Weiss Schnee

Weiss Schnee (Why-ss Sh-nee)  is one of the main characters and the second character introduced in RWBY. Weiss' choice of weapon is a Multi Action Dust Rapier (MADR) named Myrtenaster. She made her first appearance on the 14th of February 2013 in the "White" Trailer, in which she was performing a song while having a flashback of a fight with the Giant Armor, both of which presumably took place at the White Castle.

Appearance
Weiss appears as a young girl, dressed primarily in light blue, white, and some red. She wears a pale blue bolero jacket over a similarly colored thigh-length dress with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of the dress. The inside of the bolero is red and the sleeves turn blue as they get closer to her wrists. The jacket has a crest on the back that bears a resemblance to a snowflake. The same design seems to appear when she uses Dust, which could be a possible connection.



Weiss wears a necklace with a single jewel or bead and thin, rectangular earrings. She wears white wedge boots that go to mid-calf (also lined with red on the inside) and a small tiara that resembles icicles. Her long hair is white and pulled back in an off-center ponytail. She has a pale complexion and ice-blue eyes. She bears a crooked scar down her left eye. In her logo, she appears to be as tall as, if not slightly taller, than Ruby. In the possible flashback sequence in her trailer, Weiss also wears a small bag on the back of her dress, wrapped around her waist with a ribbon. Its possible contents may be Dust crystals or vials, respective to the colors on Myrtenaster.

She has a faded-bluish sleeping gown with short sleeves and white trimmings, and her logo on the right upper chest.

Personality
In her trailer, Weiss is portrayed as quiet and maybe even lonely, seeking happiness. Monty Oum has said that everything has been decided for her and because of this she's a bit of a rebel. Notice this manifests itself with her ponytail not being symmetrical (unlike everything else she wears). Being a Huntress is quite dangerous, especially since Weiss is in line to inherit the family business. However, it is likely that Weiss knows this, and is pursuing this career in order to rebel against her pre-ordained life style. Her voice actor, Kara Eberle, described Weiss as being "Nice, but she can also be a bitch".

This high-strung nature is shown when Weiss continuously scolds and insults Ruby for knocking over her luggage in "The Shining Beacon". She is also very proud of her family's wealth and status, and acts like a typical rich girl, even having a bellhop transport her luggage. She displays a large ego, referring to herself as the smartest girl in her class and  isn't above manipulating others for her own personal gain. This is illustrated when she allied herself with Pyrrah, believing that by teaming up with the strongest warrior, she can rise to popularity. Her desire for attention and popularity shows that she loves recognition and is self-centered. However, it's possible that this cold and harsh personality is just a cover she puts up in front of other people to hide how she really feels. This can be seen when Weiss and Ruby are paired together in the forest. Upon Ruby vanishing, Weiss quickly loses confidence and is visibly scared, even exclaiming Ruby's name in fear when monsters began to emerge from the bushes around her. Judging from the lecture she gave Ruby and even her own fighting style, it appears that Weiss is quite knowledgeable about Dust. She even handed Ruby a pamphlet titled "Dust for Dummies and Other Inadequate Individuals".

It is clear that Weiss harbors a dislike of Ruby due to their unpleasant encounter with one another in the second episode. After being questioned by Yang as to what Weiss's problem was with Ruby, Weiss stated "She is a hazard to my health!"

Abilities & Powers
Weiss is proficient in handling her weapon, the Multi Action Dust Rapier: Myrtenaster. It appears to have a revolving chamber where various settings channel Dust in different ways to produce various effects.

Note: The following is partial speculation as the exact powers of each mode are still unclear.

Red appears to enhance strength or create an enhanced shield, Light Blue conjures a wave of ice and Yellow seems to enhance her agility. Violet increases attack power for a split second dealing high damage with a slash attack while Blue appears to make a repulsion effect as well as the ability to bind the opponent. She dons white again just before she delivers a finisher attack (which makes the weapon glow with runes on the blade and possibly turns enemies into ice shards when defeated; which possibly references Red Like Roses' lyrics "White is cold...").

She seems supernaturally fast, far surpassing Ruby in speed, although it seems as if she can teleport as well. She possesses ice-based techniques, and utilizes them to great effect, being able to hold her own against an Animated Armor Golem 2 or 3 times her size. She also appears to be quite durable, having taken a full-blown punch from said assailant. She fights gracefully, as if she were dancing on ice, and uses her powers to their full effect; however, Weiss appears to be less confident than Ruby while battling, briefly hesitating after being knocked aside by the Armor.

One of her earlier and more noticeable abilities is to cast a white technique unofficially called "Air Step" in which she creates a tangible platform in midair, enabling her to engage in aerial combat with no need to return to ground level. It is noticed that if she uses the same spell while on the ground, it greatly enhances her speed for a short period of time; however, that may be another spell entirely and only visually similar. One may notice throughout the battle that at times, such as when using Dust, Weiss will faintly flash or glow white. This is most notable in the weak glow that usually outlines her upon the use of Air Step.

She also appears to be much weaker in physical strength compared to Ruby, since her legs buckle inwards as she slides whereas Ruby keeps them bent and strong. She also gives the impression of being as weak as ice, though the impact she receives demonstrates that she does have great physical endurance. Even so, if it is true that physically she is weaker than Ruby, Weiss is noticeably faster. At the very beginning of her fight, without using any particular Dust ability, Weiss moves at speeds rivaling those of Ruby's when using Crescent Rose's Cross magazines.

Trivia

 * Weiss is the second character of RWBY introduced, appearing in her trailer that was released on February 14th, 2013.
 * She fights primarily with her left hand, and uses her right hand mainly in conjunction with Dust, transferring and directing enhancements from the weapon.
 * According to Monty Oum, Weiss fights with fencing because he studied fencing.
 * She appears to be related to Snow White as her theme sings about a mirror, although Monty Oum said that his characters would not be based off of fairy tale characters. This is supported by her name, when translated from German to English is 'White Snow', which is 'Snow White' with the first and last names exchanged.
 * Fitting her title, "White", white light is composed of all colors. Her usage of multiple colored spells and abilities may allude to that trait.
 * Her first name, Weiss, is German for white while her surname, Schnee, is German for snow, thus combining to 'White Snow'. Her last name is also a nickname for someone with white hair and/or a pale complexion.


 * It's accepted that the fight took place before she sang. Evidence of this is usually cited by the scar she supposedly gained when the Giant Armor punched her. However, up until that moment, a clear view of her face is not shown, and when her face is revealed covered in blood, you can still make out her scar having already been there. Though this does not disprove that the fight took place before she began singing, it does disprove that she gained the scar from fighting that particular Giant Armor.
 * However, frame by frame comparisons give conflicting results, as many frames do not show that she had this scar before the fight started. Before the battle begins, we see a brief glimpse of her eye, bearing the scar. This may be still a moment when she's on-stage and realizing the flashback, evidenced by the fact that, up until just after that moment, her rapier does not appear at her side. Whether this is a rendering error where the wrong texture was used, where the lighting hides the scar or whether the blood is purposely off centered is unclear.
 * She is the first character introduced to have her surname revealed.
 * The same symbol on Weiss' back also appears multiple times on crates in the "Black" Trailer. This may indicate that the said crates were supplied, belong to or manufactured by the Schnee Dust Company.
 * Weiss is the only main character who doesn't use conventional weapon ammunition in her fighting style. Instead she uses Dust, which she also uses to augment her swordplay.
 * Despite her name being German, the W in her first name is not pronounced as it would be in German.
 * Because of the lyrics in Mirror Mirror, many fans have deduced that she feels lonely.
 * After lecturing Ruby about Dust in her series debut, she is dubbed 'princess' by her, possibly as a nod to the pre-series speculation that Weiss was royalty.
 * She is the only main character not to have spoken lines before appearing on the show.
 * Many consider Weiss a "Tsundere" because of her initial attitude towards Ruby. This is a form of Japanese character development in which the character is initially cold and even hostile, but gradually becomes warm and loving.
 * In the official artwork shown at the end of each trailer, she is holding Myrtenaster in her right hand despite being left handed. This is because the drawings in the Team RWBY composite are early concepts.