Since Avatar: The Last Airbender is going through a resurgence in popularity thanks to it dropping on Netflix, it seemed like an apt moment to talk about maybe the most tragic character in the show, Jet. Jet was a simple Earth Kingdom citizen whose village was overrun, destroyed and burned to the ground by the Fire Nation. In response, Jet dedicated his entire life around fighting back against his oppressors, even building himself a small rag-tag army to do so.
But, he fell off the path along the way and became an extremist. Then, sadly, he suffered through quite a number of tragedies before eventually losing his life to a man who would later swear allegiance to the very nation he despised. So, in his honor, here are 10 things many viewers might've missed about Jet.
10 He Overestimated His Freedom Fighters
We mentioned his army, but their canonical name is the Freedom Fighters. This was a group of refugees and orphans who, like Jet, centered their lives around fighting the Fire Nation. Within their ranks was The Duke, Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak, Snears, and many other unnamed kids. And for a while, this group of revolutionaries caused a bit of trouble for the Fire Nation troops...in their immediate area. But, it becomes immediately clear throughout Jet's first episode appearance that he thought his Freedom Fighters were more of a national enemy than they actually were. The guy thought the Fire Nation had sent assassins after him after all.
9 He Kissed Katara Off-Screen
Many people who originally watched Avatar didn't know about a little side program called Avatar Extra's where the series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko would go over behind-the-scenes facts for each episode. Basically like Director's Commentary for a kids show. One little fact that they sprinkled in while covering the "Jet" episode is that Katara's first kiss was with this suave revolutionary. Where was that in the show?! They weren't afraid to show viewers Zuko and Mai making out constantly, but we never see the context for Katara's infatuation with Jet?
8 He's One Of The Strongest Non-Benders, Especially With Hook Blades
Much of the Avatar world has ties to Chinese mythology, history, and folklore. One perfect example is actually Jet's weapon of choice, the Hook Blades. These are one of the most commonly recognized swords from Chinese History and Jet uses them with masterful precision. It would be safe to assume that Jet is passably decent with them since he's self-taught and a child, but it's made clear quite quickly this Freedom Fighter leader is actually a master of the Hook Blades and one of the stronger Earth Kingdom representatives.
The best proof is his fight with Zuko outside the teashop. Zuko is shown to have trained and achieved complete mastery over the Dual Dao Swords, yet Jet fights him evenly to a standstill.
7 His Design Is An Homage To Multiple Anime Protagonists
Now, this is one of the things most anime fans noticed about Jet's character design immediately. Jet looks a lot like famed protagonist Spike Spegal, and he shares his name with Spike's closest friend Jet. But, he also shares his wheatgrass chewing habits with Mugen from Samurai Champloo. Both of these renowned series were made by Shinichiro Watanabe, which can't be a coincidence, especially since the kid even shares some personality aspects with both these characters. And, this theory was proven in the book Avatar: The Last Airbender - Art of the Animated Series, where the creators themselves confirm his design pays homage to Cowboy Bebop specifically.
6 His Family Was Killed By The Rough Rhinos
For how much of Jet's personality is built upon his tragic past, they really don't go into it much. We see multiple flashbacks for Zuko and Toph, but only one for Jet. And, in this flashback, we see exactly who it is that burnt his village down and killed his family. It's one short flashback in Season One, so it's understandable that a lot of fans missed this, especially since they were probably kids when they first saw it. But, it turns out that the Rough Rhinos, the very band of mercenaries that attempted to destroy the village Aang's trial was held in during the episode Avatar Day.
5 He's A Fantastic Liar
There are not many times where Jet gets to show this skill off, but it turns out the puffy-haired charmer is an equally fantastic liar. In fact, he's so good at it that he managed to convince Katara, a hyper-intelligent water bending master, that Sokka actually apologized like an adult.
Jet lies constantly in the first episode he's in, and when he reappears claiming to have "changed", viewers assumed that would be the end of it. But, while investigating Iroh and Zuko, Jet lies even more to his closest friends, convincing them he won't take action against the Prince and his Uncle. Of course, he does, and this is what leads to his brainwashing under Lake Laogai, but it doesn't change the fact that people believed most, if not all, of his lies.
4 He's Meant To Be Contrasted/Compared With Sokka
While the rivalry between Sokka and Jet was apparent from the first moment they met, their intentional contrast might not have been as obvious to all viewers. Sokka is a man with a heart of gold that plans with strategy but usually bumbles on the execution. He's constantly underestimated, isn't a charmer by any means of the word, and isn't a "born leader". Meanwhile, Jet is everything that he isn't, including bad traits to counteract Sokka's good. Sokka doesn't lie, Jet does. Sokka respects his own and all other heritages or at least takes an interest in them, Jet never moves past his trauma from the Fire Nation by learning about them. Even their clothes contrast! Sokka wears the garb of his tribe while Jet's are a mish-mash of different garments from both the Fire and Earthen Kingdoms.
3 He's A Bonafide Manipulator
Along with Jet's lying capabilities, the kid is also a natural manipulator. He himself might not realize it, but Jet plays into what the people around him like so they'll do what he says. He jokes around with the Freedom Fighters to get them to trust him, lets Aang play around to feel comfortable, and turns on the charm for Katara to pull her over to his side. The way he manages to get the Avatar himself and a natural waterbender to build his trap for him demonstrates perfectly how manipulative the guy can be while also showcasing how gullible Aang is (at least compared to Korra).
2 He Never Let Go Of His Hatred
Not many people were expecting Jet to make a return after his first appearance. Then he shows up on the same boat at Zuko in the episode "The Serpent's Pass" and stylishly steals some food and immediately fans learned to love him again, showering the community to this day with fanart. But, shortly after, Jet peeks on Iroh heating up his tea with fire bending and the old fanatical Jet is back. Many fans didn't understand why Jet couldn't just let go, but it's obvious the kid has serious psychological trauma that prevents him from seeing anyone from the Fire Nation as anything less than an enemy. And, sadly, he never got past that hatred.
1 And Of Course, His Death Was Unclear
Not only is the line "You know, it was really unclear" one of the best jokes in the AtLA series, but it's also one of the most meta. Nickelodeon back in these days was pretty against showing straight-up death in a kid's show, which makes sense, but Avatar is a story with adult themes that need to be seen, including the atrocities of war. And in war, death happens. But, the execs made it clear that they couldn't show a character dying in the show, so Jet's death scene was intentionally unclear because it had to be. But, once again, in the Avatar Extras episode covering Lake LaoGai, the creators confirm that Jet absolutely died in this scene.