Why Iroh is the Pinnacle of Masculinity

Wow, uh... was not expecting such a wonderful response to this video. Thank you so much for tuning in. Avatar: the Last Airbender is one of my favorite shows of all time, and I'm overjoyed that so many other people still love discussing this amazing show and its incredible characters as much as I do. I will definitely be making more videos about ATLA in the not-too-distant future, in addition to my usual Star Wars content. Plus, I'm planning on talking about Arcane, and a few more things that have caught my fancy lately.

I'm just about 60 seconds in when I hear this, "Masculinity is not the opposite of femininity, but rather the opposite of boyish immaturity". And I KNOW this video is exactly what it needs to be. Thank you.

The proudest moment of my life was when my child compared me favorably to Iroh. There is no better example of being a role model than Iroh and when my own child said I'm like him.....I literally cried.

I've had two people independently, an ex girlfriend and a coworker, tell me I remind them of this character and that's the single greatest compliment I've ever received.

Iroh: "Ozai may have been your father boy. But he wasn't your daddy.."

If everyone had their own Uncle Iroh, the world would be a much better place.

I have always thought that Iroh's love of tea is symbolic of his balance with all the elements. Tea leaves grow from the earth, are then placed in water that needs to be boiled by fire, and fire cannot be created without fanning it with air. Perfect harmony

"Be the person uncle Iroh would want you to become" was something a friend told me once jokingly. Its been my Go-To motivational sentence since 2019 and I improved mentally, physically and as a person overall since im thinking that way. Uncle Iroh and Whitebeard are the true representations of what real masculinity should be. Best written characters of our time

Iroh isn't just peak masculinity, he's a peak human being

"Masculinity and femininity are not opposites. Two insurments playing the same cord will have different sounds" that is so profound

By the time the show starts, Iroh had already achieved peak masculinity, and he basically just wanted to chill with his favorite nephew while our heroes save the world. What a legend.

Both Iroh and Aragorn are most definitely the best examples of masculinity

Can we appreciate that the show has been off air for 15 years but a 20 minute video can cone out about a side character analysis and it gets almost 2 mil views?

I looked up to Iroh (even as a girl) because what he said never felt forced or preachy. Everything held weight and meaning even if it didn’t make sense to those around him. He was always aggressively himself in the best way and only ever wanted himself and others to be happy. 10/10 best character ever written.

he shows us what it means to be a well rounded human, not just a man.

I am a man and I love flowers, just because I'm a man, why can I not admire the beautiful things nature provides us? I remember telling a girl once I'd be over the moon if somebody bought me flowers, I said "I've never understood why only women and girls receive flowers, as though men can't appreciate the beauty in them."

"Two different instruments playing the same note will sound different" Simple but effective

I love how when Toph attacks Iroh, Iroh doesn't fight back and just talks with her. Then when Toph gets attacked by Zuko and her feet get burned she forgives him just like how Iroh forgave her. Just a little detail that I thought I should share.

"Masculinity is not the opposite of femininity, but rather it's the opposite of boyish immaturity." That is AMAZING. I am definitely using that line in the future. It annoys me so much how some people act like men and women are different species. We're not. We have far more commonalities than differences, and even in our differences we are not "opposites" of one another...we simply exhibit the same characteristics in slightly different ways.

I feel Iroh mourning his son is an example of an often misunderstood trait of masculinity. A man doesn't ignore emotional pain, but instead temporarily sets it aside when there is still a job to be done. After the work is done and he may rest, a proper man will easily shed a tear in private.