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Not friends. Family.

Team RWBY (pronounced "Ruby") is a Huntress team of former Beacon Academy students, which is comprised of RWBY's titular protagonists: their leader Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. Originally unable to even hold a proper conversation together, the team eventually develops a familial bond and 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.

Pre-Volume 1[]

Two of the team's members, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, were born to three members of Beacon Academy alumni, Team STRQ: Yang was born to Taiyang Xiao Long and Raven Branwen and Ruby was born a few years later to Taiyang and Summer Rose. Born to a Huntsman family, the siblings inherited their parent's professions and naturally gravitated to becoming Huntresses, with Yang's father training her and Qrow Branwen, Ruby's honorary uncle, training her respectively. While Ruby's interest in the profession came from a sense of duty and legacy, Yang saw it as a way to get involved in "crazy adventures" and find her long lost birth mother.

Shortly before the start of the series, Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, decided to attend Beacon rather than Atlas Academy, leading to a "royal test" in which she successfully destroyed an Arma Gigas Grimm. Around the same time, Blake Belladonna, a then active member of a Faunus rights movement known as the White Fang, became disillusioned with the excessive violence and abandoned her partner after a train heist and decided to use her talents to become a Huntress, easily passing the entrance exam to do so.

History[]

After gaining the attention of Professor 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 and her future team mates. 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 brought back the two White Knight pieces and were officially named "Team RWBY", with Ruby 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. Spread out, 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 completely 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 willpower to confront the White Fang, After an encounter with one of members of Salem's Inner Circle, Team RNJR are joined by Qrow, who reveals the leader of the Grimm, Salem's ultimate goal. 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, Ruby, Nora, Jaune, Lie and Qrow finally reach Haven Academy and soon encounter Oscar Pine, the current incarnation of Ozpin and begin to help him train in combat, as Qrow tries to recruit Huntsman for a mission to rescue the Spring Maiden from Raven Branwen. The latter manages to capture Weiss after a Grimm attack causes her cargo ship to crash and decides to ransom her back to Atlas. Coincidentally, Yang arrives soon after and demands Raven to open a portal to her uncle, in order to reach Ruby in Haven and arrives discovers her captured teammate. After some parting words about Ozpin and Salem, Raven allows them to leave through a portal, reuniting Weiss, Yang and Ruby. Weiss and Yang decide to join Ruby on her quest to prevent the fall of Haven. During an ambush set up by Leonardo 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, head with Qrow, Oscar and team JNR towards Atlas.

Volume 6[]

Team RWBY, JNR, Qrow and Oscar take a train to the port of Argus, hoping that their Atlas military base is active and that someone will be able to take them Atlas. However, the now exposed Relic draws in a swarm of Grimm. Unwilling to put civilians in harm's way, team RWBY, Oscar and Qrow stay behind to finish the Grimm off, with Jaune, Nora and Lie going on ahead. The train ends up crashing off the tracks and the group adds a new member to their party: Maria Calavera. Stranded in the cold and desperate to know the truth, Ruby uses the Relic's second question to find out what Ozpin is hiding, causing Jinn, the spirit of the Relic, to reveal the original incarnation of Ozpin, known as Ozma and Salem, were once romantically involved, until Salem's unwillingness to let Ozma go caused her to gain immortality, cause the gods to leave and lastly, a desire for destruction and a goal to secure all four relics, which would usher the end of the world. Most importantly however, everyone learns that Salem ultimately cannot be killed. With dwindling hope and motivation, the party finds shelter in the abandoned Brunswick Farms during a snowstorm, where the hidden pack of Apathy, a Grimm that drains willpower, nearly finishes them off, only for Ruby to consciously use her Silver Eyes to destroy them.

The team presses on and finally reaches the port city of Argus, reuniting with JNR. However, their attempts at being provided transportation are blocked by the resident military, forcing them to steal an airship. During their airship heist, Caroline Cordovin activates a massive Colossus to blow their ship out of the skies, coinciding with Adam Taurus making his move against Blake, but ultimately being foiled by Yang's timely arrival. After the Colossus is finally taken down, reports start to come in of a massive Grimm army closing in on Argus, aided by a Leviathan Grimm that rips through the shields. Wanting to help, Ruby uses Maria's advice on using the light inside of her to help stop the Grimm and the group is allowed to leave on their airship. Upon closing in on Atlas, everyone is surprised to see the Atlas military air support almost seemingly anticipating their arrival and they are waved in.

Volume 7[]

In an attempt to find information on what was happening in Atlas, Team RWBY, JNR, Qrow, Oscar, and Maria make an unauthorized landing in Mantle. While in the city, the group is led to Pietro Polendina's Pharmacy by Maria. After a brief meeting with Pietro, the team ran outside to fight off the Grimm that were attacking the city, which leads them to a reunion with Penny, who was rebuilt by Pietro. Shortly after the reunion, the team and their party were arrested and taken to Atlas by the Ace-Ops.

After arriving at Atlas and encountering Penny, Winter and Ironwood, the team is led into the latter's office, where he presents his plan to create the Amity Communications Tower and then, upon establishing global communication, reveal the existence of Salem to Remnant, something which he already did with Winter, Penny and the Ace Ops.

Team RWBY, JNR, and the Ace-Ops secure an Abandoned SDC mine which will be used as the Amity launch site. After completing the mission, Ironwood official graduates the team, giving them their Huntress licenses and allows them to both help with the Amity Project and take formal missions around the kingdom.

During the time they assisted the military, the team's first real mission as Huntresses led them to discover a conspiracy led by Bram Thornmane against Ironwood and eventually multiple people involved were arrested by the military including Hanlon Fifestone, Lieutenant Colonel Olive Harper who secretly provided military technology to Amoncio Glass and his goons and turned herself in out of guilt, and Bram Thornmane himself after being defeated by Team RWBY. During this period, a deal between the military and the Schnee Dust Company set up prior to the events of "RWBY: Arrowfell" to find a new Dust Mine for the company was also completed by Team RWBY with Winter acting as the contact between both factions. However, the new Dust Mine site was deemed unusable due to the Dust inside it having inert specks and imperfections.[1]

Upon a getting a formal dinner invitation from Jacques Schnee, the team plots to sneak Weiss past her brother to go through his office. With the help of Willow Schnee's cameras, Weiss exposes her father and has him arrested, just as Mantle's security is overridden and the heating is shut off, causing riots and a Grimm infiltration. Working alongside the Ace Ops, the team defends Mantle against the onslaught and later helps with civilian evacuations when Ironwood reveals both the intention behind the Dust shortage and Salem.

Despite their joint success, the team and Ironwood's Ace Ops clash when Ironwood deems them untrustworthy and decides to take a new course of action: claim the Staff of Creation by having Winter Schnee become the new Winter Maiden and raise Atlas itself high into the atmosphere, a plan that would leave Mantle at the mercy of a massive invasion. Ruby is only barely able to warn the others before Ironwood shuts off communications and orders their arrest, leading to a fight between the Ace Ops and Team RWBY. After the former's defeat, Ruby and Weiss hurry to find the Winter Maiden to stop Ironwood, while Blake and Yang search for Oscar and Team JRN. In the process, Ruby and Weiss encounter Penny, Winter and Cinder just as Penny claims the Winter Maidens power and Ruby forces Cinder to flee through her silver eyes. Unwilling to help Ironwood claim the Staff, Penny departs with Ruby and Weiss on a Manta, pondering their next move just as Salem herself, leading a massive army, descends on Atlas.

Volume 8[]

In Volume 8, the group splits into Ruby's Group and Yang's Group after a disagreement on how to approach the threat of Salem. Both teams work with the Happy Huntresses.

Ruby's group plans to deliver a broadcast to the entire world through the Amity Communications Tower, partially succeeding in warning them of the threats to come. They are later attacked by The Hound at the Schnee Manor.

Yang's group plans to aid the citizens of Mantle on a smaller scale, however, after Oscar Pine is kidnapped by the Hound, they refocus their efforts into rescuing him. After an encounter with Salem and being aided by Emerald Sustrai and Hazel Rainart, Emerald joins the group as Hazel sacrifices himself to buy them time to escape.

The team reunites at the Schnee Manor, where Team RWBY is once again reformed in order to take the Relic of Creation, as well as all the citizens of Mantle and Atlas, to the kingdom of Vacuo where they could temporarily be safe from both Ironwood and Salem. Durning the process, Team RWBY ask Ambrosius to make Penny Polendina human. Unfortunately, Cinder Fall and Neopolitan ambushes the Team, Penny, and Jaune Arc. During the fight, Yang sacrifices herself to save her sister from Neo's attack and falls into the void. Ruby and Blake soon fall into as well after Cinder cuts Gambol Shroud's line. Finally, Weiss falls as well when Cinder causes the ground underneath to collapse.

Volume 9[]

After the events of Volume 8, Team RWBY (along with Jaune and Neapolitan) all fall into the void. This void leads to a unique world: the "Ever After". Team RWBY reunites and decide to find their weapons. Weiss, Blake, and Yang eventually locate their weapons, but Ruby doesn’t retrieve Crescent Rose until the team reunites with Jaune, whom also fell in the void.

During this time, Ruby begins to fall into depression after learning of Penny’s death and that the team failed to stop Cinder from taking the relics. Blaming herself, she withdraws herself emotionally from the team.

They figure out that they're following in the footsteps of Alyx (a character from the fairy tale; "The Girl Who Fell Through The World"). The group decides to journey to the ginormous tree (as an exit from the world), and meet multiple new creatures along the way.

Yang and Blake eventually realize their feelings for each other and confess, leading to them having their first kiss and becoming a couple.

In “The Perils of Paper Houses”, Ruby takes out her anger on her team for continuously neglecting her feelings and trauma. This leads her to abandoning them.

In “Tea Amidst Terrible Trouble”, the remaining teammates arrive too late to save Ruby from Neo’s torture. To their shock, they witness Ruby drink tea tainted by a leaf from the Great Tree, committing suicide by ascension. This left only three members of Team RWBY left.

However, in "Of Solitude and Self", Ruby ascends as herself to fight the Curious Cat, along with her team. They successfully overpower the Cat and the four embrace each other shortly after, thus reuniting the team. Following this, they return to Remnant and arrive in Vacuo where the Kingdoms have banded together in response to Ruby’s message.

Members[]

RubyV8Mug
Ruby
Ruby Rose is the leader of Team RWBY.
WeissV8Mug
Weiss
Weiss Schnee is a member of Team RWBY.
BlakeV8Mug
Blake
Blake Belladonna is a member of Team RWBY.
YangV8Mug
Yang
Yang Xiao Long is a member of Team RWBY.

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.
  • Each member of Team RWBY is inspired by a fairy tale.
    • 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. Additionally, she is referenced as a "beauty" in the lyrics of Red like Roses, linking her to the tale of the Beauty and the Beast.
  • The members of Team RWBY 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 is visually related to the petal effect of her Semblance.
      • In a poster for Volume 4, her new design is set against roses.
    • 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.
      • In a poster for Volume 4, her new design was set against lilies.
    • Blake's surname is also the name of a deadly nightshade plant known as the belladonna, which has flowers that could have inspired her emblem.
      • In a poster for Volume 4, her new design was set against belladonna flowers.
    • 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 burning heart.
      • In a poster for Volume 4, her new design is hinted at, set against chrysanthemums.
      • In a second poster, her new design is fully revealed, set against what appear to be orange dahlias.
  • Team RWBY as a group could also be inspired by the German fairy tale Snow-White and Rose-Red (German: Schneeweisschen und Rosenrot).
    • Ruby and Weiss > The polar opposite sisters Rose-Red and Snow-White.
    • Blake > The bear who turns out to be a transformed prince.
    • Yang > The dwarf who gets VERY angry anytime somebody cuts his beard hair and the one who turned the prince into a bear.
  • Every member of Team RWBY has been shown as a child.
  • The tactical "team" or "combination" attacks Team RWBY performs are also the names of fan shippings of the members involved.
  • They may be considered a successor to Team STRQ, as not only do they share a lot of ties and similarities, but additionally, the same color scheme
  • 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.
  • Blake is the only member of the team to be an only child.
  • Team RWBY's Huntress License ID numbers likely allude to Rooster Teeth's address when they created "RWBY".
  • During volume 7, the crew wanted Team RWBY to start acting like and learning from professional Huntsmen.[2]
  • Yang is the only member of the team who doesn't change her hairstyle after she arrives to Atlas.
  • In RWBY: Ice Queendom, Yang is the only member of the team who didn’t fall victim to the Nightmare’s influence. Thus, her dreamscape was never created.
  • The names of the voice actresses for each character can be arranged to into a color, fulfilling the team color naming rule: BLAK.
  • Both Ruby and Weiss inherited their emblems from their mothers, while Blake and Yang have unique emblems.

References[]

  1. "RWBY: Arrowfell"
  2. RWBY Volume 7 Crew Commentary - Chapter 3
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