Lance (Voltron)

Lance
Voltron character
First appearance	As Isamu "Moody" Kurogane: "Escape from Slave Castle" (1981) As Lance McClain: "Space Explorers Captured" (1984)
Voiced by	Yū Mizushima (1981–1982) Michael Bell (1984–1985) Andrew Francis (2011–2012) Jeremy Shada (2016–2018)[1]
In-universe information
Nickname	Sharpshooter The Tailor Lover Boy
Species	Human
Title	Blue Paladin of Voltron (formerly) Red Paladin of Voltron (currently)
Occupation	Paladin
Nationality	Cuban

Charles Lance McClain, known as Isamu Kurogane (黒鋼勇, Kurogane Isamu) in the original Japanese language Beast King GoLion, is a fictional character in the media franchise Voltron and a member of the Voltron Force, who made his first appearance in Voltron: Defender of the Universe.^[2]

Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Main article: Voltron (TV series)

Lance was part of an exploratory team, sent by the Galaxy Alliance and led by Keith, that were kidnapped by the forces of Planet Doom.

After he and the others escaped Planet Doom, went to the Castle of Lions on Planet Arus, where they met Princess Allura and Coran and were designated as the Voltron Force.

Voltron Force

Main article: Voltron Force

Lance is a flight instructor in the Galaxy Garrison flight Academy. He uses Daniel and Vince to steal the Lion keys from Sky Marshall Wade. Lance's weapons are heat fists and dual pistols.

Voltron: Legendary Defender

In Voltron: Legendary Defender, Lance is the paladin of the blue lion, one of five lions that make up Voltron, he is of Cuban descent, a self-proclaimed rival to the Red Paladin Keith, and the love interest of Princess Allura.^[3] He evolves and matures as a character.^[4] Lance is Joaquim Dos Santos' favorite character.^[5]

Comics

Main article: Voltron (comics)

In the 2011 Devil's Due comics, the Lance character is referred to as Lance Charles McClain.^[6] The comic book version of Lance depicts him as 24 with a criminal record. For most of his life, Lance grew up as an adolescent daredevil and drag-racer. His life changed forever when he won a gift certificate for 10 free flying lessons in a radio contest. These lessons displayed that he had a natural talent for flying. At age 18, he joined the navy, and flying became his obsession, but his hot-headedness landed him in deep water when his jetstar buzzed the penthouse of a vindictive senator. Three months into his five-year sentence in a military prison, Lance was approached by Colonel Hawkins to join a team of outcasts to search for the legendary robot Voltron on the distant planet Arus. The comic book version of Lance is given the catchphrase of exclaiming "holy cats!", or sometimes "ho-leeee cats!"

Reception

The character has had a mostly positive reception.^[7][8]

References

1. "'Voltron': Lance Voice Actor Jeremy Shada on the Paladins, Lotor, and the Mystery of Shiro". Anime. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
2. "Voltron". Anime News Network. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
3. Francisco, Eric (20 June 2018). "Earth's Future in 'Voltron' Is Pretty Much the Opposite of Trump's America". Inverse. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
4. "Exclusive: 'Voltron' EPs discuss Lance's leadership, Keith's Mom, more". 29 March 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
5. "Joaquim Dos Santos, Lauren Montgomery on what's next for 'Voltron'". 3 August 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
6. Voltron Defender of the Universe Vol.1. Devil's Due Digital. ISBN 9781933160849. Retrieved 22 January 2019 – via Google Books.
7. "If Voltron is Anime Star Wars, Then Lance McClain Is Its Han Solo". CBR. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
8. "#LanceIsBi: The Voltron Fandom's Expectations for Representation". Den of Geek. Retrieved 22 January 2019.