List of RWBY characters explained

This is a list of characters who appear in RWBY, an original anime-style CG-animated web series created by Rooster Teeth Productions. According to series creator Monty Oum, every character's name is tied to a specific color. There are also other teams with their name combining to form acronyms that are also tied to a color.[1]

Creation and conception

Oum designed the characters with assistance from artist Ein Lee. Oum had been browsing Lee's DeviantArt work and asked if she wanted to do some designs. The only rule provided for the series was "everyone must be badass." Lee also said that some of the characters were conceived between her and Oum, where he would provide a description followed by her sketching some ideas, or vice versa. Others were from brainstorming with other people.[2] The characters utilize designs inspired by classic fairy tale characters.[3] Each character has an associated color, and it is the first letters of these colors, red, white, black, and yellow, that give the series its name.[4] Lee said that looking to people, Google image searches, and fashion were inspirations: "how people dress−down to the littlest detail—gives many subtle (and some not so subtle) hints about who they are. It’s all about giving the characters a unique and memorable look that people can still identify with."[2] Oum also drew inspiration from the Final Fantasy video games and the "ridiculously obnoxious weapons".[5]

The series was written by Oum, along with fellow Rooster Teeth employees Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross.[6] Oum was initially concerned about a story focusing on female characters being developed by a primarily male crew, but said they managed to do well developing the female characters.

Protagonists

Team RWBY

Team RWBY (pronounced "ruby")[7] is composed of four female students from Beacon Academy. Each member is associated with a color and alludes to a character in the fairy tale world—reflected in their names and personalities.

A silver-eyed girl who uses a scythe called Crescent Rose as both a melee weapon and as a high caliber sniper rifle.[8] Her Semblance is called "Petal Burst", which enables her to transform into a fast burst of rose petals.[9] Initially, it was thought that Ruby's ability was primarily speed, enabling her to run faster than the human eye can catch, and change directions in mid-air. When her mother Summer Rose vanished when she was very young, Ruby was raised on the island of Patch by her father Taiyang and her older half-sister Yang Xiao Long.

Ruby alludes to the fairy tale character Little Red Riding Hood.[10]

The former heiress to the Schnee family, a powerful high-class family based in Atlas. Their Schnee Dust Company provides much of the worldwide supply of Dust, despite the family being targeted by the White Fang due to the immoral business ethics of Weiss’ father Jacques, which included mistreatment of Faunus laborers. While inheriting her family's white hair and blue eyes, Weiss gained a noticeable scar over her left eye as a result of fighting an Arma Gigas. Weiss uses a Dust revolver/rapier named Myrtenaster. Weiss chose to become a Huntress at Beacon Academy with aspirations of restoring her family's honor, as she disagreed with her father's business methods. The Nightmare version of Weiss, known as Negative Weiss, serves as the main antagonist of the Ice Queendom.

Weiss alludes to Snow White,[10] as her full name Weiss Schnee is German for "White Snow". Character designer Ein Lee said that Weiss was her favorite character among the four main girls to draw: "She's so delicate, and I love princess types."[2]

A cat Faunus with a love for books. She is a former member of the White Fang who left in disgust over the increasing brutality and callous disregard for civilian lives by her former lover and mentor Adam. Blake's weapon is the Gambol Shroud, a "variant ballistic chain scythe" according to Oum[11] with a sharpened sheath that has a pistol in the hilt, which is also attached to a long ribbon. Blake uses blade and sheath in attacking combinations, while also using the momentum of the blade anchored to an object to maneuver herself with the ribbon, even in midair. Her Semblance, "Shadow", allows her to create a hollow clone of herself that functions as an afterimage decoy while she moves in a different direction, later using Dust to give the clone an additional effect depending on the type of Dust used. In Volume 9, Blake and Yang confess their feelings for each other and become a couple.

Blake is an allusion to Beauty and the Beast,[10] arguably to both Belle and the beast.

A blonde-haired girl and Ruby's older half-sister. She wields twin shotgun gauntlets called Ember Celica.[12] After she loses her right arm to Adam Taurus (and with it, the gauntlet that was still on) in Volume 3, her replacement bionic arm is installed with a shotgun mechanism at the wrist. In Volume 7, Yang has Pietro add sticky grenades to her arsenal. Her Semblance, "Burn",[9] works on a "recoil-based system". In Volume 9, Yang and Blake confess their feelings for each other and become a couple.

Yang is an allusion to Goldilocks.[10]

Team JNPR

Team JNPR (pronounced "juniper"), renamed JNR ("junior") after the loss of Pyrrha, is inspired by historical figures who had taken on the appearance of the opposite gender.[13] In Volume 4, Ruby temporarily joins their group and they informally rename themselves Team RNJR ("ranger").[14] [15]

A blond-haired student and the leader of Team JNPR who uses a sword and shield combination called Crocea Mors, an heirloom formerly belonging to his great-great-grandfather. His shield can fold into a sheath for his sword, although it retains its weight. In Volume 4, Jaune upgraded the shield so that it can act as a second blade for the sword. In Volume 7, the shield is further upgraded by Pietro with hardened light Dust on the sides that Jaune can use to act as a glider in air, and the crest can now hold Dust. His Semblance, "Aura Amp",[9] allows him to amplify his Aura or that of others, and he can quickly recharge his Aura even when broken by Volume 7. After arriving in the Ever After in volume 9, Jaune picked a fruit that sent him decades back in time which resulted in him becoming the Rusted Knight, a fairytale character from the Girl Who Fell Through the World.

His name is a reference to the French heroine Joan of Arc.

An orange-haired student at Beacon and old friend of Ren who carries Magnhild, a war hammer that can be converted into a grenade launcher. In Volume 4, Nora has upgraded Magnhild, so that it can apparently hold a stronger electric charge. Her Semblance, "High Voltage",[9] is the production and manipulation of electricity, allowing her to channel the energy to her muscles and gain superhuman strength. Nora is very talkative and hyperactive, which tends to annoy her teammates, but she's also the most positive member of the team. Nora was living on the streets of Kuroyuri when she was a child. When the village was attacked by Grimm, Ren saved her, beginning their friendship. Nora eventually admits her love for Ren but wants to find her own identity before entering a relationship with him.

Her first name comes from the Nora Barlow Columbine, while her last name, "Valkyrie", is inspired by the female warriors found in Norse mythology. She alludes to the Norse god Thor. According to the show's producers, the concept of her weapon was based on the annual Festival of Exploding Hammers in Mexico.

A red-haired student with a long ponytail and bright green eyes. She wielded Miló, a javelin that could transform into a rifle or a xiphos sword, and a shield called Akoúo̱. Her Semblance is "Polarity", which is the ability to manipulate objects with magnetism.

Due to her many achievements, Pyrrha has earned a reputation that makes forming relationships with others difficult because others often assume she is "too good for them". As such when Jaune treats her normally, she chooses him as her partner during the initiation and becomes attracted to him. Pyrrha was chosen by Ozpin as the next Fall Maiden which she initially hesitated to except, but decides to go through with it, but Cinder kills Amber and takes the full power for herself. After confessing her feelings to Jaune, Pyrrha faces Cinder alone but is killed.. After the fall of Beacon, a memorial statue of Pyrrha was made in her honor in Argus.

Monty Oum stated that Pyrrha was given her name for her red hair,[16] and her full name is a reference to a Pyrrhic victory.[17] She also alludes to Achilles from Homer's The Iliad.

A black-haired student at Beacon who dual wields machine pistols with attached blades, collectively called StormFlower. In Volume 7, Pietro upgraded StormFlower so the blades can be projected from the guns to act as grappling hooks. His Semblance, "Tranquility",[9] masks negative emotion, which allows him and his targets to avoid detection from Grimm, Which was unlocked when he lost his village and family in a Grimm attack, leaving him and Nora as the only survivors.[20] . Ren's Semblance eventually evolves, allowing him to see the emotions of those around him in the form of lotus petals with various colors. He eventually admits his feelings for Nora.

While his name in Chinese (猎人) translates to "huntsman", Ren (蓮) is also Japanese for "lotus", which is his emblem. He alludes to the legendary Chinese hero Hua Mulan.

Penny Polendina

An orange-haired student came to the Vytal Festival to compete in the combat tournament. She wields Floating Array:[9] a small backpack that contains an array of gun-bladed weapons and wires. She can also use the swords as an energy beam cannon. She is known to act awkwardly around people, though she quickly becomes friends with Ruby. Penny is an android capable of generating an Aura that originally belonged to her creator, Pietro. In Volume 3, during Penny's battle against Pyrrha in the Vytal Festival, Pyrrha is affected by Emerald's hallucinating Semblance, reflecting Penny's attack, causing the wires connected to her swords to tear her apart. In Volume 7, Penny is shown to have been rebuilt sometime after the Fall of Beacon and upgraded with thrusters in her feet allowing her to fly. She has become the protector of Mantle and part of Ironwood's inner circle. In the volume finale, while helping Winter in receiving the Winter Maiden's power, Penny ends up inheriting the Maiden's power while confronted by Cinder. In Volume 8, Penny is hacked by Watts through her sword stolen by the Ace-Ops and is occasionally controlled by his virus. At the vault, Penny opens it for Team RWBY and succumbs to the virus. But her soul is separated from her robot body by Ambrosius, and she is given a human body as her old one is terminated. In the passageways to Vacuo, Penny is mortally wounded by Cinder. She lets Jaune kill her so that she can pass the Maiden's power to Winter.

Penny alludes to the character Pinocchio, hiccuping every time she tells a lie.

Team STRQ

Team STRQ (pronounced "stark") is a now-defunct team composed of Ruby and Yang's relatives, commented to have similarities to Team RWBY like being favored by Ozpin.

Ozma

An ancient warrior who was Salem's lover before dying from an illness. As Salem's desire to resurrect Ozma resulted in her rebellion against the gods, Ozma is brought back to life by the God of Light to lead the resurrected humanity, leading to an endless war against Salem, whom Jinn reveals that Ozma cannot kill. Every time he dies, his soul transmigrates into a new like-minded host, allowing him to take control of his host body at will while both can access each other's memories with Professor Ozpin being his current incarnation at the start of the series and referred as such before his origins are revealed. One of his past incarnations was the basis of the wizard from a story based on the creation of the first Maidens, another being a king who fought through the war. In each lifetime, he forms an inner circle to aid him. Though he is stoic and affable to those around him and can be blunt at times, he is a humble man who deeply cares for his students despite admitting to be slightly paranoid due to countless acts of betrayal he suffered across his past lives, a trait that he eventually came to abstain from. Ozma is named after Princess Ozma from the Oz book series, his reincarnations reference the title character of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The headmaster of Beacon Academy and the latest reincarnation of Ozma, armed with a cane, The Long Memory,[9] which has numerous functions that include serving as a melee weapon capable of generating a protective force field. The cane has vast amount of powerful kinetic energy stored inside, accumulated by Ozpin during his past lifetimes.

A young farm boy who lived with his aunt before becoming Ozpin's new host and joining his students.

He is believed to allude to Tippetarius, or the disguised form of Princess Ozma from The Marvelous Land of Oz

Maria Calavera

An elderly woman with prosthetic eyes, though she cannot see color with them. She was originally a silver-eyed Huntress known as the Grimm Reaper before being blinded by the Faunus assassin Tock. Maria received her prosthetic eyes from Pietro, and they have been close friends ever since. The cane she uses was one of her two kamas, Life and Death, that combine at the ends to form a twin-bladed weapon. Her Semblance, which she calls "Preflexes", allows her to react to attacks almost before they happen. Unlike most Hunters, due to the risk of being targeted by Salem, Maria was trained by her father instead of attending a school. She meets Team RWBY, Qrow and Oscar after they crash-land into the snow region of northern Anima. Upon learning that Ruby has silver eyes, Maria teaches her to consciously use her powers when they are attacked by the Apathy Grimm. In Argus, she becomes a mentor to Ruby and shares what she knows about the silver eyes.

She alludes to the typical image of the Grim Reaper in popular culture, and her last name means "skull" in Spanish.

Emerald Sustrai

A light green-haired girl with dark skin who was an associate of Cinder's and uses Thief's Respite,[9] a pair of pistols with attached blades that can also extend via chains, similar to a kusarigama. Her Semblance, "Hallucinations",[9] allows her to cast hallucinations on people's minds, advantageous for her thieving skills, though it becomes a strain to her if she tries to do it on more than one person. By the time of Volume 8, Emerald has trained in improving her Semblance, as she can cast hallucinations on multiple people and keep them for an extended period of time. Ever since she was recruited by Cinder, Emerald had an undying loyalty to her, even if she serves someone as evil as Salem. But after she learns of Salem's true goals and is nearly killed by the witch, Emerald defects to Ruby's group.

She alludes to Aladdin from the classic anthology book One Thousand and One Nights.

Kingdoms

Vale

Beacon Academy

Team CRDL (pronounced "cardinal") is formed as another first-year team at Beacon Academy, alongside RWBY and JNPR. The team's members have a gray and brown color scheme and are named after birds.

Team CFVY (pronounced "coffee") consists of second-year Beacon Academy students. They transferred to Shade Academy in Vacuo following the Fall of Beacon and are the main protagonists of RWBY: After the Fall and Before the Dawn. The team's members have a red and brown color scheme and are named after desserts.

Shion Zaiden

An original character in Ice Queendom, which takes place between Volumes 1 and 2 of the series. They are a special type of Huntsman called a "Nightmare Hunter", armed with a dreamcatcher-like weapon that helps with capturing Nightmare Grimm. Shion arrives to Beacon during the Team RWBY's initiation test in the Emerald Forest due to a Nightmare possessing Jaune, offering their help when Weiss is attacked by another Nightmare.

Cinder's faction

An orange-haired crime lord whom Ruby fights in the series' first episode, armed with the Melodic Cudgel, a cane which doubles as a firearm and grappling gun. Roman was born in Mistral and was left in an orphanage when he was young, causing him to have a low opinion about life and its ethics. Roman eventually became a thief in Mistral's lower parts where he was forced to join the Spiders, but eventually leaves for Vale and takes over its criminal underworld and later recruited by Cinder to aid them with their plans in Vale. Roman died in the fall of Beacon.

His attire is inspired by the lead character Alex from the novel/film A Clockwork Orange,[30] while his name is primarily an allusion to Candlewick or Lampwick from Pinocchio.

Born Trivia Vanille and often nicknamed "Neo", is an associate of Roman with heterochromic eyes that change color between pink, brown, and white depending on her mood, while her hair is pink and brown with streaks of white. Neo has a parasol called Hush;[9] containing a hidden blade in its handle, it is capable of blocking powerful blasts. Her illusion-based Semblance, "Overactive Imagination",[9] has a variety of uses, from physical illusions to disguises for herself. Trivia was the daughter of a rich family in Vale, but was kept in isolation for most of her childhood as her parents considered her useless because of her heterochromia as well as the fact that she was mute which they believed would make it impossible for her to marry someone of wealth. After meeting and befriending Roman Torchwick, she aids him in taking over city's criminal underworld and adopts the name Neopolitan after an imaginary friend she had which she later realized was a repressed version of her true self. After Roman's death, Neo blames Cinder and Ruby but teams up with the former because of their shared hatred against the latter, but is later betrayed by her. After seemingly getting her revenge against Ruby, Neo loses her sense of purpose, but after helping team RWBY and Jaune kill the Curious Cat, Neo begins to make peace with Roman's death and the heroes, consuming a leaf that will eventually heal her and make her better.

Neo's name and appearance both reference neapolitan ice cream. According to E.C. Myers, Neo's birth name is a reference to the ancient Greek deity Hecate. Neo is portrayed as mute, and communicates with signs, à la Wile E. Coyote in the comedy spinoff series RWBY Chibi.

Dr. Merlot

A scientist and former colleague of Ozpin before they drifted apart due to Merlot's obsession of understanding the Grimm and improve on their design. Merlot established Merlot Industries in the Mountain Glenn settlement, being the cause of its failure when he had his subordinates attract Grimm for use in their experiments. But Merlot survived and in , which takes place between Volumes 2 and 3 of the series, continued his research on an island where he created mutant variants until Team RWBY's interference forces him to self-destruct his laboratory, his fate currently a mystery. Dr. Merlot is an allusion to Dr. Moreau.

Lady Beatrix Browning

The Headmisterss of Lady Browning's Preparatory Academy For Girls, who secretly is an agent for Spider in Vale, with her school being a cover for training assassins. She was exposed by Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan.

Mistral

Haven Academy


Voiced by: Daman Mills: A lion Faunus with a tail who was the headmaster of Haven Academy, armed with wrist-mounted shield named Stalwart that fires combined Dust projectiles.[9] While originally a member of Ozpin's inner circle, Lionheart betrayed them as he allied himself with Salem's faction out of fear. Lionheart was killed by Salem's Seer Grimm after trying to flee when the tide of battle of Haven turned against Salem's faction.

He is based on the Cowardly Lion in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Each member of Team SSSN (pronounced "sun") has a Big Bang motif.[31] [32] They transferred to Shade after Lionheart's death and serve as the main protagonists of the novel RWBY: Before the Dawn alongside Team CFVY.

Team ABRN (pronounced "auburn") fights Team RWBY in the team round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Its members are among the group of students that fights off Grimm and Atlas mechs during the Battle of Beacon. In Before the Dawn, they have transferred to Shade Academy following Lionheart's death.

Team SAFR

Team SAFR (pronounced "sapphire") are the main protagonists of RWBY: The Grimm Campaign. Two years prior to the events of the main series, the team was assigned by Qrow Branwen to investigate the rise of Grimm and criminal organizations in the Mistral city of Kuchinashi.

Branwen Tribe

Raven's right-hand woman and decoy for the title of the Spring Maiden. Her weapons are a pair of wind and fire wheels with guns attached inside. In her debut in Volume 5, Vernal tells Weiss that the tribe is planning on using her as a ransom for Jacques, and that her older sister has returned to Atlas. Later on during the Battle of Haven, she engages Weiss in combat as per Raven's orders, and easily defeats her. At the vault of the Relic of Knowledge, Vernal is impaled and killed by Cinder for the Maiden's power, only for her to be exposed as a decoy for Raven.

A bandit from Raven's tribe who whom Yang brutally punched at a gas station where he harasses her while drunk, leading her to the camp with the intend to rob her before he and his aid are defeated and learning Yang is Raven's daughter. Later, while guarding the camp gates, he is confronted by Cinder's faction and Watts. His name is a play on the phrase "shady man".

Atlas

Atlesian Military

Headmaster of Atlas Academy and a renowned military leader, also being a member of Ozpin's inner circle despite disagreeing with him over using military force to handle threats head-on. According to Glynda, he tends to take his work with him wherever he goes. His weapons, collectively called Due Process, are a pair of revolvers that can be attached to a cannon. His Semblance, "Mettle", enables him to hyper-focus and carry through with whatever decision he makes.[36] In Volume 3, it is revealed that Ironwood has a robotic right arm, torso and leg. Ironwood decided to take the war against Salem into his own hands after the fall of Beacon, but the stress combined with his paranoia slowly drove his allies and followers away and he was left to die in the fall of Atlas. Ironwood alludes to the Tin Woodman from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.[37]

Weiss' elder sister and Ironwood's right hand in the military, armed with a saber with a detachable estoc. Like Weiss, having left the Schnee family to make a difference, Winter inherited their family's "Glyphs" Semblance, which she fully mastered to easily summon constructs modeled after defeated Grimm. While dignified and distant, Winter deeply cares for Weiss and is ill-tempered, as shown when Qrow insulted the Atlas military while provoking her to fight him. During the fall of Atlas, Penny passed the Winter Maiden's power to her.

Winter is possibly an allusion to The Snow Queen.

The special operative in charge in Argus. Cordovin is a prideful and arrogant woman who looks down on all non-Atlesians, and is emotionally unstable, especially when provoked. Upon meeting the group of heroes, she refuses to allow any of them to go to Atlas, except for Weiss. She also has a bad history with Maria. When the group tries to steal a military airship, Cordovin overreacts by piloting a giant mech called the Colossus to attack them but ultimately loses after Ruby destroys the mech's cannon, she ultimately lets the heroes leave for Atlas after they helped defend the city against the Grimm.

Cordovin alludes to the nursery rhyme, "There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe".

An elderly Atlesian scientist who traverses with a mechanic wheelchair, and is responsible for the creation of Penny, Yang's robotic arm, and Maria's cybernetic eyes. Maria visits him roughly every ten years to have her implants adjusted. With Penny's creation, Pietro gave her a huge portion of his Aura. He cherishes Penny as his own daughter but is overprotective of her, so much that he is against letting her going into harm's way to achieve a goal.

Pietro is an allusion to Geppetto from Pinocchio.

Ace-Ops

The Ace-Ops are a special team of Huntsmen in the Atlas Military. Like Winter and Penny, they are part of Ironwood's inner circle. In Volume 8, The Ace-Ops are led by Winter following Clover's death. Each member is an allusion to one of the Aesop's Fables, with the team's name being a homophone of the word 'Aesop'.

Atlas Academy

Team FNKI

Team FNKI (pronounced "funky") is a team participating in the Vytal Tournament. Weiss and Yang take on two of their members during the doubles rounds and the two fight during the Battle of Beacon. The other two members are introduced when Team FNKI returns in Volume 7. In Volume 8, Team FNKI is sent to the front lines during the Battle of Atlas.

Happy Huntresses

The Happy Huntresses are composed of Atlas Academy graduates who did not join the military, and instead use their talents to serve Mantle. They refer to the Merry Men.

Schnee Household

Arrowfell

Team BRIR

Team BRIR (pronounced "briar") is a team active in Atlas, but are not native to the kingdom. They serve as guardians of the Fort Arrowfell in RWBY: Arrowfell, which is set sometime after the beginning of Volume 7.

Bram Thornmane

Bram Thormane was introduced as the guardian of a small village in Mantle in the video game, RWBY: Arrowfell. His weapon is a bow that can be split into two daggers. Bram trained under Ironwood to become a member of the Ace-Ops, but was ultimately rejected by the general and harbors a grudge for his former teacher. Bram worked behind the scenes as the head of a conspiracy to use Arrowfell technology and overthrow Ironwood. But he was eventually defeated by Team RWBY and was arrested by Ironwood. With the fall of Atlas, Bram's fate is currently unknown.

Olive Harper

Olive Harper is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Atlas military and serves as Thormane's spy on Ironwood. She was tricked by Bram into helping him usurp Ironwood, who made her believe things will get better that way. Near the end of Arrowfell, Olive admits her crimes to Team RWBY and willingly turns herself in. With the fall of Atlas, Olive's fate is currently unknown.

Amoncio Glass

An Atlas elite and mob boss involved in many shady businesses and is provided with Arrowfell technology for personal profit.

Hanlon Fifestone

A respected Mantle Union leader prior to the events of RWBY Arrowfell. His Semblance enables him to extract raw emotions from people, he was hired by Bram Thornmane to help him get his revenge on Ironwood against his will.

Vacuo

Shade Academy

The headmaster of Shade Academy who is first mentioned in the novel RWBY: After the Fall. He is a genderbent allusion to Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

The history teacher of Shade Academy and Theodore's right-hand woman. Her Semblance allows her to touch any non-living object and turn it to gold in an instant. In Before the Dawn, Rumpole secretly allows Team CFVY to investigate The Crown. She is an allusion to Rumpelstiltsken.

Team BRNZ (pronounced "bronze") fights Team JNPR in the first (team) round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. In Before the Dawn, it is revealed that Nolan is the sole survivor of his team after the fall of Beacon.

Team NDGO (pronounced "indigo") fights Team SSSN in the first (team) round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. The characters are based on fans who were Indiegogo backers for the movie Lazer Team. In Before the Dawn, they act the most antagonistic towards the other transfer student teams from Beacon and Haven.

Temporary Teams

In Before the Dawn, Theodore forms temporary teams that are mixes of Shade, Beacon, and Haven academy students.

The Crown

The Crown is an organization based in Vacuo. They serve as the major antagonists in the RWBY novels After the Fall and Before the Dawn.

Menagerie

White Fang

The White Fang is an organization composed of persecuted Faunus fighting for civil rights like those committed by the Schnee Dust Company using their people for labor, originally established by Ghira Belladonna as a peaceful civil disobedience group. But when he stepped down five years prior to the beginning of the series and is succeeded by Sienna Khan, the White Fang became a terrorist cell under the gradual influence of Adam Taurus who staged a coup and killed Sienna before the organization became fragmented in the aftermath of the Battle of Haven, when he killed many of the remaining members as well.

Citizens

Salem's Inner Circle

Salem

Known as the Mysterious Narrator prior to her formal introduction, Salem was a human who rebelled against the gods for not reviving her beloved Ozma and cursing her with immortality. Seeking death, Salem jumped into a Grimm pit which turned her into a human-Grimm hybrid. It is now assumed that she seeks to divide humanity and turn them against each other so the gods would deem them unworthy when summoned back with the Relics and wipe them out, herself included, but does not disclose it to her subordinates. Salem also claims to be responsible for Summer's fate.

Her name is based on the town of Salem, Massachusetts, infamous for its witch trials and alludes to the Wicked Witch from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Cinder Fall

Salem's right-hand woman whose Semblance, "Scorching Caress",[9] allows her to heat objects and manipulate their shape. Her original weapon was Midnight, a pair of blades that combine into a bow, which she discarded after becoming the Fall Maiden, which enabled her to conjure weapons at will. Originally an orphan from Mistral, Cinder was adopted and brought to Atlas but was forced to become a slave at the Glass Unicorn hotel by her stepmother.

Cinder is an allusion to Cinderella.

Dr. Arthur Watts

A disgraced Atlesian scientist, his main weapon is a twenty-bullet revolver while using his rings to both hack into networks and use hard-light Dust as a shield. Watts served alongside Pietro, is an old acquaintance of Jacques and was the head of the Paladin project. Seeking revenge against Ironwood for preferring Pietro's P.E.N.N.Y. project, Watts faked his death during the Paladin incident and eventually joined Salem. He was left for dead in the fall of Atlas by Cinder.

Watts alludes to John Watson from Sherlock Holmes.[9]

Tyrian Callows

A pale psychopathic scorpion Faunus with a long, black braided ponytail and yellow eyes that turn purple while striking with his stinger, showing himself to be extremely devoted to Salem and aware of her true goal. He wields The Queen's Servants,[9] which are a pair of wrist-mounted blades with gun barrels. His Semblance allows him to channel his Aura at his hand and slice through another's Aura to cause severe damage.

Tyrian alludes to the scorpion from The Scorpion and the Frog while named after a shade of purple.

Hazel Reinart

A muscular man who is normally reserved and composed with his Semblance, "Numbing Agent",[9] serving as a form of painkiller whenever he embeds raw Dust crystals into his body to augment his strength. After failing to kill Salem, Hazel joined her as he blamed Ozpin for the death of his sister Gretchen during a training mission while she attended Beacon, his calm exterior replaced with rage when in Ozpin's presence. After learning of Salem's true goals, Hazel turns against her and sacrifices himself so her prisoners could escape.

Hazel and Gretchen's names come from Hansel and Gretel.

Mercury Black

A gray-haired associate of Cinder's who uses a pair of greaves, Talaria,[9] that also function as guns. His legs are mechanical prosthetics which were implied to be surgically attached because of damage caused to his natural legs by his father, Marcus. Mercury is eventually promoted into Salem's inner circle.

He alludes to the Roman god of the same name.

Tock

A crocodile Faunus from Maria's younger days as the Grimm Reaper, armed with a pair of saber swords, a set of sharp metal implanted teeth and possessing a Semblance that makes her nigh invulnerable for one minute at a time. Tock was sent by Salem to assassinate Maria because of her silver eyes, managing to blind Maria before being killed by her. [9]

Tock is an allusion to the Crocodile from Peter Pan.

Vermillion Raddock

The main antagonist of RWBY: Grimm Campaign who was sent to Kuchinashi, a city in Mistral, in search of magical artifacts on behalf of Salem. Raddock possesses superhuman strength and fights with a 30-foot flail, his Semblance allows him to make his target's Semblance his own as well once their Aura comes into contact with his.

Grimm

The Creatures of Grimm are soulless monsters that appear throughout the natural world of Remnant as they are devoid of aura and thrive on the worst aspects of humanity. The Grimm are creations of the God of Darkness that manifest from his domain's Grimm Pits, pools containing a dark substance that kills a non-Grimm being on contact. The Grimm's purpose is to destroy everything made by the God of Light, which later includes humans whom both brothers created together. Following the previous version of humanity wiped out by their creator, Grimm instinctively prey on new humans and Faunus races with the discovery of "Dust" and the establishment of the Huntsmen and Huntresses allowing them to control their numbers. But Salem, as the result of her attempted suicide in a Grimm Pit, is able to control the Grimm and has tried to fuse other humans with Grimm like herself, as she granted Cinder Fall a Grimm limb and created the Hound. The Grimm are weak against the light of the Silver-eyed warriors (which is a gift of the God of Light), who can either petrify or vaporize them.

Each Grimm's appearance and name are based on animals and mythical creatures while the species' name as a whole comes from the brothers who wrote several fairy tales.

Fairy tales

Maidens

Maidens are women who are capable of wielding great magic, including control over the weather and natural elements, as well as being the only ones to access one of the four Relics each. The original Four Maidens, each named after the four seasons, were given their powers by Ozpin in one of his past lives. With each maiden's death, their magic is transferred to another woman whom they thought of, otherwise it will be random.

The previous Fall Maiden who is a skilled combatant armed with a staff with Dust crystals on each end and is capable of hand-to-hand combat. After Cinder's attack and siphoning her power mortally weakened her, her body was placed on a life support in Beacon's Vault, Ozpin resolved to transfer Amber's remaining powers and soul Pyrrha. But Amber is killed by Cinder as the process commenced.

Fria

The previous Winter Maiden who was placed on life support at an Atlesian medical facility due to her old age. Fria was visited only by Winter who meant to be her successor. Before her passing, Fira gave her powers to Penny instead of Winter. Fria alludes to the character Blue Fairy from the tale Pinocchio.

Deities and Relic Beings

The creators of Remnant were two deity brothers, who were the firstborns of the Tree in Ever After. When the Jabberwalker began its killings spree, the brothers quarreled with each other over the balance of life they disrupted. But the Tree sent them away because their creations were too much in Ever After. In Remnant, the brothers created humanity together on the foundation of creation, destruction, knowledge and choice. When Salem tried to have them resurrect Ozma, the brothers curse her with immortality as punishment. When she led a human rebellion against the brothers, the God of Darkness destroys all of humanity except for Salem, and the brothers left Remnant while leaving behind the four Relics as a beacon to summon them to judge the new race of humans that came to be in their absence.

Ever After

The Ever After is an alternate world where Team RWBY, Jaune, and Neo have fallen into during the events of Volume 9. It is heavily inspired by Alice in Wonderland. In-universe, it serves as the setting for the fairy tale, The Girl Who Fell Through the World.

DC

In March 2021, DC Comics published a crossover comic series, RWBY x Justice League, featuring several iconic superheroes from the Justice League. However, these characters are Remnant parallels from their DC counterparts. In Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, the Justice League are the originals who, in Part One, were transported to a digital simulation of Remnant and placed inside the bodies of teenagers, with some of them turning into Faunus.[46] In DC/RWBY, Remnant begins to merge with the DC universe, granting its inhabitants Semblances.

Justice League

Allies

Supervillains

Works cited notes

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Machuga . Stephen . Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth, RWBY: Front Towards Gamer Radio, Episode 172 . June 9, 2013 . Front Towards Gamer . May 27, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130609164416/http://fronttowardsgamer.com/2013/05/27/monty-oum-rooster-teeth-rwby-front-towards-gamer-radio-episode-172/ . June 9, 2013 .
  2. Web site: Rooster Teeth Productions Presents RWBY Concept Art by Ein Lee (Q&A) . Concept Art World . July 18, 2013 . December 30, 2016.
  3. News: Silverman. Joshua. Interview: Monty Oum. June 9, 2013. Constantly Calibrating. February 19, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130724064141/http://constantlycalibrating.com/2013/02/19/interview-monty-oum/. July 24, 2013. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: Oum. Monty. Rooster Theeth Podcast #191. Rooster Teeth. February 16, 2015. dead. https://archive.today/20130506051101/http://roosterteeth.com/podcast/episode.php?id=191. May 6, 2013. mdy-all.
  5. Web site: New York Comic-Con 2013: An Interview with the RWBY Staff. SamuraiBeatRadio. December 21, 2013. samuraibeatradio.com. December 30, 2016. December 30, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230231203/https://samuraibeatradio.com/2013/12/21/new-york-comic-con-2013-an-interview-with-the-rwby-staff/. dead.
  6. News: Parbhu. Sanjay. Rooster Teeth Releases RWBY Yellow Trailer. June 9, 2013. Capsule Computers. June 4, 2013.
  7. Web site: The Full Monty. austinchronicle.com. February 19, 2016.
  8. Web site: RWBY Questions? RWBY Answers! . Oum . Monty . 2003 . Rooster Teeth . November 4, 2015.
  9. Book: The World of RWBY: The Official Companion.
  10. Web site: 死ぬほどかっこいい謎のアニメーションプロジェクト『RWBY』シリーズ最終トレーラーが公開！ ｜ コタク・ジャパン . https://archive.today/20130615224139/http://www.kotaku.jp/2013/06/rwby_new_trailer.html . June 15, 2013 . dead . June 6, 2013 . . Japan . February 19, 2016 . Cool mystery animation project "RWBY" series final trailer to death the public! . ja ., translation at Web site: Translation RWBY article on kotaku.jp – Rooster Teeth . roosterteeth.com . February 19, 2016 .
  11. montyoum . Monty . Oum . Monty Oum . 316199253657653248 . March 25, 2013 . Blake Belladonna's weapons "Gambol Shroud" is a variant ballistic chain scythe #RWBY . January 5, 2017 .
  12. News: Webb. Charles. EXCLUSIVE: Rooster Teeth's 'RWBY' Yellow Trailer. June 10, 2013. MTV.com. June 1, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130609232919/http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2013/06/01/exclusive-rooster-teeths-rwby-yellow-trailer/. June 9, 2013. dead.
  13. 398484962866786304. montyoum. @VallenTheDark hmm, a good hint might be. All of team JNPR disguised themselves in the other gender in their inspired character. . January 10, 2018. November 7, 2013.
  14. Web site: RWBY Volume 4: Clip . Rooster Teeth Clips. October 21, 2016. January 5, 2017. YouTube.
  15. Web site: RWBY RTX 2016 Full Second Panel. ZLGNF. July 8, 2016. January 5, 2017. YouTube.
  16. 424787997100630016. montyoum. Pyrrha was evidently named after her red hair. In Latin the word pyrrhus means red from the Greek adjective... . January 19, 2014.
  17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GllDpEqx6Fw&t=2868 RTX 2016 RWBY Panel (Saturday)
  18. RWBY Panel . 24:30 . Shawcross . Kerry . Luna . Miles . Haddock . Gray . Gray Haddock . Jones . Lindsay . Lindsay Jones (actress) . Dunkelman . Barbara . Barbara Dunkelman . Eberle . Kara . Zech . Arryn . . . August 7, 2015 . August 8, 2015 .
  19. http://roosterteeth.com/post/51200631 Wanted to share my thoughts and feelings. =)
  20. Volume 4 Directors Commentary 2:26:27
  21. Web site: Loveridge . Lynzee . Vic Mignogna No Longer a Member of RWBY Cast . Anime News Network . August 16, 2023 . en.
  22. Web site: Shawcross . Kerry . RWBY VOLUME 7 UPDATES AND RWBY AT RTX! . Rooster Teeth . en . July 1, 2019 . July 1, 2019.
  23. Web site: CRWBY AMA. Reddit. February 12, 2018 .
  24. Web site: Backwardz Compatible . Rooster Teeth.
  25. https://twitter.com/TheMilesLuna/status/383642357473624064 Miles Luna's Twitter
  26. Book: RWBY: After the Fall.
  27. Volume 3 Director's Commentary
  28. Web site: Oum . Monty . RWBY: Volume 2: Production Diary 1 . Rooster Teeth. April 9, 2014.
  29. 486348998186262529. montyoum. . July 8, 2014.
  30. Volume 1 Directors Commentary
  31. Web site: Tweet Number 473261423368216576 . Monty Oum . 2 June 2014. 10 January 2018 . P.S. Ps . Twitter.
  32. Web site: Tweet Number 473265099000774657 . Monty Oum . 2 June 2014. 10 January 2018 . @VampyBitme :D . .
  33. 473265099000774657. montyoum. @VampyBitme :D . June 1, 2014. June 2, 2014.
  34. https://youtube.com/yOGBHQJ3DTw?t=18m31s RTOz Panel
  35. 473261423368216576. montyoum. P.S. Ps . June 1, 2014. June 2, 2014.
  36. RTX 2020
  37. Volume 3 DVD Cast Commentary
  38. Web site: Meet the Ace-Ops . Twitter . November 18, 2019.
  39. Web site: Heyo Everyone! I hop… . December 2, 2020 .
  40. Volume 4 Directors Commentary 27:31
  41. https://twitter.com/YongYea/status/1597390851369742336
  42. RWBY: Amity Arena
  43. Volume 6 Blu-ray Director's Commentary
  44. montyoum . 349795637824466944 . Fun Fact: Melanie & Miltia are built off of early versions of Weiss and Ruby . June 26, 2013 . June 10, 2017 . Monty . Oum.
  45. 1370783591836311553. eddyrivas. @ThatKaitoDan All during writing his code name was Merlin Daddy . March 13, 2021. March 13, 2021.
  46. Web site: 'Justice League x RWBY' Movie Unveils Voice Cast (Exclusive) . . December 15, 2022 .

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