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Affiliations
Cinder's Faction
Cinder leads a group of five individuals consisting of herself, Roman Torchwick, Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black and Neopolitan. The ultimate goal of this group is to aid Cinder in completing Salem's orders as a part of Salem's group. They are responsible for many crimes committed throughout Vale.
Salem's Faction
Cinder is a member of Salem's group. She carries out the group's plan to destroy Beacon Academy, and she also greatly limits communication by destroying Beacon's Cross Continental Transmit System tower.
Haven Academy
Cinder poses as a student from Haven Academy during the entire semester at Beacon Academy leading up to the Vytal Festival.
White Fang
Cinder pressures Adam Taurus into accepting her offer to use White Fang members for her plan. Although not a member of the White Fang, Cinder and her associates are insistent on Roman Torchwick working with the group.
Following the events of "Breach", she and her associates begin to wonder if the White Fang will still cooperate with them, for their plan resulted in White Fang casualties. They need White Fang cooperation to help execute the fall of Beacon Academy, and Adam successfully commands a splinter group to do so.
Adam Taurus
Cinder approaches Adam before his attack on the Schnee Dust cargo, proposing him and White Fang soldiers a part in her plan. He is repulsed by the idea of aiding a human cause, but Cinder later returns with a briefcase of money and another of Dust, also having defeated the soldiers at the White Fang camp. Adam realizes that the alternative to accepting her offer is death, so he accepts.
In the episode "Breach", Adam says he can convince the White Fang to continue to follow Cinder's plan after the loss of members on the train in "No Brakes".
Cinder's Faction
Emerald Sustrai
Emerald is one of Cinder's subordinates. Cinder has been shown to have direct control over her. When scolded by Cinder, Emerald becomes sad and submissive, calling her "ma'am". Despite her normally condescending attitude towards Emerald, Cinder appears to view her and Mercury as her teammates, always referring to their trio as "we", and never excludes them. Emerald eagerly obeys Cinder and does whatever she is asked by her, holding a strong amount of respect for her leader. It is revealed in "Beginning of the End" that Emerald was the first member of her faction that Cinder sought out, recruiting her to her cause while Emerald was in the process of a robbery.
Relying on Emerald
After Cinder is severely wounded by Ruby Rose, she becomes reliant on Emerald to communicate with others for her, to the point that, when asked questions, her automatic response is to signal for Emerald, as shown in "Of Runaways and Stowaways." Emerald places a great deal of trust in Cinder's power, and is left emotionally devastated when she does not return from the vault in "Haven's Fate."
Mercury Black
Mercury is one of Cinder's associates. Like Emerald, Cinder has Mercury under her direct control and scolds him whenever he displeases her. However, their relationship is more mutual in comparison. Mercury holds Cinder in high regard, placing a lot of confidence in her and doing everything she asks of him. It is revealed in "Beginning of the End" that when the Cinder met Mercury, the latter had killed his father, an assassin who Cinder had initially intended to recruit. As a result, she ended up inviting Mercury instead, despite Emerald's protests that they did not need him. For his part, Mercury recognizes that Cinder does not truly care for him.
Roman Torchwick
"Partners" in crime
Cinder is one of Roman's associates, assisting him in the escape stage of the failed robbery of From Dust Till Dawn by flying the Bullhead and later assaulting Ruby and Glynda Goodwitch in a brief, but fierce battle.
However, it is shown during her second appearance in "Black and White" that Roman is working under Cinder's command and is afraid of her. Roman has stated that he only works with her because he does not believe she can lose.
In "The Coming Storm", Cinder denies responsibility for Torchwick's death.
Neopolitan
Making a deal with her former cohort
Neo is part of Cinder's team during the Vytal Festival tournament along with Mercury and Emerald. They are an effective team in combat. They work together in "Beginning of the End" to get Mercury out of the Amity Colosseum.
In "The Coming Storm", Cinder is surprised to see Neo in Mistral. After their fight, she asks Neo to work with her to get their revenge on Ruby. In "The Grimm Reaper", Cinder decides to let Neo kill Ruby as she is under orders by Salem not to kill the silver-eyed warrior.
In "Our Way", Cinder is impressed with Neo's Semblance on a Mistralian airship and shares her belief in destiny with her cohort.
Salem's Faction
Salem
Cinder standing by Salem's side
Cinder is one of Salem's subordinates. She is heard speaking to an unidentified individual in "Beginning of the End"; she was speaking to Salem. The mysterious glove that Cinder uses to steal Amber's power in "Beginning of the End" bears Salem's emblem.
After the Fall of Beacon, Salem states that Cinder is a key part of their plans due to her status as Fall Maiden and holds her in high regard for her successes against Ozpin and Beacon.
Salem functions not only as Cinder's superior but also as her trainer. She puts Cinder through "treatment" that causes pain and holds her to a high standard when overseeing her training against several Grimm. Eventually, Cinder masters her power and uses it with no hesitation, much to Salem's delight.
Cinder is not above questioning some of Salem's decisions. In "Dread in the Air", when given freedom to speak her mind, she questions why they are planning to work with bandits and to capture Ruby alive, believing they are already strong enough to take what they want by force. Salem tells her not to underestimate the usefulness of others. Despite Cinder questioning Salem she also is shown to respect her immensely bowing to her after Salem warned her to be aware of Ruby Rose's powers.
In "The Coming Storm" and "The Grimm Reaper", Cinder to an extent still shows loyalty to Salem despite wanting revenge on Ruby Rose, but due to Salem's command, she decided to arrange for Neo to kill her in order to avoid possible consequences or end up like Lionheart.
Arthur Watts
No camaraderie here
Although allies, Cinder and Watts appear to have a rough relationship. Watts mercilessly mocks her for losing to Ruby, even calling her pathetic due to her injuries. Watts takes special pleasure in tormenting and angering Cinder because of her inability to talk back, but judging from some of his comments, Watts and Cinder also had a preexisting enmity before she lost her voice. Said enmity is further shown in "A Perfect Storm", when Cinder suggests deviating from the original objective in solely obtaining the Spring Maiden, inciting Watts in the process, though she burns his hand in response to him trying to overrule her.
Tyrian Callows
Neither work well with others
In "The Next Step", Cinder appears to dislike Tyrian, who continuously mocks her for losing an eye to Ruby. He takes it upon himself to take one of Ruby's eyes in exchange, but this only seems to make Cinder uncomfortable.
In "Taking Control", Tyrian is not at all embarrassed to show his grief or his sadism in front of Cinder when he vents by maniacally butchering a Beowolf. Cinder, however, is visibly horrified by his behavior.
Hazel Rainart
Cinder and Hazel are associates in Salem's inner circle. His only acknowledgment of her so far is to be unimpressed at her losing against a novice Silver-Eyed Warrior. In his comment, he refers to her as "one of us", which establishes he thinks of her as a peer. The two later work together to participate in the Battle of Haven, but Hazel shows no outward reaction when she does not return from the Vault.
Team RWBY
Ruby Rose
Cinder is about to fight Ruby
Cinder first met Ruby indirectly during a foiled Dust robbery, where she briefly fought Ruby. The two meet again during the second semester, where an undercover Cinder claims she is visiting from Haven, alongside Emerald and Mercury. Ruby remains completely unaware, however, Cinder appears to recognize her. The two fight again during the Beacon Dance at the Cross Continental Transmit System, but Cinder retreats and keeps her identity hidden.
In "End of the Beginning", Cinder kills Pyrrha in front of Ruby, which causes the latter to scream in anguish and release her hidden powers with a bright light. Cinder is caught off guard and is enveloped in the light.
In "The Next Step", the results of Ruby's powers has left Cinder scarred, missing an eye, and almost unable to speak. Cinder harbors a grudge against Ruby, having specifically asked for something to be done about her during her meeting with her allies. In "No Safe Haven", Emerald creates a hallucination of Ruby in a submissive state for Cinder to burn alive.
In "Dread in the Air", Cinder asks Watts if Ruby is with Qrow which he confirms. She later informs Salem that she doesn't understand why she wants Ruby alive.
In "A Perfect Storm", Cinder agrees to Raven's terms so she can obtain the Relic and deal with Ruby in one night.
In "The More the Merrier", Cinder ambushes Ruby with a fireball attack through Raven Branwen's portal. Later, during her fight with Jaune Arc, she is brought to her knees in pain by Ruby's power. In "Vault of the Spring Maiden", Cinder orders Lionheart to make sure that Ruby is kept alive while she heads for the vault.
In "Uncovered", Cinder still holds a grudge against Ruby, as she decided to go after the girl and her friends instead of returning to Salem. In "The Coming Storm", it is revealed that Cinder is going against Salem's orders to bring Ruby to her alive by plotting to kill her.
Weiss Schnee
Though the two have never had any form of full interaction, in "The More the Merrier", Cinder had no hesitancy in throwing a spear at the Aura-less Weiss, incapacitating her, following her fight with Vernal. Cinder showed to having enjoyed her act, sadistically smiling before and after it.
Team JNPR
Jaune Arc
Battling an outmatched Jaune
Although she had met him once after she became the Fall Maiden, when they meet again in "The More the Merrier", she has no clue who he is. During their fight, she taunts Jaune and his emotions but later becomes enraged at him for almost wounding her.
After defeating Jaune, Cinder mocks him for considering the life of his friends as more valuable than his own and sadistically makes him watch as she impales Weiss with a flaming javelin.
Pyrrha Nikos
Cinder kills Pyrrha.
Although they have never been seen interacting in Volume 2, it is clear that Cinder has some unknown plans for her, telling Emerald to add her to "the list". Also, Cinder seems to be impressed by Pyrrha's Semblance.
In "End of the Beginning", Cinder fights Pyrrha in Beacon Tower. Although her opponent put up a valiant fight, Cinder ultimately defeats her by shooting an arrow at Pyrrha's heel. She taunts her fallen foe, saying that the Fall Maiden's power never belonged to her, and she confirms that she believes in destiny. Cinder ends Pyrrha's life by shooting an arrow to her chest and subsequently disintegrating her.
In "Our Way", Cinder quotes Pyrrha's last words to Neo to prove that she still believes in destiny.
Ozpin's Group
Ozpin
Fighting Ozpin
In "Heroes and Monsters", Ozpin and Cinder finally see each other face to face. Cinder expresses her disdain for Ozpin by saying that a certain person was right about his arrogance. They fight each other in "End of the Beginning", resulting in Ozpin's apparent death. This leads Cinder to report him as dead to the rest of Salem's faction.
In "Vault of the Spring Maiden", Cinder is shocked to see Ozpin before her once again. His presence gives her pause, though she manages to focus on her mission nonetheless.
Qrow Branwen
In "It's Brawl in the Family", It is clear that Cinder knows of Qrow's threat to her plot, but she suggests they do not change their plans after Mercury spots him at Beacon. Qrow previously interfered when Cinder stole Amber's power, only leaving with half of it.
Branwen Tribe
Raven Branwen
Cinder, her faction, and Watts are sent to obtain the Spring Maiden from Raven. Though when Raven adds her own stipulations, Cinder sees the wisdom in her proposal and agrees to her terms.
Once they travel to the Haven Vault, Cinder deems Raven overrated and encases her in ice magic. Though after she fails to obtain the Spring Maiden's powers from Vernal, she turns to see the true Spring Maiden: Raven Branwen herself.
Maiden versus Maiden
Cinder acidly remarks how the last Spring Maiden must've trusted Raven a "great deal", citing it as a mistake. The pair soon fights and during the battle, Raven calls her out for turning herself into "a monster, just for power". Though Cinder vehemently rebukes her, showing she sees Raven as no different.
Though after the intense battle, Cinder is shown to be on the losing end. She then blocks a final effort from Vernal, only to be blindsided by Raven and sent falling into the abyss.
Vernal
Once Vernal "demonstrates" her power and identity as the Spring Maiden, Cinder looks on gleefully. When they travel to the vault in "Vault of the Spring Maiden", Cinder is impressed that Vernal sees the obtainment of the Relic of Knowledge as a burden and cares more about her tribe than anything else. When the bandit moves to open the vault, Cinder betrays her and impales her with her Grimm arm to steal the Maiden's power, and is dumbfounded when she finds nothing.
The Spiders
Lil' Miss Malachite
In "Uncovered", Cinder approaches Lil' Miss at her bar and manages to get past the bodyguards with a bag full of Lien. At first, Cinder seems unimpressed with the gangster but is then surprised that she has a whole syndicate of gangsters working on her behalf. In "The Coming Storm", Cinder is surprised when Lil' Miss knows who she is, thanks to Neo.
Others
Wyvern
Cinder seems to be able to communicate with the Wyvern and it appears comforted by her words. The two seem to be on good terms as it tries to aid Cinder when she has trouble against Pyrrha. It destroys Beacon Tower in the process and allows Cinder to gain the upper hand in the conflict.