“16, biologically, but psychologically, I’m an adult.”


Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton: The Little RedHead That Could
VOICE ACTOR: Colleen O'Shaughnessey
AGE: 16
EYES: Teal
HAIR: Red Headed
STATUS: Adult-Stuck-In-A-Teen's-Body, psychologist-in-training, expert mutant turkey eliminator
LIKES: Studying, proving to others she’s always right/is an adult—later on, hunting and researching anything and all ghostly-related
DISLIKES: Her parents obsession with ghosts (at the beginning), being proven wrong, being dissed whenever she contributes to benefit others
PERSONALITY: Pushy, a bit bossy, intelligent, know-it-all, well meaning, compassionate, reliable, responsible
POWER: Increasing skills with Fenton weapons/battles against ghosts, ingenious brain makes her a quick thinker and brilliant schemer
STRENGTH: Intelligent, able to conjure up plans and quick cover-ups, reliable
WEAKNESS: Isn’t as skilled as a ghost hunter as her brother and friends (at first), isn’t all that aware that her goody-two-shoes behaviors annoys others (tends to get too impersonal), when obsessed with a certain something is prone to stick with it with usually negative impacts
FIRST APPEARANCE: "Mystery Meat"
TRIVIA: Danny once noted she wanted to be a brain surgeon
GOAL: At first, to try and normalize her parents and shield the unsure Danny. Enter into psychology

HISTORY: Possessing ghost powers might make Danny the odd man out of his family, but Jazz remains the pivotal Black Sheep. This didn’t seem to be a major problem in her childhood when she and Danny got along smoothly (until she, as Danny crudely put it, turned into a "fink"), but everything started to turn for the worse when she got tired of battling evil turkeys from ignorant parents. Fortunately, she didn't gain any form of trauma, but instead influence from her family’s eccentric living, turning her into a strong individual who studies psychology to help those in need who has suffered the same trap she has. Until then, Danny became her #1 test subject, sheltering the vulnerable and emotional boy from their parents’ dangerous obsession of ghosts.

Viewing herself as the most normal of her family, Jazz constantly criticizes her parents’ weird lifestyle while working on her own. Aside from her intended goal, the young redhead is a highly intelligent individual who is respected by her teacher (and assuming, her classmates), the complete opposite of Danny. His lack of determination and his strange behaviors after the infamous accident has caused Jazz to keep an even closer eye on him, much to his annoyance. As much as she tries to help, he considers it condescending and an invasion of his privacy. Her nosing around eventually led her to secretly witness Danny going ghost. She eventually helps him in his fight against Spectra(and teenage depression). Impressed with her brother’s skills, she keeps her own secret to herself, stating "he can tell me when he’s ready". Since then, she has covered for Danny when he needed to go do superheroing.

Seeing as her brother is half ghost, Jazz seems destined to be stuck with Ecto-related matters for life. Try as she might, her unexpected time spent with her father when the two were alone by unwanted house arrested from mutant ghost animals (sent by Vlad) sent her in spades when she saw her father work one of his gadget effectively. Thrilled, but reluctant, she dons one of her mother’s jumpsuit and aids her father in battle, one which she enjoyed thoroughly despite her better intentions. ("Maternal Instinct") This in turn brought out an inner side of her she never knew she possessed. Always believing herself to be an adult in a teen’s body, Jazz decided to act her proper age when she almost had to tell her folks Danny’s secret when her brother was acting erratically. It was Youngblood causing all the chaos, a ghost kid invisible to adults (and kids who think themselves as one). Danny brought the child out of her and within, she has slowly changed for the better whilst accepting her brother’s resourcefulness. ("the Fenton Menace")

However, her biggest challenge did not come until "The Ultimate Enemy" when she caught Danny attempting to cheat the CAT tests. Unaware (yet) of what he becomes from its results, Jazz lectures Danny and comes clean about her secret. She, however, told this to a disguised Dark Danny who had became his younger self to cheat on the test to secure his future. When he tells her his devious plans, she is put to sleep. She awakes in time to send a message to Danny (currently trapped ten years in the future) via the Booo-merang (somehow surviving the decade-long trip). She then tries to stop Phantom himself, but loses and is tied up alongside Danny’s friends, parents, and teacher to the Nasty Boil, ready to explode and blow them to chunks. Fortunately Danny comes and whups Dark Danny's ass, then Clockwork uses his time abilities and halts the explosion. Rewinding time, Danny confesses he was going to cheat to Lancer, but his good behavior is rewarded with a make up test. With both their secrets out of the way, the two hug, growing, both in equal terms.

Though her intentions are pure, her skills as a full time member of "Team Phantom" does not run smoothly when she cannot work the Fenton weapons without harming those close to her. After a brief argument with her brother, she runs to Vlad to expose his latest plans, but learns after many close calls that she’s better off playing off in the side. ("Secret Weapons"} That hasn’t stopped her from helping out when she is needed or when her wily genius has an idea ("Reality Trip"), even if certain members of the team does not approve. ("Girls’ Night Out")

She has long since appreciated the world of ghosts, admiring her parents’ latest weapons, supporting her little brother’s secret life, and incorporating it into her future career (The Psychology of "Ghost Envy"). By the last episode, she convinces Danny to expose his secret to Jack and Maddie (and everyone) and acknowledges him as a hero.

PERSONALITY: Jazz is the critical, overbearing, intelligent, prideful older sister to the main character. Always nagging, Jazz, portrayed as the coveted role model to her folly of a family is short on compliments, long on criticisms. Always assuming she is right, Jazz is often egotistical and remains determined to go through with her goals when it drives her, often getting impersonal with even her loved ones. Typically, this tends to get Danny to reject her and consider her a giant pest. The subversion is that all her acts were intended to better them; wishing so much to improve her brother’s fragile state and her parents’ questionable jobs. She means well—a little too well—but her compassion can only be taken so far without the others feeling either insulted or belittled by her superior complexity. Unfortunately, she is not aware of any flaws in her system.

Of course, this is past tense.

And so it comes as a shock to her that Danny refused to tell her his secret, that she enjoyed spending time with her father, that she likes playing around with the Fenton gadgets, and that ghosts are interesting topics to explore. Seeing a new world beyond what she created to protect (and deluded) herself from, Jazz realized her family’s lifestyle—though vastly different from the accepted norm—makes them who they are. Respecting their brave decisions, Jazz soon understands her parents’ love far outweighs the ghosts they study and that Danny, the brother she assumed to be a helpless individual in need of protection is actually a confident young lad who had grown up and accepted the harsh realities of the world quicker then she has.

She still remains overprotective at certain points, but has learned to loosen up and embrace her newfound passion in life and those of others.

OPINION: Out of all the characters in the series—even Danny—not one goes through as much character development then Jazz. Much of how she changes is already described above. Her perfectionist streak marks a lot about her personality and it in turns creates a delusion on the many flaws she possesses. I don’t wish to digress any further that can be explained on a psychoanalyze page about her (and believe me, she’s got it in shades), but she’s a complicated soul wrapped up in a sixteen-year-old body...err...I mean, adult in a teen body.

And it’s because of her complication, her growth, and her bettering for others, the viewers, and herself that has made her to be one of my favorite characters. True, some episodes do it better then the others. "Secret Weapons" may be fun to watch (and bloody solid), but they turned her into a comical misfit who can’t work Fenton gears. It’s a travesty when past episodes had her using them (and on a first time basis, mind you) without any problems whatsoever. It’s annoying that they had to derail her briefly to make her a better person. "Girls’ Night Out" fixes it by making her a better warrior (and taciturn), but she seemed to behave much like she did in "SW". She’s very much like her father (which is rather sweet) obsessive to a core. Her childish behavior could be genetic, but it’s unfitting for her character and makes her come off as a dumbass. How much of a neurotic idiot are they trying to make her when the word "Kean-O" becomes legitimate Jazz-speak? Season Three had no goddamn idea what they were doing.

Because she evolves as a person, she and Danny casts aside the one thing that plaques children's cartoons: sibling rivalry. Even in the DP world, that element was strictly nontraditional. It was mostly Danny’s end that caused any riff between the two and by the time she grew up, so did he. In return, the two grew closer and much of their arguments disappear in favor of a stronger bond. So there’s absolutely no obnoxious brother/sister spats, but instead words and occasion affections. Their relationship remains a pivotal moment for me.

She also sports an adorable design though. Her big, teal eyes and matching headband, the long hair, and her appropriate garb (which fits with her preppy personality) all work beautifully. She's so durn cute. Plus, we rarely ever see redheads as important characters, so that’s bonus points.

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