Uncle Iroh: A Look at the Dragon of the West
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are few characters more beloved than Uncle Iroh.
He is portrayed as a loving uncle with a complicated past.
While he appears to be a kindly old “uncle” figure, in actuality his resume is quite extensive: Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, a top General during the Hundred Year War, Grand Lotus of the Order of the White Lotus, and master of fire bending.
While some perceive him to be aloof and easygoing, he consistently displays qualities of extreme strength, resilience, compassion, and courage.
At his core, he was a spiritual person and felt that the Fire Nation was just one part of the larger world. The power of the Fire Nation was not as important as the balance of the four nations, each living in harmony and balance with the other.
When handling any situation, from a military campaign to running his tea shop, Iroh analyzes the impact down the chain of command as well as the impact on the world/community as a whole.
In the last episode of season 1, “The Siege of the North,” Iroh battles against the leader of the Fire Nation (of whom he is a member of the ruling family and a general) in order to prevent the Fire Nation from destroying the Moon and disabling the Water Benders.
While destroying the moon would have led to a victory for the Fire Nation, the impact on the world would have been catastrophic. Iroh put the good of the many over the potential power it would have given his Fire Nation.
This is one of the hallmarks of a true leader.
Here is our YouTube video: A Deeper Look at Uncle Iroh
For more reading on Uncle Iroh, we recommend:
https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Iroh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroh
http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2021/11/uncle-iroh-as-daoist-sage.html
