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People hurt me long before we met... All sorts of people in all sorts of ways... but no one hurt me quite like you... You didn't leave scars, you just left me alone. So... tell me, Blake... how does it feel to be alone?
—Adam Taurus

Adam Taurus was a character in RWBY. Formerly a worker for the Schnee Dust Company, and later the leader of the White Fang's Vale branch, he eventually became the High Leader after murdering the former leader Sienna Khan in a coup, but was ousted after their defeat in "Haven's Fate". After his failure at the Battle of Haven and subsequent expulsion from the White Fang, he began relentlessly chasing his ex partner, Blake Belladonna, only to be overpowered and killed by her and Yang Xiao Long in "Seeing Red". He served as the main antagonist of Volume 6 alongside Caroline Cordovin.

Described as both a mentor and former romantic partner,[2] Adam made his first appearance in the "Black" Trailer as a deuteragonist where he worked together with Blake to attack a train carrying a Dust shipment but was abandoned by her at the end of the trailer. He later made his first proper appearance in the show at the end of "Breach". His weapons of choice were Wilt and Blush, a sword and a rifle that doubles as a scabbard.

Appearance

V6 11 00087

Adam's scarred face

Adam was a tall Faunus with a lean built and auburn hair that spikes backward in a windswept way. While most of his hair was red, he had streaks of brown. A noticeable trait of his appearance was the mask he wore, which obscured his entire upper face above his nose. Behind his mask was a scarred Schnee Dust Company brandmark across his left eye, which was bloodied with a gray iris and a singed eyebrow, as opposed to his remaining blue eye and brown eyebrow. His Faunus heritage was a bull,[3] as he had two reddish-black horns, one on each side of his head, also seemingly slanted back.

Original (Volumes 1–4)

Adam-V1

Adam wore an asymmetrical black, long-sleeved, double-breasted stylized high-collared blazer with slit sleeves along with red thorn sigils adorned with a white crest that lined up on his left shoulder. His suit jacket had crimson lining atop his red shirt, with red thorn sigils atop a black flap attached to the bottom of the left hem and his wilting rose emblem on the back over an emblazoned white sigil resembling the curved stems and flower of the deadly nightshade plant. His blazer was half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar under it.

His mask was whitish-tan with red, Japanese style, horn-like symbols decorating the front and two slits on each side presumably to allow for vision. This is a redesigned version of the Grimm masks typically worn by most members of the White Fang.

He wore long black dress pants, black shoes with red soles and black gloves with red sigils resembling the Greek letter Ω (Omega), the last letter in the Greek alphabet.

He wore a black belt with white domino marks on it. His color palette generally consists of black and red, similar to the colors scheme used by Ruby Rose.

Past (Volume 6 Adam Character Short)

The designs on Adam's jacket and the red Omega emblems on his gloves were not shown when Adam encouraged the members of the White Fang during the raid on a Dust processing plant. The wilting rose emblem on his jacket and a white symbol on the left side were later added when he defended the White Fang from an attack on their convoy alongside Ghira Belladonna, Ilia Amitola, Sienna and several White Fang members. The red floral design on the front of Adam's jacket and the corresponding white design on the back of it were not originally there. They, including the Omega emblems on his gloves, were added after Blake reassures Adam that he still has her and prior to his mission with Sienna and Ilia.

Post-Timeskip and Final (Volumes 5–6)

V6 01 00014

Adam's outfit was updated to a form-fitting, double-breasted three-tone black and gray leather tunic jacket with red interior lining and two-layers of flares that hung the entire bottom of his jacket around his thigh, befitting his more militaristic mindset after the Fall of Beacon. His rounded collar up to the shoulders of his jacket was black with the two-tone gray colors at the rest of his jacket, which also included a zipper for his left breast pocket, and two more at the sleeves, which also possessed black cuffs.

His dress pants were a matching gray to the tunic and mounted a maroon belt at the right thigh. The back of his tunic retained his red wilting rose emblem with white nightshade stem and flower sigils. Completing this outfit were plain black gloves exposing his wrists, along with twin maroon crisscrossing belts that hung Wilt and Blush on his left, and a black and red-lined drape retaining the red thorn sigil on his right. Finally, he still wore his red-soled black shoes.

Sometime after leaving the White Fang headquarters following the Battle of Haven, he replaced his Grimm mask with a black blindfold.

Image Gallery

Personality

Fueled by the inhumane treatment he received when he still worked for the Schnee Dust Company and his growing personal vendetta, a young Adam found the home he was looking for in the White Fang, where he was accepted and loved; his happily ever after. During his time as a part of the White Fang, Adam realized his comparative strength to everyone else and began to make use of it.[4]

In the "Volume 6 Adam Character Short", Adam was initially not nearly as antagonistic as he was in the present. He did not begin killing Humans until he was forced to do so to protect Ghira Belladonna. He showed a brief conflict over this action when the latter reprimanded him for it, though after Sienna Khan praises his actions, he began to kill more frequently. Adam's manipulation of Blake Belladonna was also shown; after being confronted by Blake for his violence, he lashed out at her by mentioning her parents' abandonment of their cause, and then apologized and professed his fear of losing her support, emotionally shackling her to himself. By the time of the "Black" Trailer, he shows little regard for the lives of the Humans on the train when he planned on destroying it.

Blake described him as feeling completely justified in how he went about making the world a better place. However, his vision for a perfect future did not include everyone, and Blake began to believe that Adam himself was becoming a monster in the process of trying to obtain it. In "Necessary Sacrifice", Blake explained that her description of Adam changed over time, believing at first Adam was the embodiment of 'justice', then 'passion,' until she realized he was 'spite'. Adam had also proven to be highly ambitious, as shown when he disclosed to Sienna, the White Fang's High Leader, that he wished to start a war with Humanity and enslave them, before usurping and killing her within the same moment.

In "Beginning of the End", he took his cause and the lives of his underlings seriously, rejecting Cinder Fall's initial offer of an alliance, citing the unnecessary risk of dying for a Human cause. It was also hinted that he dislikes Huntsmen, sardonically stating she could have gone to one who strayed from their "righteous path". However, after Cinder arrived a second time, this time with an offer of Dust and Lien as well as a death threat, Adam begrudgingly accepted her terms. By the time of "The Next Step", he continued to be loyal, as stated by Salem.

In "Heroes and Monsters", Adam's true personality came to light. He was revealed to be an embittered, ruthless, sadistic and vengeful man, willing to cut down any opposition towards his twisted ideas of justice being dispensed upon Humanity. He took great pleasure in tormenting Blake, ultimately promising to destroy everything she loves as punishment for her betrayal of the White Fang and, by extension, him. He exhibited extremely possessive, violent, and abusive behavior.

Fennec Albain had noted that Adam's behavior had become increasingly impulsive both because of the stress of leading the White Fang and his obsession to punish Blake for her perceived betrayal. This becomes increasingly clear in "Downfall", where he began to lose his composure in the face of inevitable defeat and he was so desperate after being surrounded that he pressed the switch to detonate the bombs without a second thought as to the safety of his soldiers or himself. This was a clear indication that Adam had changed from a justice-seeking revolutionary to a murderous and spiteful person, as he had previously refused to risk the lives of his followers for anyone only to be willing to sacrifice them when he thought victory was out of reach. While once desiring freedom for all Faunus, by the end Adam only sought to fulfill his desires.

Following his defeat at Haven, Adam became even more aggressive. Upon his return to the White Fang base in "Argus Limited", he lashed out and killed his fellow White Fang members when they refused to take orders from him. He was unable to control his rage to point where he vandalized his throne, showing disregard for his own symbol of authority. With the loss of his leadership of the White Fang, Adam was left only with his hatred of Blake, coming up with excuses and deflecting blame onto others.[5]

His hatred for Blake was to the point where he hunted her for weeks just to get a chance to attack her. In "The Lady in the Shoe", he states that the reason he was so bent on killing her is that she left him alone, her act of abandonment hurting him far more than any physical abuse Humanity had subjected him to.

In "Seeing Red", Adam was clearly jealous of Blake's close relationship with Yang Xiao Long, wondering what she saw in her, and claimed that Blake promised she would stay be his side. However, Yang believed she only promised that to the person he was pretending to be, implying that he never truly loved or cared about Blake and was only manipulating her. Eventually, his anger reached the boiling point where he failed to notice Yang used her Semblance to absorb his own, much to his shock. After being fatally stabbed by Blake and Yang, Adam dropped to his knees, dumbfounded before falling into the river to his death.

Powers and Abilities

Adam was highly adept in swordsmanship, quickly cutting through Atlesian Knight-130s with ease. He had a preference towards the usage of "Iaido", a method in Japanese sword fighting that involves quickly unsheathing for a rapid attack and then sheathing again. Adam proved to be adept in unarmed combat, utilizing kicks and grabs in addition to his swordsmanship. Although Blake and Yang ultimately managed to defeat and kill him, all three exhausted their Auras during the final duel, showing that Adam was nearly a match for their combined power.

Furthermore, Adam's speed is shown to enable him to deflect numerous bullets in rapid succession with Wilt and Blush. Adam appeared to have advanced endurance, showing no signs of fatigue during an extended battle. He was also skilled at shooting his blade and hurling it as a saw-like attack.

Adam was very intelligent despite his aggressive personality, as he repeatedly proved himself to be very quick thinking and a skilled manipulator, best shown of his takeover of the White Fang. As a leader, Adam displayed an excellent tactical acumen, planning the White Fang's Vale operations, and successfully executed a political take over of the White Fang. Adam was also capable with psychological warfare, skillfully taunting Blake and Yang in all of his engagements with the two. Even at the height of his obsession with Blake, Adam retained his quick thinking on the battlefield.

Weapon

Main article: Wilt and Blush

Adam's weapons of choice were Wilt and Blush. Wilt is a red sword and Blush is a rifle that also functions as a scabbard.

Semblance

Main article: Moonslice
Black trailer moonslice

Adam's final attack from the "Black" Trailer

With his Semblance, Moonslice, Adam was able to absorb or block the energy from an enemy attack and re-emit it again in powerful red energy strikes; he could also use the absorbed energy to increase his speed and strength, to the point that he could pierce others' Aura (as demonstrated by his wounding of both Blake and Yang at the Battle of Beacon). However, he could only absorb energy through a weapon, as shown in his fight with Blake and Yang. This enabled him to avoid taking damage directly during absorption, but left him unable to use his Semblance if he was disarmed. When using Moonslice, Adam's hair, blade and parts of his clothing glowed red.

Weaknesses

In light of all of his strength, power, and cunning, Adam was far from unstoppable. His over-reliance on his sword to fight and channel his Semblance caused him to become practically helpless without it in his final duel with Blake and Yang.

Adam's most obvious weakness was his emotional instability. His one-track need to enact his vengeance on those whom he felt wronged him often caused him to lash out with either physical or emotional violence, driving others away. After his humiliating defeat in "Haven's Fate", he quickly lost all support from the White Fang as a result of this. It could also drive him to the point to where he was blinded from anger like an actual bull, causing him to recklessly attack opponents without thinking his actions through, which would ultimately lead to his defeat by Blake and Yang.

Trivia

Allusion

  • Adam alludes to the story Beauty and the Beast and takes elements from the Beast, Gaston and the Rose. For more information on this allusion, as well as other choices the creators made for this character, see Adam Taurus/Behind the Scenes.
  • Adam's Japanese-language voice actor Yuichi Nakamura also voiced Lucas Lee in the Japanese dub of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

Color Naming Rule

  • In Hebrew, Adam (אדם) means "Man" and Adom (אדום) means "Red". It is likely that Adam's name is a play on these two words. Adam is also known in Abrahamic religions as the first man created, possibly referencing the fact that he is the first male character as well as the first antagonist to appear in the series. It might also be played on the fact the Biblical Adam is human, whereas Adam Taurus is a Faunus.
  • Adam's last name, Taurus, is a Latin word meaning "Bull".
    • His mask has two red horn-shaped markings similar to that of a bull.

Story

  • Adam's age is unknown. The closest implication of his age comes from the RWBY DC Comics, where Blake refers to the Adam she meets for the first time as a boy. This puts him at a relative age range to Blake.
  • In the RWBY Volume 3 Marathon livestream, the RWBY crew note that Adam's behavior toward Blake in "Heroes and Monsters" is abusive and express their discomfort with it.[7]

Character&Design

Scatter and Wilt

"Scatter and Wilt"

  • Many Faunus have additional elements in their design that tie into their animal traits: Adam's Volume 5 attire features a red lined drape attached to his belt, which could reference the red drapes bullfigthers use when performing their bullfighting.

Media

  • In BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, one of Hazama's color swaps is based on Adam. Adam's Japanese voice actor, Yūichi Nakamura, also voiced Hazama.
  • The way Adam dies is apparently similar to how the death of the machine Adam in Nier: Automata played out. While Kerry Shawcross used the game's first boss fight as inspiration for the fight against the Colossus, he had only played an hour of the game by the time Adam's death was made and had no idea that it would be identical.[8]

Miscellaneous

References

  1. "Seeing Red"
  2. Volume 3 Directors Commentary 2:26:40
  3. The World of RWBY: The Official Companion
  4. RWBY: Amity Arena Moonslice Adam Card Bio
  5. RWBY: Amity Arena Moonslice Adam Card Bio
  6. MCM London Comic Con 2016: RWBY Panel
  7. RWBY Volume 3 Marathon livestream
  8. RWBY Volume 6 Blu-ray Director's Commentary
  9. Screenshot
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