Jaune Arc/Behind the Scenes

Throughout the production of a series, a lot goes on behind the scenes in regards to planning and design, which often go through multiple stages before resulting in the final version that is seen on screen. Some concepts and ideas can have an effect on the show and characters, and unexpected occurrences during production can also lead to changes and additions to the plans for the show.

Character Basis
Jaune Arc alludes to Joan of Arc, which follows JNPR's theme of people who dressed themselves as the opposite gender. This allusion has had the following influences on the character and the show:
 * His name is similar to that of Joan of Arc.
 * In Volume 1, Jaune had a brief story arc spanning "Jaunedice" through "Forever Fall, Pt.2", which referenced Joan of Arc's tale. In this arc, Jaune is bullied and blackmailed by Cardin Winchester, who alludes to Henry Beaufort, who was a Cardinal and the Bishop of Winchester. Henry Beaufort took part in the trial of Joan of Arc, which led to a false conviction, sentencing her to death by immolation.

Emblem
The emblem Jaune uses is a rainbow, passed down through his father's side of his family. The rainbow emblem appears on a couple of Jaune's possessions:
 * On the front of his shield.
 * Original battle outfit - on the soles of his shoes, in Volume 1.

His "true" emblem, according to Miles Luna, is on his hoodie, hidden under his chestplate. In "The Next Step", the symbol is revealed to be the mascot for Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes cereal. This mascot symbol is also seen on his pajamas in "The Shining Beacon, Pt.2", with a clearer view seen in "Breach".

Appearance
Einlee drew a piece of concept art that shows Jaune with two different outfits, each of which has aspects of the final design of his original battle outfit.

The left outfit has him wearing a black short-sleeved hoodie with red, or perhaps red-orange, lining. Overtop this hoodie, he is wearing a pair of shoulder plates and a breastplate. For bottoms, he is wearing jeans with tan chaps over them and a brown belt with a large pouch on either side. Completing his outfit are a pair of black shoes with white soles and a pair of orange gloves that each have a metal plate on the back.

The right outfit has him wearing a dull grayish-tan hoodie with a tan vest over it and a pair of jeans with a hole ripped in the knee of his left leg. He is wearing a pair of crossed brown belts with a couple of brown pouches on his left side. On his feet is a pair of black boots, which appear to have some armor on the toes. On each arm is orange fabric and an elbow pad, and on each hand is a brown glove with a metal plate on the back and another metal plate sticking out onto his wrist.

It appears that both of these outfits were combined to create the final design that he possesses in Volumes 1-3: This concept art also displays a difference in physical appearance. In the drawing on the left, Jaune has red eyes, and in the drawing on the right, he has brown eyes.
 * The black hoodie and armor plates from the left.
 * The fabric and elbow pads from the right.
 * The gloves from the right.
 * The belts from the right, although the pouches were moved to his right side.
 * The pants from the right.
 * The shoes from the left and the boots from the right appear to have been combined to form a different design of boots.

It appears that a third outfit option was almost drawn, which would have given him a scarf.

In Volume 1, Jaune has the "rainbow" emblem from his shield on the soles of his shoes. In Volume 2, the soles have been changed to no longer include that emblem, and they are labeled "left" and "right". Miles spoke of this change using Jaune's voice to express concern that he could become concussed and forget left and right.

Production

 * When trying to come up with Jaune's personality, his voice actor, Miles Luna, performed various voices for Monty Oum. Monty loved the "nerdy" voice, and that became Jaune's voice.
 * Jaune was originally going to be named Jean, as in blue jeans, in order to fit the Color Naming Rule. However, Burnie Burns walked in on the writers discussing it and suggested jaundice.
 * This may be the inspiration for the names of the Volume 1 episodes "Jaunedice" and "Jaunedice, Pt.2".
 * After production on Volume 1 was completed, Monty began making new rigs for the character models so that they could be animated more smoothly. He used Jaune to test the new rig and made a video of Jaune dancing in Junior's nightclub.
 * The emblem on Jaune's shield is referred to as a rainbow, by Miles.
 * Jaune's true emblem is hidden under the breastplate of his battle outfit and is sometimes visible during production when the breastplate improperly renders. This emblem is visible throughout Volumes 1 through 3, as the bottom of it extends beyond the breastplate. The emblem is finally revealed in "The Next Step".
 * In the original Volume 1 Opening storyboard, Jaune is shown staring worriedly at a large building. He is startled by Pyrrha Nikos placing her hand on his shoulder and sees her giving him an assuring look. He is then shown standing proudly with Lie Ren and Pyrrha, before Nora Valkyrie leaps onto his back.
 * After Volume 3, Rooster Teeth changed animation software from Poser Pro 2013 to Autodesk Maya. With this change, the animation department also made all new models for RWBY. The Jaune Arc model's eyes were given a slightly different shape, and the newer hair model gives him the same hairstyle but is structured somewhat differently.