatar Aang, who gave her back her bending. Later, Tenzin watched as Korra restored Lin's bending, appearing shocked but proud.
== Allies ==
=== Aang ===
Lin and Aang "got along famously" and enjoyed each other's company. During the Pro-bending Tournament final, Lin said she had a hard time believing that "sweet-tempered Aang" was reincarnated into a hot-headed young girl.
=== Asami Sato ===
Lin and Asami have a cordial relationship. Initially, their relationship was somewhat hostile, as Asami was disgusted at the suspicions and allegations Lin had toward her father. Upon the discovery of the hidden factory underneath the Sato estate, Lin disallowed Asami from entering, but the nonbender and her friends helped save Lin fom the Equalists. Following this, Lin and Asami worked together to combat various threats to Republic City and the world, including Amon, the Red Lotus, and the Earth Empire.
=== Bolin ===
Lin first knew Bolin as one of Korra's friends. The two worked alongside each other fairly amicably, though Lin could often grow a little frustrated at his sense of humor. After Bolin started dating Opal, he and Lin worked closely together to save the Beifong family. Lin still had little patience for Bolin's talkativeness throughout the mission and grew somewhat offended when he asked Toph about who her father was. Nevertheless, they were able to work together to rescue her family. After Kuvira's invasion, Bolin joined the force of a police officer for a short time. Though she could sometimes get frustrated at him for his poor penmanship, she mostly treated him with respect as they worked to combat the triads.
=== Korra ===
When she held the position as the city's police chief, Lin was uncompromising in her duty of stopping crime and protecting the citizens of Republic City. As such, she immediately disliked Korra when the young Avatar flagrantly destroyed public and private property, and caused a great deal of collateral damage during her battle against three members of the criminal Triple Threat Triad, despite having assisted in their apprehension. Korra's stunt at evading arrest also did little to impress Lin, who asserted that the Avatar's style of "vigilante justice" had no place in her city. It was clear her opinion of the Avatar had not changed with her attendance of Tarrlok's gala at City Hall, where Lin stated outright that Korra had done "nothing to deserve" the praise of the city.
When the Fire Ferrets arrived at City Hall to protest against the United Republic Council's stance of appeasing Amon's request and closing down the Pro-bending Arena, Lin agreed with the team, affirming that it was "time the benders of this city displayed some strength and unity" against the Equalist threat, much to Korra's surprise. While guarding the arena alongside her fellow metalbending officers and Tenzin, she noted how different Korra was from Aang, stating that Korra was "tough as nails" compared to the previous Avatar. In turn, Tenzin stressed that Lin and Korra were similar in that regard, and would get along if Lin would give her another chance. When the Equalists attacked and Korra attempted to pursue Amon, Lin came to her aid, propelling her to the roof using her metalbending, thus allowing her to intercept the escaping Equalists. Lin was also a key combatant in the battle on the arena's rooftop against the Lieutenant and his lackeys. Korra came to the rescue of an electrocuted Lin, and the latter later used her metal cables to take down two Equalist chi-blockers that were approaching Korra.
Though her goal was to leave Korra after evening the odds in order to infiltrate the Equalist airship, Lin reacted quickly to save the Avatar from falling to her death through the glass dome of the Pro-bending Arena, revealing that she was concerned for the Avatar's safety more than her duty of pursuing Amon. After witnessing how she had handled herself against the Equalists, Lin came to respect Korra and at least take her opinion into consideration. Following her capture by Amon, Lin was given a chance to keep her bending if she told Amon where Korra was. Lin refused, and Amon took her bending away. Following Korra's access of her spiritual nature, and regaining her own bending from the spirit of Aang, Korra used energybending to restore Lin's own bending abilities, for which she was grateful.
Six months later, when Korra returned to Republic City after the Water Tribe Civil War broke out, Lin sarcastically blamed her for starting it.
After Korra defeated Vaatu, Lin received word from Lord Zuko that Zaheer and the Red Lotus had escaped, and ventured to Ba Sing Se to warn the group and take Korra back to Republic City. However, upon Korra's desire to rescue Ba Sing Se's airbenders instead, Lin decided to join the mission. Although she kept her distance on the outside, Lin cared deeply for Korra, constantly worrying for her well-being, though she also trusted the Avatar's judgment. When Korra was wheelchair bound during her recovery from her battle with Zaheer, Lin was sympathetic toward her, openly showing her affection by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and telling her to hang in there, before readily helping her to ascend the stairs to the temple on Air Temple Island.
When Asami was kidnapped by the Triple Threat Triad, Lin, who had learned about Korra's romantic relationship with Asami, shared a brief yet tender moment with Korra, and assured her that they will be able to rescue Asami.
=== Mako ===
Lin initially encountered Mako in his role as part of Korra's Team Avatar. She tried to keep him and his other friends out of danger as much as she could, though Mako aided in Lin's rescue from the bunker beneath Hiroshi Sato's estate. They worked together in a team to infiltrate the Equalists after learning that Korra was kidnapped.
Following the Anti-bending Revolution, Lin and Mako developed a closer personal and professional relationship after Mako became a police officer. She appreciated his work in helping to take down the triads and believed that he could easily make detective. Their relationship was still turbulent and Lin snapped at him after he walked in on her meeting with the president, but she began to show a more humorous side to him, such as joking about her breakup with Tenzin to him after seeing Korra end their relationship.
She began to distrust Mako more during the theft of Varrick Global Industries' ships, as she believed he was being improper by bursting in on her meetings and making unsubstantiated claims. She later found an incriminating lead on Mako one from the Triple Threats, who claimed that he had helped them steal mecha tanks from Future Industries. When Lu and Gang discovered explosives in Mako's apartment, Lin was obligated to arrest Mako and bring him to prison. However, after it was revealed that Mako's allegations about Varrick being the true mastermind were proven right, Lin realized her mistake, freed Mako from prison and cleared him of all charges, also promoting him to detective.
Lin and Mako worked together with Korra's other friends and allies to find new airbenders, and later to save them from the threat fo the Red Lotus. In the three years since the anarchy in the Earth Kingdom, Lin saw Mako become the personal bodyguard of Prince Wu, and was embarassed to tell him that it had been arranged for him to relocate to Ba Sing Se with the prince. Although she did not want to lose Mako from the police force, she knew that it was above her to intervene, as the president had arranged the matter. When Prince Wu was usurped by Kuvira, changing these plans, Lin and Mako worked together to defend the city from the Earth Empire's invasion. Following the creation of the new spirit portal, Mako worked under Lin to investigate the new triad turf wars, after the criminals made advantage of the city's evacuation.
=== Metalbending officers ===
Lin is the daughter of Toph, the founder of the Metalbending Police Force, and so has always had a connection to the law. Eventually, Lin joined the force and became the Chief of Police, following in her mother's footsteps. Lin only recruited the most superior metalbenders into her force. When Saikhan became a police officer, she saw potential in him and took him under her wing. Under her tutelage, he managed to rise in the ranks and eventually became her right-hand man.
After several officers were captured during the fight between Hiroshi Sato and the Metalbending Police Force, Lin stated that she was going to resign from her position as Chief of Police in order to rescue the officers "her way", outside of the law. She also refused to send her men into any situation she would not have gone into herself and fought fiercely alongside them on many occasions. Acts like this have earned Lin the deep respect of many of her men.
=== Pema ===
With Lin and Tenzin's relationship growing cold, Pema used this as an opportunity to confess her love to Tenzin, which culminated in marriage. Tenzin claimed that Lin tried to imprison Pema, but failed, implying a hostile relationship between the two women. Years later, Lin appeared to be on civil terms with Pema prior to the Equalist attack on Air Temple Island, accepting the duties of helping Pema and her family, and was even visibly concerned when Pema underwent labor during the attack.
=== Raiko ===
Lin had a strong working relationship with Raiko during his tenure as president of the United Republic. The chief regularly held meetings with the president to discuss the city's security, such as the bombing of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. She helped secure the president during Varrick's attempted kidnapping, and during Harmonic Convergence, Lin saved the president from the Dark Avatar's energy beams. She also lent her support to Raiko during a conference of world leaders, agreeing to his plan of an offensive strike against the Earth Empire.
=== Saikhan ===
Saikhan was Lin's right-hand man when she was chief, and also captain of the Metalbending Police Force. Under Lin's tutelage, he rose swiftly in rank, and because of this, he holds her in high regard. Lin trusted Saikhan to the extent where she appointed him as her successor as Chief of Police following her resignation after the battle at the Equalist factory. However, after becoming her replacement, their relationship appears to have somewhat strained due to Saikhan's apparent switch of loyalty to Tarrlok.
=== Tenzin's children ===
Lin was friendly with Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, despite the rocky romantic history between her and their father. While the island was under attack, Lin was protective of the children, telling them to hide inside the women's quarters during the assault. However, when she was in danger of being captured by the Lieutenant, the children came to her rescue and defeated the intruders with airbending. Later, when the Equalists began pursuing Tenzin and his family, who were escaping on Oogi, Lin sacrificed herself to prevent the Equalist airships from capturing the family by launching herself onto the airships to destroy them. Although she managed to destroy one of them, she was captured and had her bending stripped away by Amon. As Tenzin's family escaped the scene, Meelo acknowledged Lin as his hero.
== Enemies ==
=== Amon ===
As former Chief of Police, Lin acknowledged Amon as a threat to the safety of Republic City's citizens. When the Pro-bending Tournament was sabotaged by the Equalists, she was rendered unconscious while Amon staged his speech. When she awoke, she pursued him and aided Korra in battling the Lieutenant, as well as a few chi-blockers. After the battle, she expressed regret at falling for his plan.
When she was captured and taken to Amon himself, he ordered that she tell him of the Avatar's whereabouts; in exchange, she would be permitted to keep her bending. Lin, however, refused to reveal anything, subsequently losing her earthbending and metalbending abilities with her defiance. Following Korra's access of her spiritual nature and regaining of her own bending from Aang's spirit, the Avatar used energybending to restore Lin's bending abilities.
=== Red Lotus ===
Lin Beifong came to know about Zaheer, P'Li, Ming-Hua, and Ghazan following Korra's first kidnapping attempt as a child in 158 AG, but never knew their true motivations. When Lord Zuko informed her that the criminals had escaped after Zaheer gained airbending following Harmonic Convergence, Lin considered the group to be such a threat that she left her duties in Republic City to come to Ba Sing Se to warn Korra. Lin came to a head with the Red Lotus in Zaofu after they tried to kidnap a tranquilized Korra yet again, and was made to hide behind metal panels during a standoff where Ghazan turned the ground into lava as P'Li combustionbent toward any attackers.
Lin and her allies would later see the defeat of the Red Lotus at the Northern Air Temple to save the Air Nation from the Red Lotus, with Lin and Su directly confronting Zaheer and P'Li. The sisters' attacks resulted in P'Li's death, although this allowed Zaheer to unlock flight, and he fled the scene with Korra. Lin also aided in freeing the airbenders from a group of Red Lotus sentries who were keeping them hostage and bore witness to Zaheer's defeat at the hands of Korra and the airbenders.
=== Tarrlok ===
As the United Republic Council prepared to cancel the Pro-bending Tournament Finals after Amon's threat on the arena, Chief Beifong interfered and convinced the Council to keep the arena open. She promised that the Metalbending Police Force would be able to protect the arena from any Equalist attack. Tarrlok asked Lin if she would personally accept responsibility for anything that happened during the finals, to which she agreed. Tenzin remarked that Tarrlok did not have Lin's best interest in mind, telling her that he was playing her.
After failing to protect the Pro-bending Arena from the Equalists' attack, Councilman Tarrlok publicly stated at a press conference that Chief Beifong had failed Republic City, and that new leadership was needed. Later, on the way to Hiroshi Sato's estate after receiving a tip that he was manufacturing weapons for the Equalists, Tenzin and Lin realized that if their search proved wrong, Lin would lose her job as Chief of Police. After losing many of her officers during the battle at the Equalist factory, she resigned as Chief of Police in order to rescue her officers without the law's limitations. Tarrlok began manipulating Chief Saikhan to carry out his desired laws, stifling anyone in his way, including the new Team Avatar. Korra confronted Tarrlok about releasing her friends and told him that what he was doing made him "just as bad as Amon." Enraged, the councilman attacked the Avatar with waterbending, but Korra soon gained the upper hand. Out of a water source and sensing his defeat, Tarrlok bloodbent her into submission and took her to his mountain cabin, far away from Republic City. To cover up Korra's absence, the waterbender planted fake evidence of an Equalist attack. Lin, Tenzin, and the rest of Team Avatar left to look for Korra in an underground Equalist prison, finding only the captured officers, who had already been stripped of their ability to bend by Amon. They deduced that it was actually Tarrlok who had kidnapped Korra and framed the Equalists. Quickly, they ran back to City Hall and confronted the chairman. At first, the waterbender denied the accusations. However, his servant intervened, telling them he had seen Tarrlok lock Korra in his truck. Lin asked the page why he waited until that time to confess the news, to which the page revealed that it was because of Tarrlok's bloodbending powers. Lin, Tenzin, and Team Avatar attempted to attack him, but he bloodbent them to unconsciousness and fled the scene before they could do so.
== References ==
fr:Relations de Lin Beifong
Category:A to Z
Category:Character relationships