- This article is about the Fire Academy headmistress. For the woman who worked as a dean of Republic City University, see Shihan (Earth Kingdom).
| "You asked me the other day why I didn't stop the Agni Kai when you were a student here. I watched two Agni Kais happen when I was a student at the Academy. I saw three as a teacher. I thought it was what the Fire Nation was. We were violent people, with violent pasts and violent future. Then I met you. You believed that there was a different future waiting for the Fire Academy's daughters. I want to believe that, too." |
| — Shihan to Mai.[1] |
Shihan was Headmistress of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls following the Hundred Year War.[1]
History
Shihan was the third daughter of a minor Fire Nation noble family. When she was young, she enrolled at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, where, as a student, she witnessed two Agni Kais that happened there. Headmistress Pearl took her in as she believed Shihan had no future.[1]
As an adult, Shihan became a teacher at the Academy, at the time Princess Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee attended. During her tenure, she watched three Agni Kais, one of which occurred between Hong and Peijing following a heated argument.[1]
After the Hundred Year War ended, Shihan succeeded Pearl, who retired, as the new headmistress of the Fire Academy. Meanwhile, Fire Lord Zuko was determined to reform the future of the Fire Nation, starting with its education system. Deeply rooted in tradition, Shihan initially resisted these changes. In one instance, Shihan received Kiyi and Lihua in her office after a confrontation with other two students in the Academy. The headmistress was inclined to believe the girls from upper class nobility simply because of their status, rather than trusting Lihua's story, even when backed up by Kiyi.[1]
When Zuko appointed Mai as a teacher to ensure his reforms were followed, Shihan clashed fiercely with her. Their ultimate confrontation occurred when Shihan was about to allow an Agni Kai between Diu and Chen for the sake of tradition. Mai countered her stating how she noticed Shihan's failures to stop the Agni Kai between Hong and Peijing as a teacher and how traditions were instilling fear which prevented students from becoming the best versions of themselves. The goal the Academy wanted for all attendees. Mai also cited Azula as someone who was crafted by the Academy's culture and her failure as a Fire Lord with banishing all her allies. This argument inspired Shihan to confront retired headmistress Pearl about how the Academy needed to change.[1]
That night, Shihan visited her former mentor hoping to resolve her doubts. However, Pearl's traditionalist views were even more entrenched, and their argument only strengthened Shihan's budding openness to reform.[1]
The next morning, Shihan thanked Mai for making her realize reforms were needed and reconciled with her. She was later attacked by two Dai Li agents who were dispatched by Pearl to silence her permanently. The assassination attempt was thwarted by the intervention of Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee. Stunned by Pearl's drastic measures, Shihan shattered her former mentor's portrait in a fit of disillusioned fury.[1]
Personality
Shihan, similar to Pearl, was a great believer in honor and tradition. She was proud to show commendations awarded by previous Fire Lords and initially resisted Zuko's reforms to the best of her abilities. However, Shihan was willing to reform the Academy when reflecting on her own time there, witnessing its impact on students, as well as the ways in which these ideals may have contributed to the Fire Nation losing the Hundred Year War.[1]
Appearances
Graphic novels
Trivia
- Shihan (師範, しはん) is a Japanese title meaning "master instructor" or "senior teacher", primarily used in martial arts and traditional arts.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Hicks, Faith Erin (writer), Wartman, Peter (artist), Matera, Adele (colorist), Betancourt, Jimmy (letterer). Ashes of the Academy (2025), Dark Horse Comics.