historical process in Avatar: The Last Airbender Had it not been for the death of Yiluo uncle’s son, Prince Lu Shi, the situation might have been different. Throughout the series, Iroh plays a wise and calm father to the enraged exiled prince Zuko, providing a positive influence to eventually lead Zuko on the path to redemption. But Iroh wasn’t always the kind old man that fans know from the series.
this Avatar Episode 2 “Zuko Alone” is key in uncovering the story of how Iroh lost her son and has since lost all interest in ruling as Fire Lord. Iroh, dubbed the “Dragon of the West”, led the famous 600-day siege of Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom’s almost impenetrable walled city. During the siege, Iroh greatly admired Ba Sing Se and later returned there in more peaceful conditions. However, Ba Sing Se’s importance to Iroh goes beyond its impressive defense. This is also where he lost his only son.
Prince Luten was a soldier in the Fire Nation army who died during the Siege of Basingse during the Hundred Years’ War – though not necessarily in that particular battle. Lu Teng wrote in a letter to his father: “see you after the war“, implying that Lu Shi may indeed have died somewhere else in the Earth Kingdom, away from his father. Unlike Ao Zai and Zuko, Iroh and Lu Shi were very close, and Iroh loved her son very much. Lu Shi’s death killed Iroh’s appetite for war.He ended the siege and returned to the Fire Nation with an exhausted army.Iroh’s father, Fire Lord Azulon, was also killed – his mother. Zuko’s brother, Ursa, was secretly poisoned in exchange for Zuko’s life, although it was Zuko’s younger brother, Ozai, who ascended the throne of the Fire Nation, claiming it was Azulon’s last wish. In other cases, Iroh would object to this claim, but after Lu Ten’s death, he ceased to be interested in ruling.
If Prince Lu Shi were still alive, things would have developed very differently Avatar: The Last AirbenderAlthough Iroh was more enthusiastic about the war before losing his son (in a letter to his family, he joked that if he burned it, they might not see Ba Sing Se), he was not as evil as his brother. me. In flashbacks, young Azula calls her uncle with disgust “a weirdo who likes to drink his tea” and other snapshots from the past show Uncle Iroh being very affectionate towards her son. his son and sent gifts to his nieces and nephews. It’s hard to imagine Fire Lord Iroh carrying out Ozai’s plan to use Comet Sozin to destroy the Earth Kingdom.
Although it happened several years before the movie began, Lu Teng .’s death Avatar: The Last AirbenderIn Season 2’s “Ba Sing Se Story”, Iroh helped, comforted, and guided a number of boys and young adults across the city before going to his son’s grave to celebrate Lu Ten’s birthday. The lullaby he sings, “Leaves of the Grapevine,” is particularly heartbreaking, as it reveals that Iroh has called his son “sonYoung soldier,” unwittingly set him on a path that would eventually lead to his death.
However, if Lu Ten’s death was a dark turning point for the Fire Nation, it was also a tragedy that made Iroh and Zuko better people. Before his nephew pursued the Avatar in the Battle of the North, Iroh told him that since Lu Ten’s death, he thought Zuko was his. Thanks to Iroh’s moderate influence, Zuko eventually became a wiser and nobler Fire Lord than his father.