Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee has some controversial comments about Uncle Iroh’s military past in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most beloved animated shows of all time. Its recent Netflix adaptation managed to generate enough online buzz despite several changes from the source material. In the live-action adaptation, actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee plays Uncle Iroh, a former military General of the Fire Nation.

Sun-Hyung Lee recently attended a convention where he discussed his work in the series and commented on his character’s arc. At the same time, Sun-Hyung Lee vehemently denied the idea that Uncle Iroh was a war criminal. However, his defense of the character rubbed certain fans of the show the wrong way and sparked an online debate about the same.

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Explains Why Uncle Iroh Isn’t a War Criminal

In Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee plays the role of Uncle Iroh, a fan-favorite character from the original animated series, who serves as a mentor figure to Prince Zuko. Sun-Hyung Lee recently attended the GalaxyCon Richmond event, where he interacted with fans and answered questions related to the live-action series.

In response to a fan’s comment about Uncle Iroh being a noted war criminal, Sun-Hyung Lee presented his personal defense of the character’s past actions during his time as a General of the Fire Nation. In a clip posted on Instagram, he stated:

“Everybody keeps saying that Uncle Iroh was a war criminal. He served in a war, but there’s no actual evidence. Yes, he did bad things in the war, but it was war. Soldiers kill other soldiers. They try not to kill civilians. There’s no actual proof that Iroh did that.”

Sun-Hyung Lee continued his defense of Uncle Iroh by adding that people confuse being in a war with being a war criminal and his character did not commit the latter. However, the veteran actor also recognized Iroh’s past mistakes make the character more interesting.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Fans Furious Over Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Comments

Sun-Hyung Lee’s defense of Uncle Iroh’s military past and contributions to Fire Nation’s war against the other nations proved to be quite a controversial take among fans online. Fans argued against Sun-Hyung Lee’s defense in the comments of the Instagram post. They pointed out that Uncle Iroh was the General who laid siege to Earth Kingdom’s capital Ba Sing Se during the Hundred Year War.

While the original animated series never reveals the details of Iroh’s activities during the Hundred Year War, the event is credited with causing genocide outside of the Fire Nation. Given that Iroh was an active military General during the said genocide, many fans believe that he might have committed war crimes or was responsible for them because of the complicated nature of the war.

In contrast, some fans defended Iroh’s role in the war and refused to brand him as a war criminal. Instead, they argued that Iroh acted more through his sense of duty than personal ambition, unlike his brother Fire Lord Ozai. Hence, it would be unfair to blame Iroh for the genocide and call him a war criminal.

Irrespective of the debatable nature of Iroh’s past, it is safe to say that the ambiguity of his actions during the Hundred Year War, makes him a morally complex character and adds depth to his redemption journey in the series. Netflix has already renewed Avatar: The Last Airbender for two more seasons, so we could get flashbacks to Iroh’s past that settle the debate once and for all.

The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender is streaming on Netflix.