Team RWBY


 * For other uses of "RWBY", see RWBY (disambiguation)

Team RWBY (pronounced "Ruby") is a team of former Beacon Academy students, which is comprised of the main characters: the leader, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. Originally unable to even hold a proper conversation together, the team eventually grows into a tightly-knit group, willing to risk their futures and even their lives for each other. They have no qualms breaking the rules to do what they believe is right.

Early History
After gaining the attention of Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon, Ruby is allowed to skip the two required years at Signal Academy and enroll early, allowing her to participate in first-year team formations, along with her elder sister. Weiss and Ruby become partners in "The First Step, Pt.2", while Yang and Blake become partners in "The Emerald Forest".

The first battle with all four members fighting together takes place in "Players and Pieces", when they all band together to take down a massive Nevermore. During the Beacon Academy Initiation, the team brings back the two White Knight pieces and are officially named "Team RWBY" with Ruby Rose appointed as the team's leader.

Volume 2–3
Despite being first years students, Team RWBY became involved in foiling the plans of Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, stopping a cargo robbery in the end of Volume 1 and a Grimm invasion in Vale in Volume 2. Some time afterward, they qualify for the Vytal Festival Tournament. They manage to reach the finals but are later disqualified.

After the broadcast of Penny Polendina's death through the manipulations of Cinder Fall, Beacon Academy falls to both the White Fang and the Grimm attracted to the negativity. Split up, the team tries its best to defend their school, only for Yang and Blake to be gravely injured during an encounter with Blake's former partner and Ruby's latent power to knock her unconscious.

Volume 4–5
After the Fall of Beacon, the team splits up, with Weiss returning to Atlas with her father, Blake running away to Menagerie, Yang recovering in Patch and Ruby going to Haven with Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, spurred by her uncle's warning that another incident like the Fall of Beacon could occur in Haven. Eventually, Blake regains the courage and will power to confront the White Fang, Weiss masters the Summoning aspect of her Semblance and Yang recovers enough to use a brand new prosthetic arm. Volume 4 ends with Yang seeking out Ruby, Weiss escaping Atlas to find Winter and Blake attempting to spur the people of Menagerie to restore the original intentions of the White Fang.

In Volume 5, Weiss crash lands after the cargo ship she used to escape is attacked by Grimm and encounters Raven Branwen, Yang's estranged mother and is kidnapped for ransom purposes. Coincidentally, Yang wants to use Raven's specific Semblance to reach her sister through Qrow and arrives to find Weiss kidnapped. Eventually, Raven allows them to use a portal to Qrow, but warns them about Ozpin and the truth about the world. In Haven, Ruby, Weiss and Yang reunite and decide to join Ruby on her quest to prevent the fall of Haven. During an ambush set up by Lionheart, the White Fang are countered by forces from Menagerie, led by the Belladonnas. With the Relic of Knowledge secured by Yang and Haven safe from immediate threat, the team, now fully reunited, along with Oscar Pine, the current incarnation of Ozpin, Qrow Branwen and team JNR are informed to head to Atlas.

Team Attacks
Each pairing, or permutation of Team RWBY has their own "team attack", with the exception of Ruby + Yang, that are executed upon Ruby shouting a specific term. All of these identified team attacks were demonstrated in "Painting the Town..." during the battle against Roman piloting an Atlesian Paladin-290.


 * Freezerburn (Weiss + Yang) - Weiss freezes the ground whilst Yang jumps into the air and proceeds to punch the frozen ground whilst firing Ember Celica. The evaporation then creates a mist which can be utilized for cover and creates opportunities for sneak attacks. Named due to the pair's respective associations with cold and heat.
 * Checkmate (Blake + Weiss) - Both Weiss and Blake proceed to attack an opponent simultaneously seeking to outmaneuver and overwhelm them. Named due to chess' black and white color scheme.
 * Ladybug (Blake + Ruby) - Using their speed, Ruby and Blake attack the enemy from opposite sides in alternating sliding maneuvers. Named for ladybug's characteristic black and red coloring.
 * Bumblebee (Blake + Yang) - Yang latches on to one end of Blake's Gambol Shroud. Blake then swings Yang to create momentum for Yang's punch whilst firing Ember Celica. A "reverse" version has been used, with Blake and Yang switching places. Named for a bumblebee's characteristic black and yellow coloring.
 * Ice Flower (Ruby + Weiss) - Weiss uses her glyphs to encase Ruby's sniper bullets in ice. The ice enhances Ruby's attack, and the area where the bullet hits is frozen on impact. Named for Weiss' association with ice, and Ruby's last name.
 * Cannonball (Ruby + Weiss + Blake + Yang) - Manga only. Weiss and Blake form the catapult, Yang provides a boost, and Ruby acts as a ball by using her Semblance to increase her speed ten times to target the distance ranged enemies.

Trivia

 * All of the members were indirectly referenced in the lyrics of "Red Like Roses" by their theme colors.
 * Team RWBY was comprised of characters inspired by various fairy tales.
 * Ruby alludes to Little Red Riding Hood, and her design is greatly influenced by the title character, as seen by her red hood and cloak and her association with wolves via fighting Beowolves.
 * Weiss alludes to the titular character in Snow White, for her name means "White Snow" in German, she sings of a mirror (a famous element of the original story) during the "White" Trailer and the pendant on her necklace is shaped like an apple.
 * Blake alludes to Belle (meaning "beauty" in French), the heroine of Beauty and the Beast, due to her surname containing "Bella" (meaning "beauty" in Italian), a love of books and her partner Adam Taurus, whose design is based around roses, shares the popular name for the Beast ("Adam").
 * Yang alludes to Goldilocks from The Tale of the Three Bears through her long blonde hair and constant fights with various bears, such as the DJ from Junior's Club, Junior Xiong (whose name means "black bear") and Ursai.
 * The members of Team RWBY might also have connections to flowers and plants in their designs.
 * Roses are Ruby's motif, given her surname (and that of her weapon), her symbol, and the petals she emits in battle.
 * Weiss' weapon, Myrtenaster, is based on "Myrten Aster", the German translation for a family of flowers known as Myrtaceae that are typically found to be white.
 * Blake's surname is also the name of a deadly nightshade called belladonna. This also appears to be her symbol.
 * Yang's Ember Celica is named after a type of hot bell pepper called "Celica", which can be yellow. This is seen in her symbol, which resembles both a bell pepper and a heart.
 * Every member of Team RWBY has been shown as a child. Blake has been shown as a child in her flashback in "Black and White", Yang and Ruby were both shown as children in the flashback in "Burning the Candle" and Weiss has been shown as a child in Chapter 3 of the RWBY Manga and in a family painting in "Remembrance".
 * The tactical "team" or "combination" attacks Team RWBY performs are also the names of fan shippings of the members involved.
 * Each member of Team RWBY shares the same color scheme as the members of Team STRQ:
 * Red for Ruby and Raven Branwen
 * White for Weiss and Summer Rose
 * Black for Blake and Qrow Branwen
 * Yellow for Yang and Taiyang Xiao Long
 * Two members of both teams are biologically related:
 * Qrow and Raven are twin siblings.
 * Ruby and Yang are half-sisters.
 * In Chapter 5 of RWBY: The Official Manga, one of the team attacks used against a Nevermore from "Players and Pieces" is called Cannonball. However, the team attack's name is never mentioned in the show proper.