Talk:Fang/@comment-77.169.241.112-20110817180857/@comment-3068994-20110821194836

Mmm. It was never stated outright that this was Iroh's purpose, however you can read between the lines and ascertain that. Check out this interview on Avatar Spirit.net where Bryke actually said this- I am highlighting /bolding the important part.

"We're seeing Iroh in his golden years, when he's been softened by loss which has changed his perspective on what's important to him and what's important in life. As we've shown and had talked about, he was once a serious military giant, a very capable general, and he was very fierce. To me he's such an interesting character because a lot of times people find themselves in situations which they happen to be very good at. He was born into this very powerful, aggressive family and just so happened to have a gift and the strength for it. But not all people are just one way, and he certainly had this gentle, kind side which appreciated life, all forms of life, and he could appreciate all cultures. If you look back on the great swordmasters of Asian history, a lot of them were artists, poets, masters of tea ceremony, actors, and the like. So I think when he lost something really near and dear, he went on a spiritual journey. He was lost and that other part of him was calmed. It's not gone, it's just not the most important thing to him anymore."

The words of the creators are what to use; more so than the fallible extras, yes. =] But in this case it appears if you read between the lines you have that answer.