Iroh

Iroh
Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra character
Voiced by	Mako Iwamatsu (seasons 1-2) Greg Baldwin (season 3 and The Legend of Korra)[1]
Information
Aliases	The Dragon of the West Mushi (refugee alias)
Gender	Male
Relatives	Ozai (brother) Ursa (sister-in-law) Zuko (nephew) Azula (niece) Lu Ten (son) Azulon (father) Ilah (mother) Rina (mother-in-law) Jinzuk (father-in-law) Sozin (grandfather) Roku (grandfather-in-law) Ta Min (grandmother-in-law) Unnamed grandniece Iroh II (great-grandnephew)
Nationality	Fire Nation
Age	65 (series) 66 (comics)
Bending Element	Fire Lightning (generation/redirection)
Hair color	Gray (originally black)
Eye color	Brown
Position	Antihero (Book 1) Supporting character (Book 2 and Book 3)

Iroh is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the character was voiced by Mako Iwamatsu in season one and season two and, due to Mako's death, by Greg Baldwin in season three and the sequel series The Legend of Korra.

A retired General of the Fire Nation, a nation whose Benders utilize the element of fire, Iroh is the elder brother of Fire Lord Ozai.^[2] Though he accompanied his exiled nephew Zuko on his quest to capture Aang in order to restore the young prince's honor and birthright, Iroh wanted to help his nephew become a better person than his father.

In the episode "Tales of Ba Sing Se", Iroh’s name was written as 艾洛 (aì lùo) and was dedicated "In Honor of Mako".^[3]

History

Iroh was the firstborn son of Fire Lord Azulon, but when the time to choose his successor came, Iroh let his brother Ozai become Fire Lord,^[4] as he was grieving the death of his only son, Lu Ten, in the siege of Ba Sing Se. It was believed that Iroh killed off the last of their world's dragons, earning him the title "Dragon of the West", but it was later revealed that he was secretly the dragons' pupil, and thus learned from them to derive his Firebending powers from vitality rather than the conventional rage. He became a Grand-Lotus (high-ranking member) of the international secret society of philosophers, teachers, and warriors known as the Order of the White Lotus.

Plot overview

When the story begins in Book One, Iroh is shown accompanying the banished Prince Zuko in his search for the Avatar, a superhuman whose task to maintain world order made him a threat to the Fire Nation's campaign.^[2][5] Upon discovering the Avatar, Iroh accompanied Zuko. Having learnt of Zhao's plan to kill the moon spirit to cancel Waterbending, disrupting the natural order, Iroh attacks Zhao and is subsequently named a traitor.

During Book Two, he and his nephew are now fugitives from the Fire Nation. After being gravely wounded by his niece Azula and healed by his nephew, Iroh teaches Zuko a Waterbending-based technique of absorbing and redirecting lightning.^[6][7][8] Iroh eventually takes refuge in the Earth capital Ba Sing Se, where he and Zuko operate a tea-house. Iroh is dismayed when Azula convinces her brother to betray them and is arrested while covering Aang and Katara's escape from the conquered city.^[9]

In Book Three, held in a Fire Nation prison, Iroh fakes despair while preparing himself for the solar eclipse, during which Firebending does not work.^[10][11] Prior to the eclipse, Iroh reveals to Zuko that he is descended from Avatar Roku through his mother. Once the eclipse begins, Iroh escapes prison and eventually meets up with his fellow members of the White Lotus.^[12] In the series finale, preparing to liberate Ba Sing Se, Iroh is reunited with Zuko. Telling Zuko to become the new Firelord, Iroh leads the White Lotus in liberating Ba Sing Se. Soon after Zuko's crowning as Firelord, Iroh takes residence in a new tea shop in Ba Sing Se; the final scenes of the series take place in that tea shop.^[13]

In the comic book sequel The Promise, Iroh offers Aang and Zuko advice on the Harmony Restoration Movement. He also reveals a new culinary invention—bubble tea—which Aang and Zuko do not enjoy. In The Search, Iroh temporarily acts as Firelord while Zuko and Team Avatar locate Zuko's mother Ursa; he uses his authority to declare a National Tea Appreciation Day.

In the sequel series The Legend of Korra, Iroh is revealed to have used a form of astral projection at the time of his death to become a resident of the Spirit World. In the episode "A New Spiritual Age", Iroh comes to the aid of Aang's reincarnation, Avatar Korra, whom he advises to aid an avian spirit to reach her own destination. In "Darkness Falls", having known them in life, Iroh encounters Aang's children Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi when they enter the Spirit World and hints them on the location of the spirit of Tenzin's daughter Jinora. Zuko's grandson is named Iroh and is a general of the United Forces.^[14]

Personality

Easygoing, friendly, and dryly good-humored, Iroh treats his self-imposed exile as an extended vacation. Something of a hedonist in his old age, he shows more interest in relaxation and amusement than in the pursuit of the Avatar. Despite his age, Iroh is seen flirting with various women throughout the series, and has been addressed as "handsome" on multiple occasions.^[15][16] Nevertheless he is a seasoned and wily strategist,^[8][4] a powerful Firebending master, and a mentor to his nephew. Unlike most Firebenders shown, he holds great respect for the neighboring peoples and willingly opposes any common threat. In "Tales of Ba Sing Se", it is suggested that his perpetual optimism and generosity are a form of post-traumatic growth resulting from the death of his son Lu Ten. This can be seen in his song "Leaves from the Vine", which he sings on the anniversary of Lu Ten's birthday.

Iroh is particularly fond of food, good tea,^[17] the strategy game Pai Sho,^[18] and pleasant music.^[19] He later displays skill at playing the pipa and other musical instruments. Most likely because of his love of tea, he is an amateur botanist, though his misinterpretation of some plant characteristics leads him to accidentally poison himself.^[20] His character is best shown in his relationship with his nephew, Zuko, upon whom he imposes introspection.

Abilities

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. It is hinted throughout the series that Iroh is more skilled than his brother, Fire Lord Ozai, but they are never shown in contest, and Iroh himself once stated that he did not know if he could defeat his brother. Most notably, he is also the inventor of a unique technique involving the absorption and redirection of lightning;^[8] Fire Lord Sozin possessed a similar ability to redirect heat.^[21] His bodily strength, speed, and agility are belied by his rotund form, but are suggested to improve further during his incarceration. Besides the Avatar, Katara, and Zuko, Iroh is the only character in The Last Airbender shown able to see spirits whilst in the physical world.

Appearance in other media

Shaun Toub plays Iroh in the feature film The Last Airbender. This version of the character is not as comedic as his cartoon counterpart, but retains his role as mentor to Zuko. Unlike other Firebenders in the movie, who require a source of fire to bend, Iroh can generate fire.

References

External links

• Iroh at Nick.com

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