Jetko Week 2026 Day 2: Ba Sing Se
[Image ID: A colored digital sketch drawn to mimic an old poster. It contains four characters which resemble, in order, Jet, Zuko, Iroh, and Jin from Avatar: The Last Airbender. The character representing Zuko, Li, stands center left while he faces to the right. He is dressed in muted green clothes consisting of a pale under shirt and pants, a medium toned tunic, and a dark sash around his middle. In his right hand he holds one twin blade, while his left is outstretched and cradling a small plume of flame. His hair is dark and short, his skin is pale, and he has a burn scar spanning the side of his face. It’s on the opposite side as Zuko’s actually is. His expression is conflicted.
To the left of Li is the character representing Jet, Jie. His head is over Li’s shoulder while his arms wrap around him, one around Li’s waist while the other holds a green jeweled dagger to Li’s chest. He is wearing dark blue sleeves, and half of his face is covered in a blue demon theater mask. He has shaggy dark hair and tan skin. He wears a green earrings baring the Earth Kingdom emblem on it. He is looking at Li intensely.
To the right of Li are the characters representing Iroh and Jin. Iron’s stand in is an older man with a slim face and stern expression. His receding grey hair is pulled back into a top knot. He is dressed in a pale under shirt and dark sleeveless robe tied at the waist with a dark sash, all in shades of green. He shares the same completion as Li. Jin’s character, Jinyi, stands to his right.
Jinyi is dressed in a simple light green robe with gold lining. Her light brown hair is pulled into a top knot and two braids. In the top knot she wears a golden hairpin, the end topped with a flame embellishment as well as two beaded strings. She holds her hands to her chest and looks longingly at Li. Her skin is tan, but lighter than Jie’s. She sheds a single tear.
Behind them is a red flag baring the Fire Nation insignia. Above them is Chinese calligraphy that translates to “The Boy from Ba Sing Se”. Framing the entire image is a red decorative boarder. End ID]
“The Boy from Ba Sing Se” is a play that was written shortly after the occupation of Ba Sing Se and performed at the Ember Island Theater days before the war ended. It had to compete with “The Boy in the Iceberg”, written by Pu-on Tim, which was performed at around the same time. The Ember Island Players did not perform “The Boy from Ba Sing Se”, the cast instead consisting of amateur local actors.
The play is set one thousand years in the past, though it bears no true historical accuracy. It follows a Fire Nation soldier, Li, and his father after wrongfully being accused of treason. They are forced to take refuge in the enemy capital of Ba Sing Se. Li, hoping to restore his honor, plans on taking down the tyrannical Earth King and liberating Ba Sing Se in the name of the Fire Nation. While there, he meets another former Fire Nation citizen, Jinyi, who was taken from her home by Earth Kingdom cavalry. Li also meets a boy who was born in Ba Sing Se, Jie, who holds a deep grudge against the Fire Nation. As Fire Nation forces close in on Ba Sing Se, Li is forced to choose between loyalty to his country and loyalty to his heart.
While not as successful as “The Boy in the Iceberg”, the play gained a cult following, even after the end of the hundred year war. It has since been recognized as pro-war propaganda, but it continues to be studied thanks to the boldly sympathetic way it portrays the main antagonist Jie, as well as the wavering loyalty Li shows in his country, both of which were rare to see depicted during the time it was written.
The author of the play, who chose to remain anonymous, has gone on record saying that she first got the idea after residing in Ba Sing Se shortly after it was conquered, and hearing stories of a fight between two young men, one of which accused the other of being a fire bender.
