Iroh
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Iroh (艾洛, Aì Luò), Dragon of the West |
| Occupation: | Teahouse owner, Grand Lotus Grandmaster, master firebender, general (formerly) |
| Relationships: | Lu Ten (son); Ozai (brother); Azulon (father); Sozin (grandfather); Zuko (nephew, adopted son); Azula (niece); General Iroh II (great grandnephew and namesake) |
| Fandom: | Avatar: The Last Airbender |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Iroh (艾洛, Aì Luò), commonly referred to as Uncle Iroh or just Uncle by Zuko, is a supporting character in the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Background
Iroh is the elder son of Firelord Azulon and the elder brother of Firelord Ozai. He was once a respected general and the heir apparent to the throne of the Fire Nation, known as the Dragon of the West for his firebending prowess, slaying of the last of the dragons, and unprecedented success in laying siege to Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom. Ultimately, Iroh withdrew his forces from Ba Sing Se after the death of his beloved only child, Lu Ten, and the crown was soon passed to Ozai after Azulon's timely passing.
Iroh later accompanied his exiled nephew, Zuko, on a quest to capture the Avatar. Iroh shows more interest in enjoying culinary niceties and caring for Zuko's well-being than in obtaining any more war spoils for the Fire Nation.
Reception and popularity
Iroh is universally beloved by the ATLA fandom.
Sacred Cow: It's safe to say that Iroh is this. He's easily the most beloved character in the Avatar universe, but what truly cements this was being voiced by the late Makoto "Mako" Iwamatsu, whose passing only amplified people's love of Iroh. It also helps that he is an All-Loving Hero with a backstory that can and will break your heart.[1]
Common fanon and tropes in fan works
On Archive of Our Own (AO3), notable canonical tags include[2] Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Protective Iroh (Avatar), Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), and Firelord Iroh (Avatar). He tends to appear in gen works more than anything else.[3]
Iroh's tea shop is often the setting of many crossovers. Alternately, Iroh is often shown bonding with characters from other fandoms over their mutual love of tea.
In "Who would win?" crossover scenarios, many fans speculate that Iroh's wisdom and friendliness would be enough to convince fallen characters—such as Anakin Skywalker, for example—to better themselves and follow a more righteous path.
The mother of Iroh's son was never mentioned within the show; likely the most common fanon is that Iroh lost his wife to childbirth.
- Iroh & Zuko -- like the series itself, a large number of fan works focus on the relationship between uncle and nephew.
Selected fan works
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fan fiction
- Looking Glass Wars, Archived version by AzarDarkstar, an AU in which Zuko flees the Fire Nation after his mother's disappearance, and Iroh is more involved withe the White Lotus earlier
- Drink Some Fucking Tea, Archived version by Nele, a parody of the "adult" Bedtime story *Go The Fuck To Sleep*, but about Iroh & Zuko
- Tea?, Archived version by thesometimeswarrior, Iroh & Azula post-canon
- Cheating at Pai Sho (AO3) by Muffinlance, AU in which the gaang joins Zuko's quest to find the avatar (and maybe kidnaps Zuko, with Uncle's encouragement)
- Sweat and Ginseng, Archived version by Taliax, a mostly slice-of-life fic about Iroh and Zuko surviving under cover in Ba Sing Se.
Fan art
Iroh by marioferro
Make Tea Not War by willin
Leaves from the Zuko by MaddelinePrism
- Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life’s true delights., Archived version by thenegoteator. Crossover featuring Iroh sharing tea with Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars.
- Untitled, Archived version. art of Iroh as the Grand Lotus of the White Lotus, by laura-p-g
Fanvids
- When Zuko Finally Does Something Right, Archived version, fanvid of Big Enough featuring Iroh and Zuko's Book One Crew.
Cosplay
Meta
- Iroh and Zuko, framing in The Avatar and the Firelord, Archived version by avatarsymbolism
- Breaking Down Character: Iroh, Archived version by Avatar Symbolism
- we only get snippets of what iroh was like “back when he was a different man.”, Archived version by comradekatara and roach-works, 2022
External links
Fan Communities and Archives
- FanFiction.Net (FFN): Avatar: The Last Airbender stories and crossovers featuring Iroh
- DeviantArt (DA): Iroh search
- Tumblr: Iroh tag
- Archive of Our Own (AO3): Iroh (Avatar) tag
- Reddit: r/Iroh