History YMMV / JackTheGreyReefShark

* TheWoobie: Just when you think Jack has suffered enough, the story is more than happy to prove you wrong:
** He and his parents were exiled from their original school due to "breaking nature's rules" since sharks do not naturally care for their young. [[spoiler: This eventually led to the school being attacked by a hammerhead shark.]]
** [[spoiler: He had to leave his parents when he was nearly an adult so that he wouldn't have to watch them die of old age or be left alone after they’re gone.]]
** When reunited with his siblings, [[spoiler: they do not recognize him as their brother, even though he recognizes them.]]
** [[spoiler: Said siblings die after being caught in a fishing net. And despite Jack’s efforts, he cannot save them.]]
** Even when Jack receives the closure he needs on what exactly humans are, it only makes him feel worse.
** His school is taken over by Ben, who at first is seemingly trying to help them survive, but becomes extremely dominant over them.
** When the reef sharks start standing up to Ben, he kills off school members to keep them in line.
** He and nearly every other shark he meets are facing a food crisis
** He is exiled from his school and left to fend for himself after losing his bet with Ben [[spoiler:(In which Ben cheats to win)]]
** Fails to save [[spoiler: Karen]] from being finned
** [[spoiler: Greg turns on him out of desperation for food]]
** [[spoiler: Has to watch Ken die in the process of saving the whale shark]]
** Even when he finds the perfect home, he nearly crosses the DespairEventHorizon because he realizes that humans will be there wherever he goes.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Ben appears to be adamant about enforcing the natural order over the grey reef sharks, but does plenty of things that contradict those very same beliefs. And the fact that he could be considered higher on the food chain than the reef sharks, and thus more dominant, could be his reason for being so faithful to the natural order. After all, if the reef sharks were able to stand up to him, he would be taken down a notch on the food chain.
** Ben explains that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, let alone allowing them to stay despite being in a state of weakness. He proposes ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, saying it would be better for everyone. But if Ben truly believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then he would focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks rather than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species.
** Ben claims that allowing weaker individuals to survive would mean that sharks as a whole would become weaker, and so only strong members of a population should be allowed to live. [[spoiler: During Jack’s return to the school, Ben could have easily just gone for the weakest member and killed them. But he left it to Jack to choose who would die. This makes it seem like he couldn’t care less if they were strong or weak because no matter who it would be, it would hurt Jack.]]
*** [[spoiler: He also spares Mo, who in his mind is a living example of Jack’s disruption of natural order. Mo was in a weakened state when Jack and Mainda found him, but rather than ignore him or take advantage of his weakness, they showed him mercy and helped him. So if Ben was sincere about wanting to eliminate weakness, he could have killed Mo to legitimately prove that Jack’s kindness was Mo’s undoing. Instead, he ''lied'' about Mo dying and tried to pass that off as proof that Jack’s philosophy is wrong. Ben likely expected Mo to die anyway so that it wouldn't matter, because he was clearly surprised to see him return to the reef. Ironically, by giving Mo a chance to live, he helped him get stronger (By getting some help from other sharks no less) when Ben always claimed that giving the weak a chance to survive would be the downfall of sharks.]]

** In the prequel, ''A Legend from the Start'', we see the moment Ben takes over Jack’s school. But when Jack and Rachel show defiance against Ben’s will, [[spoiler: Ben kills off one of their schoolmates just to make an example of what will happen if the other sharks don’t listen to him. Immediately afterwards, it is revealed that Ben has been picking off school members in secret.]] And the fact that Jack, [[BewareTheNiceOnes arguably the least likely in the school to resort to violence]], [[RageBreakingPoint is the one that calls for Ben’s head]] after this solidifies Ben's cruelty.

** [[spoiler: Greg turns on him out of desperation for food
** [[spoiler: Has to watch Ken die in the process of saving the whale shark

** In the prequel, ''A Legend from the Start'', we see the moment Ben takes over Jack’s school. But when Jack and Rachel show defiance against Ben’s will, Ben kills off one of their schoolmates just to make an example of what will happen if the other sharks don’t listen to him. Immediately afterwards, it is revealed that Ben has been picking off school members in secret. And the fact that Jack, [[BewareTheNiceOnes arguably the least likely in the school to resort to violence]], [[RageBreakingPoint is the one that calls for Ben’s head]] after this solidifies Ben's cruelty.

*** [[spoiler: He also spares Mo, who in his mind is a living example of Jack’s disruption of natural order. Mo was in a weakened state when Jack and Mainda found him, but rather than ignore him or take advantage of his weakness, they showed him mercy and helped him. So if Ben was sincere about wanting to eliminate weakness, he could have killed Mo to legitimately prove that Jack’s kindness was Mo’s undoing.]]
*** [[spoiler: Instead, he ''lied'' about Mo dying and tried to pass that off as proof that Jack’s philosophy is wrong. Ironically, his one act of mercy helped Mo get stronger (By getting some help from other sharks no less) when Ben always claimed that mercy and kindness would be the downfall of sharks.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Ben appears to be adamant about enforcing the natural order over the grey reef sharks, but Ben does plenty of things that contradict those very same beliefs. And the fact that he could be considered higher on the food chain than the reef sharks, and thus more dominant, could be his reason for being so faithful to the natural order. After all, if the reef sharks were able to stand up to him, he would be taken down a notch on the food chain.

** In the prequel, ''A Legend from the Start'', we see the moment Ben takes over Jack’s school. But when Jack and Rachel show defiance against Ben’s will, Ben kills off one of their schoolmates just to make an example of what will happen if the other sharks don’t listen to him. Immediately afterwards, it is revealed that Ben has been picking off school members in secret. And the fact that Jack, [[BewareTheNiceOnes arguably the least likely in the school to resort to violence]], [[RageBreakingPoint calls for Ben’s head]] after this solidifies Ben's cruelty.

** And if that wasn't enough, Ben cheats in his bet against Jack by killing a mako shark, who was nothing more than an innocent bystander, just so he could steal his sailfish and claim it as his own. He then threatens Mo into leaving the school, thus forcing him to survive on his own, and then ''lies'' about it by saying that Mo was killed by the sailfish. And all of this was just so he could get Jack out of the picture and "prove" that his way is the only way.

** Ben claims that allowing weaker individuals to survive would mean that sharks as a whole would become weaker, and so only strong members of a population should be allowed to live. During Jack’s return to the school, Ben could have easily just gone for the weakest member and killed them. But he left it to Jack to choose who would die. This makes it seem like he couldn’t care less if they were strong or weak because no matter who it would be, it would hurt Jack.
*** He also spares Mo, who in his mind is a living example of Jack’s disruption of natural order. Mo was in a weakened state when Jack and Mainda found him, but rather than ignore him or take advantage of his weakness, they showed him mercy and helped him. So if Ben was sincere about wanting to eliminate weakness, he could have killed Mo to legitimately prove that Jack’s kindness was Mo’s undoing.
---> Ben: “If that were the case, I would’ve easily ended the dimwit’s life the moment I met him.”
*** Instead, he ''lied'' about Mo dying and tried to pass that off as proof that Jack’s philosophy is wrong. Ironically, his one act of mercy helped Mo get stronger (By getting some help from other sharks no less) when Ben always claimed that mercy and kindness would be the downfall of sharks.

* LoveToHate: The story makes almost no attempt to show Ben in a positive light, and yet, for some people, Ben's vileness may be what makes his character so interesting. Nonetheless, seeing Ben's [[AccidentalPun downfall]] will likely be a satisfying moment for readers

* StrawHypocrite: Ben claims that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, leading him to propose ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, as it would be better for everyone. But if Ben truly believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then he would focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species. So it's possible that, at the very least, he cares about natural order so long as it means he is the dominant predator.

* LoveToHate: The story makes almost no attempt to show Ben in a positive light, and yet, for some people, Ben's vileness may be what makes his character so interesting. Nonetheless, seeing Ben's [[Pun downfall]] will likely be a satisfying moment for readers

* LoveToHate: The story makes almost no attempt to show Ben in a positive light, and yet, for some people, Ben's vileness may be what makes his character so interesting. Nonetheless, seeing Ben's [[Main/Pun downfall]] will likely be a satisfying moment for readers

* StrawHypocrite: Ben claims that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, leading him to propose ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, as it would be better for everyone. But if Ben truly believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then he would focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species. So it's possible that, at the very least, he cares about natural order only as long as it means he is the dominant predator.

* StrawHypocrite: Ben claims that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, leading him to propose ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, as it would be better for everyone. But if Ben truly believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then he would focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species. So it's possible that, at the very least, he cares about natural order only as long as it means he stays on top.

* StrawHypocrite: Ben claims that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, leading him to propose ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, as it would be better for everyone. But if Ben truly believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then he would focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species. So it's possible that, at the very least, he cares about his pride more than enforcing the natural order.

* StrawHypocrite: Ben claims that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, leading him to propose ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, as it would be better for everyone. But if and Ben truly believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then he would focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species. So it's possible that, at the very least, he cares about his pride more than enforcing the natural order.

* Hypocrite: Ben claims that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, leading him to propose ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, as it would be better for everyone. But if that’s the case, and Ben believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then Ben should focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species.(Or perhaps he did try, but failed miserably)

* StrawHypocrite: Ben claims that it’s not natural for sharks of different species to be part of the same school, leading him to propose ideas like abandoning Mo and having Mainda leave to join a spinner shark school, as it would be better for everyone. But if that’s the case, and Ben believes that all sharks should stick to their own, then Ben should focus more on imposing his ideas on other bull sharks than taking time out of his day to care about what happens to another species.(Or perhaps he did try, but failed miserably)

* ShipTease: While Jack already has his heart set on Mainda, that doesn’t stop some moments from ensuing between him and Hellen that could qualify as this.

Hellen: “How could he not? You’re such a dish~”\\
Jack: (Unamused) “Oh please."

* ShipTease: While Jack already has his heart set on Mainda, that doesn’t stop some moments from ensuing between him and Hellen that, under different circumstances, could qualify as this.

** When reunited with his siblings, they do not recognize him as their brother, even though he recognizes them.
** Said siblings die after being caught in a fishing net. And despite Jack’s efforts, he cannot save them.

* The Woobie: Just when you think Jack has suffered enough, the story is more than happy to prove you wrong: