Part of the issue with Iroh's failings with Zuko (and this is canon, it was expressed by Iroh a number of times) was that he and Zuko weren't operating on the same wavelength. One of the big components in any master and student relationship is that of mutual trust and understanding. Not only does the student need to trust the teacher in their methods, but the teacher needs to trust that the student is able to comprehend their methods.
Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. In The Karate Kid, there was a level of understanding between Mr. Miyagi and Daniel Russo at the start of the film. Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel karate while Daniel has to perform menial tasks as a sort of payment. The only stipulation is that Daniel not ask questions. Both parties understand this and Daniel does do quite a bit of house chores for Mr. Miyagi until he gets a bit frustrated. What cements their relationship is that Mr. Miyagi demonstrates that the menial tasks were the training and that he's already a good portion of the way in learning karate through those chores. So that trust and understanding is cemented, and Daniel ends up taking a lot of Mr. Miyagi's lessons to heart because of those lessons. Ends up becoming a much better person at the end of the day.
Another good example would be Po and Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda. As demonstrated by Po's disastrous first days, simply giving a pupil a wizened master isn't everything. Shifu might have trained the Furious Five and Tai Lung, but he's not familiar with someone like Po, which initially sabotages the training. It's not until Shifu realizes that he's been too hard on Po and figures out what makes the panda tick that their relationship changes for the better. Once he figures out a training routine suited almost entirely to Po, the latter actually wins against Shifu in a bout over dumplings and even displays some character growth by offering his master the last one. Again, their relationship flourishes once Shifu understands Po's character and the latter trusts Shifu.
This is where Zuko and Iroh's relationship as pupil and master suffers. Iroh isn't exactly able to build any trust with Zuko, so his esoteric methods don't work. And who can blame the latter? As much as I'm not a fan of Zuko, I can understand that he's been conditioned to view his family with suspicion. This fuels his frustration with Iroh when he believes the latter is holding out on him by keeping him practicing the basics. Naturally, Iroh's lesson here is to let go of his frustration and anger, which is fueling his firebending, but he never actually tells Zuko that and assumes the latter can figure it out on his own. Naturally, there is some benefit to having the student learn their own lessons since that can boost their self-esteem. But not when Zuko is already frustrated, and Iroh is inadvertently feeding into that. So trust isn't working out. Iroh's trust in Zuko's ability to read between the lines is a little misplaced, and Zuko's trust in Iroh is at a bad place to begin with.
What about understanding? Zuko can't understand himself or figure out what he wants for most of the series. How the hell is he supposed to get a good idea of what Iroh wants from him without it being told to him point-blank? So one side is shot. What about Iroh? Iroh doesn't seem to have a good grasp on what Zuko wants either. He DOES know that Zuko might have to take the throne and wants him to ease up a little bit. Which is fine. But he doesn't seem to understand that Zuko was trying his best to conform to the Jasmine Dragon, but his own demons were never really addressed, considering how fast he went off to fight Azula. Something he inadvertently encouraged when he offered to teach Zuko a technique "Azula didn't know" regarding redirecting lightning. So while Iroh might understand Zuko a bit, he didn't understand him enough to discourage his most toxic traits.
And this isn't me bashing Iroh or anything. This is canon. Zuko ultimately chose Azula over Iroh in "The Crossroads of Destiny", and Iroh was personally ashamed of how he failed Zuko. It's why he didn't talk to him while Iroh was in jail. The reason I feel this gets glossed over was that Book 3's writing was a bit rushed towards the end, so them building up that mentor/pupil relationship again wasn't addressed. And since they have rebuilt that relationship is what we end the series on, that's what's going to color the rest of the series, even though it doesn't make a lot of sense.
Going back to Kung Fu Panda a bit, this relationship sort of reminds me of how Shifu screwed up with Tai Lung. He certainly loved Tai Lung. There's no denying that. But he didn't understand what Tai Lung was turning into. And by the time he found out, it was too late for him to make amends. This is what happens when the pupil/master relationship breaks down.
Now, could this have been improved on in canon? Yes, obviously. I actually think if that Book 4 had gone through, we might've had Zuko and Iroh more actively repair their relationship. Which in turn would've made Zuko's redemption much more believable since he was being more patient and willing to listen to others. As it stands now, though, all we have is that flawed execution. And I can't judge a work based on what might've been, but rather what is. As it stands, Zuko and Iroh's relationship could've used more work for the reasons I've stated above.
kianamaiart
annaxmalina
blakekathryn
izzy806
janainaart
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
