maybe the lightning ninja

something that is such a huge part of nya’s life is her identity and how other people affect it. we do know that she was afraid to be with jay because she would become defined by that relationship, but i think it goes deeper than that too. she was forced to grow up very independently and isn’t used to relying on others or letting other people help her. and this isn’t just as simple as turning down an offer, its an emotional thing too. can we consider the idea and ponder more about how she builds up walls and is afraid to let people know her more intimately because that means letting yourself be open about your problems and “burdening” others with them? just the act of someone truly knowing her feels vulnerable because she feels the need to handle everything on her own, including her mental baggage. there’s just so much that can be unpacked here that not enough people are talking about.

a few other thoughts to throw around, she can’t stand being a burden. which sorta goes along with the previous paragraph. in seabound we see how quickly her guilt piled up and was eating her alive. i thought she was about ready to quit the team before she found out the cause of her fluctuating powers. another thing that has sooo much angst potential is her consistent loss of autonomy. having to build samurai x to make up for that loss, being forced into the position of the water ninja only when it was convenient to defeat the villains, forced marriage with nadakhan, LITERALLY GIVING UP HER BODY TO SAVE THE WORLD…. how would that make you feel? maybe that’s why she can’t stand being a burden. she’s used to feeling important only when shes considered useful. it’s an endless cycle of “i want to be my own person and make my own choices” vs “i have to give up those choices to save the people i care about and feel important”.

there’s like so much more i could talk about but yeah!! i think the reason why nya angst gets put to the side so much is because she shares some attributes with the men in the cast. bottles up emotions and expresses them through anger? can also be kai. super guilty conscience? could be lloyd too. the list goes on. and unfortunately the audience tends to flock to those characters instead when it comes to thinking about those angsty concepts.

all this to say, please do not ignore the nya angst potential because it is there and is just WAITING to be unleashed. also let nya be pathetic sometimes. more jaya fanfics of nya being pathetic STAT!!!