Reflection and Analysis

Voltron - 12-9-2017

So...

The novelization for the Blade of Marmora episode has a line which reads, "Keith didn't want his friend hurt. Nothing was worth Shiro's pain."

The line bothers me, and no – not because I'm a fan of them being biological siblings. The line bothers me because I want to take a red pen to said line and edit it, because the line is so awkward. I think it should say, "Keith didn't want to see his friend hurt," or "Keith didn't want his friend to get hurt".

Moving along...

What does this sentence mean?

I'd like to say the line leans towards the argument the two aren't brothers, because the line clearly spells out the two are friends. In the same regard, said line also clearly spells out the fact there is no romantic interest between the two what-so-ever. However, this is the Blade of Marmora line, and one of the things argued regarding the "like a brother line" comes down to the fact some people with romantic feelings for another person mistakes said feelings as a feeling of familiarity, so they would argue that said line doesn't negate the possibility of romance.

So, does the line negate the possibility of the two being siblings?

I thought about said line, and decided that the same argument regarding the "like a brother" line applies. We're talking the Blade of Marmora episode, where Keith shows major self-doubts regarding who he is. This line occurs after the "like a brother" line, where Keith already showed that if he did indeed think Shiro was his brother, doubts are now in place. More specifically, if this is the case, he's also likely wondering if he's still allowed to call Shiro his brother, so he settled on the idea that being just friends is okay.

Which is rather interesting, because it's right after this line that Keith gives up his blade, but the first line is followed up with a second line. "Nothing was worth Shiro's pain." Now, this comes after another line, "Shiro went after Antok and grunted as Antok's blade and his robotic arm collided." The thing is, Shiro is able to take care of himself, but this is Shiro's robotic arm, so the thing is, Shiro's not getting physically hurt at this point. Thus, does the line possibly mean Shiro getting hurt mentally? Keith would be aware – out of all the paladins – that Shiro's already received damage to his mental state.

Why then does Keith worry specifically about Shiro's mental state at this point in time? The reason comes down to the fact Keith's venturing down the possibility of the two not being brothers, but discovering his real parentage. The fake Shiro talked to him about being self-centered, yet Keith felt that was exactly what he was doing to Shiro – being selfish. One of the things in fandom which has never been addressed is why Keith felt like he was being selfish at this point in time.

The thing is, if you think about it, there is nothing self-centered about wanting to know who your family was. It wasn't as if they were diverging from the mission, or Keith was leaving Volron like Katie did. People have compared the two, noting that Keith likely felt like a hypocrite at that point, but should he have? The situation was different, so why the thought about being selfish? It wasn't that this was something which would directly affect the team, but in fact, if Keith could prove himself, would it not help the team?

The line indicates that when he thinks about being self-centered, it is in regard specifically to Shiro, which I think adds even more depth to the words between fake Shiro and Keith, about "you're only thinking of yourself, as usual" and "then you've chosen to be alone".

I'm not sure how to put the significance into words though. Season three reveals that Shiro was the only person to never turn their back on Keith, but season four reveals that Shiro is super patient with Keith, but gave Keith leeway to make his own decisions even though his words also indicated that Keith shouldn't put his training with the blades before Voltron. Shiro, who we've only seen loose his cool with Slav, is at his limits with Keith in that exact same episode.

Also, one of Shiro's other lines is, "we're all the family you need". Why would fake Shiro use the words family at that point in time. Sure, it is a direct reference to the entire Voltron group, but the lines in the novelization say that it's a more specific issue. It's not simply a "we" with Shiro, but a "me". After all, in season four we got an Easter Egg showing Keith and Shiro at the launch, showing they were very much like family.

Yeah, I get the fact some people interpret that moment as romantic, but the thing is, both characters in the Blade of Marmora episode identified each other as family. Going back and looking at transcripts, I realize now it wasn't just Keith who "family zoned", even if it were temporary. And while it is true fake Shiro said these words, these words stem from somewhere, and this would be the fact Keith and Shiro are family, even before this all began.

Blood related? Not necessarily.

But the family connection is there, rather than a romantic one. Add to this, there is also the age gap between Shiro and Keith which is noted in the handbook. While it is true that both are noted as being adults in said handbook, Keith would not have been an adult when Shiro left. Also, who took care of Keith after he became an orphan, which would have been before he entered the Garrison? The most likely person is Shiro.

However, what if the whole friend comment is to throw off the fact they are meant to be blood related, a red herring of sorts? A few people may be thinking, but family members can't be friends.

Which brings me to one of the other arguments I've seen crop up, that because Keith and Shiro don't act exactly like Matt and Katie, that they can't possibly be siblings. Except, we're talking two brothers versus a brother and sister, but more specifically the latter set of siblings are far more sociable than the previous set. People have noted the similarity in social connectivity between the two.

But one of the arguments is that siblings can't be friends, or act in a friendly manner. Yet both sets, if Shiro and Keith are indeed also siblings, do act in a friendly manner. Pidge would likely describe her older brother as her one best friend outside of tech, while Keith would likely describe Shiro as highest friend as well, the one difference being that Shiro is his only friend.

Another option though is, the person doing the novelization was possibly only informed that Shiro was the most important person to Keith, not that they were siblings, as if it is a secret, only select people would know the canon is heading in this direction. Thus, since it is not a romantic connection, the only other option would be friend.

How likely are they to be related though?

While there is, as I pointed above still a chance it could be, I think, unlike other arguments as to them not being related happening, this is the first strong one I've seen. It's still iffy, as we don't know if the line is official, if they are trying to hide something, or if from third person limited point of view Keith is thinking his brother isn't his brother, which I think is possible with Keith.