[ I’m only going to skip Yangchen, just because I feel Korra would reach out to Aang more since he’s the most recent airbender and her direct predecessor. But I’m doing the others! ]

Avatar Kuruk —

I know what it’s like to have a warrior’s heart, a warrior’s strength, a warrior’s spirit. But I also know what it’s like to have a warrior’s pride.

I hope I love as fiercely as you did some day.

But more than that, I hope I have the courage you did, to pick up and carry on. To keep doing my Avatar duty, no matter what happens. No matter what it costs. No matter what I may lose along the way…

— Korra

p.s. And I hope you don’t mind too much that I’m a female waterbender from the Southern Tribe. I know they don’t like us much up where you were from.

- 

Avatar Kyoshi —

I always loved reading stories about you. Yours were my favorite, about how you struck fear into the heart of your enemies, about how you taught your warriors to fight with fans, to turn their opponents strength against them. I wish I could have seen you in action.

You were the strongest woman in the world—until I came along.

I hope you don’t mind too much that I want to follow in your footsteps. I don’t think my feet are that big, but… I can grow into it.

— Korra

-

Avatar Roku —

I can’t imagine what you told Aang when he was twelve years old and hoping to end a war. He must have seemed so small and helpless, but you had such great faith in him. I hope you have the same faith in me.

Sometimes I wish your shrine was still there. I might have tried to see you on the solstice like Aang did.

I could really use some guidance. I just hope that when I do finally get to speak to all of you, you don’t have seventeen years’ worth of lectures to go through.

— Korra

“Yes, I did.”

[ A more in-depth answer is here. And as a bonus, the one person Korra would want to meet is Kuruk. ]

“Oh, wow, that’s a tough one… Do they have to be alive?” That kind of changed the options a little.

“If so, I’d definitely have to go with the Kyoshi Warriors! I already talked about how much I love Avatar Kyoshi, but they’re awesome, too!” Her grin reached from ear-to-ear as she thought of all the ‘adventures’ she’d read about. A kickass bunch of non-bending girls? What wasn’t there to love??

But if they wanted her to pick anyone ever…

“Otherwise, I’d probably pick…” Avatar Aang would be nice, definitely, but in a way, she felt she had the best of his spirit still in his writings and Master Katara’s stories. Rather, after a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Avatar Kuruk. I want to know how he dealt with what happened to Ummi. We wouldn’t have to go anywhere, we could just talk. And…”

Her fist clenched ever so slightly at her side, a muscle flexing in her jaw before she admitted, “I’d want to make sure I didn’t let pride get the best of me either. He might be able to help me with that.” They shared a heritage and an Avatar legacy, but it went a lot deeper than that.

A beat, and she added, with a hint of a smile again, “And maybe he could tell me if airbending was as hard for him as it is for me.”

“I’ve heard it, yeah—well, read it. They try to prepare you for everything you might face when you cross over to the Spirit World.”

“I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”

Except actually, she could. She could imagine it very well. As the tutor told her who’d handed her the manuscript, it was a lesson in pride. In an Avatar believing he was untouchable, his power invincible, and his love for a woman superceding his duty to the world.

Koh was a villain, but he was also a necessary evil to balance the world.

She was the prideful sort. She had to be prepared for what it might cost in her journey to become the Avatar. Part of that was learning to bridle her pride and swallow her own personal ambitions for the sake of the people.

She was still learning. Hopefully, by the time she ever met the Face Stealer herself, she’d be ready.