Talk:Iroh/@comment-3278061-20110928165231/@comment-4351678-20111008215545

Don'r forget Iroh learned the way of the dragons and was considered to be one of the greatest firebenders of his time. After all, he was the only other person who could have possibly stopped Ozai, as Zuko said. Single-handedly as in beating Ozai? Of course, Ozai has little true battle experience while Iroh was simply revered as the Dragon of the West and the General who broke through Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall. I'd have to argue that Iroh could have beaten Ozai or at the very least fought him to a standstill. Masked power doesn't mean weaker, it means stronger. I think the creators purposely did not show him fighting at Ba Sing Se as a way of indicating his firebending was of such sheer strength that they couldn't even depict it. Ozai's feats during the comet weren't exactly impressive. It was sheer bullying in essence, straight-ahead overpowering shots, against a child who's innate instinct is to evade and avoid as well as one burdened by his past, both distant [air nomads] and immediate [Katara]. Once Aang's Avatar State was activated, Ozai was easily defeated. Jeong Jeong was good, but...he is the first person to desert the Fire Nation Army and survive for a reason.

In the end though, I think it all circles back to what I said earlier, and Vulmen repeated: He is a man of great power, but the most important thing is that he is a man of great reserve. He only does what is needed, and does not take pleasure in crushing others.