Iroh

"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 is a retired Fire Nation general, a former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, a Grand Master (Lotus) of the Order of the White Lotus, a Firebending Master, and a mentor to his nephew, Fire Lord Zuko. Iroh is the son of Fire Lord Azulon and the older brother of former Fire Lord Ozai. His prowess in Firebending (as well as his ability to breath fire) has earned him the title The Dragon of the West.

Unlike others from the Fire Nation, particularly within his own family, Iroh is an easy-going and spiritual man and is somewhat of a hedonist. He appreciates the balance of the four elements, even incorporating facets from the other elements into his own Firebending skills. He has aided Avatar Aang and his companions on several occasions, and for this was branded as a traitor.

After the traumatic death of his son, Prince Lu Ten, Iroh sees Zuko as his own son rather than his nephew. Iroh has influenced Zuko to choose his own destiny rather than the destiny that others have expected of him. He currently serves tea for his retirement.

Early Life and Career


Born in the year 35 ASC, Iroh is the oldest son of Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah, and thus he was a grandson of Fire Lord Sozin. He was 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's wife was never mentioned and is assumed to be deceased.

Little is known of Iroh's early life. Iroh once visited the Sun Warriors and went 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. For this, he was showered with glory in the Fire Nation and awarded the title of "Dragon of the West". Admiral Zhao has also mentioned that Iroh once visited the Spirit World, although the details of this journey are not known.



Like his father before him, Iroh was a renowned Fire Nation General during the 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 laid siege to the city for 600 days, and successfully breached the Outer Wall - a feat that had never been equaled before or since. However, before he could breach the Inner Wall, his son Lu Ten was killed on the front lines, and in his grief Iroh abandoned the siege. The Siege of Ba Sing Se came to be seen as a terrible dishonor and failure for Iroh.

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. Still grieving for the loss 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 the soldiers.

Zuko's Banishment


Three years before the start of the series, an indulgent Iroh allowed his beloved nephew to observe a meeting of 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 a fire duel, an Agni Kai, for his insubordination. Zuko accepted, under the mistaken impression he would be dueling the General he'd insulted. However, because Zuko had spoken out in his father's war room, Zuko had disrespected his father and would instead fight him. 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 exiled from the Fire Nation. However, one condition could restore his honor and throne and allow him to return home. 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 two years at sea, searching in vain for any sign of the centenarian Airbender the Fire Sages had described. Iroh was resigned to the futility of their mission and whittled away his days with games. He would 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.

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


Iroh bathes in a natural spring, which he heated himself. Zuko comes to demand that Iroh return to the ship, but Iroh prefers to continue relaxing. Zuko relents and allows Iroh to stay for a half-hour, which Iroh happily takes advantage of. He relaxes to the point where he falls asleep.

Iroh wakes up to the sound of a Meadow Vole chirping around the spring. He is quite pleased with his nap, until he feels rumbling under the spring. Land slides up to bind him, and Iroh realizes he's been captured by a team of Earthbenders. The Earthbender Captain, who had fought at Ba Sing Se before, recognizes Iroh as the former general who had led the siege there. He announces that they've just captured the Fire Lord's brother. Iroh travels with them as a prisoner and learns that he is going to be taken to Ba Sing Se, the place of his defeat. After speaking with his captors, he feigns sleepiness and falls off his Ostrich Horse. When the soldiers pick him up, he leaves behind a sandal and smirks.



The next morning, Iroh sees the spirit of Fang flying overhead and is startled. The captain asks him what is wrong, but Iroh tells him nothing, at first. He then complains that his handcuffs are too loose and that they are bumping against his wrists. He asks if they can be tightened and the captain agrees. When a soldier goes to tighten the cuff, Iroh heats it up to scalding temperatures and holds the soldier's hand to it. He jumps off the ostrich horse, fires a fire-blast, which confuses the animals, and rolls himself off the cliff. The captain and two other soldiers go after him, and capture him at the bottom. The captain thinks that Iroh is too dangerous to take to Ba Sing Se as he is, and says that something must be done.

They take him to a quarry, lay him out against a slab of stone, and prepare to crush his hands. Just then, Zuko, who had been tracking Iroh, partly by picking up the sandal Iroh dropped, comes in to rescue his uncle. He breaks his chains, and Iroh compliments his nephew on his form. The two of them fight the Earthbenders, and defeat 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. Iroh turns him down, but Zhao insists the position is still offered anyway. Later, after Zhao attempts to kill Zuko, Iroh takes the position so that he can help Zuko stow away on Zhao's ship. Zhao offers false comfort to Iroh for Zuko's "death", and the two of them toast victory. After the Admiral begins his attack on the Northern Water Tribe, Iroh advises him to withdraw his forces at sundown, as Waterbenders draw their powers from the moon, and it was nearly full that night. Zhao agrees, although he states that he intends to do something about the moon problem.

That night, Zuko is planning to leave and sneak into the Northern Water Tribe to capture Aang. Iroh meets him there, and gives him advice, but Zuko shrugs him off. Iroh tells Zuko that he only nags him because he has thought of Zuko as being like his own son, ever since Lu Ten died. Zuko says he knows, promises to return to Iroh after he captures the Avatar, and leaves.



The next morning, Zhao resumes his attack. When Iroh reminds him that they have a time limit, Zhao states that he simply intends to destroy the moon. He tells Iroh about a library he found in the desert, and how he found the mortal identities of the Moon and Ocean Spirits. While Iroh warns him not to trifle with the spirits, Zhao intends to go to the Spirit Oasis and kill Tui.

When Zhao finally captures the Moon Spirit, Aang and his friends try to convince him to let it go, and that killing the moon would destroy the whole world. Iroh agrees, and, despite Zhao calling him a traitor, warns Zhao not to harm the spirit, threatening tenfold retribution. At first, Zhao lets the spirit go, but then becomes enraged and destroys the spirit anyway. Iroh responds by attacking him and his men with a short, but deadly, display of his Firebending powers. The soldiers are defeated, but Zhao gets away. As everyone is despairing for the world, Iroh realizes that Yue contains some of the life of the Moon Spirit, and she can take its place. Yue does so, and saves the moon by becoming it. At some point, Iroh slips away, and leaves 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 hair both to symbolize their new life as fugitives unable to return home, and also to disguise themselves. The two later took refuge in random Earth Kingdom towns 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.



Iroh is a grand master of the secret society, the Order of the White Lotus. The Order of the White Lotus has 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. Since the people who protected Iroh appeared to be of the Earth Kingdom, the organization of the group may itself be independent of any particular nation. Also, the White Lotus appears to have at least some degree of bureaucratic influence, as it managed, on short notice, to produce fake passports and other paperwork to smuggle Iroh and Zuko into Ba Sing Se.

Ba Sing Se
With the White Lotus Order's help, Iroh and Zuko are able to make their way to Ba Sing Se as refugees. Once inside, Iroh gets them jobs at a tea shop. During the episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," Iroh spends a day shopping in the city. In this episode, Iroh is displayed as a teacher as he grants wisdom and help to all those he encounters during his day of shopping. He later holds a small memorial service for Lu Ten, marking his late son's birthday, and tearfully noting he wished he could have helped Lu Ten.



After weeks in Ba Sing Se, Iroh is given the chance to run his own tea shop, but Zuko has other plans. When Zuko attempts to capture Appa, Iroh confronts Zuko and tells him rather bluntly to stop trying to live the life people say he has to live. Iroh convinces Zuko to give up his alias as the Blue Spirit and cares for Zuko when he becomes 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 reassures Zuko that when he comes out of his illness, he will be the "beautiful prince" he was always meant to be, and remains confident that Zuko will be the one person to redeem the wrong-doings of the Fire Nation.

When Azula offered Zuko a chance to reclaim his honor by helping take over the Earth Kingdom capital, he agrees. Iroh was last seen defending the wounded Avatar and Katara, giving them time to escape before he peacefully allowed himself to be captured. Iroh makes 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 attempts to talk to his uncle, only to have Iroh turn away from him and say nothing. Zuko later brings food to Iroh and asks for his help. He continues his silence, causing Zuko to become angry and storm from the room. A single tear then rolls down Iroh's face.

While in prison General Poon goes to give Iroh his food in prison. Poon mocks a markedly disheveled Iroh as he scrabbles for the gruel, even scooping what had fallen onto the ground into his mouth. As soon as Poon is gone, he becomes more collected, wipes the sweaty hair out of his face and calmly finishes his meal in peace, only eating out of the bowl. Iroh is shown again, calmly lying on the ground deep in thought. Suddenly his eyes widen and he begins aggressively doing bent-knee sit ups. Later, Iroh is still mocked and ridiculed by Poon, while still feigning insanity. At the prison, Iroh is then seen to be training in Poon's absence, having upgraded to a more difficult variation of sit-up, the straight-legged inverted sit-ups. He keeps up the facade of loneliness and desperation in front of Poon. Iroh is 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 has managed to recondition his body back to its original, intimidating form, and even managed to lose his pronounced belly, which he slyly hides by stuffing spare clothing under his robes.



Iroh somehow manages to get a message to Zuko, urging him to educate himself on his great-grandfather. Zuko later angrily goes to the Fire Nation jail tower and, bursting into his cell, accuses Iroh of having sent him the message. He then angrily demands the point, as the testament did not even reveal anything about Sozin's death. Iroh admits to having sent the message and explains that the message that Zuko must find out about his great-grandfather's death did not refer to his paternal ancestor, Sozin, but his maternal great-grandfather−none other than Avatar Roku. He then produces the lost crown prince's headpiece, once worn by both his great-grandfathers, and gives it to a stunned Zuko, explaining that, as he has both Roku and Sozin's blood in his veins, he has the power to redeem their family by choosing which of their paths to follow. How he managed to smuggle the headpiece into prison is unknown, but he had the royal headpiece stashed behind one of the cell's bricks.

Escape and Reconciliation
Iroh tells Ming, one of the prison guards, that it would be wise for her to leave the prison and go home, hinting that something will happen. Iroh breaks himself out of prison during the eclipse and single-handedly defeats Warden Poon and everybody else inside. The defeated Poon told Zuko, who intended to free his uncle himself, that Iroh was like a "one-man army". Zuko left to join the Avatar afterwards, and presumably he assumes that Iroh is safe somewhere else.



Zuko is deeply troubled by his betrayal towards his uncle afterwards, and his feelings about this are shown in the episode "The Ember Island Players", when both he and his uncle are depicted on stage. When Aang disappeared before the arrival of Sozin's Comet, Zuko attempted to track Aang down by hiring June the Bounty Hunter. When June is unable to find Aang, Zuko has her track down his Uncle, knowing that he is 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 discovers that Iroh is in Ba Sing Se with the Order of the White Lotus, where he intends 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 confronts Iroh in his tent, stating that he is ashamed of what he did in Ba Sing Se and is willing to do anything to gain his Uncle's forgiveness. Before Zuko can even finish his sentence, Iroh grabs him and embraces him, stating that he was never angry with Zuko, just sad that he lost his way. Iroh tells Zuko he is happy he found him and happy that he found his way again.

Return
While going over the battle plans, he says that he cannot face the Fire Lord in the Avatar's absence, because one; he doesn't know if he could win, and two; history would just look upon it as more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother for power.



When Zuko asks Iroh if he will become the new Fire Lord afterward, Iroh says he is no longer suitable for the job. He says that Zuko must be the new Fire Lord, for he has the ideas and the honor to restore the Fire Nation's own honor. But he tells Zuko he must return to the Fire Nation, and that Azula will be waiting. He then tells his nephew that he will not be able to take Azula alone, and Zuko then asks Katara for her help in "putting Azula in her place".

Iroh's assault on Ba Sing Se eventually succeeds, and the vision of his youth is proven true, as he "recaptures" 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 intends to spend his retirement serving tea and playing Pai Sho "every day".

Personality
Easygoing, friendly and dryly good-humored, Iroh treats his self-imposed exile of the first part of the series as though it were an extended vacation. Something of an epicurean in his old age, he does not devote his full energies to the pursuit of the Avatar, clashing with the dedication of his nephew. However, beneath the easygoing exterior lies a wise man experienced in the ways of the world, a seasoned and wily strategist, and a powerful Firebending master.

Although he appears hedonistic, Iroh's personal philosophies are ones of living life to the fullest, and following a path of your own choosing. He is a firm believer that everyone has the power to create one's own destiny. He appears laid back because he understands that there are things in life you can't control, but he also believes that you are fully responsible for the parts you can. From Zuko's point of view, Iroh seems lazy, but from an objective point of view, it can be seen that he understood that Zuko was very misguided. Through out the series, particularly towards the end of Book 2, 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 is particularly fond of tea, the strategy game Pai Sho, and music. He founded a music night for the ship's crew, among whom he is popular, involving singing and the playing of instruments. He later displays skill at playing the liuqin, singing lullabies to pacify a crying child. Most likely because of his love of tea, he has 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 lead him to accidentally poisoning himself. Ginseng, then Jasmine, are pronounced to be his favorite teas.

Probably as definitive of Iroh's character as his love for tea is his sage advice and wisdom. Iroh is known by his niece and nephew for his sometimes cryptic proverbs and lengthy anecdotes. Throughout Books 1 and 2, Iroh constantly guides Zuko during his exile and critical, character-shaping decisions. He has also advised Aang and Toph to great effect.

Closely related to this wisdom is Iroh's affinity for spirituality. He constantly advocates maintaining the balance between elements, as demonstrated in "Bitter Work" when he implements waterbending technique to divert lightning. In "The Winter Solstice Part One", Iroh is the only character besides Aang who is able to see the spirit of Roku's dragon. During "The Siege of the North", Zhao also mentions a rumor that Iroh had traveled to the Spirit World.



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

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

Despite his age, Iroh can be quite the ladies' man when the need arises and is seen flirting with various women throughout the series, many of them older women but some have been much younger (including the bounty hunter June and an Earth Kingdom peasant in "The Swamp"). He has been addressed as "handsome" on multiple occasions.

It has been hinted that Iroh may have been crueler in his days as a General before the death of his son. In "Zuko Alone", during a flash back, it shows Iroh just after he has broken through the Walls of Ba Sing Se, writing to Zuko, Azula, and Ursa. In his letter, he says he hopes they can see the city, "if we don't burn it to the ground first", and then laughing. 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 states 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 the creators later stated that Iroh was never a cruel person but was "very good at what he did".

It is 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 is shown to rarely show grudges, and doesn't seem to mind if people do him wrong very much. This is made evident when he was mugged while in Ba Sing Se, and he didn't fight back, and actually gave advice to the mugger while he was being mugged.

Firebending


Iroh is one of the most powerful Firebenders in the world, if not the most powerful one; it is mentioned that if Aang were to fail at defeating the Fire Lord, then Iroh would be the only other person who could potentially defeat Ozai. Iroh, like Jeong Jeong, knows the destructive, seductive power which can cause an amateur Firebender to lose control, and thus bases his fighting style off of the dragons from whom he learned. This philosophy emphasizes the beauty and life-giving qualities of fire; Iroh thus Firebends without resorting to anger, hate, or lust, unlike his brother, niece, or nephew.

Iroh stands as one of the select few Firebenders who possess the ability to generate lightning, along with his brother and niece. This technique requires perfect calmness of mind; Iroh derives this from inner peace, not from amorality as does the remainder of his family. He also invented a unique Firebending technique involving the absorption and redirection of lightning by observing the fluidity of Waterbending moves and their ability to effectively redirect chi. He uses this move in "The Storm", "The Avatar State", and demonstrates it to Zuko in "Bitter Work".

Another move unique to Iroh is his fire-breath, which earned him the nickname "the Dragon of the West". He uses this move against the Dai Li to give himself and Zuko enough time to escape from their clutches.

Iroh has a tendency to not involve himself in battle, but when he does partake, he displays great skill, speed, and ferocity. He overwhelmed a group of four Firebending guards accompanying Admiral Zhao within seconds (causing Zhao to retreat in fear), defeated multiple trained Earthbenders in combat, and even overpowered, with ease, a full squad of Imperial Firebenders accompanying Azula.

His Firebending skill may have developed even further after getting back in shape in prison. He managed to break himself out of the jail, and all that is shown in the series is an enormous hole in the bars of his cell, and various scorch-marks on the walls. A shell-shocked General Poon describes Iroh as being like a "one-man army". During the coming of Sozin's Comet, Iroh performs what is perhaps the single most powerful fireblast in the series: he created a ring of fire around him and several other Lotuses of the Order, expanding it and shrinking it with every breath, in and out. After a few breaths, he focuses the ring around him into a ball, from which he launches a fireblast that breaches the inner Great Wall of Ba Sing Se itself.

Other Skills


Iroh is a very gifted strategist, having once been the Fire Nation's top General. His knowledge of strategy is best showcased in the series 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 are many who still refer to him as "General" Iroh, despite the fact that he has been retired for years. This is possibly out of respect, though in the case of Zhao, at least, it was partial sarcasm.

Iroh is a lover of music, and is a very good singer and is gifted at both the pipa and tsungi horn. He has knowledge of other cultures, and history. He is also something of an amateur botanist, probably due to his love of tea, although this skill is not enough to save him getting poisoned, when he confuses a rare tea plant with a poisonous one.

As mentioned above, 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. He may have some kind of spiritual awareness or skill unknown to other people, which may be due to his trip to the Spirit World.

Because of his love of tea, Iroh is also an excellent tea maker, amping up business in the tea shop he and Zuko work in and is eventually awarded his own tea shop and is asked to serve tea to the Earth King, although this was a trap set by Azula.

While imprisoned, Iroh 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 an impressive, muscular one. On the Day of Black Sun, while the scorch marks on the prison walls indicate part of his escape occurred before the eclipse began, he still escaped during the eclipse, when Firebending wasn't possible. This implies 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, impling he knew not only of this Firebending weakness but also knew when an eclipse was going to occur despite neither information being public knowledge. It is unknown how he learned this.

Film
Iroh was voiced by the late Japanese-American actor Mako. Mako passed away in July 2006 due to cancer. The Iroh portion of Tales of Ba Sing Se was a stunning (and coincidental as Iroh mourns his dead son) homage to the actor who had recently passed when the episode aired.

The role was recast with Greg Baldwin, Mako's understudy and a long-time student of his voice. He performed a few once-off lines that Mako was unable to complete in Book 2 and then went on to do all of Iroh's voice work in Book 3. 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.

Relationships

 * Iroh's Relationships

Relatives
See Fire Nation Royal Family Tree
 * Sozin (paternal grandfather)
 * Azulon (father)
 * Ilah (mother)
 * Lu Ten (son)
 * Ozai (younger brother)
 * Zuko (nephew)
 * Azula (niece)
 * Ursa (sister in law)
 * Aang (Spiritual grandfather in law)

Trivia

 * "Avatar Extras" hints that Iroh went to the Spirit World to find Lu Ten.
 * In the first episode, "The Boy in the Iceberg", Iroh tells an impatient Zuko that Firebending comes from the breath. This corresponds with his title "The Dragon of the West", as dragons breathe fire. It also corresponds with "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters", where, utilizing the power of Sozin's Comet, Iroh breathes in and out to create a blazing circle of fire around himself and the other prominent members of the Order of the White Lotus.
 * In the Filipino, Finnish, Hungarian and Dutch dubs of the show, it is Iroh instead of Avatar Roku who says the words: "Previously on Avatar."
 * In "Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World" with "Avatar Extras" bonus commentary, one of the bubbles reveals that Iroh can fall asleep anywhere and anytime, including when he's chained up and taken prisoner by Earthbenders. This might mean he has narcolepsy, although it is more likely in reference to a trick certain people, particularly soldiers, develop that enables them to get as much rest as they can, as a soldier's life is unpredictable.
 * Iroh developed lightning redirection through the study of Waterbending.
 * Iroh has used his own redirection technique twice during the series in "The Storm", when a bolt of lightning almost struck the hull of Zuko's ship, and in "The Avatar State", when he grabbed Azula's hand to redirect the lightning she intended to strike Zuko with. Iroh acted like a router both times; he simultaneously took the bolt in and shot it out away from both vessels. The first occurance in "The Storm" 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, though this may have been because it was natural lightning that Iroh had redirected, as opposed to artificially created lightning generated by a bender, implying that natural lighnting is stonger, or at least has different properties, than that made by a bender.
 * For the entire first book, Iroh addressed Zuko as "Prince Zuko" every time he said his name. However, in the following seasons, he would usually just call him Zuko or nephew, probably due to the fact that Zuko was renounced as Prince of the Fire Nation at the start of the second season. He uses the title on a few occasions afterwards, usually for emphasis.
 * It was mentioned by Zhao in "The Siege of the North, Part 1" that Iroh once traveled into the Spirit World and he has been shown to be able to see spirits outside of the realm. In "Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World", Iroh saw 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. In "The Siege of the North, Part 1", 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.
 * Iroh gained the title "The Dragon of the West" for two things; one, due to his ability to use the "Breath of Fire" technique effortlessly; and two, from him having supposedly slain the last two dragons.
 * Iroh states that ginseng tea is his favorite.
 * Most of Iroh's past is shrouded in mystery. In "The Siege of the North, Part 1" with "Avatar Extras" bonus commentary, some of the bubbles said that usually, when someone in the show brings up information on Iroh's past, it raises more questions than answers. Commentary in "The Firebending Masters" further stated that Iroh had a very "complicated" past and claimed that his son's death had a large effect on him, hinting to have been the cause of his later change in perspective. There were statements made by the creators that confirmed an episode detailing Iroh's past, although the idea was later dropped.
 * Iroh was the first general ever to attack and successfully break through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se after an almost 600 day siege. Following the death of his son, Iroh chose to withdraw. Though when asked, he said that he withdrew due to him and his men being exhausted. Despite this, his siege is still looked upon as having been a failure, and used by those around him as a means of insult. In the The Last Airbender his military conquest was briefly mentioned, but was changed to have lasted 100 days instead of 600.
 * Iroh usually speaks in proverbs which, in the first and second seasons, annoyed Zuko. In the third book, however, Zuko was shown to have regretted not listening to them and consistently referred to them after joining Team Avatar.
 * As said by Zuko, Iroh is the only person that could possibly challenge Ozai if Aang couldn't. Iroh did admit that he could challenge Ozai, but expressed doubts that he would win.
 * The only known times when Iroh has 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.
 * Iroh is extremely passionate about tea. This is proven by his disbelief when Zuko says that all tea is simply "hot leaf juice". A commentary bubble also labels Iroh as a "Tea Snob" but adds that he was a "Polite Tea Snob".
 * Iroh's appearance has 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 has attacked Aang only once in the series, in "The Avatar Returns".
 * Several of Iroh's mannerisms and his role as a mentor and father-figure are very similar to the character Mr. Miyagi from the original Karate Kid series.
 * Nickelodeon's official picture of Iroh on their website uses his portrayal from "The Ember Island Players" rather than himself.