Jet the Hawk (Sonic Free Riders)

"Are you guys really THAT blind to your faults?!"

- Jet the Hawk, Sonic Free Riders

Jet the Hawk is a character from the Sonic series, specifically the Sonic Riders spin-off series. While he's usually a likable character in mh:awesomegames:Sonic Riders and mh:awesomegames:Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, he was unfortunately flanderized in mh:crappygames:Sonic Free Riders.

NOTE: This article only focuses on the character's portrayal in Sonic Free Riders, not those from the other two Sonic Riders games or other media since Jet in the other two Sonic Riders games or other media is a pretty likable character in general.

Why There's A Way He's Gonna Lose

 * 1) He was flanderized from a cocky, teenagesque and rebellious Extreme Gear rider who disliked cheating in the first two Sonic Riders games into an extremely crabby and douchey jerk, much like that other bird character. Yes, Jet was never really a saint, but he was never that insensitive either, as he did care about his teammates and opponents, went on better terms with Sonic and knows when to learn from his mistakes when he needs to.
 * 2) He's just another male example of the mean popular boy trope.
 * 3) He's extremely snotty, stubborn and even somewhat of a hypocrite, as he rudely asked Shadow and Rouge if they're "really that blind to their faults" when he himself (and Storm) belittles Wave all because they lost and she made a mistake of not tuning up their gears before the race, which goes to show that he's too overreactive at people making mistakes too.
 * 4) * He and Storm also blamed Wave for their loss, which also makes him a framer.
 * 5) He even goes as far as calling both Wave and Storm "useless". You know, the tech wizard behind Team Babylon's Extreme Gear and the one who would always be on his side (even if for his airheadedness). Usually, he cares for Wave and Storm and shares decent chemistry with them. But here, he's doing the exact opposite, which is belittling them. As a result, he throws Wave and Storm under the bus.
 * 6) He never receives any comeuppances for his actions in this game, making him a Karma Houdini.
 * 7) Michael Yurchak's portrayal of him is extremely annoying and whiny-sounding. Think of Tails' VA in Sonic Heroes but remove the cute childish charm it had, and you get this.
 * 8) Unlike Mega Man's 8 counterpart, Kirby in Avalanche/Ghost Trap and Kirby in Squeak Squad, he's actually one of the reasons why Sonic Free Riders is despised, just like Mega Man X in X7.
 * 9) He never apologizes to his teammates and opponents at the end of the game, and he stays like he was in the beginning, so he basically learned nothing.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) To be fair, Jet was far more likable in the original Sonic Riders and in Riders Zero Gravity.
 * 2) He does have a nice moment where he wanted to rematch with Sonic after an undeserved victory, so he hasn't lost THAT trait at least.
 * He, as well as Storm, does get a fraction of comeuppance when Wave snapped at him and Storm back for berating her.
 * 1) While he doesn't apologize at the end, at least he didn't mind going home empty-handed.
 * 2) While Michael Yurchak's portrayal of him isn't great, Daisuke Kishio still does a great job voicing Jet in Japanese.
 * 3) He made further appearances in the Mario and Sonic series (where he got his original personality back), Sonic Dash and Forces Speed Battle.

Reception

 * While Jet was well-liked in the original Sonic Riders and Zero Gravity, the Free Riders incarnation of Jet has been widely hated for his extremely crabby and douchey attitude in this game, and is considered the worst incarnation of Jet the Hawk, even to this day.