The Dragon of the West - My Tribute to Uncle Iroh

As promised, this is my post about everyone's favorite uncle.

Iroh was a great Fire Nation General and former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. He was the son of Azulon and brother to Ozai. He claimed to have slain the last dragon which is why he is given the title Dragon of the West (we'll talk about that later though.)

I personally love Iroh because he embodies the phrase, "we are who we choose to be." In stark contrast with his brother, Ozai, Iroh is a loving spiritual man. Even though he is part of the Fire Nation, it is evident that he holds a deep respect for the other nations and all living things.

One of the recurring themes in The Last Airbender is Iroh's love for Zuko, love for his lost son, Lu Ten, and love for his favorite beverage tea.

Tea is something that to him symbolizes peace and tranquility. It's more than just a drink for him. It symbolizes a life that he could have away from all of the fighting and the chaos of the Fire Nation. A life that he wishes his son, Lu Ten, could have had, and a life that he believes Zuko can still achieve.

"Sick of tea? That’s like being sick of breathing!"

Aside from his spiritual connections and love for his family. Iroh is an immensely powerful bender. He has thoroughly studied the techniques and cultures of the other nations and because of this was able to develop a special bending technique based on water bending.

"Lightning is a pure expression of firebending without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind."

That is the ability to redirect lightning.

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.

Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.

Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns, and they found peace and freedom. And they apparently had great senses of humor.

Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.

It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it from only one place it become rigid and stale.

Understanding others, the other elements, the other nations, will help you become whole."

Iroh was a very wise man. On one occasion while Iroh was still an enemy for Team Avatar, he ran into Toph and offered her sage advice. "there is nothing wrong with letting the people who love you help you"

Much of his advice is based on his own life experience with his family and particularly with Zuko.

One of my favorite moments of the series is when Aang and Zuko are going to learn firebending from the dragons, and they meet the Sun Warriors.

Zuko always assumed that Iroh had killed the last dragon in order to obtain the title Dragon of the West. He learns that Iroh learned fire bending from the dragon masters Ran and Shaw. He didn't tell anyone about the dragons in hopes of preserving their lives.

This is a real testament to his character. Even in his youth, he sought balance and peace even though he was raised during a war in which his family were the aggressors.

There are very few occasions in the series when we actually see Iroh do any firebending, but one of the reasons he's called The Dragon of the West is also because of his affinity for breathing fire. Take notice if you rewatch the show how his firebending in general is very different from almost all other firebenders.

One of Iroh's most classic moments is his escape from the Fire Nation prison. Iroh conceals the fact that he is working out and getting back into fighting shape while imprisoned. He is able to escape single-handedly. Something I failed to notice on my first couple of re-watches of the show is that Iroh escapes during the Solar Eclipse. That's right, a really buff old man escapes from prison by himself with no fire bending during most or all of his escape. Think about that for a second.

Me when there is only one week left

Aside from his accolades as a Fire Nation General, Iroh was a Grand Lotus of The Order of the White Lotus. A group of like-minded individuals from all the nations whose goal was to restore peace. The White Lotus makes reference to Iroh's love of Pai Sho, a board game for which the White Lotus is a tile.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game."

Iroh was a lady's man. That is all.

Iroh spent his whole life working to bring peace to the four nations, and when he passed away, he continued that work in the spirit world. He helped guide Avatar Korra in her fight against Unalaq and the evil spirit Vaatu. He also guided Aang's children, Tenzin, Bumi, and Kya in their search to find Tenzin's daughter, Jinora in the Spirit World.

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but it’s source. True humility is the only antidote to shame."

Zuko betrayed his uncle in hopes of restoring his honor and being able to return the Fire Nation.

Iroh did not hesitate in forgiving him immediately. He wanted to be a catalyst for his nephew to change because he couldn't do it for his own son.

"I was never angry with you. I was sad, because I was afraid you’d lost your way."

"Happy birthday, my son. If only I could have helped you."

"Leaves from the vine
Falling so slow
Like fragile, tiny shells
Drifting in the foam
Little soldier boy
Come marching home
Brave soldier boy
Comes marching home."

Edit: If you like this post, check out my last post about my 10 favorite episodes from The Last Airbender

http://imgur.com/gallery/4pxVc

FP Edit: Thanks for all the comments. I love doing these posts. Once I finish Korra again, I'll be doing a top 10 of Korra episodes. Spoiler alert, Avatar Wan episodes...