Personality

[everaegis]

"The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation."
         — Allura describing the Black Lion in "The Rise of Voltron"

Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane is a born leader, naturally adept at commanding his team and keeping a level head during intense situations. Kind-hearted, grounded, patient, and imbued with a sense of justice to do the right thing, Shiro is the Paladin most likely to take command in situations where others suffer panic or foul tempers. Although he holds a commanding presence, Shiro is actually quite gentle and caring, supporting his team with direction, maturity, and empathy, correcting his fellow Paladins with firm-but-moderate scolding when needed, and rarely becoming genuinely angered at his allies. Calm, thoughtful, and wise beyond his years, it takes a lot to get a real rise out of Shiro, and he always tries to do what’s best for his team, allies, and friends in order to keep them safe.

Shiro's skills as a leader are further exemplified by the familial bond he forms with all his teammates, leading many of them to trust him, seek his guidance and comfort, and view him as a surrogate older brother. He is a tactful thinker who helps his team remain calm even in trying times and is both sensitive and understanding to the personal struggles and concerns his fellow Paladins are undergoing or may have undergone. His patience with Pidge is a strong highlight, as he knew that she was Katie Holt due to having worked closely with her missing family members, and sympathized with her loss and understood her grief, frustration, and desire to uncover their fates, even when it put the two of them at odds. Similarly, Shiro’s connection with Keith caused him to try and break into the Blade of Marmora’s testing grounds to rescue him despite knowing Keith’s intense desire to uncover his past and the risk his actions posed to damage the potential alliance between Voltron and the Blades.

Amusingly, Shiro is often called the “Space Dad” of the Paladins due to him fitting the “team dad” mold so well. He’s the disciplinarian, lead-by-example guy that the other younger Paladins look up to. While he’s firm and can be strict in a military sense, he always encourages his teammates and never hesitates to put his life on the line for them, something the other Paladins return in kind when he’s in trouble. Shiro doesn’t play favorites in his team, but he’s not afraid to express pride in their accomplishments or give a correction if he feels they’re stepping out of line or endangering themselves or others. For him, the safety of his team and his friends is paramount, and though he’s sometimes torn between protecting someone he loves and completing the mission before him, Shiro will always try to figure out a way to do both, even if it means doing something crazy.

"Just remember, patience yields focus."
         — Shiro to Keith in "The Rise of Voltron"

Shiro is incredibly patient with his teammates' personalities and exerts a substantial amount of tolerance and accommodation to his fellow Paladin’s varied and intense characters. Though he occasionally scolds or reigns Lance in from his hyperactive and flirtatious mannerisms, he does so out of care (and tact) and never does so insultingly. When the Blue Paladin was doubting his role in Team Voltron, Shiro proudly congratulated Lance’s skill, noting "that’s why we bring our sharpshooter" to reference a passing comment Lance made earlier, much to the sniper’s happiness (and stroked ego). However, the Black Paladin’s patience is measured, and he’s not impervious to his own temper, which can uncharacteristically snap out of sheer frustration, most notably at Slav. Due to his pragmatic military background, Shiro has an extremely difficult time coping with the obstructive neuroses of tightly-wound people like Slav. The famed engineer's preoccupation with highly unlikely hypothetical scenarios that bordered on psychotic had a noticeably negative effect on Shiro's ability to stay calm, building to the point of Shiro blowing up and ridiculing Slav in an attempt to keep his head cool. This left Pidge, Lance, and Slav in slack-jawed shock and Shiro in a bit of satiated relief.

Despite how serious and straightforward Shiro can be, he has a fun-loving and joking side to him as well and can also be just as silly and laid back as his friends when he has the chance. He thoroughly enjoyed the space goo food fight and laughs at jokes or situations he finds funny. When his friends were voicing their ideas of how a laser gun sounds, Shiro initially sided with Keith on knocking it off, but then displayed his own sound effects immediately after “scolding” his fellow Paladins for their renditions, complete with firing his imaginary gun (and embarrassing the Red Paladin due to his leader acting so ridiculously). Another example of his “military to relaxed” habit was during the impromptu “snowball” barrage in space. Though he initially treated the oncoming items as a threat, once Lance started a “snowball” fight, Shiro tried to curb their antics, only to eagerly participate with a competitive "okay now it’s on" once he got smacked a few times. He also participated in a game of "Monsters & Mana" (an Altean Dungeons & Dragon’s-like RPG) with the rest of the Paladins and Coran, showing his creative side by making up the background of his character and getting quite involved with both the story created and the teamworking aspect (though Lance did grouse at him for "ruining the fun with learning").

"We can do this. We have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up. We are the universe's only hope. Everyone is relying on us. We can't fail! We won't fail! If we work together, we'll win together!"
         — Shiro to Team Voltron in "The Rise of Voltron"

As the leader of the Paladins, Shiro fully embraces his role as the Black Paladin and head of Voltron, determined to defeat Zarkon and protect the universe from the evil that he witnessed first-hand. He has been shown to understand tough decisions must be made in times of war, at one point determining it more important to carry on the mission even if it meant potentially leaving his missing Kerberos crewmen behind, though he later relents to search for them. Due to the loss of his previous crew, Shiro is fiercely protective of his new crew, refusing to leave Allura behind on an enemy ship despite her demands and later leading his team to face the Galra Empire’s headquarters in a daring rescue of the princess despite the Paladins’ inexperience. His intense protectiveness and empathy for his friends drives Shiro to prioritize their safety well above his own and he is willing to sacrifice himself if it means keeping the people he loves safe.

Despite the legendary reputation he earned for himself, Shiro doesn’t allow being a leader to go to his head and remains humble-yet-firm in his leadership. He’s not above accepting reproach or advice from his teammates and is willing to admit he made a mistake and ask for forgiveness. He is an intensely-effective and willing team player, never forgetting that he isn’t alone in his fight and always encouraging the other Paladins to view themselves as a team to help them bond. Though Shiro normally spearheads the team’s decisions, he consults with the Paladins first, and shows a great degree of trust in their individual abilities. Examples include his acknowledging Keith as the only one capable of chasing down pirates through an asteroid field, encouraging Hunk to stabilize the sinking Ark, utilizing Pidge’s invisibility upgrades to the Green Lion to make a more effective entrance plan, and relying on Lance’s Blue Lion’s sonar to locate their target, all things he was unable to do on his own despite his skills. Shiro also doesn’t overlook an ally’s contributions or skills when making for a goal and both compliments and thanks them for their individual efforts in a victory.

Because of his protective nature and his military background, Shiro sometimes approaches things with a cautious guard and may consider something unknown a “threat” to watch first instead of immediately approaching with the benefit of the doubt. However, despite this, his caring nature can also render him too trusting, as he initially agreed with Allura and Lance to letting the stranded Rolo and Nyma aboard the Castleship, sympathizing with their situation. However, after Hunk pointedly reminded the Paladins to the previous time they were compromised after letting their guard down, Shiro took the lesson with acceptance and agreed with Hunk’s point of view in keeping the pair off their ship as precaution (with Hunk’s concerns later being proven true by the two “stranded” bounty hunters). While Shiro knows the hardships of battle require certain actions he may not like or even agree with, he’s normally against taking things to a drastic degree and avoids making rash decisions until the other options are explored or there are no other alternatives. He protested in utter shock when Keith took a hostage in attempt to secure the Paladins a safe escape and later refused to commit to an action until they had looked through all their options. However, when the times come when he has no choice, Shiro learns to adapt to what’s necessary.

"No! I’m not like you! … That’s not me! … I’m not listening to you! … STOP IT!"
         — Shiro to a cryo-frozen Sendak in "Crystal Venom"

While acting as the leader and seemingly appearing the most composed and emotionally stable of the group, Shiro, in truth, suffers from immense Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to his experiences as a gladiator and test subject during his time spent as a prisoner of the Galra Empire. The head injury Shiro sustained when escaping his captivity caused suppression of his memory, so Shiro remembers few details of his captivity while under Zarkon and Haggar's whims. However, he has momentary flashbacks to events he cannot clearly recall when confronted with particular stimuli, which can cause Shiro to freeze up and become vulnerable to enemy attack. These flashbacks are actually invasive memories, which are typically triggered in people suffering post-traumatic stress by things that are connected or similar to features or stimuli that one experienced during trauma. Normally Shiro has the fortitude to brush off these momentary episodes, but when he was confronted by Haggar with direct taunting and triggers, he started to lose control of his emotions and became frantic and wild as his normal attitude of a disciplined warrior began to crumble.

Though he has a stubborn and determined will to survive, the degree of trauma Shiro suffered occasionally mounts enough to make him doubt his chances of enduring. Stranded on a planet, succumbing to an injury, and separated from everyone else but Keith, Shiro tried to make light of the situation, but ultimately made the decision to designate Keith as the new team leader in the event of his death, prompting surprise and a “don’t talk like that” from his fellow Paladin. This suggests at a deeply-hidden, but still-present streak of self-depreciation and hints at Shiro’s damaged self-esteem as to the value of his own life and his connection to others. His PTSD was also the suspected cause behind his interactions with Sendak. Despite the Galran being asleep in a cryo-pod, Shiro heard Sendak taunting his suitability as a Paladin vs. that of a Galra solider, calling him "broken and reformed" and a "monster" already lost to Zarkon; it is unclear whether the voice was truly Sendak, the corrupted Castle of Lions, or Shiro's mind itself, suggesting some degree of Shiro’s potential mental vulnerability.

Shiro also feels somewhat disgusted by his Galra tech prosthetic hand, as his conversation with Sendak's memories in their Altean container managed to pry at Shiro’s insecurity that his cyborg arm is the strongest part of him, thereby making him part of the Galra. This moment of psychological warfare was enough to cause Shiro to start panicking and protesting the accusations, ultimately punching the cryo-pod to shut Sendak up. However, the Galra woke seconds later, and whether real or hallucinated, it was enough to terrify Shiro into jettisoning Sendak and his cryo-pod into deep space. When his team arrived, Shiro could only stammer out excuses, visibly shaken due to his deep-seated fears the Galra Commander dredged up. This tendency to make irrational choices based on trauma, despite being extremely collected most of the time, is another one of Shiro's symptoms of extreme, but well-restrained PTSD. Regardless, these experiences shake Shiro to his core and sometimes triggers him to lash out violently—a very clear reveal that Shiro is more fragile than he allows others to know.

"We, are not going ANYWHERE! … Just let go, Keith! You don’t have to fight anymore. By now, the team’s already gone. I saw to it myself!"
         — "Shiro" to Keith in "The Black Paladins"

[Despite his impressive character qualities, Shiro does have his weaknesses and faults beyond his PTSD, and these negative facets were exacerbated upon his return from his mysterious vanishing. Shiro’s personality became harsher and he was more dominant in his role as leader—to the point of not listening to his team when dealing with Lotor and his allegiance, a difference from his previous willingness to accept reproach and suggestions from his teammates. Though still very similar to his normal self, Shiro became slightly standoffish, asserted his authority more, dismissed criticism, passed up several chances to give advice and support, and was more apt to yell at his team on multiple occasions when he reached the limit of his patience with them. His biggest outburst occurred when the team was debating whether to endorse Lotor as Emperor. When Lance continued to insist that Lotor couldn’t be trusted, Shiro finally rounded on him and angrily barked "I told you to stay out of this!" to the shock of his teammates.

Eventually, Shiro notices that he isn't himself, to the point of approaching Lance to apologize and ask for advice on the situation. It’s later revealed that the slipping changes in his personality were due to a combination of Haggar mentally influencing him as well as "Shiro" being a clone of the real Shiro. Personality-wise, the clone “Shiro” behaved just like the original, with Shiro’s mannerisms, vocal inflexions, traits, and quirks replicated so perfectly that none of his friends, not even Keith, could tell the difference. But eventually, the small deviations from Shiro's mellow, nurturing attitude began to widen, possibly the result of imperfect cloning or a mental breakdown.

Upon being taken over by Haggar, "Shiro" displayed a murderous, bloodthirsty, and psychotic personality. He dispatched his team without remorse, silently recaptured Lotor, and willingly used Keith’s affection for him to lead the Red Paladin away from his goal. When "Shiro" and Keith finally clashed, "Shiro" attacked mercilessly with precision fighting, maniacal energy, and killing intent. He attempted to weaken his former comrade further by saying he’d killed the other Paladins and taunted Keith by telling him that he was worthless and wishing he'd abandoned him.

This ruthless, vindictive style of combat mirrored Haggar's attack on Shiro earlier when she tormented him with visions of an evil version of himself, suggesting the witch either dug into Shiro’s darker potential or psychologically influenced Shiro’s inner fears. However, despite being controlled by Haggar, "Shiro" was briefly stunned when Keith told him he loved him, and after being defeated, came to his senses long enough to whisper his friend’s name in a frightened plea. These moments were enough to convince Keith that "Shiro" was still Shiro despite knowing he was a corrupted clone, leading him to save "Shiro" from falling to his death and take him back to the Paladins so they could try and save both Shiros, the clone "Shiro" and the real Shiro whose spirit essence was preserved in the Black Lion.

Once Shiro’s spirit and his clone’s body are fused together, Shiro mostly returns to his original personality, but the memories, experiences, and elements of "Shiro" remain within him, including the clone’s brutal and perverse personality, which can lead to Shiro feeling haunted and guilty over his clone’s past deeds. While he does not display any elements of a split personality due to their incorporation, his clone's darker character has become a part of Shiro’s consciousness and still exists as an exploitable pitfall of what Shiro (or anyone) could become if he were to let his negative traits overwhelm him.]

Taken altogether, Shiro embodies the Black Lion's elemental affiliation of Air/Sky, in which he is the current that guides his fellow Paladins and keeps them on course, serving as the fuel to the fire of the Team's spirit and will to fight. Though he struggles with issues regarding his memories and PTSD, scattered and broken by the "winds" of his life, Shiro tries his best to project the airs of a strong, trustworthy, and reliable leader, as he is the one the Paladins look to for guidance. He feels particularly responsible for protecting and providing for his new crew after the loss of his first. Like the element he embodies, his personality can be kind and gentle to those he cares for, while also being a powerful and overwhelming force of nature against those who strive to ruin the peace for which Shiro and the Paladins of Voltron stand.