RWBY Wiki
Advertisement
RWBY Wiki
For the episode of the same name, see Menagerie.
Menagerie is filled with people that just want to be left alone.

Overview Image Gallery



Menagerie is a landmass in the southeast of Remnant where most of the Faunus population resides. Kuo Kuana is the largest settlement and the home of the chieftain, Ghira Belladonna.

Description[]

Menagerie is a continent located south of Anima and is the smallest continent on Remnant.

Two-thirds of the landmass is comprised of desert, forcing the resident Faunus to congregate on smaller areas resulting in small and dense settlements such as those with palm trees. The biggest settlement of Menagerie and its capital is Kuo Kuana.

Menagerie is considered a safe haven for Faunus. However, this is usually due to the Faunus living there wanting to be left alone from the rest of Humanity. The island is later revealed to also be inhabited by Grimm in its deserts.

The Capivara are large, rat-like Grimm native to the island's deserts.

History[]

The Shallow Sea[]

Shallow1

The Shallow Sea

The Shallow Sea is a Faunus creation myth featuring their God of Animals, a shapeshifting deity who could take on humanoid, animal and mythological forms at a whim. In the story, the God of Animals lives on the island of Menagerie, which was inhabited by all sorts of animals with the exception of mankind. While curious as to why that is and fond of their ability to adapt, the god was apprehensive about inviting them into the island and potentially wreaking havoc.

Stubborn, the god decided to tour the entirety of Remnant, transforming themself into a Human and seeking out those who seemed to be more than what they currently were, telling people the god deemed special to "Leave. Sail to the Shallow Sea. It's where you're meant to be."

The God of Animals arranged an ark, sailing to Menagerie, where they invited the travelers to jump into the water and join them. However, the price was they wouldn't be human. Those of faith jumped into the water, transforming into the Faunus. Those who didn't were horrified by the events, unable to accept that the Faunus had come to believe that humanity was a "shallow disguise" of their true selves and that they could choose their own fates in Menagerie. The God of Animals washed away the remaining humans and left the Faunus to themselves.

Professor Ozpin notes that The Shallow Sea was commonly told to children, but otherwise doesn't have much evidence to point it's true. It's passed down from generation to generation, and as was such not heard often by Humans. Ozpin claims to not want to critique the story much as it's more than just a story to the Faunus, it's a part of their identity. However, the creation myth has since fallen out of favor in the eye of the world, as the idea of a magical island is seen in bad taste by the Faunus after they settled in Menagerie after the Great War. Nonetheless, despite its contrived plot, Ozpin thinks it still holds some truth to it.[1]

Great War Aftermath[]

Following the Great War, the Faunus were given Menagerie as a reward for their participation, in conjunction with equal rights. While some Humans saw these rewards as fair and just, many Faunus saw it as a slap to the face, as two-thirds of Menagerie is a desert that is uninhabitable due to dangerous wildlife.

Faunus Rights Revolution[]

Over time, Humanity became adamant in their attempts for the Faunus population to be centralized in Menagerie, and would later push for the confinement of all the Faunus there, as well as countermand of the equal rights of the Faunus earned in the Great War. In response, the Faunus revolted, sparking the Faunus Rights Revolution.

While little is known of the events of the Revolution, the Faunus were successful in preventing their confinement to Menagerie.

Present Day[]

Faunus predominantly live on Menagerie, and it is seen as a "safe haven" for their race. The population is gathered together where the land is habitable, making it comparatively crowded, particularly in the main city Kuo Kuana. Though advanced enough in architecture and industry to house one, Menagerie does not have a CCT tower, which makes communication with the rest of the world difficult.[2] The White Fang also has a cell operating in Menagerie. Blake Belladonna returns to her home in Kuo Kuana several months after the fall of Beacon Academy, accompanied by Sun Wukong after she believes running away from her Team would prevent them from getting hurt again. After Sun confronts her about this and says that it just hurts her Team more, they managed to convince a large portion of the population, as well as Ilia Amitola, to come with them to Haven Academy to prevent Adam Taurus from destroying it in association with Salem's plans.

After the Battle of Haven, the people of Mistral began to see Faunus differently, and Ghira planned on rebuilting the White Fang into a peaceful organization again with him leading it.

Later, the people of Menagerie receive Ruby Rose's message to all of Remnant publicly revealing Salem's existence and asks for assistance with the current situation in Atlas before her broadcast is cut off. In the end though, nobody came to help as Atlas is destroyed in "The Final Word".

Notable People[]

White Fang Cell[]

Trivia[]

  • The name "menagerie" refers to a collection of wild animals in captivity, and it represents humanity's attitude to the Faunus and the city's status as a reservation of sorts in this case.
  • Menagerie bears some resemblance to the real world country of Australia with its location being in the bottom right corner on the world map, its deserts taking up a big portion of the landmass, the wildlife being more dangerous than average and the reason for their colonization being the "removal" of undesired people from the more powerful nations. Gray G. Haddock even referred to Menagerie as "down under"—a common term for Australia—in his Thanksgiving 2016 announcement.[3]
  • In the World of Remnant episode "Vale", Menagerie and its colonies are represented by the color yellow. This likely implies that it is considered to be its own nation or territory in some respects, as the other four known nations and their townships are similarly represented.
    • Interestingly, some settlements highlighted in yellow also appear on Remnant's second largest continent, Anima, home of the Kingdom of Mistral.

References[]

Locations
Minor Locations
Advertisement