History ShoutOut / VoltronLegendaryDefender

** The monster that Voltron fights on Balmera uses similar abilities to the Fifth Angel, and its design looks visually very similar to Jet Alone. It also resembles [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v26/professorscissors/VingtSept1.jpg Vingt-Sept]] from Anime/DieBuster.

** Allura's combat uniform resembles a plugsuit and her helmet is reminiscent of the ones worn by Asuka and Mari during Evangelion 3.0's opening sequence.
** The decontamination scene in Season 2 is obviously referencing the decontamination scene from Rebuild 2.0.
** In the Season 3 episode The Journey, the scene when the Black Lion saves Shiro while he is running out of oxygen and alone in space is similar to Episode 16 of Evangelion, when the soul of Yui Ikari helps Shinji escape the Dirac Sea of the 12th angel when he is, similarly, alone and running out of oxygen.

* There's a few references to ''{{Anime/Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann}}'':

* Lance's bayard turns into a rifle that looks like it came straight out of Franchise/MassEffect.
** Or [[VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2 PSO2]]...for that matter, Pidge's bayard looks like wire lance from that game.

* The Gladiator's orb launcher works a lot like [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda Link's]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Dominion Rod]].

* A subtle one to {{WesternAnimation/Futurama}} in Coran's reaction to Lance getting frozen in a cryo-pod: "You sure you didn't just trip and fall in? No judgement, it happens."
* The rouge training robot chasing Keith slamming its sword through the door and its face eerily gleaming through the opening looks similar to the iconic scene from [[Film/TheShining The Shining]].

*** Hunk's hockey mask with an A-shaped orange design and ''Film/MadMax''-style armor make him look like a [[VideoGame/{{Borderlands}} Psycho]]. Others think Hunk's size along with the mask and spiked shoulder pads looks similar to [[Manga/{{FullMetalAlchemist}} Alphonse Elric]].

* The Weblum in ''The Belly of the Weblum'' is similar to the Ohm of Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind. They're even animated similarly.
* There are a few shout outs to Franchise/StarTrek:

** In ''Bloodlines'', Pidge, Hunk and Lance reprogram their robot handler to be more fun and get into all kinds of shenanigans in Galra HQ. It ends when their robot handler insists on being duct taped to the front of a Robeast Coffin and being launched into space. Lance sends him off, the Coffin creating a brilliant purple trail behind it, while the Instrumental Version of ''Amazing Grace'' plays, straight out of Spock's Funeral in "[[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathofKhan Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan]]", including the Paladins and the Galra guards who have been chasing them during their antics giving a military salute to their honored friend.

* As [[spoiler:Shiro]] pilots the ice rebels' freighter in ''The Journey'', the show goes through a momentary ArtShift reminiscent of 80s mecha OVA series, such as Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory. His pilot suit and helmet is also reminiscent of the kind worn by various Gundam protagonists.
** As [[spoiler:Shiro]] steals a Galra fighter, he fires on the sentries as he pilots out of the hanger. The scene is visually almost identical to Anakin using a Naboo fighter as it flies out of the hanger in Film/ThePhantomMenace .

** The game Lance is playing looks quite similar to that of VideoGame/PhantasyStar

* When Allura and Lotor enter the temples final test, some people point out how the scenery of a blue sky and reflective flooring look similar to the first opening song of Manga/TokyoGhoul or other anime openings.

** The spell "Embiggen" that Hunk uses, is a reference towards [[Comicbook/MsMarvel2014 Kamala Khan's]] ability to enlarge or stretch her limbs.

** Both of these could be just generic references, but Lance getting an invisibility cloak seems to be a nod towards Franchise/HarryPotter and when he uses a NinjaLog to save himself and Hunk feels like a nod to Naruto.

* The [[spoiler: fight between Keith and "Shiro"]] has obvious nods to the climactic fight in [[spoiler: Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier]], which Joaquim Dos Santos is a professed fan of. It even has some parallels to Obi-Wan and Anakin's duel in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' [[spoiler: right down to the victorious hero cutting off his friend's arm. It's really driven home when the one who doesn't want to fight tells the other how they were like a brother to them and that they loved them.]]

* The SwordDrag that Macidus does is stated to be either a Halloween, or Freddy Kreuger reference.

* Shiro's new prosthetic is a reference to the FloatingLimbs used by Blood and Shaker from VideoGame/StarGladiator as confirmed by WordOfGod.

* All of the first episode is a huge shout-out to the original 80's Voltron, from Allura and Pidge dressing up similarly to their 1980s counterparts, and the 80's Voltron actually ''exists'' in the VLD-universe!
* Team Voltron's new outfits look similar to the uniform the characters from Macross wore.

* The [[spoiler:end]] scene to the series with Shiro is most likely a nod to''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' .

* Krolia attempting to name her child Yurak, is a shout-out to Sendak's ''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' name. Meanwhile, Sendak's actual name in this continuity is a shout-out to his ''Anime/GoLion'' name of Commander Sadak.

* Krolia attempting to name her child Yurak, is a shout-out to Sendak's ''Anime//Voltron'' name. Meanwhile, Sendak's actual name in this continuity is a shout-out to his ''Anime/GoLion'' name of Commander Sadak.

* Krolia attempting to name her child Yurak, is a shout-out to Sendaks' Anime/GoLion name.
* The Monsters and Mana episode is one huge shout-out to Dungeons and Dragons and other High Fantasy Works:

* ''The Feud!'' is a ShoutOut to many game shows, including ''Series/FamilyFeud'', ''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'', and ''Series/ThePriceIsRight''. Bob is a reference to one of the most famous hosts, Bob Barker. At the end of every episode he would remind his viewers to please spay or neuter their cats.

[[folder: General]]

[[folder: Season 1]]

[[folder: Season 2]]

* Coran's "superhero" suit when he's about to [[spoiler:drive the Red Lion]] makes him look like {{Anime/Casshern}}.

** Varkon, the Galran security guard, is basically ''Film/PaulBlartMallCop'' InSpace.

** The SpacePirate outfits that the Paladins wear are obvious nods towards popular anime like ''Gurren Laggan'', ''Trigun'' and ''Dragon Ball Z'':

* Zethrid's hair is styled like [[Anime/KillLaKill Ragyo Kiryuin]]. To others, her hair is styled like the [[Franchise/XMen Shi'ar race]]. Doubles as a HilariousInHindsight, as Ragyo's voice actress Creator/LauraPost would voice one of the female generals under Zarkon in the season 4 finale.
* The warden of Beta Traz has an apparatus that pumps two vials of fluid into his bloodstream that causes him to grow huge and berserk, exactly like [[{{Franchise/Batman}} Bane's Venom drip.]]
* From the same episode, Laika the Yupper is very reminiscent of [[{{Franchise/Digimon}} Wendigomon.]]

[[folder: Season 3]]

[[folder: Season 4]]
* [[spoiler:Matt Holt's]] reaction to seeing Allura for the first time uses the same poses, camera angles, and even ArtShift as Kintaro from ''Manga/GoldenBoy''.

[[folder: Season 5]]

[[folder: Season 6]]

** The party lineup and some of the outfits are extremely similar to the party and outfits Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar. In an Afterbuzz interview, the executives talked about showing this to Mitch Iverson to give him an idea for how they wanted the episode to go.

[[folder: Season 7]]

[[folder: Season 8]]

[[/folder]]

* A [[Film/BackToTheFuture Flux Capacitor]] is part of Lance's setup to be able to play Earth video-games on the Palace of the Lions.

* ''The Feud!'' is a ShoutOut to many game shows, including ''Series/FamilyFeud'', ''Pictionary'', and ''Series/ThePriceIsRight''. Bob is a reference to one of the most famous hosts, Bob Barker. At the end of every episode he would remind his viewers to please spay or neuter their cats.

* The briefly younger Coran flexing his muscles for way too long may remind some folks of [[Anime/FullMetalAlchemist Armstrong.]] It's the mustache that sells it. The BishieSparkles also helps.

** Hunk's character [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima wants to undo a spell that turned everyone in his village but him into stone]]. He even flies on his staff the same way.

** Hunk's cooking sequence at Vrepit Sal's seems to be shoutout to ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma''. Hunk even wears his headband the same way that Yukihira does when cooking.

* Keith and Lance climbing up the elevator shaft is done similarly to Kuzco and Patcha from [[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove The Emperor's New Groove]].

* Dayak shows notable resemblance to [[Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove Yzma]], or even [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficient]].

** Shiro's character's first appearance looks similar to [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Aragorn's first appearance in The Fellowship]].

* There are a few shout outs to Main/StarTrek:

** Shiro's character's first appearance looks similar to [[TheLordOfTheRings Aragorn's first appearance in The Fellowship]].

** The female [[GirlsWithMoustaches bearded]] dish washing employee at Vrepit Sal's who talks to Hunk in her sole scene has a similar hair and skin colour as [[Franchise/TheSmurfs Papa Smurf]].