#[ the takeaway message of this post is do not insult The Boy to me sjdajdhsgdg ]

[xiaolindude]

what are the worst takes you’ve ever seen on rai and how would you refute them?

‘he whines until he gets what he wants’

... when? That’s my first thought shajdhshd. Like when did he ever do that? He complained about not being made Apprentice and was super salty about it, I’ll give you that, but then he left and joined Wuya (boo, bad Rai) and then, after he’d fixed his mistakes, saved the world and taken responsibility for what he did, he turned down the promotion to Apprentice because he didn’t feel like he deserved it. He then spent several episodes working to earn the title. How is that whining until he gets what he wants?

So yeah, I really don’t understand this one. If anyone has any real examples of it happening, please tell me. Maybe I’ve just overlooked it? Or maybe this IS just a Bad Take shdhhff

‘he didn’t deserve to be leader’

This is WRONG Y’ALL. Of course he deserved it. He worked his ASS off. he’s the one that came up with the plans (plural) that got them through that finale and fixed Omi’s mistakes. He’s compassionate, intelligent, very tactical, capable of things the others aren’t... you know what, my last answer gives more detail on why he absolutely does deserve to be the leader, so I’ll leave this here.

‘his ‘leadership skills’ came out of nowhere in the last couple of episodes and were OOC’

nOOOOO. THIS is the dumbest shit. Like y’all can have your opinions but?? This is just plain WRONG, bc if you watch the show, hints about his leadership qualities are everywhere, even as early as Season 1. If someone came at me saying this, I’d refute it by providing evidence to the contrary, giving specific examples from specific episodes. For example:

His ability to learn from his mistakes immediately, work hard, digest information incredibly quickly and put it into practice, think tactically and use his opponents advantages against them is shown as early as 1x05, Shen Yi Bu, when he researches an alternate version of the Showdowns that even Omi (who has lived and studied this stuff his whole life) and Dojo (1500 year old dragon who was there while half this stuff was invented) didn’t even know about.

His ability to think fast and outside of the box to come up with solutions that no one else thinks of is showcased in that same episode. Literally 5 episodes into the show and he’s already showing potential leadership qualities. This is also shown tons of other times, but a notable example is in The Demon Seed, where he quickly makes the best of a bad situation during his Showdown with Gigi and actually twists it in his favour with his quick wit.

Following on from that, every Showdown he wins, he wins by thinking it through. Not through brawn, not through force. He wins by having thought out tactics beforehand and/or showing incredibly quick thinking during the event

Rai has always been good for the team morale. He is fun and supportive and encourages a lighter mood, which helps the team keep their stress down, feel better and work better as a result

He was shown to understand the monks very very quickly, often predicting their words and actions. This shows that he is perceptive and knows his team mates. This is shown in the first couple of episodes when he knows to bet on Kimiko even when everyone else is betting against her. (There are other examples in Season 1, too, but that’s the one that first came to mind).

Rai was intelligent in ways that the other monks just weren’t. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all amazing and smart, I know that. But Rai had... a darker intelligence, almost. This knowledge of manipulation and trickery and the value of being sneaky. He can do (and is willing to do) things that the others can’t or won’t. I don’t think anyone else could’ve pulled off that con against Hannibal the way Rai did, for example. And no one else has shown the kind of street smart thinking that Rai has in various episodes (Pandatown springs to mind immediately)

Despite his cocky demeanour (which I’m sure literally everyone realises is a mask, especially since Dream Stalker basically told us so), he’s capable of humility. In fact, he underestimates himself. Not an ideal quality, I grant you that, but it’s better than being overconfident. Because at least his self doubt leads to him sometimes overcompensating (for examples, see Shen Yi Bu and Pandatown). 

He puts the team’s needs above his own. Literally all you need to do is watch Time After Time to see that. There are other instances but the most glaring, perhaps, is that he was willing to drink the Lao Mang Lone soup to give the others a chance, willing to sacrifice himself without even batting an eye.

He’s able to direct people and delegate. When he’s given space to work (i.e. whenever Omi is absent from the team, such as in Saving Omi), Rai naturally takes charge. He doesn’t commandeer the team but he does help give the others direction, makes sure everyone is heard, and can delegate tasks. These things all seem to come naturally to him. He’s able to delegate because he respects his team and doesn’t underestimate everyone else - he understands their strengths and weaknesses and knows how to use them.

His mental agility is fantastic. He’s very quick to adapt, easily changeable and can do well in many different environments and scenarios. That’s shown consistently throughout the series. I’d say one of his most obvious qualities is this adaptability. He’s a quick learner and, like I’ve said, this includes learning from his mistakes.

He is kind. He values doing the right thing above superfluous other things, like proving a point or a sense of duty or honour. It doesn’t matter to him - he will do the right thing, and often, he’ll do it in an intelligent/tactical way (e.g. Bird of Paradise).

He’s brave! It goes without saying. They’re all brave, but he’s also brave on a deeper level, having been possessed, manipulated, had his head invaded multiple times. Think how damaging that must be, and yet, he’s still a strong guy (emotionally and otherwise) and doesn’t let it break him. He’s brave in a battle sense, but in an emotional sense, too.

He’s always growing. Even in the first Rai-centric episode (1x05), he goes through character development. He grows because he’s open to change and he knows he can always improve. He’s never static.