- “If it were only that simple. My brother, the Fire Lord, sees things through only one lens, victory or defeat. Nothing else matters. Not even the loved ones lost along the way.”
- ―Iroh to Aang
General Iroh is one of the main characters of the 2024 Netflix adventure fantasy series Avatar: The Last Airbender, based on the Nickelodeon 2005-2008 animated series of the same name. He was the older brother of Ozai, the father of the late Prince Lu Ten, the paternal uncle of Zuko and Azula, the eldest son of Fire Lord Azulon, the former brother-in-law of Princess Ursa, and the grandson of Fire Lord Sozin.
He was once the crowned Prince and general of the Fire Nation, feared for being the Dragon of the West and heir to his father's throne. However, as an adult, he became the wise and nurturing uncle and mentor to his nephew Zuko, being more of a father figure that Ozai could never be.
He is portrayed by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee.
Background[]
Iroh was born in the Fire Nation fifty years before the series, to Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah. He was ten years older than his younger brother, Ozai, who became the Fire Lord after Azulon died instead of Iroh. During the Siege of Ba Sing Se, Iroh pulled away his forces when his son was killed. At his son's funeral, Iroh was approached by family Members and subjects, who all thought Lu Ten died a hero while Iroh was regarded a coward. Zuko approached his uncle and gave him a medal that Lu Ten gave Zuko to give him strength when Ozai made things difficult for him. Iroh silently took it and held tears back as Zuko decided to sit next to him.
Personality[]
Iroh is an eccentric person who is a wise, kind, and nurturing uncle to his nephew Zuko, even before the loss of his son. However, some of his words of wisdom were ignored by his nephew and his obsession with tea is different. Additionally, like many victims of the One-Hundred-Year War, Iroh lost his only son, Lu Ten during the Siege of Ba Sing Se. Instead, he became more fatherly and protective of Zuko, the second closest thing he had to a surrogate son. Despite helping his nephew capture the Avatar, Iroh is polite towards Aang when they were held in captivity in the Earth Kingdom's prison, despite helping Zuko capture him. Iroh also shows hints of sympathizing with Aang and La, the Ocean Spirit, when the two merge. An honorable man, Iroh is also absolutely disgusted by Zhao's decision to execute the Moon Spirit, which would not only deprive the waterbenders of their powers but also bring imbalance into the world.
Physical Appearance[]
Iroh is a man in his fifites, with brown eyes, grey hair and fair skin. He dones on a top knot that is held up by the headpiece and red tie to symbolize his honor
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Firebending
- Lightning Generation
Abilities[]
- Tea Brewing
- Wisdom
- Genius Level Intellect
Weaknesses[]
- Cold Temperature
- Water: Water can be used to douse the bending he creates.
- Bound Hands prevent Firebenders
- Eclipses: Firebenders lose their abilities when under the Black Sun.
Possessions[]
Role in the Series[]
Differences from the source material[]
- Iroh gets more interaction with Ozai in the series, which was considered odd they didn't interact at all in The Last Airbender because they're brothers.
- At his son's memorial, Ozai gives Iroh his condolences on Lu Ten's death while in the cartoon, Ozai takes advantage of his brother's grief and tries becoming the heir by proposing it to his father, Azulon.
- In the Nickelodeon series and Netflix remake, Iroh helped Team Avatar flight Zhao. However, in the Netflix series, Iroh still helps Team Avatar flight the soldiers after Zhao kills the doesn't noticed that Princess Yue was touched by the Moon Spirit. He watches with sympathy as Aang merges with the spirit and then flees to look for Zuko.
- Iroh kills Zhao when he sees him trying to kill Zuko behind his back.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Sozin - Grandfather
- Azulon - Father
- Ilah - Mother
- Ozai - Brother
- Lu Ten † - Son
- Ursa - Ex-Sister-in-law
- Zuko - Nephew and Adoptive Son
- Azula - Niece
Allies[]
- General Jee
- Princess Yue
- Aang
- Sokka
Enemies[]
- Fire Nation - Former Kingdom
- Admiral Zhao - Former Ally, Attempted Killer and Victim
- Omashu
- Captain Dixit - Attempted Killer
Quotes[]
- “Zhao, you're not thinking of tampering with the Spirit World, are you? ARE YOU? You're going to kill the ocean and moon spirits?”
- ―Iroh showing his disgust for Zhao's plans to kill the ocean and moon spirits
- Iroh: "Very impressive. That uniform suits you well. "
- Zuko: "Does it look right? I had trouble with the shoulder guards. "
- ―Iroh and Zuko about his preparation for the war meeting
- “We spend so much time hiding who we really are, making sure no one sees the person we truly want to be. So it's hard to remember there was a time when we were truly excited to show the world our true face.”
- ―Iroh
- “Zhao, the power of the spirits is not to be trifled with. Without the moon, the world will be thrown out of balance, and chaos will be unleashed. Even Ozai wouldn't want that.”
- ―Iroh to Zhao
- “...Zhao, whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you tenfold!”
- ―Iroh!
- “I know Zuko has his rough edges. But you must understand he's been through a lot. And he knows far more about sacrifice than you can ever know.”
- ―Iroh to Lieutenant Jee
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Iroh mentions watching a game of Pai Sho And he picks up a white Lotus chip at the shopping stalls, foreshadowing his role as a member of the White Lotus.
- In the flashback from "Into the Dark," when Iroh joins Zuko on his quest to capture the Avatar, the beginning of the song "Leaves On The Fine" starts playing. This was the song that Iroh sung in his son's memory Lu Ten from the original series' episode "Tales of Ba Sing Se." It also solidified Iroh and Zuko's close relationship and symbolizes how Iroh sees Zuko as a second son.
References[]
External links[]
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Gen I: Aang (The Last Airbender - Netflix) • Appa (Netflix) • Katara (The Last Airbender - Netflix) • Momo (Netflix) • Sokka (The Last Airbender - Netflix) • Zuko (The Last Airbender - Netflix) • Suki (Netflix) • Toph Beifong Avatars Order of the White Lotus Air Nomads Fire Nation Water Tribe Spirits Other | ||