Film Theory: Is Uncle Iroh ACTUALLY a War Criminal?! (Avatar the Last Airbender)

[@FilmTheory]

🔥 Do you think Uncle Iroh is a war criminal?

[@JB77772]

Hi 👋🏻

[@personlookingatyoutubevideos]

W

[@furryINdisguise]

Surely 🔥🔥🔥

[@sunthornfnoisaen5955]

No

[@Average1Person]

Nah

[@Ivaylodr5]

The dagger did show again. In the episode Zuko alone he gifted that dagger to the little boy, who lated used it against the bandits, but got caught and Zuko had to rescue him

[@elitegamer9310]

That was also the dagger Zuko and Iroh used to cut their hair after the escaped Azula.

[@クレスナ-v9i]

also, when Zuko and Iroh cut their hair after got betrayed by Azula

[@sammikits8001]

He said it was never mentioned after that episode

[@Milestheotherguy]

he also had the dagger in "the avatar state"

[@תומרח-פ1י]

I WAS JUST GOING TO COMMENT THAT

[@tylerblack3962]

What I always find funny is that Sokka is technically a war criminal since he rode in the War Balloon branded with the fire nations insignia

[@hailey5258]

If they didn't have rules against it before that, they definitely do now

[@krio1267]

idk i never watched avatar

[@FrostyGerardo-kr7xs]

Ozai planed earth genocide. Sozin wind genocide. Azula and Earth general psychological torture.

[@sweatynoob1402]

@@krio1267you definitely should

[@msk-qp6fn]

Depends on the intent probably

[@balzor_7795]

11:12 i liked how you said Bolin instead of toph because then it wouldn't be true😂😂

[@ahhh-bear]

What has toph done to make her a war criminal. I don't doubt it, just wondering what your argument is.

[@ScintillatingSusie]

I think it's more so that Toph would absolutely commit a war crime if given the chance. She is such an agent of chaos.

[@coralmaynard4876]

@@ScintillatingSusie "I AM MELON LORD! *MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!* "

[@NoahSimons-st4ez]

I love the fact that in the intro it says „ made by Mathew Patrick“ A small reminder that he‘s still here with us❤️

[@RemnantFracture]

i just wish he still narrated at least game theory. but its whatever at this point

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all the spam bot comments.

[@tumitoons7402]

You make it sound like he is dɛad 😅

[@YanntastischGER]

You say that as if he died or disappeared from the internet xD

[@Bunny_Bill]

Guys we gotta stop grieving MatPat as if he isn't still in every video on GTLive😭

[@Buzz3092]

I always thought we were supposed to understand that he was a reformed war criminal, and that his growth is what gives him the wisdom to help Zuko with his own redemption. I kinda assumed as a kid that Iroh would've done a repeat of what happened to the Air Nomads if his siege of BSS was successful and only losing his son made him realize the human cost of war.

[@prozythos8397]

As this video states, he was always very level-headed. He wasnt brutal, he was just a prideful member of Fire Nation royalty. He was an adamant general, and that is what he grows from, but that doesnt mean he was as malicious and Sozin.

[@goji253]

@@prozythos8397 He sounded rather delighted at his progress in Ba Sing Se. Especially when writing about the general's surrender. Being level-headed and being malicious don't exclude each other.

[@oliverroe6277]

I always just inferred he was a war criminal due to being a major fire nation general

[@REG96AV]

​@prozythos8397 it was pretty much stated that Iroh was in charge of the Rough Rhino's When they burnt down Jet's village

[@engteach1680]

​@@goji253He was a soldier and rightfully proud of his (and his men's) success. He took pride in his work. As for his joke, it's called gallows humor. Soldiers, cops, firefighters, EMTs, doctors, nurses, etc. (pretty much anyone who deals with death as their profession) develops it at some point.

[@Bolpat]

18:50 No, crimes of aggression does not apply to military generals, but governments, in particular, the commander-in-chief, which Iroh wasn’t. The war was already waging, and crown prince or not, he was definitely under the order of his father Azulon. There is no reason to believe the siege of Ba Sing Se was decided on by Iroh without approval of Azulon.

[@zaxbitterzen2178]

But from what we saw he was more than happy to abide by the order. Until his son died he was gleefully conquering and killing people.

[@Bolpat]

@zaxbitterzen2178 Your sentiment complying with the orders is irrelevant.

[@DerpKarp]

Iroh is like that uncle who is very cool but has a VERY disturbing background.

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting the spam bots

[@Javii1]

Ah yes... we all have that one uncle

[@ptremendous7]

That’s literally just what he is

[@realihminen3684]

bro managed to trigger all the bots💀

[@Qxestionable]

Iroh is literally like that one uncle who used to be a ruthless war hero, conquering countless enemies and advancing in on the capital of the earth kingdom, known as one of the fiercest fire benders in history, until he tragically lost his son in the invasion leading to him rethinking his life, changing his entire philosophy and becoming a nurturing, mature, down to earth man who simply wants to make sure those around him can find their way and achieve the good that they have the potential to do…y’know, that one uncle

[@atlasprime6193]

People often say there should be more people like Uncle Iroh, but what they often forget is that it took walking down the path he did to become what he is. The only thing remarkable about him is that he was able to see his wrong doing and not fall into despair and hatred when the most common people would. THAT’S the moment we should strive to be like Iroh. The rest of his good quality came from that one decision.

[@Vonzercroft]

Except we see Iroh long before he abandoned the war, lost his son, and was an active general in a war. We see Iroh was the more skilled and loved sibling initially until Iroh loses his drive and heir. He wasn't a completely different person under Azulon, he was still a soft hearted genius of war that we see from him in the series. Even the video goes to show before his fall in basingse he was a good person just doing his job and how his brothers development disturbed him as a kid. Iroh has always been a soft hearted sage and why his fire bending based on rage/emotion was never as strong as Ozai's

[@Shiftarus]

​@@Vonzercroft sometimes just doing your job and what society expects of you is still wrong. It makes sense why he went along with it but that doesn't make it right.

[@Vonzercroft]

@@Shiftarus I didn't say it makes it right. I said he doesn't go through some massive character shift throughout his life. He's always seen the actions of the fire nation in the war as distasteful but still did his duty as a general. He was respected by the earth kingdom due to his treatment he showed to the soldiers and citizens that surrendered during the war when other generals or even Ozai would just roast them all alive for the fun of it. He's always been a nice guy. After losing his son he just wanted to travel the world and serve tea. He only kept his fire nations ties to protect Zuko.

[@VoidWalkerOblivion]

On the contrary; I think that's even MORE the reason to lift him up and say we should be like him. Everyone is going to do bad things in their lives and make mistakes. It is inevitable. To stop, recognise what we're doing is wrong, and redirect our path IS something to be lauded. No one is beyond becoming the best version of themselves, no matter what they've done beyond that part. But we like to insist that there's a threshold for damnation because otherwise we have no excuse for not putting in the effort to become the Iroh in our own lives.

[@Vonzercroft]

@@VoidWalkerOblivion Nope I fully agree he's a great character to examine and take philosophy from. He's a really well written character. I wish we could've gotten to see more of him as a father to Lu Ten before learning what happened to him.

[@louislamp]

I know it's just going over the basics of war crimes and similar, there is so much of this that translates to the real world right now. Thank you.

[@chanceycakes]

"a question that's rattled Avatar fans for decades" is a sentence that made my knees ache I can't be THAT old 😢

[@Gojiboyo]

Arrgghh, me’ aching back 👴

[@CovertCalifornian1957]

We can't stop ourselves from aging, unfortunately, but with our age and experience we can grow wiser.

[@threedragonstalk2123]

The show premiered less than 20 years ago, so no you are not that old, Avatar has not been around for decades yet, though it will have been by next year.

[@bradleychan5684]

Look at it this way: at least we got the OG Avatar with excellent choreography, stunning war-building, and female characters that aren't cringingly woke. The Modern generation has tiktoks, fortnite dances, and prank videos that destroy public peace. relationships, and public property to look forward to. If being 20-30 years old is considered old enough to enjoy actual quality entertainment that still holds up well all I can say is: NICE.

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

It won't be decades until next year

[@matthewhalo1799]

thats part of why we love him and his character development. It took his son dying from his own war effort to fully realize that what he was doing. And from that we got the wise tea loving uncle we all know and love

[@Raaslen]

Yeah, that's the whole point of Iroh's character, he was doing bad things, figured it out, corrected his way

[@LionEclipse]

​@@Raaslenand helps others do the same

[@BobbyBoy-pe2qt]

Nobody likes his character arc cause it didn't happen if he was a female character people would have a mental breakdown over her.

[@BobbyBoy-pe2qt]

​@@RaaslenNobody likes his character arc cause it didn't happen if he was a female character people would have a mental breakdown over her.

[@BobbyBoy-pe2qt]

​@@LionEclipseNobody likes his character arc cause it didn't happen if he was a female character people would have a mental breakdown over her.

[@novacorponline]

That last bit feels like a bit of a cop out. "You fought the war honorably in all ways but you were on the villain's team, and that's worse than any other crime that could be committed."

[@notme8232]

Well, that is how it works in real life. It's not a war crime if you win, after all.

[@novacorponline]

@@notme8232 In real life though, those who defect to the victor's side tend to have their crimes forgotten, forgiven, or buried.

[@knghtbrd]

It wasn't even a law beforehand. The world was horrified and disgusted by what'd happened, and the world demanded those responsible pay for it with their lives. In some cases it was easy to prove that people had committed or ordered atrocities which easily warranted their deaths. In others, you had people who could somewhat plausibly claim they had No Idea what was happening! So they intended a catch-call and decided they were all guilty of that retroactively, even if they were guilty of nothing else. Since then, sure, anyone who starts a war without provocation, or actively takes part in directing such a war could be guilty of this crime. It's total BS, but at least the world is on notice that the "crime" exists. So … don't start or conduct a war as an aggressor unless you are 100% sure you're going to win it, I guess? Hasn't seemed to stop many aggressors in the decades since.

[@zkapsh]

there were international laws such as thr lieber code (1863) and the Hague conventions of 1899 and 1907. Also your own logic is wrong, take for example the Armenian, greek, and assyrian genocides all perpetrated by the ottomans and they lost ww1, and they aren't excepted by most nations as genocides. No one from turkey was prosecuted, a group of aremenians ended up using a plan to assassinate many of the perpetrators.

[@ryansearle6157]

Well in the video it mentioned that it was really just made to prosecute the Axis leadership, and after further inquiry I have found that no one has ever been convicted of this crime since WWII, so it’s probably safe to say it’s just a leftover from then

[@xxspookshowxbabyxx]

"Avatar wouldn't show war crimes, it's a kids show!" Avatar: *shows skeletal remains of Air Nomads in temple on screen for many seconds immediately after a flashback*

[@Hamburgerhuman]

The fire nation used incindiary weapons which is a war crime

[@shahproductionsuser2965]

Also, it's explicitly stated that POWs are used as soldiers

[@stephenbuffamante6091]

Don’t forget literally everything surrounding the character Jet

[@Lady-Seashell-Bikini]

​@@HamburgerhumanAnd genocide. They literally committed genocide against the Air Nomads and the Southern Water Tribe.

[@everythingigothere1304]

Not so fun fact, Sokka is officially a war criminal because at the northern air temple he use the insignia of the fire nation for surprise, balloon attack, which is specifically against the Geneva conventions

[@zanir2387]

Yeah, the thing is, compared with the fire nation's crimes, like genocide, that's pretty tame and harmless by comparison....

[@WeakRoast]

​@@zanir2387 Guess Sokka was fighting fire with fire... I'm sorry. That sucked but I had to

[@robertjethrogallano1053]

Geneva suggestion XD

[@NerdAlert4224]

The real question: is there an Avatar Geneva? Would that be Republic City?

[@nicbentulan]

​@@NerdAlert4224who needs Geneva to say don't use human shields? Sokka in netflix used human shields against Zuko in S01E01 so that Sokka could later cry to the UN. just like south Africa for Gaza.

[@EpicDave]

What I remember from Mat Pats war crime video on Game Theory is that the side that wins decides what a war crime is and whether to charge said person if they wanted to.

[@matityaloran9157]

12:39, the Outer Wall is explicitly there for military defence whereas the Inner Wall is the one that’s a cultural symbol

[@flumppod5952]

The inner wall would lose its protected status once Earth Nation troops started using it to defend against the siege. The same as the example with the museum in the video.

[@matityaloran9157]

@@flumppod5952 Good point

[@alamrasyidi4097]

the inner wall is representative of classism

[@juliesheehan41]

Yeah it's unfair to refer to your military defense as a cultural structure

[@mud1nabowl]

Video(s) Idea: so 4 years ago when the live action Avatar show was first announced Matpat made a “the Science of Waterbending” episode about how you could waterbend and talked about how each element is possible in real life, but he never made any follow up videos. Now the show’s out and Lee can make them, but instead of just making the rest Lee can make a “the Science of Earthbending” as earth comes right after water in the Avatar cycle. Then years later when Lee passes the channel to a new host they can tackle the science of Firebending. Then when they pass it on the next person can do Airbending completing the Film Theory Host Avatar Cycle [FTHAC if you will]

[@Thecursedchildyt]

Good idea

[@Voasky]

Yeah cool idea

[@starchildofthesun]

YES PLEASE!!! POST THIS TO THE FILM THEORY SUBREDDIT!!!

[@earthisadonut7213]

The botpocalypse is real

[@mud1nabowl]

@@starchildofthesun okay!

[@xDecimatedDreamx]

Thank you guys for creating such a relevant video in such a channel friendly way. I appreciate your continuing efforts in educating not only current theorists, but also teaching the next generation to think critically, research everything, never take things at face value and to always logically analyse the evidence.

[@mkdemigodzillawarrior]

I mean… the war has been going on for a century, so I feel like his siege of Ba Sing Se wouldn’t exactly be considered “a surprise.”

[@yuyah7413]

what war? I'm genuinely confused

[@ballsackman-h2m]

@@yuyah7413bro went atla never heard of it its the 100 year war

[@fegreninja7197]

@@ballsackman-h2myou don’t get it man, in Ba Sing Se you’re safe. There is no war in Ba Sing Se

[@danielmestas6062]

​@@ballsackman-h2m bro honestly thinks theirs a war 💀

[@cowwithinternet]

@@ballsackman-h2m there is no war.

[@missizz1595]

So essentially Iroh is criminal of participating in war (which honestly is due to a lot of fire nation indoctrination & being the descendant of the worst fire lords) and not because of any war crimes. I couldn’t blame him, and he easily changed into a wiser character when he realised those aggressions and their consequences. No other family relative changed their view of war after Iroh’s son died, showing how strong the fire nation indoctrination was.

[@bibigamer502]

So Zuko either doesn’t count as family or just never changed his views?

[@TheMasaoL]

Crimes of Aggression can only be charged against the leadership of a nation who have the ability to shape policy not those who are responsible for carrying them out. General Iroh was not the Fire Lord and we have reason to believe that he could not stop the war if he wanted to. As we saw with Crown Prince Zuko during his last war council meeting, being Crown Prince does not allow one to countermand other generals even if it is for the sake of the Fire Nation. As such it is reasonable to argue that Crown Prince confers little to no authority over policy inside the Fire Nation. Ergo unlike Kuvira who was both Interim President of The Earth Kingdom and Commander of the Earth Empire and had the ability to dictate war policy, General Iroh is innocent of Crimes of Aggression.

[@missizz1595]

@@repprH thank you for clarifying, I was just about to say it but you worded it perfectly.

[@missizz1595]

@@TheMasaoL Whether he did or didn’t commit crimes of aggression, I still wouldn’t have blamed Iroh given the indoctrination of the fire nation. He’s a good man who was raised in a horrible family, parallel to Zuko.

[@FrostyGerardo-kr7xs]

Depends on who planned the attack on Ba Sing Se

[@That-One-Friend01]

When I saw the title, I said yes instantly, the reason he is so calm and wise is because he regrets his actions when he was a general (or commander I forget), and didn't wan't anyone else to do the same things.

[@Prism_Lights]

0:02 I haven't watched the video yet, but I'm guessing yes because he was the leader in a war that killed hundreds of civilians

[@Entropy67]

no because he explicitly attacked an area without civilians

[@mattkruse2145]

I’m guessing you haven’t read any actual law or theory on war crimes

[@Seraphinamagi]

@@mattkruse2145have you?

[@rolandorban6248]

​@@mattkruse2145 the dude is casually joking in his 30s about buying the whole capital with probably millions living in it to the ground. You don't need to be a genius to understand how he probably did some awfull things

[@thebillmasta3236]

@@rolandorban6248yea but you’re not a war criminal for fighting or being a general in a war on the opposing side. However, you are a war criminal for using the opposing sides flag to gain an advantage. Thus, sokka and the mechanist are war criminals

[@DavidRay_40]

5:52 - We actually see that dagger in a previous episode - The Avatar State, when Zuko and Iroh use it to cut off their topknots after escaping from Azula.

[@vampdan]

And again, in "Zuko Alone." Where he gifts it to the young farm boy.

[@robertskalnciems2505]

@@vampdan The flash back is from Zuko alone

[@Lexthefazworker]

@@robertskalnciems2505 so he gives the dagger to a stranger, and the host is upset that you don’t see it again?!

[@whothefrickareyou8106]

​@@Lexthefazworker Pretty sure he got it back and the kid didn't accept it back.

[@Artieeeeee]

"I mean we are talking about a children's cartoon after all." Clone wars "Am I a joke to you?"

[@divinekitty1831]

Whaaaat? Are you telling me that the show that has a scene where 2 cyborg space wizards with laser swords show up at a rural farming village and slaughter every single person in it, just to send a message to a single person, all because they have a decade old vendetta against him, isn't regular child-friendly content? I am shocked.

[@tristanouellette6158]

6:32 I'd like to point out that s7e9 of the clone wars has Anakin performing a false surrender in a kids show, so its definitely on the table

[@zkapsh]

There have been a lot of war crimes committed, anakin commitment one when he pretended to surrender then slammed his senator into the separatist war ship it was a lukerhaulk I think.

[@Your_TaleMaster]

Bro is the equivalent to a Canadian, ‘The Great and nice… WAR CRIMINAL’ (Edit: this is a joke based on the Canadian stereotype of a war criminal due to the history of Canada, pls calm down, It’s a joke)

[@alldayagain]

"It's not a war crime if you win, eh?" -Canada, probably 😅

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all the spam bot comments.

[@candicraveingcloude2822]

To all the bot makers in this comment section: I hope someone finds you and forces you to read what you're making your bots say out loud to a court of judges, your family, your friends and everyone who has ever considered you as a good person.

[@TheDarkdoomful]

@@candicraveingcloude2822 You realize that of that list, only the judges would be listening, right? Their family hates them, undoubtedly, they have no friends, and no one has ever considered them a good person. That's why they do this stuff.

[@Johngelo-w2p]

​@UTTP-Clockworker thats crazy kid

[@naor_cg]

‏‪15:07‬‏ civilians weren't allowed on the wall because "there is no war in ba sing se" I find it hard to believe they actually cared for their civilians

[@I2dios8]

He had a complicated past. Family tradition, I guess.

[@xeazya4256]

Iroh lost his leaves, but he's still a tree at heart

[@sanscoolson5125]

Dude have so many bots

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all thye spam bot comments.

[@merlin5411]

All these bots come from deeply disturbed people

[@ICj-MC]

So many bots

[@peacejoylove4118]

@@ICj-MC true

[@abrahamedelstein4806]

I think Sokka and Azula are the only confirmed(as in, shown on screen, unambiguously doing it) War Criminals in the series, Fighting under a false flag and perfidious surrender respectively.

[@MrMayhem010]

An Avatar theory? LET'S GO!!!

[@FrederickYahahaha]

Lets goo 🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥

[@YahiaCHAABAN-h9j]

Uncle Iroh just did a glow up

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all the spam bot comments..

[@eugenio027]

Even though they don't mention any kind of war crime commited by Uncle Iroh, it is worth noting that they do mention some war crimes commited by the fire nation. In "Zuko alone", it's said that the oldest child of the family that housed Zuko was imprisoned while at war, and in the next battle against the earth kingdom, they dressed as a fire nation soldier in the frontlines to be killed by their fellow soldiers.

[@TheScarvig]

though how much of that is horror stories told by the dai lee to fuel hate against the enemy? propaganda is done on both sides no matter who was the agressor, simply because stories escalate when told over and over even without direct manipulation by a secret agency

[@zkapsh]

​@@TheScarvig sure but we are also talking about an authoritarian government that is willing to commit genocide.

[@notnate105not6]

5:50 Zuko alone is the second time the dagger shows up. Zuko and Iroh use it to cut their topknots off in S2E1

[@NotSweth]

Was just about to ask if that was the same dagger

[@whitey00112]

That’s kinda the point of Iroh. He did do bad things. He was complicit to a needless war. And he made mistakes. But he had that self reflection and he vowed to be the change his nation needed. To preach/practice tolerance, love, peace, and honor. So that maybe future generations wouldn’t make the same mistakes he made. He’s even shown willingness to pay for his mistakes. Only really resisting when a friend or loved one needed him. You can even argue that was exactly how he got involved with the plot to begin with. He was a disgraced general forced out of his position as heir within his own home nation. While trying to be the voice of reason to the throne. Only stepping up when he saw his nephew was in bad need of the lessons he’d already learned through his mistakes and his punishments.

[@ohnosmoarlulcatz]

He specifically mentions this to Zuko as well when Zuko asks why Iroh can't take over as Fire Lord.

[@JBJGAMING590]

Even when I'm making my Fire Avatar comics at the end of the day I see Avatar as having one of the best stories created for animation history

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all thye spam bot comments.

[@FletcherCollier]

You NEEED to do a Inside Out 2 theory on the parents getting the anxiety emotion and how in the first movie they didn't

[@POYKEL]

Iroh didn’t start the war and it could be argued that he had grown up in a environment where war against the other 3 nations is good so I’d say he would be an exception from those laws.

[@bibigamer502]

That’s more or less what I was thinking

[@Doublemonk0506]

Having joined voluntarily worsens his chances. If he was forced, he could argue that he didn't have much choice in the matter. But since he chose to join the battle, it removes the leniency of following orders

[@bibigamer502]

@@Doublemonk0506 wouldn’t have made him completely immune from anything told by his dad (least up till his son died)

[@Frozengreen757]

​​@@Doublemonk0506 The environment iroh grew up in encouraged this behaviour but when he was put out of his normal environment he changed into a person of peace

[@dumflame]

@@Doublemonk0506doesn’t make him a war criminal

[@matityaloran9157]

9:32, that would make every Firebender soldier a war criminal by definition such that it would render war criminal a useless concept in the world of Avatar

[@lauramacrae8173]

Also, when they brought it up in the first place, I noted to myself that their firebending doesn't actually light people on fire and have them burn to death. It's more like a fiery bullet or missile, so it's not like they're causing any torturous pain. I mean, this was because it's a kids' show, but the physics of the world is still the physics of the world.

[@matityaloran9157]

@@lauramacrae8173 True. It would be a better point for Netflix’s live-action Avatar where Firebending actually does burn people to death but even then if that principle were applied it would automatically render every Firebender soldier automatically a war criminal and even there I doubt that the Fire Nation could fight wars exclusively using non-benders.

[@ashtoningram45]

If fire Benders are war criminals then so would be earth Benders using sharp metal pieces​@@matityaloran9157

[@nicbentulan]

​@@matityaloran9157in netflix Sokka is a war criminal for employing human Shields

[@matityaloran9157]

@@nicbentulan I can’t remember which episode you’re referencing. Would you mind clarifying?

[@mflor4544]

"is uncle Iroh a war criminal?" Me: "probably"

[@dawnmcauley6411]

The dagger *does* show up again! It's blink and you'll miss it but it's the tool Zuko and Iroh use to cut off their top knots when they accept exile in season 2.

[@stephenknizek2651]

Imagine having to invade a walled city, but not being allowed to break down the wall. 😂

[@volug0110]

But one fact is still to consider. Did all those laws and ethics about war where in the world of avatar during Iroh time. Because, can you really accuse someone of something that wasn't a crime when they were alive.

[@zkapsh]

Yes, most international crimes like war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide can't have statutes of limitations put on them. So i would argue that a crime so severe as they can easily retroactively be put onto someone.

[@kagomebenihime]

The dagger to Zuko is what Iroh and Zuko used when they cut their top knots. So it did show up again.

[@kaylee_h924]

Honestly didn't know what could be defined as a war crime until this video, so thank you for this information. Definitely applicable to real life scenarios while keeping it entertaining and kid friendly. You guys are always making amazing, insightful videos that ever so slightly line up with real life events, but in an appropriate way. Thanks for the awesome content!

[@skourpi142]

What is said about incindinary weaponry is false. You can use things like flamethrowers on enemy targets. The prevention is on civilians. It isn’t a war crime to take and use a flame thrower in combat. It would be a war crime if you were to find a wooden house that some enemy soldiers were holed up in, where they also had civilians in there with them. Then you could not just burn it down. That would be a war crime and would be very bad.

[@zuzuo.0754]

Uncle iroh becoming buff was the most terrifying glowup

[@NoLife623]

Finally, a new avatar video

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting the spambots.

[@mrphantom877]

I LOVE THE FACT THAT THEY KEPT "Created by Mathew Patrick" during the intro ❤❤❤❤

[@swidrovich]

I cant say i don't miss mat patt but the content is still great and the new crew makes it work. Happy to see the theory channles still maintained their quality.

[@unlawfulcoconut7291]

I still love him.

[@silverstreak268]

The freaking bots -_-

[@justasillycookie]

Iroh's still so wholesome though TwT

[@vegladex]

If anything, the redemption arc makes him even better. He's a living parable of growth.

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all the spam bot comments.

[@danielmacdonald5703]

The Avatar waterbending theory was actually what got me to watch the show, which is one of my favorite's now. I even used the hydro-magnetic science in it for my grade 10 science fair.

[@kemiazubike5062]

The fact that MatPat's name was in the beginning shows that he never completely left :)

[@terrencejsmith7160]

He always comes back.

[@Foxi3_Draws]

I clicked faster than Aang becoming an orphan 💀

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting the spam bots.

[@repprH]

That took 12 years

[@TheSkyGuy77]

I think Iroh may have done some very bad things, but he found his compassion after coming to a crossroads when his only son died and his younger brother underhandedly cut him out from being the next Fire Lord. He was bad and became better.

[@nanocohen3490]

the dagger that iroh gave zuko shows in the episode zuko alone

[@DavidRay_40]

That's the exact same episode. If you look at the events in chronological order, it's the first time we see it (Avatar Day is the first time we as an audience see it), since much of Zuko Alone is flashbacks.

[@hedgeyplays]

It said in the Legend of Korra that it was Katara who outlawed bloodbending. So technically since it was little known in ATLA, it’s pretty unsure if it is not a war crime at the time of the hundred year war.

[@KurValenti]

I am surprised that he did not mention that Sokka actually committed a war crime with the blimp

[@IkerUnzu]

I see ATLA, I click.

[@Everything-mh4bp]

Correction: I’m a simple man I see ATLA, I click

[@EndravenMusicChannel]

Isn't Sokka a war criminal too? Pretty sure dressing up as enemy troops to deceive them would count.

[@Godgivenmangos]

Espionage is allowed he didn't false surrender

[@Godgivenmangos]

Spys exist and is allowed

[@smortboi1320]

@@Godgivenmangoshe used the fire nation war insignia against them. That’s beyond espionage

[@jebkermen6087]

@@smortboi1320 I think it's a war crime if you pose as a medic. not by flying the enemy's banner in and of itself

[@smortboi1320]

@@jebkermen6087 according to the icrc, openening fire under the guise of the enemy constitutes improper use, hence, it is forbidden

[@Douma66]

Looking at the war crime description category made me truly realize how many war crimes Anakin committed

[@Milestheotherguy]

no no no, sokka is a war criminal, He used the fire nation insignia for an advantage is the "northern air temple" episode and that IS a war crime.

[@DeepakKumar-ud9by]

Forgot to add infiltration in their prison to free to the inmates .

[@jebkermen6087]

was about to say that as long as you're not posing as a medic it's fine. but your right, wearing the colors of the enemy in an attempt to gain an advantage is a war crime.

[@Alias_Anybody]

The same thing as with Anakin Skywalker: War criminal by our real world definiton? Probably. Do they have a definition of war crimes in their world? Apparently not, so they can't actually be that.

[@jeepmega629]

I mean it makes sense: Iroh was a general for a genocidal, bloodthirsty country and he put the largest city in his world under siege. It doesn’t surprise that he has committed a few war crimes.

[@EnordAreven]

Its an important time to clarify who has and hasn't committed war crimes.

[@firelasto]

im suprised you made a whole video about warcrimes in avatar without mentioning that sokka and the mechanist just blatantly are warcriminals. in "the northern air temple" they fly a war balloon with the fire nation insignia on it, which they then use to drop bombs on the fire nation troops. its even called out that they arent being attacked because of it.

[@micahphilson]

&:05 Dark Humor does not mean dark intentions. Often, it's a coping mechanism. It's really common among nurses (especially in elder care), rapid responders (police, fire fighters, EMTs), the military, etc. The common theme among these is people who deal with death or near death sometimes every day. It's a way of turning that high stress into comic relief. Iroh was surrounded by death and war, and that joke could entirely have been made semi-lightheartedly out of a fear of future regret for destroying a major landmark.

[@Pandaemoni]

He was in the military his whole life, at a high rank for at least a good portion of it, and that whole time his nation was "waging aggressive war" (which was a war crime at Nuremberg). We don't know many details of his service when you get down to it, but one can easily imagine that it would have been hard for him to avoid it and keep his high reputation.

[@Vanitas42]

Thank you! everybody wants hard facts when the fact he is a high ranking general that has held that rank for a while (and not even a member of the royal family would just be given a high rank for nothing, especially in a very honor-based society like the Fire Nation). You don’t need an on-screen example, people. the fact he had such a high rank during a time of war says a lot, even if Iroh never liked it much. his one accomplishment at Ba Sing Se may not have equaled a war crime, but that doesn’t mean he hadn’t at some point to keep a rank he likely felt honor-bound to maintain until his son was killed.

[@codecatx5]

@@Vanitas42that’s incorrect, most of Iroh’s life was spent traveling he didn’t join the military until he went to conquer Ba Sing Se specifically because he had a vision of him doing so. Azula, Zuko and Ozai were all given full commands with no need to prove themselves.

[@bobisapanda2655]

" Game, Film , Food, Style long ago, the 4 theory channels lived together in harmony". "then everything changed when the retirement happened .

[@Mrtfarrugia]

Last Theory bender.

[@lukedetering4490]

Only Matpat master of all theories could stop it. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

[@buckshadow]

3 months passed, until we found the new theory masters

[@trapperchanner719]

My hill is this "its not a war crime the FIRST time"

[@Yog-slagunar]

Before watching it my first assumption was "By our standards, properly" but mainly because in-universe don't seem to have a set standard EVEN if there was something like that, it could be a case of America not bowing to the judgment of others, and thus get to determine themselves if a soldier has committed a crime

[@eawproductions]

This isn’t really a theory but more a fact. Throughout the course of airbenders he gets arrested by the earthbenders, imprisoned by the fire benders, and was the main war general for bar sing sae for the genocidal fire benders. Being apart of and supporting the genocidal fire bender army kind of makes you a war criminal by default in my opinion. To be clear I’m not saying iroh has committed war crimes but would be seen and tried as a war criminal by default.

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all the spam bot comments and do not respond to them

[@candicraveingcloude2822]

To all the bot makers in the replies (not OP but the makers of the bots who spam people's replies): I hope someone finds you and forces you to read the things you make your bots say to a court of judges, your family, friends, and everyone who has considered you a good person because you say horrendous things

[@darthchewee]

He was arrested because he was an enemy commander DURING AN ACTIVE WAR.

[@jebkermen6087]

@@candicraveingcloude2822 wow! If only we could have such justice.

[@candicraveingcloude2822]

@@jebkermen6087 If the bot makers are brave enough to make their bots say it, then they should be able to read it in real life in front of their families

[@СозданиеБезымянное]

"I was just following orders, it was all Azulon's idea!"

[@tyrannosauruswrex123]

We all know Iroh did terrible things in his past. Honestly, war criminal or not, it doesn't change how I see him. I see a man who realized the wrongs he's committed after the death of his son and took steps to actively change himself for the better.

[@transyuri4534]

"You won't look at uncle iroh the same way again"... Uh yes we will. We kind of know he wasn't a good person back when he was a general. That's kind of part of his character.

[@imitationpitaya]

You would be surprised how many people gloss over that part

[@normalhuman9878]

We all know and forgive him

[@Dino-ip4jc]

i love the the the part at 0:26 where it says "created by Matthew Patrick"

[@charsonic1771]

This was a nice film theory about Uncle Iroh

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all the spam bot comments and do not respond to them.

[@rykx0r]

Listening to the list of war crimes recognized by the ICC and can't help but think of the IDF in Gaza.

[@darlingdannid]

5:48 i don't think the general surrendered. i think taking a dagger from someone when the dagger is inscribed with "never give up" means he died fighting. i think iroh killed him.

[@monkeywrench1290]

a good person can still be a war criminal as doing the right thing may involve betraying thos above you who will then paint you as a man turned monster of sorts,so the title alone can start a whole debate about that.

[@peacejoylove4118]

keep on reporting all the spam bot comments and do not respond to them.

[@thecactusman17]

In one of the greatest Avatar Fan Fiction works, "Embers," there's a brilliant scene where Aang breaks down and throws a tantrum because the Water Tribe won't stop eating meat or warring against the Fire Nation. Bato, essentially his father in law in waiting, has to drag Aang aside and explain that the Water Tribe does not want to fight the Fire Nation but has to use violence because the peaceful ways _don't work._ Pacifism doesn't feed the tribe, doesn't drive off invaders, and doesn't bring peace to the community. This is necessary because Aang cannot understand Iroh, who is sympathetic but unwilling to destroy his people by openly rebelling against the Fire Nation. It's a reminder that Aang isn't just a child, he's also _alien_ to the greater setting when he appears. He has none of the context of the last century of violence that requires attack and defense to preserve the other 3 elemental peoples.

[@snintendog]

good to know to keep away from that fanfiction. That flanderization of aang is AWFUL.

[@thecactusman17]

@@snintendog Actually, it's handled more tactfully than that. A major theme of Embers is the impact of family and society on youth and generational conflict. To this end, Aang as a person with essentially no fixed family structure to begin with and having lost the entirety of his cultural touchstones at a young age is in a very vulnerable place. Aang is a child who's literally woken up with a massive burden of responsibility thrown into his shoulders "overnight" and his closest allies and friends are from a culture almost 180 degrees opposed to the worldview he was raised in, especially when it comes to the nuances surrounding the use of lethal force as a means to reduce unnecessary violence and suffering. The scene in question occurs late in the story, and involves Bato making a decision that Aang is not getting an accurate representation of Water Tribe culture especially because of his close relationship with Katara. Who has been teetering on the edge of mental breakdown after months of separation from the Tribe in the middle of the war. If anyone does get Flanderized, it's probably Katara and her unhealthy desire for revenge. Which directly leads to Aang's inability to reconcile the goal of ending the war with his friends' reluctant willingness to accept lethal violence as an unwelcome yet necessary part of their mission. Which in turn also leads to Bato having to bring Katara back to her own senses.

[@snintendog]

@@thecactusman17 and you have made me absolutely detest the author now. The guy has no idea how to write then..

[@_critikillz_]

Sokka is actually a war criminal. In the episode “the northern air temple” When they were designing the air balloon sokka put a fire nation insignia on the balloon in an attempt to make the fire nation think he was on their side. Geneva Conventions Article 39(2) prohibits using the military emblems, insignia, uniforms, or flags of adverse parties during attacks or to shield, protect, favor, or impede military operations.

[@nexelns5153]

0:15 fun fact he did all those bad thing when he was younger or did that while being old just for defence so Im not even surprised

[@olivt2562]

The dagger does appear again in the show!!! Zuko gives it to Lee in Season 2 ep 7. After he parted from Iroh and stumbled upon a little town where earth kingdom soldiers are terrorizing the villagers.

[@rubixcuber936]

does anyone else think that in the Spider-Verse movies that Miles (or at least the spider part of miles) should be glitching in earth 1610 (his original universe), because spider 42 gave Miles its DNA and powers was from earth 42. and in the first movie we see the dead spider 42 glitching and we also see peter's explanation of "his atoms or DNA weren't real jazzed to be in the wrong universe" when we see peter glitching, and if you say that "Miles is still himself and wouldn't be glitching in his own universe" I would have to respond with, in the second movie Miles uses the "Go Home Machine" and it reads his DNA and figures out his dimensional signature and sends him to earth 42 not 1610 which shows that at least some of Miles's DNA is from earth 42 so wouldn't Miles be glitching in earth 1610 from the moment that the spider bit him and mutated his DNA.

[@JJ_10111]

He gets sick off camera

[@TBNRAlokin_Dj]

Great theory but Iroh wouldn't be a war criminal no mater what as in universe they may not have a Geneva like convention or its different. So unless we know their convention (example: Ba Sing Se convention, Omashu convention, Nomad convention, Avatar convention, etc.) we can't know it.....

[@whothefrickareyou8106]

I mean to be mean. Are you slow? Yes its quite obvious this video is about "is Iroh a warcriminal by our world's law" The only reason you Would make this slow comment is If you think people shouldn't ask such questions because youre saying we should ONLY ask questions from the frame of the stories.

[@TBNRAlokin_Dj]

@@whothefrickareyou8106 Bruh

[@1WolfFan]

14:10 was the part I was thinking of just from the wording of "locations that aren't easily replaced". Glad to see you shared this point too. :)

[@diddymon]

Uncle Iroh is not a war criminal, he laid siege to ba sing sei but that’s not a war crime, he is never said to be a war criminal, just an enemy of the fire nation, in fact, the gaang are war criminals, as sokka flew the machinists war balloon under the fire nations flag which is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.

[@Chill-Ice]

3:12 MY CABBBBBBAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEESSSSSSS

[@shawnanderson4283]

When he said "Im not tearing up, youre tearing up!"...ngl, little teary eyed here. Love Iroh, past war crimes and all.

[@OGRedness212]

It only took a year since the second avatar theory for the third avatar theory, at least it wasn't three years

[@tonys202]

11:07 counter argument.. shouldnt a earth bender be able to detect and remove those stone pieces?

[@adlad1563]

But then if you're the only one with the technology to heal your enemy, and your enemy inherently can't develop that technology, I think that would make it circle back to illegal again

[@ubitrollgt6274]

love the new commentary. i was worried at first but it's really good! cool man!

[@tadstrange1465]

You can't apply real-world international law on war crimes to a conflict in a world that is not a version of Earth. It's also anachronistic to call Iroh a war criminal because there was no concept of a war crime when he was fighting. Plus our understanding of what a war crime even is would have to come from whatever kind of international law existed IN the Avatar universe at the time of the United Republic (which we absolutely have practically no info on), NOT real world international law.

[@trickymander]

1) uhh this has been a thought experiment for a very long time on different series 2) if you find it dumb why did you click on it 3) it is just a dun thing to think about 4) even if they did they at lest acknowledge sone things that would be argue in universe( aka treating fire bending as insendeairies) so there is that 5) the only war crimes he was committed off was a war crime in universe

[@GY-bd9bo]

@@trickymander it's completely reasonable to click on a video and disagree with the premise after giving it a chance. you sound like you took offense and chose to discredit the person behind the opinion and the mindset that led to holding it in the first place, and that is very immature behavior from you.

[@dumflame]

Do we have a list of the international laws in this fictional war? No, we don’t Our best option is the real world

[@GY-bd9bo]

@@dumflame I see where you're coming from, especially if we see international law as a moral standard, but I wouldn't expect anyone to listen to me if I told them what they're doing is illegal in a different dimension

[@hpmyst]

Excellent video! It was the perfect theory mix of education and entertainment!

[@andrewprice3796]

Sozen started the war, so Iroh isn't responsible for crimes of aggression, even if he was about it at first. He was a general following orders and raised into it just like Zuko.

[@griddle3086]

Iroh didn’t start the war. Thats it, done he clear. Those charges or “crimes of aggression” can only apply to a states leaders, dictators/ top generals who contributed to the decision / governing body, etc. Iroh is a top general, but not one who was instrumental in beginning the war. Some Italian Japanese and German generals were let off the hook because, as the old adage goes, “they were only following orders.” Say of that what you will, but according to international law that is legally a valid excuse to not be convicted of crimes of aggression.

[@zkapsh]

No one was let off the hook because "they were just following orders" they were found not guilty due to not finding enough evidence in their direct involvement. Also Hermann Wilhelm Göring a German leader was found guilty of war if aggression. Also the reason why most Japanese leaders didn't get convicted of any crimes was because of America's wanted to control japan so the ussr couldn't get the copy. And they allowed the emperor not be charged in order to sweeten the deal of surrender for the Japanese.

[@team3am149]

Not true in the slightest.

[@Bananabread12]

5:53 LEE YOU ARE WRONG IN THE EPISODE ZUKO ALONE HE GIFTS IT TO A FARMER BOY THAT HE THOUGHT HOW TO USE SWORDS HOW DO YOU NOT REMBER!!!!!!?

[@Neutral_Tired]

that scene is from that episode

[@Sirhc_B8207]

Turn off caps lock dude

[@elijahbrooks8589]

To be a war criminal 2 major things must exist 1) you have to be convicted 2) you’re side has to loose

[@adil0028]

Funny timing for an episode about war crimes