User reviews

Awesome. just awesome. Recently re-released on DVD, (Blue Lion and Yellow Lion are out at time of writing, Green is on the horizon)

Audio - They have all the original source material, including an extremely lucky and even more rare original multi-track audio with separate audio for voices, effects, music, etc, and valuable notes about the audio production. This allows for 5.1 surround sound. And wow. It blows me away. The surround is crisp, solid and very well panned over the 6 channels. If you don't have surround or balk at it, thinking it will wreck your experience, that's your problem, however, they included a rebuilt 2 channel stereo soundtrack to match the original. Few people know Voltron was among the first Television shows to be produced in Stereo sound.

Video - The image is quite clear and better than watchable. I think it looks great! The video has been remastered and looks stable, excellently colored, little or no artifacts, and shows well on my 27" HD widescreen (NO the video is not in HD)

Packaging - I expect it would be a 5 box set, one box for each lion. Blue is 1, Yellow is 2, Green is 3. This would closely match the number of episodes with 15 per set, plus extras. However, voltrondvd.com indicates it will be 8 sets. They com packaged in a sturdy tin with multi-folding digipack, similar to the interiors of the LOTR Extended set. the tin is beautifully detailed. It has an embossed head of one lion on the cover, with the uniquely different appearance of each lion. The lion details and contours are embossed, but the excellently rendered cracks and gouges, etc are only printed on. The embossing stands about 2-4 mm. The cover comes off completely as compared to swinging. On the back is a picture of the character associated with the cover lion. On set one, is Allura in pink uniform, with a space mouse on her shoulder. There are additional pictures on the surfaces of the digipack, including Allura and Sven on set one, as both piloted Blue lion. Also included is a small 8pg booklet with synopses of included episodes, a paragraph or two on the restoration project, and a few pictures.

Overall, this will rock your underoos!!! I love it! If you grew up in the 80's and loved Voltron you will love these DVD's.

I rate it 8 out of 10. really 8.5. I could not ask for more on this video set. I expected (far) less on the audio. The packaging could have been better, but is not lacking. If you check voltrondvd.com to check their original case plans... and the problems with it.. you will see they could have made a case somewhere between that and what we got. But still, it is great, all round. I also would like the digipack to fit in the case a little better as sometimes the edges case and digipack get caught on each other, and is going to cause it to wear out a bit unless you buy empty DVD cases for storing your discs.

Only thing I could have asked for I think is maybe some commentary, and some deleted scenes. Maybe an upcoming set will have some *deleted* or rebuilt scenes.

Another cartoon show I've watched when I was a little kid. I don't remember too much from it, but did remember it to be very entertaining and adventurous.

There are plenty of good guy vs. bad guy action as the lion robots and their pilots fight King Zarkon and Prince Lotor.

Endless battles of transforming machines and creatures - pretty good excitement for any kid and definitely a memorable 1980s.

Grade B

Anyone who trashes this show misses the entire concept. It wasn't about making the best drawings, or having the greatest music, or even phenominal action, it was about fun. If you watch this show from a child's perspective, you would understand that this is about friendship and teamwork and just having fun and living because you can. I would watch this show with my friends and then go out and be the Voltron Force. But the cartoons that are on now just can't get the idea. Stupidity isn't what a great cartoon is about. Voltron was designed so that little kids could understand it, and when it gets tampered with (Power Rangers, VR Troopers, Big Bad Beetleborgs, to name a few) it just ruins the original. Cartoon designers see these classics as ways of making a profit without having to think about it. But Voltron is the best, and will always be the best.

NOTE: This review has been edited, so if it looks different, it's not just you.

Another one of my favorite cartoons growing up that I still enjoy immensely. It's also my 2nd favorite anime, next to Sailor Moon. I remember the first time I stumbled across this show. I was in a rental store & I saw a video of it. I got it without reading the back because I thought it looked cool(as I often did when I was a kid), & after watching the 4 episodes on that tape was instantly hooked. Later I enjoyed watching it on Toonami & the CGI sequel(which I loved just as much) somewhere else. Now I own the original on DVD(except for the Black Lion collection), & have 3 tapes of the CGI series & watch them a lot(as I do with only my favorite cartoons now, unless it's something at least one of my family enjoys). Okay, so it's the most repetitive of my favorite shows, but there was a LOT under the surface. The comedy was funny, the characters & plots were interesting. My favorite was Lance. I thought his smart-alecky remarks were hilarious The animation wasn't the best, but it got the job done, & the designs made up for it. The Robeasts are the coolest giant monsters I have seen in an anime. There are little goofs, but nearly all of them were in the animation & not the plot. But this is still one of the very best cartoons around. BOTTOM LINE: ***** - This & Voltron: The Third Dimension combine to form the 7th best cartoon ever.

I was shocked, surprised, and flabbergasted by the negativity I heard on Keyframe.com. I've watched this show, and frankly, I find it awesome! And as I said, I am a huge anime fan. It's too bad the original Japanese "Voltron" (known as Hyakujuo Golion) has been lost over the years. I would have loved to see it.

I love the Princess Allura, and watching her, she's like two of the Disney Princesses: Cinderella because she made friends with mice; Sleeping Beauty's Aurora because she is a blond and her dress is almost like the pink dress Aurora wore; Aurora's my favorite. You know, I think she and Keith are a cute match. So anyway, all I have to say about this series, folks, is that I really love it.

When I started watching it.

When I first started watched this show on television years ago when I was a little boy,I have to say that series was the best and it was a timeless classic and it brings back wonderful memories. But when I watched the other version of this show in the 90's,it was even better and was the same.

Getting it on DVD.

When I learned that Media Blasters was going to released Voltron on DVD,I was excited,but after watching it on Adult Swim,I was going to collect it,and I did. I really enjoyed watching it all over again when I bought the collector's tins,with the DVD'S. And before watching the final collector's tin,I re watched the others again all the way through.

Favorite Characters in the series.

My favorite Voltron characters in this show are:Keith,Allura,and Sven. I do really like them,and of course I also like the Mighty Voltron. He is the coolest,and his Blazing Sword is awesome.

The voice cast.

I gotta say that the voice actors(Peter Cullen,Jack Angel,Neil Ross,Michael Bell,and others),have done a good job doing this show,and their work was amazing. I also want to dedicate this show in memory of Lennie Weinrib,(the voice of Hunk,and Prince Lotor),because he was a great man for doing this show,and others.

So after all,this show is number 1,and if you plan to see it again,get it on DVD,and then see the vehicle version of this show,and you will see what I mean.

I liked the cartoon okay, loved the toy that was released along with it as I always like the toys that would join together to form one big robot that was super powerful. This show would have three incarnations of the mighty robot, the Lion one which would be the most popular, the vehicle one which was not as popular, but was known, and the three humanoid ones that never saw a release in the United States though oddly enough their toy was. I saw bits and pieces of this series, just not enough to get into it like I did another Japan robot anime "Tranzor Z". They seemed to flip to much between the lion and vehicle cartoon to much so it got confusing. However, the lion version was a bit easier to follow as there were not as many characters in that one as there were a total of fifteen characters driving those vehicles. Also, the lion Voltron just had a much cooler sword than did the vehicle one. The one thing that sucked about the toys was that they never really made any cool bad guys for you to buy to fight with your voltron toys, I mean the ones they made for the lion one were tiny in comparison to the robot when fully formed.

Some of the cartoon fare from childhood can be hit-or-miss as an adult. Suddenly the animation quality of "Transformers" is subpar, "GI Joe" doesn't have the same appeal, etc . . . but "Voltron" is different. Something that takes you right back to the '80s while still being entertaining.

It was something about Peter Cullen's voice; that Optimus Prime narrated the opening of this show every episode really left an imprint. The animation is well done, (that lion formation sequence never gets old!) and the anime is appealing, even for a guy who never fancied himself an anime fan.

The only downside I can see (again, as an adult) is that each episode works as a formula: Zarkon sends out a robeast, the lions fail to stop it, cue Voltron and the blazing sword and it's all over.

But this never fails to hit the right notes with me. As accessible as they come.

10/10

When I think of all the great robot cartoons, I always come back to the five lions that form the great robot ‘VOLTRON'. With so many stories that were great entertainment, I still enjoy watching an episode or two of Voltron today. I have never forgotten the transformation that takes place by the lions for them to be Voltron. ‘Form feet and legs, form arms and body, and I will form the head!' Once this happens one of the great cartoons of the 80's is in full flight.

Voltron, a mighty robot who defended peaceful planets and justice in the galaxy seemed invincible until an evil witch, Haggar, tried to destroy him. Instead she split him into 5 parts, each a large robotic lion. Each one was powered by an element of planet Arus.... the Black Lion by lightning, the Red Lion by magma, the Green Lion by cyclone, the Blue Lion by water, and the Yellow Lion by the sands of the desert. After the confrontation with Haggar, each lion found themself a hiding place, somewhere in Arus, totally unused, for years. Arus, not being protected by Voltron, is consequently defeated by the forces of the evil Zarkon. Now sent by Galaxy Garrison after another terrible battle, five space explorers flee from planet Doom to find the secret to restoring the super-robot known as Voltron.

The many storylines that were thought up for Voltron were really good. I like how Zarkon's evil witch, Haggar, is always willing to try and destroy Voltron. There also the great bravery that the Voltron force has, which is second to none. With something like 50 or more episodes being made, they really did have some inventive ideas to which they portrayed. This cartoon also has fine graphics and pictures. Voltron is such an impressive looking robot when he is formed, as are the individual robot lions. Other remarkable pictures from this cartoon include the Castle of Lions, Planet doom, and the many ro-beasts that Zarkon has Haggar release on Voltron.

The story has some interesting characters. The five space explorers (Keith, Lance, Pidge, Sven and Hunk) are a great team, with some talents giving them the ability to escape any kind of danger. When they discover the castle of lions, we also get to meet two fascinating characters, that being Princess Allura and her trusted advisor, Coran. They have been through so much with Planet Arus. The baddies have some weird and wonderful people. King Zarkon is an evil man, treating people with contempt and has no conscience while he is doing it. His only desire is to rule the universe, with his adversary's including Witch Haggar, Zarkon's own son Prince Lotor, commander Yurak, and his evil brigade of fighters and ro-beasts.

Voltron has many fine voice-overs from people such as Peter Cullen, Neil Ross, Jack Angel, Michael Bell, B.J. Ward, and Lennie Weinrib. Theses people do so many varying characters that they show how good their voice-over talents really are. Their voices have also been used on other cartoons such as the transformers and other Voltron series, with some being used on some movies as well. There have been many spin-offs to try and top Voltron. You have shows such as the ‘mighty morphine power rangers' that was a series I did not like. Then take the new ‘3D' Voltron. Sure it might have some of the same people voicing the same characters, but the show itself does not have the same ‘nostalgia' which accompanies ‘Voltron, defender of the universe'.

This cartoon brings back so many memories from so long ago. Innocent days spent in front the TV, barracking for Voltron to defeat the evil forces of King Zarkon. There was another TV series continuing on ‘the adventures Voltron', which was made up of ‘a land, air and sea team'. The problem I had with that series was that it did not embody what the other Voltron was about. If you are a fan of Voltron and can not find it on TV, then I recommend that you get a hold of the 4 tape series of Voltron (released in Australia by Siren Entertainment), I am certainly glad that I did.

Another one of my favorite cartoons growing up that I still enjoy immensely. When you watch this cartoon you would understand that this is about friendship and teamwork and just having fun and living because you can. One more strike in the universe of animations Voltron is super cool fantasy cartoon! Just awesome! Endless battles of transforming machines and creatures - pretty good excitement and definitely a memorable 1980s. Anyone who trashes this show misses the entire concept. It wasn't about making the best drawings, or having the greatest music, or even phenominal action, it was about fun.

I was only 12 years old when this show began, but I can't remember what motivated me to watch it. However, I enjoyed watching it, and seeing it on the Cartoon Network a few years ago brought back a lot of memories. This show consisted of two Voltrons: one that is merged via robotic lions, while the other is formed by means of giant motor vehicles (planes, cars, and what have you). But in each episode, you only see one Voltron or the other. It's a fun cartoon to watch, but it's incredible that it managed to get away with killing a lot of characters. I think Voltron is one of the most underrated cartoons, and I'm not afraid to admit that. If you like animated adventures, I strongly recommend watching Voltron.

There were concepts from the super robot anime Voltes V which was merely "copy pasted" and then added some cosmetics to show as originals.

1. The Five Man team Concept- Voltron can get away with the reason that most Japanese sci-fi, be these as live action or animated, utilize the Five man team approach for their team heroes. (Gatchaman, Combattler V and then, Voltes V.) 2. The "Gattai" Concept- Again, Voltron can use this reason as an "Excuse" since there are scores of giant robot series that's being formed by multi-functioning machines or smaller robots long before Voltes V came into being.

3. The Giant Sword/final weapon concept- Clearly this is Voltes V's original (Ten-ku-ken means "Sword of Heaven") The two Voltron shows imitated this as "The Blazing Sword." Raijin -Oh and Laserion followed by a whole bunch of sword wielding robots came in second.

4. The VOLT in Voltes V's name. (It was so obvious that Voltron took Voltes V's name because of the five man team concept, Gattai Concept and the Giant sword final weapon concept.)

I just got myself a "Voltron" DVD complete to the very last ending.(48 episodes) I was shocked to find this "RIP OFF" and I even told myself, "Why some people favor such an obvious imitation of a more poignant super robot story?

I just shook my head in loathing and disgust and just told myself

Voltron…Lions? They should be called "Robot Parrots!"

That Voltron DVD had all the proofs that this so-called, self proclaimed Defender of the Universe is a poor imitation of Voltes V!

Voltron does not only copied the name, concept and some of the elements of Voltes V, but also two of the episodes of Voltes V; one of the main character's love one was derivative by the enemy using robotic technology to infiltrate the heroes' base.

(A character named "Gareth" who is supposed to be the long lost son of Koran showed up and fooled the Castle of Lion's staff.

Just like what happened in Voltes V, where an android likeness of Dr. Kentaro Gou (Dr. Armstrong) fooled the father-longing Gou brothers (Armstrong Brothers.)

The writer or writers and makers of Voltron (Go-Lion) are guilty of imitating the "giant-base- turned-space fortress" at the very near of Voltes V's ending! (The Castle of Lions turns into a giant spaceship, just like what happened to Camp. Big Falcon.)

"Voltron -- Defender Of The Universe" is my favourite animated series of all time thanks to the excellent storylines, great voices, exciting action scenes and best of all, a highly memorable music theme.

"Voltron" is a true classic and it shall always remain a classic. So, if you haven't seen it before, go see it now!

Every time I hear about Voltron, they only mention the lions one. What about the other one? The Air, land and sea one? I'm getting sick and tired of only seeing the lion one and not the other.

Now I say its one of my most favorite cartoons during my childhood, but I still may find it enjoying if I ever get a chance to see it....but I was almost obsessed with cartoon and concept it gave, and will probably remain as one of my most favorite japanese anime's.....guess I'll never grow up !!!

Starring:Neil Ross(Transformers),B.J Ward(Scooby-doo on monster island),Michael Bell(Rugrats),Peter Cullen(New adventures of winnie the pooh),Jack Angel(Tarzan)

Genre(s):Animation,Family,Sci-fi,Action,Adventure

Rated Y7:For non-graffic violence(Although one episode did have a cuss word in it I know how trivial that is)

Summary:5 space explorers from the galaxy garrison galatic alliance after when they end up in planet doom they were gonna be sentenced to a slaughter with one of the monsters they escaped. After they successfully escaped the explorers went to a planet called airess they had a tough time adjusting at first but after meeting up with princess allura(ward) & Koran(Cullen) and after some searching around for a few "certain" keys and such they end up to be the voltron force.

The good:Good cast,Good animation,Good stories,Good...well just about everything. Good for anime fans & good for those who remember this during their childhood.

The bad:This is really for those who can tolerate anything sci-fi and campy.

Comment:Dynotrems Connected..Infocells up...Megathrusters are go!-Keith

Voltron was one of the best 80 cartoons!The series was always action packed and had good music and I loved the advertisement after the credits when it shows the moon.The characters were awesome!I really like the series and if you like the Power Rangers then you'll love Voltron!!

I agree wholeheartedly with Canyon-2's review of this series. It's got a LOT more stuff to it under the surface than most people would see. You more than likely have at least one character that you're a fan of if you get into this show. Definitely one of the all-time greatest '80s cartoon series! The new series doesn't seen to capture that essence...

The problem with Voltron is that it's way too predictable. Almost every episode follows the same pattern.

1. Zarkon comes up with a plot to attack planet Arus and/or defeat Voltron.

2. The evil witch Hagar designs a new Ro-Beast guaranteed to defeat Voltron. (yeah right)

3. Zarkon executes his plan.

4. After some turmoil, the Voltron team discovers Zarkon's plot.

5. Hagar's Ro-Beast is unleashed on planet Arus.

6. The Voltron team enter their Lion robots.

7. The Ro-Beast clobbers the Lion robots. (complete with Lion pilots Allura & Pidge's annoying screams.)

8. The Lion robots merge to form Voltron. (complete with REPETITIVE dialogue from Voltron team leader Keith.)

9. The Ro-Beast clobbers Voltron.

10. Voltron team leader Keith FINALLY remembers to "Form Blazing Sword!!". (duh!!)

11. Voltron slices the Ro-Beast in half and destroys it. (Why does it take so long?)

This pattern gets old pretty quick and even as a kid back in 1984, I thought it was repetitive. I used to change the channel as soon as Voltron formed the blazing sword. Despite the repetitiveness, Voltron is still more sophisticated than most American cartoons. However "Robotech's" plots and characters were far more sophisticated and made Voltron that much harder to watch. Anyway it's still a good cartoon and worth checking out. If you like Voltron, you'll also probably like the cartoon/anime "Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs". It has a Voltron-like robot (named Ram-Rod) and team members with a wild west theme.

I loved this show back in my youth. I would never miss an episode. I am pretty sure there was a movie made about this too. I remember having all the action figures and being obsessed with this cartoon. In my humble opinion this is the best cartoon made post 1980.