Blake Belladonna

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.

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. The characters utilize designs inspired by classic fairy tale characters. 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. 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." Oum also drew inspiration from the ''Final Fantasy'' video games and the "ridiculously obnoxious weapons".

The series was written by Oum, along with fellow Rooster Teeth employees Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross. 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.

Main characters

Team RWBY

Team RWBY (pronounced "ruby") 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.

Ruby Rose

* Voiced by: Lindsay Jones / Saori Hayami

The 15-year old main protagonist who typically dresses in a black dress and a red cloak, using the Crescent Rose scythe as both a melee weapon and as a high caliber sniper rifle. In Volume 7, the blade of the scythe can rotate on the rifle. Her Semblance is called "Petal Burst", which enables her to transform into a fast burst of rose petals. 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. But in Volume 8, Penny explains that Ruby's Semblance is traveling at extreme velocities while breaking herself down to her molecular components to negate her mass, and then reassembling herself at the destination. She can also use her Semblance on others.

As her mother Summer Rose died when she was very young, Ruby is raised on the island of Patch by her father Taiyang and older half-sister Yang Xiao Long. Her uncle Qrow Branwen teaches her how to wield a scythe and fight properly, with Ruby stating that she was "complete garbage" before he took her in as his pupil. Ruby was also inspired by the heroic fairy tales Yang read to her as a child to become a Huntress to protect the world from evil.

At the start of the series, Ruby's skills and resolve when Torchwick robbed a Dust shop robbery impresses Professor Ozpin enough to enroll her into Beacon Academy two years early. Despite her social awkwardness, obsession with weapons, and dependence on her sister, Ruby becomes friends with her classmates while exhibiting the skills and qualities that placed her as the leader of Team RWBY. In Volume 2, Ruby leads her team as they investigate Torchwick's plan, and later help in the effort to stop the criminal's attack on Vale. In the Fall of Beacon, Ruby fends off Torchwick and Neo, but later witnesses Cinder killing Pyrrha. In despair, she unleashes her hidden power that envelopes both Cinder and the Wyvern. As she recovers in Patch, Ruby learns from Qrow that she and her mother are descendants of powerful silver-eyed warriors whom the Grimm long feared, since the warriors can tap into the God of Light's power to inflict harm on the Grimm in various ways.

A few months later, informally calling themselves Team RNJR (pronounced "ranger"), Ruby travels with the remaining members of Team JNPR to Haven Academy in Mistral in order to find leads on their enemies. During their travels, Ruby is targeted by Tyrian, but she evades capture with Qrow's help. In Volume 5, Ruby trains in hand-to-hand combat under Ozpin's guidance while reunited with Weiss and Yang. During the Battle of Haven, briefly knocked out by Emerald while subconsciously activating her silver eyes, Ruby and her teammates reunite with Blake as they win.

In Volume 6, Ruby begins losing faith in Ozpin upon seeing his continued mistrust and learning the truth behind him and Salem.. This results in a guilt-ridden Ozpin sealing himself in Oscar's mind, forcing Ruby to develop leadership traits to restore morale while dealing with Qrow's increased alcoholism as they are joined by Maria Calavera. It was after an encounter with the Apathy Grimm that Ruby learns Maria was originally a silver-eyed warrior and requests her mentorship to consciously use her powers. She later takes charge of the group's plan in stealing an Atlas airship, and when they later fight Cordovin. After a failed attempt to negotiate with the operative, Ruby destroys the Colossus's cannon by firing at the Dust inside. In the fight against the Leviathan, Ruby uses her silver eyes to petrify it. After Cordovin finishes off the Grimm, Ruby makes amends with the operative and her group is allowed passage to Atlas.

In Volume 7, Ruby has become conflicted with the morality of her actions. As she hides the truth about Salem and the Relic of Knowledge from Ironwood because she does not fully trust him, she worries that she has become the same as Ozpin. She also develops a friendly rivalry with Harriet, as they are both have speed-type Semblances. After receiving her license from Ironwood, Ruby asks Qrow about Summer and her last mission and rekindles her friendship with Penny. When Salem demands the Relics, Ruby is emotionally devastated when she finds out that the witch was responsible for Summer's death. In Volume 8, Ruby argues with Yang over the group's next action, causing her to lead a group without her sister to launch Amity Colosseum to warn the rest of Remnant about Salem. Thanks to Penny, Pietro and Maria, Ruby's message to the world about Salem and the Relics is successfully broadcast. After seeing Ironwood's threat to Mantle, Ruby coordinates a plan of Penny's return to get to the vault and summons Ambrosius to create a new body for Penny's soul. In the passageways to Vacuo, Ruby fends off a vengeful Neo but is tossed into the void with Blake by Cinder.

Ruby alludes to the fairy tale character Little Red Riding Hood., translation at

Weiss Schnee

* Voiced By: Kara Eberle / Yōko Hikasa
The 17-year-old 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. The sheath can create more than one change of elemental Dust, using a dial like silver encasement just above the bottom of her sword. The Dust crystals encrusted in the encasement allow Weiss to change the power of her sword in battle. Her Semblance is unique in the way that it is a hereditary trait in her family. Her ability consists of "Glyphs" that have a variety of push and pull effects, and the ability to summon previously defeated foes with the Arma Gigas as her primary summon.

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. While initially an egotistic know-it-all with some misplaced prejudice toward the Faunus, she gradually matures and gains understanding, repeatedly showing great trust in her teammates and even protecting the Faunus Velvet Scarlatina during battle. Weiss greatly admires her older sister Winter, but has a more distant relationship with the rest of her family.

In Volume 1, Weiss reluctantly accepts Ruby as her partner, but they argue frequently until Weiss is told by Professor Port to be more humble and work with Ruby. In the end of the Volume, Weiss argues with Blake about the Faunus and the White Fang. After the cat Faunus runs away and later returns, Weiss makes amends with Blake. In Volume 2, Weiss obtains information from the SDC to investigate Torchwick's Dust robberies. She later rejects Jaune's invitation to the school ball to go with Neptune. In Volume 3, Weiss reunites with Winter and has a session with her to try to master her summons. Following the fall of Beacon, Weiss is taken back to Atlas by Jacques.

In Volume 4, her relationship with her father is still strained as she eventually got disinherited and confined in her room within the Schnee manor as the result of losing her temper during a cocktail party. But once she masters summoning, Weiss escapes from her confinement with Klein's help and stows away in an airship to find Winter in Mistral. In Volume 5, Weiss is captured by Raven Branwen after the cargo ship crash lands in the outskirts of Anima. However, she breaks free from her confinement and reunites with Yang. Eventually, the two of them make their way to Mistral and reunite with Ruby. During the Battle of Haven, Weiss is easily overpowered by Vernal and is fatally impaled by Cinder. But her life is saved when Jaune unlocks his Semblance and amplifies her Aura to enable her wound to heal. In Volume 6, Weiss shows great displeasure with returning to Atlas. In Argus, she finds that she is the only one of her group that can go to the northern kingdom because she is a Schnee. She later smuggles Maria onto an airship so they can steal it for the group, but they are then attacked by Cordovin.

In Volume 7, Weiss is reunited with Winter, but is later shocked to find that her older sister has been chosen to be the next Winter Maiden. She is disheartened when the first mission in Atlas is in an abandoned Dust mine once owned by her father. Weiss also expresses her guilt to Blake about the discrimination her family displayed to the Faunus, and she confronts Jacques and learns that her mother's condition has worsened in her absence. After Jacques wins the election, Weiss becomes suspicious of her father and obtains a video from her mother, Willow, about his secret meeting with Watts. She promptly exposes the video during Jacques' dinner party, which leads to his arrest. After defeating the Ace-Ops, Weiss is forced to part ways with Winter to escape from Atlas. In Volume 8, Weiss brings Ruby's group to the Schnee manor after Nora is injured in the escape from the command center. She makes amends with Whitely after he calls Klein back to the manor to treat Nora, and later fights the Hound to save her family. In the Atlas vault, Weiss provides blueprints for Ambrosius to create a new body for Penny and passageways from Atlas and Mantle to Vacuo, but accidentally tells him to make the door to Vacuo one-way and is knocked into the void by Cinder.

Weiss alludes to Snow White, 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."

Blake Belladonna

* Voiced By: Arryn Zech / Yū Shimamura

Blake is introduced as a 17-year old Faunus with cat ears with a love for books. She is the daughter of the White Fang's founder Ghira Belladonna, who formed the White Fang as a social rights advocacy group. But even as the White Fang turned into extremist paramilitary organization, Blake remained in the group against her parents' wishes until she left in disgust over Adam Taurus's disregard for civilian lives and joined Beacon Academy to make a difference as a Huntress. Blake's weapon is the Gambol Shroud, a "variant ballistic chain scythe" according to Oum 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. Before Volume 4, Blake concealed her Faunus identity by hiding her cat ears under a black bow as she felt she would have experienced discrimination like other Faunus. As a cat Faunus, Blake often exhibits feline behavior like being fearful of Ruby and Yang's pet dog Zwei and fish being her favorite food.

In the Volume 1 finale, Blake accidentally reveals herself to be a Faunus to her team and runs away but is found by Sun. After confronting the White Fang over their alliance with Torchwick, Blake returns to her team and makes amends with Weiss. In Volume 2, Blake investigates Torchwick's plan to the point of exhaustion, but is pulled back by Yang. After the Fall of Beacon, during which Yang was severely injured by Adam when she came to her aid, Blake runs off without telling anyone as she leaves for her homeland in the island nation of Menagerie to settle things with her parents. During Volume 4, she accepts Sun's company while discarding her bow, reunites with her parents and wants to avoid anything associated with the White Fang until Sun is attacked by Ilia Amotila. As Sun recovers, Blake reveals that she ran away from Team RWBY because she doesn't want anyone getting hurt because of her. Sun convinces her that she's only hurting her friends even more by pushing them away. Blake decides to take back the White Fang once learning of Adam's plan to take control of the organization and attack Haven.

In Volume 5, following a seemingly hopeless attempt to rally the people of Menagerie to protect Haven from the White Fang, Blake wins her peoples' support when the White Fang attempt to kill her parents while redeeming Ilia. In the Battle of Haven, Blake leads the Menagerians and stops Adam's attack while destroying his reputation within the White Fang. After successfully defending Haven, Blake reunites with Team RWBY as she joins them in their journey to Atlas. Despite returning to the group, Blake still feels uneasy with Yang out of guilt for her injuries during the Fall of Beacon. At an abandoned farm estate, she tries to assure Yang about facing Adam, but accidentally insults her instead. In Argus, Blake is sent by the group to disable the radar as they steal an airship, but is interrupted by Adam who fights her. She is easily overwhelmed and her sword is destroyed, but she is eventually saved by Yang, and the two team up to defeat and kill Adam.

In Volume 7, Blake is haunted for causing Adam's death, even when Yang assures her that it was something that they had to do. Her sword is repaired by Pietro with a yellow lightning streak where the blade was broken. After Ironwood orders for Robyn's arrest, Blake is convinced by Yang to reveal the truth about Amity's new purpose as a CCT to the Mantle politician. In Volume 8, Blake joins Ruby's group to launch Amity, and is concerned with Ruby and Yang's estranged relationship. But she reconnects with Yang as they regroup at the Schnee manor. In the passageways to Vacuo, Blake tries to save Ruby from falling into the void, but they end up falling by Cinder's hand.

Blake is an allusion to ''Beauty and the Beast'', arguably to both Belle and the beast.

Yang Xiao Long

* Voiced By: Barbara Dunkelman / Ami Koshimizu

Yang, the fourth member of Team RWBY, is a blonde-haired girl and, at 17 years of age, Ruby's older half-sister. She wields twin shotgun gauntlets called Ember Celica. After she loses her right arm (and thus the gauntlet) 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", works on a "recoil-based system": whenever Yang takes a hit, her strength, toughness and striking power rise in proportion to her injuries. Her glowing hair and eye color change are caused by excess energy from the buildup, which also results in Yang often acting very "hotheaded" in battle.

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. Yang has revealed that her birth mother left her family shortly after she was born and hasn't been seen since, which acts as a driving force for her character. She has been determined to find Raven ever since she realized that Summer Rose, Ruby's mother who also helped raise Yang, wasn't her own biological mother. Yang wanted to become a Huntress because of the adventure, as she calls herself a thrill-seeker in search of a life where she doesn't know what lies ahead of her.

In the Yellow Trailer, Yang interrogates Junior at his club for her mother's whereabouts In Volume 2, Yang revisits Junior's club with Neptune to find out about Torchwick's plans. She later stops Blake from overexerting herself in her investigation of Torchwick, and convinces the Faunus to attend the school ball. Near the end of Volume 3, during the Battle of Beacon, Yang's right arm is severed by White Fang member Adam Taurus, following a desperate attempt to help a wounded Blake. In the aftermath of the fall of Beacon, she is bedridden in her home on the island of Patch, where she has become bitter and depressed. After the time-skip betweens Volume 3 and 4, Yang is still on Patch, trying to get used to life with one arm. She shows signs of PTSD, having visions and nightmares of Adam cutting her arm. She is also shown to be hesitant to use a bionic arm provided to her by Pietro. After an encouraging talk with her father Taiyang, Prof. Port, and Dr. Oobleck, in which Yang admits to being scared of moving on, she puts the arm on and resumes training with her father. While sparring, Yang learns to fight without relying on her Semblance as much as she did before, and learns more about her mother from Taiyang. In the volume finale, she arrives on the continent of Anima and heads for Mistral to find Ruby.

In Volume 5, Yang's personality has drastically changed to a more serious tone, and her left arm frequently shakes after a fight and when she is emotionally stressed. She approaches Raven and asks her to use her Semblance to teleport her to Ruby and Qrow, and unexpectedly reunites with Weiss. Despite her mother's attempts to convince her to forget about Ruby and join the tribe of bandits, Yang's request is ultimately granted and she and Weiss reunite with Ruby in Mistral. She is still angry at Blake for leaving her alone after the Fall of Beacon, but calms down thanks to Weiss' counsel. In the Battle of Haven, Yang confronts Raven at the vault and successfully has her mother relinquish the Relic of Knowledge. Reuniting with her teammates, Yang forgives Blake and welcomes her back into the team. In Volume 6, when Blake tries to make things up to her, Yang assures her that everything is fine and that she is happy that Team RWBY is back together. But she displays anger when she finds that Ozpin is still hiding secrets. Yang still has nightmares of Adam and is mad when she feels that Blake is pitying her. In Argus, Yang saves Blake from Adam and they team up and kill him.

In Volume 7, Yang questions Ruby's decision to hide the truth about Salem and the Relic of Knowledge from Ironwood, and tries to comfort Blake over Adam's death. Even though she trusts her little sister, Yang proceeds with Blake to reveal Amity's new purpose to Robyn. But this action backfires on Yang when Ironwood finds out what she and Blake told Robyn, leading to the order for their arrest. In Volume 8, Yang argues with Ruby about the group's next course of action, causing her to break from the team and lead her own group to evacuate Mantle. After Oscar is captured, Yang argues with Ren and shows that her relationship with Ruby has estranged. Inside the Monstra, Yang confronts Salem about Summer's death but to no avail. After they escape from the witch, Yang is hostile to Emerald but makes amends with Ruby and Blake at the Schnee manor. She later breaks down on Summer's fate, but tries to bolster Ruby in taking risks. In the passageways to Vacuo, Yang sacrifices herself to save Ruby from Neo and falls off into the void.

Yang is an allusion to Goldilocks. Prior to the series, one of Oum's Tweets had a photograph of his computer monitor that reveals a file named "Taiyang Xiao Long", later revealed to be the name of Yang's father.

Team JNPR

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

Jaune Arc

* Voiced By: Miles Luna / Hiro Shimono
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", allows him to amplify his Aura or that of others, and he can quickly recharge his Aura even when broken by Volume 7.

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. 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. In Volume 2, Jaune frequently advances on Weiss but is turned down every time. At the school ball, he learns of Pyrrha's attraction to him and makes amends with her. In the finale, Jaune leads his team to help Team RWBY in protecting Vale.

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. In Volume 4, he has Crocea Mors upgraded with accents from Pyrrha's old armor, and wears a sash around his waist in her memory, and continues to be heavily affected by her death. In Volume 5, Jaune works under Ozpin's guidance to find out what his Semblance is. In the Battle of Haven, upon being confronted by Cinder Fall, Jaune fights her to avenge Pyrrha but is easily overpowered. After Weiss is fatally impaled by Cinder, Jaune unlocks his Semblance and saves her from certain death. In Volume 6, Jaune is able to see his older sister, Saffron, when the group arrives at Argus. Upon learning of Ozpin and Salem's past, he lashes out at Oscar for being Ozpin's vessel. But upon finding Pyrrha's statue and coming to terms with her death, Jaune makes amends with Oscar and offers a plan of stealing an Atlesian airship to get to Atlas.

In Volume 7, Jaune begins his Huntsman career protecting preschoolers in Mantle, while also attracting the affections of young women. This experience will later prove useful for him as he leads one of the evacuations during the Battle of Mantle. In Volume 8, Jaune acts as a mediator for the group, when Ruby and Yang argue over their next move, and later when Yang and Ren argue over their failures. When they are later captured by the Ace-Ops, Jaune convinces Winter to let him and his group scout the Monstra to find Oscar before detonating the Grimm with a bomb. At the Schnee manor, Jaune amplifies Penny's Aura to help her fight off the virus inside her. At Atlas, Jaune tries to warn the people of the fall of Atlas but is cut off by Watts. In the passageways to Vacuo, Jaune regretfully kills Penny so she can pass on the Winter Maiden's power to Winter. He later falls into the void as the passageways are destroyed by Cinder.

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

In September 2020, Luna announced his departure from Rooster Teeth, but that he would continue to co-write the series and voice Jaune going forward.

Nora Valkyrie

* Voiced By: Samantha Ireland, Kristen McGuire (Young) / Aya Suzaki
An orange-haired student at Beacon who carries Magnhild, a war hammer that can be converted into a grenade launcher. Her Semblance, "High Voltage", 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, almost always staying upbeat. She also displays a serious side when necessary, as when she tries to protect Ruby from Tyrian and when she calms Ren down during their battle with the Nuckelavee. 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".

In a flashback in Volume 4, it's revealed that Nora was living on the streets of Kuroyuri when she was a child. When the village was attacked by Grimm and Nora was abandoned by her mother, Ren saved her, beginning their friendship. In the end of Volume 3, Nora goes with Ruby, Jaune and Ren to Haven. In Volume 4, Nora has upgraded Magnhild, so that it can apparently hold a stronger electric charge. In the finale, she and Ren become a couple after their fight with the Nuckelavee.

In Volume 7, Nora is disheartened when Ren gives her the cold shoulder during their first mission in Atlas. But she is able to kiss him during Robyn's political rally before chaos ensues. After Ironwood increases the military in Mantle following Jacques' electoral victory, Nora loses her temper as she berates the general for allowing Mantle to suffer while Amity is being rebuilt. In Volume 8, Nora's estrangement with Ren worsens as she joins Ruby's group to launch Amity. But she later shows signs of codependence as she admits that she is lost without Ren. At the command center when Penny is overpowered by the Ace-Ops, Nora overexerts herself by absorbing too much electricity to break the others free from the control room to rescue the android. Unconscious and severely injured with body scars, she is brought to the Schnee manor where she is later tended to by Klein. Nora wakes up to momentarily calm Penny down when the robot begins to be hacked. After finding out that her scars won't go away with Jaune's help, Nora admits her love for Ren but wants to find her self 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.

Pyrrha Nikos

* Voiced By: Jen Brown / Megumi Toyoguchi (Volumes 1–2, Volume 3 (Blu-Ray/DVD)), Shizuka Itō (Volume 3 (TV))
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.

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 Huntsmen and Huntresses, landing her a cover photo on a Pumpkin Pete's cereal box. 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". When Jaune ignores that and treats her normally, she becomes attracted to him and chooses him as her partner during the initiation. In Volume 3, Ozpin selects her to be the next Fall Maiden as he and Ironwood are forced to execute the transference by transplanting Amber's dying soul into her body, which Pyrrha feared as it would either kill her or she would no longer be herself. Though Pyrrha decides to go through with it, Cinder kills Amber to complete her transition into the Fall Maiden. Pyrrha attempts to stop Cinder after getting Jaune to safety, but is overpowered and incinerated.. Pyrrha's death affected Ruby, who saw her die and awakened her power, and Jaune, who uses a training video she made for him where she nearly confesses her feelings for him. But Jaune eventually moves on after coming across a memorial statue of Pyrrha in Argus and speaking with a mysterious woman, inspiring him and his fellow surviving JNPR teammates to continue their mission.

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

Lie Ren

* Voiced By: Monty Oum (Volumes 1–2), Neath Oum (Volume 3–present), Apphia Yu (Young) / Soma Saito
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", masks negative emotion, which allows him and his targets to avoid detection from Grimm. In Volume 8, Ren's Semblance evolves to allow him to see the emotions of those around him in the form of lotus petals with various colors. His power also allows him to detect the emotions of those nearby He and Nora are long-time friends, though he is the exact opposite of her, as he is mostly quiet, mellow and mature.

Originally from Kuroyuri village in the Anima continent, Ren lost his parents during a Grimm attack by Nuckelavee with his awakened Semblance allowing him and Nora to be the only survivors of the attack. Joining Ruby alongside Jaune and Nora to Haven in the Volume 3 finale, Ren is able to avenge his parents when they encounter Nuckelavee after ending up in Kuroyuri, and reciprocate Nora's feelings for him.

In Volume 7, Ren's relationship with Nora turns for the worse when he ignores her affections for him during their first mission in Atlas. He becomes more focused on training and going on missions, and admits to Nora that he has a hard time expressing his feelings. But Ren is kissed by Nora, and he returns his affections for her before chaos erupts at Robyn's political rally. Afterwards, he becomes colder when he accepts Ironwood's order to arrest Robyn and find out who Tyrian is working for. In Volume 8, Ren is disheartened when Nora goes with Ruby's group while he joins Yang in evacuating Mantle. After Oscar is captured by the Grimm, Ren lashes out at Yang and Jaune over their failures. When they are captured by the Ace-Ops, Ren's Semblance evolves, allowing him to see the emotions of the Ace-Ops. After they escape from the Monstra with Oscar and Emerald, Ren figures out that Ozpin has reemerged. At the Schnee manor, Ren makes amends with his teammates and admits his love 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.

Although the character was originally voiced by the series creator, Monty Oum, his brother Neath Oum would later replace him as the voice actor from Volume 3 to the present, following Monty's death in 2015.

Qrow Branwen

* Voiced by: Vic Mignogna (Volumes 3–6), Jason Liebrecht (Volume 7–present) / Hiroaki Hirata

A cool-headed and nonchalant former instructor at Signal Academy with a heavy drinking habit, Qrow is Raven's younger twin brother, making him Yang's biological uncle and an honorary uncle to Ruby. He was the fourth member of Team STRQ. Having taught Ruby to wield her Crescent Rose, his weapon, Harbinger, is a giant sword that can transform into a cannon or a scythe. Volume 6 reveals that he based Harbinger's design off of Maria's weapons because he admired her as the Grimm Reaper. His Semblance, "Misfortune", brings negative probability to those around him, and unlike other Huntsmen, his is always active and uncontrollable, with the result that he tries to fight alone so that it affects his enemies and not his comrades.

As revealed in Volume 5, being originally part of the Branwen Tribe, he and Raven were sent into Beacon to be trained as Hunters to give their people an advantage against Hunters. But Qrow renounces his kin for being killers and thieves, becoming a member of Ozpin's inner circle while given the ability to transform into a crow to serve as Ozpin's spy. For the first two volumes, Qrow works as Ozpin's scout to find out about Salem's plans. Qrow makes his official debut in Volume 3 as he reveals to Ozpin that their enemies are making a move on Beacon.

After the Fall of Beacon, Qrow tells Ruby that he specifically worked for Ozpin and resolve to continue in the man's stead while discreetly following Team RNJR as they head for Haven. In Volume 4, Qrow continues to watch over the team discreetly while having an encounter with Raven in Higanbana where he questions his twin's callousness towards Yang while questioning her of the Spring Maiden's location. Qrow ends up revealing himself to Ruby when Tyrian attacks her group and ends up being poisoned by Tyrian's stinger, revealing most of what he knew to Team RNJR as they manage to get him to Mistral for a quick recovery. In Volume 5, following a meeting with Lionheart, Qrow is reunited with Ozpin when meets Oscar. Leaving RNJR in Ozpin's care, Qrow attempts to find some to Huntsmen help protect the Relic of Knowledge and learns they all died during their missions. In the Battle of Haven, furious upon realizing Lionheart's role in the deaths of Mistral's hunters, Qrow disowns Raven when she allied herself with Salem. In the aftermath, after he receives the Relic from Yang, Qrow is instructed by Ozpin to take it to Atlas. In Volume 6, Qrow's faith in Ozpin is destroyed when he learns of his leader's past and lack of a plan to destroy Salem. His alcoholism worsens and causes problems for the group, especially for Ruby. Qrow initially turns down Jaune's plan of stealing an airship to get to Atlas, but his arguments is stopped by Ruby. As the group goes through with the plan, Qrow starts to panic when things start to go wrong and he blames himself for it. After the fights with Cordovin and the Leviathan, Qrow begins to abstain from alcohol.

In Volume 7, Qrow is in awe of Clover because of his good fortune Semblance and bonds with him. After the Beacon students receive their Huntsman licenses, Qrow assures Ruby that her actions are morally right while opening up with her about Summer. Qrow teams up with Clover during the Battle of Mantle to help Robyn subdue Tyrian, only to be devastated when Tyrian kills Clover. Qrow, along with Robyn, is arrested by Atlesian forces when Tyrian frames him for Clover's death. In Volume 8, Qrow is kept in prison, vowing to kill Ironwood and becoming closer to Robyn. After Cinder destroys the prison to free Watts, Qrow escapes with Robyn to find and kill Ironwood, but is pulled back by the Mantle politician. They then work with Marrow to stop Ironwood's bomb from going to Mantle, but eventually fights Harriet when she flies off with the bomb herself. In the aftermath of Atlas falling, Qrow desperately tries to contact his nieces if they made it out, but is horrified when they do not respond.

Qrow alludes to Muninn from Norse mythology and is based on the Scarecrow from ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.

In February 2019, Rooster Teeth announced that Mignogna would no longer be part of the cast of ''RWBY'' amid accusations of sexual harassment. The following July, Liebrecht was announced as the new voice of Qrow.

Ozma

Ozma is an ancient warrior who has been reincarnated by the God of Light to defeat Salem. While Ozma is named after Princess Ozma from the Oz book series, his reincarnations reference the title character of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.

Ozma

* Voiced by Aaron Dismuke and Shannon McCormick
An ancient warrior who was Salem's lover before he died 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 stop her. But even vowing to reincarnate forever until Salem is defeated, Jinn reveals that Ozma cannot kill his former lover. Every time he dies, his soul transmigrates into a new like-minded host, allowing him to take control of his host body while both can access each other's memories with Professor Ozpin 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 war. 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 being slightly mistrustful due to countless acts of betrayal he suffered across his past lives.

Professor Ozpin

* Voiced by Shannon McCormick / Kazuhiko Inoue
The headmaster of Beacon Academy, armed with a cane, The Long Memory, 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. Despite appearances, Ozpin is gradually revealed as Ozma's reincarnation.

In Volume 1, Ozpin allows Ruby to enroll into Beacon 2 years early after she stops one of Torchwick's robberies. He later oversees the initiation and assigns the new teams afterwards. As school begins, Ozpin tells Ruby to be more responsible as a leader, and later receives a message from Qrow regarding Salem's actions. In Volume 2, Ozpin is at odds with Ironwood for bringing military airships for festival securities. During the mission assignments, Ozpin allows Team RWBY to take on a mission not allowed for first-years. In Volume 3, Ozpin chooses Pyrrha to become the next Fall Maiden, but his efforts are thwarted by Cinder Fall and he loses to her in battle.

In Volume 4, Ozpin's soul or part of it transmigrates into the body of Oscar Pine, whom he urged to reach Haven where he is reunited with Qrow. In Volume 5, Ozpin tasks Qrow to find Huntsmen to protect the Relic of Knowledge while he personally trains Team RNJR and Oscar for their eventual fight with fight Salem. After the Relic is secured following the Battle of Haven, Ozpin has Oscar instruct Qrow to bring it to Atlas. In Volume 6, having promised earlier to be forthright with Yang and the others, Ozpin comes under fire for still withholding vital information as he admits to being slightly mistrustful due to countless acts of betrayal he suffered across his past lives. After his secret past is exposed by Jinn, he loses everyone's trust and he seals himself within Oscar's mind. However, during the airship heist in Argus, Ozpin guides Oscar in landing the airship, hinting that he has been aware of the group's activities after the train crash.

In the finale of Volume 7, Ozpin emerges from Oscar's mind after the farmboy is knocked out of Atlas by Ironwood and guides him to safely land on Mantle. In Volume 8, Ozpin shares Oscar's desire to not have their souls merge in the future. When they are later captured by Salem, he goes along with Oscar's plan to sabotage Salem's inner circle. Ozpin questions Hazel's loyalty to the witch and later reveals Salem's full past. At the Schnee manor, Ozpin apologizes to Ruby's group for not trusting them and reveals the existence of Ambrosius.

Oscar Pine

* Voiced by Aaron Dismuke / Rie Kugimiya
A young farm boy who appears in Volume 4 and lives with his aunt before starting to hear Ozpin's voice mysteriously communicating to him. It would later be revealed that Oscar has become Ozpin's new vessel following his demise in the Volume 3 finale. A reluctant Oscar eventually complies with Ozpin's request to travel to Haven. Once in Mistral, Oscar meets Qrow and receives Ozpin's cane as he joins Ruby's group, while revealing he can become a temporary medium for them to directly communicate with Ozpin. He later trains alongside Team RNJR to strengthen his Aura and discover his Semblance. In Volume 6, Oscar is able to resist Ozpin's control and helps Ruby to summon Jinn, only to end up being ostracized by most of the others by extension, when they lose trust in Ozpin. In Argus, Oscar is assaulted by Jaune and leaves the group for a while to have time to himself, acquiring a change of clothes, before returning to the group to help them with the time he has left as himself. In the fight against Cordovin, Oscar is able to figure out the Colossus' weakness, helping Ruby to defeat it. Later, during the group's flight to Atlas, Oscar admits that he was guided by Ozpin in crash-landing the airship.

In Volume 7, Oscar is entrusted with the Relic of Knowledge by Ruby while the others go on their first mission in Atlas. But he is uneasy with Ruby's decision to hide what they know about Salem and the Relic from Ironwood, as he feels that they are doing the same as what Ozpin did to them. Oscar then trains under Ironwood, fighting with Team JNR against Team FNKI at one point. After learning about the Relic of Creation, Oscar advises Ironwood to reach out to those he fears and try to gain their trust. When the Huntsmen mobilize to head for Mantle, Oscar stays behind in Atlas to tell Ironwood about Salem's immortality. He is later attacked by Neo and loses the Relic of Knowledge to her, despite receiving help from Team JNR. Oscar then heads for the Vault to talk sense to Ironwood, but to no avail as the general shoots him out of Atlas. However, Oscar receives guidance from Ozpin to save themselves from death.

In Volume 8, Oscar reunites with Ruby's group, but keeps Ozpin's reemergence a secret and joins Yang's group to evacuate Mantle. As he helps with the evacuation, he admits to Ozpin that he does not want their souls to merge. Oscar is then captured by the Hound, taken to Salem, and is tortured by both her and Hazel on how to activate the Relic of Knowledge. Realizing that Salem has her minions divide the humans before invading a kingdom, Oscar decides to sabotage her own forces in the same matter, first by revealing the lamp's secrets to Hazel to gain his trust. After showing Jinn to Hazel and Emerald, Oscar reunites with Yang's group and nearly escapes with them and the thief. But when Salem captures them and Hazel turns on her, Oscar unleashes most of the power stored in the Long Memory at the witch, destroying the Monstra in the process. As the group head for the Schnee manor with Emerald, Oscar admits that Ozpin has reemerged and wants to give him and the thief a chance for redemption.

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

Penny Polendina

* Voiced by: Taylor "Pelto" McNee (English): / Megumi Han

An orange-haired student came to the Vytal Festival to compete in the combat tournament. She wields Floating Array: 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.

Debuting at the end of Volume 1, Penny fends off Torchwick and the White Fang while helping Ruby search for Blake. In Volume 2, it is revealed that Penny is an android capable of generating an Aura. But in Volume 7, her creator Pietro reveals that her Aura was originally a part of his. Penny tells the truth of her origins to Ruby and asks her to keep it a secret. 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 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, but no longer has a team, and is ordered by the general not to focus on making friends. Penny is later framed for massacring several of Robyn's supporters by Watts and Tyrian during a political rally, and Mantle demands Penny be destroyed. Her name is later cleared when Jacques' secret meeting with Watts is exposed, and she joins the Huntsmen as they head for Mantle to fight off the Grimm, regaining the people's trust in her. While helping Winter in receiving the Winter Maiden's power, Penny ends up inheriting the Maiden's power while confronted by Cinder, joining Team RWBY soon after in fleeing Atlas.

In Volume 8, Penny joins Ruby's group in launching Amity but is conflicted about going against Ironwood and her role as the new Winter Maiden. While in Amity, Penny defeats Cinder and goes against her father's command to push Amity high enough to broadcast Ruby's message to Remnant, but is later hacked by Watts through her sword stolen by the Ace-Ops. After crashing in front of the Schnee manor, Penny starts to succumb to Watt's virus but is knocked out by the Hound. As she reawakens, Penny begins to fly to the vault due to the virus but is stopped by Ruby's group and Emerald, and is then able to temporarily hold off the virus thanks to Jaune boosting her Aura. Arriving 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.

Emerald Sustrai

* Voiced by: Katie Newville / Marina Inoue

A light green-haired girl with dark skin who was an associate of Cinder's and uses Thief's Respite, a pair of pistols with attached blades that can also extend via chains, similar to a kusarigama. Her Semblance, "Hallucinations", 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 support Ruby's group.

In Volume 3, Emerald is indirectly responsible for Penny's destruction by casting a hallucination onto Pyrrha, causing the Beacon student to impulsively use her polarity Semblance to tear the robot apart. In Volume 4, Emerald serves as Cinder's translator. In Volume 5, during the Battle of Haven, Emerald is emotionally distraught at Cinder's apparent death. In despair, she unleashes a powerful hallucination of Salem on Ruby's group. She is carried away from Haven by Hazel. In Volume 6, Emerald is forced by Salem to acknowledge Cinder as the reason they failed at Haven. She is still devoted to Cinder and denies that her master never cared for her, causing her and Mercury to argue.

In Volume 8, Emerald helps Cinder infiltrate Amity but later brings her master back to the Monstra after her loss against Penny. She later overhears Oscar explaining Salem's true goal to Hazel and tries to relay it to Mercury but to no avail. After seeing Jinn, Emerald works with Hazel to help Oscar escape and later leads Yang's group to the exit. When they are caught by Salem, Emerald is nearly tortured by the witch for her betrayal and the loss of the Relic but is saved by Hazel and escapes the Monstra. She is then taken prisoner by Yang's group as they head for the Schnee manor to reunite with their teammates, but she helps them in restraining Penny when the robot is hacked again by the virus. At the academy, Emerald disguises herself as Penny to launch a surprise attack on Ironwood.

She is said to allude to Aladdin from the classic anthology book One Thousand and One Nights.

Supporting characters

Maria Calavera

* Voiced by: Melissa Sternenberg

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. 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 is later smuggled onto a military airship by Weiss to pilot it to the rest of the group, but the pair is then attacked by Cordovin's giant robot. Maria pilots the ship to provide air support for the group, and later to fly the group to Atlas.

In Volume 7, Maria takes the heroes to Pietro so they can find a safe way to Ironwood. She is the only member of the group to avoid being captured by the Ace-Ops. Maria later gives moral support to Pietro after Penny is framed for murder. In the volume finale, Maria secures an airship to help Teams RWBY and JNR, Pietro and Penny to escape Atlas. In Volume 8, Maria helps Penny and Pietro in launching Amity, but later fends off Neo and learns that the illusionist is after Ruby.

She alludes to the typical image of the Grim Reaper in popular culture.

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.
*
The presumed 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. Based on an old photograph of her, Summer wore a white hooded cloak, similar to the red cloak Ruby would later wear. 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. In the Volume 6 finale, Summer is shown in person during a flashback, revealing that she, like her daughter, possesses silver eyes. . In Volume 7, Qrow tells Ruby that even Ozpin did not know the nature of Summer's last mission, Salem revealing herself as the one who is responsible for Summer's fate. Her full name is a reference to the poem, ''The Last Rose of Summer'', and her gravestone has a line from the poem, "Thus kindly I scatter."
*
Voiced by: Burnie Burns / Kenyu Horiuchi
Yang and Ruby's widowed father, only mentioned many times in the first two Volumes before appearing out of focus seen when Ruby visits Summer's grave. He appears in the Volume 3 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. In Volume 4, Taiyang receives a bionic arm for Yang from Ironwood and encourages Yang to gradually accept the prosthesis while helping her learn to not depend too much on her Semblance and opening up about Raven. When Yang is about to leave, he asks her whether she is going after Raven or Ruby. In the finale of Volume 5, Taiyang is confronted by Raven. His name, Taiyang (太阳), is Chinese for "sun."
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*

Beacon Academy/Vale

*
Voiced by: Kathleen Zuelch (Volumes 1–3), Tiana Camacho (''Ice Queendom'') / Masumi Asano
A Huntress and teacher at Beacon Academy who wields a riding crop, The Disciplinarian, as her weapon, in a similar fashion as a magic wand, and whose Semblance is "Telekinesis". With her Semblance, not only can she control objects, but can also repair those which were broken before. She mostly teaches combat classes, tends to be more stern and strict with her students, and is apparently behind only Ozpin in rank at Beacon. In Volume 4, Port and Oobleck reveal that Goodwitch is working to restore Beacon to its former glory. Her name is derived from the character Glinda the Good Witch of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
*
Voiced by: Ryan Haywood (Volumes 1–4) / Anthony Sardinha (Grimm Eclipse) / Soichi Abe
A veteran Huntsman and teacher at Beacon Academy, and is an expert on fighting different creatures of Grimm. His weapon, Blowhard, is a blunderbuss that has axe blades attached to the stock. In Volume 1, Port tells Weiss to be more humble and support Ruby as a teammate. In Volume 4, it is Port who tells Yang that she needs to handle her fears. It is also shown that he is afraid of mice. His name and his tale of taking on a Beowolf in his youth allude to ''Peter and the Wolf''.
*
Voiced by: Joel Heyman / Yuichi Karasuma
A teacher at Beacon Academy, teaching Remnant history. His weapon of choice is Antiquity's Roast, a thermos (from which he drinks coffee out of) that can also transform into a flamethrower. 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 knowledge is the most powerful weapon from all of them. He is named after the children's book ''Bartholomew and the Oobleck'' by Dr. Seuss