| "Let's think about this for a moment. Have we considered all the options?" |
| — Lu Ten.[1] |
Lu Ten was the son of General Iroh, the nephew of Ozai and Ursa, the cousin of Zuko and Azula, the grandson of Azulon, the great-grandson of Sozin, and second in line to the Fire Nation throne. A compassionate and thoughtful person, Lu Ten strove to both serve his nation as well as help others by joining the Fire Nation military. Witnessing the horrors of the Hundred Year War, he began to increasingly question the direction of his home country. While serving his nation in combat as a soldier in the Fire Army, he was killed during his father's famous six-hundred-day Siege of Ba Sing Se.
Lu Ten's death had a traumatic impact upon his father, causing him to abandon the siege, ultimately providing an opportunity for Ozai to usurp the birthright of Fire Lord from his brother.[7]
History[]
Early life[]
In his childhood, Lu Ten enjoyed playing with his father, Iroh.
Lu Ten was born to Crown Prince Iroh during the later stages of the Hundred Year War, and grew up believing the propagandistic portrayal of the Fire Nation's struggle as a just effort to share prosperity and unite the world. Unlike many in the Fire Nation Royal Family, he had a happy childhood.[1] He not just enjoyed a great relationship with his father,[8] but his intelligence and curiosity also endeared him to his grandfather Fire Lord Azulon.[1] Lu Ten also enjoyed visiting Ember Island with the rest of the royal family.[9] As he grew older, he was taught by the royal teachers and his father Iroh.[1]
As he inherited Iroh's charisma, Lu Ten was able to operate at court without many issues, something which impressed his teachers. With him being only marginally exposed to the cutthroat and murderous nature of his government and family, and believing his nation's propaganda, Lu Ten resolved to join the Fire Army to "learn through experience" after coming of age. Iroh implored his son to consider other paths, but the young man was insistent and wanted to follow the footsteps of his father.[1]
Early military career[]
Upon joining the Fire Army, Lu Ten soon realized that the world was not as black-and-white as he had thought. Witnessing his nation's war of conquest at the frontlines, the prince began to question his worldview. Though still devoted to a firm belief of the Fire Nation's greatness, he started to realize that the Fire Nation military was not always acting justly. Furthermore, he soon realized that he was still being sheltered from the Hundred Year War's worst excesses, and not posted to the most brutal war zones. The prince wondered whether this reflected regular policies for "important person[s]" or was secretly organized by his own father.[1] Much of the time, he remained posted in the Fire Nation Capital, where he had to fulfill the many responsibilities connected to his position as prince. Furthermore, he often acted as representative for Iroh who was mostly absent from the Fire Nation due to his importance as frontline commander.[10]
Frustrated at being sheltered, Lu Ten generally strove to be sent on as many missions to as many places around the world as possible.[10] As he increasingly questioned the Hundred Year War's truth as well as desired to truly see all what might be within his responsibility as heir to the throne, Lu Ten resolved to climb the ranks in the military. By becoming a ranking officer, he thought that he could serve directly under his father and thus experience the war's reality, recognize the many wrongs he would need to right, and "spread the glory of the Fire Nation".[1] Though he generally followed orders and tried to do his duty as Fire Nation soldier, Lu Ten also became devoted to certain moral principles.[10]
Jasmine Island campaign[]
Lu Ten helped to end the destructive Fire Nation campaign on Jasmine Island.
Eventually, Lu Ten was appointed captain and was assigned to a military fleet headed by Admiral Yueya.[6] In the process, he was drawn into the admiral's personal vendetta. Centuries ago, Yueya's family had suffered a great defeat at the hands of Jasmine Island, an independent South Sea island state. The officer ultimately decided to use her might to attack Jasmine Island -which had remained neutral in the Great War- to avenge her ancestors.[11] Lu Ten doubted his superior's claims about the tiny island being a threat to the Fire Nation.[6] Regardless, he knew that he could not interfere with the missions without firm proof of misconduct, as Fire Lord Azulon would probably dismiss any moral concerns as mere "tantrum[s]" of an emotional prince.[12] Thus, Lu Ten volunteered to become part of the initial Fire Army landing to test Yueya's stories. In the process, the prince soon began to clash with the force's second-in-command, an older captain named Zhao.[6]
When Lu Ten landed on Jasmine Island as part of a nightly surprise attack, he witnessed how his comrades brutally razed the local settlements without encountering the alleged threat. Thus, the prince realized that Yueya was really lying. Using the troops under his command, he tried to reign in the worst excesses,[13] and even allied with the local "protectors" to stop his superior. Ultimately, the prince even became willing to fight his comrades-in-arms to defend Jasmine Island's civilians;[14] overall, Lu Ten greatly helped to stop Yueya's campaign.[11][13] To honor his role in saving the locals, the prince was subsequently allowed to take part in a Jasmine Island tea ceremony, tasting the only part of the yearly crop that had survived the brutal attack. He subsequently shared his drink with the protectors, before venturing to survey the destruction caused by his military on the island. Sorrowful, he vowed to keep Jasmine Island safe in the future, before leaving the location for good.[13]
Later years and death[]
Lu Ten and Iroh remained close even when serving together at the frontlines.
At some point, Lu Ten achieved his goal of serving directly under his father's command. The two continued to enjoy a strong relationship,[8] remaining jovial and informal in each other's presence even when on duty.[15] Lu Ten introduced his father to Jasmine Island's famous golden jasmine tea which subsequently became the older man's favorite brew.[16]
Lu Ten lost his life in combat against the Earth Kingdom five years before the end of the Hundred Year War during the Siege of Ba Sing Se. He was mortally wounded around the same time that Iroh breached the city's Outer Wall,[17] and soon succumbed to his wounds.[5] His father only later learned of his son's situation, and by the time he was informed, Lu Ten was already dead.[7]
Legacy[]
After Lu Ten's death, Iroh carried a painting of his son with him to remember him.
Iroh was so heartbroken by his son's death that he abandoned the siege of the city,[7][19] claiming that he and his men were exhausted from the extensive time away from home.[20] Even though the retreat was ultimately linked to his son's demise, it was also rooted in Iroh realizing that his armies had suffered very heavy losses and had reached their breaking point.[21][5]
When Lu Ten's uncle, Prince Ozai, learned of his death and Iroh's subsequent actions, he petitioned their father, Fire Lord Azulon, to appoint him as heir to the throne, claiming that Lu Ten's death meant that the royal bloodline would end with Iroh, since he had no other heir. Azulon was enraged at such a request and saw fit to have Ozai's firstborn, Prince Zuko, killed as punishment, but because of his mysterious death soon after, Ozai was able to take the throne.[7] Although Iroh was the elder brother, he did not challenge Ozai's claim, as he was too devastated by the death of both Lu Ten as well as Azulon. He had lost his desire for power.[22]
Iroh eventually managed to access the Spirit World where he searched for Lu Ten, to no avail. Overall, the loss of his son and the experiences during his travels had a profound effect upon Iroh, whose personality shifted more toward a calm acceptance of life rather than continuing to participate in the Fire Nation's war efforts.[15][19]
Personality[]
Lu Ten was an intelligent, thoughtful, curious and charismatic individual. He tended to question what he saw, and did not blindly believe anything. This curiosity sometimes clashed with his relative naivety and tendency to place trust into what was told to him about the Fire Nation's greatness.[1][10] As he was also devoted to certain moral principles and took his role as prince very seriously, Lu Ten strove to make fair decisions which benefitted the majority and to right any wrongs that he came across.[1] Accordingly, Lu Ten was willing to follow orders and take extreme actions if he regarded them as necessary, but was repulsed and horrified by the abuse of innocent civilians or unjustly targeted groups.[1][13] As time went on and Lu Ten realized just how much evil the Fire Nation was causing around the world, he increasingly questioned his country's direction.[1]
Conversely, he adored Iroh and believed that his father's cause could not be entirely wrong. In turn, this inspired him to follow Iroh's footsteps to truly learn about Iroh's role in the war, and aid him in the presumed struggle for global good.[1]
Abilities[]
Lu Ten was a firebending master[1] of great natural talent who was capable of producing mighty blades or streams of fire. As he was a very self-aware person, he understood his own weaknesses in the bending art. This quality, along with his curious and charismatic nature, also made him a decent teacher to others.[10]
The prince was also a deeply observant person, and could cleverly figure out a person's internal turmoil through questioning.[10]
Relatives[]
- Main article: Fire Nation Royal Family
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| Sozin |
| Zeisan |
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| Iroh |
| Izumi's daughter[23] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances[]
Avatar: The Last Airbender[]
Book Two: Earth (土)[]
- 209. "Bitter Work" (flashback)
Book Three: Fire (火)[]
- 305. "The Beach" (flashback, no lines)
Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game[]
Trivia[]
- Lu Ten was first mentioned during the Siege of the North when Iroh informed Zuko that after Lu Ten's death, he began treating Zuko like his own son.
- He was mentioned by name for the first time by Zuko in a flashback during "Zuko Alone".
- A younger Lu Ten was seen in "Bitter Work" and a picture of an older Lu Ten was displayed at Iroh's altar for him during "Tales of Ba Sing Se".
- Zuko had a flashback showing himself, Iroh, and a young Lu Ten during "The Beach". He is pictured as adult soldier in Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy of the Fire Nation.
- The Avatar Extras bonus commentary for "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" misspelled Lu Ten's name, spelling it as Lu Tin.
- The words in the top left of Lu Ten's portrait can be roughly translated as: "General Iroh, I will see you again when victory is obtained. Your loyal son, Lu Ten".