Uncle Iroh is not Perfect (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

this video is sponsored by Avatar Generations adapted from the Avatar The Last Airbender Universe Avatar Generations is a free-to-play mobile RPG by Navigator games where you can assemble a squad of iconic heroes and villains from a deep roster choose from the likes of Aang Zuko Toff even the man from this video the main man himself are two loving Uncle Ira as they explore a dynamic map of the four nations Avatar Generations just released a brand new update for Earth Day which is the rise of Kyoshi update based on the best-selling novel which includes a brand new interactive and immersive campaign around the new collectible Avatar kiyoshi and the new timelines feature where players can collect new Heroes as well as experience a new campaign Adventure based on an avatar from our previous or future generation in the franchise the rise of Kyoshi campaign will be introducing new characters from the rise of Kyoshi who will be visualized and getting official Nickelodeon voice overs for the very first time ever some of these characters include Kyoshi herself without the Kyoshi Warrior look avatar Yoon kelsang rangi and more as the new narrative follows them exploring the yokoya peninsula and the early events of the rise of Kyoshi the rise of Kyoshi update is available now for free for IOS and Android devices you could download it today from the app store or the Google Play Store in one of our very first interactions with the Fire Nation royal family we are thrust into a culture that is so comfortable with the violence and War we see what a culture of war and domination looks like how normal it is even for the children and Zuko alone Ursa gathers her children to read the letter of her brother-in-law's Siege to bassing City jokes about an entire city being burnt to the ground are met with laughter by Ursa and her children a bustling iconic City with people and culture and what makes it even more real is the gift that iro gives to Zuko and Azula for Zuko the knife of a surrender General and for his niece a doll wearing the latest Earth Kingdom fashion a representation of the very culture he intends to burn to the ground in Legacy of the Fire Nation Ira writes that war destruction desolation and the subjugation of all other peoples were a part of the family business he caught the virus of power and was drawn into The Madness of battle he was cut from the same cloth as sozen and azulon not as ruthless or stubborn as ozai smart and calculated was the dragon of the West 600 days he spent in the earth Kingdom we are never shown it but we know that lives were lost the great general of the Fire Nation lost soldiers and he surely was responsible for the death of many that the deaths of his own soldiers change him how about the lives that he took the dragon of the West was on the front lines engaged in battle did those deaths change him no he is a man who only changed because he lost his son not the lives of countless others and even after he returned home abandoning his Conquest he remained an important part of the Fire Nation offering support and guidance in their War rooms and other war-related matters as they went on to successfully wipe out all the air Nomads and as they went to sea to crush the water tribes and as they continued to colonize parts of the earth Kingdom when reflecting on iro to me the most important lesson learned is that change is possible for everybody but it's also that no one is perfect often times when reading about these characters and the series the flaws of so many of these beloved characters and in this case iros tend to be overlooked they tend to be washed away glossed over Ira is not a perfect man by any standard and I think that idea makes his character that much greater he isn't the Arbiter of morality and that's okay in fact that's what makes him so interesting to me at least even putting his past aside there's something that can be said about his passivity throughout the series towards the fire nation's wrongdoings and towards his brothers as with each episode they March towards senseless death the way he watches Zuko terrorize the southern water tribe and burned down Kyoshi Village and then there's some of his more questionable behavior when it comes to June when it comes to Zula and iro I think there's something to be said about how he disregarded the princess leaving her in the hands of her brother knowing the type of man ozai is Ira writes that his brother was not only ruthless but incredibly ambitious that he was an incredibly angry rage-filled man the clearest and most concise definition he gives of ozai is that ozai was a Man Without Love however knowing firsthand that it was I was all of these things from what we are shown he never gives Azula the grace that he grants Zuko there are no Second Chances there aren't even attempts and we can trace that back to even before he lost his son on Fire Island the one portrait there is of iro and their extended family he's holding Zuko up as if he were his own child but Noah Zula when it came down to send gifts during his Siege he gave Zuko the one thing he needed in the form of a gift that knife was validation that he could indeed fight and be confident in his abilities and the inscription was something that would go on to Define Zuko the Zuko we see lives his life according to that inscription never give up without a fight and to Azula he gives a doll an impersonal cold uninspired gift he leaves his niece his only niece alone with a Man Without Love she's crazy and needs to go down iro says that about Azula a day or a few days after she struck him down a statement in context that is understandable but also further represents how far their relationship has truly fallen I think it's questionable that iro settles down in a place he refers to as his biggest failure mostly because of his loss but not because of the damage he dealt to the city painting a picture of iro that doesn't include his flaws to me makes him a weaker character across the board it does a disservice to the well-written character that he is because it disregards iro's most important quality I think even more than Zuko he is The series's Shining representation of change and growth and I like to think that Ira's Redemption isn't over it's only been a few years since Lieutenant passed the wound is fresh he still makes mistakes and he still has faults as an individual that he's trying to change it's all a continuous effort to pay for the man that he was and to atone for everything that he's done to me iro is who he is and the reason he is able to spread such valuable wisdom about peace and love and kindness is because he was on the other side of the fence he was the man consumed by fire and violence his hands are soaked with blood forever and he knows what it's like to walk down that path and he especially knows what it feels like to one day regret it he paid the price with his only son he paid the price and has been a laughing sock of the Fire Nation known as a weak Warrior a weak man a failure that law should have made him stronger more ruthless hungrier that's what he's known as instead he came out of that seeking love and kindness understanding that these are the greatest emotions and feelings that he will ever feel without his flaws he wouldn't have been able to show Zuko what true change and what true growth looks like Zuko has been close to his uncle since they were young we know that even from the portrait Zuko was close to the man Ira was to the dragon of the West to the great General iro and now close to the man that iro is he's witnessed his uncle's growth in real time is relatable for that reason I think that's why so many people cling to him and to Zuko because they aren't perfect because their flaws and their failures are magnified more than that so many have done things that they regret immensely things that they might never even be able to apologize for they've been at Rock Bottom just like iro the general was so far gone was so lost after having lost his son that he managed to even reach the spirit world to look for him who he never found he then lost his Birthright he was no longer heir to the throne his very identity and his pride had all been taken away from him and yet he comes back an even greater man through these flaws he gives people hope that they can change it's for that reason that iro isn't perfect so that he can Inspire others to still try and Chase love to still try and be worthy of love to one day change and grow to the point that they feel deserving of love despite what has been done to simply try despite what you've been foreign

Channel: Sage's Rain

Views: 137,952

Keywords: anime, film, tv, avatar the last airbender, atla

Id: rfVro0wZ1Vk

Length: 10min 14sec (614 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 22 2023