Adam Taurus/Behind the Scenes

Overview History Relationships Image Gallery Quotes 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

Adam Taurus has multiple allusions to him in which he alludes to the Beast, Gaston, and the cursed rose from the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. His allusion sets him as a reverse version of the Beast - one who truly becomes a monster, like Gaston, beyond Beauty's help and becoming a burden(curse) for her, rather than being redeemed by her. These allusions has had the following influences on the character and show:

Adam's card information in RWBY: Amity Arena references the Beast: "The final traces of love, the beauty he let go, never returns, and as the last petal falls, Adam is cursed to forever remain a beast. Because, in this tale as old as time, there is no happy ending. In this story... HE is the monster."

• "The beauty he let go" could refer to Blake Belladonna, who alludes to Belle, and how Adam did not stop her from leaving in the "Black" Trailer.
• "As the last petal falls, Adam is cursed to forever remain a beast" refers to how, in the fairy tale, the Beast owned a rose that acted as a countdown for his curse. It was said that, when the last petal fell, the curse would become permanent, causing him to remain a beast for the rest of his life.
• "In this tale as old as time" refers to a song from the Disney adaptation, which has the lyrics "Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast."

Beyond the info from the Amity bio, his overall design and character show multiple references to the Beast, Gaston, and the cursed rose.

• In the Disney version of ''Beauty and the Beast'', the Beast/Prince's name is Adam.
• Adam and Blake had a mutual romance like Belle and the Beast.
• Adam's sword name, Wilt and Blush, call backs to the enchanted rose blooming and wilting as time runs out. The glow on Adam’s sword, when he is using moonslice, could also be a reference to the glow the enchanted rose emitted.
• Adam, like Disney's depiction of the Beast and Gaston, has bright blue eyes.
• Like Disney's depiction of the Beast, he dies from a stab wound and like Gaston’s depiction, he falls from a great height to his assured death.
• His emblem is a wilting rose which calls back to the enchanted rose wilting as the curse progresses. 
• Like, Gaston, his obsessive love for Blake, who alludes to Belle and the Beast, drives him to violence in the face of her rejection.
• Both characters, Gaston and Adam, are generally perceived by others in-universe as a charismatic and heroic figure, but are actually anything but.

• Yang Xiao Long catching Adam's sword could be a reference to the confrontation between Gaston and the Beast at the end of Disney's Beauty and the Beast where Beast catches the object Gaston is trying to bludgeon him with.

Emblem

Adam's emblem is a wilting rose, which Monty Oum described as "wilt". This emblem appears on three of his possessions:

• Original battle outfit - the back of his coat
• Blush - on the side of the rifle's barrel
• Timeskip battle outfit - On the back of his shirt

Image Gallery

Original battle outfit

Blush

Timeskip battle outfit

Appearance

Screenshots from Shane Newville's Vine

Prior to the "Black" Trailer, Adam's appearance underwent a redesign. This is seen in a Vine showing behind-the-scenes footage posted by Shane Newville.

This version of his model appears to be wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, a pair of black gloves and black boots with gray soles. His black pants have straps around the legs - two around the left leg, one around the right. The higher strap on the left leg has three kunai on it. Strapped to his back is a plate that has his sword's sheath attached to it. A white mask covers the upper half of his face, and his spiky hair is bright red. He appears to be wielding a weapon that is made up of a rifle with a short barrel and a sword blade running alongside the barrel. This weapon appears to glow yellow when he uses an attack that produces fire.

Production

• 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. Adam's horns were redone to more closely resemble horns.
• During the production of Volume 5, one draft of the Battle of Haven included Adam's death, thought it was ultimately pushed back into Volume 6 as the battle already included too many moving pieces at the time.

Image Gallery

The Poser Pro Adam model

The Maya Adam model in Volume 5