List of RWBY characters

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 will be other teams with their names combining to form acronyms that are also tied to a color.^[1]

Main characters

Team RWBY (pronounced "ruby")^[2] is composed of four female students from Beacon Academy.^{Vol. 1} Each member is associated with a color and is named after a character or item in the fairy tale world.

Ruby Rose

Voiced by: Lindsay (Tuggey) Jones^{[3]Vol. 1, 3 credits}

The title character is a 15-year-old red-haired girl who typically dresses in a red cloak and a black dress, as with her fairy tale counterpart Little Red Riding Hood^[4] She wields Crescent Rose, a scythe that can transform into a high caliber sniper rifle.^[5] In the pilot episode, she impresses the headmaster of Beacon Academy and is allowed to transfer from Signal Academy and be in the same entering class as her sister Yang, who is two years older.^{Vol. 1, Ch. 1} She learned her fighting skills from her uncle Qrow at Signal, and by her own admittance, was "complete garbage" before he took her in as his pupil. Her semblance is Speed, enabling her to run at rates that are too fast for the eye to catch. In the finale of Volume 3, Ruby learns from her uncle that she and her mother come from a line of powerful silver-eyed warriors that are feared by Grimm. As she is the youngest of the group, she can be a bit childish, naïve, and weapon-obsessed, but displays leadership qualities and an understanding of people that ultimately led her to be chosen as Team RWBY's leader. It's also hinted that she trains harder than anyone else on the team by Yang. She was inspired to become a Huntress by the fairy tales her sister Yang read her, wanting to become just like the heroes in the stories. With an unwavering sense of justice, Ruby is determined to make the world a better place for others and try to stop the forces that conspire against it.^{Vol. 1} After the fall of Beacon, Ruby travels with Jaune, Nora and Ren to Haven to find leads on their enemies, becoming the improvised team of RNJR ("Ranger").^{Vol. 3, Ch. 12}

Weiss Schnee

Voiced By: Kara Eberle^{[3]Vol. 1 credits}

Weiss is the second member of Team RWBY. She has long white hair and has a noticeable scar over her left eye, which she acquired in a fight against a living suit of armor in the 'White Trailer'. Her weapon is a Dust revolver/rapier named Myrtenaster. The sheath can create more than one elemental change, using a dial like silver incasement just above the bottom of her sword. The magical jewels incrested in the incasement allow Weiss to change the power of her sword in battle. Her semblance consists of magical Glyphs that have a variety of effects, and in Volume 3 she gains the ability to summon foes she had previously defeated before. At 17 years of age, she is an heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, a corporation infamous for its sometimes shady business dealings, dangerous practices, and mistreatment of its Faunus laborers. Both the SDC and the Schnee family have been targets of the White Fang terrorist organization for years, leading to Weiss' inherent distrust of the Faunus. Weiss chose to become a Huntress over taking a job at SDC to restore her family's honor, as her father caused the company to decline. At the start of the show, she was shown as self-centered, standoffish, and an obnoxious know-it-all, but has matured somewhat over the course of the show. Weiss greatly admires her older sister Winter and has a crush on Neptune, but gets angry with him when he flirts with other girls. Following the fall of Beacon, Weiss is taken back to Atlas by her father.^{Vol. 3}

Weiss alludes to Snow White, as her name is German for "White Snow".^[4]

Blake Belladonna

Voiced By: Arryn Zech^{[3]Vol. 1 credits}

Blake, the third member of Team RWBY, is a black-haired girl who wields the Gambol Shroud, a shinobigatana with a sharpened sheath that has a pistol in the hilt, which is also attached to a long ribbon. She often uses this weapon in the style of kusarigama when she bends the blade. In battle, her semblance, Shadow, allows her to create a clone of herself, an empty copy that distracts or takes hits of enemies for her while she moves in a different direction. Blake has a quiet nature and a love for books. She is a Faunus, a persecuted humanoid race with animal-like features, and was a member of the White Fang, a social rights advocacy group turned extremist paramilitary organization. Blake leaves in disgust of the violence and joined Beacon Academy to become a huntress. She has kept her Faunus identity a secret by concealing her cat ears under a black bow. Blake has revealed that the reason why she has kept her Faunus identity a secret, is because she feels that she is not ready for the attention it would give her if the secret got out and does not want the discrimination other Faunus receive from humanity. Along with her cat ears, Blake also at times exhibits other examples of feline behavior such as eating heavy amounts of fish and is frightened of Ruby and Yang's pet dog Zwei. After the fall of Beacon, Blake runs away, presumably blaming herself for allowing Adam to cut off Yang's right arm.^{Vol. 3} She's last seen running along the rooftops of Vale.

Belladonna is an allusion to Belle (French term for beauty) of Beauty and the Beast.^[4] It is also an allusion to Deadly Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna), which is as the name suggests is deadly but also can cause hallucinations which are similar to her semblance. Her name, "Blake", is an Old English term for black.

Yang Xiao Long

Voiced By: Barbara Dunkelman^{[3]Vol. 1 credits}

Yang, the fourth member of Team RWBY, is a yellow-haired girl and Ruby's older half-sister. She wields twin shotgun gauntlets called Ember Celica.^[6] Her semblance is a "recoil-based system" such that whenever she takes a hit, she completely loses her temper, which builds her strength and toughness in proportion to her injuries. Her glowing hair is caused by excess energy from the buildup. Yang is the "big sister" of the group, caring deeply for her teammates. She is also very optimistic, never giving up in battle and hard times. However, she is very "hotheaded", and has anger management problems while in battle. Yang has revealed that her birth mother left her shortly after she was born and hasn't been seen since, but Yang is determined to find her, ever since she realized that Summer Rose wasn't her biological mother. Yang wanted to become a Huntress because of the adventure, as she is a thrill-seeker in search of a life where she doesn't know what lies ahead of her. Near the end of Volume 3, her arm is severed by Adam,^{Vol. 3, Ch. 11} and in the final chapter of the volume, she is recovering in Patch's home where she has become bitter and depressed.^{Vol. 3, Ch. 12}

Yang is a reference to Goldilocks; her name in Chinese is 陽小龍 and translates to "sun little dragon".^[4] Prior to the series, one of Oum's Tweets had a photograph of his computer monitor that reveals a file named "Taiyang Xiao Long".^[7]

Huntsman teams

Students from the various academies are grouped into teams of four students with their team name being a tetragram of the initials of each of its members.

Beacon Academy of Vale

Team JNPR

Each member of Team JNPR (pronounced "juniper") is inspired by figures who had taken on the appearance of the opposite gender.^[8]

• Jaune Arc (Miles Luna):^{Vol. 1 credits} 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 his weight.^{Vol. 1} Jaune tries to appear confident in front of the girls, especially Weiss, but it often does not work out and he gets depressed over it, although because he treats Pyrrha normally, the latter is attracted to him.^{Vol. 1} In one of the Volume 1 storylines, he is bullied by Cardin Winchester, although he later stands up for his teammates by disobeying Cardin's order to prank Pyrrha, and then saves Cardin from an Ursa. Although he used fake transcripts to get into Beacon and had not attended combat school, he is supported by his schoolmates who believe in his leadership, and his partner Pyrrha later helps him train. He possesses a strong 'aura' which allows him to heal himself, although he cannot yet control this ability.^{vol. 1} In the end of Volume 3, Jaune goes with Ruby, Nora and Ren to Haven in search for answers and find the ones responsible for the events at Vale and Beacon, as well as Pyrrha's death. His name is derived from the French heroine Joan of Arc, and his theme color is based on his name "Jaune", which is the French word for the color yellow.
• Nora Valkyrie (Samantha Ireland):^{Vol. 1 credits} an orange-haired student at Beacon who carries Magnhild, a grenade launcher that can be converted into a war hammer. Her semblance 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. She and Ren are long-time friends, though Jaune briefly assumes the two are a couple, which causes Nora to quickly say that they're not "together-together", which indicates that Nora's relationship with Ren is more akin to a brother-sister relationship.^{Vol. 1} In the end of Volume 3, Nora goes with Ruby, Jaune and Ren to Haven. 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.
• Pyrrha Nikos (Jen Brown):^{Vol. 1 credits} a red-haired student with a long ponytail and bright green eyes. She wields Miló: a javelin that can transform into a rifle or a xiphos sword; and a shield called Akoúo̱. Her semblance power is Polarity, which is the ability to manipulate objects with magnetism.^{Vol. 1} Prior to enrolling at Beacon, she graduated from Sanctum Academy with highest honors and had a record number of wins at a regional tournament for magic users, landing her a cover photo on a Pumpkin Pete's cereal box.^{Vol. 1} Due to her reputation, she has found forming relationships with others difficult because others often assume she is "too good for them" and that she is "at a level they simply cannot obtain".^{Vol. 2} When Jaune ignores that and treats her normally, she becomes attracted to him^{Vol. 2} and chooses him as her partner during the initiation.^{Vol. 1} In Volume 3, she attains power to fight Cinder,^{Vol. 3, Ch. 11} but is killed, when she is shot through the chest, then incinerated by Cinder in the volume's final chapter.^{Vol. 3, Ch. 12} She is named after the Greek mythological figure, and her last name is derived from the goddess Nike. She also takes inspiration from Achilles from Homer's The Iliad.
• Lie Ren (Monty Oum (Volumes 1 and 2),^{Vol. 1 credits} Neath Oum (Volume 3)):^[9] a black-haired student at Beacon who dual wields machine pistols with attached blades, collectively called Storm Flower. He and Nora are long-time friends, though he is the exact opposite of her, as he is mostly quiet, mellow and mature.^{Vol. 1} In the end of Volume 3, Ren goes with Ruby, Jaune and Nora to Haven. While his name in Chinese (猎人) translates to "huntsman", Ren (蓮) is also Japanese for "lotus". He is inspired by the legendary Chinese warrior Hua Mulan.

Team CRDL

Each member of Team CRDL (pronounced "cardinal") has a bird motif.

• Cardin Winchester (Adam Ellis):^{Vol. 1 credits} a burnt orange-haired student and the leader of Team CRDL who wields a giant mace. He has a reputation as a bully, picking on Jaune and several other students.^{Vol. 1} While his name comes from the cardinal bird and the Winchester line of guns, it also references the Cardinal of Winchester who presided over the Trial of Joan of Arc.
• Russel Thrush (Shane Newville):^{Vol. 1 credits} a green-haired student who wields a pair of Dust-daggers as a shoutout to Will Scarlet. His last name comes from the thrush bird.
• Dove Bronzewing: a light brown-haired student who fights with a long sword that can fire bullets. He is named after the bird often used as a symbol for peace, and his last name is a reference to a pigeon of the same name.
• Sky Lark: a dark blue-haired student whose weapon is a halberd. His full name is derived from the larks of the Alauda genus.

Team CFVY

Team CFVY (pronounced "coffee"), a team that first appeared in Volume 2 and created for Velvet Scarlatina, who was originally meant as a one-off character.

• Coco Adel (Ashley Jenkins): a fashionably-dressed girl with accessories that seem very military-minded including a belt lined with bullets. Her weapon is a handbag that can transform into a minigun capable of mowing down hordes of Grimm. Her name was revealed when Monty tweeted a pic of a cosplayer. Her name is theorized to be based on Coco Chanel.^[10]
• Fox Alistair: a young black man with white eyes, who wears an orange vest, his weapons are a pair of wrist-mounted blades. Like Coco, Monty revealed his name in a tweeted pic of a cosplayer. He is named for the small canine often hunted for sport.
• Velvet Scarlatina (Caiti Ward):^{Vol. 1 credits} a brown-haired Faunus with rabbit ears at Beacon Academy, she is stated to be a type of mage. Monty has described her combat style to be very mage-like, along with being very agile. Her weapon is a camera that she uses to take pictures of other students' weapons, which allows her to conjure holographic copies of their weapons. Rooster Teeth held a fan contest to design her combat uniform, the result of which was announced on March, 6th, 2014.^[11] Her name is derived from The Velveteen Rabbit.
• Yatsuhashi Daichi (Joe MacDonald): The final member of team CFVY, Yatsuhashi is a tall male in a green one-sleeved robe with a long sword. His name comes from the Japanese treat of the same name, and his name was revealed in a series of tweets of the treat by Monty culminating in a singular image of Yatsuhashi Kengyo along with the phrase "You'll figure it out" as an obvious hint that the character is named in honor of the latter.

Haven Academy of Mistral

Team SSSN

Each member of Team SSSN (pronounced "sun") has a Big Bang motif.

• Sun Wukong (Michael Jones):^{Vol. 1 credits} a blonde-haired Faunus with a monkey tail who stowed away on a ship arriving in Vale. His weapon, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, is a collapsible bō staff that splits into two nunchaku that can also function as sawed-off shotguns. With his semblance, Via Sun, he can create astral projection clones of himself in battle. He possesses great speed and agility from his monkey-like traits and seems to be able to see through disguises like the character who inspired him, as he noticed Blake's Faunus heritage despite her bow.^{Vol. 1} Even though he attends the academy in Mistral, he's actually a native of Vacuo.
• Scarlet David (Gavin Free): a red-haired young man with a cape who wields a flintlock pistol and a cutlass as his weapons of choice. The handle of the pistol can be fired as a grappling hook. For some reason, he doesn't like sand in his shoes. His name was confirmed by Monty during an interview with AfterBuzz. His outfit is an allusion to G-Dragon of Big Bang and is based on the character Peter Pan.
• Sage Ayana (Josh Ornelas): a green-haired and dark-skinned young man with tattoos and a long coat, and wields a large sword with Roman Numerals on it. His name was confirmed via Monty's Twitter feed. His outfit is an allusion to Taeyang of Big Bang and is based on the African sage Aesop.
• Neptune Vasilias (Kerry Shawcross): a member of Sun's team who has a large rifle that fires electricity and can turn into a guandao and trident. Although he has a cool image, he is unable to dance, which is a source of embarrassment for him, and has an intense fear of water. He is named after the Roman god of the sea and his last name is a variant of "basileus", which means "king" in Greek. His appearance and outfit is styled after Big Bang member T.O.P..^[12]

Team ABRN

Team ABRN (pronounced "auburn") is a team that Team RWBY fights in the Vytal Festival Tournament.

• Arslan Altan: a dark-skinned young woman who is capable of hand-to-hand combat and wields a rope javelin.
• Bolin Hori: a black-haired young man who wields a staff.
• Reese Chloris: a light green-haired girl who rides a hoverboard that absorbs Dust crystals and transforms into dual pistols.
• Nadir Shiko: a pink-haired teenage boy who wields an assault rifle that can also transform into a sword.

Shade Academy of Vacuo

Team BRNZ

Team BRNZ (pronounced "bronze") is a team that Team JNPR fights in the Vytal Festival Tournament.

• Brawnz Ni (Blaine Gibson): A black-haired man with gray highlights who wields a pair of claws.
• Roy Stallion: A dark-skinned male with dreadlocks who wears gauntlets capable of firing circular saws. He was carried off by a Nevermore during the Battle of Beacon and is presumed dead.
• Nolan Porfirio (Aaron Marquis): A maroon-haired man who wields an electrically charged cattle prod.
• May Zedong: a beanie-wearing female who wields a sniper rifle with a blade on the underside of the stock.

Team NDGO

Team NDGO (pronounced "indigo") is a team that Team SSSN fights in the Vytal Festival Tournament. This team was based on fans who were Indiegogo backers for Lazer Team.

• Nebula Violette (Kate Warner): A purple-haired girl who wields a crossbow that can transform into a sword.
• Dew Gayl (Kim Newman): A blonde-haired girl with a green dress who wields a spear capable of creating tornadoes.
• Gwen Darcy: A black-haired girl who wields throwing knives that she keeps in her armored skirt.
• Octavia Ember: A red-haired girl who wields a kris sword that can release fire torrents.

Atlas Academy of Mantle

Penny's team

• Penny Polendina (Taylor (Pelto) McNee):^{Vol. 1; Vol. 3 ch 8, 12 credits} an orange-haired student who came to the Vytal festival to compete in the combat tournament. She wears a small backpack, and manipulates an array of swords and wires. She can also use the swords as an energy beam cannon. She is known to act awkwardly around people, though she becomes friends with Ruby.^{Vol. 1} In Volume 2, it is revealed that Penny is an android capable of generating an Aura. In Volume 3, she reveals her body is vulnerable to magnets. During Penny's battle against Pyrrha in the Vytal Festival, Pyrrha is affected by Emerald's illusion-based semblance, reflecting Penny's attack, causing her wires to tear her apart. It is currently unknown if this actually killed her or put her into a sleep mode until she's rebuilt. Penny alludes to the character Pinocchio, hiccuping every time she tells a lie.
• Ciel Soleil (Yssa Badiola): a dark-skinned girl with a beret who serves as Penny's handler. Her name is French for 'sky/heaven sun', which alludes to the colours blue, white and yellow.

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.

• Flynt Coal (Flynt Flossey): a dark-skinned boy with a fedora hat who wields a trumpet that can release sound waves to disorient his opponents. His semblance creates the Killer Quartet, in which he generates three clones of himself, each wearing a different colored necktie and armed with a trumpet. He initially hated Weiss because her family put his father out of business, but later respects her when she risks her own safety for her team's victory. His full name references the color grey and coal stones, and is taken from a joke commonly used in Rooster Teeth's gaming content division Achievement Hunter's series "Let's Play Minecraft".
• Neon Katt (Meg Turney): a talkative Faunus girl with a cat tail and roller skates who wields a glowstick-like nunchaku. Her name is derived from the internet meme Nyan Cat and creates a rainbow trail as she skates.

Other teams

Team STRQ

Team STRQ (pronounced "stark") is a now-defunct team composed of Ruby and Yang's relatives.

• Summer Rose: The leader of Team STRQ, and the mother of Ruby and stepmother of Yang whose gravestone is frequently visited by Ruby. She is later revealed to be the second lover to Yang and Ruby's father, Taiyang, the first being Yang's mother, Raven, but whether she married him is currently unknown.^[13] According to Yang, Summer went on a mission but never came back, and her death deeply affected Ruby and Taiyang. Prior to her disappearance, Yang says that she remembered Summer as a "Super Mom", able to handle being a loving parent as well as able to go on dangerous missions. While Summer is named after the hottest calendar season, her full name is derived from the poem The Last Rose of Summer.
• Taiyang Xiao Long (Burnie Burns): the father of Yang and Ruby. He is mentioned multiple times, and his name was never revealed until Volume 2. A blurred version of him can be seen in the background when Ruby is visiting Summer's grave in Episode 1 of Volume 3. He makes his official debut in the finale, where he watches over his daughters in their home in Patch as they recover from the battle of Beacon. Taiyang is mentioned to be a bit overprotective of both of his daughters, and loves them dearly. Like Qrow, he is also a teacher at Signal. His name, Taiyang (太阳), is Chinese for "sun."
• Raven Branwen (Anna Hullum): the mother of Yang, and the first lover of Taiyang. She was revealed to be on the same team with Qrow, Taiyang, and Summer, but she disappeared just after her daughter, Yang, was born, for reasons currently unknown. Yang remained unaware of her mother's existence until Summer's death, and learned that later wasn't her biological mother. As stated by Qrow, Raven is dangerous has a world-view that he sometimes disagrees with. She also seems to be a loner, as she communicates only when she sees fit. Raven first appears as a mysterious masked swordswoman who wields a long sword with interchangeable blades as her weapon of choice. She saved Yang from Neo before the latter could deal a fatal blow on her. In the post-credits scene of the second season finale, she makes a brief appearance again and approaches Yang in the courtyard of Beacon in some sort of dream-like sequence, unmasking herself, bearing a striking resemblance to Yang. Branwen is Welsh for "blessed white crow/raven," and Raven seems to allude to Branwen of the Mabinogion.
• Qrow Branwen (Vic Mignogna): an instructor at Signal Academy, Qrow is Raven's brother, and Ruby and Yang's uncle. He taught Ruby how to wield the Crescent Rose, and along with her is the only one able to wield a scythe. His weapon is a giant sword with a pair of gun barrels that fire when the blade is bent, which can also transform into a scythe. In the first two volumes, Qrow goes on various missions for Ozpin to gather information. He made his debut in Volume 3, where it's shown that he's a heavy drinker. Cool-headed and nonchalant, Qrow is very fond of his nieces but despises the Atlas military. In the finale, Qrow tells Ruby that he specifically worked for Ozpin, and with him now missing, he's taken it upon himself to take over Ozpin's work. In the final scene he watches over Ruby and her friends as they head for Haven. He possibly alludes to Brân the Blessed of the Mabinogion.

Supporting characters

Beacon Academy staff

• Professor Ozpin (Shannon McCormick)^{Vol. 1 credits} is the headmaster of Beacon Academy.^{Vol. 1} His weapon is his cane which he can use to create a force field to block attacks. 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. In the finale of Volume 3, Ozpin goes missing after his battle with Cinder. His name is a reference to the fictional character of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz whose initial is OZPINHEAD.
• Glynda Goodwitch (Kathleen Zuelch)^{Vol. 1 credits} is a Huntress and teacher at Beacon Academy^{Vol. 1} who wields a riding crop as her weapon, in a similar fashion as a magic wand, and whose semblance is Telekinesis. She mostly teaches combat classes, tends to be more stern and strict with her students, and is apparently only behind Ozpin in rank at Beacon. Her name is derived from the character Glinda the Good Witch of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• Professor Peter Port (Ryan Haywood)^{Vol. 1 credits} is a veteran huntsman and teacher at Beacon Academy, and is an expert on fighting different creatures of Grimm. He uses a blunderbuss that has axe blades attached to the stock. His name and his tale of taking on a beowolf in his youth alludes to Peter and the Wolf.
• Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck (Joel Heyman)^{Vol. 1 credits} is a teacher at Beacon Academy, teaching Remnant history. He frequently sips coffee and moves around and speaks at an extremely accelerated rate. Despite his bumbling nature, he is actually very wise and knowledgeable, choosing to learn from mankind's past mistakes so that they won't happen again in the future. Unlike other Huntsmen who fight, Oobleck chooses to defend people by passing his knowledge on to other Huntsmen and Huntresses. He believes that the knowledge is the most powerful weapon from all of them.^{Vol. 1} His weapon of choice is a thermos (from which he drinks coffee out of) that can also transform into a flamethrower. He is named after the children's book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.

Atlesian Military

• General James Ironwood (Jason Rose): Headmaster of Atlas Academy and a renowned military leader. His weapon of choice is a revolver and is revealed to have a robotic right arm, torso and leg. Ironwood is an old associate of Ozpin and Glynda's. However, his beliefs about handling threats head-on and using military force often puts him against Ozpin and Qrow. According to Glynda, he tends to take his work with him wherever he goes. His last name, Ironwood, is a number of wood known for their hardness, and is also the translation for Járnviðr, a forest from Norse mythology.
• Winter Schnee (Elizabeth Maxwell): Weiss' elder sister who is under Ironwood's authority in the military. Her weapon is a saber that has a detachable estoc. Like Weiss, Winter's semblance is Glyphs but she has mastered all of its aspects, as she is able to summon Grimm-like creatures with ease. On the surface, Winter is a dignified and distant soldier but she deeply cares for Weiss. However she is also ill-tempered, as shown when she easily gets angry at Qrow for insulting the Atlas military. She is named after the coldest calendar season.

Recurring characters

• Zwei: Ruby and Yang's pet Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
• Mr. Schnee: The unnamed father of Weiss and Winter, and the current head to the Schnee Dust Company. He is mentioned to be frequently angry due to the White Fang's constant attacks, and has been criticized for possible illegal activities and poor labor practices in his attempts to try and maintain the company. Weiss mentioned to have a stained relationship with her father and possibly being afraid of him, like when she refuses to speak with him on multiple occasions and when she says that the White Fang's attacks caused a difficult childhood for her, hinting of possible abuse at the hands of her father. He is briefly revealed in the final episode of Volume 3, where he takes Weiss back to Atlas to keep her safe from harm.
• Shopkeep (Patrick Rodriguez):^{Vol. 1 credits} A shop owner of various places such as From Dust Till Dawn.^{Vol. 1, Ch. 1} He is often seen being robbed or his property damaged.^{Vol. 1}
• Amber (Laura Bailey): The former Fall Maiden, she wields a staff with Dust crystals on each end. She is also capable of hand-to-hand combat, and being a Maiden, has control over the natural elements. Amber was left in a comatose state after being attacked by Cinder, who was intent on stealing her powers. Her body was placed in an Atlas-made life support device in the Vault under Beacon Academy. However, she is killed by Cinder before her power could be transferred to Pyrrha, causing her powers to go into Cinder. Her name comes from fossilized tree resin.

Antagonists

Cinder's faction

• Cinder Fall (Jessica Nigri)^{[3]Vol. 1 credits} a mysterious woman who possesses fire-based powers and uses a pair of blades that combine to form a bow that she uses to fire arrows.^{Vol. 1} She also fights with glass and has been noted to have fused Dust into some of her clothing. Cinder is a very cunning and secretive woman, with goals of gaining power and causing chaos throughout the world. She leads a team with Mercury and Emerald and is Torchwick's superior. In Volume 3, Cinder kills the Fall Maiden and claims her power. She is also responsible for killing Pyrrha, but is later engulfed in the light caused by Ruby unleashing her hidden powers. Her fate is currently unknown. She alludes to Cinderella.
• Roman Torchwick (Gray G. Haddock):^{Vol. 1 credits} an orange-haired wanted criminal whom Ruby fights in the series' first episode, and who later engages Blake and Sun in battle in the Volume 1 finale. His weapon, Melodic Cudgel, is a cane with a firearm hidden in the shaft, with the hook end as a grappling hook that can reel in an escaping target. Roman appears to be a leader of the White Fang under Cinder's orders, before being arrested by the authorities in the Volume 2 finale. Neo frees him in the following season during Cinder's attack on Beacon, but during his final battle with Ruby, he gets devoured by a Griffon from a result of negative speech. His appearance seems partially inspired by the lead character Alex from the novel/film A Clockwork Orange while his name is primarily an allusion to Candlewick or Lampwick from Pinocchio.
• Mercury Black (J.J. Castillo (Volume 2), Yuri Lowenthal (Volume 3)): a gray-haired associate of Cinder's who uses a pair of greaves 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's last Volume 3 appearance shows him televising a live video feed of the destruction unleashed on Vale and Beacon. He alludes to the Roman god of the same name.
• Emerald Sustrai (Katie Newville): a green-haired associate of Cinder's who uses a pair of pistols with attached blades that can also extend via chains, similar to a kusarigama. Her semblance allows her to cast hallucinations on people's minds, advantageous for her thieving skills. In her last appearance of Volume 3, when she sees the destruction unleashed on Vale and Beacon, Emerald seems to show remorse over what has transpired. Emerald is named after the green gemstone, and Sustrai is Basque for "thief". She seems to allude to Aladdin or Cleopatra.
• Neopolitan: An associate of Roman's with heterochromia in her hair and eyes. Her eyes change colors between pink, brown, and white depending on her mood, while her hair is pink and brown with streaks of white. She has an umbrella capable of blocking powerful blasts that also has a hidden blade in its handle, and her semblance is some sort of illusion-generating ability. During the battle of Beacon, Neo is sent flying by Ruby into a horde of Griffon. Her fate is currently unknown. Neo's name and appearance reference Neapolitan ice cream.

Junior's faction

• Hei "Junior" Xiong (Jack Pattillo): a club manager who fights Yang in the "Yellow" trailer. His weapon is a bazooka that can change into a large bat-like club. He has some sort of connection to Torchwick, as the two were seen briefly together at the club and Roman makes use of Junior's minions. Later on in Volume 2, Yang visits him in his club again, hoping to get some lead on Torchwick's plans. His name means "black bear" in Chinese.
• Melanie and Miltiades "Miltia" Malachite (Maggie Tominey): a pair of black-haired twins who work for Junior. Melanie fights with bladed heels while Miltia utilizes a pair of claws. The names Melanie and Miltiades are Greek for "blackness" and "red earth" respectively, and their surname comes from the green stone of the same name. They are altered designs of the first design of Ruby and Weiss.

White Fang

The White Fang is an organization composed of persecuted Faunus fighting for civil rights. They once held peaceful civil disobedience protests, but then five years prior to the beginning of the series, its leadership changed, and now they use more violent terrorism methods for their cause. They are at odds with the Schnee Dust Company for forcing Faunus into harsh labor.

• Adam Taurus (Garrett Hunter): a red-haired man who was partnered with Blake in the "Black" trailer. He wields a chokutō and gun called Wilt and Blush, respectively. Blush doubles as Wilt's sheath, and Adam can shoot Wilt out from the gun as a projectile. His semblance is Moonslice, which apparently enables him to absorb attacks with Wilt and strike back with countered force. Adam is a violent extremist who is determined to bring justice upon the humans for their mistreatment of the Faunus. Oum describes Blake's connection to Adam as being akin to that of an apprenticeship. Blake severs her association with Adam during a train raid where he shows disregard for the lives of the crew. Initially shocked by her defection, Adam swore to make her pay for leaving the White Fang by destroying everything she cherished. He makes a brief appearance at the end of Volume 2, reassuring Cinder and her group that the White Fang will continue to cooperate as long as they listen to him. In Volume 3, Adam leads the White Fang during Cinder's attack on Beacon and manages to slice off Yang's right arm up to the forearm. Adam's name and relationship to Blake compliment her reference to Beauty and the Beast as Adam was the true name of the Beast.
• White Fang Lieutenant (Gray G. Haddock): One of the leaders of the White Fang and wields a chainsaw as his weapon of choice.

Grimm

The Grimm are multiple species of monsters that appear throughout the natural world of Remnant; they are fury, pain, fear, and despair personified. Since the dawn of mankind, the Grimm have battled against the humans. The Grimm instinctively congregate towards human settlements; they feed off of and are empowered by human suffering and hatred. Humanity repelled the Grimm with the power of "Dust" and used elite teams of "Hunters" to promote peace and maintain order. Roman Torchwick's conspirators utilized these same attributes of Grimm as panic-inducing bio-terrorism weapons against the people of Remmant; eroding the people's hope and trust in the Hunters to an extent that it allowed the Grimm to annihilate a city nearly unopposed. ^{Vol. 3, Ch 12}

Grimm display no enmity towards normal wildlife; humans and Faunus are the only races attacked on sight. When Grimm die, their corporeal form evaporates, preventing detailed anatomical or biological studies. Grimm in captivity will die, if they unable kill their captors or escape, implying that they cannot be kept alive by conventional means. If the theory of Grimm not needing to feed is true, it is entirely possible that they survive on negative emotions as sustenance, or the act of killing in itself.

Known species of Grimm

Grimm are portrayed as black in color, and each one has a white mask with yellow markings and red trail-like designs. Grimm are described as creatures of destruction and they lack souls, thus they have no "auras". The name "Grimm" comes from the pair of brothers who wrote several fairy tales. The vocal sound effects of the Grimm are done by William Orendorff.^{Vol. 1 credits}

• Beowolf: Grimm creatures who bear resemblance to werewolves. In the "Red Trailer", the Beowolves appeared without their white masks, looking more like the traditional werewolf, before they were redesigned. Their name comes from the Old English poem of the same name.^{Vol. 1}
• Ursa: Bear-like Grimm creatures. The normal Ursa only has the white mask and boney spikes on its back, but a larger one has more white boney parts all over its body. Their name is Latin for "bear".^{Vol. 1}
• King Taijitu: Large snake-like Grimm creatures. It has two heads, one at each end, with one half of the creature being predominantly black with some white, while the other half is the inverse. Taijitu means "diagram of the supreme ultimate" in Chinese and is used to refer to the concept of Yin and Yang in Taoism. The King part may be a shout-out to the classic multiple-headed Godzilla enemy King Ghidorah.
• Death Stalker: Large scorpion-like Grimm creatures with glowing golden stingers for tails. They are named after the scorpion species of the same name.^{Vol. 1}
• Nevermore: Grimm creatures that take the form of a bird, resembling the raven and condor. They come in a variety of sizes. The large ones have the ability to shoot large feathers to pin down enemies or prey. The name is a reference to the catchphrase of the poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe.^{Vol. 1}
• Boarbatusk: Boar-like Grimm creatures. The name is a reference to the Latin word "barbatus", meaning "bearded".
• Goliath: Elephant-like Grimm creatures that can be seen wandering outside Mountain Glenn. Most are rumored to be hundreds of years old and more intelligent than common Grimm. Referring to their size and long lives, their name alludes to Goliath, a giant who was defeated by David in a story from the Bible.
• Creep: A non-animal Grimm based on birds and reptiles.
• Griffons: Large bird-like creatures with a white head and beak, black, feathered wings and talons of a bird. Its body resembles a large cat, and it has a spiked tail. They are named after the legendary creature of the same name.
• Grimm Dragon: The biggest of all Grimm species that excretes a dark substance which spawns Grimm. It was laying dormant near Mountain Glenn, but awakens in the chaos at Beacon. In the finale of Volume 3, it is frozen on top of Beacon Tower after Ruby unleashes her powers. But it is still alive and draws the Grimm to the fallen school.^{Vol. 3, Ch 12}

Salem

Voiced by: Jen Taylor^{Vol. 1 credits}

Known as Mysterious Narrator in Volume 1,^{Vol. 1 credits} she explains the origins of Remnant and Dust.^{Vol. 1} She also provides narration for the first World of Remnant shorts.^{Vol. 2} She appears in the final episode of Volume 3, where her name is officially revealed. Her goal is to divide humanity, rob them of their hope, and ultimately destroy them.^{Vol. 3, Ch. 12} Her name is based on the town of Salem known for its witch trials.

Works cited

• ^ "Vol." is shortened form for volume and refers to the DVD volume for the series. See List of RWBY episodes for more details.

References

1. Machuga, Stephen (27 May 2013). "Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth, RWBY: Front Towards Gamer Radio, Episode 172". Front Towards Gamer. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
2. "The Full Monty". austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
3. Rooster Teeth (15 May 2014). "RWBY Volume 2: Production Diary 3". YouTube.
4. Monty Oum [montyoum] (June 7, 2013). "#RWBY on Kotaku Japan! "Two very stylish Kitchen!"" (Tweet). Retrieved February 19, 2016. referring to article: "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" [Cool mystery animation project "RWBY" series final trailer to death the public!]. コタク・ジャパン (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 February 2016., translation at "Translation RWBY article on kotaku.jp - Rooster Teeth". roosterteeth.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
5. Oum, Monty (2003). "RWBY Questions? RWBY Answers!". Rooster Teeth. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
6. Webb, Charles (1 June 2013). "EXCLUSIVE: Rooster Teeth's 'RWBY' Yellow Trailer". MTV.com. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
7. "Monty Oum "introduces" Taiyang (The Sun) Xiao Long and Penny Polendina (Geppetto's nickname) : RWBY". reddit. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
8. Oum, Monty (7 November 2013). "Official tweet at 8:19 AM - 7 Nov 13". Twitter. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
9. Shawcross, Kerry; Luna, Miles; Haddock, Grey; Jones, Lindsay; Dunkelman, Barbara; Eberle, Kara; Zech, Arryn (August 7, 2015). RWBY Panel. RTX. Austin, Texas. Event occurs at 24:30. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
10. "RWBY Beacon Academy / Characters - TV Tropes". tvtropes.org.
11. Oum, Monty. "RWBY: Volume 2: Production Diary 1". Rooster Teeth. Rooster Teeth. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
12. "Monty Oum". Twitter. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
13. Oum, Monty. "Official tweet at 3:14 PM - 23 Jul 14". Twitter. Retrieved 23 July 2014.

External links

• RWBY official site