Like a lot of Japanese imports from the 70's and 80's, this show was brought over because we were a ripe untapped market for it. The difference between the American and Japanese version however is quite big.
First of all, there was only one season of this. It was a middling to fair program in Japan and didn't have the support that they would have wanted so they never made a second season. Whereas in North America it was a huge success and they actually not only got the rights to the program but were able to get them to make a second season. Quite impressive if you ask me. But this about the original, not Voltron.
The story itself is similar to Voltron but is much darker, has a deeper story and people actually die. There are consequences for actions in this. We also get a story into the Beast King robot himself. After defeating a bunch of monsters he got so full of himself that he challenged the goddess of the Universe for supremacy. For this she humbled him, broke him into the five lions we know and love and had him wait until there were five brave pilots that could once again make him whole and fight evil.
We're introduced to those five pilots who are prisoners of the evil Galra Empire. But they manage to escape the arena, make it to Planet Altea and find the five lions in question that are the only weapons that can stand against the evil empire. One of them dies and they get a replacement in the form of the planet's Princess and go on to fight the Galra Empire and their Beastmen. And yes, these aren't just robots these are actually giant mutated beasts they fight. That's another difference.
All in all it's pretty hard to find nowadays but if you're a fan of Voltron and want to compare the two I highly recommend tracking it down.
First of all, there was only one season of this. It was a middling to fair program in Japan and didn't have the support that they would have wanted so they never made a second season. Whereas in North America it was a huge success and they actually not only got the rights to the program but were able to get them to make a second season. Quite impressive if you ask me. But this about the original, not Voltron.
The story itself is similar to Voltron but is much darker, has a deeper story and people actually die. There are consequences for actions in this. We also get a story into the Beast King robot himself. After defeating a bunch of monsters he got so full of himself that he challenged the goddess of the Universe for supremacy. For this she humbled him, broke him into the five lions we know and love and had him wait until there were five brave pilots that could once again make him whole and fight evil.
We're introduced to those five pilots who are prisoners of the evil Galra Empire. But they manage to escape the arena, make it to Planet Altea and find the five lions in question that are the only weapons that can stand against the evil empire. One of them dies and they get a replacement in the form of the planet's Princess and go on to fight the Galra Empire and their Beastmen. And yes, these aren't just robots these are actually giant mutated beasts they fight. That's another difference.
All in all it's pretty hard to find nowadays but if you're a fan of Voltron and want to compare the two I highly recommend tracking it down.