Iroh


 * This article is about Zuko's uncle. For other similar uses, see Iroh (disambiguation).

"fire"

- After I reconquer Ba Sing Se, I'm going to reconquer my tea shop, and I'm going to play Pai Sho every day!

Iroh was a retired Fire Nation General, a former Crown Prince of the nation, a Grand Lotus of the Order of the White Lotus, a firebending master, and a wise mentor to his nephew Zuko. He was the elder son of Fire Lord Azulon and Ilah, and the older brother of Ozai. Iroh's well known ability to breathe fire, and his claims of "slaying" the last dragon, earned him the honorary title "The Dragon of the West".

Unlike many other individuals from the Fire Nation, particularly those within his own family, Iroh was a wise, easy-going, and spiritual man. He appreciated and admired the balance of the four elements, and even incorporated aspects of the other elements into his own firebending techniques. Iroh aided Avatar Aang and his companions on several occasions, and was consequently branded as a traitor. An extremely perceptive person, it was claimed that he journeyed to the Spirit World in search of his deceased son Lu Ten. His knowledge and respect for the four elements allowed him to provide advice to others; he assisted many close associates and friends.

After the traumatic death of his son, Iroh saw Zuko as his own son rather than his nephew, and encouraged him to choose his own destiny, rather than a fate members of the royal family expected of him. Upon Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord after Ozai's defeat and the conflict's conclusion, he reopened the Jasmine Dragon tea shop, and served tea for the rest of his retirement. When he deemed his business in the mortal world finished, Iroh chose to leave his body behind and travel to the Spirit World, where he continued serving tea to various spirits.

Early life and career


Born in the year 35 ASC, Iroh was the eldest son of Azulon and Ilah, and he was thus a grandson of Fire Lord Sozin. He was formerly the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and destined to become the new Fire Lord. He had one son, Lu Ten, with whom he was very close.

Iroh once visited the Sun Warriors to stand before the original firebenders: a pair of dragons, Ran and Shaw. He managed to prove himself worthy, and they revealed to him the true secrets of firebending, without recourse to hatred and aggression. Iroh later claimed that he had fought and killed the last surviving dragon in order to preserve what was left of the species and to ensure that the Sun Warriors remained undisturbed. Because of this claim and his ability to breathe fire, Iroh earned the title "The Dragon of the West".

Like his father before him, Iroh was a renowned Fire Nation General during the Hundred Year War. Acting on a vision he had witnessed in his youth which told him he would capture the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se, Iroh besieged the great city for six hundred days, and successfully breached the Outer Wall - a feat that had never been equaled before. However, before he could breach the Inner Wall, his son Lu Ten was killed on the front lines, and in his grief, Iroh lost most of his fighting spirit and abandoned the siege. The Siege of Ba Sing Se came to be seen as a terrible dishonor and failure for Iroh.

Distraught by the death of his son, Iroh thought it was necessary that he temporarily retract from his usual work as a general to recuperate. He did not immediately return to the Fire Nation after the siege, and instead went on a journey throughout the world, which included a spiritual adventure. It was even rumored that he went to the Spirit World in search of Lu Ten. These experiences had a profound impact on Iroh, as he eventually changed his perspective on the world and his life. In the past, Iroh had focused on his work in the military and preparing to become a Fire Lord, but after Lu Ten's death, he realized these were not the most important aspects of his life. The aging general wanted to relax and appreciate life more, an attitude that led to his retirement and engendered a relationship between him and Zuko. Iroh felt empathy for the young prince, who had been injured and shamefully banished by his father, and wished to help him with his struggles; Zuko's uncle viewed him as an adopted son.

As Iroh was returning home from the siege, his father Fire Lord Azulon died under mysterious circumstances. Although Iroh was the Crown Prince, his younger brother Ozai was appointed Fire Lord, apparently on the dying request of Azulon himself. Having lost his desire for power after the death of Lu Ten, Iroh did not fight for his right to the throne, and Ozai took power without incident. Although Iroh retired as a general, he was still well respected in the Fire Nation and well-liked by soldiers because of his personality.

Zuko's banishment


About three and a half years before the War's end, an indulgent Iroh allowed his beloved nephew to observe a meeting of Fire Lord Ozai's war council — a mistake he would soon come to regret. In the council, Zuko spoke out of turn. Though Iroh silently agreed with young Zuko's assessment, the Fire Lord demanded that Zuko participate in Agni Kai for his insubordination. Zuko accepted, under the mistaken impression that he would be dueling the general he had insulted. However, because Zuko had spoken out in his father's war room, he had disrespected his father and would instead fight the Fire Lord. Iroh bore witness in the audience when Zuko fell to his knees in the arena, pleading for forgiveness and refusing to duel his own father. When Ozai badly burned his own son's face, permanently scarring him as punishment for his cowardice and disrespect, Iroh looked away, unable to stand the sight.

Zuko was afterward stripped of his birthright and banished from the Fire Nation. However, one condition could restore his honor and throne and allow him to return home. As a result of this, Zuko was instructed to find and capture the Avatar. This powerful being was the only threat to the Fire Nation's victory in its imperialist war against the other nations. Yet the Avatar had vanished a century ago—shortly before the Fire Nation's first strike. Three generations had conducted fruitless searches, and Zuko was to be sent on a quest that seemed little more than a fool's errand. Iroh was the only person to accompany him, and it was his influence that provided Zuko with a ship and crew.

Years at sea


Undeterred, Zuko sought to do the impossible and Iroh accompanied him. The pair spent nearly three years at sea, searching in vain for any sign of the centenarian airbender the Fire Sages had described, traveling to several locations including the Western Air Temple. From the very beginning of their quest, Iroh attempted to help his nephew as best he could, greatly caring for Zuko's well-being and health. However, the banished prince often misinterpreted Iroh's advice, like taking "some time to heal and rest" at the Western Air Temple, as laziness and restlessly continued his bitter search. Consequently, Iroh was resigned to the futility of their mission and whittled away his days with games. He would continue to assist Zuko mostly by offering advice through complex proverbs, and teaching him firebending, strategy, and leadership skills. Zuko was an impatient student, who was anxious to learn combat quickly, and had little time for the life lessons Iroh wanted to impart on him, though Iroh persisted.

Finding the Avatar


Eventually, a day came when a strange beacon lit the skies off the coast of the South Pole. When Zuko investigated, he discovered that the Avatar had reappeared at last. Improbably, the long-sought old man was actually Aang, a twelve-year-old boy recently woken from a hundred years of suspended animation. Thrown off-guard, Zuko underestimated the boy, who managed to escape their grasp. When Aang escaped, Zuko and Iroh attacked his bison with a combined fire-blast. Aang redirected the attack into an Iceberg, causing Zuko's ship to be buried in ice. From that point on, Zuko engaged in hot pursuit, tracking the Avatar and his friends across the globe, while Iroh mostly stayed in the background, instructing Zuko in firebending and offering advice.

Capture and rescue


As Iroh bathed in a natural spring, heating it himself, Zuko came to demand that he returned to the ship, though he argued that he preferred to continue relaxing. Zuko relented and allowed Iroh to stay for a half-hour, which Iroh happily took advantage of. He relaxed to the point where he fell asleep.

Iroh woke up to the sound of a meadow vole chirping around the spring. He was quite pleased with his nap, until he felt rumbling under the spring. Land slid up to bind him, and Iroh realized he was being captured by a team of earthbenders. The earthbender captain, who had fought at Ba Sing Se before, recognized Iroh as the former general who had led the siege there. He announced that they had just captured the Fire Lord's brother. Iroh traveled with them as a prisoner and learned that he was going to be taken to Ba Sing Se, the place of his defeat. After speaking with his captors, he feigned sleepiness and fell off his ostrich horse. When the soldiers picked him up, he left behind a sandal and smirked.



The next morning, Iroh saw the spirit of Fang flying overhead and was startled. The captain asked him what was wrong, to which Iroh replied that it was nothing. He later complained that his handcuffs were too loose and that they were bumping against his wrists, asking if they would be tightened, to which the captain shrugged and agreed. When a soldier went to tighten the cuff, Iroh breathed fire, heating it up to scalding temperatures and held the soldier's hand to it. He jumped off the ostrich horse, fired a fire-blast, which confused the animals, and rolled himself off the cliff. The captain and two other soldiers went after him, and captured him at the bottom. The captain thought that Iroh was too dangerous to take to Ba Sing Se as he was, and said that something must be done.

They took him to a quarry, laid his hands out on a stone slab, and prepared to crush them. At that moment, Zuko, who had been tracking Iroh, partly by picking up the sandal Iroh dropped, came in to rescue his uncle. He broke his chains, and Iroh complimented his nephew on his form. The two of them fought the earthbenders, and defeated them.

Siege of the North


When Admiral Zhao was gathering forces for his Siege of the North, he conscripted Zuko's crew, and offered Iroh a position as an adviser General. Iroh turned him down, but Zhao insisted the position was still offered anyway. Later, after Zhao attempted to kill Zuko, Iroh took the position so that he could help Zuko stow away on Zhao's ship. Zhao offered false comfort to Iroh for Zuko's "death", and the two of them toasted victory. After the admiral began his attack on the Northern Water Tribe, Iroh advised him to withdraw his forces at sundown, as waterbenders drew their powers from the moon, and it was nearly full that night. Zhao agreed, although he stated that he was working on a solution to take care of "the moon problem".

That night, Zuko was planning to leave and sneak into the Northern Water Tribe to capture Aang. Iroh met him there, and gave him advice, but Zuko shrugged him off. Iroh told Zuko that he only nagged him because he had thought of Zuko as being like his own son, ever since Lu Ten died. Zuko said he knew, promised to return to Iroh after he captured the Avatar, and left.



The next morning, Zhao resumed his attack. When Iroh reminded him that they had a time limit, Zhao stated that he simply intended to destroy the moon. He told Iroh about a library he found in the desert, and how he found the mortal identities of the Moon and Ocean Spirits. Although Iroh warned him not to trifle with the spirits, Zhao intended to go to the Spirit Oasis and kill Tui.

When Zhao finally captured the Moon Spirit, Aang and his friends tried to convince him to let it go, and that killing the moon would destroy the whole world. Iroh agreed, and, despite Zhao calling him a traitor, warned Zhao not to harm the spirit, threatening ten-fold retribution. At first, Zhao let the spirit go, but became enraged and scorched the spirit anyway. Iroh responded by attacking him and his men with a brief, but aggressive, display of his firebending powers. The soldiers were quickly defeated, but Zhao managed to escape during the confusion. While everyone was despairing for the world, Iroh realized that Yue contained some of the life of the Moon Spirit, and that she could give it back. Yue did so, and saved the moon by taking its place. Afterwards, Iroh slipped away, and left the Northern Water Tribe with Zuko.

Fugitive


Iroh and Zuko have been branded traitors of the Fire Nation. After a confrontation with Azula, Iroh and Zuko learned of a plot to capture them and return them home in chains. After escaping from Azula's nearly successful plot, Iroh and Zuko cut their top-knots both to symbolize their new life as fugitives unable to return home, and also to disguise themselves. The two later took refuge in a river village and other Earth Kingdom towns and caves, acting as homeless beggars. While Iroh was able to adjust to a life of simplicity, humility, and poverty, Zuko was not, and Iroh soon suspected that Zuko had been obtaining items for their day-to-day life by theft. The older man attempted to persuade his nephew that those who maintain hope in the face of adversity are the ones with true strength. However, Zuko thought otherwise, and the two separated. The two were soon reunited, as Iroh covertly followed Zuko in case he needed assistance. When Zuko got in over his head in a three-way battle with Aang and Azula, Iroh intervened, as did Aang's companions. The six of them confronted Azula together, but she managed to wound Iroh with a blue fire blast to the chest, and she escaped.

After recovering from his injury, Iroh decided to teach Zuko the advanced firebending techniques he would need to defeat Azula. He first tried to teach Zuko how to create lightning, but his nephew's emotional turmoil prevented him from making progress with the difficult technique. Instead, Iroh taught Zuko a technique of his own creation—to absorb and redirect lightning, which he developed after studying waterbenders. Zuko soon demanded that Iroh attack him with lightning so that he can redirect it, but Iroh refused to perform such a dangerous test, unlike his brother Ozai.



Iroh was a grand lotus of the secret society, the Order of the White Lotus. The Order of the White Lotus, which transcended the boundaries of the four nations, had members spread far and wide across the world — even in desolate remote villages of the Earth Kingdom. Iroh and Zuko sought their aid in avoiding the bounty hunters Master Yu and Xin Fu, who temporarily decided to seek the two fugitives from the firebending nation rather than pursue the Avatar and Toph. The Order managed, on short notice, to produce fake passports and other paperwork to smuggle Iroh and Zuko into Ba Sing Se.

Life in Ba Sing Se
With the Order of the White Lotus' help, Iroh and Zuko were able to make their way to Ba Sing Se as refugees. Once inside, Iroh got them jobs at a tea shop. While on a day off, Iroh spent the day shopping in the city. During his travels, Iroh displayed his skill as a teacher as he granted wisdom and help to all those he encountered during his day of shopping. He later held a small memorial service for Lu Ten, marking his late son's birthday, and tearfully said he wished he could have helped Lu Ten.



After weeks in Ba Sing Se, Iroh was given the chance to run his own tea shop, but Zuko had other plans. When Zuko attempted to capture Appa, Iroh confronted Zuko and told him rather bluntly to stop trying to live the life people said he had to live. Iroh convinced Zuko to give up his alias as the Blue Spirit and cared for Zuko when he became ill as a result of his actions under Lake Laogai, which were in complete conflict with Zuko's image of himself. Through the ordeal, Iroh reassured Zuko that when he came out of his illness, he would be the "beautiful prince" he was always meant to be, and remained confident that Zuko will be the one person to redeem the wrongdoings of the Fire Nation.

When Azula offered Zuko a chance to reclaim his honor by helping take over the Earth Kingdom capital, he agreed. Iroh was last seen defending the lifeless body of the Avatar and Katara, giving them time to escape before he peacefully allowed himself to be captured. Iroh made eye contact with Zuko before turning away, expressing shame at his nephew's decision.

Imprisonment


Zuko would secretly visit Iroh, imprisoned in a tower. After threatening the guard to keep silent about the visit, Zuko attempted to talk to his uncle, only to have Iroh turn away from him and say nothing. Zuko later brought food to Iroh and asked for his help. Iroh continued to remain silent, causing Zuko to become angry and storm out of the room. A single tear rolled down Iroh's face.

While in prison, Warden Poon gave Iroh his food. Poon mocked a markedly disheveled Iroh as he scrabbled for the gruel, even scooping what had fallen onto the ground into his mouth. As soon as Poon was gone, he became more collected, wiped the sweaty hair out of his face and calmly finished his meal in peace, only eating out of the bowl. Iroh was shown again, calmly lying on the ground deep in thought. Suddenly his eyes widen and he began aggressively doing bent-knee sit ups. Later, Iroh was still mocked and ridiculed by Poon, while still feigning insanity. At the prison, Iroh continued to train in Poon's absence, having upgraded to a more difficult variation of sit-up, the straight-legged inverted sit-ups. He kept up the facade of loneliness and desperation in front of Poon. Iroh was seen to be training whenever not under watch, being able to perform difficult exercises including but not limited to inverted crunches, inverted push-ups, and one handed pull ups. Meanwhile, still keeping his jailer unaware, Iroh had managed to recondition his body back to its original, intimidating form, and even managed to lose his pronounced belly, which he slyly hid by stuffing spare clothing under his robes.



Iroh somehow managed to get a message to Zuko, urging him to educate himself on his great-grandfather. Zuko later angrily went to the Fire Nation jail tower and, bursting into his cell, accused Iroh of having sent him the message. He angrily demanded the point, as the testament did not even reveal anything about Sozin's death. Iroh admitted to having sent the message and explained that the message that Zuko must find out about his great-grandfather's death did not refer to his paternal great-grandfather, Sozin, but his maternal great-grandfather was none other than Avatar Roku. He proceeded, producing the lost crown prince's headpiece, once worn by both his great-grandfathers, and gave it to a stunned Zuko. Iroh explained to the prince that, as he had both Roku and Sozin's blood in his veins, he alone had the ability to redeem their family by choosing which of their paths to follow. He had the royal headpiece stashed behind one of the cell's bricks.

Escape and reconciliation
Iroh told Ming that it would be wise for her to leave the prison and go home, hinting that something will happen. Iroh broke himself out of prison during the eclipse and single-handedly defeated Warden Poon and everybody else inside. The defeated Poon later told Zuko, who intended to free his uncle himself, that Iroh was like a "one-man army". Iroh managed to leave the Fire Nation and enter the Earth Kingdom after his escape.



Zuko was deeply troubled by his betrayal toward his uncle afterwards, and his feelings about this were shown when both he and his uncle were depicted on stage in the play "The Boy in the Iceberg". When Aang disappeared before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko attempted to track Aang down by hiring June the bounty hunter. When June was unable to find Aang, Zuko had her track down his uncle, knowing that he was the only other possible person who could defeat the Fire Lord. He used Iroh's stinky sandal, which he apparently kept, as a scent for June's shirshu to track down the source. Zuko discovered that Iroh was in Ba Sing Se with the Order of the White Lotus, where he intended on leading the Order into battle with the Fire Nation occupational forces and reclaim the city in the name of the Earth Kingdom. Zuko tearfully confronted Iroh in his tent, stating that he was ashamed of what he did in Ba Sing Se and was willing to do anything to gain his uncle's forgiveness. Before Zuko could even finish his sentence, Iroh grabbed him and embraced him, stating that he was never angry with Zuko, just sad that he lost his way. Iroh told Zuko he was happy he found him and happy that he found his way again.

Return
While going over the battle plans, he said that he could not face the Fire Lord in the Avatar's absence, because he did not know if he could win, and he was afraid that history would just look upon it as more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother for power.



When Zuko asked Iroh if he would become the new Fire Lord afterward, Iroh said he was no longer suitable for the job. He proclaimed that Zuko must be the new Fire Lord, for he had the ideas and the honor to restore the Fire Nation's own honor. But he told Zuko he must return to the Fire Nation, and that Azula would be waiting. He told his nephew that he would not be able to fight Azula alone, and Zuko subsequently asked Katara for her help in "putting Azula in her place".

Iroh's assault on Ba Sing Se eventually succeeded, and the vision of his youth was proven true, as he "recaptured" the city in the name of the Earth Kingdom. After Zuko's coronation, Iroh reopened his tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, where the gang celebrated their triumph. He was happy to serve tea with Zuko again. He intended to spend his retirement serving tea and playing Pai Sho "every day".

After the Hundred Year War


Just as he had hoped, Iroh spent his days after the end of the Hundred Year War running the Jasmine Dragon and perspicuously playing Pai Sho. When Zuko felt conflicted he would talk to a picture of Iroh, expressing his desire that Iroh were with him, though he never followed through. Zuko knew that a quiet life was all Iroh ever wanted and therefore, knowing that there was no better way to repay his former mentor for all he had done, left Iroh in peace. For almost a year, Iroh was oblivious to the events that transpired at Yu Dao. Later, when Zuko fainted after the conflict of the Harmony Restoration Movement, Aang took him to the Jasmine Dragon, and Iroh cared for Zuko while he recovered. When Zuko finally awoke, Iroh alerted Aang, who was meditating on top of the building. Iroh thanked Aang for bringing Zuko to him, and pointed out that even though Zuko was Fire Lord now, he was still a stubborn boy and should not forget that he still had a place here. When Aang and Zuko talked, Iroh came by to serve them his newest beverage, which consisted of balls of tapioca that were cooked until soft, before being placed in tea. Iroh claimed that his invention was a revolution in tea. Despite this, Zuko and Aang both disliked the drink, causing Iroh to sadly remark that he was "a man ahead of [his] time".

Interim Fire Lord
Some time later, Iroh returned to the Fire Nation Royal Palace to act as the interim Fire Lord while Zuko would be out searching for his mother. As Zuko explained the goal of his quest to his friends, Iroh expressed his hopes that his nephew would find "who and what" he was searching for. Iroh also reasoned with Aang, who was reluctant to let Azula come with them unbound, stating that just as Zuko yearned for peace and hoped to find it by finding his mother, the same could perhaps be said for his sister.



As soon as Team Avatar departed the next day, Iroh wondered why he ever dreamed about living in the "dreary" Fire Nation palace. When Suki asked whether or not there was something she could do for him to make him feel more at home, Iroh stated that the problem was that the Fire Nation had too many weapons and not enough tea. He subsequently performed his first action as interim Fire Lord by announcing a "National Tea Appreciation Day", and replaced the spear of a nearby guard with a cup of tea, encouraging him to drink it.

Life in the Spirit World
Sometime after 131 ASC, feeling that he had done all he could in in the material world, Iroh chose to ascend to the Spirit World, leaving his mortal body behind and letting his soul make a new home there, where he made friends with many spirits, and also constructed a new tea shop.



In 171 ASC, Iroh came across Avatar Korra, who had reverted to her four-year-old self, and a baby dragon bird spirit, while walking through a dark forest. Noting that they appeared lost, he offered to help them. Since he had been good friends with Avatar Aang, he was instantly recognized by Korra, and he subsequently guided the young Avatar out of the forest to a brighter part of the Spirit World. He expressed his pleasure over her visit, and noted that she was just in time to join the wedding celebrations of May-Jim. He offered Korra tea and cake, and when she recognized Wan's teapot as her own, Iroh explained how when she was Avatar Wan, she had used it to carry Raava before they permanently bonded, adding that tea poured out of the cup still retained a hint of light. Later, he explained to Korra about the legend and finesses of Pai Sho while he played with a tulip-shaped spirit who seemed to struggle.

Noticing that Korra seemed depressed, Iroh asked what was wrong, to which the young Avatar said that she came there with her friend, but had become separated from her, leaving her by herself. Iroh tried to tell her that she was not alone, but a distraught Korra erupted in a tantrum, saying she wanted to go home and did not like the Spirit World, causing the skies to darken and the spirits to grow restless. Iroh urged Korra to stop, explaining to her that her emotions became reality in the Spirit World, especially for the Avatar, and that she needed to stay positive. He wiped her tears away with a small cloth, and the Avatar apologized, causing the spirits and the sky to both stabilize. The elderly man added that if she sought the light, she would find it, but looking for the dark would mean that it is all she would ever see. Korra tried to apply what she had just learned to find Jinora, but Iroh stated that finding the young airbender would not be that easy. When Korra asked for advice, he imparted the wisdom that sometimes the best way to help oneself is to help others, recommending she took the dragon bird spirit home, pointed Korra toward its home atop Hai-Riyo Peak.



Iroh accompanied Korra for a while, but when the scared girl asked him if he would accompany her, Iroh squatted down and gently told her that she needed to make the trip on her own. He explained that the darkness on the peak was caused by the darkness and anger brought by the people who had been frequenting the Spirit World lately, but since Korra had light and peace within her, he pointed out that she could change the world around her. To prove his point, Iroh asked her if she still thought the dragon bird was scary like she had upon their first encounter, and after she replied that it was not, he noted that many things that seemed threatening in the dark would prove to be welcoming by shedding light on it. After embracing the young Avatar, Iroh told her that it was nice meeting her, and invited her to come visit him again, whether it was in her present life or her next incarnation.

During Harmonic Convergence, Iroh tracked down Aang's children, Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin, after being informed by a Knowledge Seeker of their presence in the Spirit World. He offered to guide them out of the forest, though was declined, as Tenzin wanted to find his daughter, not a way out. Iroh expressed his sympathies for their loss, though urged them nonetheless to leave, as darkness threatened to take over the Spirit World since Vaatu had escaped. Understanding that Tenzin would not leave without Jinora, he cryptically said they had to be careful to not travel too deep into the Spirit World, lest they reached a place where only the lost could find them. Iroh and the Knowledge Seeker subsequently vanished, leaving his old friends to ponder his message, which Tenzin correctly deduced to be the Fog of Lost Souls.

Personality


Easygoing, open-minded, warm, caring, generous, friendly, advising, kind, and humorous, Iroh treated his self-imposed exile during Zuko's search for the Avatar as though it were an extended vacation. Something of an epicurean in his old age, he did not devote his full energies to the pursuit of the Avatar, clashing with the dedication of his nephew. However, beneath the easygoing exterior lay a wise man experienced in the ways of the world, a seasoned and wily strategist, and an incredibly strong and powerful firebending master.

Although he appeared hedonistic, Iroh's personal philosophies were ones of living life to the fullest, and following a path of one's own choosing. He was a firm believer that everyone had the power to create one's own destiny. He appeared laid-back because he understood that there were things in life he could not control, but he also believed that a person is fully responsible for the parts they can. From Zuko's point of view, Iroh seemed lazy, but from an objective point of view, it could be seen that he understood that Zuko was very misguided. Throughout the last year of the Hundred Year War, Iroh constantly asked Zuko what it was that he wanted in life, asking him if capturing Aang was the destiny that he chose, or a path that others told him he needed to follow. Iroh was a father figure to Zuko.

Iroh was particularly fond of tea, the strategy game Pai Sho, and music. He founded a music night for the ship's crew, among whom he was popular, involving singing and the playing of instruments. He later displayed skill at playing the liuqin, singing lullabies to pacify a crying child. He had shown himself to be an amateur botanist with knowledge of a wide variety of plants and their effects on the human body, though misinterpretation of some plant characteristics led him to accidentally poisoning himself. Ginseng, followed by jasmine, are pronounced to be his favorite teas.



Probably as definitive of Iroh's character as his love for tea was his sage advice and wisdom. Iroh was known by his niece and nephew for his sometimes cryptic proverbs and lengthy anecdotes. Throughout Books One and Two, Iroh constantly guided Zuko during his exile and critical, character-shaping decisions. He had also advised Aang and Toph to great effect.

Closely related to this wisdom was Iroh's affinity for spirituality. He constantly advocated maintaining the balance between elements, as demonstrated when he implemented waterbending techniques to divert lightning. Iroh was the only character besides Aang who was able to see the spirit of Roku's dragon. During the Siege of the North, Zhao also mentioned a rumor that Iroh had traveled to the Spirit World. Later in the battle, Iroh threatened Zhao for capturing the Moon Spirit and disturbing the balance of world, breaking his typical easy going manner.

Iroh had no desire for power, not protesting when his brother took his birthright title of Fire Lord. He soon retired from being a general, and stated that "there is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity".

Though a very honorable man, he was not above a spot of pilfering as he once pocketed perfumes from an abbey. He also demonstrated a respect and appreciation for all cultures, which seemed to be a rarity among those of the Fire Nation. This partially stemmed from his trip into the Spirit World, which left him with a certain spiritual awareness.



Despite his age, Iroh could be quite the ladies' man when the need arose, often flirting with various women on his travels. Many of these were older women but some have been much younger, such as the bounty hunter June and an Earth Kingdom peasant. He was also addressed as "handsome" on multiple occasions.

It had been hinted that Iroh may have been crueler in his days as a general before the death of his son. During a flashback, Iroh was shown, just after he had broken through the walls of Ba Sing Se, writing to Zuko, Azula, and Ursa. In his letter, he said he hoped they could see the city if he did not "burn it to the ground first". However, this may have just been his way of mocking the senseless destruction carried out by the Fire Nation during the War. On the way to Ba Sing Se years later he stated he "was a different man" when he laid siege to it. His cruelty, however was probably much less than that of others in the Fire Nation, as it has been stated that Iroh was never a cruel person but was "very good at what he did".

It was unclear when Iroh traveled to the Spirit World and when he met the dragons and proved worthy to learn the original form of firebending, so it is not known if these experiences reformed Iroh into the man he became or if he was always a more peaceful man than his father and brother.

Iroh was shown to rarely show grudges, and did not seem to mind if people wronged him. This was made evident when a man attempted to mug him in Ba Sing Se; he did not fight back, but instead helped and gave advice to the mugger.

Firebending


Iroh was a firebending master, and arguably one of the most powerful firebenders of his time. It was mentioned that if Aang were to fail at defeating the Fire Lord, Iroh would be the only other person who could possibly defeat Ozai. Iroh, like Jeong Jeong, knew its destructive and alluring power which could cause an amateur firebender to lose control. Instead of anger, Iroh based his bending style on the original firebending wisdom of the dragons and teachings of the Sun Warriors from whom he learned and whose secrets he kept. This philosophy emphasized the beauty and life-giving qualities of fire; thus, Iroh firebent without resorting to anger, hate, or lust, unlike his brother, niece and most other firebenders of his time. At the same time, he was able to show truly destructive power when provoked, able to blast through the inner wall of Ba Sing Se with a large and highly-charged fire blast.

Iroh was highly knowledgeable and well-versed in all of firebending's styles and skills as well as their respective techniques. He also stood as one of the select few firebenders of his time who possessed the ability to generate lightning, along with his brother and niece. This technique required perfect calmness of mind; Iroh derived this from inner peace, not from amorality as did the remainder of his family.



Like his brother, he could easily perform it quickly and even during intense battle. Iroh's prowess for firebending also extended to creating his own original techniques. One of the techniques he invented was the absorption and redirection of lightning. Iroh invented this by observing the fluidity of waterbending moves and their ability to effectively redirect chi. He used this move on multiple occasions, to redirect natural as well as man-made lightning (the latter he even channeled before it was fully unleashed).

While not exclusive to him, Iroh's signature technique was his fire-breath, a feat he could perform with especially potent power that earned him the nickname "The Dragon of the West". He was able to maintain this technique in a sweeping manner against the Dai Li to give himself and Zuko enough time to escape from their clutches.

Iroh had a tendency to not involve himself in battle, but when he did partake, he displayed great skill, speed, agility, and ferocity. Even in his old age and while out of shape, he overwhelmed a group of four firebending guards accompanying Admiral Zhao within seconds, causing Zhao to retreat in fear, and defeated multiple trained earthbenders in combat, using the very chains that had previously subdued him. He was also able to overpower, with notable ease, a full squad of Imperial Firebenders accompanying Azula as well as the prodigious princess herself.

His firebending skill may have developed even further after getting back in shape in prison. He managed to break himself out of the jail, leaving only an enormous hole in the bars of his cell, and various scorch-marks on the walls. A shell-shocked Warden Poon described Iroh as being like a "one-man army". During the coming of Sozin's Comet, Iroh displayed the true extent of his firebending prowess: he created a ring of fire around him and several other members of the Order of the White Lotus, expanding it and shrinking it with every breath, in and out. After a few breaths, he focused the ring around him into a ball, from which he launched a fire blast that breached the Inner Wall of Ba Sing Se itself.

Other skills


Iroh was a very gifted strategist and tactician, having once been the Fire Nation's top general and next in line to become Fire Lord. His craftiness was best showcased by his skill at Pai Sho. His army won many battles in the Earth Kingdom and managed to break through the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. There were many who still referred to him as "General" Iroh, despite the fact that he had been retired for years, though Zhao did so in a partially sarcastic manner.

Iroh was a lover of music; he was a very good singer, as well as a gifted pipa and tsungi horn player. He had knowledge of other cultures, and history. He was also something of an amateur botanist, probably due to his love of tea, although this skill was not enough to save him getting poisoned, when he confused a rare tea plant with a poisonous one. Because of his love of tea, Iroh was also an excellent tea maker, increasing business in the tea shop he and Zuko worked in and was eventually awarded one of his own. With his adept entrepreneurial skills, Iroh had managed to invent a new variety of tea, mixing tea with milk and tapioca pearls.

Iroh was able to see the spirit of Aang riding Roku's dragon when no one else could. He was also able to immediately discern that Princess Yue had been given life by the Moon Spirit. His knowledge of the spirits and their world is immense, as he was later in life able to consciously depart his soul to the Spirit World, where he was welcomed.

Iroh also demonstrated an impressive physical strength and skill in close combat without the usage of firebending. While imprisoned after the fall of Ba Sing Se, he spent most of his time performing intensive calisthenic routines without the guards' knowledge. In a few weeks, his previously overweight physique had completely changed to a slim yet impressively muscular one. On the Day of Black Sun, while the scorch marks on the prison walls indicated part of his escape occurred before the eclipse began, he still escaped during the eclipse, when firebending was not possible. This implied that Iroh had some knowledge of hand-to-hand combat to accomplish this feat. Interestingly, Iroh had planned to escape on the Day of Black Sun beforehand, implying he knew not only of this firebending weakness but also knew when an eclipse was going to occur, despite none of this information being public knowledge.

Voice actor
Iroh was voiced by the late Japanese-American actor Mako. Mako passed away in July 2006 due to cancer, and "The Tale of Iroh" was a stunning homage to him, as he had recently passed when the episode aired. Coincidentally, Iroh mourned the death of Lu Ten in that episode.

The role was recast with Greg Baldwin, Mako's understudy and a long-time student of his voice. He performed a few one-off lines that Mako was unable to complete in Book Two and went on to do all of Iroh's voice work in Book Three. His vocal timbre is lighter than Mako's, but he replicates Mako's unique accent, pronunciation, syllable stressing, and gravelly undertones in his performance rather than using a different style for Iroh in season three.

Mako from The Legend of Korra was named after Iroh's first voice actor as a tribute.

Appearances
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Book Two: Spirits (神靈)
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Trivia

 * In the first episode, Iroh told an impatient Zuko that firebending came from the breath. This corresponded with his title "The Dragon of the West", as dragons breathe fire. Iroh demonstrated the importance of breathing in "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno", where he utilized the power of Sozin's Comet to create a blazing circle of fire around himself and the other prominent members of the Order of the White Lotus, accomplishing this only by breathing in and out.
 * Iroh gained the title "The Dragon of the West" for two reasons: one, due to his ability to use the "Breath of Fire" technique effortlessly, and two, from him having supposedly slain the last two dragons, Ran and Shaw.
 * In the Filipino, Finnish, Hungarian, Dutch, and Russian dubs of the series, it is Iroh instead of Avatar Roku who says the words, "Previously on Avatar".
 * Iroh could fall asleep anywhere and anytime.
 * Iroh developed lightning redirection by studying waterbending.
 * Iroh used his own redirection technique twice during the series: once when a bolt of lightning almost struck the hull of Zuko's ship, and again when he grabbed Azula's hand to redirect the lightning with which she intended to strike Zuko. Iroh acted like a router both times; he simultaneously took the bolt in and shot it out away from both vessels.
 * He is the only known individual to have successfully redirected naturally occurring lightning. Though successful, the act had several side effects that were never seen again from successful redirection; Iroh's clothes and face were singed and his hair stuck straight up.
 * Aspects of Iroh's life and personality bear a striking resemblance to Royal Uncle Cao, one of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology.
 * For the entire first book, Iroh addressed Zuko as "Prince Zuko" every time he said his name. However, in the following seasons, he usually just called him Zuko or nephew, likely due to the fact that Zuko was renounced as Prince of the Fire Nation at the start of the second season. He used the title on a few occasions afterwards, usually for emphasis.
 * It was mentioned by Zhao that Iroh once traveled into the Spirit World and he has been shown capable of seeing spirits outside of the realm. Iroh was able to see Aang and Fang as they flew over him while none of the earthbenders beside him did. He was also shown to have great respect for the spirits. He warned Zhao not to go through with his plan to kill the Moon Spirit stating, "The spirits are not to be trifled with." He later fought Zhao's guards when Zhao killed the Moon Spirit.
 * Most of Iroh's past is shrouded in mystery. Usually, when information was revealed about Iroh's past, it raised more questions than answers. Lu Ten's death had a large effect on Iroh, and was hinted to have been the cause of his later change in perspective.
 * The creators initially intended to air an episode detailing Iroh's past, although the idea was later dropped.
 * Iroh was the first general in history to attack and successfully break through the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se after an almost six hundred day siege. Following the death of his son, Iroh chose to withdraw, although he attributed this decision to the fact that he and his men were exhausted. Despite this accomplishment, his siege was looked upon as a failure, and used by those around him as a means of insult.
 * In , Iroh's military conquest was briefly mentioned, but was changed to have lasted a hundred days instead of six hundred.
 * Iroh usually spoke in proverbs which, in the first and second seasons, annoyed Zuko. However, in the third book, Zuko was shown to have regretted not listening to them and consistently referred to them after joining Team Avatar.
 * As said by Zuko, Iroh was the only person who could possibly challenge Ozai if Aang could not. Iroh did admit that he could challenge Ozai, but expressed doubts that he would win.
 * The only known times when Iroh had ever been in the palace at the same time as his brother was during Zuko's Agni Kai against Ozai, and during the argument in the war room which caused the duel.
 * Additionally, his appearance before Team Avatar left with Azula to search for Ursa was his first known visit to the palace since his nephew's banishment.
 * Iroh was extremely passionate about tea, and was offended when Zuko said that all tea is simply "hot leaf juice". He is labeled as a "tea snob", albeit a "polite tea snob".
 * Iroh's appearance had a striking similarity to the character Bak Mei from the film Clan of the White Lotus. This is interesting as Iroh is also a Grand Master of the Order of the White Lotus in the series.
 * Iroh attacked Aang only once in the series, when he and Zuko threw a fireball at Aang, Katara, and Sokka, who were flying away on Appa in "The Avatar Returns".
 * Nickelodeon's official picture of Iroh on their website uses his portrayal from the play rather than himself.
 * Iroh was originally going to be a strict teacher and similar to what he was portrayed as in "Zuko Alone"; however, his character eventually turned into what actually was in the series.
 * Despite his mastery of the skill, Iroh was never shown to apply lightning generation in combat. He was only seen using the technique twice throughout the series: first as a demonstration, and later to break down a wall while trying to escape the Dai Li.
 * In Iroh's first appearance, he is seen playing a game similar to solitaire. The piece in his hand has the air symbol (coinciding with Aang's awakening). He places that tile over a fire one. To the right is a water tile with an earth tile on top, completing the cycle of the Avatar.
 * Despite his name being mentioned as early as "The Southern Air Temple", he was always credited simply as "Uncle".
 * Iroh invented a tea consisting of milk and cooked balls of tapioca, similar to the modern day Boba tea.
 * Iroh is the first character who was voiced by two voice actors in Avatar: The Last Airbender, followed by The Duke.
 * After being appointed representative by his nephew, Iroh became the second known temporary ruler of the Fire Nation who was not Fire Lord; the first one was Azula as Princess Regent.
 * Iroh's great-great-nephew was named in memory of him.