#eb fans be saying the deepest things about the character with the silliest name tho lol

[smallearthboundfindings]

Prince Poo? :0

HECK YEAH BABY, let's go! Um, I mean, of course!

This boy got done kind of dirty by both the plot and the fandom. He is severely underutilized in both departments, so I vow to give him the attention he clearly deserved.

First of all, incredibly obvious comparisons to Aang aside, can you imagine the misery of being nothing more than a child once you get to the bottom of it, but being raised for a very intent purpose? He is literally surrounded by teachers constantly and passing NPCs in Dalaam repeatably note how he doesn't seem to have time for anything else.

This is basically all he does. Train. Be trained. And like his caretakers KNOW he has some kind of destiny, they literally tell him this before being sent off to Summers!

What I think is that Poo has little to no free will of his own when you combine that with being a prince, which obviously adds in even more rules in how he's raised. He has to be conditioned from the start to be a prince AND The Chosen One (tm), which is a lot of pressure on a kid that is what? 14? 15? Not to mention the fact that his parents are never seen. Are they even real? Oh well, question for another day.

To me, going off with the rest of the Chosen Four was his first taste of freedom. Basically ever.

He clearly didn't know how to handle it, still being extremely formal upon first meeting Ness. I mean, introducing himself with "I am the servant of Ness. I will obey Ness". Goodness gracious, this is not how you talk to other kids!

And yet, he clearly has a goofy side. It's subtle, but his growth is shown by drifting away from acting like that. It's when at the very end, when all is said and done. He bids farewell like this:

"Our travels together end here. I must return to Dalaam, and use this experience for the good of my country.

Ness,

Paula,

Jeff...

Let me demonstrate a strange power before I go. I realized this power as a child. PSI Farewell! Now!

I'll see you again someday!"

(btw i love this dialogue... part of the reason why i just transcribed it)

See, he tells a joke! It's probably just PSI Teleport Beta, but he tells a joke! He's got exclamation marks! He warmed up over time, and I think that's so... cool...

I think what happened over time was this. Ness HATED being seen and referred to as 'master'. Kid lacks a single bone in his body to take advantage of the situation. And he was worried for Poo acting that way. After weeks and weeks of telling him to stop, he gradually does.

And along the way, Poo learns what he wants. Who he is. Not by what was chosen for him, but for who he is inside.

He really couldn't have done it without the other three and the journey along the way. And for them, he'll be eternally grateful going back with a greater sense of identity.