Jet is not worse than Iroh
Defending Jet feels weird sometimes because I don’t condone what he did but I also really understand how it happened and still consider him a good person.
People can like or dislike any character, but something has always pissed me off with how people talk about Jet and I finally found a coherent way to express it.
Let’s look at Iroh. He fought in the war and killed many people to the point he made himself known across the Earth Kingdom. He was once friends with the Rough Rhinos who were the cause of Jet’s loss. He breached the walls of Ba Sing Se and the only reason why the Fire Nation didn’t succeed then was because Iroh lost his son.
Iroh was an adult. Iroh was a powerful firebender. Iroh had strong political power. Iroh had an army. Iroh could go anywhere he wanted. Iroh lost his son at war as an adult.
even wants him to be Zuko’s father
feels horrible he lost his son
doesn’t see a reason why any character should hate him
and will argue it was the propaganda he was fed
Now Jet manipulated the Gaang into flooding a village. We don’t know much about Gaipan beyond that there were soldiers there, but the show didn’t color in the scene of Sokka warning them (wonder why). I think we could assume there were EK civilians there. The only reason why no one died was because the Gaang interfered.
Jet was a child. Jet wasn’t a bender. Jet had other children fighting with him. Jet had nothing to his name. Anywhere Jet did go there were Fire Nation soldiers. Jet lost his parents as a child. Jet lost his home.
compares him to the Fire Nation
barely acknowledges his trauma
only considers him remotely likeable because he tried to change
or still doesn’t think that’s enough
believes there’s no way Katara could ever forgive him
and will argue he should have seen past his prejudice and trauma
If people look at Jet and condemn him, Iroh should be treated even worse because he was in a much better situation and did worse. He had wealth, he had a nation supporting him, he was an adult.
What did Jet have? Trauma, a home where soldiers are constantly passing through, a bunch of other orphans to take care of, a nation that’s losing more and more, a nation that doesn’t care about orphans, and a mind and body not old enough to deal with it (if you could be old enough to deal with it).
Jet didn’t even kill anyone. Iroh killed hundreds if his title is anything to go by and would have probably won the war had his son not died. Meaning he didn’t stop because he wanted to. He stopped because he was forced to.
Which is the same thing as Jet except every other disadvantage Jet had.
What about Jet is worse than Iroh? What about Jet makes people say he should have seen passed his anger and trauma, but Iroh is excused as a functioning adult? Even people who like Jet act like he’s worse than Iroh or that it will require a lot for him to be accepted by the Gaang.
Oh Iroh was fed propaganda his whole life.
Yeah and Jet was fed death and killing and homelessness and cruelty at least half of his life. I wonder what that does to a person.
Jet didn’t get the opportunity to see the Fire Nation living as regular people, but Iroh sure did with the Earth Kingdom and he still killed them.
Also Jet actually cared about the war and what happened to his people. Iroh did nothing until the very end. He didn’t fight in the Invasion, and he never confronted Ozai.
