<P> Mako implements "a modern hybrid - martial arts style of firebending" that he developed as a pro-bending athlete; which primarily involves a series of defensive weaving and dodging patterns quickly followed by successive spurts of offense . This technique compensates firebending's inherent lack of defence; rendering Mako capable of defeating an entire pro-bending team by himself . Outside of pro-bending, Mako demonstrated great skill in traditional firebending combat . The raw strength of his firebending is considerable, as he is able to offset a large and point - blank explosion unharmed . </P> <P> Mako is skilled enough to generate lightning and redirect it, having learned the skills from his former boss, Lightning Bolt Zolt . He is able to generate it from either hand quickly with little charging time and no arm movement and is also capable of maintaining the bolt for several seconds . He has used lightning for a job at a power plant in Republic City and can effectively use it in combat . Additionally, Mako is able to generate lightning in the most stressful situations . For example, when the equalist leader Amon had Mako restrained via bloodbending, Mako was able to maintain the clarity in his mind to conjure a precise lightning directly at Amon despite his predicament . </P> <P> Mako received a mixed reception from both the media and fans, best summarized by reviewer Michal Schick in an article for Hypable: "Mako is a hard character to love, but he's also almost impossible to hate ." In some circles Mako received critical acclaim . The character's backstory was praised, with the three part prequel to the series, "Republic City Hustle" praised for sensitively depicting Mako's difficult childhood . Mako has been described as "a slender Clark Kent", "the stereotypical heroic - type lead" and a respectable male character . The depiction of the strong, positive sibling relationship between Mako and Bolin also drew praise and the scene where Mako gives his grandmother his red scarf was described as "an unbelievably powerful moment shared by him, Bolin, and their family". Mako's heroic actions in the finale nearly sacrificing himself in the effort to destroy Kuvira's large robot also drew praise from reviewer Max Nicholson of IGN who opined that the character "earned back all his street cred by making a powerful and emotional sacrifice to destroy the engine himself ." Reviewer Lauren Davis felt that while the writers of the series "weren't entirely sure how to treat Mako" after his romantic relationships ended, they made his role during the fourth season "stronger" than that of the previous season and he was given "his moment" in the series finale . Zach Blumenfeld of Paste ranked Mako as the 11th best character from the Avatar universe, noting that Mako has "a heart of gold, the rare cop who shows tough love and sympathy in every situation ." </P> <P> In other circles, Mako was panned . Reviewer Erin Tatum described Mako as "...a botched attempt to recapture the popularity of Zuko, resident bad boy and puberty catalyst of the A: TLA universe". In particular Mako's "love triangle" with fellow characters Korra and Asami was heavily criticized . Reviewer Alex Cranz described the situation as "soapiness usually reserved for shows about women banging vampires". Reviewer Hannah Strom described the love triangle as "ridiculousness" and described Mako as "kind of a terrible person". She also held that "both Korra and Asami are way too cool for any of this ridiculousness and should go run away and have their own adventures". At the conclusion of Season Two, reviewer Jason Krell created an extensive list of suggestions to make Season Three "amazing". At the top of his list was for Korra and Asami to "love Mako no more". Krell characterized the love triangle as a tired romantic dynamic . Reviewer Max Nicholson noted that fans "expressed frustration" with Mako in his treatment of particularly Asami in the saga while praising the show's creators decision to give voice to fans' frustrations with Mako in the form of Prince Wu in "Remembrances". On the other hand, Zach Blumenfeld of Paste wrote that "Mako represents one of the more adult and important takes on romance ever to appear in all - ages entertainment . His confused feelings for both Korra and Asami mirror the situation in which many a young boy will eventually find himself--wanting two girls, ending up with neither ." </P>

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