Avatar: The One Fan Request Iroh’s Voice Actor Always Declines

Every fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender must have had a love-hate relationship with Iroh. It is interesting how the character has still captured the interest of many viewers with his warm countenance. Especially as he is the brother of the Fire Lord and a General of the Fire Nation.

The voice actor behind this character, Greg Baldwin, was recently in the spotlight. He revealed what it is like being the voice of Iroh.

He made the revelation in a podcast and mentioned that a recurring fan request from his fans is that he sings “Leaves from the Vine”. This song marks one of the most emotional moments of the series. It reveals how Iroh relinquished the throne for his junior brother, Ozai.

This was despite being the Crown Price after their father’s death. The song was also a tribute to his son LuTen who died laying siege to Ba Sing Se. Lu Ten’s death shaped Iroh into a pacifist who didn’t want anything to do with power.

On a much deeper level, Makoto Iwamatsu, the actor that voiced Iroh before Baldwin, performed the original. Unfortunately, Mako passed away, and Baldwin, who took over from him, refuses to sing the song to honor his life and preserve Mako’s legacy.

He further claims in a comic manner that he does not have the voice to render the beautiful tunes of “Leaves From The Vine.” Since this revelation has been made, we hope the fans will understand and make this request less.