Voltron Legendary Defender character Shiro was revealed to be gay and in an interracial relationship
One of the main heroes in the Netflix series Voltron Legendary Defender is gay.
Tell me more!
In the upcoming seventh season of the animated series, Team Voltron returns to Earth after spending a long time in outer space.
During the Voltron Legendary Defender panel at San Diego Comic Con on 20 July those involved in the show previewed the upcoming season. It was here that co-showrunner Lauren Montgomery confirmed that Shiro (voiced by Josh Keaton), the leader of Voltron, is gay.
In the new season, fans will be introduced to Adam, Shiro’s boyfriend/fiancé. On top of being a same-sex couple, Shiro and Adam are also an interracial couple. Adam, who is still on Earth, is black. Meanwhile, Shiro is a masculine Asian hero—something not typically seen in popular culture. Portrayals of Asian men tend to be effeminate and lacking masculinity.
‘He’s not married yet,’ Montgomery explained of Shiro’s love life during the panel. ‘but that was the road they were going down until Shiro made the unfortunate decision [to leave], and they drifted apart and that was the end … for their relationship. It was definitely something, that beautiful relationship that had developed over years.’
Voltron fan reactions
Fans of Voltron Legendary Defender were incredibly excited about this news, as not much was known about Shiro’s personal life previously.
We’ve been sitting on this Shiro reveal for a long time and I AM SO READY FOR AUGUST #Voltron
— Bex Taylor-Klaus (@IBexWeBex) July 20, 2018
i still cant believe shiro had a whole ass fiancé back home
anyways adam and shiro now own my heart >:’) pic.twitter.com/YmOQOLH0h9— min ✧ ADASHI!! (@captainlumin) July 21, 2018
THIS is why Shiro being gay is so important. No joke this interview made me tear up. I still can’t believe it.
We’re shown a character that’s respected and accomplished. And his relationships don’t change because of his queerness. He’s already comfortable with himself. pic.twitter.com/hWolpp3BuX— [email protected] METRO A13☀️ (@tolaws) July 21, 2018
SHIRO IS CONFIRMED GAY THISBIS THE BEST NEWS I COULDVE WOKEN UP TO
— loves adashi (@scftsorn) July 21, 2018
I just woke up and Shiro being gay wasn’t a fever dream huh fjksnsksns
— kayla ✨ lance hours (@Iancestan) July 21, 2018
i just got hit with a big ass wave of emotions because FUCK!!! SHIRO IS GAY!! LIKE CANON CONFIRMED GAY!!!
— ᴅʏʟᴀɴ. *✧･｡* (@gaytakashis) July 21, 2018
I can’t contain my love for Shiro my dudes
What a man— ☀️SKAi☀️@spoilers (@ACatNamedSkai) July 21, 2018
I propose a new holiday, for July 20th: Shiro is Gay Day ❤️
— ✨lycoria#SHIRO (@sheithtrash) July 21, 2018
Seeing all these pride flags and Shiro and Shiro covered in pride flags keeps making me cry I’ve cried so much since yesterday
— introducing gay icon takashi shirogane (@4stronut) July 21, 2018
Anything else?
Josh Keaton, the voice of Shiro, also Tweeted about how happy he is to be involved in something so important.
I wanted to hang back this morning and let #Shiro‘s moment be its own. That being said, I’m overwhelmed by the amazingly positive response, and both honored and proud to be a part of something so important. #Voltron
— Josh Keaton (@joshkeaton) July 20, 2018
Watch the trailer for the upcoming season of Voltron below:
[embedded content]
The seventh season of Voltron Legendary Defender premieres on Netflix on 10 August.
