Canon Resource Links: There isn’t much known of Keith before the series but we do know some facts: His mother left him when he was very young, and he still harbors some unspoken insecurities of this. He remembers his father fondly, but doesn’t speak of him in the present. Keith was a previous cadet of the Garrison, along with Shiro (and presumably Matt Holt). After Shiro and Matt went on the Kerberos mission, Keith was kicked out due to a “disciplinary issue”. Keith then stayed close by the area in a shack in the desert for a year alone. At some point close to the end of that year, he found carvings of a lion in the scenery and felt a kind of ‘pull’ to them and started investigating. He was able to make some sense of the markings leading to an event the night Shiro crash landed back by the Garrison. Keith didn’t know that’s what it would be, but he was prepared to take whatever it was, providing an explosive distraction and fought his way in. Ultimately, he took Shiro from the science staff about to run tests on him, and the other three Garrison cadets that were there back to his shack.
The rest of the canon information is here! I’ll likely canon update him eventually.
Personality: Keith is initially described as being hot-headed and high-tempered. However they are only surface observations. Keith is impulsive and acts mostly on instinct. He sees naturally point A to point B, but doesn’t stop much to think about how to get to point B differently. What isn’t the most direct route is superfluous. This often means he needs someone with him to point out other options he may not consider.
To add to this, Keith is stubborn. He’s confident in his abilities and skills, which at times unfortunately means he goes into situations overconfident, and along with his stubbornness means he’s sometimes unwilling to listen to others trying to talk him down from a situation. His stubbornness also makes him an easy target to antagonize, something Lance uses constantly throughout the series to provoke him into smaller arguments.
Keith values his friendships dearly; his interaction trying to talk Pidge out of leaving is a sure sign of that, being more demanding and desperate than understanding of Pidge’s needs. He reflects back to his pre-series friendship with Shiro being what got him where he is now and truly holding to advice Shiro had given him (“Patience yields focus” is a mantra taught to him by Shiro). Keith’s love for the people he’s close with often paints him as unsympathetic to those he doesn’t know. He simply doesn’t have that connection to them. He does care about the fate of the universe, but it’s less important for him. What’s most important is his family and their safety. Everyone else comes second to that.
He’s very private, even keeping to himself with people he knows well. He hasn’t been accustomed to discussing his feelings openly, so he tends to either stumble through it, or blurt it out in a fit of frustration. He also doesn’t seem to much care if others speak badly of him; in canon, when others talk down about him, he lets it go, or continues the conversation topic rather than acknowledge it. Whether that’s because he doesn’t see the point of it or that he possibly agrees, we don’t know because Keith keeps it to himself. We do know he places a lot of his self-worth on Shiro’s thoughts of him, being the only one Keith really confides his insecurities to in the more recent seasons. A lot of this is a holdover from his mother leaving. If someone isn’t proven to stick with him for long, he tends to put up a front, opting to push them away rather than risk being rejected.
All this isn’t to say he’s completely serious and nothing else. Keith does have a sense of humor, albeit dry and blink-and-you-miss-it. Hunk gets him to fully laugh out loud with silly things, and he does like making fun of Lance when the moments present themselves. Keith simply doesn’t set out to make every situation a joke or lighthearted. He tends to have fun when he’s comfortable in a setting with people he knows and likes. Hell, he’ll make jokes at his own expense if it means helping calm a panicked friend down and they have the moment.
Keith is someone who sees things that need to be done and sees simple solutions. He’s confident and skilled at physical endeavors, but less so on more book-learned things. He doesn’t always get social cues or nuances - he needs things spelled out simply.
At the time he’s pulled from canon, he’s been alone for a year and, by his own words, “a little lost” emotionally.
Strengths / Weaknesses + Instinct - Keith is a natural born fighter, both in hand to hand and with short-range weapons (swords, blades). Keith’s piloting is also seen as naturally skilled, in speed and agility. + Strength - it doesn’t look it because he’s small, but Keith is surprisingly strong, shown later in the series to lift a fully grown alien team member in a fireman carry + Straightforward - You never have to worry about where you stand with Keith, or what his plan of action is when he has one. He’s very clear and doesn’t try to hide his intentions. + Caring - Keith cares very deeply for his friends, often going to great lengths to help or keep them safe. +/- Simple - He often finds simple solutions to problems, or sees situations as black and white while others get stuck in the gray area. However, this also gives a slight issue of misunderstanding some nuances to situations and conversations. - Stubborn - Keith’s stubbornness often gets him into fights over his head. This may be physical fights he has no chance of winning or butting heads over matters with teammates. - Impulsive - Along with his straightforward nature, Keith is impulsive, not often thinking of a bigger picture. He comes across as short-sighted in this regard. - Reserved - His more reserved nature makes him come across aloof or thinking he’s better than others. - Easily frustrated - His frustration manifests easily, particularly when he’s already stressed or worried about something, giving the impression he’s a hot head.
no subject
The rest of the canon information is here! I’ll likely canon update him eventually.
Personality: Keith is initially described as being hot-headed and high-tempered. However they are only surface observations. Keith is impulsive and acts mostly on instinct. He sees naturally point A to point B, but doesn’t stop much to think about how to get to point B differently. What isn’t the most direct route is superfluous. This often means he needs someone with him to point out other options he may not consider.
To add to this, Keith is stubborn. He’s confident in his abilities and skills, which at times unfortunately means he goes into situations overconfident, and along with his stubbornness means he’s sometimes unwilling to listen to others trying to talk him down from a situation. His stubbornness also makes him an easy target to antagonize, something Lance uses constantly throughout the series to provoke him into smaller arguments.
Keith values his friendships dearly; his interaction trying to talk Pidge out of leaving is a sure sign of that, being more demanding and desperate than understanding of Pidge’s needs. He reflects back to his pre-series friendship with Shiro being what got him where he is now and truly holding to advice Shiro had given him (“Patience yields focus” is a mantra taught to him by Shiro). Keith’s love for the people he’s close with often paints him as unsympathetic to those he doesn’t know. He simply doesn’t have that connection to them. He does care about the fate of the universe, but it’s less important for him. What’s most important is his family and their safety. Everyone else comes second to that.
He’s very private, even keeping to himself with people he knows well. He hasn’t been accustomed to discussing his feelings openly, so he tends to either stumble through it, or blurt it out in a fit of frustration. He also doesn’t seem to much care if others speak badly of him; in canon, when others talk down about him, he lets it go, or continues the conversation topic rather than acknowledge it. Whether that’s because he doesn’t see the point of it or that he possibly agrees, we don’t know because Keith keeps it to himself. We do know he places a lot of his self-worth on Shiro’s thoughts of him, being the only one Keith really confides his insecurities to in the more recent seasons. A lot of this is a holdover from his mother leaving. If someone isn’t proven to stick with him for long, he tends to put up a front, opting to push them away rather than risk being rejected.
All this isn’t to say he’s completely serious and nothing else. Keith does have a sense of humor, albeit dry and blink-and-you-miss-it. Hunk gets him to fully laugh out loud with silly things, and he does like making fun of Lance when the moments present themselves. Keith simply doesn’t set out to make every situation a joke or lighthearted. He tends to have fun when he’s comfortable in a setting with people he knows and likes. Hell, he’ll make jokes at his own expense if it means helping calm a panicked friend down and they have the moment.
Keith is someone who sees things that need to be done and sees simple solutions. He’s confident and skilled at physical endeavors, but less so on more book-learned things. He doesn’t always get social cues or nuances - he needs things spelled out simply.
At the time he’s pulled from canon, he’s been alone for a year and, by his own words, “a little lost” emotionally.
Strengths / Weaknesses
+ Instinct - Keith is a natural born fighter, both in hand to hand and with short-range weapons (swords, blades). Keith’s piloting is also seen as naturally skilled, in speed and agility.
+ Strength - it doesn’t look it because he’s small, but Keith is surprisingly strong, shown later in the series to lift a fully grown alien team member in a fireman carry
+ Straightforward - You never have to worry about where you stand with Keith, or what his plan of action is when he has one. He’s very clear and doesn’t try to hide his intentions.
+ Caring - Keith cares very deeply for his friends, often going to great lengths to help or keep them safe.
+/- Simple - He often finds simple solutions to problems, or sees situations as black and white while others get stuck in the gray area. However, this also gives a slight issue of misunderstanding some nuances to situations and conversations.
- Stubborn - Keith’s stubbornness often gets him into fights over his head. This may be physical fights he has no chance of winning or butting heads over matters with teammates.
- Impulsive - Along with his straightforward nature, Keith is impulsive, not often thinking of a bigger picture. He comes across as short-sighted in this regard.
- Reserved - His more reserved nature makes him come across aloof or thinking he’s better than others.
- Easily frustrated - His frustration manifests easily, particularly when he’s already stressed or worried about something, giving the impression he’s a hot head.