Takashi Shirogane

Originally an exploration pilot for the Galaxy Garrison, Shiro traveled to Pluto's moon Kerberos with Dr. Samuel Holt and his son, Matt Holt, which then was the furthest that humans had ever traveled into the universe. While Earth's governments officially reported them missing due to pilot error, the three had, in reality, been abducted by a passing Galra ship. Dr. Holt was sent to a labor camp, while Shiro and Matt were sent to become fighters in Emperor Zarkon's Gladiatorial Arena. Shiro created a façade for himself as a bloodthirsty warrior amongst the other alien prisoners and went on to become the reigning Champion, undergoing extreme physical and mental scarring in the process. Shiro's personality is that of a born leader, naturally adept at calmly commanding his team. Although he holds a commanding presence, Shiro is quite kind and sensitive to the struggles and concerns his fellow Paladins are undergoing or may have. This is highlighted in his patience with Pidge, as he knew that she was Katie Holt because she worked closely with her missing family members, sympathized with her loss, and understood her grief, frustration, and desire to uncover their fates. Shiro's leadership skills are further enhanced by the familial bond he forms with his teammates. Despite how serious and straightforward Shiro can be, he can also be just as silly and laid back as his friends when he has the chance, such as when his friends were making "laser noises". He initially sided with Keith on knocking it off before engaging in it himself, causing the Red Paladin to appear embarrassed that his leader was acting so ridiculously. Shiro's experiences as a gladiator and a test subject have left him suffering from a degree of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise known as PTSD. This is noticeable when he has momentary flashbacks when confronted with particular stimuli. These flashbacks are actually invasive memories, which are typically triggered in people suffering post-traumatic stress by things that are connected or similar to features or stimuli that one experienced during trauma. Normally, Shiro just brushes it off, but when he is confronted by Haggar, he starts to lose control of his emotions and becomes frantic, wild, and certainly not the disciplined warrior most people know him to be. This degree of trauma became such that he began to doubt his chances of surviving. Therefore he made the decision to designate Keith as the new team leader in the event of his death. He is also known to feel somewhat disgusted by his Galra tech prosthetic hand, as his conversation with Sendak's memories in their Altean container managed to pry at the insecurity that his cyborg arm is the strongest part of him, thereby making him part of the Galra. This tendency to make irrational choices based on trauma, despite being extremely collected most of the time, is another one of Shiro's symptoms of extreme but well-restrained PTSD. Shiro is incredibly patient with his teammates' personalities, though his patience is measured. Due to his pragmatic military background, Shiro has difficulty coping with the obstructive neuroses of tightly wound people like Slav. The famed engineer's preoccupation with extremely unlikely hypothetical scenarios that bordered on psychotic had a noticeably negative effect on Shiro's ability to stay calm, to the point of him ridiculing Slav in an attempt to keep his head cool. Shiro embodies the Black Lion's elemental affiliation with Air in that he is the current that guides his fellow Paladins and keeps them on the course, and his personality can be kind and gentle while also being a powerful and overwhelming force of nature. Also, like air, Shiro serves as the fuel to the fire of the Team's spirit and will to fight.

The Paladins are all living in the Castle of Lions, which is a space ship, alongside Coran and Allura, the only Altean survivors. Everyone is sleeping after a long 'day' of planning and training. They had just met the Blade of Marmora, a group of Galra who are fighting against Zarkon. Through the Trial of Marmora, they helped Keith realize he's part Galra, which caused a period of tension among the Paladins, and especially between him and Allura. Shiro walked into the kitchen to grab a drink when he noticed someone else was awake.