Jet


 * This article is about a character. You may be looking for the episode of the same name.

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- My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters

Jet was the teenage leader of a band of refugee Earth Kingdom children called the Freedom Fighters. When Jet was eight years old, he witnessed his parents' deaths at the hands of Fire Nation soldiers. Jet grew up to become a sword-wielding vigilante, possessing a burning hatred for the Fire Nation and going to extreme lengths to enact his revenge, endangering innocent lives.

Jet disbanded the Freedom Fighters after an encounter with Team Avatar; he and his friends Longshot and Smellerbee then decided to start a new life in Ba Sing Se. When he tried to expose Prince Zuko as part of the Fire Nation, the Dai Li arrested and brainwashed him into submission.

A second encounter with the Avatar's group reveals Jet to the truth of the Dai Li, and he helps them find Appa by leading them to Lake Laogai, the Dai Li headquarters. There, Jet is fatally wounded and later killed by Long Feng when he overcomes the hypnosis placed upon him.

Background


The young vigilante Jet held a deep-seated grudge against the Fire Nation because of an attack by the Rough Rhinos who killed his parents when he was eight. From that day on, he would despise the Fire Nation and he dedicated his life to hurting it in any way he could, even at the cost of innocent lives.

Over the years, Jet formed a ragtag group of Freedom Fighters from young Earth Kingdom refugees who had been displaced by the Fire Nation. He and his group spent their days antagonizing Fire Nation soldiers and emigrants on the outskirts of an occupied town, living in forest tree houses. At some point before he met Team Avatar, he formed a plan to eliminate the Fire Nation presence in the forest by destroying a dam, flooding the occupied town.

Encountering the Avatar
One day, while the Freedom Fighters were waiting for a distraction so they could ambush a camp of Fire Nation soldiers, Aang, Katara and Sokka accidentally walked into the camp. Just as the soldiers were about to arrest them, Jet knocked out the captain with a poisoned dart, and began fighting the soldiers. The rest of his group followed suit, as did Team Avatar. At one point in the fight, Jet took out a soldier Sokka was fighting, and told him that he had to be quicker when Sokka protested. When the fight ended, the two groups introduced themselves to each other. Katara became infatuated with the charismatic rogue and Aang was happy to make new friends, but Sokka didn't like him. The Duke found barrels full of Blasting Jelly and Pipsqueak found crates filled with Jelly Candy, both of which Jet called great scores and advised his group not to get mixed up. He invited Aang, Sokka and Katara to dinner at his tree house. At dinner, Jet gives a humorous account of the battle to his followers. While Aang and Katara quickly grow to like the Freedom Fighters, Sokka's dislike and distrust of Jet worsens.



The following morning, Jet invites the Team Avatar to stay with him a while and help liberate the valley. Katara and Aang want to accept, but Sokka insists that they continue to the North Pole. However, Jet invites Sokka to go with him on a scouting mission, to which Sokka reluctantly agrees. Sokka, Jet, Pipsqueak and Longshot wait in trees alongside a road. Eventually, an old Fire Nation civilian comes walking towards the village. Jet and the fighters ambush the man while Sokka watches in shock. Jet cruelly interrogates the old man and is about to hurt him when Sokka stops him. He objects to the poor treatment of harmless civilians, but Jet says that it must be done. The Freedom Fighters rob the old man, and leave, Sokka reluctantly going with them.

Sokka tells his friends of the incident, and accuses Jet of robbery. Jet points out to Aang and Katara that the old man was Fire Nation, and reveals a poisoned Dagger that the old man supposedly had on him. While Sokka remains convinced that Jet is a thug, Katara and Aang are convinced by him and decide to stay.

That night, Jet and the Freedom Fighters go to the Dam overlooking the village to discuss their plan to destroy it, ridding the valley of the Fire Nation. When The Duke initially objects to killing the innocent people in the town, Jet tells him that it has to be done to get rid of the Fire Nation's forces. Smellerbee discovers Sokka listening in on them. Sokka is horrified by Jet's plan, but Jet tries to convince him that it's the right thing to do. Sokka is adamant, and Jet reluctantly orders Smellerbee and Pipsqueak to imprison him.



In the morning, Jet meets Aang and Katara, who don't know about his plan to destroy the dam. They apologize for Sokka's behavior, but Jet tells them that he already apologized and that he's on a mission to help the Freedom Fighters. Jet convinces the two of them that the Fire Nation is planning to burn the forest and he needs their help. He takes Aang and Katara to the river and tells them to use their Waterbending on underground geysers to flood the river. He leaves to help the others set up the Blasting Jelly on the dam.

Aang and Katara finish their task earlier than expected and go to find Jet, When they get to a cliff, they discover Jet's plan to destroy the dam. Aang is about to go to stop him, but Jet swoops out of a tree and steals Aang's glider. Jet tries to convince Aang and Katara that he's doing the right thing, but a heartbroken Katara attacks him with water. Aang tries to get his glider back, but Jet defends himself with his Hook Swords, and jumps into the trees. A fight ensues across the treetops between Aang and Jet. Jet eventually gets out of the trees and damages Aang's glider, but Katara catches him off guard, and freezes him in ice. Unfortunately, Jet whistles a signal to his group, while Aang and Katara watch helplessly as the dam is destroyed and the village is flooded.

Katara angrily accuses Jet of mass murder, but Jet defiantly tells them that the sacrifices were necessary to ensure the safety of the valley. Just then, Sokka flies in and reveals that he'd gotten away and warned the villagers of Jet's attack, and that they're all safe. Jet angrily calls Sokka a traitor, but Sokka calmly replies that Jet is the traitor for not protecting innocent people. Jet makes one last plea to Katara, but she coldly says goodbye. The group flies off, leaving Jet frozen and defeated.

A Second Chance


Jet and two of his Freedom Fighters, Longshot and Smellerbee, are traveling to Ba Sing Se on a barge. Among the many passengers are Zuko and Iroh. Shortly after the boat takes off he overhears Zuko complaining about the rotten food, he offers Zuko to help steal better food from the Captain. Zuko and the Freedom Fighters successfully steal the Captain's food supply, and give it out to the passengers. Jet admits to Zuko and Iroh that he did terrible things in his past he was not proud of, but that was why he and his Freedom Fighters were going to Ba Sing Se to make amends, and get a second chance. Iroh contemplates his decision, believing that people deserve second chances and can change their lives if they want to.

Jet later talks to Zuko alone, telling him when he first saw his scar he realized that he was an outcast like himself. Jet states that they should watch out for each other, because no one else will. Zuko replies that he realized that being alone isn't the best path. Jet later offers Zuko a place in his team of Freedom Fighters, but Zuko turns him down. Jet then sees what he believes to be Iroh heating a cup of tea in his hand with Firebending, and becomes furious. He becomes intent on confirming that Zuko and Iroh are from the Fire Nation, forgetting his promise to Longshot and Smellerbee to start over, although he later assures Smellerbee that he only intends to gather enough evidence that Iroh and Zuko are Fire Nation natives to turn them in to the proper authorities. (All in "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill")



Later, he makes many surreptitious attempts to expose their Firebending, such as stealing their spark rocks, but to no avail, allowing his anger to cloud his judgment once again. He focuses his efforts on Iroh, as he has only seen evidence of Iroh's ability to Firebend, but believes Zuko is native to the Fire Nation by association. Ignoring Smellerbee and Longshot's concerns, he openly challenges the two fugitives in public. As Jet is an extremely skilled swordsman, he believes that Zuko and Iroh will have no choice but to Firebend in order to save themselves. Zuko gladly accepts Jet's challenge and fights Jet on even terms with broadswords he snatched from a nearby soldier, ignoring Jet's attempts to goad him into Firebending. The fight drags out until both fighters lose one of their blades (and Jet's trademark piece of wheat is cut in half). As the fight goes on, the Dai Li arrive to defuse the situation, and Jet again accuses Zuko and Iroh of being Fire Nation, but all the witnesses claim Zuko and Iroh were assaulted without provocation. A struggling Jet is arrested by the Dai Li and taken to a secret location in Ba Sing Se, later revealed to be the Dai Li secret headquarters under Lake Laogai. He is then subjected to an Earth Kingdom brainwashing technique designed to make him forget about the war. ("City of Walls and Secrets")

Answers and Death


Later, he shows up during the group's search to find Appa. He finds Katara putting up posters looking for information on Appa, and offers to help. Katara, doesn't believe him, and preemptively attacks Jet. He briefly defends himself before throwing down his swords and claiming that he simply wants to help. He says that he overheard talk of Appa being kept in a city storeroom and leads the gang there. His story is seemingly confirmed when the gang finds a clump of Appa's fur on the premises, and an old janitor claims that the bison had been moved just the day before to a distant island. However, when the group goes outside, they run into Longshot and Smellerbee, who are relieved to see Jet. However, when they question him about his capture by the Dai Li he claims that it never happened and is confused when Smellerbee insists on it.

Sokka realizes that Jet has been brainwashed, and used as a plot by the Dai Li to quietly draw the divisive Avatar and his friends away from Ba Sing Se. With his conditioning broken and true memory returning, Jet is able to lead the group to the secret building in Lake Laogai where he had been brainwashed, and where Appa is being kept. They are discovered and fight with a large group of Dai Li agents and Long Feng, the leader of the Dai Li, who proclaims that Aang and his friends are now enemies of the state. The group manages to fight off the Dai Li, and Jet and Aang chase a fleeing Long Feng into another room. However, there the cunning Long Feng uses a new trap against Aang; he speaks a verbal trigger worked into Jet's brainwashing that makes Jet fight and attempt to kill Aang.



After a few minutes of frantically dodging Jet's attacks, Aang manages to remind Jet of his past as a freedom fighter and bring him back to his senses. Jet then turns on and attacks Long Feng, who dodges and retaliates with a fatal blow. When the rest of the gang as well as Smellerbee and Longshot show up, Katara checks his injuries and says that it's not good. Smellerbee tells them to leave to find Appa. They refuse to leave them, but Longshot speaks (for the first and only time in the series), saying that they will stay with him, since he is their leader. Jet tells Katara that he will be alright, but Toph comments to Sokka that he is lying, being able to sense his heartbeat and breathing patterns. Smellerbee is then seen, crying while Longshot is seen notching an arrow. Jet dies here.

Confirmed at SDCC in 2007 by Mike and Bryan, DO NOT CHANGE IT (All in "Lake Laogai").

Legacy


Months after his death, in the summer of 100 ASC, Zuko and Katara go on a mission to find the man who killed Katara's mother, with Katara clearly intent on getting revenge. Aang recognizes her rage and remarks that she is acting like Jet. Katara vehemently denies this, claiming that she was out to get a monster, while Jet was out to kill innocents. She evidently hasn't forgotten his crimes despite his heroic "death", suggesting there may be a part of her that is still angry with Jet for his past actions. ("The Southern Raiders")

In "The Ember Island Players" Jet is a featured character at the play Team Avatar sees, "The Boy in the Iceberg". Zuko, more than anyone else, is shocked when he sees the scene in which Jet dies, asking if Jet had actually died. Sokka replies that it was "really unclear". This is a humorous allusion to the fact that the show never confirmed on screen whether Jet actually lived or died However, in the Avatar Extras commentary for this episode, it is confirmed that Jet is dead.

Personality
Ever since the Fire Nation destroyed his village and parents, Jet is marked by his almost pathological hatred of the Fire Nation. To him, all citizens of the Fire Nation are guilty, regardless of whether they are involved with the war or not. In some ways he represents what could have happened to Katara and Sokka after the death of their mother, if they had allowed their hatred to consume them.

Jet seemed to possess a high opinion of his Freedom Fighters' effect on the war, convinced they were a serious threat and the Fire Nation were sending assassins after him. This seemed to blind him to the fact that when compared to the scope of the War, his group's acts of guerrilla warfare and terrorism were relatively small.

He could be obsessive and paranoid when it came to the Fire Nation. As mentioned before, he was convinced that the Fire Nation was trying to assassinate and silence him. He became obsessed with exposing Zuko and Iroh as Firebenders, eventually attacking them when he was unable to come up with concrete evidence.

Despite these traits, Jet was recognized for his charisma, and had a charming, magnetic and friendly personality. He was sympathetic to people who were desperate, or who'd suffered at the hand of the Fire Nation. This drew many people into his group of fighters, and secured their loyalty to him, who in turn, showed loyalty to them.

Abilities


Though Jet is seen using knives and throwing darts, his primary weapons of choice were a set of twin tiger Hook Swords. He possessed great skill with his hook swords, able to defeat a master bender, duel evenly with another master swordsman and hold his own against multiple opponents. Jet was just as capable of fighting with a single hook sword as with two. He was also very agile, able to leap from tree to tree as a way to get around and to ambush his foes.

To communicate with his Freedom Fighters without being overt, Jet was able to mimic a variety of bird calls in mere whistles for different meanings. In Jet, he used this to give Longshot the signal to destroy the dam and prepare the Freedom Fighters for battle.

A skilled strategist and a charismatic leader, Jet was able to draw a somewhat large following and skillfully led the Freedom Fighters.

Trivia

 * Bryan and Mike explain in the commentary for "The Ember Island Players" that Nickelodeon was against showing kids being fatally wounded or outright killed, especially by a violent attack. It also couldn't be revealed during the rest of the story, so Toph sensing that Jet was lying (that he'd be okay) was how they chose to confirm it for the viewers. Also, in the Avatar Extras for "The Ember Island Players", a commentary bubble says "For the record: Jet is dead".
 * Katara seemed to have a crush on Jet the first time she met him; later, in "Lake Laogai" Toph could tell that Katara was lying when she denied Jet as her boyfriend.
 * Based on the injuries Jet sustained, it is possible that those injuries were internal, such as internal bleeding in the heart (since he was struck in the chest), explaining why Katara couldn't heal him.
 * In the book "How to Draw Nickelodeon Avatar: The Last Airbender" Jet is depicted with green and orange clothing instead of the blue and red theme of his show counterpart.
 * In the "Avatar: Legends of the Arena" online game Jet's torso armor is an equipable item and has been renamed as "Ragtag armor".
 * Jet and his enemy Colonel Mongke are both leaders of their respective groups, Jet: Freedom Fighters and Colonel Mongke: Rough Rhinos.
 * Jet may not be his real name, seeing as the other members of the Freedom Fighters use codenames.
 * Several aspects of Jet's character and the episode he was introduced appear to be tributes to the works of Shinichiro Watanabe, specifically Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, both of which were influential to the series. Jet's charisma, skill in combat, and physical appearance bear resemblance to Spike Spiegal, the primary protagonist of Cowboy Bebop. Jet's hairstyle particularly reckons to Spike, and he shares the name of Spike's partner, Bebop's secondary protagonist. Jet also seems to share some of his appearance and mannerisms with Samurai Champloo character Mugen, especially in his habit of chewing a blade of grass, and Jet's fight with Aang in Book 1 mirrors the strongly detailed fight choreography of the Champloo series.

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