Character tropes that appear in Defenders of the Universe. For the original shows, click here for Steven Universe and here for Voltron: Legendary Defender.

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Heroes

The Paladins of Voltron/The Voltron Force/The Voltron Coalition

In General

Ace Pilot: They each become very skilled pilots of the Voltron Lions. It helps that said Lions are sentient and aid their pilots however they can. Not to mention some of them already had prior piloting experience.
Badass Crew: A team of warriors who travel across the galaxy to save people from a universe spanning Empire? You better believe they're bad-asses.
The Chosen Many: The Lions decided that they were worthy to pilot them and form Voltron to protect the universe.
Experienced Protagonist: With the exception of Katie, who has never fought once in her life, all of them have gone on prior adventures and are skilled combatants in their own ways by the time the plot unfolds. Shiro already has two years of experience fighting the Galra and many more as a pilot, Keith has been fighting them as a member of the Blade of Marmora since he was a pre-teen and has been piloting the Red Lion for two years, and Steven and Connie have gone on plenty of adventures and trained with the rest of the Crystal Gems.
Going Native: Downplayed. The ones from Earth don't completely take to their new surroundings, but they become familiar enough to understand and use the extraterrestrial terminology like it's second nature.
The Hero: They are the protagonists and the main force of good fighting against the Galra Empire.
Instant Expert: Since the Lions are sentient and can aid their pilots, they pick up on flying the Voltron Lions very quickly. It also helps that some of them (i.e. Keith, Shiro, etc.) already had piloting experience.
Mythology Gag: They refer to themselves as the Voltron Force initially before shifting to the Voltron Coalition.
The Paladin: The are referred to by this and are heroes who fight for what's right, are part of The Chosen Many, and their armor gives the impression of a Knight in Shining Armor.
Power Armor: All members of the Paladins wear specialized armor that lets them tank additional damage, survive in the vacuum of space, and fly via jet boosters.
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: A couple of space explorers turned gladiators, the upbeat half-breed son of a rebel leader and his best friend, a moody agent of The Resistance, the last survivors and royals of a fallen race along with their butler, the youngest and spunkiest member of the aforementioned rebellion, and a young teenage girl and her co-pilot who once served under a race of planetary conquerors. A colorful cast of characters, aren't they?
Rotating Protagonist: There really isn't a set main protagonist. The baton gets passed to whoever the chapter focuses most on.
True Companions: While they've grown into this (a requirement to properly form Voltron), some of them were already this.
- After travelling across the universe for two years, Keith, Shiro, and Matt are close friends and comrades to each other.
- Steven, Connie, and the Crystal Gems were already this for a long time.
- Katie and Peridot become close friends and partners very quickly thanks to shared interests in science and the advanced tech they encounter.

Voltron

The Legendary Defender who protected the universe over 10,000 years ago. It's five components (the Lions) where sealed away and scattered across the stars to prevent Zarkon from gaining their power. With the five lions reunited, the Defender of the Universe stands once more.

Adaptational Badass: Compared to the show where Voltron would typically get knocked around, he does much better in his early battles here than in the series, doesn't revert back into the five Lions very often, and gets more time to show that his title as "The Most Powerful Weapon in the Universe" is well earned. The individual Lions also unlock their abilities earlier.
Adaptational Superpower Change: In canon, the ability to dual wield twin swords was tied to the Red and Green Lions. Here, it's tied to the Red and Blue Lions.
Arm Cannon: When using the Green Bayard, Voltron's left arm gains a powerful cannon that can do a great deal of damage to Zarkon's armor.
BFG: Amethyst's Bayard grants Voltron a massive shoulder canon that all but cripples the powerful Ro-beast, Drazil, in one shot.
BFS: Can bring forth a sword that's as tall as he is using Keith's Bayard. With the Black Bayard, he can bring forth the legendary Blazing Sword.
The Chooser of the One: The Lions decide who is worthy of becoming their pilots. If multiple people are, then both are considered Paladins.
Combining Mecha: He is comprised of the five Lions, which combine to form him.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Anything that isn't a Ro-Beast isn't going to give Voltron a challenge.
- Completely destroyed the Fire of Purification without strain.
- Wiped out Prorok's entire fleet in 10 seconds.
- In the past, he sent the Diamond Authority's armadas running back to Homeworld the moment he first formed on the battlefield.
The Dreaded: As the strongest weapon in the universe, he is loved by good and feared by evil.
- Zarkon takes the threat of Voltron very seriously whereas he's mostly dismissive of anything else.
- The Diamonds are terrified of the prospect of his return. When Emerald reported to Yellow about running into the five Lions, she reacted appropriately.
Dual Wielding: When Stevonnie connects their Bayard, Voltron gains a second blade and a speed boost.
The Empath: The individual Lions can sense the emotional states of their pilots. The Yellow Lion refused to let Amethyst leave the Castle because she knew that her pilot needed to sort her emotions out following her loss against Jasper. This also works against the Paladins since they share any pain that their Lions feel.
Green Thumb: The Green Lion has a "Vine Cannon" that fires blasts of powerful roots and vines.
Harmless Freezing: It would generally be averted given that the Blue Lion's ice blasts can outright shatter metal doors, but they usually use it on things that can withstand the ice such as Erto fighters and Gems.
Heroes Prefer Swords: He's the universe's defender and his main weapon in combat is a sword.
Humongous Mecha: Voltron stands over 100 meters tall. Sardonyx and Alexandrite are ants compared to him.
An Ice Person: The Blue Lion can fire blasts of ice that freeze enemies in place. This works well with Stevonnie's pacifist nature.
Intangibility: At full power, he can fly through solid matter. This allowed him to remove Blue Diamond's gem from Zarkon's armor and let Shiro gain the Black Bayard from the former Black Paladin.
Invisibility: The Green Lion gains the ability to turn invisible thanks to Pidge and Peridot's modifications.
Lightning Bruiser: Voltron is absurdly fast, ridiculously tough, and hits extremely hard.
Living Legend: He's the universe's most powerful weapon who defended it thousands of years ago, with his name being spoken of in reverence by the decendants of the races he saved long ago. He also fits the "living" part due to being a sentient robot.
Living Weapon: The Lions, and Voltron himself, are sentient beings that can communicate with the Paladins telepathically.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Complimenting his immense durability, he also has a massive shield that he can summon when Pidge inserts her Bayard. It's so strong that it can easily block attacks capable of devastating entire planets.
Make Me Wanna Shout: The Blue Lion can emit powerful sonic blasts.
Master of All: Voltron is stronger, faster, and tougher than all the Lions put together, which he literally is. The Black Lion also surpasses the others in overall ability, being faster than Red and tougher than Yellow.
Mechanical Lifeforms: Voltron and the individual Lions are sentient beings and are capable of movement and travel without their pilots (not to mention they are established to have souls), but they need their pilots to operate at full power and combine.
One-Man Army: Voltron is pretty much an army unto himself. He can wipe out entire battalions of battleships by his lonesome and match himself against Ro-Beasts designed to destroy planets. The individual Lions also frequently go to town against dozens of Galra fighter ships at once.
Playing with Fire: The Red Lion can fire bursts of powerful concentrated heat that can easily melt ice.
Ramming Always Works: The Yellow Lion doesn't showcase the same long-range weapons the other's possess most of the time, so she mostly just rams into her enemies to take them out.
Red Baron: The Legendary Defender, Defender of the Universe.
Samus Is a Girl: The individual Lions are referred to with female pronouns while Voltron is referred to with male pronouns.
Super-Speed: He can casually fly at speeds far exceeding light, such as when he flew from one galaxy to another in the span of a minute in the final battle against Zarkon. The individual Lions can fly from Earth to Pluto in about six seconds.
Super-Strength: As befits a robot standing over 300 feet tall, Voltron is ridiculously strong. He can punch warships to oblivion, carry the Ark of Taujeer across planetary distances with little effort, and push Castle Doom itself at maximum strength.
Super-Toughness: There exist very few things in the universe that can actually damage Voltron. He's tough enough to shrug off attacks from Ro-Beasts of equal height and physical strength, attacks capable of planetary devastation, and even survive a blast that could overwhelm his own firepower and send him flying into another galaxy.
The Worf Barrage: His shoulder cannon proved powerful enough to cripple Drazil and his arm cannon can devastate warships with ease. Against Zarkon's Wave-Motion Gun, both of them at once were overwhelmed.
The Worf Effect:
- Downplayed against Drazil. He ultimately wins, but it was still a large challenge and shows that he can lose despite being the strongest weapon in the universe.
- While he holds his own well, he ends up on the receiving end of this against Zarkon's armor to showcase its power.
World's Strongest Man: He's frequently called the most powerful weapon in the universe, and it shows.

Shiro

Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane

One of the most well known pilots in the Galaxy Garrison and the leader of the Voltron Force. He was captured by the Galra alongside his fellow explorers, Samuel and Matthew Holt. After escaping to Earth with the aid of a Marmora agent named Keith, he finds himself leading the new defenders of the universe. He pilots the Black Lion, the head of Voltron.

Abled in the Adaptation: He doesn't suffer from any debilitating illnesses here.
The Ace: He's one of the most respected and skilled pilots in the Galaxy Garrison, if not the absolute best they have. He also shows himself to be a very effective leader of the team, with Allura even calling him the definition of a leader in her vlog.
Always Someone Better: He feels that Garnet is this to him following her death and that she should have been the Black Paladin instead of him due to her having been both a warrior and leader for far longer than him. Ruby and Sapphire dispel this notion, stating that as a human, he can better instill hope in others and push people forward.
Ambiguous Situation: It's left unknown what happened to him after Zarkon was killed, as he just disappeared without a trace.
An Arm and a Leg: His regular right arm was lost in his battle against Myzax and replaced with a prosthetic weaponized one by the Galra in an attempt to make a powerful soldier of him.
Big Brother Mentor: Is this to the youngest members of the team.
Catchphrase: "Armor up and get to your Lions!", as well as "Form Voltron!".
The Champion: Despite this being his title, he actually subverts this. The Galra intended for him to be this, but he broke free and is now against them. Though he plays this straight with his team, as he protects them and puts their needs ahead of himself.
Cooldown Hug: Gives one to Steven after he learns that Garnet died.
Dark Is Not Evil: He typically wears dark colors (and this is before he became the Black Paladin), but he's a very kindhearted man.
Empowered Badass Normal: His cybernetic right arm provides him with more strength and different attack options than a regular one would.
Famed In-Story: On Earth, he's one of the most acclaimed pilots in the Galaxy Garrison. In space, the Galra know him as "The Champion" for his victory against Myzax.
A Father to His Men: The rest of the Voltron Force look to him for guidance and leadership and he tends to be the father figure for the youngest Paladins.
Happily Married: He's married to Adam back home.
The Leader: Commands the Voltron Force, and is very good at what he does.
Lethal Chef: Despite being The Ace, he apparently can't cook.
Living Legend: Is this to the Galaxy Garrison, as he is their most acclaimed pilot.
Nice Guy: He's easy to get along with and pleasant to be around.
"No. Just… No" Reaction: His reaction to Coran's cooking.
Not So Stoic: He's mostly no nonsense, but that doesn't mean that he can't crack jokes every now and then, such as when he made laser noises alongside the other Paladins.
The Paragon: The Black Paladin chose him and Zarkon in the past due to their ability to inspire hope in their peers and bring out the best in them.
Reasonable Authority Figure: After Bismuth attempts to kill Steven, he's still skeptical, but trusts Steven's judgement in regards to redeeming and helping her.
Red Baron: The Champion.
The Stoic: He tends to be pretty no nonsense and serious most of the time.
Straight Gay: He's married to Adam back home and is very masculine.
Team Dad: Amethyst likes to call him "Space Dad" because of this. He tends to function as a father-figure for the youngest Paladins and is looked up to by all of them.
Warrior Therapist: Takes up this position alongside Allura after Garnet and Pearl return to Earth.

Keith

A young Galra and an agent of the Blade of Marmora. Keith has been fighting against the Galra Empire for almost his entire life and seeks to free the universe from their clutches. Despite his noble intentions, he is very aggressive and pragmatic, willing to sacrifice the few if it means the many may live. He was assigned to get Shiro and Matt out of Castle Doom and return them to Earth to secure the Blue Lion. He now serves as a member of the Voltron Force and pilots the Red Lion, Voltron's right arm.

Adaptational Badass: Keith was no slouch, but here he's an experienced warrior and pilot of the Red Lion well before he rescued Shiro and Matt.
Adaptational Species Change: From a half-Galra to a pure Galra.
The Aloner: Besides Shiro and Matthew, he rarely interacts with anyone else on the team outside of combat situations.
Amazing Technicolor Population: As a Galra, his skin is purple in color.
Anti-Hero: He may be one of the good guys, but he's willing to make pretty ruthless and pragmatic decisions if it means stopping the Galra.
Catch and Return: When he first fought the Crystal Gems on Earth, he effortlessly caught Pearl's thrown spear and threw it back at her.
Character Development: He starts out rather antagonistic and hostile toward Matt and Shiro, not to mention he was willing to abandon people if it meant succeeding in the mission. After two years travelling with Matt and Shiro, he's mellowed out more and while still pragmatic, stands up for those he cares for and refuses to abandon his friends.
Child Soldier: His entire life from his early childhood to current self have been spent trying to free the universe from Zarkon's clutches. According to him, he started going on Marmora missions when he was a pre-teen.
Cool Sword: Besides his Altean sword, he also wields a Marmoran Luxite blade, which are said to be Nigh-Invulnerable.
Dual Wielding: Wields his Bayard alongside his Marmora blade in combat.
Fantastic Racism: Finds himself on the receiving end of this from time to time, given that he's a Galra.
Good is Not Nice: He's one of the heroes, but he is definitely not a Nice Guy in the slightest. Out of all the Paladins, he's the most aggressive and willing to kill his enemies to solve problems efficiently.
Heroes Prefer Swords: Two swords to be exact; his Bayard and Luxite blade.
It's All My Fault: Blames himself for Samuel Holt's death because he promised Matt that he would help reunite him with his father.
I Will Find You: After Zarkon's death, he returns to the Blade of Marmora to focus on finding Shiro, who disappeared without a trace.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a lone wolf with a bit of a ruthless streak, but he deeply cares for his friends.
The Lancer: He's the second-in-command of the team, as well as having a more aggressive mindset compared to Shiro's stoic patience. To add to this, his Lion forms Voltron's right hand.
Master Swordsman: He's a highly skilled and experienced sword-fighter, able to effortlessly shift between dual-wielding and single-bladed fighting.
Only One Name: He doesn't seem to have a family name and only goes by Keith.
Refusal of the Call: At first, he's reluctant to take up the mantle of the Black Paladin after Shiro disappears following Zarkon's defeat because in his eyes, doing so would mean giving up on trying to find his closest friend. However, after Lotor's successful attack on Galaluna, resulting in the capture of Modula, Steven, Connie, and the Red Lion, he takes up the position to save his friends.
Related in the Adaptation: He's Thace's son and Axca's younger half-brother, both of whom are characters he had no relation to in canon.
Scars Are Forever: Played With. After the Time Skip, he gains a scar on his left cheek. He says that it's actually fairly easy to patch it up, but Amethyst insists that he keep it since it makes him look more badass.
Took a Level in Kindness: When Shiro and Matt first met him, he was willing to leave innocents like Lapis behind if it meant fulfilling his mission and was much more hostile. After two years traveling with them in space, he seems to have warmed up considerably, being genuinely friendly with them and refusing to abandon his comrades.
You Killed My Father: Zarkon is responsible for killing his sister, Axca.

Stevonnie (Steven Universe and Connie Maheswaran)

Stevonnie

The fusion of Steven Universe and Connie Maheswaran. They are the first known fusion between a gem and an organic being. They are the pilot of Voltron's right leg, The Blue Lion.

All-Loving Hero: Since they embody Steven and Connie, they don't like the idea of killing anyone. They were horrified when they ended up killing Galra soldiers in the Battle of Arus.
All Your Powers Combined: They combine Steven's Gem abilities with Connie's swordsmanship.
Ascended Extra: In a sense. As a fusion, they aren't really a plot important character unless exploring Steven and Connie's flaws and struggles when they are together. Given that they are the pilot of the Blue Lion, they play a much bigger role here.
Battle Couple: They embody one similar to how Garnet does. While Steven and Connie aren't a couple at the start, they do have obvious feelings for each other and eventually confess before the final fight against Zarkon. They officially become this after "Back Home".
Beware the Nice Ones: With how nice they are, it's easy to forget that they are the strongest of the Voltron Force when outside their Lions. You do not want angry Stevonnie, at all.
BFS: Since they wield a blue replicant of Rose's sword, this is in full effect. Doubly so when they get Rose's original blade.
The Big Guy: They are the strongest member of the Voltron Force when outside their Lions, proving to be a match for even the likes of Jasper.
Character Development: While it's clear they hate killing, they are progressively getting more and more used to it.
Cool Sword: Their Bayard transforms into a blue version of Rose's sword. Later, the Crystal Gems bring them Rose's original sword as well.
Dual Wield: They did get to temporarily wield their Bayard alongside Rose's sword. Unfortunately, Zarkon destroyed the fabled blade in their fight.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: They can manifest Steven/Rose's shield as a means of defense and even throw it as a boomerang.
Not Quite Flight: They have Steven's floating/levitating powers. Unlike Steven, who floats, they more so "air run" if anything else.
Romantic Fusion: Not at first, despite Steven and Connie obviously liking each other as more than friends, but they officially become this after "Back Home".
Super-Strength: They aren't quite as strong as the likes of Jasper or Garnet, but they are just below them and can hold their own well enough.
This Cannot Be!: Their reaction to Zarkon shattering Rose's blade since they thought it to be impossible.
Thou Shall Not Kill: They actively try to avoid killing when they're able to. During the fight for the Balmera, while they used lethal force on the sentries since they are robots, they only knocked out or incapacitated the foot soldiers.
The Worf Effect: They get easily defeated by Zarkon (with him even shattering Rose's sword) to showcase the difference in power between them and the Galra Emperor.

Steven Quartz Universe

A gem/human hybrid and the son of the Crystal Gem's deceased leader, Rose Quartz.

All-Loving Hero: He wants to solve problems without resorting to violence. Unfortunately, he constantly finds himself forced into situations where violence and murder are the only solutions. This does work in his favor in regards to Bismuth, as he's able to redeem her much earlier than he did in the canon.
Break the Cutie: Being effectively drafted into a war doesn't do him any favors.
- When he and Connie had to kill Sendak.
- He was really shattered by Garnet's death. He became completely aloof, neither pushing people away nor interacting with them. He just... shut down.
Broken Tears: When he learned about Garnet's death.
Child Soldier: He's just a fourteen year old kid fighting for the freedom of the universe. This causes him quite a bit of grief when put into life or death situations.
The Empath: He can sense the emotions of others, be they human or Gem, such as when he was able to pick up on Matt and Katie's sadness over their father's death before they got back on-board the Castle. This ability also allowed him to sense when Blue Diamond was mourning Pink Diamond's death despite being well over a galaxy away from her.
Healing Hands: He uses his healing spit to save Katie when she was lethally wounded. He also uses it to repair Jasper's damaged gem.
Innocently Insensitive: His and Connie's enthusiasm about how they fought and bested Jasper caused more problems for Amethyst's self-esteem.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: He can manifest a shield as a means of defense.
Martial Pacifist: He hates fighting, but will do so if he needs to.
Playing with Fire: He can emit rose colored flames, but doing so incapacitates him due to inexperience and the power only recently awakening.
Power Floats: One of his abilities is that he can slow his decent to the point where he simply floats in the air.

Connie Maheswaran

The best friend of Steven and protégé of Pearl.

The Apprentice: She's Pearl's student regarding the gem race and swordsmanship.
Badass Normal: Whenever she's separate from Steven, she can hold her own well enough despite not having any special abilities.
Child Soldier: Like Steven, she's just a fourteen year old kid thrust into a violent war. She also ends up suffering from the moral repercussions that come with it.
Crush Blush: She has this when Pidge subtly teases her about her crush on Steven.
Hero Worship: She greatly looks up to Shiro and has a bit of a crush on him.
Innocently Insensitive: Her excitement, alongside Steven's, about defeating Jasper put dents in Amethyst's already low self-esteem.
Sci-Fi Bob Haircut: She cuts her hair into this style to make wearing the Paladin helmet as Stevonnie less of a chore.
Shorter Means Smarter: She's no technician or hacker like Peridot and Katie, but she is smart enough to understand wormhole physics.
The Xenophile: She's very fascinated with the extraterrestrial environments and objects they encounter. When they had downtime at the Castle, she asked Keith about the Galra empire and the Blade of Marmora out of curiosity.

Pidge

Katie "Pidge" Holt

The younger sister of Matthew Holt and the daughter of Samuel Holt. After her father and brother went missing on the Kerberos mission, she spent the next two years doing everything she could to find them. She reunited with her brother when he, Keith, and Shiro landed at the Beta Kindergarten. Rather than let her brother leave again, she decided to join him in his mission to get the Lion away from Earth and later became the pilot of the Green Lion alongside Peridot, serving as Voltron's left arm.

Action Survivor: She has the least combat experience out of all the Paladins, but she manages to pull through and hold her own.
Badass Normal: Pretty much the only defining example among the Paladins barring Connie (who usually forms Stevonnie with Steven) since she's completely human with no augmentations.
Birds of a Feather: Platonic example with Peridot. They both become best friends very quickly due to their shared interests in science and technology, making them a very effective tag-team.
Break the Cutie: She entered a depressed funk after she learned that her father died. She rarely left her room and only did so for food and equipment, stopped interacting with anyone for a week, and constantly built new tech as a means to distract herself. Thankfully, Lance was able to help her out of it.
Big "NO!": Lets a couple out when she sees that her father is dead.
Child Soldier: Being the Green Paladin has effectively drafted her in the war against the Galra just as much as Steven and Connie have been, but she doesn't seem to have the same issues with it that they do.
Crisis Makes Perfect: She learns how to hack Galra technology while under life threatening circumstances when they were trapped in Galra facility on Olkarion. As she puts it, "life and death situations do make for good teachers".
Determinator: She spent over two years searching for her family and refused to give up that entire time. She's not one to give up easily.
Drama-Preserving Handicap: The injuries she received during Sendak's assault on the Castle of Lions prevented her from joining the fight to save the Balmera. This also prevented the Paladins from forming Voltron as soon as the fight began.
I Will Find You: She spent the last two years trying to find her father and brother after they disappeared. She succeeded with finding her brother, but failed with her father due to him dying before they could reunite.
Non-Fatal Explosions: Averted. While she wasn't harmed by the explosion itself, the shrapnel that the explosion sent flying around on the other hand...
Relationship Upgrade: She and Lance start dating some time during the four week Time Skip after Zarkon's death.
Shipper on Deck: She teases Connie about her crush on Steven.
Ship Tease: With Lance.
Shorter Means Smarter: Both she and Peridot are the shortest Paladins (unless you count Steven and Connie individually), and they are also the most tech-savvy.
Smart People Wear Glasses: She's one of the most intellectual Paladins and wears a pair of specs.
Token Human: Of a sort. Among the Lion pilots, she's the only one who is 100% human and isn't enhanced in some way (i.e. Shiro's cybernetic arm).
The Xenophile: She's very enthusiastic about the advanced technology and species that she comes across. She did her best to keep herself restrained when she first met the Crystal Gems. Her first instinct when she saw the Red Lion, however, was to run immediately towards her to see how she worked.

Peridot

A former servant of Homeworld. She originally went to Earth to monitor the development of the Cluster. After being stranded there and gaining a change of heart thanks to Steven, she became an ally the Crystal Gems in their mission to protect Earth. Alongside Katie, she co-pilots the Green Lion, operating the weaponry.

Adaptational Wimp: She has yet to display or gain any of her ferrokinetic abilities from canon.
Badass Adorable: As befits a short Gem that's barely taller than Steven, her attempts at being tough are pretty adorable. The "badass" part is downplayed since she isn't a fighter, but she can still hold her own well enough.
Berserk Button: Betrayal seems to be a massive one for her. She blew up at Lubos for abandoning his people for his own benefit and continuously kicked Rax in the shin for assisting the Galra in capturing Stevonnie and Amethyst.
Beware the Silly Ones: She may be hard to take seriously, but she is very skilled with blasters. When they were freeing the Balmerans, she used a sentry's gun to take down just as many Galra as Stevonnie.
Birds of a Feather: Platonic example. She and Katie become fast friends due to their love of science as well as both being the pilots for the Green Lion.
Boisterous Weakling: She talks a very big game, but she gets spooked very easily. During the first mission to Olkarion, she acts brave, but jumps into Keith's arms the minute something looks like it will pop out of the bushes.
Cowardly Lion: She may be easily frightened, but she will stand for those she cares about.
Cuteness Proximity: She's immediately drawn toward Pumpkin because of how adorable she is.
Defector from Decadence: She's no longer a part of Homeworld, having become disgusted by her leader's wastefulness and callousness.
Going Native: In regards to Earth media at least. She's become a big fan of Star Trek, The Flash (2014), TubeTube videos, Abridged series and various anime such as Studio Ghibli films in her time with the Crystal Gems.
Long-Range Fighter: In close quarters, she's laughable at best. Give her a gun, however, and she's as effective as the rest of the team.
The Napoleon: She's barely taller than Steven and is both diminutive and temperamental, not to mention egotistical when it comes to her intellect.
Shorter Means Smarter: She's the most tech-savvy of the Paladins with only Pidge, another example of this, being comparable to her.
Smart People Wear Glasses: Sort of. They are actually part of her physical form and are more of a visor in appearance and function, but they still count.

Amethyst

The youngest member of the Crystal Gems. She's a spunky, loud mouthed Quartz soldier that was a tad overdone, resulting in her being much shorter than the average Quartz. Despite her arrogant nature, she is more than reliable when the situation calls for it. She pilots Voltron's left leg, the Yellow Lion.

Always Second Best: Feels that she is this when compared to Steven following her loss against Jasper. Steven's constant improvement in his own abilities as well as Stevonnie's stalemate against the opponent who casually knocked her around led to her feeling that she was the worst Crystal Gem.
BFG: Deconstructed with her Bayard's initial form. She cannot properly wield her Bayard due to its large and cumbersome size, so she almost never pulls it out.
Big Eater: Unlike other Gems, who normally don't eat, she likes to eat food a lot.
Break the Haughty: Her loss against Jasper did a number on her self-confidence.
Cool Big Sis: Acts like an older sister to Steven.
Curb-Stomp Battle: On the wrong side of this when she fought Jasper. Her confidence took a nosedive after it.
Fatal Flaw: Her pride and insecurity caused her to abandon her friends when they needed her. She understands that she screwed up and apologizes for her actions.
Gatling Good: Her Bayard initially turned into a Gatling gun, but she can't wield it properly and prefers her whips.
Humongous-Headed Hammer: Her Bayard later changes from a Gatling gun to a large war-hammer that she can more efficiently use.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: Out of all the Paladins, she makes the most use of "Quiznack" and has had the most foul mouth so far.
Noodle Incident: Whatever caused her to "poof" and reform a second time is unknown and a bit embarrassing for her.
Older Than They Look: She physically resembles a girl in her mid-to-late teens and even acts like a rebellious teenager, but she's really about 5,000 years old.
Pride: Her need to restore her pride after her initial loss against Jasper led her to inadvertently abandon the Voltron Force when they needed her. She acknowledges her mistake and desires to do better.
Rolling Attack: One of her most used attacks.
Shapeshifting: A natural Gem ability that she makes frequent use of. She uses this to disguise herself as a Sapphire to infiltrate the Zoo. Though there is a limit to how long she can stay in a different form before she gets exhausted and reverts to her default self.
Supreme Chef: Despite her just slapping different foods together, her cooking is considered very good by the other Paladins, to the point where she's the go-to chef for the team. She even took over "Vrepit Sal's" and turned into Gordon Ramsay while at the Swap Moon.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Toward Allura since she hid secrets that almost got them killed. She's able to start overcoming this later.
Weapon Specializatio: She prefers her whips over her Bayard.
Womanchild: She can be so childish at times that it's easy to forget that she's at least 5,000 years old.

Castle of Lions

Princess Allura

The princess of Altea and the last female survivor of her race. 10,000 years ago, she, Coran, and her cousin were put into cryostasis in the Castle of Lions to keep them safe. When she was awakened, she was devastated to learn that all of the Altean system was destroyed by Zarkon and the Galra empire. She now seeks to bring the Galra Empire down and restore order to the universe. She serves as the commander for the Castle of Lions, maintaining it and using its weapons in battle to aid the Voltron Force.

Big Good: She's the primary figurehead of the Voltron Force and the daughter of Alfor. Despite not taking part in combat much, she's also skilled enough in Altean magic to fight against Haggar.
Broken Pedestal: Keith loses the ability to trust her after he learns that she knew that Zarkon was the original Black Paladin. Pretty much all the Paladins lose faith in her after this is revealed, with Amethyst and Keith being the most overtly hostile toward her. Following Garnet's funeral, they do begin to trust her again, but Keith is still rather apathetic toward her. Before the final fight with Zarkon, she is able to mend bridges with Keith.
Even Girls Want Her: Bismuth found her to be very attractive.
Fantastic Racism: Toward the Galra since they wiped out her home planet and system. This leads to her being very hostile toward Keith when they first encountered. After he helped save Arus from Sendak, she was able to overcome this.
A God I Am Not: She makes it clear to the people of Arus that neither she or Voltron are gods nor does she wish to be seen as one.
Heroic Lineage: She's the daughter of the former Red Paladin, who led the remains of the Paladins of Voltron and the Altean race against Zarkon.
It's All My Fault: She places the blame for Garnet's death on herself and her refusal to tell everyone the truth about the Black Paladin.
Last of Her Kind: She's the last female of her race.
Manipulative Bitch: Subverted. She isn't this, but she feels that her deliberate refusal to tell the Paladins about Zarkon's past as the former Black Lion pilot makes her selfish and manipulative, so she feels like she is this.
Mission Control: From the Castle of Lions, she serves as this, directing the Paladins in the heat of the fight.
Modest Royalty: Despite her noble upbringing, she's very humble and has no issues with Amethyst's lack of table manners.
Nice Gal: Stevonnie calls her one of the nicest people they know. When Steven felt that he may have been the reason Zarkon was able to track them so easily, she refused to believe that he was responsible.
Older Than They Look: She looks like a young woman, but is over 10,000 years old thanks to being frozen in cryostasis for so long.
Poor Communication Kills: Had she told the Paladins that Zarkon was the original Black Paladin, they probably wouldn't have been as hasty to fight him. This also contributed to Garnet's eventual death at Haggar's hands.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: She commands the Castle Of Lions and aids the Paladins in battle. She also takes the fight straight to Haggar when the witch starts intervening in Voltron's fight with Zarkon.
Team Mom: Amethyst calls her "Space Mom" because she acts like the team's mother.
White Hair, Black Heart: Subverted. Her hair is pure white, but her heart is entirely noble.

Prince Lance

The younger cousin of Princess Allura and one of the few Alteans left in the universe. While a kind person at heart, he is also rather cocky and quite the self-proclaimed ladies man.

Adaptational Badass: Played with. He has fewer fights than he did in the series and usually stays on the Castle of Lions to help with maintenance, but being an Altean does give him some natural affinity for Altean magic as well as shapeshifting abilities.
Adaptational Dye-Job: He has white hair instead of dark brown.
Adaptational Species Change: An Altean rather than a human.
Age Lift: Sort of, while mentally he's the same age as canon, chronologically speaking, he's over 10,000 due to being in cryostasis.
Casanova Wannabe: The first thing he did after waking up from cryostasis was flirt with Pearl... and getting dropped on the floor in annoyance. He does have better luck with random alien girls, so this was more of a case of Incompatible Orientation.
Demoted to Extra: Downplayed. He's still an important character, he just isn't one of the Paladins this time around due to Stevonnie being the Blue Lion pilot.
Like Father, Like Son: Much like his dad, he's a flirt and ladies man who's dedicated to his family.
Nephewism: Was raised by his uncle Alfor after his father died, so he and Allura grew up as siblings.
Relationship Upgrade: He and Katie start dating some time after Zarkon's demise and Shiro's disappearance.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Like his cousin, he ain't afraid to take the Galra head on.
Shapeshifting: When infiltrating the Dreadnaught to rescue Ulaz, he showcased that this in an ability of Alteans. He uses this to disguise himself as a soldier to help Thace locate Ulaz. He also used this ability to help infiltrate the Human Zoo to rescue Slav.
Ship Tease: With Katie.
White Hair, Black Heart: Like his cousin, he subverts this. He's got pristine white hair and is one of the good guys.

Matt

Matthew "Matt" Holt

A pilot and space explorer for the Galaxy Garrison and the older brother of Katie. He was captured by the Galra alongside Shiro and his father on a mission to Kerberos. With the aid of Keith, he and Shiro were able to escape and return to Earth to secure the Blue Lion. He now aids the Voltron Force by maintaining the Castle of Lions and aiding in certain missions.

Ascended Extra: He's a more central character here thanks to returning to Earth with Shiro and Keith.
Badass Bookworm: He's a very capable fighter and is also among the most intelligent of the group, often aiding in the maintenance for the Castle.
Big Brother Instinct: Do NOT hurt his sister, ever! He went outright ballistic on Haxus when he tried to gun her down.
Cool Big Bro: He's one for Katie, as she was devastated when he disappeared and overjoyed when he returned. He also acts the part, being very loving and affectionate with her.
Curb-Stomp Battle: He doesn't do so well against Jasper and spends most of the fight getting rag-dolled around.
Determinator: Even when thoroughly outclassed, he still doesn't back down. His sheer determination when fighting Jasper actually impressed her, especially since he had no hope of winning. Looking at his sister, stubbornness seems to run in the family.
I Will Find You: One of his main goals is to find and save Lapis.
Took a Level in Badass: Before he left Earth, he had zero fighting experience. After two years in space, he's become skilled enough to equal high-ranking Galra officers.

Coran

The royal adviser of Allura and Lance. Despite being a goofball, he's also the pillar of support for the Voltron Force, aiding them in any way he can.

Cloudcuckoolander: Downplayed. His head isn't exactly on cloud nine, but he is pretty darn quirky. Peridot even calls him quirky in her Vlog.
Lethal Chef: None of the Paladins seem to enjoy his cooking. Even he doesn't enjoy it.
The Promise: He vowed to Alfor that he would protect Allura and Lance no matter what.

Bismuth

One of the original Crystal Gems who served under Rose during her rebellion. She was the blacksmith for the rebellion, having constructed countless armaments, including Rose's sword. However, she was poofed and bubbled by Rose due to her unflinching desire to see Homeworld gems completely destroyed. She was reawakened by Steven aboard the Castle of Lions, now serving as a crew-member.

Anti-Villain: Her intentions are noble, but she really wants the Gems of Homeworld to be shattered. She starts toning this down after her fight with Steven.
Ascended Extra: She becomes a member of the Castle of Lions's crew and doesn't stay bubbled.
Berserk Button: Lies. She attempted to kill Steven when she believed him to be another one of Rose's "lies". She also hates hypocrisy, given that she was livid when she learned that Rose shattered Pink Diamond.
Black-and-White Insanity: She despises Homeworld gems and views them all as evil. However, as her interactions with Peridot show, she has no problem with defected Homeworld Gems.
The Blacksmith: The role her kind typically play is architecture, but she upgraded to a weapons-maker during the war against Homeworld. She's also responsible for forging Rose's sword and the entire Crystal Gem armory.
Broken Tears: Locks herself away in her forge and lets them fall like rain after Garnet dies.
Crush Blush: Had this when she first saw Allura.
Easily Forgiven: Subverted. While Steven and Connie forgive her, it takes the rest of the Paladins a while before they can trust her again.
Fish out of Temporal Water: More than she originally was since she's now light years from Earth in territory completely foreign to her.
I Choose to Stay: Discussed. She tells Pearl that after they defeat Zarkon, she intends to stay either on the Castle of Lions or with the Olkarions since she feels she can do a lot of good in those places. She makes good on her word after Zarkon bites it.
Incompatible Orientation: Lance, ever the ladies man, flirts with her on sight. Unfortunately for him, she's more interested in his cousin.
Never Got to Say Goodbye: She never got to apologize to Garnet for taking her anger out on her before her death.
Shapeshifter Weapon: She can alter parts of her body into different weapons such as hammers and blades.
Super-Strength: She's a complete powerhouse, possibly even stronger than Garnet. She was able to keep pace with a large Ruby fusion.
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Questions why they don't simply head to Homeworld and use Voltron to wipe them all out, given how powerful he is. Shiro tells her that they need to focus on stopping the Galra since they are the greater threat.

Crystal Gems

In General

Department of Redundancy Department: Hunk comments on how redundant the name Crystal Gems seems.
The Needless: Like all Gems, they can eat if they want to, but they don't need to.
Really 700 Years Old: The current members have been defending Earth for thousands of years.
The Resistance: They were the rebellion against the Diamond Authority 5,000 years ago.

Garnet (Spoilers)

Garnet

The leader of the Crystal Gems following Rose Quartz's passing. She's a fusion of Ruby and Sapphire, embodying the love they have for each other. While she has aided the Paladins numerous times, she and Pearl ultimately needed to return to Earth to unsure the planet's safety. She returns to the Voltron Force in "Infiltration".

The Ace: She leads the Crystal Gems and is also their strongest member.
Battle Couple: She embodies one.
Deader than Dead: While Ruby and Sapphire still exist on the Astral Plane, Garnet is nowhere to be found, signifying that she's gone for good.
Death by Adaptation: She sacrifices herself while fighting Haggar to help Shiro escape.
Handicapped Badass: Her fight against the Druid and Haggar didn't go her way due to the Druid using its magic to nullify her future vision.
Heroic Sacrifice: She stays behind to fight Haggar so that Shiro could escape, and ultimately dies by the witch's hands.
The Leader: Of the Crystal Gems.
Parental Substitute: She was one of Steven's mother figures growing up, arguably more so than Pearl.
Seers: Her "future vision" ability allows her to see the numerous possible outcomes of an event.
Warrior Therapist: Helped Stevonnie as well as Steven through the horrors of war that they have to go through.
Worf Had the Flu: When fighting the Druid, her future vision was completely nullified, and it remained that way throughout her fight with Haggar.

Pearl

The second-in-command of the Crystal Gems and Rose Quartz's closest confidant. She is highly devoted to the Gems mission to protect the world. She acts as a surrogate mother to Steven and is Connie's mentor in sword combat. Like Garnet, she returned to Earth following the fight for the Balmera to ensure the planet's safety. She returns to the Voltron Force in "Infiltration".

Curb-Stomp Battle: When she decides to cut loose, she casually defeats both Keith and Lance in a sparring match.
The Dreaded: Discussed. She was the "terrifying renegade Pearl" after all.
Hammerspace: Her gem functions as a nifty storage dimension for various items that they can't carry all at once. She can manifest other stored weapons as well as hold medical supplies, provisions, ship components, and messages in its space.
Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted. She pushed Lance and Pidge out of the way so they wouldn't be caught in the explosion set up by Sendak, but she only "poofed", so she was perfectly fine when her body reformed.
The Lancer: The second-in-command of the Crystal Gems and a lot more emotional and uptight compared to her stoic, laid-back leader.
Master Swordsman: She's had thousands of years to refine her craft, and she does not disappoint.
Moral Guardians: She makes it a point to keep Steven and Connie from hearing profanity.
Number Two: She was this to Rose back when she was alive, being her most trusted confidant. She also serves as this to Garnet.
Parental Substitute: Since Steven grew up without his mother, she's the closest he can associate to having one. She also semi-functioned as this for Connie since they were far away from Earth and her family.
Precision F-Strike: She yells out "Give them hell!" when Voltron first formed against Sendak. She was heavily embarrassed by this.
Sci-Fi Bob Haircut: When she reforms, her new hairstyle follows this.
Straight Gay: Of the Discount variety, but it wouldn't be obvious unless it was told. She's also in a relationship with Sabina - AKA the mystery girl - back on Earth.
And This Is for...: Before she descends her spear to impale Haggar, she has this to say:
Pearl: This is for Garnet!
Warrior Therapist: Serves as one for Connie.

Rose Quartz

The deceased leader of the Crystal Gems. She gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven, giving him her gem. Despite being well remembered by those that fought beside her, she has committed actions that she isn't proud of and went out of her way to keep hidden.

The Ace: Was the leader of the Crystal Gems during the war and was looked up to by all who rebelled alongside her.
Big Good: Was this for the rebellion.
Broken Pedestal: Bismuth lost faith in her after she not only rejected her idea to shatter the Diamonds to end the war, but also lied about bubbling her to her friends. This goes even further when Steven and Bismuth learn that she shattered Pink Diamond. Even Pearl, her most devoted confidant, was angry at the revelation that she bubbled Bismuth and never told anyone.
Hypocrite: Chastised and even bubbled Bismuth for her desire to shatter Homeworld Gems during the rebellion, but she's responsible for shattering Pink Diamond. Bismuth even outright calls her this after she finds out.
The Leader: She was the leader of the Crystal Gem rebellion back when she was alive.
Posthumous Character: She died giving birth to Steven, so she's not around in the current time.

Allies

Blade of Marmora

In General

Child Soldier: The youngest members are this. The oldest may not be children, but they've been fighting the Galra since their youth, as evident by Thace being just as composed as a child during the time loop as he was as an adult.
Dark Is Not Evil: They wear dark garbs and have an overall black and purple aesthetic, but they are a heroic, if pragmatic, organization.
Fantastic Racism: Given that they are of the same race that is oppressing the universe, they aren't exactly well liked, though there are some races that trust them.
Good is Not Nice: They are firmly against the Galra Empire, but they are highly pragmatic and willing to make big sacrifices for the greater good.
The Needs of the Many: They are willing to sacrifice the few to preserve the lives of many more. However, not all of them abide by this.
Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Alien cat ninja rebels.
The Resistance: They are a splinter faction of the Galra race, fighting against Zarkon to free the worlds he has conquered.

Kolivan

The leader of the Blade of Marmora. Originally a high ranking Commander in Zarkon's elite, he rose up alongside his allies to oppose the tyranny of Zarkon's empire after his Emperor began conquering worlds.

The Ace: He was the absolute best soldier under Zarkon's command over 10,000 years ago and one of the best fighters in the galaxy.
The Ageless: His exposure to Quintessence has halted his aging.
The Captain: He was the commander of Zarkon's elite guard and even led the assault on the Diamond Authority.
Defector from Decadence: Following Zarkon's fall, he left the Galra military and formed the Blade of Marmora.
The Leader: Of the Blade of Marmora.
Really 700 Years Old: He was born on the Galra home planet, Diabazaal, which was destroyed over 10,000 years ago. As a result of the Galra race using Quintessence to maintain their youth, he's in the same age group as Zarkon.

Ulaz

A member of the Blade of Marmora and a close friend of Thace. He was captured sometime between The sabotage of Castle Doom and the Red Lion's arrival on Earth.

Affectionate Nickname: Refers to Keith as "young one".
Determinator: Even after all the torture he was put through at the Empire's hands, he still refuses to spill his guts. He even willingly endures getting electrocuted to destroy the tracking device in his body, despite already being in immense pain from his prior torture.
Dying Moment of Awesome: He goes down using explosives to take a large amount of Galra soldiers with him.
The Mentor: Was one of Keith's mentors in the Blade of Marmora.

Thace

One of agents of the Blade of Marmora who aided in Shiro's rescue at Castle Doom. He is the father of Keith.

Action Dad: He's a highly skilled agent and is Keith's father.
Interspecies Friendship: He's a Galra who's close friends with Ryner, an Olkari rebel leader.
No One Gets Left Behind: Contrasting the usual Marmoran policy, he won't leave his friend, Ulaz, to suffer at the Galra's hands.
Related in the Adaptation: He's Keith's father is this story, as well as Axca's (albeit as her stepfather).
Second Love: He's not the first man Krolia loved, as he is not Axca's father.
Wise Beyond Their Years: Even with the time-loop causing everyone, himself included, to get younger, he still acted as composed as he would have been as an adult.

Krolia

A Marmoran agent and Keith's mother.

Action Mom: Is both Axca and Keith's mother as well as one of the agents who trained her son how to fight. She also partakes in the mission to cripple Castle Doom and aids the Crystal Gems in the fight against Haggar.
Battle Couple: She forms one with Thace, as they fight together against Haggar during the final assault on Castle Doom.
Like Parent, Like Child: Ulaz comments that Keith inherited his stubborn streak from her.
Related in the Adaptation: She's not only Keith's mother, but Axca's as well.

Olkari

Ryner

The leader of the resistance on Olkarion and a long-time friend of Thace and Kieth.

Interspecies Friendship: An Olkari rebel leader who is close friends with Thace, a Marmoran Galra.
The Leader: Of the Olkari rebels.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She's perfectly willing to take in the Off-Colors without question and is generally pleasant with her subordinates. She also has no problem allowing the Ruby Squad to live on Olkarion despite them serving Homeworld.

The Off-Colors

The Off-Colors (Rutile Twins, Rhodonite, Padparadscha, Fluorite)

A group of Gems shunned by their own kind for being "defective". They were rescued by Pidge, Peridot, and Matthew; being sent to Olkarion for their safety and to live their own lives free from harm.

Adaptational Badass: They get to take part in combat by forming an enormous dragon fusion to aid the Voltron Lions in the final assault on Castle Doom.
Fusion Dance: Rhodonite and Fluorite are both fusions, and all of them can fuse to become Dragon's Vein Agate, the Off-Color dragon.
Like a Son to Me: Padparadscha is treated like a daughter by Rhodinite. She often acts motherly to the off-color Sapphire and her main drive to escape the Homeworld colony with the others was because she wanted Padparadscha to live a better life than the one they had.
The Load: Padparadscha. Her obliviousness and "past-vision" kept causing them more problems.
Properly Paranoid: Rhodonite is constantly worrying, but with what they have to deal with, can one really blame her?
Team Mom: Rhodonite is akin to the overbearing mother of the Off-Colors, even treating Padparadscha like a daughter.
You Remind Me of X: Rhodinite ended up reminding Bismuth and Pearl of the deceased Garnet due to both being a fusion as well as being part Ruby.
Padparadscha: I predict that this conversation is about to become awkward.

Balmera

Rax

A Balmeran slave who puts the safety of his family ahead of all else. He was originally at odds with the Voltron Force out of fear that the Galra would kill his family for helping them.

The Bus Came Back: In "Preparations", he and several other Balmerans join the Voltron Force for their last assault on Zarkon. He later becomes a permanent member of the Castle of Lions as a full-time crew-mate.
Groin Attack: He's repeatedly kicked in the shin by Peridot. Since he's a large rock alien and she's a small Gem, it doesn't work.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He helps the Galra try and capture Stevonnie and Amethyst to protect his family. After they go back on the deal, he realizes how wrong he was.

Shay

A young Balmeran slave who, in her kindness, aided the Voltron Force in finding the Yellow Lion alongside her mate, Hunk.

The Bus Came Back: She and several other Balmerans joined the Voltron Coalition in "Preparations".
Happily Married: With Hunk.
Nice Girl: Her first instinct was to help the Paladins hide from the Galra and aid them in locating the Yellow Lion.

Hunk

One of the many Balmeran slaves the Galra have imprisoned. He is Shay's mate.

Adaptational Species Change: He's a Balmeran rather than a human.
The Bus Came Back: He joins the Voltron Coalition alongside Rax and Shay in "Preparations".
Demoted to Extra: He doesn't play much of a role here, as the Yellow Paladin position is Amethyst's.
Happily Married: He's Shay's mate and they love each other very much.
Nice Guy: He's a complete sweetheart and wanted to help Stevonnie and Amethyst because it was the right thing to do.

Galaluna

King Caerleon

The ruling monarch of Galaluna.

Adaptational Jerkass: Downplayed, as he's still the same, yet displays some xenophobia towards outsiders.
Named by the Adaptation: He's given the Arthurian name Caerleon whereas his original version went unnamed.
Ungrateful Bastard: Played With. He sincerely thanks the Voltron Coalition for helping avert the Galra invasion, but he'd rather his people repair the aftermath themselves, so he's not fond of them staying to cleanup.

Princess Ilana

The princess of Galaluna and daughter of the King.

Nice Girl: She doesn't display the intolerance towards outsiders that her people are known for and fully accepts the Coalition's help without issue.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: She and her father personally help in repairing the damage done by the Galra attack. She also wants to fight alongside her people to protect them, but her father and Modula advise her not to due to her being the heir to the throne.

Corporal Lancelot

A member of the Galaluna Royal Guard.

Adaptational Name Change: Due to One-Steve Limit, his name is changed to Lancelot to differentiate him from Prince Lance.
Power Armor: His Manus armor, which functions like a small Humongous Mecha.

Octus

A bio-cybernetic robot created by King Caerleon.

Benevolent A.I.: He's a cybernetic artificial intelligence that serves the Galaluna royal family.
Be the Ball: He can turn into a sphere and roll around, which lets him quickly evacuate Princess Ilana.

General Modula

The head of the Galaluna military.

Adaptational Heroism: Unlike canon, where he betrayed his people and launched an invasion of his homeworld, he's still loyal here.
Badass in Distress: He gets captured by Sendak when Lotor personally invades Galaluna.
Frontline General: He leads his troops from the front.
Pet the Dog: He commends Keith for his bravery and heroism, seeing him as someone who fought to protect others and not just another Galra.
The Stoic: He has a near stone-like presence to others.

Other Allies

Alfor

King Alfor

The deceased Altean king and the former Red Paladin of Voltron. He, alongside his brother-in-arms, Zarkon, lead the original Paladins. Together, they used Voltron to protect the universe and established an era of peace. However, Zarkon's fall would eventually lead to the team's demise. Desperate to ensure the safety of the universe, he hid the Voltron Lions across the known universe, so that Zarkon could never gain their power.

Action Dad: He was a badass royal and the father of Allura.
Benevolent A.I.: He uploaded an A.I. copy of himself into the Castle of Lions. Sadly, they had to delete him to purge Sendak's virus from the Castle.
Big Good: Was this for the Altean race prior to his death.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Fought and held off Zarkon by himself just to give the Castle of Lions enough time to escape.
Hold the Line: His last moments are spent fighting Zarkon to the bitter end, holding him off long enough for the Castle of Lions and the Black Lion to get away.
The Lancer: Was this to the original Paladins with Zarkon as The Leader.
Leeroy Jenkins: Something he was criticized by his peers for. He eventually grew out of this.
Posthumous Character: He's long dead by the beginning of the story.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He fought for his people rather than hid.

Original Paladins

Trigel, Blaytz, Gyrgan

The original defenders of the universe. They were killed by Zarkon in his quest for power.

Adaptational Sexuality: Blaytz was later confirmed by Word of God to be gay. Here, he's bisexual, casually flirting with Zarkon's servants, both male and female.
Precursor Heroes: To the current Paladins.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: They were the front-line leaders of a force intended to defend the universe from evil and were also the rulers of their respective galaxies.
True Companions: Even before they became the Paladins of Voltron, they were a tight-nit team.

Raimon

The brother of Alfor and the father of Lance. He was killed by Hessonite while he was protecting Honerva during the Gem invasion of Diabaazal.

Action Dad: He's the father of Lance and was able to hold his own against Hessonite for a short while.
Casanova Wannabe: Much like his son, he tries flirting with random women (such as Zarkon's servants) and gets absolutely nowhere.
Flat Character: He's not given much character beyond being a flirt and protectiveness of his family.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He's killed in the chapter he is introduced in and isn't given much character beyond being protective of his family.

Villains

Galra Empire

In General

The Empire: Obviously, as they are a massive empire who seeks absolute control of the universe and its resources.
Evil Versus Evil: Not only are they fighting against Voltron, but also the Diamond Authority and Homeworld. Since both are genocidal conquerors, neither are good people.
Fantastic Racism: As far as they care, Gems are just energy sources, nothing more. Also applies to pretty much anyone except themselves. They also show a hatred for Galra half-breeds, as they often killed them on sight during Zarkon's reign.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: After Zarkon's death, the Empire starts collapsing as Rebellions begin to succeed across the galaxy.
Proud Warrior Race: The Galra operate on the philosophy of "Victory or Death", and are incredibly stubborn to a fault. Though not all of them are like this and some are more cowardly than let on.
Took a Level in Badass: When they first fought the Diamond Authority, they put up a good fight, but were ultimately overwhelmed. These days, they are the superior force due to over 10,000 years of R&D with Quintessence.
Villain Forgot to Level Grind: Averted. They learn from their mistakes and upgrade multiple Dreadnaughts with particle barriers to counteract Voltron.

Emperor Zarkon

The ruler of the Galra Empire and the former Black Paladin of Voltron. Thanks to the rejuvenating properties of Quintessence, he has lived for over 10,000 years. He desires absolute control over all life in the universe and seeks to obtain Voltron's power to aid him in his conquest.

The Ageless: He stopped getting old a long time ago thanks to exposure to pure Quintessence. He looks almost exactly the same as he did 10,000 years ago.
Authority Equals Asskicking: He's the ruler of the Galra Empire and is powerful enough to effortlessly best the Voltron Force in battle.
Badass Cape: He typically wears a long flowing cape as part of his royal regalia. He doesn't usually wear it in combat though.
Berserk Button:
- Defying his orders isn't viable.
- Don't presume that you know more about Voltron than he does.
- Go ahead, try to hurt his wife. He'll personally kill you himself if you do.
  - Speaking of his wife, doing or saying anything to remind him that she's no longer who she once was isn't a good idea.
Big Bad: He rules the Galra Empire and is the primary antagonist.
Broken Ace: He was once the leader of the Paladins of Voltron and the greatest warrior of them all, as well as the beloved ruler of Diabazaal. His obsession with Quintessence and his desperation to save his wife would cause him to devolve into a megalomaniacal dictator hell-bent on universal conquest.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When Keith tells Zarkon that he killed his sister, Zarkon points out that he's killed a lot of sisters.
Cool Sword: His cutlass, the original Black Bayard. It even doubles as a shield.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: He dies in the show by his son's hands in Season 5, but he's killed around the end of the Season 2 mark here by Voltron.
Disc-One Final Boss: He gets killed in "The Legendary Defenders", but the Galra Empire still exists and his son takes over.
The Dreaded: He is feared throughout the known universe. His own empire would be on the verge of collapse if his followers didn't fear him as much as they do.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He still deeply cares for his wife, even several millennia after she had forgotten who she was. When Prorok dared to kill her, he personally snapped his neck.
Even Evil Has Standards: He seems to have a strong respect for those with a sense of honor, and is heavily disgusted with the more weaselly members of his army who back-stab their way to the top.
Fallen Hero: He was once the Black Paladin that protected the universe with the original Paladins. He is now the greatest enemy to all life in the universe.
Fatal Flaw: His pride and obsession with reclaiming the Black Lion are the major contributors to his downfall. He already had the perfect power source in Blue Diamond, so he really didn't need the Black Lion anymore, but he allowed Shiro to appeal to his immense arrogance and confronted the Voltron Coalition. This causes him to fall into their trap and ultimately die by Voltron's hands.
Galactic Conqueror: He has near-absolute control of a majority of the known universe, including numerous galaxies such as the systems of his former allies.
A God Am I: His followers worship him as if he were a god. He does nothing to deter this. Even before his resurrection, he outright told Alfor that through Quintessence, they could achieve godhood.
Hero Killer: Well, given that he's killed the previous Paladins as well as Alfor...
Hero's Evil Predecessor: As the former Black Paladin, he is this to Shiro.
Jerkass Has a Point: While he did rebuff Alfor's decision to shut down the Quintessence research, he was right in that said research provided them with the means to fend off their invaders and that it would make their duty to protect the universe much easier.
Knight of Cerebus: There's never any humor or lightheartedness in his presence. When he steps up and fights the heroes himself, he almost single-handedly brought about their Darkest Hour.
Master Swordsman: Is superior to Keith and Stevonnie and single-handedly defeated Alfor in sword combat without much effort.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: As the former Black Paladin, he knows what Voltron is capable of and takes the threat he poses very seriously. He orders Prorok to do so as well, but he doesn't and it costs him his life.
"Not So Different" Remark: Zarkon notes that Keith is almost exactly like he was in his youth.
One-Man Army: When he steps up to fight the Paladins himself, he casually defeats Keith and Stevonnie without trying.
Orcus on His Throne: Rarely does he ever get involved himself. When he does get involved, don't expect to leave alive.
Pride Before a Fall: The key contributor to his final defeat and death is his overwhelming sense of pride. He would not let anyone but himself claim the Black Lion.
Really 700 Years Old: Thanks to the power that Quintessence provides, he has lived for over 10,000 years without any sign of age.
Sanity Slippage: He's been going through one ever since the start of the Quintessence research and even through his 10,000 year conquest, but he becomes more and more notably unhinged after Shiro severs his connection to the Black Lion.
Shapeshifter Weapon: His mastery over his Bayard allows him to alter its form into various weapons such as a shield, a cutlass style sword, or a cannon.
Smug Super: He is immensely arrogant and has a full-blown god complex, but since he can easily best Alfor, Keith, and Stevonnie, as well as fight and win against Blue Diamond in single combat, his ego isn't unwarranted.
Super-Strength: He can effortlessly lift an Erto fighter over his head and destroy Rose's sword without much effort, so his strength is likely comparable to a Diamond. He even trades blows with Blue Diamond when he attacks the Zoo.
That Man Is Dead: While fighting Shiro on the Astral Plane, he states that his past self was weak and as such died.
Took a Level in Jerkass: As time went on, he progressively became more and more controlling and aggressive due to his and Honerva's studies and obsessions with Quintessence. After his resurrection, all bets are off since he's become a conqueror and ruthless tyrant.
The Worf Effect:
- Effortlessly trounces Keith and Stevonnie in combat. He also destroys Rose's sword, something that only the Diamonds can do.
- While she put up a good fight, he also ultimately defeats Blue Diamond as well.

Haggar

High Priestess Haggar/Empress Hornerva

The High-Priestess of the Druids and Zarkon's second-in-command. She was originally Zarkon's wife, an Altean alchemist named Hornerva. However, long-term exposure to Quintessence has turned her into what she is now, even forgetting her past identity.

Adaptational Nice Guy: While she still obsessed with her Quintessence research For Science!, she also did so to make Alfor's universe spanning peace alliance an eternal one through her studies, something that was never mentioned in the show. She was also able to raise her son before her transformation, which the original Hornerva never got the chance to do.
Authority Equals Asskicking: She's Zarkon's second-in-command and is more than a match for the Crystal Gems. Doubly so since she's also technically the Empress of the Galra Empire.
Broken Ace: She was among Altea's best and brightest, being the most knowledgeable person in the galaxy in regards to Quintessence and its properties, as well as being the greatest sorceress of her time. Her obsession with Quintessence and unlocking the secrets of immortality would lead to her downfall.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While she has no memories of being Zarkon's wife, she still deeply loves him, as she was completely devastated by his death.
Evil Sorcerer: She's the second in command of the Galra Empire and among the most powerful magic-users.
For Science!: A major driving force for most of her motivations back when she was Honerva. This has not changed even as Haggar.
Identity Amnesia: She can no longer remember her original name or her life as Honerva.
In the Hood: Always wears dark robes with a hood over her head.
Lack of Empathy: She thinks nothing of the torture she causes the Gems during her experiments on them.
Lady of Black Magic: She's an expert in some very disturbing mythical practices.
Little "No": Lets out one after she senses that Zarkon had been killed.
Hero Killer: She killed Garnet in the season 1 finale.
Knight of Cerebus: Like Zarkon, she is not a humorous villain in the slightest. She's also the first villain to kill one of the heroes.
Morality Pet: Played with. She's the only one Zarkon is polite to even after his transformation, but she's just as bad as he is.
Really 700 Years Old: She's well over 10,000 years old like her husband is.
Skewed Priorities: During the Homeworld invasion of Diabazaal, she cared more about protecting the "ore" than she did saving herself.
Unholy Matrimony: She and Zarkon are married (though she doesn't remember). They are also the villains.
Worthy Opponent: Gives her respect to Garnet and believes the Crystal Gem to be more worthy of the Black Lion than Shiro.

Sendak

Commander Sendak

A cybernetics-enhanced Galra commander who was tasked with killing the last of Alfor's bloodline on Arus. He bears a surprising sense of honor and will fight for his Emperor to the bitter end.

Adaptational Badass: In the series, his assault on the Castle of Lions required a full team and Lieutenant Haxus. Here, he accomplishes it all by himself.
Adaptational Nice Guy: He's simply a fanatically loyal Noble Demon here, while his canon self has no problems bombarding civilians among many other atrocities.
Almighty Janitor: He's just a commander and he's among Zarkon's most trusted servants, second only to Haggar.
Artificial Limbs: He has a cybernetic limb used for powerful strikes.
Even Evil Has Standards: He's no coward and truly believes in his Emperor's cause. He also sees no honor in killing children.
Graceful Loser: When his ship was going down, he remained calm and accepted death while his subordinates where panicking.
Noble Demon: A fanatical solider that views killing children as dishonorable.
Not Quite Dead: He's revealed to still be alive as of Chapter 33.
Undying Loyalty: He is fanatically loyal to Zarkon and Haggar, and will obey their orders to the bitter end. After Zarkon is killed, this loyalty transfers entirely to Haggar.
Villainous Valor: He will not stop until he achieves his objective. For him, it is victory, or death.
Wake-Up Call Boss: Shows the Paladins how stopping the Galra is no small feat and will be a risky endeavor to pull off.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Downplayed. He has no trouble hurting them, but he detests killing them as it does not fit with his sense of honor.

Haxus

Lieutenant Haxus

A lieutenant assigned to Olkarion to acquire the Green Lion.

Death by Adaptation: He dies earlier here than in the series.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How Keith kills him.
Would Hurt a Child: Had no issue trying to gun Katie down in front of her brother.

Prorok

Commander Prorok

A disgruntled Galra officer. He despises the Druids for being more relied upon by his Emperor than the military he serves. He tends to take matters into his own hands, which doesn't always work out the way he wishes.

Dies Differently in Adaptation: He gets his neck snapped by Zarkon for his failures rather than be killed as a ro-beast.
Glory Seeker: Sought personal glory in defeating Voltron over following his Emperor's orders. You can guess how that turned out, can't you?
Interservice Rivalry: He utterly hates Haggar for how Zarkon favors her and her Druids over the Galra Military. His desire for military glory in combat against Voltron to prove himself superior costs him dearly.
Neck Snap: How Zarkon kills him.
Never My Fault: Blames Haggar for his failure to stop Voltron.

Deathblack Beastmen/Ro-Beasts

In General

Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: They are very large, often rivaling Voltron himself in sheer height.
Cast from Lifespan: Their attacks use up their Quintessence supply and they are designed to keep fighting until they run out. Unfortunately for everyone else, the planets they're sent to typically give out long before they do.
Composite Character: Referred to as both Deathblack Beastmen (GoLion) and Ro-Beasts (80s Voltron) in this story.
The Dreaded: Keith heavily feared fighting one of these because before Voltron, they've never been defeated.
Earth-Shattering Kaboom: The fate of whatever planet they get sent to is that it's usually destroyed.
Robeast: Obviously. They are horrific amalgamations of beast and machine that stand hundreds of feet tall.

Drazil

The first Ro-Beast that the Voltron Force faces on Balmera X-95-Vox. It resembles a giant armored hybrid of a lizard and an octopus and is covered with eyes capable of firing devastating lasers.

Beam Spam: It fires several lasers at once against Voltron.
Energy Weapon: Its eyes can fire dozens of lasers at once.
Amethyst [complaining]: It can shoot freaking lasers, because why not.
Eyes Do Not Belong There: Its got eyes covering its arms. It uses them to fire its attacks.
Off with His Head!: How Voltron kills it.
Wake-Up Call Boss: Serves as one to Voltron himself, showing that there are things in the universe that can challenge and even defeat him if the Paladins aren't careful.

Zarkon's Armor

A Ro-Beast designed in the image of Emperor Zarkon. It was intended to rival and surpass Voltron himself, but requires an enormous amount of power to function.

Dark Is Evil: It has an overall dark aesthetic and is piloted by Zarkon.
Evil Counterpart: It's basically the "Anti-Voltron". It equals Voltron in all categories, yet is used by the Galra Emperor.
Living Battery: It's powered by Blue Diamond. Had Zarkon's original plans succeeded, it would have been powered by the Black Lion, a living machine.
Purple Is Powerful: Has the purple coloring of the Galra Empire and is Voltron's outright equal.
Wave-Motion Gun: It has a back-mounted cannon that's so powerful it can overpower Voltron's Arm Cannon and shoulder-mounted BFG at once and send him flying as far as another galaxy.

Lotor's faction

In General

Anti-Villain: Unlike the rest of the Galra, they seek peaceful means to bring order to the universe.
A Lighter Shade of Black: More so than the Diamond Authority compared to the Galra Empire. They want to establish peace in the universe and are more willing to get their hands dirty to achieve that goal, but they are close friends and treat the Galra occupied worlds well.
Non-Human Humanoid Hybrid: Excluding Lapis and Violet Pearl, they are all half-Galra, half-other species.
Thou Shall Not Kill: In regards to Gems, Lotor makes it a point to avoid shattering them no matter what.

Prince Lotor

The son of Emperor Zarkon. He is called to take the throne due to recent events.

Adaptational Nice Guy: Some of his more morally dubious actions don't occur and his beliefs in peace are more genuine.
Age Lift: He's older here, as he was born before the destruction of Diabaazal while in the show, he was born after its destruction and his parents' transformations.
Anti-Villain: He is running the Galra Empire now, but he wants to bring peace to the universe and prefers the philosophy of offering an open hand rather than a closed fist. When engaged in combat, he makes it a point to avoid civilian targets and prevent collateral damage. He also completely abolishes Gem harvesting and allows the worlds under Galra control to rule themselves and seeks to protect them and their people.
Inadequate Inheritor: How Zarkon and Haggar viewed him. His father saw fit to banish him and Haggar derides him for his peaceful philosophies.
"Not So Different" Remark: As much as he claims that he isn't like his father, Haggar notes that they do have one major thing in common: they're both arrogant and prideful, and that self-righteousness could be his downfall as much as it was Zarkon's.
Uptown Girl: Gender inverted. He's the Prince and heir to a massive intergalactic empire, and he's with Lapis, who is of a much lower class in her home culture.
Weak, but Skilled: In his fight with Jasper, it's clear that he isn't physically as strong as she is, but he's just as skilled and far more pragmatic. This allowed him to take advantage of Jasper's berserk buttons and put her in a vulnerable position.

Narti

A Galra half-breed and one of Lotor's generals. She is completely blind and mute, using her telepathy to communicate with others. She is responsible for saving Lapis from Haggar's clutches six months prior to the start of the story.

Blind Seer: She doesn't have any eyes and cannot see, but she uses her psychic powers to get around that.
Dark and Troubled Past: Her father was a Galra soldier who fell in love with a woman of a different species. Her family was killed for such an act and she was left on the run until Lotor saved her.
Eyeless Face: She's typically paired up with someone to serve as her eyes via her psychic abilities to compensate for this.
Hidden Depths: She shows a playful side when she helps Ezor win at gambling in a casino.
Suddenly Voiced: Played with. She doesn't talk, but she communicates telepathically.

Lapis Lazuli

A Gem who was caught in the rebellion and trapped in a mirror after being mistaken for a Crystal Gem. She spent over 5,000 years trapped on Earth, and was finally freed when Steven destroyed the mirror and later fixed her gem. Unfortunately, she was captured by the Galra as she approached the edge of the solar system, and was unable to escape with Shiro and Matthew thanks to Sendak. After being tortured and harvested for Quintessence for over two years, she was later rescued by Narti, one of Lotor's Generals. She now serves as one of his fellow generals.

Anti-Villain: Of the Well-Intentioned Extremist variety. She wants to help Lotor bring order to the universe and undo the damage done by the Galra, but her side currently opposes the Voltron Coalition.
Because You Were Nice to Me: Why she values and cherishes Steven so much is because he helped free her from captivity and showed genuine kindness to her.
Casual Interstellar Travel: She could fly from Earth to the edge of the solar system in a short time frame by herself.
Cosmic Plaything: You'd swear that the universe is actively trying to make her life a living Hell. First she was captured and trapped on Earth for thousands of years with her gem severely damaged that entire time, then after being freed she was captured again by the Galra and forced to fight in gladiatorial combat, and during the group's escape, she was captured again to be experimented on and harvested for energy.
Crippling Overspecialization: Her abilities pretty much require that she have water available to pull them off. Without it, she's kind of a sitting duck. She's taken to always carrying a flask of water around to avoid this issue.
Determinator: She was able to endure almost two years of torture and energy harvesting at the Galra's hands. Almost every other Gem can barely handle a small fraction of that time.
Good Wings, Evil Wings: Her water abilities grant her a pair of wings that let her fly incredibly fast, though she's somewhere between Anti-Hero and Anti-Villain considering her alignment.
Hot Consort: She considered as one for Lotor, with some members of the Empire deriding her for it.
Making a Splash: Her abilities revolve around controlling and manipulating water. She can also control and manipulate blood and internal body workings.
Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Thanks to her massive control over water, she's undoubtedly the most powerful being on Earth. However, she loses that combat effectiveness in space, where she has little or no access to water. This also means that inside a sentient life-form, she's the strongest being there given that everything has some degree of water in it.
Throw the Dog a Bone: The universe finally decides to give her a lucky break after Narti rescues her. She gets many new friends, becomes a high-ranking general, and becomes Lotor's lover. Quite the step up from her Cosmic Plaything status.
Took a Level in Badass: Before she was captured, she didn't have any fighting skills beyond "overpower everyone with my hydrokinesis", which stopped being effective when water wasn't available. After her time as one of Lotor's generals, she's become considerably more skilled as a fighter and has learned to use her water in more creative and precise ways.

Ezor

An upbeat and perky half-Galra who serves as one of Lotor's generals.

Acquired Poison Immunity: Thanks to the other half of her genetics, she possesses a natural immunity to poisons and toxins. She uses this to detect that the Dradini tried to poison Lotor during negotiations after drinking his wine.
Cuteness Overload: Downplayed. While she doesn't outright explode or freeze in place, she does take a minute to fawn over how adorable Steven is.
Friendly Sniper: She's an excellent shot with a sniper rifle and very cheerful with her friends.
Genki Girl: She's the most cheerful and upbeat of the team.
The Glomp: Does this to Lotor and Lapis when they meet up again after their mission.
Invisibility: She can turn invisible, which she demonstrates by suddenly appearing in Steven and Connie's cell, having always been there without them knowing.

Zethrid

A large, brutish half-Galra and one of Lotor's generals.

Blood Knight: As seen when Lotor and his generals were saving Puig from the invading Gems, she thrives off battle.
The Brute: The strongest and most imposing warrior in Lotor's service.

Masked General

One of Lotor's generals. She constantly wears a mask to hide her true face.

Ace Pilot: She's skilled enough to pilot an advanced ship called the Sincline and match the Red Lion in combat.
Secret Identity: Her mask hides her true identity: Axca.
Tell Me How You Fight: Keith is able to tell when fighting her that she's ex-Marmora.

Violet Pearl

A Gem in service of Lotor. Unlike his generals, she acts more as a secretary of sorts.

Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: To differentiate her from the Diamonds' pearls, she's purple to match the Galra aesthetic.
I Owe You My Life: She's so devoted to Lotor because he abolished Gem harvesting and saved her life just before she could be drained.
Lovely Assistant: She doesn't display any rude qualities, is openly kind and loyal, and serves as Lotor's main assistant.

Diamond Authority

In General

The Ageless: They don't age. Period.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: Subverted. They aren't really a big family - there's only four of them and one's dead - but the current family dynamic is spotty at best.
Blue Blood: They are essentially the highest form of nobility in Homeworld hierarchy. They also have a high opinion of themselves and view other races as beneath them.
Break the Haughty: Voltron dishing out to them their first and only defeat put a strain on their confidence. They would eventually get over it centuries later, but they're still deeply afraid of him.
Broken Pedestal: Peridot doesn't think highly of any of them nowadays thanks to their callousness and wastefulness towards other forms of life.
The Dreaded: They are highly feared for their conquests and the devastation they have wrought to civilizations.
Evil Versus Evil: They are against the Galra as much as the Paladins are, but they are in no way good people and are also genocidal conquerors.
Evil Matriarch: They are technically the "mothers" of the Gem race.
God-Emperor: They are referred to reverently by their people in this sense. White Diamond takes this up a notch, since even her own "daughters" refer to her as "My Paragon" instead of "My Diamond".
Humongous Mecha: Yellow had many servants work on these for the Diamonds, called the Lion Slayers. Their intent was to combat Voltron should they ever encounter him. Yellow's Lion Slayer gets to help Voltron combat Zarkon's Ro-Beast armor.
A Lighter Shade of Black: They are slightly less evil than the Galra Empire by virtue of being a family that cares about each other, but they are still a race of conquerors. They also care about their subjects and try to rescue them when they are in danger, though this may also be a case of Pragmatic Villainy.
Pragmatic Villainy: Since Homeworld has been running low on resources, they are very defensive of their colonies since they can't afford to lose them.
Time Abyss: They are several thousand years old at the youngest. Blue and Yellow predate the existence of Voltron and were present for Pink's creation 10,000 years ago.
Underestimating Badassery: They tend to underestimate their opponents, especially if said opponents are organics. This was a major factor in their initial loss against Voltron.
The Worf Effect: They were the most powerful force in the cosmos and stood unrivaled and unbeaten until Voltron came along and effortlessly sent them back to Homeworld with their tails between their legs.

Yellow Diamond

One of the four matriarchs of Homeworld. She is stern and authoritarian; heavily focused on her duty as a leader.

Adaptational Badass: Not so much in terms of abilities, but personality wise, she's more willing to stand up to White Diamond and call her out.
Big Sister Instinct: Once she hears that the Galra captured Blue Diamond, she sets up to go to war with them. After seeing what they did to her, she fully intends to wipe out the entire Galra race with extreme prejudice.
BFS: The duel blades of her mecha can combine into a massive great-sword powerful enough to slice Galra Dreadnaughts apart.
Calling the Old Man Out: After being summoned by White Diamond, she calls the Gem matriarch out on her lack of care for Blue and how she let her be captured by the Galra and tortured to the point of being a Broken Bird.
Cool Helmet: She wears a helmet on her head 24/7, which hides her long-flowing hair. Her second form averts this as she no longer wears her helmet.
Crazy-Prepared: She has a contingency plan set up in the event of Voltron's return called "The Lion Slayers". Which is a series of mecha designed to fight him on even footing.
Did You Think I Can't Feel?: When Blue yells at her for removing all remnants of Pink's existence from the current Homeworld, Yellow gets uncharacteristically emotional, stating that she couldn't handle the constant reminders that her sister was dead and that it's all her fault.
Dual Wield: Her mecha, Lion Slayer II, has twin energy swords that can be combined into a more powerful great-sword.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- Like Blue, she mourns the loss of her sister. Unlike Blue, she's more stoic and maintains her feelings about it better.
- She also cares about Blue despite her arguments with her about Pink. When she learned that Blue had been captured by the Galra, she was furious and immediately assembled her troops to go to war.
Even Evil Has Standards: While she is a ruthless conqueror, what White Diamond does to her pearls is so cruel and sickening that even she balks at it.
Hair-Trigger Temper: She's very aggressive when her stoic mask slips.
Hypocrite: She tells Blue not to put her grudge against Rose ahead of their responsibilities as leaders, but Blue scoffs at her, saying that she has no room to talk given the Cluster incident.
It's All My Fault: She didn't believe that Pink was ready for her first colony, so when she was killed by one of her soldiers, she blames herself for it.
Jerkass Has a Point: She's not a nice person, but she isn't wrong in telling Blue that they can't just drop all their duties to pursue a vendetta, especially now that they are dealing with the Galra.
Only Sane Man: How she views herself compared to her sister and mother. White isn't really all there and has a massive ego in regards to the Authority's supremacy, while Blue is overly emotional and doesn't take her duties seriously due to her grief. At this point, Yellow is the only one focused on their main objectives of conquest and takes the threat of Voltron seriously.
The Stoic: She maintains a calm and rational demeanor, though she's also pretty Hot-Blooded when angry.

Blue Diamond

One of the four matriarchs and rulers of Homeworld. She seems to be in a constant state of mourning.

Adaptational Badass: Downplayed, but it's implied that her Emotion Bomb can affect non-Gems whereas it could only affect Gems in canon. She also has an actual weapon and doesn't just rely on energy blasts to do battle.
And I Must Scream: Being trapped in her gem and forced to power Zarkon's Ro-Beast armor is effectively this for her.
Beware the Nice Ones: She's nicer than Yellow and White, but when she gets angry, it's a scary sight to behold. She even gave Zarkon a damn impressive fight despite being defeated.
Big Sister Instinct: She deeply cared for Pink Diamond and is more than willing to go to war with "Rose Quartz" when she caught wind of her presence in the area.
Broken Bird: The death of her sister has left her an emotional wreck. It gets even worse for her after she's rescued from the Galra, as the experiments did something to her that rendered her incapable of feeling anything.
Emotion Bomb: She can project her emotions on other life-forms. It often goes out of control and affects them without her knowing.
Emotionless Girl: The energy harvesting and experiments done to her by the Galra have turned her into this, as she can no longer feel any form of emotion.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: She deeply cared about her sister, Pink Diamond, and has been morning her death for thousands of years.
The Grim Reaper: The narration describes her as resembling the god of death when she wields her scythe.
It's Personal: She thoroughly wants Rose shattered for her sister, Pink Diamond's, death.
Living Battery: After she gets captured by Zarkon, she's turned into the power source for his Ro-Beast armor.
Living MacGuffin: She becomes this, as the Galra capture her to use her as a fuel source for Zarkon's armor.
Revenge Before Reason: Yellow is able to stop her, but she is shown to be perfectly willing to ditch her responsibilities as a leader if it means a chance at shattering the one who killed her youngest sister.
Sinister Scythe: She wields a massive scythe when she decides to do battle.

Pink Diamond

The youngest of the Diamond Authority who was shattered by Rose Quartz.

Annoying Younger Sibling: Her bratty attitude frustrates Yellow when she's seen in a flashback.
The Baby of the Bunch: Despite being over several thousand years old, she's the youngest of the Diamonds.
Bratty Half-Pint: When we see her in her youth, she's rather self-entitled and is the smallest of the Diamonds.
Cuteness Proximity: Blue is immediately drawn to how adorable she is.
Posthumous Character: She was killed by Rose long ago.
The Xenophile: She had a peculiar interest in Earth and its inhabitants, rounding up humans in the Zoo and collecting various Earth objects like trees and pottery.

White Diamond

The ruler of the Diamond Authority and Homeworld, as well as the matriarch for the entire Gem race.

Abusive Parent: Treats her "daughters" the same way a high-class Gem would treat a low-class one.
Axe-Crazy: If how she treats her Pearl - who is pretty much stated to not be her first - as well as how she destroyed her past worshipers is any indication, she's pretty screwed in the head.
Evil Matriarch: She's the mother of Yellow and Blue from a technical standpoint since she personally created both of them. She has them go to Diabazaal to retrieve a special "ore" so she could birth Pink.
Expy: Word of God states that her Gratuitous French and some aspects of her personality are heavily based off Ragyo Kiryuin.
French Jerk: She alters between English and French and is not as pleasant to be around as one would ever admit in her presence. Then there's what she did to her Pearl...
Gratuitous French: She tends to switch from English to French when speaking. Granted, it's never outright called French and this is well before the language existed, but it still counts.
Lack of Empathy: It's questionable if she can feel anything for anyone. She never takes her "daughters" feelings into account and when she killed off an entire race, Shiro described her smile as cold and unfeeling.
Light Is Not Good: She's constantly glowing a bright white light, but she is definitely not a nice Gem.
Mad God: She's pretty much a god to the rest of her race as well as most other races in the universe and is not all there. While traversing the Astral Plane, Shiro saw visions of a reptilian race worshiping her... she killed all of them by the way.
Perpetual Smiler: She almost always has a cold, unfeeling smile adorning her face.

Homeworld Gems

In General

The Ageless: Like their leaders, they don't age.
Fantastic Racism: They despise organics and defective Gems to the point where killing them is as much a priority as rescuing their own kind.
Locked Out of the Loop: Almost none of them know anything about the Galra due to the Diamonds keeping their past encounter hidden. The only ones who do are the Diamond's Pearls and Hessonite. Yellow Diamond keeps her court members out of the loop in regards to the purpose of the Lion Slayers, so as far as they know, they're just building another weapon for basic conquest.

Jasper

The "Perfect Quartz" and a Gem from Earth. She bears a massive grudge against Rose Quartz for the death of Pink Diamond and will disregard her orders if it means a chance at bringing her to justice.

The Ace: She's Homeworld's perfect soldier, surpassing every other quartz of her kind.
Almighty Janitor: She's the strongest soldier Homeworld has ever created and played a pivotal role against Rose's Rebellion, but she's lower in rank than the likes of Emerald. This is likely due to her abrasive attitude and blatant disrespect for the other Diamonds, since she was created to serve Pink and not them.
Blood Knight: She lives for battle and hated being put on hostage duty simply because they couldn't fight her. She also defies her orders to hunt random Galra down for a challenge.
The Brute: Is physically the strongest soldier of Homeworld.
Cool Helmet: She wears a helmet that also doubles as her weapon.
Curb-Stomp Battle:
- Easily overpowers Matt when they fought on the desolated Homeworld colony.
- Subjects Amethyst to one while giving her a scathing "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- On the receiving end of one when she fought Smokey Quartz.
Fatal Flaw: Her wrath is both her greatest asset and weakness. While it makes her stubborn and hard to beat, it also makes her irrational and easy to manipulate in the heat of a fight. Lotor exploited this weakness and was able to defeat her.
For the Evulz: Her reason for going after the Galra close to her location? Not revenge, but because she could and wanted the challenge.
Honor Before Reason: She refused to be healed by "Rose" and would rather have glitched out. She pretty much had to be healed against her will.
It's Personal: Like Blue, she wants Rose brought to justice for the death of Pink Diamond.
Military Maverick: She often defies her leaders orders for various reasons, such as seeking revenge or satisfying her blood-lust. She still tends to get results more often than not, not to mention being the strongest quartz soldier in Homeworld's history means they can't afford to lose her.
One-Man Army: During the rebellion, she took out over eighty Crystal Gems the minute she was born.
Revenge Before Reason: Views her vendetta against Rose Quartz as bearing far more significance than obeying the orders of Yellow or Blue Diamond.
Social Darwinist: If you are weak, then you deserve to die. That's pretty much her mindset.
Smug Super: Being the "Perfect Quartz" has led her to having a very high opinion of herself and her abilities. Given how strong she is, that ego is well earned. This comes to bite her in the ass hard when she fights Smokey Quartz, only to lose badly.
Strong and Skilled: Lotor notes in his fight with her that she doesn't rely entirely on brute strength alone and is a skilled warrior.
Super-Soldier: All Quartz soldiers are this, but Jasper takes it to a new level by being far superior to any other Quartz.
Undying Loyalty: She's loyal to the memory of her original Diamond, Pink Diamond, and only Pink Diamond. She follows the orders of the other Diamonds, but she's rather spiteful towards them and is all too willing to ignore their commands in favor of following personal vendettas.
Villainous Breakdown: Has one after Smokey Quartz defeats her and severely damages her Gem, ranting at "Rose" for what "she" did to Pink Diamond.
Villain Respect: She gives her kudos to Matt for standing his ground despite being nowhere near her level.
Villain with Good Publicity: She's considered a hero on Homeworld, with some of the Rubies holding her in awe.

Emerald

The captain of the rescue operation for one of Yellow Diamond's colonies and the apprentice of Hessonite. She commands a Sun Incinerator, one of the fastest ship models in the Homeworld military.

Ace Pilot: To the point where she can equal one of the Voltron Lions in a dog-fight.
Adaptational Badass: She's an actual threat to the heroes this time instead of being a General Failure. She's also revealed to be Hessonite's apprentice.
Ascended Extra: She was only a one-off villain for the Lars of the Stars episode. She's a recurring antagonist this time.
The Captain: Is this to her squad and serves as its leader.
Companion Cube: She deeply cares about her ship, the Sun Incinerator. This is to the point that she treats it with more respect than any of her subordinates.
Jerkass: Callous toward pretty much everyone except for her ship.

The Ruby Squad

The Ruby Squad (Doc, Leggy, Army, Navy, Eyeball)

A group of Rubies who were assigned under Emerald and Jasper to search a Homeworld colony for survivors.

Asshole Victim: Considering that Navy tricked the Off-Colors and her own team so she could steal a ship, even outright abandoning her own squad and insulting them, no tears will be shed from watching the Shadow Vessel drain her of Quintessence and kill her.
Character Development: During the time they spent on Olkarion, all of them (sans Navy) have grown to admire and appreciate organic life.
Dumb Muscle: They're tough, but not bright. Eyeball seems to be one of the more intelligent members of the group.
Enfant Terrible: At least one of them is only a few weeks old and they all serve the genocidal Homeworld. Subverted in that Leggy is just going around following orders since she was just born and doesn't know what else to do.
Hidden Depths: Army has always desired to be an architect like the bismuths she saw on Homeworld. She even possesses architectural knowledge that Bismuth herself lacks.
Make My Monster Grow: They can fuse into a massive Ruby that can effortlessly lift and throw buildings like small rocks.
A Mother to Her Men: Doc puts the needs and well-fare of her crew above all else, including her own needs. Despite not being fully convinced by the Olkarion and Off-Colors, she's perfectly content to stay because the rest of her crew have grown attached to them.
Playing with Fire: They have fire abilities that also provide them with immunity to any form of heat, such as the Red Lion's fire blasts.
Psycho Lesbian: Eyeball tried to gut Stevonnie numerous times and has a one-sided crush on Jasper, not to mention she had very perverted thoughts about the idea of getting her own Pearl.
Undying Loyalty: Eyeball expresses this toward the Diamonds and lashes out at all traitors.
Token Good Teammate: Even before their Heel–Face Turn, Leggy was the nicest of them, lacking any form of malice and was only doing what she was told because she didn't know what else she could do.

Hessonite

A Homeworld commander who led the ground assault on Diabaazal over 10,000 years ago. She's one of the only Gems who knows what happened.

The Ace: Arguably more so than Jasper for Homeworld's military.
Ambiguously Gay: She did give a very flirty wink toward Yellow Diamond's Pearl, but not much beyond that.
Fantastic Racism: Like all Gems, she has a low opinion of organics. She also hates killing them not because of a sense of morals, but because they make a mess of the place.
Hero Killer: She's responsible for killing Lance's father.
Master Swordsman: Effortlessly tore through the Galra with pure swordsmanship and strength. Alfor's brother, who was no slouch in this department, was no match for her.
The Mentor: To Emerald.
One-Man Army: Effortlessly slayed countess Galra soldiers by herself during the battle for Diabaazal.
Time Abyss: She's one of the oldest non-Diamond Gems and one of the few whose existence pre-dates Pink Diamond's.
You Are a Credit to Your Race: After working alongside the Voltron Coalition against Zarkon, she gives praise to them that they were exemplary for a bunch of organics.

Holly Blue Agate

The head of the Human Zoo.

0% Approval Rating: Literally no one likes working with her.
Adaptational Badass: Barely, but she actually gets to fight. It's just that her opponent was Zarkon. She does do better against standard Galra soldiers, catching them off-guard.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Downplayed. She's mostly the same snobbish jerk she was in canon, but being combined with the Beta Traz warden has given her at least one or two redeeming qualities.
Composite Character: She's combined with the Beta Traz warden, having his relationship with the "yupper" as a redeeming quality.
Morality Pet: Her "yupper" is the only living thing she's actually nice to.

The Famethyst

Amethyst's "family". They are also Quartz soldiers from Earth.

Deader than Dead: The ones hit by the Komar blast were completely drained of life, rendering them as this.
Death by Adaptation: They end up getting killed during Zarkon's assault on the Zoo. Though some, like Skinny, survived.
Despair Event Horizon: The ones that survived the assault on the Zoo were left traumatized and apathetic towards their lives, such as Skinny, thanks to losing so many sisters in the struggle.

Unaffiliated

Earth

Mr. and Mrs. Maheswaran

Doug and Priyanka Maheswaran

Connie's parents.

Education Mama: They had Pearl bring all of Connie's study material back to the Castle of Lions. For them, saving the universe doesn't mean you can stop studying.
You Are Grounded!: They are proud of their daughter, but make it a point of reminding her that after she finishes saving the universe, she's grounded. Sure enough, they follow through on it when she gets back to Earth.

Greg Universe

Steven's father.

Good Parents: He's a loving father to his only son.
Open-Minded Parent: While he has his issues with it (understandably so), he's okay with his son going off into space to stop an evil empire so long as he knows he has others to help and protect him.
Rags to Riches: He became a millionaire while Steven was off-world. Though he still prefers the simple life of a Car Wash owner.

Colleen Holt

Katie and Matthew's mother.

Almighty Mom: It's telling that Garnet and Pearl, both of whom are several thousand year old warriors and far beyond what any human can accomplish, are terrified of her when she's angry.
Broken Tears: After learning that her husband died, she breaks down.
Mama Bear: After she learned that her family was well, she demanded that the two super-powered alien warriors take her to them immediately. Though they told her no, it was enough that they'd rather not incur her wrath again.
Strong Family Resemblance: She's pretty much an older version of Katie.
Tender Tears: Shed some when she learned that her family was alive.

Adam Shirogane

An instructor and pilot of the Galaxy Garrison and Shiro's husband.

Happily Married: With Shiro. He was deeply relieved that his husband was alive.
Manly Tears: Shed tears of joy when he learned that Shiro was okay.
Smart People Wear Glasses: He wears glasses and is an instructor at the Galaxy Garrison.

Unaffiliated

Samuel Holt

The father of Matthew and Katie Holt. Like Shiro and Matt, he was abducted by the Galra during the Kerberos mission. Unlike his fellow explorers, however, he was sent to the labor camps to be worked to death. He was eventually freed by the Blade of Marmora and joined in a Galactic rebellion against the Empire. He is revealed to be dead as of Lost and Found.

Killed Offscreen: His death isn't shown, with the only indication of it being when Matt and Pidge come across his unmarked grave.
The Lost Lenore: After his death, he's this to Colleen.
Took a Level in Badass: Implied. He wasn't a fighter when he left Earth, but he became a warrior of a galactic rebellion during the two years he was in space.

Characters / Defenders of the Universe

Edit Locked

Heroes

The Paladins of Voltron/The Voltron Force/The Voltron Coalition

Voltron

Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane

Keith

Stevonnie

Steven Quartz Universe

Connie Maheswaran

Katie "Pidge" Holt

Peridot

Amethyst

Castle of Lions

Princess Allura

Prince Lance

Matthew "Matt" Holt

Coran

Bismuth

Crystal Gems

Garnet

Pearl

Rose Quartz

Allies

Blade of Marmora

Kolivan

Ulaz

Thace

Krolia

Olkari

Ryner

The Off-Colors (Rutile Twins, Rhodonite, Padparadscha, Fluorite)

Balmera

Rax

Shay

Hunk

Galaluna

King Caerleon

Princess Ilana

Corporal Lancelot

Octus

General Modula

Other Allies

King Alfor

Trigel, Blaytz, Gyrgan

Raimon

Villains

Galra Empire

Emperor Zarkon

High Priestess Haggar/Empress Hornerva

Commander Sendak

Lieutenant Haxus

Commander Prorok

Deathblack Beastmen/Ro-Beasts

Drazil

Zarkon's Armor

Lotor's faction

Prince Lotor

Narti

Lapis Lazuli

Ezor

Zethrid

Masked General

Violet Pearl

Diamond Authority

Yellow Diamond

Blue Diamond

Pink Diamond

White Diamond

Homeworld Gems

Jasper

Emerald

The Ruby Squad (Doc, Leggy, Army, Navy, Eyeball)

Hessonite

Holly Blue Agate

The Famethyst

Unaffiliated

Earth

Doug and Priyanka Maheswaran

Greg Universe