King Taijitu

King Taijitu  are large, serpentine creatures of Grimm that live in the Emerald Forest. One is encountered by Lie Ren in Episode 6, who defeated it after a heated battle.

The Emerald Forest
During the Beacon Academy Initiation, Ren is ambushed by the black half of the King Taijitu. He draws StormFlower, then engages the creature. He has the upper hand and manages to wound his opponent, but then the white half joins the fray.

The white half disarms Ren, but he soon gets back up. Ren uses his Aura to defend against the black portion's attack. He then rips out both of the creature's fangs, uses one to impale the King Taijitu in the eye, then delivers a palm thrust to destroy its head in one swift blow. He then engages and defeats the white half off-screen.

Appearance
The King Taijitu is one of the larger enemies seen in RWBY, easily dwarfing Lie Ren. It has two halves, a black one and a white one, that are joined in the middle.

The Black Half
The black half is primarily black in color, though it does contain a few speckles of white on its underbelly, as well as some isolated areas along its body. Its color scheme is very similar to the Beowolves and Ursi that have also been encountered in the Emerald Forest. It has large red eyes and a white bony covering with red markings on the top of its head.

The White Half
The white half is essentially the inverse of the black half. It also has large red eyes; however, the bony covering on the top of its head is primarily gray with red markings. Also toward the end of its body, its scales appear to have of checkerboard design of gray and white, before turning black and white, then turning completely black as the other half's design comes into play.

Trivia

 * Taijitu is a term that refers to the concept of Yin and Yang. It is used as the symbol of Taoism.
 * Taijitu (太極圖) roughly translates to diagram of supreme ultimate.
 * The "King" in their name is likely a reference to the real-life common kingsnake, which has black and white patterning.
 * Another meaning for "King" might be that this one was exceptional in size compared to others, much like the Ursa Major and Giant Nevermore are to their species.
 * In the RWBY Crew Chat between Episodes 14 and 15, it was revealed that Ren fought against one King Taijitu during the Beacon Academy Initiation, rather than two, as previously thought.