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 personal, 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 visibly softens with relieve. 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-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.

“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. Shiro’s trust in Keith is on display again when he rides with him to the Blade’s base, the path there is immensely treacherous. Shiro does another shoulder touch and re-offers Keith the leadership position. Keith isn't having any of it, saying, ''“Why are we even talking about this? Nothing is going to happen to you.” ''They're soon pulled by one of two black holes neighboring the base. Shiro tells Keith to get them out of there, once Keith does, Shiro tells him, “Great job!” 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 is unable to take the pain any longer, he then 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 holding him. He runs to Keith with the most concerned look on his face. He carefully helps Keith 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."

Soon Shiro, Keith and Kolivan ride back to the castleship via the Red Lion, meeting up with the others.

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 Blade of Marmora
 * 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 are pulled by one of two black holes neighboring the Blade's base. Shiro tells Keith to get them out of there, once Keith does, Shiro tells him, "Great job!"

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, 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.

Fandom
AO3

TUMBLR

DEVIANT ART
 * Sheith 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.

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