Diksha Sundriyal
The battle against the Fire Nation intensifies in the second season of Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ Aang and the Gaang, joined by Toph Beifong, enter the impenetrable fortress of Ba Sing Se to meet with its king and persuade him to their cause against the rising power of the Fire Nation. Meanwhile, Zuko and Uncle Iroh, both of whom have been banished from their homeland, try to find purpose in their new way of life. Zuko struggles to live among the peasants after failing his mission to find and kill the Avatar, but Iroh seems to prefer it to slaughtering innocent people for the Fire Nation. Whatever peace and quiet they succeed in finding is eventually broken, and Iroh, especially, feels the brunt of it, especially at the end of the season. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Uncle Iroh is Left Heartbroken But Alive by the End of Season 2
Uncle Iroh has seen a lot of war and bloodshed in his time, which is why he is intimately familiar with its consequences. Having lost his own son in a battle that he himself waged, Iroh doesn’t wish Zuko to experience the same fate. He treats his nephew like his own son and continually works to make him a better person. While the first season has him trying to keep Zuko from doing something that would be a point of no return, the second season is more about helping his nephew see the world with fresh eyes and accept that balance is more important than the power Fire Lord Ozai lusts after. This quest leads the duo through a grueling journey, and as his old age catches up with him, Iroh is left bedridden at times.
Still, with Zuko taking care of him, things don’t get as bad, and once they reach Ba Sing Se, Iroh is ready to settle down. He even opens his own tea shop. Zuko, too, starts to settle in, especially as he experiences a transformative moment where he decides not to kill Aang. But then, he is captured, and Iroh has to join forces with Aang to rescue him and the Avatar’s friends. During this time, Zuko and Katara share the same cell, where he shows her his vulnerable side, and she even becomes convinced that he is capable of change and has, in fact, changed. Then Azula shows up, and things take quite a turn. In the final fight, Azula challenges Aang, leading him to enter the Avatar State. He easily overpowers her, but decides not to kill her.
The moment he holds back, Azula strikes him with lightning. She would have killed Katara as well, who ran to Aang’s help, but Uncle Iroh stops her, giving Katara enough time to escape with an injured Aang. Iroh would have continued fighting his niece, but the Earthbenders shackled him. He is taken away, and when he goes past Zuko, the disappointment is written all over his face. Considering that Azula is a ruthless person who doesn’t think twice about killing anyone who stands in her path. Had Iroh been a lesser Firebender, her lightning strike would have killed him, too. However, his self-taught redirection technique renders her attacks useless against him.
Uncle Iroh’s Captivity Doesn’t Kill the Fight in Him
While Uncle Iroh may be old, he is still a very powerful Firebender, and despite Azula herself being a powerful Firebender, she knows better than to challenge her uncle when her most brutal move won’t work on him. For as many people as she has killed so far, she hasn’t harmed anyone from her own family. The only course of action that makes sense is to send him to prison. So, while Iroh may be a prisoner by the end of Season 2, he is, at least, alive to fight another day. And he does end up doing that.
In the original animated series of the same name, on which the Netflix series is based, Iroh’s heartbreak and disappointment towards his nephew don’t dampen his fighting spirit. If anything, being in prison makes him even more adamant about breaking out and continuing the fight. Instead of waiting around for rescue to arrive, he physically and mentally prepares himself for the prospect. Eventually, when the timing is right, he makes his move and reminds everyone why he is called Dragon of the West in the first place. He also hasn’t entirely given up on Zuko so far. He will recover from this and, hopefully, return to his tea shop soon.
Read More: What Happened to Teo? Did Lucian-River Chauhan Leave Avatar: The Last Airbender?
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