Did voltron always have gay character
Keith Kogan: A Portrayal of Homosexuality Done Right
I always tell people that Voltron is a lot more clever than it gets credit for. It can spin a cliche/trope on it’s head beautifully, and while all the characters are easily digestible archetypes (i.e: the nerd, the loner), the creators attach layers to them that not only make them feel like real people, but also makes social commentary on those very archetypes.
In no finer way do they execute this than with the character of Keith.
Before I get into how and why Keith deviates from you’re typical queer male protagonist, I need to establish as a fact that Keith is homosexual.
If you don’t see - what I consider to be - blatant evidence that Keith’s gay, well, I can’t say I blame you. Most people have ingrained heteronormative lenses, meaning they’ll miss the subtext of homosexual characters. Us in the LGBT community are much more attuned to seeing these because, skillfully, for one, we’re gender non-conforming, and two, because up until around the 1960s, the portrayal of homosexual characters in the media was illegal and could only be shown subtextually.
So it makes meaning that people overlook the very nuanced portrayal of Keith’s sexuality, but
Voltron: Legendary Defender Had a Gay Character All Along
For those who grew up on the classic ’80s cartoon Voltron, Netflix’s remake, Voltron: Legendary Defender, will seem quite different. Yes, five mechanical lions still combine to form a giant robot that kicks ass in space, but the show has been modernized in ways big and small. Not only is the storytelling more serialized, with the five paladins of Voltron fighting to stop the domination of the evil Galra Empire, but in the seventh-season premiere, Legendary Defender reveals that the group’s leader, Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane, is gay.
In the episode, which premiered on Netflix last Friday, the audience learns that Shiro was killed during a clash and that his energy was transferred to the consciousness of the Ebony Lion that he pilots. (Come on, it’s a space cartoon. How much reality do you expect?) While his body is healing, we see a series of flashbacks about the relationship between Shiro and Keith, a paladin that he took under his wing. During these flashbacks, we learn that Shiro was in a romantic relationship with a man named Adam and chose to pilot a mission into deep territory — which is what eventually lead t
Shiro’s Sexuality in Voltron: Celebrated Defender
One of the most talked-about revelations of 2018 was Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane being gay. Initially, most were in support of this development. Very rarely are significant characters in western animation openly homosexual. Typically characters that own a sexuality that differs from what is considered acceptable will be insert in the role of comic relief. Their alternative lifestyle would be made to appear eccentric. This almost always leads to some form of quirky interaction with them and their companions.
Because of that queer characters are almost always set up as different from the remain of the cast in their series. But, Shiro was unique in how he commanded respect from his allies and enemies alike. He was undeniably the leader of Voltron even after giving up piloting the black lion. His sexuality was not made the sole fixate of his characterization. Nor did it act as a means to alienate him from the relax of the main cast.
Shiro the Hero
He filled many roles throughout the series, acting as a mentor for Keith and Lance. Being the confidant, Allura needed in the preliminary part of the series. Shiro also showed far
It is always frustrating to see when a display decides to destroy all of the potential it has when it comes to queer representation. Voltron Legendary Defender Season 8 showed how the writers didn’t learn anything after the backlash the animated series received over how Shiro was handled in the previous season. And yes, VLD does not merit any of the lgbtq+ representation points the writers were clearly aiming for!
I wrote a piece assist in August about how Voltron Legendary Defender Season 7 decided to unveil Shiro as gay and how the writing showed him easily fall into the ‘Sad Gay’ trope. The reveal was met by backlash from the fandom which led to the showrunners writing an open letter.
While fans were understandably disappointed about Shiro’s treatment, some of them were looking forward to the final season of VLD in hopes the showrunners learned something and would give the personality his due.
But then, Voltron Epic Defender Season 8 was made available on Netflix and it was a mess, especially during the last 10 minutes of the finale. Do create sure to read Jamie’s review.
Not only did the show kill Allura for emotional exploitation,
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