Jet & Hama - Sympathy for the “Villain” (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

who are the true victims of this story?
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[@SagesRain]

what are your thoughts on Hama and Jet? To support the channel: PATREON: www.patreon.com/sagesrain

[@poenpotzu2865]

A sad reminder about the cycle of violence and war. Some part of me wishes Hama could be redeemed.

[@because7768]

You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain

[@Aquamayne100]

the same strength they used to adapt and survive, unfortunately was used to harm others but that's what trauma can do to a people.

[@alexthekid1538]

After watching this video I can see a clear parallel between Hama and Jet, and the struggle of black people in America. There are clear scars and signs of trauma that lead Black people to be angry and bitter towards their own country. To top it all off the trauma and grief were never addressed by the American government or themselves. I’ve walked away from this video with a understanding that cartoons/anime can have very heavy and realistic topics.

[@twilightknight7726]

Monsters made the fire nation an the fire nation made the monsters we known as people it’s not their fault that they’re like this, but still war is two sided thing. But still, our decisions makes us the person we are today we have the power to make the decision to be a real man no one monsters no longer

[@stranger5011]

my boy jet actually saw the error of his ways and tried to move on improving as a person. he didn't deserved to die

[@raydontgiveaf3512]

the fact that he died to a member of the own nation that he was trying to protect (and somebody who was helping someone from the fire nation) is really sad. he didnt deserve to die fr.

[@Godzilla00X]

Jet got a fresh start but threw it away obsessing over Zuko and Iroh

[@stranger5011]

@@Godzilla00X justified hatred, they were firenation. To jet they could've been spies or something just like azula did.

[@AndalusianPhilosopher]

I find Jet Hama and Princess Yue far more tragic than Zuko or Azula or Ursa. I heard some fans claiming that Azula is tragic. Whatever trauma Zuko or Ursa or Iroh or Azula went thru is incomparable to the tragedy of these three. They were good people who lost everything or even had to sacrifice their lives because of the fire nation. Zuko had people who lead them through his trauma and guided him unto right path. Azula at least has a potential to get better. I know some people cannot see this happening but going from post show comics and the beach episode coupled with the fact that both Zuko and Ursa truly want to reach out and help. Some amazing fanfics have been written about it. So I believe potential is there. Zuko by Korra's time seems to help healed his broken family. Azulas fate in canon by Korra's era is not known, and so far where Azula goes from events of smoke and shadow is also not known. RPG game did touch a bit upon it, but we have to wait until new Azula comic comes out in the fall to see. Also the Zuko movie which comes out in 2026 it seems. The Zuko movie will certainly feature Azula in it. For Hama it is not known how her story plays out eventually. RPG does say that she was tranferred to southern water tribe, but what happens after is not know. Perhaps Hama can heal. But for Jet and Yue, they have no chance. Yue sacrificed herself for the moon spirit, and whatever life she could have had was gone. And Jet passed away sadly killed at the hands of his own nation. And even more tragic the group responsible for wiping out Jets villaige and killing his famil have never been broght to justice so far in the canon. As of the comic book the rift Rough rhinos are hired security for the earthen fire refiner which evolves into cranefish town, and crane fish town beecome republic city in Korra's time. I truly hope that at some point Mongke and Rough Rhinos were brought to justice.

[@cat_pb]

I think his death was his freedom, he was so scarred by what had happened that the later situation of Zuko & Iroh situation only proved that his trust would never be able to comeback from it. He would always live his life looking for the minor disturbances and never being able to move on from it. So it's better that he passed away surrounded by his only friends/family.

[@coreywigent7693]

This is why I love Avatar. For a one-off villain, Hama was such a compelling character. You can understand why she is the way she is and still agree that she went too far. She serves as the perfect cautionary tale to what Katara could become if she let hatred and revenge consume her.

[@s.j.wormwood8946]

And that brings up a sort of beautiful point in the southern raiders episode. Katara seeks out revenge on her mothers killer and subsequently uses blood bending to her advantage. On the very troop that may have taken Hama herself all those years ago

[@Betroid]

Katara wasn’t locked up for years like an animal

[@kingnamor7777]

@@s.j.wormwood8946 That’s actually very poetic connection between the two characters.

[@Darthzim]

F the fire nation

[@memebrain2177]

Meanwhile Korra villains: Idealistic extremist

[@catdragon2584]

The Puppetmaster episode feels like a tragedy when you really stop to consider what the writers are implying. When Hama is playing nice with the Gaang, aside from her creepy moments I got the feeling that this was the kind of person she could’ve been if the Fire Nation hadn’t captured and tortured her. As you said, she could’ve been an older version of Katara. Katara said it would be an honor to learn about her heritage when Hama offers to teach her waterbending, and that’s when you really grasp how much Katara has lost in the war. She was the first water bender born in generations, and she would’ve been killed for it if her mother hadn’t died to protect her. She had no one to teach her waterbending until she left her home and traveled to the other side of the world to find a teacher. It was a culture erasure not unlike what happened with the Air Nomads (though while the Air Nomads was a case of absolute genocide, taking away the water benders crippled the Southern Water Tribe)

[@Pioupiou92]

The Southern Water Tribe suffered ethnocide, as waterbending was central to the cultural and spiritual life of the Water Tribes. And one of the tragedies of ATLA is that this culture is totally lost. Katara learned waterbending in the north, but as Hama told her, waterbending in the north was not the same as in the south. Northern society is a patriarchal and hierarchical society with royalty. Even if we cannot completely know the society of the south before the war, it is much less patriarchal than in the north (we see it in Hama's memories) and much less hierarchical (from what we see of the relationship of Hakoda and his companions). These differences inevitably have effects on the practice of bending.

[@wildfire9280]

@@Pioupiou92 And that’s what makes it all the more important that Katara “stole” the southern style waterbending scroll from pirates. I will never understand the people who took issue with it.

[@rustyshackle8000]

I think Jet and Hama are perfect representations of a quote that's always stuck with me "War makes men mad."

[@joshuahecht6866]

Or two sayings War never Changes And War Is Hell

[@EmeraldKonoha]

it is a cruel world for the innocent

[@lennarthoek8392]

And not just the men, but the women and children too

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@joshuahecht6866 No. War is worst than Hell. In Hell, at least the ones being punished are those who deserve to be there. On the other hand, makes demons of men and the ones who suffer the most is the child who will never know innocence and the soldier who will never know peace.

[@yuppp7204]

War is nothing more but a profit for the politicians and rich For if you control a country you have power and became richer but become too greedy and its never enough Thats why most countrys are messed up and why se shouldn't fully trusted them and not just because they say it makes it right

[@DamienZshadow]

I can't believe I never noticed that Jet is the what if of Sokka and Hama is the what if of Katara. If those two embraced vengeance, they would be those characters!

[@tiablue9106]

Also both Jet and Hama pulled the “remember how they killed ur mother” card on Sokka and Katara respectively

[@rickyronny4019]

No lie 😂

[@BountyHunter-ep8jk]

I always saw Jet as the dark version of Sokka, the same way Hama was to Kotara. Jet is Sokka if he didn’t have his sister . Becoming a vengeful freedom fighter bordering on a terrorist to get back at the Fire nation.

[@christophergraham5531]

Glad to see someone understands the difference between traumatic actions and absolute hatred.

[@leeeeedle1844]

Hama and Jet are two of the most complex characters in the show and have sparked so much debate. I have a lot of sympathy for them and for what they represent in our world today In my opinion, their actions are UNDERSTANDABLE but not JUSTIFIED

[@Darthzim]

Why can't they be justified

[@sodiumvalproate3936]

​@@Darthzim They were killing innocent civilians

[@Cuban20]

@@sodiumvalproate3936 Sometimes that too can be justified if it's for people to get their freedom.

[@ethirium4389]

@@Cuban20 Think in the other way. Put yourself on the shoes of the other side. What if you where murdered, tortured or even worse for a war that has nothing to do with you?

[@pokerface4396]

@@sodiumvalproate3936 In Jett's case, those so-called innocent civilians lived on his land -- the land Fire Nation occupied. They killed his family, destroyed his life, murdered his people, or sent them to slave camps, so they could take over and build their homes over their graves. Were they so innocent in Jett's eyes? In Hama's case, she was imprisoned and tortured -- and even when she escaped, not only was she too far away from home and unable to come back, she probably believed she had no home to return her because Fire Nation dedicatedly committed genocide against her tribe. Why would she be kind to the nation that destroyed her life?

[@Spongebrain97]

What I like the most with the stories of Jet and Hama is out they impact Sokka and Katara in how they too were victimized by the Fire Nation and have the right to vent their frustrations and rage but at the same time choose not to partake in savagery. Where they don't agree that it's okay to attack Fire Nation civilians who aren't representative of their government and instead judge people as individuals

[@JRBDWD]

That's pointless too.

[@michaelmurray8134]

You definitely got that right they're polar opposites. Jet is what Sokka Could have became, And Hama is what Katara could have became.

[@quizzlybear]

But you are forgetting that they didn't suffer as much as and as long as Hama. Hama was there near the beginning of the war when there was no hope in sight. The avatar was gone only to return decades later, while in the meantime she watched everyone she loved imprisoned, tortured, starve, lay in filth and probs much worse for years on end. We can't automatically put someone on a pedestal compared to another when they haven't gone through the same thing. Katara could have easily become another Hama if everyone she loved also died, she already has a bit of a dark side to her.

[@indigoimouto3703]

Yet Sokka and Katara were so much more protected than Jet and Hama. It's fundamentally different

[@michaelmurray8134]

@@indigoimouto3703 That's the point, Jet and Hama didn't have anyone to protect them from the fire nation, they had to protect themselves. They had no one to lean on or cry on, to be emotionally vulnerable with so they could be helped.

[@jeshcar]

I think the fact that Jet and Hama experienced these are the most tragic in the series when it comes to war victims. Iroh is and was a victim of war. He lost his son and broke apart but is a symbol of hope because he was able to craw his way back. But Jet an Hama? Jet was alone at 8 years old with no one to turn to for help or guidance. He lived his life angry and scared. And Hama didn't have anyone either, and she was miles away from her home with no one she can trust. While Zuko and Azula were probably the most tragic stories in Avatar they had someone who prevented them from fully breaking. Zuko had Ursa and Iroh, and Azula had her father who used her (the abuse would've made her family ordeals seem normal and would have made her feel normal) but Jet and Hama were scared, alone and broken. Just broken, lost souls.

[@phor8567]

Iroh is not a victim of war he was a perpetrator

[@jeshcar]

@@phor8567 both sides will always have victims. The Fire Nation was bought into the propaganda made by Sozin. They believe they are the best nation/people because the head government made them believe that. Iroh may have been prince of the Fire Nation but he is as much of a victim as any other because he was bought to the idea of glory made by those who didn't care about the lives of the people. I'll give a real world example During WWll the victims were the Jews. They were killed and tortured. But the Jews weren't the only ones. The Arians also suffered. The Nazi party made youth programs that forced young people to only be exposed to the facist ideals of the party. Those programs also made Arian girls from the age 13 and up to be r-ed by males who are 16+ because those males bought into the propaganda because they believed it was their responsibility to bring in more Arian children. And the girls didn't do anything about it because the propaganda was so good that it convinced those girls to believe what they are doing is right. And some of those girls would even report their family to the soldiers if the family complains about the pregnancy Both sides will always have victims. Even though Iroh, Zuko, and Azula were perpetrators the are still victims of war. A war that didn't care about them. Even though they were royalty

[@kaiserband6412]

I can agree with most of this but Iroh was not a victim of war 💀

[@jeshcar]

@@kaiserband6412 he lost his son and was brainwashed into believe his country's propaganda. He is by definition a victim

[@kingnamor7777]

I agree with the other parts, but not Iroh being a war victim. Don’t forget he is the Dragon of the West who fought against the Earth Kingdom in the past. He became a changed man when his son was killed on the battlefield.

[@davidogundipe808]

The stories in ATLA, are so touching and inspiring,and often reflect the relationship between us humans and the difference in our worldview and similarities we share.

[@TheDualHero15]

I like the "sympathy but not justification" viewpoint because it does not erase their trauma or those who did it but their reactions are not correct.

[@theskullboy8700]

“Understanding you does not mean I agree with you”

[@rickyronny4019]

@@theskullboy8700facts

[@Iris-is5ou]

I think Jet and Hama are the most tragic characters of the show. Most of the other characters got their happy ending in the end, but they didn't. They were victims, who yes did bad things, but were still victims non the less. Hama maybe was too old, too far gone into her rage to turn around, but Jet still had a life ahead of him. He could have healed and moved on to have a happy life, but he wasn't given that chance. Unlike Zuko who similarly was a victim who did bad things, but in the end he had the time to change, grow and heal. He has what Jet could have had if he lived.

[@rickyronny4019]

Facts. I feel bad for Jet

[@SnakeMan448]

I like that Avatar showed the toll of 100 years of war inflicted on the world; the Gaang encountered almost as many non-Fire Nation antagonists as they did Fire Nation ones. The former's motivations were always on full display: they were traumatised by the endless conflict, doing their best to cope and just wanted to end the war quickly, although they ended up going about it the wrong way. Hama's idea of revenge against innocent villagers instead of fleeing the nation and joining the war effort is her coping with feeling like she has nowhere to go - she risks being recaptured by the soldiers if she boards a ship, her bloodbending is too situational to become a key asset, and her tribe has no waterbenders and she knows too little about the other tribes.

[@empatheticrambo4890]

It’s gut wrenching what Hama and Jet went through. It’s interesting how one turned their power towards liberation and the other to revenge. That’s colonialism, as you said, and the mirror of the main group

[@Dk34lamron]

The man has spoken.

[@Δ-Δ-Δ-Δ]

I love this bloke so much.

[@mr.skateandwatch]

The rain has dropped

[@INdySycive]

We gotta do this each video now

[@Dk34lamron]

@@INdySycive It’s a religion at this point.

[@Dk34lamron]

@@Δ-Δ-Δ-Δ love you to❤️❤️❤️

[@andrealabor3225]

This was beautifully written, especially when it's so difficult to put into words the true magnitude of what was stolen from these two. "If I can give them grace, I can afford these two with a bit of sympathy," indeed.

[@olivialim7541]

Far more than "a bit"

[@Grayson-Winchester]

People like Jet & Hama should have inspired more people in the last 100 years so that the war wouldn't be so one-sided and have severe backlash for the fire nation.

[@VoiceOfTheEmperor]

The Fire Nation is like the Galactic Empire. It's too powerful to take on in one battle. Or even a handful. You have to whittle it down over time.

[@Grayson-Winchester]

@@VoiceOfTheEmperor yeah,so naturally there should have already been a rebellion but the white lotus only acted when Aang came into the picture. The fire nation could have tried to destroy itself when you consider the poor villages.

[@heathersmith4042]

@@Grayson-Winchester there were plenty of rebellions. we saw plenty of people opposing them- ozai comments as such in the finale that there are so many rebellions in the earth kingdom that even having conquered every major city, they can't keep hold of it. but with the fire nation also imprisoning all other benders to kneecap any rebellions before they started and being the only nation to have industrialized, therefore having a vastly superior army, none of the rebellions could succeed. the only way for the war to end was for the fire nation to willingly stand down, and that's why the white lotus waited to act until someone was ready to take ozai's place and make that happen.

[@sunnybear178]

What you are asking for is to not really stop your oppressors who already have no problem killing people including civilians. Your stance is just akin to tone policing while the world in burning- it's abit too privileged

[@jessicatoussaint9140]

This honestly made me want to tear up. You show the raw reality of what not only these characters experienced (and how it influenced their actions) but why it's important for us to understand their rage. Understanding does not equal justification (as you clearly point out) but this is the reality of trauma. How it applies to war, but how that can even be extended to other forms of trauma. From natural disasters and grief, to abuse and assault. Trauma is everywhere and many people suffer unimaginable pain. And if you at least had some love and help along the way (like Sokka and Katara did) then you might get by differently than those who did not (like Jet and Hama). Katara and Sokka were fortunate to have their gran gran and a loving community. Even Hakoda who, despite leaving for war, made and effort to be there for his children later on. Jet or Hama didn't have that. They had their rage, anger, trauma, and themselves. If maybe they had someone willing to help them along the way, they could have been different people and had different endings. But we'll never know. What we are left with is the reality of who they are and how their rage shaped them. Rage that is relatable and should be seen and understood. And by analyzing we can understand how to help others but most importantly ourselves. Not everyone can "recover" from trauma. Some things inside us are just broken. To a point where even modern day treatments of various therapies and medications can only do so much. Many of us are doing what we can with where we are and the tools we've acquired. But, I honestly hope that everyone can have someone in their lives winning to help them show the way. Whether it's a family member, a friend, a lover, so on. Just one person willing to help carry the pain and show them a life with love in it. It can make the difference between living with some form of peace, or living filled with hatred. A person's life might never be fully better, but it can be somewhat. Even if just a little. P.S.: Something personal for me, I have suffered a lot of horrible trauma in my life. Form childhood, to my young adult life (currently 25). I look at the reality of my experience and how my abusive mom (dead) has contributed the most damage. I never got to know much of her life, but from the little I do know, I can see she was alone. It seemed she didn't really have anyone that cared enough to help with the burden of her pain. Whether people knew how to or didn't care enough to, it's not surprise she became the monster she did. None of her actions will ever be justified (and I have baggage I might not ever fully heal from) but it's the reality of generational trauma. I am fortunate to have some loving friends, a great therapist, and support that, if I didn't have, I would have ended up in a worse place. I recognize how fortunate I am in this regard where for others, they don't have such support

[@sidimart]

Iroh, a war criminal who laughed at the sight of Ba Sing Se's wall falling and burning to the ground, gets his redemption only after his son dies on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Hama gets put in a cell like an animal, tortured and forced to watch her people rot in their cells and almost the whole fandom treats her like a monster. Everyone forgets Irohs wrong-doings but remembers Hamas.

[@indigoimouto3703]

Agreed. The double standards are strong in this fandom

[@may83195]

It’s not a double standard? Iroh committing war crimes is something fans made up, while Hama commits the actual war crime of imprisoning civilians, some of whose are children, on-screen

[@Da_caffeinated_insomniac]

I think it comes down to circumstances with people,with iroh believing what he was doing what he was raised to do and after his son died he took time to reevaluate his life and changed into the man he is now With Hama she was so broken by all that had happened she had nothing else to do but break and then desiccated herself to making the fire nation suffer ,even if they were innocent they weren’t to her People sympathise with iroh because despite what he’s done he dedicated himself to a better path and throughout the series is shown to have positively impacted the world because of it (dragons & white lotus.etc) but Hama loses people because of how she dedicated herself to everyone’s suffering,and these were innocent people Hama was presumably starving to death in that mountain ,but that’s my take so you know……probably really wrong

[@wildfire9280]

@@may83195 It’s really just the on screen part that counts in how the characters get remembered, plus Hama looks to be as old as he is.

[@AndalusianPhilosopher]

@@may83195Iroh led a 600 day siege and this is not a war crime?

[@XenoRaptor-98765]

“Battles leaves scars most people can’t see”

[@jamestolbert1856]

I’m glad that Zuko did everything he did to redeem the Fire Nation, and they’re trying everything they can to make up the evil deeds they committed in the past.

[@AndalusianPhilosopher]

But not everyone will forgive and some will carry hatred for Fire Nation for life. This is how war is.

[@kingalastor936]

​@@AndalusianPhilosopherthat is also how redemption works and I was dissapointed no one genuinely hated Zuko, or continued to do so. Some people will still hate you no matter what you do due to your past choices.

[@phxntom-striker]

I've always found the similarities between Zuko and Jet to be ironic. Jet, is just like the type of people he hates. Passionate and relentless. But especially in both Zuko and Jet; Young and Naïve. Zuko also had that fiery persistence and grit -- but the difference being he had Iroh. On the contrary, unlike Zuko, Jet became aware of his straying and tried to become better. Zuko became the very rage that consumed him, but Iroh was there to control it Sometimes I wonder what kind of relationship Zuko and Jet would've had, had he not been blinded by a deep, deep hatred for fire benders. Jet might have even become an extremely vital piece in fighting the war against the Fire Nation. Jet's story is definitely described best as a "Tragedy" and a big "What if".

[@jadenbrown522]

Hama is the most Broken. She watched her fellow Waterbenders of the Southern Water Tribe be taken away and finally she to was taken away from her Homeland, Family and Friends. Being imprisoned and with the captives and treated Inhumanely by the Fire Nation Soldiers. She said " The Gaurds were always careful keeping any water from us, They piped in Dry Air and have them Suspended from the ground, before giving us any water, they bind our hands and feet so we could'nt bend, any sign a trouble was met with Cruel Retribution". Let that sink in. Jet on the other hand. He was forced to see his Family get killed and his City destroyed. He was suffering from Trauma. And It caused him to hate Fire Nation people who were never envoled in the the city's destruction and was willing to decimate a Earth Kingdom village to " Win". In Book 2 Earth, Jet was willing to redeem himself by helping Team Avatar in finding Appa. But was killed by Long Feng. Jet deserved more.

[@tobiasGR3Y]

War leaves scars. Some take years or decades to surface. Some you can see the moments after they're made.

[@anthony-be6fl]

No one talks about how katara more or less was similar to jet. She was ready to end the man from the fire nation who killed her mom. She should out of anyone understand the hatred Jet had in him.

[@ashesandposies]

Good point, I do remember Aang telling Katara she was acting like jet

[@MrMoleHole]

​@@ashesandposies Katara stated the difference herself, "It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man is a monster".

[@tierefuerimmer9635]

​@MrMoleHole She did have a point though and I think had Avatar been PG-13 I think Katara would killed him but either way it wouldn't have brought her mother back.

[@MrMoleHole]

@@tierefuerimmer9635 Katara knew that tho, she just wanted revenge

[@haileyharmon5298]

I think Hama and Jet while have understandable reasons, they did went at it the wrong way. But I can understand why they did it, after all the Fire Nation left them traumatized.

[@mr.skateandwatch]

What makes them intriguing characters for me are their connections with katara. She barely fell into Hama and Jet’s original and respected methods against the fire nation, regardless on if they were torn from the same cloth. However, they all contrast on their nature and circumstances. Not a lot of people are privileged to go on a life changing journey with the avatar like katara has. Imagine a few days more if katara never broke aang’s frozen incel-ular prison. She’d end up in a similar mindset like Jet or Hama, if not much-much worse than they are.

[@aso375]

Jet and Hama are people who have completely lost hope, trapped in a seemingly endless war that they are powerless to stop. How could they not take revenge on the Fire Nation? They had absolutely no future to fight for, their homes and the people they knew were dead, so what was left? Katara and Sokka had each other, their home, and they found Aang, but the other two? As far as they were concerned they were already dead in life, so why would they care killing a bunch of enemy civilians? The Fire Nation had started that, so technically they were legitimized to do it from their point of view.

[@turnerharrismusic]

FINALLY! Someone has given these two the respect they deserve. Jet and Hama are the tragic heroes of the Avatar Universe. Their stories were cut too short. Especially Jet, thank you for this video. Seriously, this is long overdue.

[@KillerMoth_Stumpy]

Jet and Hama are some of the saddest and most rageful side characters in the whole atla universe

[@LordWyatt]

Hama was the reason the Fire Nation thought there was one southern water bender left and thus indirectly the cause of Kaya’s murder by Yon Ra

[@jasminedragon7360]

The cycle of war, it doesn’t just stop, and there is no guarantee that it won’t keep going. There is no guarantee that the pain and trauma can’t drown you 😢😢

[@celestialnubian]

I have much sympathy for Hama.

[@zephaniahdejene1746]

The writing of avatar never ceases to amaze me

[@CharmCityGamer]

I felt awful for both especially Jet, Thanks Sage!

[@me0101001000]

To put it concisely, "hurt people hurt people". I don't know who said it first, but it's a beautifully sad statement.

[@pirateslifeforme7158]

I just realized now but jet and his freedom fighters were inspired by Robin hood. Heck both jet and zuko steal when they need or want. And duke (the big guy) is clearly little Jon.

[@andalilbitqueer]

I feel like Jet and Hama's storylines showcases the shallow depth of the show's portrayal of how to heal the scars of imperialism; I think that's mostly due to the fact that the history they're inspired from i.e. Japanese Imperialism didn't have much of a just ending either. It's very odd to me that the Fire Lord is still portrayed to be the absolute ruler in TLOK, seeing as that confirms that the status quo never fundamentally changed in the Fire Nation.

[@AndalusianPhilosopher]

I would not say that in Korra Fire Lord is absolute ruler. I am sure Zuko did everything to ensure thing like hundred year war never happens again. In fact in Korra we know about Fire Nation the least.

[@VoiceOfTheEmperor]

The thing about vendettas. Even if you get to personally see a mushroom cloud over your adversary's capital and force them to watch...It won't be enough. It never will be. You need to forgive otherwise you'll end up causing even more misery.

[@owesyoumoney3912]

Pulling the water out of living things like the trees and flowers looks so cool.

[@theskullboy8700]

“We must become greater monsters to destroy our enemies. That is how well get justice” And by the time that day comes. When you destroy your monstrous enemies you will have no ground bellow you. Because all the justice you stood for was thrown away. The minute you became a monster. And all your effort you made was for nothing but stagnation

[@christianleeperrr7641]

This was one of your absolute best and most fascinating videos, very , very fucking good,

[@KentaroMiyamoto21]

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

[@TheOddityFair]

Hard to add anything more to that. You, pretty much, said it all. You can look at either of these two, their histories, & their actions & understand them. Even when I first saw ‘The Puppetmaster’ as a child I felt sympathy towards Hama. I saw that she was a monster, but I also understood what turned her in to one. I understood that this was yet another result of how the war had ravaged the world & its people. The same goes for Jet. Like w/ Azula, it can be easy to read Jet as an adult due to the circumstances and his personality. However, it’s important to remember that Jet was only 15 years old. Just a teenage boy. Stuck in that spot between childhood & adulthood. Moreover, as a teenager, Jet’s mind had not fully developed & become as set as Hama’s, who had stewed in her trauma & hatred for decades. As such, the possibility for change would’ve been easier for him. I truly regret that we will never know what Jet could’ve been. He was the foil to Saka as much as Hama was for Katara. The paths they walked were side-by-side, & they very easily could’ve crossed.

[@KobyBGonzalez]

You have given us an even deep perspective to their life’s. Thank you for this rain

[@aprilmayhue]

You know it's gonna be a good day when Sage's Rain uploads

[@6reen6uy]

Caught the bloodbending one as a youngin, blind and at random. Seems the perfect combination to create the favorite episode. It’s profound.

[@christianleeperrr7641]

Broooo “scars of the fire nation” was a beautiful title man.

[@cameronpalmer401]

PTSD is a real thing, point blank period.

[@NameNick-ro6oz]

Wow i just so happened to search up sages rain at the right moment. Nice to see avatar on this channel again

[@michaelmurray8134]

Once again you managed to hit home the core philosophy of characters. Another thing can be noted that these 2 help shape Katara into the person she is, of what could happen if she let her anger and trauma control her. Katara spared the man that killed her mother because she knew he wasn't worth it, and she was able to forgive Zuko the Prince of the nation that took her mother. 2 things that Jet or Hama wouldn't have done.

[@LunaP1]

Their very being was warped by the war and they never sought out a better means of fighting back. They even went after innocent people who were never vile like the real perpetrators who hurt them. They thought that if they could hurt the innocent people on the enemy’s side, it would be the perfect revenge. But they forgot that the people who weren’t involved in their suffering ARE just as innocent as them. They victims of a massive lie that they’ve been living under. War can sometimes warp the perception of those marred by it and it is indiscriminate of those who are violent or innocent. Hama and Jet were such warped victims of said war and couldn’t or wouldn’t escape the trap they put themselves in.

[@Marion_MyAnh]

Just finished watching ATLA for the first time and I absolutely love your content! Also, bonus for using the Hollow Knight music for such a powerful video. ❤

[@BoinkadelicJones]

I felt like Jet was young and impressionable, so it made sense that he would want to fight back in every way possible. But Hama? She was crazy intelligent. I think they made a mistake with her settling into a village and messing with the inhabitants instead of taking the fight to the Fire Nation. It was a bit frustrating how not just in this show but others that the person who's right (Hama, Killmonger etc.) have to be written to be evil while the heroes (the gaang, T'Challa) are there to strengthen the status quo. If they wrote Hama better I would have liked her as a character more.

[@littlebitofkiwi]

I believe that the point of Hama is to show the shades of gray within war/conflicts. Is her past tragic, traumatic and deserve our sympathy? Yes, she was tortured and dehumanized, the fire nation *army* is wrong for that. Is Hama in the wrong for taking her anger and grief on insignificant townspeople? Yes, they did nothing to her but be born under the regime she hates. If she went after her tormentors then we could be more forgiving but she chose not to. Not only that but to force Katara to learn something she didn't want to despite her protests? She wasn't a good person, sympathetic, but not good.

[@pokerface4396]

Hama wouldn't have been able to take the fight to Ozai or the Fire Nation capital. She was alone, somewhere in the Fire Islands. And she had no one to ask for help -- every Fire Nation citizen would have immediately surrendered her to authorities if they learned she was from the Water Tribe or a waterbender. That meant she didn't have allies to organize resistance, and she could not go back home. So, she had to stay, hiding her identity, hiding her past, and ethnicity while watching as Fire Nation's people thrived on the suffering of others. The only thing left for her to do was to show the people of Fire Nation how does it feel to be dragged away by an intruder, to be locked and imprisoned, condemned to death just because you exist. This is also exactly why she is satisfied with herself and doesn't care about being locked in prison till the end of her days -- she passed her craft to Katara. She gave a young and naive waterbender a powerful weapon to defend herself, and she knew that Katara would use it when pushed to her limits. So, Hama's ending may be tragic, but it seems that in the end Hama was happy -- teaching Katare bloodbending was her way to strike back against the Fire Naton

[@juliojuarez4033]

I would have like to see jet have a redemption arc in the comics where he is able to move on & start a family of his own & be a good husband & father

[@drakewoodlock9127]

The path to hell is paved with the greatest of intentions. Man sees the gold and greatness as we walk, not seeing the terrible end that await us or those we leave hurt.

[@Aquamayne100]

Awesome analysis as usual!

[@Ty-yy7zr]

This was an amazing video. There's probably more videos in the works on airbender, but wouldn't mind seeing more on korra as well.

[@thedarkknight727]

The Power of Mercy: Brothers and Sisters, let us consider the power of mercy. It is easy to give in into the desire of retribution, to seek revenge on those who have wronged us. But I ask y’all where thus that lead us. Thus it led us closer to salvation or further from it. Marcy is a difficult path, but it is one that can lead us to true redemption. When we show mercy, we show that we are capable of forgiveness, of rising above our basic instincts, it is a sign of strength, not weakness. Let us not forget we too have we been granted mercy. We are all sinners, but we have been giving the chance to make mends for our transgressions, so too we must extend that same mercy to others. Do not mistake mercy for weakness, it takes great strength to show mercy in the face of wrong doing. But I believe it is the path, we must take, if we are to find our way to true salvation. May we all strive to be merciful in the dealing with others, and may that mercy be repaid to us in kind. -Joshua Graham

[@javorislittle312]

It's a common debate in the Avatar community on whether Jet and Hama's actions were justified. Both were victims of war, losing everything in a conflict the had nothing to do with, all while being dehumanized by people they didn't even know. I'm not saying they were justified, but they're both completely understandable. Despite the actions they took for revenge and justice, it's hard not to emphasize with the fact it all came from a place of pain and sadness.

[@sivanlevi3867]

They are two of the most tragic minor characters in this series. I resent Hama for teaching Katara bloodbending, but at least Jet tried to redeem himself in the end.

[@Historyisfun300]

War is not hell, but a tragedy 😔

[@NukeHunter6303]

This is a great video. Thank you for making it.🙂

[@rainbowawakening]

I know it wasn’t the writer’s intention but honestly something feels so cruel (from a writing standpoint) to put Hama back in the chains of the Fire Nation. I’m not saying what she did was right or anything, it just always felt wrong to me for her story to end her back in a Fire Nation cell

[@-UnknownHero]

Another great video essay on another great facet of this phenomenal series

[@talobsta]

Liked before the video started sages rain always hits

[@wellswells3314]

These epsiodes are so good because, they revel in an idea that anyone who has been persecuted at sometime in their life has felt. Fear, not just scared like a grotesque monster or movie your mind is recoiling at the events of. But true unadulterated fear. The kind of fear that immobilizes you the fear that forces all the agency out of your body and all you can do is run or stare. These episodes represent what that fear will do to a person. Something so truly terrifying can't be inflicted. Or else they will spend their days trying to make whatever inflicted them with this fear empathize it is truly a corrupting revenge.

[@AmeliaSegan]

The fact that hama acts like something of a mother to team avatar to me makes it tragic

[@noahmartin3048]

At first I thought the beginning description was about the Canadian government 🤔 🤣

[@thalmoragent9344]

Seeing the world of ATLA explored in a more openly matured manner would've been very interesting. Hearing about it and seeing the after effects occasionally was already done very well for a show on Nickolodeon. But imagine if they had the same breath of space and less censorship such as the likes of, say, Attack on Titan? See the gravity of these effects on even more people, see how the Fire Nation actually carries these things out.

[@kenetik13]

Babe wake up sages rain just posted

[@psychedelicjesuss]

YESSSS ANOTHER AVATAR VIDEO FROM SAGE LETS GOOOOOOOOO

[@crystallinecrisis3901]

I love both of these characters so much. I’ve had a running thought about Hama though. Ignoring the moral implications, I feel like Hama could’ve had a chance after she left prison. I think she could have found a way to make it to the Northern Tribe. There, she could have taught them bloodbending. If nothing else, it would have preserved the practice and given the Northern Tribe a trump card in the even of invasion.

[@jdraze9321]

You reap what you sow.. and it’s not just on a person to person basis, but also can be nation to nation.

[@MusicLover-my6fo]

In Hama's case, the writers did an insane job giving one character so much depth just for one episode.

[@connerd5647]

Hama and jet are the perfect foils to katara and sokka respectively, a cautionary tale on letting anger and vengeance control you, even if those emotions are justified by oppression

[@sir_captainmorgan]

Man these videos are great.

[@gennaronarducci1333]

I honestly can't help but wonder how would had they felt towards TLOK's peaceful and mixed world

[@rivaldovillegas3725]

Hell Mr. Rain, there is a Graphic Novel I hope you can read one day for your own enjoyment. Superman: Grounded It focuses on Superman and his Journey trying to reconnect to the common people and walks across the country in order to do so, each issue dives to the Tragedies and sorrows everyday people go through and Superman's way to help them. The comic writers even ask fans why there own town should be in the Comic. This Comic stands by All Star Superman in great story telling.

[@greatemperor7185]

Fucking bangers only from this channel

[@RobbieBobbiee]

I love your Avatar essays! Very good video and points to the characters.

[@rickyronny4019]

I feel more sympathy for Jet cuz you could tell he would’ve become a person had he not died. And his misdeeds were nowhere as twisted as Hama’s

[@nicolaaslove5611]

Favourite anime essay creator right here!

[@ryanroswellcacho]

All we can do as listeners and observants the audience. Is to understand, sympathies and learn from what we have experience to become better.

[@maytalacedo20]

in such ways both of them deserved better even though their actions are not okay.

[@AfricanH3ro]

Fandom makes me sad with how they treat Jet but love Azula 😞

[@AndalusianPhilosopher]

I symphasize with both. Though Jet is much more tragic. At least Azula has people who love her and may have a chance at healing at least.

[@Fatimacita17]

Im so glad u made another avatar video

[@tierefuerimmer9635]

Hama and Jet remind me so much of Lucy from Elfen Lied and Koba from The Planet of Apes franchise. All characters saw strictly the selfish and cruel side humanity, were mistreated just because those parts of humanity thought they could treat others that way, which broke all those characters mentally. Even when they would get revenge on those directly responsible for their suffering (Koba killing Jacobs, Lucy killing several people at the facility, Hama briefly using blood bending on the guard), and even if a few of those characters did arguably deserve what their victims did to them, that little taste of revenge wasn't enough they were thirsty for more and were willing to take out their hate and bitterness out on those that were innocent as they were by them seen as guilty by association.

[@Sakurasan2023]

Love your videos ❤

[@skysiren4113]

For me what makes Hama such an incredible and tragic villian is that she represents what Katara could've become if she let her grief of loosing her mother consume her But while Katara learned to not let her anger blind her and even eventually forgave Zuko, Hama just couldn't. She let her anger and hatred corrupt her for decades, eventually becoming a monster just like the fire nation She's the perfect example of the saying 'you either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain'

[@The_preserver_x16]

The one thing I find unrealistic about the colonialism in avatar is that in real life in the colonialist succeed by turning groups against one another or backing one group over another who’ll be more subservient. I’m addition they would use their religion or philosophy to indoctrinate local populations, to increase their control. They never just simply conquered everyone, there were a lot of deals and negotiations created that served the collective purpose of political interest. The Americans were really the only major example of a people constantly breaking treaties.

[@chadwithautism]

It helps to be able to look around when you're on autopilot

[@mattos443]

You should do videos analyzing fairytail characters

[@karnage2948]

One thing that’s confused me is why didn’t hama free the other waterbenders

[@ParadoxFreak]

Damn! What a powerful and great video.

[@FenixReZ]

Love me some ATLA!

[@johanstenfelt1206]

Hm, how very interesting, a very nice coverage of these two, Personally, i think they were very interesting Characters, that was handled pretty well, This was a good video, i wonder what you’ll cover next.

[@n.harewood3846]

I really can't wait till he does a video on the peaky blinders