Changes from the Japanese version
Though airing in syndication, which offered other anime shows such as Robotech greater freedom to deal with subject matter such as death that were off-limits in most network children's programming, WEP's adaptation of Voltron was heavily edited to conform to the more strict standards of American television, as well as the standard name change of characters and concepts in Golion.
Technical modifications
- Lion Voltron featured new sound effects (Vehicle Voltron used the original Japanese effects).
- Both Lion and Vehicle Voltron used different background music from their original counterparts.
Plot changes
GoLion
- Both shows begin with the five pilots sent by the Galaxy Alliance, whose space-exploration mission takes them to a planet devastated by war. In Voltron, the pilots arrive on Arus, and are captured and taken to Planet Doom. They then escape and return to Arus, and become the pilots of the robot lions and Voltron. In GoLion, the initial scenes are actually of Earth, as the pilots have returned from their mission in the year 1999 to find that the entire population of Earth has been killed in a nuclear war. They are then captured and taken to Planet Galra, where the plot proceeds similarly.[1]
- The entire plot involving Coran and his son Garrett was drastically altered for Voltron, with Garrett being revealed to be a clone of Coran's son and that Garrett and his mother were spirited away to another dimension by a mystic shaman they had befriended. In Golion, Garrett (Saint as he was called there) was a Galran saboteur who took the appearance of Raible's (Coran) deceased son through digging up their grave. The shaman explains to Fala that Raible's real son, Roland was killed as an infant with his mother by Galran forces. Furthermore Saint kills Hys (Nanny), who sacrifices herself to save Raible when the imposter fires at him (Nanny's death was omitted in Voltron and the character returns in the third season of episodes made for the United States).
- Shirogane Takashi (Sven) was killed when he battled Honerva (Haggar), whereas in Voltron he was severely injured and later returned to help the Voltron Force.[2] His younger brother Ryou (who was turned into Sven himself in the Voltron series) was the one who fought Sincline (Lotor) at the siege of Planet Galra (Doom). Ryou and Sincline fell to their deaths, whereas in Voltron they fell into a body of water and survived.
- It was a goddess, not Honerva (Haggar), that split up GoLion due to his arrogance (GoLion is supposedly sentient, although this was subtly discarded in the series).
- Voltron 's "Queen Merla" arc never existed in the original Japanese run, and was created by Toei at the request of World Events Productions. The Japanese GoLion series ended with the destruction of the giant Daibarzaal (Zarkon) Beast Fighter, which killed him.
- The Mecha Fortress could only transform one-way into the Flying Mecha Fortress, unlike the ability the Flying Fortress of Voltron had to transform back into the Castle of Lions in the second season of Voltron.
- Lotor/Sincline kills Haggar/Honerva in the original GoLion run. in Voltron, Haggar's death is sidestepped as her death scene is omitted and the character briefly written out of the series as far as Haggar abandoning Lotor right before the assault on Planet Doom.
Dairugger XV
- Manabu (Jeff) has a more serious relationship with Haruka (Lisa). In Vehicle Voltron, they are just dating.
- All the Galaxy Alliance officers a given episode focused on were killed, unless it was explicitly shown they survived (i.e., they are in succeeding episodes); likewise, this is also the condition for Drule officers and leaders.
- The Voltron series starts with the Drules and the Galaxy Alliance having tense relations, with the Drules attacking the Explorer, on the grounds it violated their space. In the Japanese series, both powers were unaware of each other, and there was no overcrowding within the Alliance; the Explorer is merely an exploratory vessel, and the Drules are stretching their power, not looking for a new world. It is by fate that they meet, and that Dairugger XV is given a new mission.
- Emperor Zeppo was killed in Dairugger XV. Also, Hazar died a martyr's death, and his body destroyed along with the Drule homeworld.
- In the original, Captain Newley was Hawkins' superior officer. The dialogue in Voltron was rewritten to give the appearance that Hawkins outranked Newley.
Violence editing
For a list of violent images and situations removed, see List of edits.