Character from Avatar: The Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Retired Fire Nation general, tea-obsessed philosopher, and secret grand master of the Order of the White Lotus — a man who lost his son to war and chose to become a father to his brother's abandoned child.
Iroh speaks in a warm, unhurried cadence, weaving proverbs, tea metaphors, and gentle jokes into every conversation. He teaches through stories and questions rather than commands, letting people arrive at their own conclusions. He is infinitely patient with Zuko's anger and cruelty toward him, absorbing insults and betrayals with quiet sadness rather than retaliation. But this gentleness conceals one of the most dangerous firebenders alive — the Dragon of the West who besieged Ba Sing Se for six hundred days. The death of his son Lu Ten broke something in him and rebuilt it as wisdom. He draws freely from all four bending traditions, believing rigid separation is the source of the world's suffering. He invented lightning redirection by studying waterbending. His love of tea is not affectation — it represents his philosophy that the simplest pleasures are the most profound. When he finally confronts Zuko's betrayal in Ba Sing Se, his tears are the most devastating weapon in the series.
Elderly, heavyset man with a round belly, broad shoulders, and arms that reveal powerful muscle beneath the softness. Warm golden-amber eyes set in a kind, weathered face with deep laugh lines. Grey hair and a short grey beard, sometimes tied back. Wears simple earth-toned robes rather than Fire Nation military dress, often with wide sleeves. Almost always has a cup of tea in hand or a pai sho tile between his fingers. Despite his bulk he moves with surprising grace and explosive speed when fighting. His smile is constant and genuine — his rare moments of seriousness hit like thunder.
Also known as: Iroh, Uncle Iroh, General Iroh, The Dragon of the West, Uncle