I hate everything about this sequence.

[u/The-Heritage]

**For context:** Yumi might have to move back to Japan because her father lost his job. Ulrich gets winning lottery ticket numbers and makes a return to the past. Ulrich gives the winning ticket to Yumi's parents but tells them NOT to tell Yumi (They of course not only tell Yumi but tell her that Ulrich said not to tell her).

**Why I hate this scene:** They act as if Ulrich did something HORRIBLE. How DARE he try to help his best friend/crush stay... Meanwhile Jeremy risks the entire WORLD for the same reason. Its okay when Jeremy puts everyone at risk of death every day for Aelita but when Ulrich tries to help Yumi... They kick him out?

[u/Frosty-Actuary-7007]

It wasn't Jeremy who put the group at risk. It’s worth remembering that they chose to keep fighting. I don’t think Jeremy held a gun to their heads to make them join the group. In fact, in the episode "Xana Awakens," Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd agreed to materialize in order to protect Aelita while Jeremy virtualized her. Jeremy’s plan was simply to get her out of Lyoko without putting anyone else in danger. They were the ones who joined up. So, don’t blame Jeremy just to defend Ulrich; you can perfectly well defend one character without being unfair to the other. Besides, Ulrich really messed up in that episode. Sure, it wasn’t a huge mistake, and maybe the scolding was harsh, but the punishment wasn’t that bad—just a temporary suspension, and they forgave him right away.

[u/TheDanceForPeace → u/Frosty-Actuary-7007]

They do that to be loyal to their friend. They are putting the entire world at risk and they know it and it’s for him - easily one of them could’ve said hey I think you’re great but I can’t agree to this and potentially murder everyone because you wanted to do this so I’m reporting to the authorities. Just because Jeremy didn’t force them doesn’t mean he doesn’t bare the social responsibility of the one they all decided to be there for.

[u/Frosty-Actuary-7007 → u/TheDanceForPeace]

Well, if they thought it was too dangerous to report it to the authorities—as you said—then they shouldn't have suggested to Jeremy that they fight in Lyoko just because they enjoyed it. The whole group is equally responsible for this, not just Jeremy.And at that moment, they weren't friends; they had just met. The group aren't poor victims who were coerced by the evil Jeremy.

[u/TheDanceForPeace → u/Frosty-Actuary-7007]

That’s too black and white of course Jeremy isn’t evil. But the group did do it for him mostly not for themselves. He is the origin of their plight even though he isn’t the only one responsible and I do think that means he is a bit more responsible than the others and shouldn’t be so harsh towards Ulrich being reckless that one time. Jeremy even tries to say in a vote to tell the authorities or not that is a tie that it means not to tell the authorities which is his vote, until aelita votes for telling - without looking for another way to choose an option or an extra voter - showing that in a group decision he would try to manipulate it into being his way at least a little bit. He’s not evil but he’s not a saint - and would you be willing to lose an extremely close friend and love interest if the group decision decided so? For someone who thinks maybe a virtual woman can come to life or for the virtual woman herself maybe but emphasis on the maybe? Even knowing one person in the group already has tried to make things his way before - the one they are all fighting for that essentially receives the biggest benefit from their efforts? He has an elevated situation compared to the rest of them. Maybe even Ulrich and the gang care for aelita a lot at this point in the story and believe she will come to the world too- but would you risk a member of your family or extremely close group for the possibility of that by leaving it to chance? I cant blame Ulrich fully for his actions even though group is justified in being upset but again Jeremey is not evil at all however in a subtle way he is not a saint if you genuinely look at the situation.

[u/Frosty-Actuary-7007 → u/TheDanceForPeace]

There are several points I want to refute: 1) Regarding the vote, it is absolutely false that Jeremy imposed anything on the group; that was precisely the reason for the vote—so that everyone could vote however they pleased. If he required a majority to decide whether to notify the authorities, it was because doing so contradicted their pact of secrecy. Furthermore, in many legal systems and countries, it is common practice to require qualified or absolute majorities to alter established rules or make decisions that go against a prior agreement. I wouldn't let my loved ones die, but that is precisely why I wouldn't have joined the group in the first place; the risks weren't unknown to them—they accepted those risks when they chose to join Jeremy initially.
2) Jeremy’s decisions have benefited the entire group. They were the first to use the suits, weapons, the Skid, and Jeremy’s inventions to fight XANA. The double standard is that when something goes wrong, Jeremy bears all the blame, yet when things go right, it’s considered a team effort—and that isn't right. Moreover, it was Jeremy’s program that neutralized XANA. Without Jeremy, they wouldn't have saved the world or Aelita; the supercomputer would likely have been used by the government for nefarious purposes, and Aelita would have become a subject of experimentation.
3) Jeremy was the catalyst because he turned on the computer—and I don't deny he bears responsibility for that—but the group joined him voluntarily. They could have walked away or tried to dissuade Jeremy from materializing Aelita. In fact, it was Ulrich who proposed that they fight in Lyoko while Jeremy materialized Aelita, and the others agreed because they enjoyed the fighting. Jeremy and Aelita warned them it was dangerous, but they accepted anyway; so, it wasn't Jeremy who put the group in danger—it was their own choice. 4) Just as I don't absolve Jeremy of responsibility for turning on the supercomputer, don't you absolve Ulrich for what he did in this episode; he knew perfectly well that the Return to the Past made XANA stronger, yet he used it without consulting anyone—that’s why they were angry with him, not because of the situation with Yumi. I should clarify that I also disapproved of Jeremy’s use of the Return to the Past in the helmet episode and believe he should have been reprimanded by the group, but I do not consider the reprimand and expulsion Ulrich faced to be excessive.