Raven Branwen

Raven Branwen is a mysterious character who first appeared in "No Brakes." She is the mother of Yang Xiao Long.

Appearance
Raven wears a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets.

An object that looks to be made from the material that covers her hair hangs from the right side of her skirt. She also wears black, thigh-length boots with a red splatter pattern. Her most distinctive feature is a fearsome, full-face mask that resembles the face of a Creature of Grimm. The mask has four eye slits, further enhancing the character's inhuman appearance.

Under the mask, she looks very similar to Yang, sharing the same youthful appearance, facial shape, and even hairstyle, but with black hair instead of blonde. And her eyebrows are a little bit higher. In her only appearance, Raven's eyes appear to take on the same red coloration that Yang's do when the latter is enraged. Whether or not this is her normal eye color is unknown.

History
Raven Branwen was a part of a team with Qrow Branwen, Taiyang Xiao Long, and Summer Rose. She at some point was in a relationship with Taiyang and had her daughter, Yang Xiao Long. Not long after Yang's birth, she disappeared under mysterious circumstances and with whereabouts unknown for the next 17 years.

She made her debut in the episode "No Brakes," where she intervenes in the fight between Yang and Neopolitan, just before Neo could deliver the killing blow on an unconscious Yang. Her mere presence appears to deeply frighten Neo, who immediately breaks off and teleports away. Yang regains consciousness just in time to see her mysterious savior disappear into a red and black rift.

In a post-credits sequence, during the Volume 2 finale, "Breach," Raven and Yang apparently meet again, this time in front of the main statue at Beacon Academy. When Yang asks her who she is, she tilts her head down, and removes her mask, revealing an uncanny facial resemblance to Yang, before saying, "Yang, we have a lot to talk about."

Abilities and Powers
Raven appears to be sufficiently formidable that a fighter as skilled as Neo fled at her mere appearance.

Raven is armed with a long-bladed, single-edged katana. The weapon itself is reminiscent of those carried by Junior Xiong's henchmen, as well as Adam Taurus' Wilt. Additionally, the weapon's sheath has a rotary chamber filled with different types of Dust blades, reminiscent of the Dust vial chamber of Weiss Schnee's Myrtenaster. The sword's blade is telescopic which allows it to be approximately twice the length of its sheath.

Raven possesses great speed in combat, so much so that her attacks are difficult to follow with the naked eye. It seems as if she is skilled at "Iaido," the art of swordsmanship practiced by Adam Taurus, as seen when she first engages Neo. It seems as though this is not her only proficiency however, as after her initial attack, she challenges Neo with a more traditional stance.

After Neo flees the train car, Raven seems to use her weapon to create a red-and-black energy field that appears to act as a translocation portal.

Trivia

 * Branwen is Welsh, meaning "blessed white raven/crow," which corresponds to her first name. Raven can refer to a number of bird species in the genus Corvus, or in reference to the color black.
 * Branwen is the name of a character in the Mabinogion, a Medieval Welsh collection of stories and myths. In the story, Branwen is the sister of the King of Britain. She is betrothed to the King of Ireland in order to bring peace between the kingdoms. However, her betrothal does not prevent war, instead bringing ruin to both islands. She was also the sister of Brân the Blessed, which Qrow could be alluded from.
 * Her relationship with Qrow Branwen is currently unknown, other than they were in the same team in the past.
 * She wears the same necklace as Neo and Coco Adel.
 * Her mask appears to be a more elaborately-styled version of the Grimm masks worn by the White Fang.
 * Notably, her mask and feathered hair give her an appearance markedly similar to a Nevermore, likely referencing her name.
 * Raven is the second person in the series shown to use an Iaijutsu fighting style, with the first being Adam.