'Avatar: The Last Airbender': Why Iroh Does Not Sing 'Leaves From The Vine' In Season Two Of The Live Action Series

While season two of Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender has been criticised for it's pacing and location changes, it is, for the most part, a passable adaptation of Book 2: Earth, the title given to season two of the classic animated series. However, some fans have expressed disappointment at the omission of a vocal version of the song 'Leaves from the Vine', sung by Iroh during an emotional moment in the original series.

However, there is actually a very important reason why live-action Iroh, played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, does not sing. Let us explain.

'Leaves From The Vine' in The Original Series

One of the most surprisingly popular episodes in the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series is Season Two's 'Tales of Ba Sing Se'.. Surprising because it is what would normally be deemed a 'filler' episode. Filler episodes are those that do not move the plot or character relationships forward in any major way. While this is true of 'Tales of Ba Sing Se', a collection of shorts featuring each character's adventures in the titular city, it is often reviewed as one of the best filler episodes of all time.

The most beloved of the episode's segments is easily 'The Tale of Iroh'. Iroh's plans for a quiet solo picnic are slightly derailed when he stops to offer aid to a number of Ba Sing Se residents along the way, including a crying child whom he comforts by singing 'Leaves from the Vine' talking down a struggling young man who tries to mug him. At the end of the short, Iroh reaches the tree where he plans to have his picnic, which is revealed to be a celebration for the birthday of his late son, Lu Ten. He sings 'Leaves From The Vine' a second time as a tribute.

Leaves from the vine
Falling so slow
Like fragile tiny shells
Drifting in the foam
Little soldier boy
Come marching home
Brave soldier boy
Comes marching home.

Iroh, 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'.

Lu Ten was killed in the siege of Ba Sing Se, which was led by Iroh. Though never stated outright, it is heavily implied that Iroh's determination to set Zuko on a better path comes from a desire to save him from meeting a similar fate to his cousin.

How the Live-Action adaptation uses the Song differently

Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender actually features the song earlier than the original, first using it in season one. A flashback exclusive to the live-action series takes viewers back to the events of Lu Ten's funeral. A series of 'mourners' file past the grieving Iroh, delivering rehearsed speeches about what it honor it must be for Lu Ten to have died in service. Many of these same people whisper cruelly about Iroh's failure to follow through on the siege after Lu Ten's death.

Zuko eventually approaches, and instead of the usual lip service, instead tells Iroh a sweet anecdote of a kindness Lu Ten had done for him, then simply sits beside his Uncle, quietly supporting him in his grief. The scene is widely considered to be one of the best additions to the live-action adaptation.

While 'Tales of Ba Sing Se' does not feature as it's own episode in the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender's second season, some of the most notable shorts are adapted across various episodes, with a version of 'The Tale of Iroh' featuring in 2x04, 'The Water Falls, the Stones Emerge'. Unlike in the animated series, where Iroh settles quickly into life in Ba Sing Se, the live action version has Iroh struggling with guilt over his role in the Siege of Ba Sing Se and the lives lost on both sides.

The scene of Iroh's near mugging plays out close to how it does in the original series, with Iroh able to talk his attacker out of the desperate act. Later, he visits a a tree similar to the one in the animated series, but a scar in the trunk hints that in this version, the tree may have been the location of Lu Ten's death.

"There are people in this city I can help.. if only I could have helped you, my son."

Iroh, 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' remake, S2.

The same instrumental version of 'Leaves From The Vine' used in the season one flashback plays over the scene, but Iroh does not actually sing the song.

Here's the reason why.

Honouring Mako

During the first and second seasons of the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender, Iroh was voiced by Japanese-American actor Mako Iwamatsu, usually credited simply as Mako. Alongside Iroh, Mako performed many iconic voice roles in his later career, including the villainous Aku in Samurai Jack, the slightly creepy narration that opened episodes of Dexter's Laboratory, Mr. Yamaguchi in Rugrats In Paris, and Splinter in the 2007 TMNT film.

Mako passed away in July 2007 after a battle with Esophageal Cancer, but had completed most of the recording for Avatar's 'Book 2: Earth' prior to his death, with any incomplete scenes pieced together with a combination of Mako's recordings and a voice-match from actor Greg Baldwin, who went on to voice Iroh full-time in 'Book 3: Fire', aka the final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The 'Leaves From The Vine' scene is widely believed to be the final piece of content Mako recorded before he passed away. 'Tales of Ba Sing Se' aired for the first time just a few weeks after Mako's death, including a dedication after the 'Iroh's Tale' sequence. In an added tribute, sequel series The Legend of Korra named one of it's main characters after the late actor.

Greg Baldwin, who also inherited the Aku role, has always considered his performance to be a tribute to Mako rather than replacing him. As 'Leaves From The Vine' was the last recording of Mako's voice, Baldwin sees it as Mako's song, and despite occasionally being asked by unknowing fans at conventions, chooses not to sing it out of respect for his late predecessor.

When the time came to adapt the Iroh's tale scenes, the team behind the live-action series decided to continue Baldwin's tradition.

Rest In Peace, Mako. You continue to live on through the characters you brought to life.