Keith Akira Kogane, known as in the original

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

Beast King GoLion is a Japanese super robot anime television series. The animation from ''GoLion'' was edited and trimmed to create the version of the American '' Voltron: Defender of the Universe'' series, with new names and dialogue. In 2008, ''GoLion'' was ...

'', is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...

in the media franchise ''

Voltron ''Voltron'' is an animated television series franchise that features a team of space explorers who pilot a giant Super Robot known as "Voltron". Produced by Peter Keefe (Executive Producer) and Ted Koplar through his production company World ...

'' and leader of the Voltron Force, who made his debut appearance in ''Defender of the Universe''.

''Voltron: Defender of the Universe''

Keith becomes the leader of the Voltron Force after escaping Planet Doom.

''Voltron Force''

Keith Kogane became a fugitive by the Galaxy Alliance after Voltron was decommissioned. He eventually retires as Black Paladin to marry Allura and become her king consort.

''Voltron: Legendary Defender''

At the start of ''Voltron: Legendary Defender'', Keith was a dropout from the Galaxy Garrison, despite being considered the most talented pilot of his generation. After finding Shiro on Earth along with

Lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...

, Hunk, and Pidge, he joins Voltron as the Paladin of the Red Lion to fight against the Galra Empire. When Shiro disappears at the end of Season 2, Keith reluctantly takes over as paladin of the Black Lion and leader of Voltron. He has Galran ancestry through his mother, a member of the rebel faction called Blade of Marmora. Later in the series, Keith joins the Blade of Mamora to better understand his Galran half and so Shiro can return as the Black Paladin and leader of Voltron. When it turns out Shiro is a clone under Haggar's control, Keith returns as the Black Paladin.

Conception

In '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', Keith is not initially the leader of the Voltron Force. The character receives a lot of character growth as the seasons progress.

Comics

In the 2011 Devil's Due comics, the Keith character is referred to as Keith Akira Kogane. The comic book version of Keith depicts him as 26 and a very asocial character in the beginning. Born in Hong Kong to a Japanese father and a Chinese mother, his father trained him in kung fu until Keith's parents died tragically in an accident when he was 12. Afterwards, Keith continued to practice many other forms of martial arts until he turned 18 and enrolled in the United States Marine Corps, spending several years as a reconnaissance specialist. When he was 24, he met and proposed to Beverly Hagel, who died 7 weeks before their wedding date in a plane accident. Two years later, he was approached by Colonel Hawkins to join a team of outcasts to search for the legendary robot Voltron on the distant planet Arus. During the course of the series, he begins to form a comradeship with his teammates, and begins to develop feelings for Princess Allura and vice versa.

Reception

Keith has a mostly positive reception from critics.

References

{{Voltron Television characters introduced in 1984 Fictional Asian-American people Fictional martial arts trainers Voltron Fictional military personnel Fictional Chinese people Fictional Japanese people