Sheith

Sheith is the slash ship between Shiro and Keith from the Voltron: Legendary Defender fandom.

Season 1
In the first episode, “The Rise of Voltron,” Keith is on a mission to save Shiro. After beating militarily personnel, Keith runs to Shiro who's strapped to a table. Keith tilts his face and softly says, “Shiro?” while tenderly holding Shiro’s face in his hands, he then cuts the straps. After the rescue, it is made clear that the two have history, the nature of which is left unclear. Shiro and Keith share a scene alone together after the rescue which establishes some of their relationship cues (such as shoulder touches and longing looks). The following morning, they share their first shoulder touch on the dunes since being reunited, followed with Keith saying, “It's good to have you back.” Shiro replying, “It's good to be back.”

Shiro gets clothes from Keith's shack. While there, Keith talks about feeling lost, “…and then [Shiro] showed up.”

After finding the Blue Lion, flying to planet Arus, meeting Allura and Coran, Keith, Shiro and Pidge go to retrieve the Red Lion and they decide to split up, Shiro puts his hand on Keith’s shoulder and reassures him that he’ll be fine, and says, “Just remember, patience yields focus.” Right at the end, after a successful first mission, Shiro affectionately slaps Keith’s back as they rejoin the group on the ground, and the two exchange a soft look.

In “Some Assembly Required,” when a training session goes wrong and Shiro has a flashback, Keith launches himself across the room to shield Shiro from the training bot. Keith asks, “Shiro, are you okay?” They’re later seen sitting next to each other on the floor, sipping water. At the end, Keith sneaks off after Shiro when he leaves the common room to head to bed.

In “Fall of the Castle of Lions,” Shiro and Keith are separated for the most part as Keith is locked out of the castle. When Keith does gain entrance into the castle again, the first thing he sees his Shiro getting knocked down by Sendak, Keith immediately attacks Sendak, landing a powerful kick.

In “Taking Flight,” the team encounters a dense asteroid field, Shiro trusts Keith to navigate it safely and flush out Rolo. This shows how much faith Shiro has in Keith’s abilities.

In “Crystal Venom,” Keith is the first one to realize Shiro’s in trouble, asking the others “Where’s Shiro?”

In “The Black Paladin,” Keith tells the others to go after Allura while he protects Shiro/the Black Lion. Lance asks, “What are you doing?” and mentions how they have to stick together, Keith replies, “Whatever I can.” Soon a battle between Keith and Zarkon ensues, with Keith refusing to abandon the Black Lion. Later, a severely hurt Shiro (while piloting the Black Lion) swoops down and grabs Keith/the Red Lion, saying, “I’ve got you, buddy.”

Season 2
Shiro and Keith's relationship increases in the second season. In “Across the Universe,” the team is separated due to a corrupted wormhole caused by Haggar from the previous episode. Shiro and Keith wind up being stranded on the same planet with their lions disabled. As soon as Keith gets his bearings straight, his immediate next thought is where Shiro is. When Keith hears Shiro's voice, his face softens with relief. In return, as soon as Shiro exits his Lion, his immediate next thought is where Keith is. Keith calls out for Shiro and asks if he’s okay, when Shiro reports he is in danger, Keith immediately rushes to find him, overcoming various obstacles. Keith finally is able to see the Black Lion, once there, he sees Shiro being chased by giant lizard-like creatures. He is able to save Shiro from the creatures by piloting the Black Lion, which Shiro is awestruck by. They build a fire and rest while waiting for the others to find them. Shiro is still suffering from a wound he sustained in his fight with Haggar, and tells Keith that he wants Keith to lead Voltron if he “doesn't make it out of here.” Keith stubbornly replies for Shiro to “stop talking like that”. When Pidge comes to rescue them, despite a wormhole opening in the sky, Shiro's fond gaze remains firmly fixed on Keith's face.

In “The Ark of Taujeer,” Keith voices his concerns that he thinks Zarkon imprinted on him during their fight from season 1. Shiro tells everyone to get some sleep, as the team heads for their rooms, he notices Keith, lost in thought. Shiro walks up to him, asking if he's okay, as he seems “anxious”. Keith looks at him with a weary expression before saying, ''“I'm fine. Just tired.”'' Before Shiro can get a word in, Keith walks off.

Late in the night Keith, along with Allura, take a pod. Once they're contacted, Shiro tells them to come back the castle immediately. They both refuse as the must know if Zarkon is finding the team through them. Some time later, they're contacted by Coran telling them that Zarkon isn't tracking them, as there's a Galran fleet where the rest of the team is. Keith and Allura begin their journey back, with the Red Lion finding Keith. When Keith and Allura get back to the others, Shiro is visibly happy, saying, “Good to have you back, Keith!” In return, Keith parallels their episode one conversation by saying, “Good to be back.”

In “Space Mall,” from Keith's actions the previous episode, Shiro and team realize Zarkon keeps finding them through the Black Lion. Shiro stays back on the castleship to work on forging a greater bond with the Lion than Zarkon's. Keith and others leave for the mall to retrieve teludav lenses. When Keith and others return, Keith is the only one to ask where Shiro is, then also asks if Shiro found a way to bond with his lion. Shiro responses with a yes and that they need to get moving. He tells the team they're heading for the Blade of Marmora's base.

“The Blade of Marmora” is generally viewed as one of the episodes that supports the ship the most. The team travel to the Blade of Marmora base, the coordinates given by Ulaz. After some back a forth, it’s agreed that Shiro and Keith take the Red Lion. The two arrive and are greeted by two Blades. All four descend to where the other Blades are. Once in, Kolivan, the leader, addresses them. One of the other Blades forcibly takes Keith’s knife; Shiro yells his name as he’s taken down to the ground. Kolivan asks Shiro if he can corroborate Keith's story. Shiro’s unsure. Shiro realizes that if the Blades aren’t interested in forming an alliance, then he and Keith should leave. Keith is adamant that he must know how the knife ending up in his possession on Earth. If Keith seeks knowledge, Kolivan tells him he can do the Trials of Marmora, a physical and psychological test that pushes him to his limits. Should he survive, its secrets will be relieved. At hearing “survive,” Shiro turns to Keith telling him this “is crazy”. He tries again to get him and Keith out of there, but Keith won’t budge. Keith is given his knife back and the trial begins soon after. Shiro can do nothing but watch while Keith fights for his life. The more Keith fights, the more Blades he faces. Shiro tells Kolivan how this “is not a fair fight”. Shiro also questions how long the fight goes on, Kolivan tells him “sometimes the greatest challenge is knowing when to stop”. Shiro responses, “He’ll never quit.” Keith comes to the point where he is unable to take the pain any longer, so he escapes through a door hatch in the floor. As Shiro watches, he worriedly says, “Keith.”

After Keith collapses to the floor, Shiro comes up to him, helping him up. The real Shiro continues to watch on with Kolivan, asking if what he’s seeing is a hologram. Kolivan tells Shiro that Keith is wearing a special suit which creates a mind-scape that shows Keith his “greatest hopes and fears.” He goes even further by saying, “And at this moment, your friend desperately wants to see you.”

Hologram!Shiro tells Keith to give up his blade so they can go back to the team. When Keith refuses, it turns away coldly and leaves, saying that Keith has “chosen to be alone.” Believing it’s really Shiro, Keith yells for it to wait before running after it. Before he can reach it, Keith sees his father. As Shiro continues to watch on, he turns to Kolivan again, saying, ''“You messing with his mind! You’re going to kill him!” Have had enough, Shiro walks away, saying, “I’m calling this off.”'' The Red Lion starts attacking the base, knowing Keith is in danger. Using this, Shiro is able to break free from the Blades restraining him. He runs to Keith, looking down at him with the most concerned expression before carefully helping him up, hooking Keith’s arm around his shoulders. The Red Lion continues its attack and Kolivan tells them to stop and that they’re not leaving with the knife, as Keith failed to awaken it. A Blade rushes them both, Shiro rushes in return, the two collide as steel and metal meet. Keith yells, ''“Wait! Just take the knife!”'' He goes on saying he knows where he comes from and that they need to work together in order to defeat Zarkon. Just then, his knife glows and it becomes a sword. Shiro looks on in awe. In the companion book, the narration states that to Keith, “nothing was worth Shiro's pain.”

In “The Belly of the Weblum,” a plan is made to defeat Zarkon, though there is much preparation that needs to be done first. Shiro and Keith are to go on separate dangerous missions. Before Keith leaves with Hunk, he and Shiro share a tight warm hug, holding their hands close to their chests, all while Keith smiles in Shiro's hold. Keith nuzzles his face into Shiro's shoulder.

In “Best Laid Plans,” the new allies Team Voltron and the Blade of Marmora are close to executing their plan to defeat Zarkon. Blade member Thace isn't checking in with the Blades, which has the them unsure of the mission. At hearing this, Keith says he'll infiltrate Zarkon's base. Kolivan doesn't like that plan as Keith is too inexperienced. Keith argues back that he's doing it. Shiro, believing in Keith's abilities, doesn't argue with him, though he does need a moment to compose himself before telling Keith he'll give him cover. Soon Keith is in his pod and cloaked, Shiro can't see him but he's locked onto Keith's signal. Shiro creates a safe path for Keith to the base. Once inside, Keith thanks Shiro.

In “Blackout,” the team engages in an intense battle with Zarkon. In order to protect Zarkon, Haggar hits the paladins with powerful dark magic, disabling Voltron. As the paladins float from lack of gravity, Shiro and Keith are seen in each others views; Keith in the foreground and Shiro in back, then Shiro in the foreground and Keith in the back. Once they come to, they're back in the fight. Zarkon separates Voltron back into the Lions. Keith is first to notice Shiro ins't responding, he moves into shield Shiro/the Black Lion. Shiro finally comes back to consciousness and becomes one with his Lion, he activates its Transcendent Wings to phase through Zarkon's Robeast and reclaim the Black Bayard. When Shiro says he's got Zarkon's bayard, Keith is quick to correct him by saying, “You mean you've got your bayard.” The fight resumes and everyone comes together and stabs Zarkon with Volton's sword. At one last attempt at victory, Zarkon hits Volton's head, causing Shiro great pain. Shiro is able to active his bayard and destroy Zarkon's Robeast in a bright, powerful light. With their Lion separated from the blast, Coran calls to them and says they need to go. Keith sees Shiro isn't following them, he looks down and notices the Black Lion floating aimlessly. He and Pidge immediately fly down to toe the Lion back to the castleship. Once abroad, Keith desperately runs to the Black Lion, screaming, “Shiro!” As the door to the Lion's cockpit opens, Keith's voice softens as he says Shiro's name again. Keith looks to Shiro's seat with a broken expression as his best friend is gone.

Season 3
In “Changing of the Guard,” the season starts with Keith searching the debris of the battle with Zarkon for Shiro. Keith remembers back to that battle then to him running to the Black Lion with a somber expression. In a defeated tone, he calls Coran, saying, “There's nothing out here, Coran.” Coran says he's sorry and Keith flies back. Later after Hunk and Lance return from their mission, Hunk brings up how, now with Shiro gone, they don't have Voltron. Keith is quick to reply, ''“We don't have Shiro anymore either. Everyone seems to have forgotten that.”'' Allura suggests that it's time to start thinking about finding a new pilot for the Black Lion. Keith is stunned at her words, but then stands up, saying, ''“No! I'm gonna find him! Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me. I won't give up on him.”'' With that, Keith turns and leaves.

Later the team is having a diplomatic meeting, the leaders in attending are asking for Voltron to be formed. Keith snaps at them, telling them they can't form Voltron, they can fly the Lions but "Voltron is not happening". Allura attempts damage control, but Keith isn't having any of it. He continues by saying how Shiro was the Black Lion and until they find him there is no Voltron. Already at his end, after a leader asks the team what should tell his people, Keith hits the table and explodes at him telling them to stand up and fight for themselves and how Voltron is gone. Keith then storms out the room.

Once the tension has settled, Keith is seen standing in font of the Black Lion, clearly longing for Shiro. The others come up beside him, saying a neat thing about Shiro. Allura mentions how the mission is bigger than any one individual even those that are "completely irreplaceable". As much as it hurts Keith, he knows she's right. Keith turns to the Black Lion and says it's time to figure out how to reform Voltron.

In “Red Paladin,” the team is seating around the living area. Allura is asked if she can figure out who pilots what Lion now, much like how she did when they first become paladins. She says she cannot. Coran mentions how Keith was able to pilot the Black Lion in order to save Shiro, perhaps he's the one. Lance snaps that he doesn't want Keith "leading him anywhere". Keith snaps at him saying leading Voltron was just what Shiro wanted. Realizing what he's said, he lowers his head, his heart breaking even more.

The team decides to let the Black Lion choose its paladin. One by one everyone sits in Shiro's former seat. After Lance's turn, it's Keith's. He sighs sadly, but goes ahead inside the cockpit. He sits down and says, ''“I know you wanted this for me, Shiro. But I'm not you. I can't lead them like you.”'' Moments later, the Lion powers up, accepting Keith as its paladin. Keith quietly pleads, “Please, no.” Keith walks out of the Lion to the congratulating team. Keith tells them that he doesn't accept it, he goes further by saying how he can't replace Shiro.

The next scene is with Lotor and his generals. Acxa informs Lotor of where the Red Lion has been spotted in three different quadrants. This showing just how long and far Keith has been searching for Shiro.

Season 1
The Rise of Voltron Some Assembly Required Taking Flight Crystal Venom
 * After a successful first mission, Shiro affectionately slaps Keith's shoulder.
 * After Keith is knocked out by the Gladiator, it goes for Shiro next. Shiro freezes as it's about to attack, then Keith springs up to Shiro's defense, asking if he's okay.
 * As Shiro heads to bed, Keith can be seen in the background getting up from the couch, all while smiling and looking at Shiro.
 * As Pidge talks about Hunk’s “new girlfiend”, Shiro and Keith smile at each other.
 * When the team remembers Sendak, Keith is first to wonder where Shiro is.

Season 2
Across the Universe The Ark of Taujeer Space Mall The Belly of the Weblum Best Laid Plans Blackout
 * As soon as Keith gets his bearings straight, his immediate next thought is where Shiro is. In return, as soon as Shiro exits his Lion, his immediate next thought is where Keith is.
 * Shiro mentions a wound, Keith is soon concerned and says, "Wait, what wound?" Shiro replies it's nothing. In return, when Keith is dangling off a high cliff, Shiro asks what's wrong, and Keith tells him, "Minor delay. But I'm on my way."
 * Keith is able to pilot the Black Lion so he can save Shiro from wild creatures.
 * When Keith tells Shiro to “stop talking like that”, Shiro gives Keith his best, though weak smile at his words.
 * Shiro walks up to Keith, asking if he's okay, as he seems "anxious".
 * Once back from the mall, Keith asks where Shiro is.
 * Shiro and Keith share a tight hug before going on their separate missions.
 * Keith says he's going on a dangerous. Shiro needs a moment to compose himself before telling Keith he'll give him cover.
 * Shiro creates a safe path for Keith to Zarkon's base. Once inside, Keith thanks Shiro.
 * Haggar hits the paladins with dark magic, disabling Voltron. As the paladins float from lack of gravity, Shiro and Keith are seen in each others views; Keith in the foreground and Shiro in back, then Shiro in the foreground and Keith in the back.
 * Shiro can feel Zarkon is his mind as they fight for the Black Lion. Keith says, "Fight it, Shiro!"
 * Shiro says he's got Zarkon's bayard, Keith corrects him by saying, "You mean you've got your bayard."
 * Keith desperately runs to Shiro/the Black Lion, screaming Shiro's name.

Season 3
Changing the Guard Red Paladin
 * Keith is mourning Shiro.
 * Acxa informs Lotor of where the Red Lion has been spotted in three different quadrants. This showing just how long and far Keith has been searching for Shiro.

Fanon
Along with Klance, the ship has really taken off for modern audiences in the last couple years. This is thanks to Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2, produced by Studio Mir (Legend of Korra). A lot of the writers and directors for Voltron migrated from Korra, famed for it's bisexual ending, and have made comments hinting at possible LGBT content, including the quote, "I think I'll just let that play out as we go. No comment on that question," when prompted about future LGBT content. Although the ship is not confirmed in canon, many fans still enjoy Keith and Shiro's dynamic in a fanon environment due to the deep connection Keith and Shiro have been shown to share over the last four seasons.

The ship has received hate because of its prospective age gap. Many contradicting age ranges have been mentioned by many different official sources, some fans consider that there are no definitive set ages for Keith or Shiro, or for any of the other Paladins, while others do not consider any published age information canon.

On AO3 it is the most written ship for Shiro, and the second most written for Keith. It is the the second most written relationship in the Voltron: Legendary Defender tag, the eight most written in the Voltron Force tag, and the fifth most written in the Voltron: Defender of the Universe tag.

Behind the Scenes
The ship has been acknowledged by countless members of Voltron's production team since the show first aired, further supporting it as a ship for fans to enjoy. These instances include:
 * Members of the production team such as art director Chris Palmer, Steve Ahn, Christie Tseng, Barlee, Ki Hyun Ryu and Lauren Montgomery liking Sheith fanart on various social media platforms.
 * Voice Actors such as Bex Taylor-Klaus and Josh Keaton mentioning the ship on several occasions on social media, including when Keaton suggested the ship name "sheith", and the instance wherein Taylor-Klaus declared that Keith is a powerbottom in response to Keaton posting a picture of red and black shoes.
 * Members on the staff such as former art director Chris Palmer and Kim Il Kwang produced art that emphasizes the bond between Shiro and Keith, and are often theorized to have romantic undertones.Ki Hyun Ryu's Sheith art - Keith hugging Shiro from behind.png
 * Ki Hyun Ryu made a Sheith sketch posted to his Instagram: Keith hugging Shiro from behind all while blushing and touching Shiro's face.


 * Eugene Lee drew Keith on Chris Palmer's Shiro all while laying on his chest and blushing.

Fandom
AO3

TUMBLR

DEVIANT ART
 * Sheith tag on Deviant Art.
 * Shiro x Keith group on Deviant Art.

Trivia

 * Keith pilots the Red Lion, which forms the right-hand of Voltron, thus making him the right-hand man of Shiro, who lost his right arm to the Galra.
 * Keith is part Galra, and Shiro's right hand was replaced by a Galran prosthetic.
 * The ship name was coined by Shiro's voice actor, Josh Keaton, after he proposed "Sheith" on his Tumblr blog.
 * Shiro's Bayard, when combined with Keith's, activates Voltron's Blazing Sword, and it's a joke within the community that Shiro lights Keith's fire.
 * In an AfterBuzzTV interview, it was brought up that the fans discovered Keith and Shiro in the background flashback with Matt and Pidge. Lauren and Joaquim congratulated the fans on a well done for finding the easter egg. Lauren commented with "I put that shit in there&mdash;Oh, I just said a bad word." and "Shiro was still his guiding light, it was good."
 * It placed #2 on Tumblr's Fandometrics ship list on June 18, 2018. (3 days after Season 6 aired.) This is the highest the ship has been on the list.


 * The Paladin's Handbook guidebook  states that Shiro is 25 and Keith is 18, though there is some doubt as to whether this information is accurate to the canon because the book was not reviewed by executive staff.
 * The show staff previously gave "safety zone" ages of "25" and "late teens" respectively, while agreeing that Shiro is an adult and the other Paladins are not.
 * Official show descriptions describe the Earth paladins as "five teenagers", placing Shiro as a teenager in contrast to his published age; Josh Keaton grants some insight into the discrepancy by stating that during production of the show as early as the voice actor auditions, the pitch was "five teenagers", but certain character models ended up looking different than the description, so the writing adapted to the finalized designs. This suggests the book does not take the ages from the original pitch as staff feared and reflects the organic changes they have made, while the official show description is the original pitch that is inaccurate to the canon.

Gallery

 * Sheith/Gallery

Variations

 * Keirotora refers to the ship between Lotor, Allura, Shiro and Keith
 * Shallureith refers to the ship between Allura, Shiro and Keith
 * Sheithunk refers to the ship between Hunk, Shiro and Keith
 * Sheitor refers to the ship between Lotor, Shiro and Keith
 * Shkatt refers to the ship between Matt, Shiro and Keith
 * Shklance refers to the ship between Lance, Shiro and Keith