- For other uses of "RWBY", see RWBY
- For the various other manga series, see RWBY Comics and Manga.
RWBY is the manga adaptation of the American anime web series of the same name written by manga artist Shirow Miwa.[1] It has been published in Shueisha's monthly seinen Ultra Jump magazine with supervision by Rooster Teeth. The first arc of the manga closely followed the storyline of the four trailers, while subsequent chapters explored original storylines.[2]
The first chapter was released in the Ultra Jump December issue, on November 19th, 2015.[3] It had colored center and back pages, along with additional art from the manga.[4] Subsequent chapters were published on the 19th of each month in the Ultra Jump magazine.
The English translation was published in VIZ Media's Weekly Shōnen Jump manga anthology and released for audiences worldwide on October 31st, 2016.[5][6]
The final chapter was published in the February 2017 issue of Ultra Jump in January, with a teaser about a second volume.[7]
An English paperback version, which consolidated the 15 chapters into 12, was released on January 16th, 2018 on Amazon, in bookstores, and digitally.[8][9]
Summary[]
Like the main series, the RWBY manga follows the members of Team RWBY – Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long – and their adventures as they train to become Huntresses at the prestigious Beacon Academy. The manga delves into the motivations and backstory of the four main characters, giving new insights and context. Many characters from the main series also make appearances. The manga also explains some concepts and elements of the setting, such as the Grimm and Dust.
The canonicity of the manga has been described by Rooster Teeth as being "not non-canon" and "canon until it's not".[10] That is, the details are considered canon until they are contradicted by the show. Writers Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross were also consulted on the manga's writing.
Plot[]
The first nine chapters of the manga are based on the trailers, focusing on each of the members of Team RWBY in turn. The manga depicts events from throughout the continuity of RWBY in a non-linear narrative.
- The first two chapters include a scene referencing the "Red" Trailer, followed by Ruby Rose attending Beacon Academy. She defends her friend Jaune Arc from Cardin Winchester's torment, leading to a sparring match arranged by Professor Glynda Goodwitch.
- The third and fourth chapters cover Weiss' thoughts during the "White" Trailer, as she faces an Arma Gigas, while reflecting on her decision to attend Beacon.
- The fifth and sixth chapters adapt the "Black" Trailer, showing Blake Belladonna and Adam Taurus attacking the cargo train and her subsequent departure from the White Fang.
- The next three chapters are a retelling of the "Yellow" Trailer, depicting the brawl started by Yang at Junior Xiong's Club in search of a certain individual.
The remaining six chapters cover an original story chronologically set between Volumes 1 and 2 involving teams RWBY and JNPR fighting King Taijitu merged together by a Grimm accidentally let loose as Torchwick investigated a possible entrance to Mountain Glenn.[2]
Characters[]
Main Characters[]
Support Characters[]
Antagonists[]
Flashback Characters[]
- Qrow Branwen (Flashback)
- Jacques Schnee (Flashback)
- Winter Schnee (Flashback)
Cameo[]
- Sun Wukong (Cameo)
- Neptune Vasilias (Cameo)
- Coco Adel (Cameo)
- Fox Alistair (Cameo)
- Velvet Scarlatina (Cameo)
- Yatsuhashi Daichi (Cameo)
- James Ironwood (Cameo)
- Cinder Fall (Cameo)
- Emerald Sustrai (Cameo)
- Mercury Black (Cameo)
- Neopolitan (Cameo)
- Manga-only characters
- SDC President's Secretary (First Appearance)
Chapters[]
| Chapter | Pages | Original Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | 20[note 1] | November 19th, 2015[3] |
| Chapter 2 | 19 | December 19th, 2015[11] |
| Chapter 3 | 17 | January 19th, 2016[12] |
| Chapter 4 | 17 | February 19th, 2016[13] |
| Chapter 5 | 22 | April 19th, 2016[14] |
| Chapter 6 | 21 | May 19th, 2016[15] |
| Chapter 7 | 12 | June 18th, 2016[16] |
| Chapter 8 | 12 | July 19th, 2016[17] |
| Chapter 9 | 14 | August 19th, 2016[18] |
| Chapter 10 | 10 | September 17th, 2016[19] |
| Chapter 11 | 11 | October 19th, 2016[20] |
| Chapter 12 | 11 | November 19th, 2016[21] |
| Chapter 13 | 9 | December 19th, 2016[22] |
| Chapter 14 | 20 | January 19th, 2017[23] |
| Chapter 15 | 10 | February 18th, 2017[24] |
Note: In the English paperback release, the same content is consolidated into 12 chapters instead of 15.
Development[]
The manga is written and illustrated by Shirow Miwa, whose previous work includes Dogs: Prelude and Dogs: Bullets & Carnage, as well as illustrations for numerous magazines and light novels. Rooster Teeth staff, including Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross, discussed the content of the manga with the team in Japan through a translator. Topics included which characters could be used in the story and how characters should be portrayed to keep them consistent with the series.[25]
The manga is serialized in Shueisha's Ultra Jump magazine, with each chapter released monthly (often on that month's 19th day), barring any breaks. Ultra Jump is a seinen magazine; it markets manga series for young adults (often male, but with significant female followings). The artist and author, Shirow Miwa, has experience in writing manga and light novels (including the aforementioned Dogs franchise), often through Ultra Jump.
In late July 2016, it was announced that Rooster Teeth had partnered with Viz Media, a publisher and distributor which licenses Shueisha's properties in the United States, to bring RWBY titles to a worldwide audience.[26] At NYCC 2016 in October, it was revealed that the English translation of the manga would be published in Viz's Weekly Shōnen Jump manga anthology magazine.[27] The English release date from Viz Media was August 15th 2017. Several of the chapters are consolidated in the English release, bringing the number of chapters down to 12.
Notes[]
- ↑ Chapter 1 included 4 color pages and 16 regular black and white pages. The front cover of the December Ultra Jump issue also featured artwork from the RWBY manga.
References[]
- ↑ RWBY JAPAN's Twitter
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shirow Miwa's Twitter
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shueisha Ultra Jump December 2015
- ↑ Anime News Network
- ↑ Crunchyroll: English "Shonen Jump" To Introduce "RWBY" Manga Next Week
- ↑ Viz Media Newsroom
- ↑ RWBY Manga Enters 'Climax' in January
- ↑ Viz Media - RWBY Paperback & Digital
- ↑ RWBY Manga Paperback English
- ↑ RWBY Volume 3 Marathon Live Stream
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump January 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump February 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump March 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump May 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump June 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump July 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump August 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump September 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump October 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump November 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump December 2016
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump January 2017
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump February 2017
- ↑ Shueisha Ultra Jump March 2017
- ↑ RWBY Volume 3 Mid-Season Live Stream
- ↑ Crunchyroll
- ↑ Anime News Network
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