New Medium Article: Would Zuko's Redemption Arc Have Happened Without Iroh?
Good morning everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I just posted a new Medium article on my page. It's Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's called Would Zuko's Redemption Arc Have Happened Without Iroh?
All my Medium stories are currently free to read.
Link: https://alysonserenastone.medium.com/...
Sneak Peek:
Spoiler Warning: This article focuses solely on the Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series and does not contain any spoilers for the graphic novels or The Legend of Korra. This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series only.
Uncle Iroh is one of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s most beloved characters. Despite being from the Fire Nation, he is wise, humble, and kind. This allows him to give great advice and insight into complex situations. He respects and honours all four elements. It is not these things that make him stand out to me. It is his love for Zuko. This brings me to today’s question: Would Zuko’s redemption arc happen without Iroh? To determine this, we must first do a deep dive into their relationship.
Iroh’s son, Lu Ten, was killed during the Siege of Ba Sing Se. This leaves Iroh in a dark place. He pulls out of the siege to grieve. Then, he loses his title of Crown Prince and is removed from being the new Fire Lord. Iroh could have shut down completely and cut off all ties with his family. He does not. Instead, he takes on a fatherly role to Zuko. He even follows him into exile. He supports Zuko and treats him as if he was his son. He becomes a mentor and teacher to Zuko. Even when Zuko lashes out, Iroh is still there. He is calm and tries to bring these to his nephew.
Iroh is not afraid to offer advice and support to Zuko if Zuko has gotten himself into the situation to be in. Zuko’s temper gets him in trouble. Iroh could have left him to figure out things on his own, but he does not. This is clear in “Book One: Water.” Zuko and Zhao challenge each other to an Agni Kai. Iroh could have left Zuko to face Zhao, who is a very skilled firebender, on his own. Instead, Iroh offers Zuko advice on how to defeat Zhao. This happens both before and during the match. It is Iroh’s advice that allows Zuko to defeat Zhao. Not only that but at the end of the Agni Kai, Zuko walks away. He could have hurt Zhao, but he does not. This is a clear influence of Iroh. Had Iroh not been there, Zuko probably would have burned Zhao, who had been mocking him. The situation would have also been worse for Zuko had Iroh not been there. When Zuko walks away and has his back turned, Zhao attempts to attack him. Iroh intervenes and tells him that Zuko, who has been banished from the Fire Nation, has more honour than he does.
Another example from “Book One: Water” is when Zuko returns from saving Aang and decides to sleep while the rest of the crew goes into town. When the crew is gone and Zuko is alone on the ship, a group of pirates sneak in and blow up the ship. Iroh immediately reacts and believes that Zuko is dead. He shows great sadness. He thought he had lost another son. Zuko is not dead though. The two come up with a plan to end Zhao. Iroh pretends that he is going to help Zuko take over the Northern Water Tribe and Zuko stows away on the ship. When they reach the Northern Tribe, Iroh tells Zuko that he thinks of him as his son and warns him to be careful. Again, this shows the fatherly relationship. This isn’t the only time that Iroh’s influence impacts Zuko. During the battle at the Northern Water Tribe, Zuko and Zhao duel again. Zhao ends up falling off the bridge and is going to die. Instead of letting him die, Zuko offers him his hand, which he doesn’t take. Zuko was well within his right to let someone who had tortured him to die. Instead, he becomes a better person and offers help. Who also helps those in need? Iroh! Without Iroh’s constant presence, Zuko would have never offered to help Zhao. Why? Zuko grew up in a household where helping those who put you down and could not carry their weight was seen as a sign of weakness. This weakness had to be put down. They also believed in getting rid of those who got in your way. Without Iroh, Zuko would have known nothing else but this mindset.
In “Book Two: Earth,” we see Zuko and Iroh depend even more on each other. They are in a new kingdom and in one that doesn’t like them. All they have is each other. They are also fugitives of the Fire Nation. Knowing this, Zuko decides to go out on his own. Iroh, though, does not let Zuko be fully on his own. He knows that Zuko feels he needs to do this. It is a part of Zuko’s self-discovery and trying to regain his honour. Iroh follows Zuko. We know this because Toph stumbles upon Iroh and they end up talking. Toph is the one who tells Iroh that he needs to tell Zuko that he needs him. While Toph’s words are true, Zuko does need to strike out on his own and find his way. “Zuko Alone” is a great episode for his character. No one knows who Zuko is and he is relying on the kindness of others. He meets the family at the farm, who take him in and don’t ask any questions. Whenever Zuko attempts to leave, the family seeks him out because Earth Kingdom soldiers are taking the boy. Zuko goes back and fights. At first, he does so without revealing that he is a firebender. The soldiers put him into a position where he must fire bend. He saves the boy and tries to give him a knife. The boy does not want anything to do with Zuko now that he knows he is a firebender. Rather than lashing out at the boy, Zuko leaves. This is huge for Zuko’s character growth. The old Zuko would have burned the village down for this rejection. Now that Zuko has been around Iroh so much, he turns the other cheek. He understands all the hatred and knows that it is justified.
Eventually, Zuko and Iroh do reunite. Iroh begins to train Zuko in firebending and lightning redirection. When Zuko asks him to shoot lightning at him so he can practice, Iroh tells him no. It’s dangerous and he’s not sure that Zuko is ready. He does not want to put Zuko in any kind of danger. This goes back to Iroh thinking of Zuko as a son. He will give him the tools that he needs to survive, but he is not going to put his life in danger. This also gives us insight into Zuko’s mental state. During a storm, Zuko climbs to the top of a mountain and waits for lighting. It doesn’t come. He lashes out. His pain and his desire to please his father come out. Even after everything his father has put him through, he still wants his love. He doesn’t see that he already has fatherly love in his life.
Iroh’s goal is to keep Zuko safe. This desire leads them to Ba Sing Se. Azula is after them and Zuko cannot win against her. Ba Sing Se is large enough for them to hide in. Not only that but there are a lot of refugees there and they can blend in with them. Iroh gets them jobs at a tea shop and they move into an apartment. It’s the chance for them to start over again. Iroh tells Zuko this and it’s not enough. Zuko is not happy. Iroh is patient and encourages Zuko to look for the good things. He even suggests that Zuko find himself a “lady friend.” Zuko does end up going on a date and does have a good time. It’s still not enough though. Zuko wants to go back home, get his honour back, and please his father. Iroh, still, does not turn his back on his nephew. He believes that Zuko will eventually see that what he thinks he wants is not what he wants. He hopes Zuko will discover this and this is why he keeps offering him his helping hand.
Have a great day!
Serena
All my Medium stories are currently free to read.
Link: https://alysonserenastone.medium.com/...
Sneak Peek:
Spoiler Warning: This article focuses solely on the Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series and does not contain any spoilers for the graphic novels or The Legend of Korra. This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series only.
Uncle Iroh is one of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s most beloved characters. Despite being from the Fire Nation, he is wise, humble, and kind. This allows him to give great advice and insight into complex situations. He respects and honours all four elements. It is not these things that make him stand out to me. It is his love for Zuko. This brings me to today’s question: Would Zuko’s redemption arc happen without Iroh? To determine this, we must first do a deep dive into their relationship.
Iroh’s son, Lu Ten, was killed during the Siege of Ba Sing Se. This leaves Iroh in a dark place. He pulls out of the siege to grieve. Then, he loses his title of Crown Prince and is removed from being the new Fire Lord. Iroh could have shut down completely and cut off all ties with his family. He does not. Instead, he takes on a fatherly role to Zuko. He even follows him into exile. He supports Zuko and treats him as if he was his son. He becomes a mentor and teacher to Zuko. Even when Zuko lashes out, Iroh is still there. He is calm and tries to bring these to his nephew.
Iroh is not afraid to offer advice and support to Zuko if Zuko has gotten himself into the situation to be in. Zuko’s temper gets him in trouble. Iroh could have left him to figure out things on his own, but he does not. This is clear in “Book One: Water.” Zuko and Zhao challenge each other to an Agni Kai. Iroh could have left Zuko to face Zhao, who is a very skilled firebender, on his own. Instead, Iroh offers Zuko advice on how to defeat Zhao. This happens both before and during the match. It is Iroh’s advice that allows Zuko to defeat Zhao. Not only that but at the end of the Agni Kai, Zuko walks away. He could have hurt Zhao, but he does not. This is a clear influence of Iroh. Had Iroh not been there, Zuko probably would have burned Zhao, who had been mocking him. The situation would have also been worse for Zuko had Iroh not been there. When Zuko walks away and has his back turned, Zhao attempts to attack him. Iroh intervenes and tells him that Zuko, who has been banished from the Fire Nation, has more honour than he does.
Another example from “Book One: Water” is when Zuko returns from saving Aang and decides to sleep while the rest of the crew goes into town. When the crew is gone and Zuko is alone on the ship, a group of pirates sneak in and blow up the ship. Iroh immediately reacts and believes that Zuko is dead. He shows great sadness. He thought he had lost another son. Zuko is not dead though. The two come up with a plan to end Zhao. Iroh pretends that he is going to help Zuko take over the Northern Water Tribe and Zuko stows away on the ship. When they reach the Northern Tribe, Iroh tells Zuko that he thinks of him as his son and warns him to be careful. Again, this shows the fatherly relationship. This isn’t the only time that Iroh’s influence impacts Zuko. During the battle at the Northern Water Tribe, Zuko and Zhao duel again. Zhao ends up falling off the bridge and is going to die. Instead of letting him die, Zuko offers him his hand, which he doesn’t take. Zuko was well within his right to let someone who had tortured him to die. Instead, he becomes a better person and offers help. Who also helps those in need? Iroh! Without Iroh’s constant presence, Zuko would have never offered to help Zhao. Why? Zuko grew up in a household where helping those who put you down and could not carry their weight was seen as a sign of weakness. This weakness had to be put down. They also believed in getting rid of those who got in your way. Without Iroh, Zuko would have known nothing else but this mindset.
In “Book Two: Earth,” we see Zuko and Iroh depend even more on each other. They are in a new kingdom and in one that doesn’t like them. All they have is each other. They are also fugitives of the Fire Nation. Knowing this, Zuko decides to go out on his own. Iroh, though, does not let Zuko be fully on his own. He knows that Zuko feels he needs to do this. It is a part of Zuko’s self-discovery and trying to regain his honour. Iroh follows Zuko. We know this because Toph stumbles upon Iroh and they end up talking. Toph is the one who tells Iroh that he needs to tell Zuko that he needs him. While Toph’s words are true, Zuko does need to strike out on his own and find his way. “Zuko Alone” is a great episode for his character. No one knows who Zuko is and he is relying on the kindness of others. He meets the family at the farm, who take him in and don’t ask any questions. Whenever Zuko attempts to leave, the family seeks him out because Earth Kingdom soldiers are taking the boy. Zuko goes back and fights. At first, he does so without revealing that he is a firebender. The soldiers put him into a position where he must fire bend. He saves the boy and tries to give him a knife. The boy does not want anything to do with Zuko now that he knows he is a firebender. Rather than lashing out at the boy, Zuko leaves. This is huge for Zuko’s character growth. The old Zuko would have burned the village down for this rejection. Now that Zuko has been around Iroh so much, he turns the other cheek. He understands all the hatred and knows that it is justified.
Eventually, Zuko and Iroh do reunite. Iroh begins to train Zuko in firebending and lightning redirection. When Zuko asks him to shoot lightning at him so he can practice, Iroh tells him no. It’s dangerous and he’s not sure that Zuko is ready. He does not want to put Zuko in any kind of danger. This goes back to Iroh thinking of Zuko as a son. He will give him the tools that he needs to survive, but he is not going to put his life in danger. This also gives us insight into Zuko’s mental state. During a storm, Zuko climbs to the top of a mountain and waits for lighting. It doesn’t come. He lashes out. His pain and his desire to please his father come out. Even after everything his father has put him through, he still wants his love. He doesn’t see that he already has fatherly love in his life.
Iroh’s goal is to keep Zuko safe. This desire leads them to Ba Sing Se. Azula is after them and Zuko cannot win against her. Ba Sing Se is large enough for them to hide in. Not only that but there are a lot of refugees there and they can blend in with them. Iroh gets them jobs at a tea shop and they move into an apartment. It’s the chance for them to start over again. Iroh tells Zuko this and it’s not enough. Zuko is not happy. Iroh is patient and encourages Zuko to look for the good things. He even suggests that Zuko find himself a “lady friend.” Zuko does end up going on a date and does have a good time. It’s still not enough though. Zuko wants to go back home, get his honour back, and please his father. Iroh, still, does not turn his back on his nephew. He believes that Zuko will eventually see that what he thinks he wants is not what he wants. He hopes Zuko will discover this and this is why he keeps offering him his helping hand.
Have a great day!
Serena
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