Voltron fucking rules. Such a good show, the animation is top notch and the characters are deeply layered with their own set of skills, unique backgrounds, and personality that leads to a show where everyone has a purpose and gets time to shine.

Unlike many other shows these days such as Iron Fist or The Walking Dead that stretch a short plot over a long season, Voltron doesn’t try to force a bloated story bogged down by filler and boring side plots down your throat.

Earlier last month the newest season dropped, and with it came what I might call the best episode of the entire series ‘The Black Paladins.”

In this episode the character Keith is forced to fight for his life against his mentor/surrogate brother Shiro, who is under the influence of the witch Haggar and trying to straight up murder him.

The battle is animated to near perfection, with every swing of Shiro’s sword you can feel the harsh impacts slicing through walls and floors as Keith just barley fends off his attacks, much less is able to fight back. Shiro uppercut punches Keith’s helmet off with the force of a truck and continues chasing him, slashing at Keith with every opportunity.

Shiro already is portrayed here as more savage and determined to kill than any of the shows actual bad guys, and the fight is just beginning.

I can’t stress just how incredible the animation of this whole sequence is, along with the sound design and the voice acting talent of Josh Keaton and Steven Yeun.

Keith screams in absolute anguish while Shiro’s sword hums and glows with an technological energy while he attacks. Aside from grunts of pain, Shiro hardly shows any emotion, just a fixation on eliminating the target.

“That’s the Keith I remember.” Shiro taunts with the same voice we know from him, only this time appearing venomous.

The fight rages on, and at the end of it all Keith makes the decision to die with his brother Shiro rather than attempt to save himself.

This is the heaviest the show has gotten this far. Which is saying something since this is the same show that hasn’t backed away from stuff like PTSD and a girl thinking her brother was tortured and killed.

And I guess that’s why I love Voltron: Legendary Defender. While being genuinely funny and light-hearted it still isn’t afraid to take itself seriously when moments like The Black Paladins come along.

If you like animation and haven’t seen this show yet, do yourself a favor and give Voltron a try.

Thanks for reading,

Brody