Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane is a skilled pilot of legendary reputation and is the leader of the five Paladins of Voltron, and is the Black Paladin.
Fiction
Voltron: Legendary Defender (TV series)
Originally an exploration pilot for the Galaxy Garrison, he was on a mission with Dr. Holt and his son, Matt, who disappeared while on a mission to one of Pluto's moons, and at that point was the furthest that humans had ever journeyed into the universe. While their disappearance was officially documented by the Earth's governments as crew error, the three of them were abducted by the Galra Empire. Shiro and Matt Holt were sent to fight in Emperor Zarkon's Gladiatorial Arena. While there, Shiro could sense Matt's trepidation and fear, and in a bid to protect him, he knocked him to the ground, injuring him badly enough to send Matt to a minor labor colony with his father. In this action, Shiro created a façade for himself as a bloodthirsty warrior. While captive, he became the reigning champion, and underwent extreme physical and mental scarring. The full extent of his trauma is unknown, but his memories became suppressed, and after his escape he had difficulty willfully recalling his memories of his time captive. What is known is that his right arm was replaced with a weaponized Galra tech prosthetic capable of energy emission powerful enough to cut through most metals and weld doors shut. He also gained a lateral scar across the bridge of his nose and part of his black hair turned white from the extreme stress.
Shiro's personality is that of a born leader, naturally adept at calmly commanding his team. Although he holds a commanding presence, Shiro is actually quite sensitive and kind. For example when he revealed to Pidge that he knew she was a girl, he revealed to her why he injured Matt, as Pidge previously believed that Shiro was simply a vicious killing machine when his gladiator past was revealed. When Pidge teared up and hugged Shiro, he embraced her like a younger sister, as he felt for her loss and strong desire to find his missing crew. Among his team, Shiro is closest to Pidge as far as his personal relationships go, often calming down the excitable and stubborn Green Paladin, and treating her like a younger sister when not issuing commands. Shiro's skills as a leader are further enhanced by the familial bond he forms with all of his teammates, which is how he knew who Pidge really was, having worked extensively with her father and brother. Despite how serious and straight forward 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 himself, causing the Red Paladin to appear embarrassed that his leader was acting so ridiculously. Shiro's experiences as a gladiator have appeared to have left him suffering from a degree of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. 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 was confronted by Hagar, he started to lose control of his emotions and became frantic, wild; certainly not the disciplined warrior most people know him to be.