Pop Culture's Greatest Mistake? The Story of Voltron: Defender of the Universe
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- Опубліковано 8 гру 2021
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Voltron: Defender of the Universe was an animated series that aired in syndication in the US from September 10, 1984, to November 18, 1985.
The original intention was that it would be 3 seasons made up of 3 different imported Japanese cartoons. The 3 series were Future Robot Daltanious (未来ロボ ダルタニアス, Mirai Robo Darutaniasu), Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (機甲艦隊ダイラガーXVフィフティーン, Kikō Kantai Dairagā Fifutīn, "XV" read "Fifteen") and Lightspeed Electroid Albegas (光速電神アルベガス, Kōsoku Denjin Arubegasu).
But a funny thing involving a different Japanese show called Beast King GoLion (百獣王ゴライオン, Hyaku Jūō Goraion) happened along the way.
Voltron: Defender of the Universe was the top-rated syndicated children's show for two years during its original run, and it spawned three follow-up series, several comic books, and a line of toys.
And for all the smart guys on the comments: we're aware Voltron Force exists. This video tells the story of the original series and Voltron Force has no significant relevance to it. As stated in the disclaimer, it may get its own video some day.
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I've never consumed cocaine...but I was a 9 year old who _loved_ Voltron. Presumably, the experience is indistinguishable.
Voltron is a helluva drug...
They are not.
Pretty damn close
This checks out
Lol just know this... When that iconic music comes on and they "form" Voltron... The hype was real. Then you would see him battle and get his ass kicked and then he would bring out his sword in the most epic fashion... Then you KNEW the fight was over!!!
The fact that an iconic animated show of the 80s only came to be because someone at Toei went "lion anime? Right, got it!" and sent over Go Lion amuses me to no good end.
Glad they did send the "wrong" one.
Amazing! I'm grateful for the mix up, Lets GO Voltron Force!
Although Daltanius wasn't a bad show either. And the lion head on its chest looked badass!
History is full of happy accidents
@@DragonKingX78 I know Voltron in both versions, the original Golion, with no changes from the Japanese version, and the American restyled show, as here in Italy they were both broadcast: Golion in the early 80's and Voltron in the late 80's. Yes, Golion was a good show. But do belive me that Daltanious was far better than Golion: its intricated background story, based upon clones and above all their moral dignity, was much more fascinating than Voltron's story. And, yeah, Daltanious's lion, named Beralios, is not piloted, as it has got his own will... Here Daltanious is extremely more famous than Voltron/Golion, actually, right because of its great plot.
One of the best toys ever when it first came out . The big metal Lions that worked separately and connected to form Voltron was one of the best toys you could get in the 80’s
Me and my family were in South Florida on vacation one year, I must have been 10 or 11 when we went into a store in downtown Miami that had this amazing 5 lion set of Voltron. Over the next few days I obsessed over that toy but it cost like 100 dollars, which in 1980s dollars was a small fortune. I beg, cajoled, and negotiated with my mom to get it. I felt like A Christmas Story's Ralphie begging for his Red Rider gun. In the end, my uncle who lived down there gave me the money for it and I was able to take it home. One of my most cherished memories!
@@therexbellator heck yea. The giant metal Voltron that you could have individual lions plus form Voltron was at that time the most exclusive toy on the market.. sadly I had no uncle 😩😩😩
@@nafisaustin5063 Aww man I hear ya, I was definitely lucky that year! And if it makes you feel better I have no idea where that Voltron ended up. I lost so many cool toys over the years 😥
Oh man do I remember getting Voltron for Christmas! To this day I think that was my most prized toy or gift I have ever received!
All the knock offs was the clue it was a hit.
I am 44 years old, born in 1979, and grew with Voltron. This video was such a blast! Thank you for all your work.
If you haven't watched the new Voltron you owe it to your self to just waste a week of your life and do it...holy crap was that show good.
That intro music with Peter Cullen's voice over still gives me chills to this day.
This is the story of the super force of space explorers.
Utterly iconic, but I still cringe when he doesn't seem to know the difference between a solar system, a galaxy, and the universe. And that, kids, was how I became anal retentive.
@@HeavyTopspin N O T 2 M E !!!! He could have called the Galaxy a flat Earth& I wouldn't have given 2 Shiihtz. The Voltron theme song is the only thing that has been playing in my head longer than my Tinnitus.🤣😂🥴😭 🙉
@@HeavyTopspin lol, yeah I noticed that too, but that's on the script, he's just reading what they put in front of him.
Same! I was so excited as a kid when heard his voice! omg! I was like 'His voice is definitely familiar!" lol
We grew up in a cul-de-sac in the 1980s and had this massive weeping willow tree in our backyard with five very large, sturdy main branches, and there were 5 of us neighborhood kids, so we used to play Voltron in our tree, each branch being one of the lions. We would 'borrow' my dad's new home video camera (where you had to strap the entire VCR unit over your shoulder and hold up the 20 lb camera AND a crappy boom mic that only seemed to pick up wind noise), and we spent hours scripting, acting, and filming our own Voltron shorts.
This show was great fuel for the imagination. :)
If you can find even a few seconds of that content, your MUST digitize and post it on your UA-cam channel!
@@uchidaoginome Hahahaha--I'll see if it surfaces... I was thinking I'd be embarrassed by it, but honestly the quality is likely consonant with anything I make nowadays, so if anything I should post it for 'consistency'. :)
Probably a bot
@@David-on9mk Announcing yourself does make it kinda obvious, but your punctuation feels like a giveaway too. :)
Oh! Or were you inferring I was the bot?
Voltron was my number 1 as a child. You always felt so grown up watching it because it was so mature in its writing. I was part if the robot generation. Anything that transformed, I watched it. Gobots, Transformers, Voltron, Tranzor Z, Mighty Orbots, even M.A.S.K.
Bro I'm 17 and I love all of those but my favorite is Voltron
lol. 40+ years old!
@@MOPARBABEHthe heck? You’ve heard of MASK and you’re 17? Hahahah
@@DatMammut76 yup, the intro is an absolute banger. Masked crusaders working overtime fighting crime fighting crime!
I agree with your list plus adding Johnny Sokko and the Giant Robot, Space Giants, Robotech, Spectraman, Ultraman, and many others.
Voltron impacted my childhood extravagantly. My mom stated, a month ago, about how she remembered my brother and I yelling, “Form feet and legs! Arms and body! And I’ll form the head!”
I was today years old when I finally got my mom and aunt's snarky jokes about that bit. Dirty old women. They musta been pushing 30... Lol!
Same here. My friends and I would play Voltron at school. I was the black lion, my friend PJ was green. T'shawn was orange, Todd was red, and Becky was blue. We'd even go so far as to hide Keys around the school playground to re-enact the episode(s) where they had to go hunting for the keys to activate the lions.
Voltron, Transformers, Go-Bots, and Starblazers were my go to shows back then.
I still get that certain feeling whenever I see Voltron. The music, the animation, all of it was such a big influence on me as a kid. Its probably my favorite piece of Fandom in the early 80s. I love it unabashedly
I always loved how the orchestra music was used in the U.S. versions. It really helped set the episodes off.
Actually full orchestra scores were used in plenty of Japanese shows around the 60’s and even earlier, Just look up the orchestra scores for Mazinger Z or UltraSeven
Facts.. it's like a powerful motivational theme song that makes your body flow with this internal force, This and Thundercats
I was prime target audience when Voltron came out and at 41 the theme music still gives me goosebumps.
Oh and Lion Force all the way!!
"My favorite character is Hutch, he pilots the Ford Bronco that's the left foot of vehicle Voltron" said no one ever
Crazy bro. I always thought his name was Hunk. Not hutch
Vehicle Voltron is better. Better concept, premise, and characters.
The "two Svens" thing was because the character was popular enough that there was backlash to his death, so the Japanese series had to invent his twin brother to take his place. The American version just had him make a convenient recovery.
In other words, '80s cartoon television was very family friendly that WEP merged the Shirogane brothers and edited out their deaths for Voltron and they became Sven.
First I ever heard of that, and something doesn't add up there; Ryou didn't show up until episode 41, Takashi died in episode 6. If there was so much backlash he would have been figuratively cloned far sooner than over half a year later. GoLion performed average at best in Japan, it's not like it had JoJo fame and circulation where Araki faced way more pressure to bring back Avdol.
Well, since both Takashi and Ryou were similar to one another, WEP merged them together as Sven and omitted their GoLion deaths for Voltron.
@@karlc2869 That part is well known since Voltron needed to cover up a lot of the rampant death and brutality in GoLion, I think you misunderstand me. I've never heard of any audience discord during GoLion's original airing (81-82) over Takashi's death, which was incredibly early in the show- that seems like a thing that would be noted more often if it compelled cloning him with a brother who looks like him but for longer hair with the same voice actor, albeit a very long time later. Voltron wasn't until 84- Ryou wasn't made in response to Voltron's success, he was from the original GoLion run
Oops sorry. BTW Voltron edited out the GoLion and Dairugger deaths for the U.S. audiences because back then censorship was rampant.
Props Dan for naming all 15 Vehicle Voltron pilots in a single breath. Love VV.
*Space Voltron!😉
It's endlessly interesting to me that depending on where you live in the world a different anime super robot is part of your pop culture because it's the one your country was exposed to first.
the voltron theme still sends chills down my spine. so iconic
I personally LOVED Voltron, specifically the Lionbot Voltron. I liked Vehicle Voltron too but let's be honest, when someone says "Voltron" we see Lionbot Voltron in our minds, not Vehicle Voltron.
I think I watched too much anime as a kid because I saw that "Tranzor Z" ad and immediately recognised it as Mazinger Z. LOL
Tranzor Z was one of my faves too
@@babytoshiro7014 That was the shit. He got hos as beat a whole lot tho
I had that robot as a kid years before that anime came out
To me, Mazinger will always be The Great Mazinga, one of those huge Shogun Warriors that you could buy at Target (Although I know he was Mazinger Z first.) My brother had Mazinga, I had Dragun.
I remember getting the vehicle set instead of the lions and being thoroughly disappointed as a 7 year old. It was SUCH a letdown. The drop-off in coolness is so drastic
@@chiarosuburekeni9325 hahaha i hear you. The Lions are just better and more popular.
Voltron was one of the biggest things in my childhood. Three Christmas in a row, my parents tried to get me the toy. It broke twice in two separate years and in the middle they got vehicle Voltron by accident instead. Luckily this cemented Voltron in my heart, and greatly informed me how awesome Power Rangers was when it came over
Dude. X-Mas '85 - my mother picked up the vehicle Voltron by mistake too. That's wild.
I remember not being able to get the official voltron(too poor), but i got some knock-offs(or so i thought) they were japanese and actually made of metal. that voltron may as well of been a tonka.
only problems i had with it, were the joints on the lions became too loose so it wouldn't stay in robot form. but that took years.
There was series of wooden robot novelties in Japan that name translated to something like “THAT’S NOT THE RIGHT ROBOT!” They came in a package with pictures of crying children.
I got one (the torso lion) and my mum promise me to get another 4 for every birthday. Unfortunately, they don't sold them anymore after that and i left with only torso in the end 😑
@@johnwhitley9209
i don't know if you are joking or not , but i do remember some wooden robots, or robots that transformed into wood(plastic that looks like wood).
That explains a lot...I remember watching the second season and wondering what happened to the lions and where all the vehicles came from. Definitely great memories.
i dont remember a fucking thing lol i was too young lol
There was also Voltron Force. It included the original characters plus the princess 's niece plus two cadets. They all wear a lion com that acts as a communicator as well as give them special weapons and give Voltron different configurations and weapons. It is on Amazon prime but was ended before the story was completed.
“Because Voltron is badass”
- Bill Hader
Hot Rod 2007
While not in the big three (GI Joe, Transformers, MOTU) in terms of popularity, Voltron holds an almost sacred places in 80s lore. Likely the first "anime" that got popular in the U.S., it was a show that we could tell back then was sort of chopped and pasted together at points, and was more "mature" than even it came across, but it just had this "magic" to it that we could not get enough from, watching the lions go through that sequence of emerging from their individual hiding places after the Voltron team, in the most bad@ss way, hyperloops to them. Each sequence being identical (due to animation cost) in every episode, with that "Let's F'ing do this!!!" soundtrack in the background. That stuff STILL pumps you up. A lot of the episodes were hard to follow, but honestly that recurring sequence is what you showed up for, and what 99% of us like to see when we look up video of it.
And MF'ing Optimus PRIME narrates the opening!
I agree with everything - except that it was the first reworked anime to get popular in the States. That honor still goes to either Speed Racer or Astro Boy, depending where you lived, and which metric you go by. Speed Racer seems to have been more memorable, for all the same reasons (serial, mature storyline, older-kid appeal, plus what we'd now point to as "that sakuga look", etc).
I've known a lot of anime fans, and each generation (and country) tends to have its own localized anime that they can point to as the super-popular gateway. Voltron was ours, but we weren't the first :)
Don’t forget star blazers and robotech
"As a member of the big three trinity (Voltron, Transformers, MOTU) of 80's toys and animation..."
There I fixed it for you!
I can't imagine what it would have been like to be a kid in Japan in the 70/80s and see this multitude of awesomely creative violent sci fi cartoons first hand.
Would have sucked. 20 years after the nuclear blast. Probably radiation sickness. Gruesome mutations.
Maybe you would have loved it.
I can't imagine that you're even remotely proficient at either math nor history. The events you are referring happened in 1945 and 1981 respectively so I cannot imagine the mental gymnastics you performed to arrive at that being a twenty year gap.
I don't think kids were allowed to watch these.
@@bluscorpionJapanese kids show can be dark, just watch kamen rider and super sentai.
It was a magical moment because the pure joy and happiness surrounded you ! Anime was respected and loved by children and adults. We were not aware of the consequences of stupidity of Sandy Frank which is like Freddy fries 🍟 the destroyer of any good tv series. Once in the USA We have laugh at reduced production and the editing process and dewatering of the story. They were just unraveling copies dubbed in English and changed the heart and soul of why these things happened in Japan 🇯🇵 in the first place . Always find the pure source material.
Great episode! Really liked this one a lot.
BOT
I remember both Voltrons happening at the same time. Pidge had a brother who piloted one of the 15 vehicles and they would send letters to each other.
I remember this too.
I believe Pidges’ brother was Chip.
Vehicle Voltron was aired in the morning and Lion Voltron was afternoon for a while during my 84/85 school year. 85/86 school year I only saw Lion Force.
@@joshuachristian5443 I remember episodes being random between the two at its time slot for the show.
@@alphawlff I think that happened out here ( Sacramento) too. I think it happened before they had different time slots. I think...maybe?
Of all the toys I grew up with, I'm stunned I didn't own any Voltron toys, given how much I loved the show, and how many different toys of Voltron their were.
There were so many great toys then that I didn't own any either even though I have it ranked 3rd in the pantheon of cartoons from the 80s (Transformers and Thundercats).
I remember is was hard to find and when you could find it it was super expensive to get all the lions.
Time to get the Lego version then.
@@jackbits6397 yeah, the problem was really the cost. I grew up in a really small town and the one hardware store had the lions in their toy section forever, but I could never really afford to buy them
My problem was that I was a girl, and so nobody would buy me the toys I actually wanted - Voltron, Transformers, He-Man, Thundercats, etc. My little sister got every Barbie & dress-up doll I was gifted, and I am pretty sure I got more use out of my brother's Hot Wheels sets than he did. Luckily books and science toys weren't gendered, so I got a *ton* of those :)
Someone release the film rights to me so I can approve a Voltron live action movie.
In today's climate I wouldn't want to see it get butchered by modern Hollywood.
@@lancebaylis3169 cartoon series on Netflix did
How about getting Michael Bay to do it!
No. There is enough formerly cool storylines and shows from our childhood being butchered and "reimagined" with "woke" and SJW themes. No need to ruin any more.
Get in line, buddy. I saw him first.
When I was 7 in 1989, my friend had the original metal version. He thought it was “boring”. I asked him if he was willing to trade. I can not even recall what I traded but it could not of been that memorable because I loved my cool toys with a passion. After “owning” Voltron for one day, his mom called my mom and said I had to give it back. That small speck of time still sticks in my head like it was yesterday.
I at least got the Lego version as an adult the day it was released.
Lego version you say?
@@robcohen7678 yea, there is a Lego Voltron set. It has the individual lions that can combine to form Voltron.
@@patrickaker4380 what does it cost, $500?
Had every single Voltron product listed, to include erasers shaped like voltron and even the bootleg toys. I loved the huge plastic Voltron sword as a kid. I remember some bad kid once threw a brick at me and I chopped it in half with the sword and it (sword) didn't break. That kid went running away at the power of the sword. :)
I still feel slightly ripped off that we never saw Gladiator Voltron in action. The toy was weird and cool in all the right places.
Same here. First time I saw Gladiator Voltron I was like “When did this happen?” and felt a little ripped off that we never got to see it animated
World Events could still do it. It's not too late! As an adult, I'd probably rather watch the original Japanese series though...
Still, waiting patiently for a" LIVE-action" film version of this show. I was a bigger fan of Voltron than The Transformers, GI-Joe, and Masters Of The Universe combined! I could never, never, ever locate the toy versions of the 5 lion-bots as a kid. Team Lion 100% !
You possibly can as an adult with eBay or Mercari.
It want happen, like he said in so many words, someone is always screwing it up trying to claim rights.
I remember 3 cartoons from being a kid (well, four if you include GI Joe), G-Force, Voltron, and Starblazers. Wasn't until I hit college that I found out that these shows were all Japanese conversions/imports. Thus began my foray into anime.
I don't think any of us would mind a longer video encompassing the history and other versions of Voltron. It may be a year or more before you circle back to continue with this story. It wouldn't be an issue if the very next video was a continuation of it, but with other histories popping in between... Its like watching a single episode of your favorite show every 6 months. Yeah, I like the show, but with all that time in between, the story and drama is diluted with time.
I agree…any lore videos on this subject would be appreciated!
They did one years on all three.
Oops. I'm wrong. It was Retro Blasting that did that.
"The ugly 3D one."
"The ugly 2D one."
"The pretty 2D one with the ugliest fanbase."
Totally agree. Wouldn’t mind at all
The Voltron toy was the first thing that was ever given to me as a kid that I knew, just knew, I needed to keep pristine; that it was special.
I was 6 so that still didn’t happen, but I came close. Ended up getting trashed by my concerned mother when she saw a story about lead paint being used on it or something. Rest in Pieces, Defender of the Universe, wherever you are.
Also Princess Allura was my first crush. Even though I thought her name was Laura. No wonder she ignored me.
Your story brightened my day!
Its like Grandma throwing out a box of baseball cards from the 1960's and 1970's you did WHAT!!!!!!!. Fond memories of this show as well even if every episode was very formulaic
YES! Me too ,my brother couldn't keep stuff out of his mouth so I rarely got to play with all the lions.
As someone from St Louis and a child of the 80s/90s this was a blast from the past. It was a huge thing for the show to have been made here, St Louis has never been known for tv much less cartoons. I always grew up thinking this was another stolen property from Japan, but in reality they recrafted the show and made it into the IP that we know today. Toei threatening legal action at every step sounds like the most Toei thing, they're such jerks.
I obsessed over Voltron (both Lion and Vehicle). I never did see the 3rd version in my region. It was such a stellar show, and the stories were beyond epic.
A number of years ago my girlfriend and I had the honor of interviewing Jack Angel (hail King Zarkon) for our radio show. To realize just how many voices he'd done and even his work with Disney is just as vast. I mean those of us in Gen X and Gen Y grew up with his iconic voices. Sadly Jack passed in October 19, 2021.
Also Neil Ross also voiced Pidge.
For years my friends thought I lied about seeing a character dressed in black named, Sven. Some sources say the episode in which he died was never shown in the US but I absolutely remember it because of how much flak I got for saying it as a kid.
I definitely remember it.
Yeah, you’re not wrong, I remember seeing it too. Your friends were uncultured buffoons.
Yep. We talked about how messed up it was that he got severely injured and left the team. Damn you, Haggar!!
I absolutely remember it.
I don’t remember it vividly, but I do remember wondering where he went and why Princess Allura was piloting one of the Lions
Voltron always has a special place in my memory. I grew up in a tiny rural town in the US, where we didn't get to see any of the Voltron shows, nor did the comics make it to us. The toys, however, were available at the toy stores in the nearest largish town. We had a smattering of bizarre toys, that obviously had a lore and a backstory, but none of us knew more than we could glean from the toy packaging.
I had a Panosh Place skull tank, and a Matchbox vehicle Voltron of some sort. How these thing went together we did not know, but we knew that they did. Sometimes, some kid's cousin from another town would visit, and try to explain it to us, but that was like the world's sketchiest game of "telephone".
In a way, I think this made us enjoy Voltron more, as our young minds were unfettered by the established stories, and we made up our own legendary stories, often featuring the characters from "Battle of the Planets" and Robotech.
Here in Green Bay, the 2 series alternated, first Lion 5 , then Vehicles, but my dad never got a VCR or even Betamax. But he did have an G.E. audio cassette tape recorder with a small square microphone on a wire that plugged into the side. So I had to hold the mic up to the little black and white TV that was downstairs in the basement that was made into a Rec room with the pool table with a ping pong table, plus a separate board for my MARX "O-27" Model trains. With the cassette tape recorder I could play both the real trains from outside like the G.B.&W. RR. ALCO Diesels that were painted Red. And also the Audio Sounds of the 2nd Vehicle Force "VOLTRON-2" BUT Only the last 4 episodes when Voltron was fighting the other DRULL EMPIRE and one of those Episodes was when The Voltron Force was searching for another planet for food supplies, called Planet ALOHA with palm trees and 🥥 coconuts, which aired on September 15, 1987. (P.S., I just spent the past 2 hours listening to those audio tapes , because I still have my stereo tape deck, but the tapes are only mono sound that goes through only 1 speaker). So, did anybody else record only the audio of your favorite show back in the past????? Most of the voice actors had to play at least 5 roles, like the Voltron Force was also several pilots, and the Druul EMPIRE, and background characters. Well known actor Peter Cullen was Commander Hawkins of Voltron, and Druul General. Plus they used a lot of foreign accents for each character. Thusly, please enjoy VOLTRON, and all these cartoons, both classic and modern, and remember ALL those hardworking actors and actresses that bring those imaginary characters to life. Thanks everybody!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS 2021 A.D.!!!!! Here is hopping that Santa Claus will bring you that classic Voltron Toy you have always wanted!! And A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022 A.D. MAY GOD BLESS US ALL WITH WISDOM AND PEACE AND HAPPINESS AND JOY!!!!! 🙏 AMEN.
Voltron was my cousin's favorite show growing up in the 80s. I was born in the 90s and caught it like WAY later and I have to say, it is one of the best animated shows of the 80s I've ever seen, right up there with the likes of Thunder Cats.
I remember seeing the gladiator/albegas robots on the back of a lion voltron toy box in a store as a kid. It was my first hint that a third voltron existed. It became my holy grail for a while; I scoured all sources available to me, did searches at the library for details but found nothing. Had to wait for the internet to learn more.
This was my favorite cartoon as a kid. I was lucky to have all 5 lions that transformed, a helmet, a five lion set, coloring book, and had a Vontron birthday party. Princess Alora and Prince Lotor were my favorite characters.
Legendary Defender was really well done. One of the only reimagined 80s classics that did a terrific job of capturing the essence of the original and made it even better.
The Thudercats remake was really well done as well, not that chibi version garbage.
I have to strongly disagree with you. As one who grew up with the original show and watched it again about 5 years ago, followed by the new one, I EARNESTLY feel that the new version cannot hold a candle to the original. Legendary Defender is an omage to be sure, and in some ways does a good job with, as you said, capturing the essence with throw backs to the original (like Sven having a cameo), and the newer animation. However, the SJW additions as well as the really unnecessary last season left me highly disappointed. Not to mention the music. Listen to the music of both shows and I think most people will absolutely agree the original is far superior.
I don't mean to start an argument but Legendary Defender as a standalone series is hot garbage, and this is coming from someone who was (and still kind of is) obsessed with VLD.
The story is all over the place and incoherent by season 6. All the characters were treated so unbelievably horribly by the narrative, especially every non white character.
The magic system was "Whatever the plot needs at the moment and then never mentioned again" and the biggest offender is Allura dying for no in universe explainable reason.
I loved VLD when I was 14/15, it was my favorite thing in the whole world, but the show itself is one of the worst I have ever seen.
Edit: the references to the OG were fun tho. Sven was iconic and the ONLY good thing to happen in s8 is when Pidge and Allura got dressed up in their 80s get up
@@ChelCM03 I couldn't possibly agree with you more. So true.
@@ChelCM03 Aside from the last season as a whole, my only major complaint was the gender swap on Pidge, like why?
writers gotta stop changing pre-established characters for inclusion. ffs just write a new character in.
Overall though I still liked VLD way better than the prior reboot, I could only stomach a few episodes of it.
One of the cool things about GoLion was that Sven's Japanese equivalent had a twin brother who would later appear in the show after his brother had died, which was a godsend to the creators of Voltron, as they could simply treat the twin as Sven who unlike his Japanese equivalent survived, so they were basically given a golden opportunity to bring Sven back.
"I was hoping maybe you guys could call me, Landfill, in honor of him."
The design of Voltron captivated me as a child. When Power Rangers first aired, the mecha captivated me more than the main footage. Revisiting the show's original footage found me watching Super Sentai, and collecting the mecha toys and changers.
For the longest time, my dad thought that Power Rangers was a rip off of Voltron until I clarified it for him.
I was born after Voltron came out, and was a huge power rangers fan. At some point I discovered a Voltron toy at a yard sale, I think. I was immediately perplexed. Here was a toy that was incredibly similar to the power rangers megazord. Five smaller animal robots combine into a bigger humanoid robot. They even both had horns on the head. It was like I had discovered a toy from a parallel universe or something! I had to wait until I was older to figure out the real reason why, which is that the Japanese love their giant robots lol
Ahahahha I just realised that super awesome epic giant combining robots are universally loved by all boys young and old. Be it Japan, America, Australia or anywhere else, giant super mech robots are always gonna be cool.
I grew up with two, heavy-ass metal lion robots acquired from a garage sale that transformed into a torso and a foot respectively. It took until “Voltron: The Third Dimension” came out for me to figure out what they were.
I had a MUCH longer gap in knowledge with an old Macross toy, which eluded me until college.
That's nothing. The only mecha anime I saw as kid in the late 80s was an obscure one from the 70s. And someone told me it was macros so for over 3 decades I thought it was macross when it wasn't.
Bro you have no idea. When power rangers came out I was already in middle school. But when I saw it I said "Omg this is a straight Voltron rip off". The one saving grace that Power Rangers had was the Martial Arts. The fighting. When you are 12 years old and you can watch a cool show with teens doing badass Martial Arts... OMG I was hooked. Everyone knew the OG Red Ranger Austin St John was DA MAN bro!!!
@@masiyh not me. I was 12 in '93 and all my childhood friends were crazy about power rangers and ultra man, Poseidon which were popular in my country. I was obsessed about the X-Men cartoons but I hated those live action Japanese shows.
6:00 Italian audiences were lucky enough to have all these and more dubbed and aired. We also got BOTH Golion AND Voltron (from USA), which in turn ended in exactly the copyright and red tape mess you can expect.
I love the old school Voltron! I grew up with both the lions and vehicle Voltrons in the 1980's! The crossover movie that tied both into the same universe was amazing! Now, I want a blazing sword!! 🙂
Voltron was an immediate hit when I was kids. Hell, I'm such a true that I bought the complete dvd series with Lion collectable containers back in 2003.
Ditto! And I own the Beast King Go Lion series.
I got those too!!!
What does "I'm such a true" mean?
I always loved voltron. But growing up in germany, it didn‘t air until the early 90‘s, and had a pretty short run in general. Needless to say there were NO toys at all, leaving me thinking they simply didn‘t exist when i was seven or something. Now as an adult I managed to hunt down a SOC BeastKing GoLion, and couldn‘t be happier.
I love Belzebubs!
I'm pretty sure it never aired on terrestrial TV in the UK, although we did get some VHS releases
I am 50 years young, and i loved that dark anime style educational tv series show! Also loved Thundercats, Gobots, Gi-Joe and Ronin Warriors ❤❤❤ Subscribed!
I used to make a Voltron out of K'Nex pieces when I was a kid. The arms and legs could detach, and transform, and he had a big sword and shield. Each were massive. He was one of my favourite creations. Seeing this video made me remember that toy I made.
One of Voltron series I didnt hear mentions was Voltron Force. It was a series that aired on Nicktoons in 2011. A sequel to original Voltron Lion Force season 1 set few years after King Lotor took the throne. It never continued after first season.
Because it was really bad lol
yeah i was thinking the same thing. i really liked that one, an their exploration of the lore.
That commercial was a slap in the face flashback!!! Imagine the Tranzor Z pre-internet toy buying blues balls a kid in the 80's had to suffer!!!
Watched a couple of your videos now. And, you do an amazing job!
Was definitely a lion voltron guy, loved that show. Thanks for all the research into the rights battles. That part had to be boring for you, but it was informative as to why the movie never happened.
So good! That music gives me chills, it always made me feel so strong and powerful. Thank you for sharing
That theme song was epic! Almost got a Voltron tattoo…I’m 50 now…thank goodness I didn’t cause it would probably be drooping off my arm 😂😂🤣🤦🏻♂️
That theme is iconic
I'll agree with a comment I seen once listening the theme song, I'd like the Voltron theme played at my funeral as my casket is carried away! 👍👍
I hear you on that, a huge part of my childhood. It was all the more jarring when I finally saw the Japanese Go Lion for the first time and the music was... well, less than inspired.
One of my favorite shows as a kid - and I still remember having to give up a full set of the Lions because of lead in the paint! Argh, they were so cool right up until the possible poison part..
I lost my original lions for the same reason.
Lead paint made us stronger!
@@seanv3997 If nothing else, the lead memory pushed me to make upgrades to the Netflix Voltron toys and expand to items they weren't putting out, haha. I wasn't willing to wait for them to put out the toys I wanted...
Glad my parents never cared about that kinda shit.. I was taught not to eat my toys so lead paint never bothered me.
I had the same thing happen. I was so upset because that set was AWESOME!
I've been waiting my whole life for a live action version.
The lion Voltron was the holy grail of toys when I was a kid. Super hard to find in stores and expensive too. The car one was easy to find though, nobody cared about him lmao!
I was a HUGE Voltron fan as a kid and that love has never gone away. I was weary of the new Netlfix Voltron. But it was actually amazingly good. I wish we could get a good live action movie. But I fear it will be done badly like Transformers. So, I'm kinda ok with it not happening.
Honestly when I hear what happened and how many times a live action movie almost happened only for it to fall through I honestly think it was fate that it never happened.
I'm still incredibly scared to see what horrible thing might come out of a live-action robotech. Honestly at this point some things should just be left alone.
I originally thought Netflix!Voltron was redundant, and quit after the first 10-15min or so. Ended up giving it another try, and my late hubby & I watched it nearly all the way through (didn't quite get to finish the final season together).
Pharrell Williams of The Neptune's was going to produce one.
Thank goodness that never happened.
@@yassarbutt9292
Wait was it going to be a live-action show/movie or animated?!
Kids at my elementary school were blown away when Voltron debuted, replacing He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe as the favorite. I liked the Vehicle Team also but it wasn't nearly as popular. I still wish Albegas would have aired also.
I absolutely love all of your videos!!! They are perfect to me.
First time viewer and IMMEDIATELY Subbed!
Great Episode!
Big fan of the lions and never knew any of this.
Loved the Netflix reboot and appreciate your EXCELLENT breakdown.
I spent a summer in California in '85 watching and loving Voltron. When I went back to my home in Oregon in the fall, I tried watching, but couldn't get into it. What I was watching in Cali was Vehicle Team, and that is what I was invested in, not the Lion Force stuff playing up here. Since it became ALL about the lions, I've spent decades feeling like the red headed stepchild of Voltron fandom...
I remember when Voltron came on one afternoon, I wasn't sure what it was all about, since I hadn't watched the first five episodes. Needless to say, I was hooked, and so were my classmates in 3rd and 4th Grade. Vehicle Voltron was just fine in our eyes, and this video was my first look at Lion Voltron & Vehicle Voltron's cooperation. I had never heard of such a thing, or perhaps we weren't watching the right channel.
The commercial use for this video brings tears to my eyes and memories of great cartoons. As an 80s kid growing up in Chicago I remember that all too well. Keep up the great work. Love your channel.
Thundercats, Silverhawks, and Voltron were the greatest cartoons of all time...
Great and thorough episode as always, Dan! The toy aisles were an absolute wonderland at that time. There were so many licensed Japanese toys available (and also just straight Imports), that we couldn't even possibly buy them all...
Not totally thorough, he must have missed the nickelodeon vomtron force series that was quickly canceled in 2009. I think 2009.
Voltron was easily my favorite toy and show when I was a kid. The feeling of the fully built metal Voltron toy and the pain from when it would pinch your fingers is something I'll never forget.
This is a surprisingly deep dive for a video under 25 minutes. A massive amount of information, but there's no way that my tiny brains gonna remember all of that. I feel that if I were going to write an essay on the history of Voltron I'd have to read decades worth of books on the source material first but you've managed to provide such a comprehensive look in such a short space of time. Whoever compiled the research for this video give yourself a pat on the back 👍👌
When those horns sound off, it never fails to get me in the nostalgia-feels.
I just relived my childhood watching this video!
Bot
So did a lot of us
I always liked the 15 vehicle one. The exploration aspect was cool IMO. I never got the Voltron toys, but I was able to get a Combattra/Combattler (after a whole summer of yardwork and saving), which was a lot of fun!
I liked the vehicle Voltron better.
It's story about exploration and the way the villains were changing their ways,was very entertaining
I'm one of the rare few who liked vehicle Voltron just as much as Lion Voltron. This is because they didn't just have a Voltron, they had a spaceship and they traveled through space fighting evil aliens. It gave it an element of Star Wars.
I WANTED to like it more for that reason, but sadly while I complain about how dumb people can be for complaining 'there's too many characters', I found there was....too many characters. And no one, or one group appealed to me. Five people, sadly, thats all my child brain could master:) I don't think I even bother with that crossover show that had both voltrons on it.
I also liked the Vehicle Voltron Force better. The space exploration aspect was more adventurous and intriguing to me.
@@mikearchibald744 It was too many characters for me. It left me confused.
Of the many interesting things about this story to me, one of the understated ones is that a media company based in St. Louis (where I lived at the time) created a global brand. Amazing!
Voltron, Robotech, and Tranzor Z stoked my love for anime as a child. The worst part of it all was when they were all moved to weekday mornings from afternoon so I could no longer watch (pre VCR days). I never had the chance to finish any until adulthood.
Thank god for DVDs and shelves amiright?
P.S. I was absolutely thrilled with and LOVED the Netflix version of Voltron. Made me feel like a kid all over again.
Loved this cartoon, I even had the big plastic sword they sold for it.
This has been my fav episode so far. Voltron has one of the most soft spots of my childhood. Now 40 and with kids introducing them to Voltron was a joy to me and this episode just reminded me of how much I love this show
im 22, me and my younger siblings grew up on voltron. our young dad was (and still is!) a fan, and had somehow gotten his hands on a DVD set. complete with metal casings in the shape of the lion heads. so cool. we had toys and watched the show over and over and over and over again!! still one of my all-time favs, along with thundercats
I'm 100% Team Lion Force, but I would love to see Netflix and DreamWorks do a version of the Vehicle Voltron like they did with the lions. They did a great job with the lion force.
DreamWorks also has an interactive episode of Voltron for Playstation VR. You play as Keith in the "experience".
As a kid, I preferred the Vehicle Force to the Lions. I liked the idea of a much larger team, and the Vehicle cartoon seemed more brooding and mature than the brightly colored Lion cartoon. As a 46 year-old, I own both boxes sets on DVD. Really enjoyed this video, cheers from New Zealand.
I liked the Vehicle Force as well. Loved the Lion force more i guess but the vehicle force was more serious and I actually like his weapons more. Plus they didn't have those annoying mice lol.
I remember asking Santa for Voltron and being so concerned that Santa would not know which one I wanted. I wanted the robots and somehow he knew!
As the woman probably responsible for the *"he'll be fine" Sven quote,* I approve this whole video immensely! I showed it to my whole family last night!
Awesome! 🤩👍🏽
You wrote for the show?
Say what?
@@whosaidthat84 I was Moderator for the Voltron Wiki while DreamWorks was doing its research for the project. Sven's last words were probably a reference to my captions for "The Right Arm of Voltron" (I'd link it but UA-cam deleted this comment the last time I tried).
The Matchbox Voltron didn’t come with a lot of weapons, I think only the sword. My awesome parents got me and my brothers some other version at a local toy store (probably imported from Japan) that had all the various weapons that attached to the lions. It was fantastic!
What was amazing is that they were die cast, with only some plastic here and there. Quality stuff.
Dreamworks Voltron was a very good show. I wish they made a sequel series focusing on Vehicle Voltron in that universe. The series introduced a lot of characters that were never really fleshed out (such as the four MFE pilots, Romelle, Lance's older sister, Pidge's older brother, Shiro's spouse, Hunk's girlfriend...or really dear friend...among others). I believe their stories could be covered in the sequel series.
I grew up on Voltron, it will always hold a place in my heart. My kids watch the same episodes I watched as a kid and they love them. Pure awesomeness...
I owned three different Voltron robots. I owned the Lions, of course. I owned the vehicles, they were awesome as well. I also owned a third Voltron set that was 3 Robotic humanoids that stacked on top of each other to form Voltron
This is the nerdiest deep dive of any 80s cartoon I’ve ever seen!
Dude your channel is amazing.. love everything you post about toys, cartoon shows, and pop culture at its finest! My childhood memories
As a child, the only significant thing I knew about the show is that something would happen, they would transform into Voltron to save the day, and I would recite the same speech they used everytime, lol. It was like power rangers, before power rangers.
...and I'll form, the head!!
lol I remember I was too old to like Power Rangers but my little sister liked it and I sat down to watch it with her and thought it was total rip off of Voltron.
When you cover the other Voltron properties, can you visit Future Robot Daltanious. My understanding was that it was considered for inclusion into the Voltron franchise or mistaken as Voltron. I saw it in the early 80's while living in northern Italy as a child. (It was a few anime series I watched during my three year stay.)
I’ve been trying to get him to review it for a couple of months since it got its first official release here in the States just this past summer!
There's also Video Warrior Laserion, which was essentially the "next" giant robot series by Toei after Albegas in Japan.
Me & my brother had the Matchbox toys. They were Christmas presents that we found in my moms closet. My mom found out and we almost didn't get them. She threatened to take them back (she was pissed, she takes Christmas pretty seriously).
We finally did get them and it was glorious. Constructing Voltron for the first time was an awesome moment between me and my brother.
My mom locked our presents in her trunk for the next couple of years...
Lion Force Voltron was this Big Epic Thing when I was a kid in the 80's. It isn't any wonder that when power Rangers debuted in 93, I was in head first.
I loved this show when I was a kid. I think I was in the 2nd or 3rd (maybe 4th?) grade when this came out. I remember tuning out when the "Car Voltron" started to air. I thought that Car Voltron was the Go-Bots of Voltron. I wanted the lions back.
I LOVE Voltron! It was a major part of my childhood! I remember loving Prince Lotor's voice. It was amusingly loud and deliberate. It was just another part of an awesome show!
Bro! I'm from Chicago! I used to watch the Voltron and Tranzor Z hour and had a Tranzor Z Shogun Warrior that shot his fist. I also had the whole Voltron force, but not the Lions.
Voltron fan for life! I will never forget seeing this show for the first time on Cable when I lived in California. I immediately got psyched about this show. I’ve checked out a lot of the new projects but the original series is still my favorite! Legendary Defender was definitely also a fun series with a lot of cool ideas, although I was disappointed that Keith and Allura didn’t get back together! Voltron has been important to me for many years. Someday I still want my own toy model and a copy of the complete series dvd as well!
I love how Voltron Force was really glossed over and really only hinted at slightly during the legalities of the movie rights with World Events focusing on "an animated series" and that's it lol
I'm so glad that I got to be a kid in the 80's there was just so much amazing cartoons for kids back then
I was five years old in 1985 living in St. Louis Missouri and what a time to be a kid. I will never forget running home after school to watch Voltron!!! The season two rolled around in the car showed up. I’ll never forget being so pissed off. I couldn’t see straight!!! Lol
They seriously need to make a great movie of Voltron. Take there time to do it right with the right actors and a great storyline
I would sleep in line for that.
But didn't they? Pacific rim?
@@ftnwo7829 That's more like a cross between Gundam and Daimos than Voltron.