Shrouded in mystery, the Dragon of the West known as uncle Iroh was an iconic character on Avatar: The Last Airbender. The sometimes chubby and always positive uncle was the foil to his nephew Zuko. Iroh loved to eat, drink tea, play Pai Sho, and relax — but when appropriate, he was a Firebending beast and expert strategist. Spouting off proverbs and words of wisdom, he lived what he taught. Iroh’s life wasn’t always tea and wise sayings, as he had a past which to this day is still mostly untold. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra addressed some of his past, but the facts often led to more questions than answers.

The late Oscar-and Tony-nominated Japanese-born American actor Mako Iwamatsu, voiced Iroh for Book One and a majority of Book Two before he passed on from cancer. Known in the community as simply Mako, his voice helped create the beloved character Iroh in conjunction with skilled writing and illustration. Mako’s understudy Greg Baldwin stepped in for a tribute to the late voice actor in the episode “The Tale of Iroh.” He honored and replicated Mako’s unique accent and pronunciation for spots in Book Two and all of Book Three. The producers and creators would honor Iwamatsu and have his name be remembered for all of time in the Legend of Korra with the character Mako.

Iroh’s name was first mentioned in “The Southern Air Temple” episode, but was always called “Uncle” through most of the series. Despite his popularity in both series’, much of Iroh’s life and his antidotes have been forgotten over the years. In honor of the wise Dragon of the West, here are all the crazy things you never knew about Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

20 He Lied About Killing Ran And Shaw

Dragons first taught the ancient civilizations how to Firebend. As time passed and humanity grew stronger, the Fire Nation sought to wipe out the dragons by killing them for glory and sport. Iroh discovered two ancient dragons named Ran and Shaw, who lived among an ancient tribe called the Sun Warriors.

Iroh earned the respect of Ran and Shaw, prompting them to teach him the true essence of Firebending. Upon returning to the Fire Nation, Iroh lied about the last known dragons by claiming to have killed them. This lie would prove beneficial to Team Avatar when Aang and Zuko would seek the Sun Warriors and the origins of Firebending.

If Iroh hadn’t lied about killing Ran and Shaw, Fire Lord Sozin or another power hungry manic may have wiped them out forever. Instead, a peaceful arrangement was met which would lead to Zuko riding a dragon in Legend of Korra.

19 He Could See Things Related To The Spirit World

In Book 1, Episode 20: “The Siege of the North Part 2” — Zhao says a very important line that fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender might have missed. “Yes, yes, I know you fear the spirits, Iroh. I've heard rumors about your journey into the spirit world.” Iroh was a deeply spiritual individual. This allowed him to experience and see what others couldn’t.

An excellent example of this would be when Aang rides Roku's dragon in the Spirit World. No one sees him except for Iroh. Much of the Avatar story takes pieces of Buddhism and applies it to a fictional world. In Buddhism, Siddhi are magical and spiritual powers achieved through enlightenment and meditation. Clearly, this application applies to Iroh’s character. Having this Siddhi is what separates Iroh from other modern-day Firebenders.

18 He Helped Toph Find Her Way Back To Team Avatar

During a temporary leave of absence from Team Avatar, Toph would ironically run into Iroh by accident. Suspecting that she wasn’t alone in the woods, Toph launched an attack against an unsuspecting Iroh. Once determining that he meant her no harm, the two shared tea next to a fire.

Toph was clearly upset about issues she was having which led Iroh to do what he does best — listen and advise. Toph opened up about her resentment regarding following rules and being told what to do within Team Avatar. Iroh compared her struggles to Zuko stating, “There’s nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you.”

Toph would take Iroh’s message to heart and rejoin Team Avatar. When asked about their conversation Toph replied, “I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and some very good advice.”

17 A Majority Of His Life Was Spent Preparing To Be Fire Lord

Prior to the “Uncle Iroh” days, Avatar: The Last Airbender’s favorite tea drinking guru was General Iroh — rightful heir and successor to the Fire Lord position. Iroh was the eldest son of Azulon and Ilah, making him the grandson of Fire Lord Sozin. He was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, destined to become Fire Lord one day.

Azulon, Iroh’s father and a famed general, was the ruler of the Fire Nation from 20 AG to 95 AG. He helped the Fire Nation become a dominant war machine, conquering territories and known for almost completely wiping out the Southern Water Tribe. Azulon was killed by Princess Ursa (Zuko’s mother) after he had given orders to Ozai to eliminate his only son. Ozai would use Azulon’s death to become Fire Lord himself over Iroh.

16 The Death Of His Son Radically Changed Everything

In combination with Azulon’s death was a failed campaign led by Iroh. Acting on a vision from his younger days, General Iroh led an attack on Ba Sing Se which lasted 600 days. He would end up breaching the outer wall which had never been accomplished. But before his army could take the inner wall, his son Lu Ten would be killed while fighting on the front line. Iroh lost his will to fight following Lu Ten’s death and retreated.

This event would shame him amongst the royalty of the Fire Nation and allow his brother to usurp him in claiming the position of Fire Lord for himself. Ironically, these events didn’t bother Iroh as most would assume they should, as his drive to become Fire Lord was gone.

15 He Was A lady’s Man As He Traveled The World

The time frame in which Iroh traveled in the Spirit Realm or to meet Ran and Shaw isn’t specified in any of the Avatar: The Last Airbender content. Based on interactions with various females throughout the series though, it’s fairly obvious that Iroh was a true ladies man.

Despite being up there in age, Iroh could be found flirting with various women throughout his travels. The age of these ladies ranged from the elderly to women in their prime. The bounty hunter June took an instant liking to his flirtatious behavior as did an Earth Kingdom peasant. You’ll also notice that Iroh is addressed as handsome multiple times throughout the series by random women.

Iroh is a perfect example of how one can be a ladies man even if he doesn’t have the hot Earth Kingdom look. It’s what’s on the inside along with confidence that matters.

14 He Created His Own Bending Technique

Iroh was one of the most powerful Firebenders during and after the 100 Year War. Don’t let his soft and charming personality fool you though. Iroh was capable of much more than the Avatar series let on. After all, Iroh was Plan B if Aang could not defeat Firelord Ozai. Because Iroh’s bending style was based off teachings from the dragons, he didn’t resort to using anger, lust, or hate to effectively Firebend.

A technique which he himself invented was the redirection and absorption of lightning. Learning through the techniques required in Waterbending moves, Iroh was able to incorporate his own variation of generating lightning. Waterbenders can redirect chi, which he used to redirect natural and man-made lightning. He could even channel man-made lightning before it was used for an attack.

13 He Inadvertently Tipped The Scales With Zuko

Sometime after the death of his son Lu Ten, Iroh unofficially adopted Zuko. His initial reasons weren’t inspired by a greatness to change the world, but rather save another young man from the fate that took his son’s life at such a young age. Iroh continually asked Zuko what he wanted from this life while encouraging him to not make decisions based on what others wanted him to do. He wanted Zuko to be independent and a free thinker, giving him a chance to choose his own destiny.

What Iroh didn’t know when he first took Zuko under his wing, but would later discover, is that his teachings would dramatically change the outcome of the 100 Year War. As an enemy and more so as an ally, Zuko played a large part in ending the war and an even bigger part in the aftermath of it.

12 He Almost Had His Hands Crushed By Earthbenders

During the winter of 99 AG, Zuko and Iroh were in pursuit of Aang when Iroh felt it was a good idea to take a break along the coast of the Earth Kingdom. Here, Iroh found an area of hot springs to relax and heal is old bones. He became so relaxed that he ended up passing out in the spring only to wake up as a prisoner due to an ambush of Earthbending soldiers.

The captain of the group instantly recognized Iroh from the Ba Sing Se battle. He bound Iroh in chains and was determined to have him punished as a war criminal. Iroh tried to escape, but failed. The captain took matters into his own hands and was attempting to crush Iroh’s hands with two huge boulders before Zuko jumped in for the rescue.

11 He Was A Talented Musician

Iroh was a powerful bender, an expert on teas and a masterful strategist, but he was also a talented musician. Adept at playing the pipa (a four string guitar) and the tsungi horn (similar is design to a French horn), Iroh could play and sing on the same level with the best of the best.

During his time on Zuko’s ship, he helped lead music night in which he would play the pipa and sing the song Four Seasons. He is also shown strumming a song in the streets of Ba Sing Se to calm a crying baby.

Zuko had musical talent too as he was skilled at playing the tsungi horn. Caught up in his personal struggles however, he never played during the music nights on his ship.

10 He Busted Out Of Prison As A One Man Army

As a general and a leader, Iroh at one time was in extraordinary shape. Following his imprisonment for treason because he fought on the side of Team Avatar in Ba Sing Se, Iroh began to recondition himself physically. Whenever his jailer Warden Poon was out of sight, Iroh would workout constantly. In the company of Poon he would pretend to be going insane while padding his disappearing belly with spare articles of clothing. Exercises Iroh would use included inverted push-ups, inverted crunches, and one handed pull ups.

By the time the eclipse had come, Iroh was back to his former self in terms of physical strength. He busted out of his jail cell and took on the entire prison guard single handily, including Warden Poon.

9 He Was Always A Member of White Lotus, Even As A General

According to Avatar: The Last Airbender documented records, “The Order of the White Lotus is an ancient and formerly secret society that transcends the boundaries of the four nations, seeking philosophy, beauty, and truth. They are devoted to the sharing of ancient knowledge across national and political divides.”

While Iroh’s timeline is hazy, the audience is meant to assume that even during his hard core Firebending days Iroh was a member of the White Lotus. This would explain why he was the Grand Lotus.

Another statement that supports this theory is a comment made by Zuko. “The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born, by my uncle.” Zuko was alive during the attack led by Iroh on Ba Sing Se. It was common for White Lotus members to remain loyal to their respected nations.

8 He Served As Interim Fire Lord

Once things had settled down following the 100 Year War, Zuko wanted to go look for his mother. But for him to be able to that, he needed someone he could trust to run the Fire Nation in his absence. Iroh took time away from his tea shop and returned to the Fire Nation Royal Palace as the Interim Fire Lord.

What would his first act as Interim Fire Lord be? Establishing a National Tea Appreciation Day of course. The decision to establish this new holiday was Iroh’s way of presenting the Fire Nation in a new light to the rest of the world.

Zuko would return with his mother Ursa, but still request Iroh’s help now and then when needed as the Interim Fire Lord.

7 He Cared For Zuko As A Son

In Avatar: The Last Airbender “The Siege of the North, Part 1” episode, Iroh would tell Zuko “Ever since I lost my son ... I think of you as my own.” Zuko never had a proper father figure in his life, and Iroh wasn’t able to raise his son under his new beliefs and philosophies. Together this odd pair would struggle like any child and parent would, eventually coming to a common ground of respect, love, and admiration.

Iroh would teach Zuko everything he knew about Firebending, including his own technique of redirecting lightning. If not for Iroh’s teaching and fatherly love, Zuko wouldn’t have been able to defeat his sister nor have the maturity to become a great Fire Lord. Ursa would later ask if Iroh still thought about his son who died, to which he replied “all the time.”

6 He Inspired The Members Of The White Lotus To Become Active In War

Prior to the final battle of the 100 Year War, the Order of the White Lotus had insisted in always remaining neutral during conflicts. Iroh as Grand Lotus would change the other members hearts and minds concerning this philosophy.

Iroh’s vision as a youth would come true as he would lead the Order of the White Lotus in an attack on Ba Sing Se, but this time it would be in the name of the Earth Kingdom. Following the 100 Year War, the Order of the White Lotus would become more engaged in current events. It would be members of the White Lotus who would discover Korra and aid in her training as Avatar. Sadly, having the Order of the White Lotus getting involved with current events would still lead to other conflicts in the future.

5 He Was The Master Of Inspirational Quotes

Being the natural entrepreneur Iroh was, it’s shocking that he never had his quotes recorded and put into a book. Perhaps he was afraid of having his sayings taken out of context. To honor the famous inspirational quotes which Iroh said over the course of Avatar: The Last Airbender we’ve included a few of our favorites.

“Revenge is like a two-headed rat-viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you’re being poisoned yourself.”

“Perfection and power are overrated.”

“It’s time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions: Who are you? and What do you want?”

“Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame.”

“If you want to be a Bender, you have to let go of fear.”

4 He Finally Opened His Own Tea Shop

Iroh opened his own tea shop in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. He named the store Jasmine Dragon because he thought the name was “dramatic, poetic, and [had] a nice ring to it.” The original shop was a failing business amongst the elite of the Earth Kingdom, but Iroh revived it and turned it into the hottest place to get tea in the whole realm.

The Jasmine Dragon featured a large main dining area, small work station, kitchen, and a patio which provided a panoramic view of the entire city below. Iroh served a variety of rare teas such as White Dragon, Lychee, and his favorite Jasmine. He even invented his own tea called Tapioca which contained balls of cooked Tapioca topped with tea and a dash of milk.

3 He Lived Harmoniously With The People Who Killed His Son

Iroh was forgiving of the past, never holding people accountable for past actions and mistakes. One of the greatest character traits regarding Iroh was his ability to make Ba Sing Se his home. He lived, communicated, and served tea to individuals who might have fought in the battle that would claim his sons life. Never did Iroh hold his against the people of Ba Sing Se, instead he embraced the community and its people with love and respect.

This is what made Iroh one of the most beloved characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Once again Iroh changed the world and the lens in which individuals viewed society by treating others how he himself wanted to be treated. Imagine what our world would look like today with a few more Iroh’s in it.

2 He Voluntarily Entered The Spirit World Permanently

Iroh had entered the Spirit World previously when looking for his son prior to the events in Avatar: The Last Airbender. But no one expected that he would voluntarily enter it permanently because he felt he had contributed all he could to the material world. Around 131 AG Iroh would leave behind his physical body, allowing his soul to take him into the Spirit World permanently.

He would reconnect with lost friends and make plenty of new ones. Iroh would also open a new tea shop in the Spirit World, providing a place for spirits to gather and enjoy his love and passion for tea.

Only Iroh could leave a material world behind to open a new tea shop in the Spirit World. Despite not being in the physical world anymore, he was still available for council and good company if you knew where to look.

1 He Guided And Taught Avatar Korra

Sometime in 171 AG, Iroh stumbled across Avatar Korra in the Spirit World. Since he was such a huge part of Aang’s life, she immediately recognized Iroh. He offered her tea and cake while telling tales about Avatar Wan, but recognized that she was troubled.

Iroh would teach Korra that if she has peace and light within her, she can change her surroundings for the better. These lessons on the light and dark would guide her through the Spirit World and back into the material one.

Before parting ways, Iroh told Korra that it was a pleasure to meet the new Avatar and that she should come visit him again whether it was in this life or the next. It was actions like this that would sum up some of the crazy things Iroh did in Avatar: The Last Airbender.