In 2017, Netflix brought the beloved '80s franchise Voltron back to idiot box screens, but with a twist. Voltron: Legendary Defender provides onetime fans and new audience members with new takes on classic characters. One of those classic characters is Shiro.

An accomplished pilot and the team leader, Shiro becomes the airplane pilot of the black lion. His calm demeanor and strategic heed means he also becomes a mentor to about of the paladins. Shiro meets and teaches Keith, Hunk, Lance , and Pidge long before they become paladins. He inspires them all to become amend, and gets them all to work together as a team . Amongst fans, Shiro has become known as "Infinite Dad" due to him taking care of anybody - but does everyone (and fans) really know everything about him? Fear not, because we've  got answers to 10 questions that Voltonfans might accept almost Shiro.

x Where Did Shiro Get His Name?

Shiro In Voltron Legendary Defender

Though he's known as Shiro through the run of the Netflix serial , his full proper name is actually Takashi Shirogane. Shiro happens to be his nickname.

He shares his proper noun with the character from Animate being King GoLion . That anime serial provided the basis for the English language series Panthera leo Voltron . In previous versions of the adaptations, his name was inverse to Sven, so keeping the name Shiro provides a nod to the original source material.

9 What Does His Name Hateful?

voltron easter eggs

In a lot of traditional anime, names agree special meanings. Since Shiro retains his proper noun from the original series, his name has a specific pregnant.

"Takashi" means "noble" using 1 kanji, and "honor" using another. "Shirogane" means "white metal" which translates to "silver" in English language. The name hints at his place as a leader amongst the members of the team, but also provides a contrast to his position as the pilot of the blackness lion.

8 How Is This Version Of The Character Different Than 1984's?

Allura And Shiro In Voltron Legendary Defender

In the 1984 series, Shiro was known as Sven. Withal, that wasn't the only divergence betwixt the two versions of the graphic symbol. In the previous version of the series, he wasn't the squad leader. Instead, that honor went to Keith.

Sven also piloted the bluish king of beasts instead of the black king of beasts. He wasn't completely the same character as Shiro. Sven was a combination of Takashi Shirogane and his brother, who replaced him in the original Japanese series. He also ended up in a romantic human relationship with Romelle. The 2017 series makes a lot of changes to the grapheme.

7 Did Shiro Actually Dice When He Disappeared?

Shiro After His Consciousness Transplant In Voltron Legendary Defender

In the 2d season of Voltron: Legendary Defender , Shiro disappears from his identify in the black lion. He leaves no trace of himself behind, and the paladins can't figure out what happened to him.

Though he reappears later in the series, information technology turns out his "disappearance" wasn't only him being taken past the Galra. Shiro's torso literally dies. His consciousness remains in the black lion, and tries to reach out to Lance to explicate what happened to him. The team doesn't realize that he actually died, merely Shiro (and the presence of many clones in Haggar's possession) makes information technology articulate that he did.

half dozen What Clue Did The Writers Requite Fans About His Clones?

Shiro Voltron

Though the reveal that Haggar has many clones of Shiro certainly surprises a lot of fans, the writers really hinted at the existence of the clones before the reveal. They did it by referring to the cloning as "Projection Kuron."

When the clone version of Kiro escapes from the Galra empire, Project Kuron is referenced. While the details of the project aren't really revealed then, the name is significant because of its pronunciation. The L and R sounds are interchangeable in Japanese pronunciation, making "clone" pronounced similar to "kuron" by someone whose first language is Japanese.

5 Was Shiro Supposed To Die Early In The Series?

Team Voltron In Voltron Legendary Defender

Shiro's disappearance at the finish of Season ii could very well have been the end of the grapheme. In a ScreenRant interview with the producers, Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos revealed that 1 of the original plans for the serial involved killing Shiro off for adept, but executives changed the plan.

Studio executives anticipated the popularity of Shiro's character, even though he wasn't yet dubbed "Space Dad" by fans. They instructed the producers to keep Shiro around, which prompted them to use one of the other plans they had for the graphic symbol: to bring back his consciousness at a later on time.

four Did The Writers E'er Programme For Him To Be Gay?

Shiro And Curtis In Voltron Legendary Defender Finale

Much similar the writers initially had a plan for Shiro'south disappearance from the serial, they also had a programme for his sexuality. They intended for Shiro, from the beginning of the grapheme'due south conceptualization, to be gay.

Every bit Montgomery and Dos Santos explained , they didn't have a chance to work Shiro'due south backstory into the series right away. As they got the chance to expand the stories of each character subsequently on, Shiro's didn't make an appearance until Allura transferred his consciousness to his clone body in Flavor 6. The program was always in identify - they just needed the take chances to tell the story.

iii What Was Significant Nearly Shiro'due south Original Galra Abduction?

The series begins with Shiro and two members of Pidge'south family having been abducted while on an exploratory mission. Their mission actually demonstrates only how far humans and space technology progress in a short amount of time.

Shiro'south mission is to ane of Pluto's moons. When he, Sam, and Matt make the trip, it's the furthest any human has been from Earth up to that signal. By the end of the series, they've been all over the universe thanks to Altean engineering science.

2 Why Isn't He A Teenager Like The Balance Of The Team?

The Paladins In Voltron Legendary Defender Season 8

Most versions of the Voltron story feature a lineup of teenagers when they first gather to course Voltron. In the Netflix anime, withal, Shiro begins his journey at 25. That wasn't the initial plan.

Instead, equally vocalisation actor Josh Keaton revealed in the "Let's Voltron" podcast , the original descriptions for the series said that "five teenagers" would form Voltron to work to save the world. The writers fabricated the conclusion to make Shiro a lot older and take on a leadership office with the teens before they ever found the lions. That decision gave the team a slightly different dynamic and something new for older fans to look frontwards to.

i How Did The Serial Showcase Shiro's PTSD?

Shiro And Keith In Voltron Legendary Defender

Voltron: Legendary Defender has been praised by fans and critics for beingness a more than various serial than its by incarnations. Not only does it feature dissimilar indigenous backgrounds for its diverse characters, but likewise unlike sexualities and perceptions of femininity. Almost notably, though, it highlights Mail Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) amongst soldiers.

Every bit the leader of the paladins, Shiro has a lot more than feel with trauma than the rest of the group. His fourth dimension as a soldier, and his time captured by the Galra, are not forgotten as the series progresses. Different activities will trigger flashbacks for Shiro, which can crusade him to become rigid and lash out at those around him. He's never shown as unstable or untrustworthy, however, but as someone dealing with his pain.

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