Lance is a former pilot cadet in the Galaxy Garrison, beginning as a cargo cadet before being promoted to fighter class after Keith was expelled.
He functioned as a Paladin of Voltron, piloting both the Blue Lion and the Red Lion at different times.
Following the defeat of the Galra Empire, he became a farmer.
Lance has the appearance of a lean older teenager with light brown skin, short brown hair, thin eyebrows, and blue eyes that are notably drawn with small irises and pupils. Lance's bangs are very short and flare outwardly away from the center of his forehead before they curve inward with longer strands to frame his face at his cheekbones. The rest of his hair barely reaches his neck. He has two strands of hair that sprout from the top of his head. Of the Paladins, Lance has been suggested to be the third-tallest.
In his Paladin armor, Lance's uniform mirrors his fellow Paladins but with blue accents to match his Lion.
When he is not in his Paladin armor, Lance wears a light gray shirt with blue sleeves underneath a gray-brown jacket. The jacket is accented with black and orange and has a white hood. He wears blue jeans and white sneakers accented with black and light blue.
At the end of the show, Allura gives him small light-blue Altean markings.
Immature, arrogant, confrontational, and seemingly viewing life as a big joyride, Lance is an adventure-seeking pilot who priotitizes looking cool and proving himself better than his perceived rivals, envisioning the glory of defeating Zarkon, though his exploits often end in failure. His humor is rather vulgar, noted by him ripping a fart for the punchline of a joke, and he immediately dons a painfully transparent "smooth and suave" persona whenever in the vicinity of beautiful women to flirt with them. His tendency to get caught up in his ego and personal image has led to lowering his guard and trusting too easily to show off, making Lance an easily manipulated target that nearly cost the team the Blue Lion on one occasion. Also, once described by Pidge as "the goofball", which he denies, claiming he's "the cool ninja sharpshooter."
Lance's jovial nature and inflated ego distance his mind from the bleak situation of the universe and the need to perform his role as a Paladin seriously when not in a harrowing fight. He often picks petty arguments with Keith, who he believes is his rival , or instigates comical situations with other Paladins such as his rendition of laser guns and a "space police" siren.
Underneath his cocky demeanor, Lance suffers from homesickness and deeply misses Earth and his large family. He admits to admiring his teammates, even his 'rival' Keith. This reveals Lance is not all fun and bad jokes: he has doubts about his role, as we see when Lance mentions to Keith about leaving the team when "Shiro" came back, within the team and the world around him, and while good-intentioned, lacks solid motivation as a Paladin fighting a powerful enemy. He thinks of himself as nothing more than a "seventh wheel" of the team; these insecurities are the source of his belligerence towards Keith and his egotistical nature. Because he does not live up to his own personal expectations of being perceived highly by his peers, he puts on a front of bravado.
While frequently comic relief, he is perceptive and clear-headed when focused as a Paladin, able to remember key objectives of missions and take in his surroundings to formulate better plans than simply rushing in to attack or risk getting caught. Lance is an outgoing, amiable, and sociable teammate who will readily put himself in harm's way to protect his friends, be it from the mortal danger of a bomb or discipline from a superior officer. He highly values the lives of his team and proves he has potential as a Paladin - something the Blue Lion saw in him and chose him for. Over time, Lance realizes the dire state of the universe around him and matures to respecting his fellow teammates, putting his ideals for glory, his "rivalry", and pride aside for the sake of everyone; this change in character grants him acceptance by the Red Lion as its new pilot.
