Is shiro gay
It is always frustrating to see when a show 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 deserve any of the lgbtq+ representation points the writers were clearly aiming for!
I wrote a piece endorse in August about how Voltron Celebrated Defender Season 7 decided to show Shiro as lgbtq+ and how the writing showed him easily fall into the ‘Sad Gay’ trope. The show was met by backlash from the fandom which led to the showrunners writing an start 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 character his due.
But then, Voltron Legendary Defender Season 8 was made available on Netflix and it was a mess, especially during the last 10 minutes of the finale. Do make sure to read Jamie’s review.
Not only did the show execute Allura for heartfelt exploitation,
I love shallura. I think shiro and allura's personalities compliment each other really well. But I wouldn't have let myself find so emotionally invested in the ship over the past two years if I knew shiro was gay from the initiate. I know they said they'd leave his orientation open to interpretation, but gay is going to be the go-to assumption for most people, leading to accusations of homophobia towards shallura. It just seems... irresponsible? of the writers to drop the revaluation this late.
gonna unpack this, bc there’s… a lot here.
- “if I knew shiro was male lover from the start” shiro can be bi or pan or gayace. and why can he be? see next point
- (further more, shiro being mlm does not detract or change his conceviably romantic relationship with allura. bi and pan people exist too! queerness doesn’t change anything about shiro, especially in the shallura fandom where seeing him as mlm was very common, and shiro’s queerness is not dependent on the gender of the partner he’s with, nor if he’s by himself)
- “i know they said they’d leave his orientation open to interpretation” they didn’t say they were g
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At the 2018 Voltron Legendary Defender panel at San Diego Comic-Con, showrunners Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos revealed to fans one of the best-kept secrets of the series to date:
Shiro is gay.
After months of the creators and voice actors teetering around answers, promising happiness for LGBT+ voice, and dodging annoyed fans of the show, it was finally revealed that Shiro had a boyfriend, Adam, endorse at Galaxy Garrison before the Kerberos mission.
The fact that VLD gave outright LGBT+ representation is shocking.
The gay ethics being Shiro — the Takashi Shirogane, Black Paladin, Leader of Voltron, golden boy at the Garrison, everyone's hero, Mr. Macho man?
I think it's safe to tell I am not the only one who did not see it coming.
When my Twitter timeline exploded with the news from SDCC, I actually cried.
Here I was, a 20-something obsessed with a kids' cartoon, seeing a canonically gay man principal a team of badass pilots in space in an all-out war to save the existence. I couldn't feel it was real.
But it is. Shiro is gay, it is canon, in the show, blatantly out in the open, and there is not
Voltron: Legendary Defender Showrunners Knew Shiro Was Gay For 'A Very Long Time'
Warning! Minor SPOILERS for Voltron: Legendary Defender season 7 ahead!
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Voltron: Legendary Defender showrunners knew Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane was gay for a long time. The first episode of the show's seventh season screened during its panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and in it, fans learn that prior to leaving for the mission that kicks off the series, Shiro was in a quixotic relationship with a guy. The news was met with cheers and applause at the convention, and already the revelation that Shiro is gay has swept through the Voltron fandom.
During that panel, it was also revealed that Voltron: Legendary Defender season 7 will premiere August 10th on Netflix. Unlike more recent seasons, season 7 will have 13 episodes as opposed to only six. Later this year, an additional 13 episodes will drop that will serve as the final season for the show, bringing Voltron: Celebrated Defender to a total of 78 episodes across eight seasons (or six if you prefer to combine the shorter releases).
Related: Voltron Season 7 Trailer Released
Voltron's season 7 premiere deals primarily with the