well, at least the ravenclaws made a showing here
Okay, folks, we're going back to Hogwarts sorting of ATLA characters because I have no life on Christmas day when nothing is open except movie theaters and I am still dead broke. So. There are an awful lot of secondary characters for this show, so I decided to separate them by gender. First up: male secondary characters, because I want to save the best for last. (Sorry people, I love the ladies on this show.) Without further ado, here we go:
Iroh: Slytherin
"If you're fishing for an octopus, my nephew, you need a tightly woven net or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape."
Honestly, this family is chock full of them. Must be something in the blood. Now, I really thought over my choices for this decision. I disregarded Hufflepuff out of hand, not because Iroh isn't hardworking and loyal, but because those qualities aren't central to his character. Bravery is something he has, but it's not the Gryffindor battle-ready bravery. His is much more personalized- he will fight for the individuals that he loves. And while he's certainly intelligent, what he has I would classify more as wisdom and yes, cunning- the kind of mind that easily thinks on its feet.
Iroh must have originally been a man of great ambition: a highly-ranked general, hunting dragons (but eventually deciding not to kill them), and eventually trying to conquer the greatest city of the Earth Kingdom. As far as cunning goes, let's just look at this character. He belongs to a cadre of international revolutionary old men. While he belongs to this very secret, very select group of old people, he is playing the part of the retired general and prince of the Fire Nation. He joined Zuko on his trip to hunt down the Avatar, a mission that he aided him in and probably never intended to complete, seeing that he was part of the White Lotus. We see him relying on trickery several times, using firebending to heat up metal chains, pretending to be senile in prison while secretly working out. This is one crafty old codger.
Bumi: Slytherin
"Neutral Jing is the key to earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike"
Right. Another crafty old codger. Now, originally Bumi got me thinking of Ravenclaw, but Ravenclaw thinking is more precise and logical. Yes, they do sort through riddles as well and use abstract thinking, but all of that is still theoretical problem solving. Slytherin cunning, however, applies that slippery thinking to a given situation. Bumi is wildly intelligent and completely creative, but none of that is intellectual thought so much as applied madness. He's good at throwing people off their guard with supremely confusing tactics as well as keeping up a deliberate act. Example: everything he threw at Aang was meant to trick him and throw him off his guard. In order to make him look at the world differently, yes, but this seems to be Bumi's method of strategy in general. Look at how he dealt with the city being attacked. Pretended surrender, a very good helpless act, followed by the eventual coup. No one sees this guy coming! He is clearly a mad genius.
Piandao: Ravenclaw
"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all."
Really, that quote should say it all. Now, we really don't know this guy all too well. He shows up in one episode and then in another one as a part of an underground chess-worshipping cult, but I think they show enough of his overall personality for me to judge what house this guy is. He's dedicated to the way of the sword, yes, and he clearly reveres the art and believes it should be taken seriously. As well as that, he believes a warrior should be well-rounded, attempting to teach Sokka calligraphy and other various skills, trying to augment knowledge with knowledge. He's quite serious about his work, too, only taking in pupils who aren't obnoxious bigheaded braggarts, but he also believes knowledge is for everyone and should be shared with those who will appreciate it. Also, his participation in the White Lotus tells me he has plenty of tactical smarts to go around.
Pakku: Ravenclaw
"Just because you're destined to save the world, don't expect any special treatment."
Alright, this guy is another of Piandao's ilk; intensely serious about a discipline and picky about the students he takes in. Unlike Piandao, Pakku doesn't really believe that his kind of knowledge is meant to be shared with everyone until Katara comes in and breaks down his doors and yells at him until he inevitably submits to her AWESOME. Still, here's another master of a discipline that is dedicated to his art and knows everything there is to know about it- and he knows it. Look at his smug little smirk. He gets upset when Aang uses his knowledge improperly, in his point of view, and congratulates Katara for developing so far, so quickly. He also gets annoyed when his students aren't paying attention, because my learnings are SRS BUSINESS. Teacher all the way. Also, another member of White Lotus. I sense a developing theme with White Lotus members and the brainy houses.
Jeong Jeong: Gryffindor
"Before learning firebending, you must learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing. Earth is steady and stable. But fire, fire is alive. It breathes. It grows. Without a bender, a rock will not throw itself, but fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it."
And then I blow the theme out of the water. Listen, I know. He's another old master and yes, he does spout off at the mouth about ambiguous warnings and deep proverbs. Still, I am not feeling the Ravenclaw vibe off of this guy. He lives alone in the woods and works with his underground cadre not out of some esoteric desire to become closer with nature and therefore divine the secrets of the universe, but because this guy seriously seems to believe that he is a threat to others just by existing as a firebender.
He was an admiral in the Fire Nation and became the first ever to desert, and he's rounded up a posse of his own deserters and rebels as well as being a member of the amazing White Lotus. He's driven by a need to control himself and his bending, to master discipline and restraint so as not to harm others with his abilities. This man is all about protecting people and doing what's right, and he shows great bravery through his actions: deserting the military and his country, facing commander Zhao and his men, etc. Gryffindor all the way.
Jet: Gryffindor
"It's what has to be done."
Okay! So, way back, I had a bit of meta going about the extreme poles of all of the houses. Gryffindor at its positive extreme is the knight in shining armor: lawful good all the way, ridding the world of evil and corruption and saving people everywhere. Gryffindor at its negative extreme is one of the most fearful brands of evil: evil that harms for the greater good.
So, yes, Jet might be considered as ambitious- but none of that is ambition that raises him higher, grants him power, or self-aggrandizes him. He just wants to stop the Fire Nation from killing more people. He wants everyone to be free. He is on the good side. He's cunning, no doubt, but everything he does with it is a stand against tyranny and a call for an end to oppression. Jet is nobly motivated but has sunk into his pain and anger so much that his means to that end have become twisted; he views every member of the nation as one and the same as the people who murdered his family.
As for bravery, he is undoubtedly brave. He never backs out or runs away from a fight, he protects those who cares for, and he went down fighting Long Feng in defense of Katara and the Avatar's friends. He managed to smile while he was dying, trying to reassure Katara and the others. Jet's a Gryffindor all right, if one who has a crafty side of his own.
Ozai: Slytherin
"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Souzin used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its powers to end the Earth Kingdom - permanently. From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything. And out of the ashes a new world will be born. A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am the supreme ruler of everything!"
*cricket chirp*
I mean, do I even have to talk here? Do I even have to- look, the guy is so Slytherin he BLEEDS SLYTHERIN COLORS. Ambition? Read the quote. Cunning? I'm sure he had to have some of it to get this far. But dear god, the ambition. Done.
Iroh: Slytherin
"If you're fishing for an octopus, my nephew, you need a tightly woven net or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape."
Honestly, this family is chock full of them. Must be something in the blood. Now, I really thought over my choices for this decision. I disregarded Hufflepuff out of hand, not because Iroh isn't hardworking and loyal, but because those qualities aren't central to his character. Bravery is something he has, but it's not the Gryffindor battle-ready bravery. His is much more personalized- he will fight for the individuals that he loves. And while he's certainly intelligent, what he has I would classify more as wisdom and yes, cunning- the kind of mind that easily thinks on its feet.
Iroh must have originally been a man of great ambition: a highly-ranked general, hunting dragons (but eventually deciding not to kill them), and eventually trying to conquer the greatest city of the Earth Kingdom. As far as cunning goes, let's just look at this character. He belongs to a cadre of international revolutionary old men. While he belongs to this very secret, very select group of old people, he is playing the part of the retired general and prince of the Fire Nation. He joined Zuko on his trip to hunt down the Avatar, a mission that he aided him in and probably never intended to complete, seeing that he was part of the White Lotus. We see him relying on trickery several times, using firebending to heat up metal chains, pretending to be senile in prison while secretly working out. This is one crafty old codger.
Bumi: Slytherin
"Neutral Jing is the key to earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike"
Right. Another crafty old codger. Now, originally Bumi got me thinking of Ravenclaw, but Ravenclaw thinking is more precise and logical. Yes, they do sort through riddles as well and use abstract thinking, but all of that is still theoretical problem solving. Slytherin cunning, however, applies that slippery thinking to a given situation. Bumi is wildly intelligent and completely creative, but none of that is intellectual thought so much as applied madness. He's good at throwing people off their guard with supremely confusing tactics as well as keeping up a deliberate act. Example: everything he threw at Aang was meant to trick him and throw him off his guard. In order to make him look at the world differently, yes, but this seems to be Bumi's method of strategy in general. Look at how he dealt with the city being attacked. Pretended surrender, a very good helpless act, followed by the eventual coup. No one sees this guy coming! He is clearly a mad genius.
Piandao: Ravenclaw
"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all."
Really, that quote should say it all. Now, we really don't know this guy all too well. He shows up in one episode and then in another one as a part of an underground chess-worshipping cult, but I think they show enough of his overall personality for me to judge what house this guy is. He's dedicated to the way of the sword, yes, and he clearly reveres the art and believes it should be taken seriously. As well as that, he believes a warrior should be well-rounded, attempting to teach Sokka calligraphy and other various skills, trying to augment knowledge with knowledge. He's quite serious about his work, too, only taking in pupils who aren't obnoxious bigheaded braggarts, but he also believes knowledge is for everyone and should be shared with those who will appreciate it. Also, his participation in the White Lotus tells me he has plenty of tactical smarts to go around.
Pakku: Ravenclaw
"Just because you're destined to save the world, don't expect any special treatment."
Alright, this guy is another of Piandao's ilk; intensely serious about a discipline and picky about the students he takes in. Unlike Piandao, Pakku doesn't really believe that his kind of knowledge is meant to be shared with everyone until Katara comes in and breaks down his doors and yells at him until he inevitably submits to her AWESOME. Still, here's another master of a discipline that is dedicated to his art and knows everything there is to know about it- and he knows it. Look at his smug little smirk. He gets upset when Aang uses his knowledge improperly, in his point of view, and congratulates Katara for developing so far, so quickly. He also gets annoyed when his students aren't paying attention, because my learnings are SRS BUSINESS. Teacher all the way. Also, another member of White Lotus. I sense a developing theme with White Lotus members and the brainy houses.
Jeong Jeong: Gryffindor
"Before learning firebending, you must learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing. Earth is steady and stable. But fire, fire is alive. It breathes. It grows. Without a bender, a rock will not throw itself, but fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it."
And then I blow the theme out of the water. Listen, I know. He's another old master and yes, he does spout off at the mouth about ambiguous warnings and deep proverbs. Still, I am not feeling the Ravenclaw vibe off of this guy. He lives alone in the woods and works with his underground cadre not out of some esoteric desire to become closer with nature and therefore divine the secrets of the universe, but because this guy seriously seems to believe that he is a threat to others just by existing as a firebender.
He was an admiral in the Fire Nation and became the first ever to desert, and he's rounded up a posse of his own deserters and rebels as well as being a member of the amazing White Lotus. He's driven by a need to control himself and his bending, to master discipline and restraint so as not to harm others with his abilities. This man is all about protecting people and doing what's right, and he shows great bravery through his actions: deserting the military and his country, facing commander Zhao and his men, etc. Gryffindor all the way.
Jet: Gryffindor
"It's what has to be done."
Okay! So, way back, I had a bit of meta going about the extreme poles of all of the houses. Gryffindor at its positive extreme is the knight in shining armor: lawful good all the way, ridding the world of evil and corruption and saving people everywhere. Gryffindor at its negative extreme is one of the most fearful brands of evil: evil that harms for the greater good.
So, yes, Jet might be considered as ambitious- but none of that is ambition that raises him higher, grants him power, or self-aggrandizes him. He just wants to stop the Fire Nation from killing more people. He wants everyone to be free. He is on the good side. He's cunning, no doubt, but everything he does with it is a stand against tyranny and a call for an end to oppression. Jet is nobly motivated but has sunk into his pain and anger so much that his means to that end have become twisted; he views every member of the nation as one and the same as the people who murdered his family.
As for bravery, he is undoubtedly brave. He never backs out or runs away from a fight, he protects those who cares for, and he went down fighting Long Feng in defense of Katara and the Avatar's friends. He managed to smile while he was dying, trying to reassure Katara and the others. Jet's a Gryffindor all right, if one who has a crafty side of his own.
Ozai: Slytherin
"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Souzin used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its powers to end the Earth Kingdom - permanently. From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything. And out of the ashes a new world will be born. A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am the supreme ruler of everything!"
*cricket chirp*
I mean, do I even have to talk here? Do I even have to- look, the guy is so Slytherin he BLEEDS SLYTHERIN COLORS. Ambition? Read the quote. Cunning? I'm sure he had to have some of it to get this far. But dear god, the ambition. Done.