Features Lists TV

A Handy Dandy Guide to RWBY, Part One

RWBY makes its return for its sixth volume this autumn, drawing back the likes of myself and many other fans. We’ve talked repeatedly about RWBY on the website, expressing our unconditional love for the animated show. The show is bound to gain new viewers, either on YouTube or Rooster Teeth’s website, or those who need a refresher’s course on the show. So, here is a handy dandy guide to the colourful world and lore of RWBY. This will be a multi-part guide, and bound to go into more heavier spoilers as we go on. If you want something with a little more flair, RWBY actually has its own lore series called “World of Remnant”. Let’s grab our hi-tech, Grimm-hunting, dual weaponry, and dive into the world of RWBY.

Monty Oum

It makes sense to begin with the mind behind RWBY. Monty Oum defined creating animation for the sheer awesomeness of it. Teaching himself to animate, Monty gained online interest with his amazing choreographed battle videos of Haloid and Dead Fantasy. A cinephile, martial artist, and dancer, Monty incorporated his talents and knowledge into the development of Rooster Teeth’s Red vs. Blue, which led to the creation of RWBY. Monty served as head writer, animator, and character designer on RWBY, and voiced Lie Ren for the first two seasons. Sadly, Monty passed away in 2015 from an allergic reaction. Monty was an incredibly creative person, and his artistic reputation has been maintained by the FNDM and Rooster Teeth’s staff.

Colour Naming Rule

RWBY has maintained a close sense of trust with the fans. It is even better when creators support fans to be artistic when making their own OCs. One major rule that stands is the subject of names. Every character in RWBY has a name related to a colour, and the fanbase are encouraged to do the same when naming their own creations. Any character or team made must have a name related to, means, or invokes a colour (i.e. “Ruby Rose”). Professor Ozpin and a couple of other characters appear to be the exception. In the show’s canon, this tradition was introduced following the end of the Great War to invoke peace and unity.

Huntsmen and Huntresses

A majority of the characters in RWBY are training to be professional Huntsmen and Huntresses, licensed, elite warriors who slay the creatures of Grimm. Most wishing to become Huntsmen have had early training, before attending numerous academies around the world of Remnant. Each Huntsmen commonly design and build their own weaponry with dual functions; for example, Ruby Rose’s Crescent Rose, a scythe/high-calibre sniper rifle. Upon entering an academy, trainees are placed into a four-man team, the name chosen from the first letter of their forenames (i.e. Team RWBY). Huntsmen are pretty amazing fighters, relying on weaponised Dust, and their own Aura and Semblance to slay Grimm.

Aura and Semblances

The Aura is a recurring power that Huntsmen can utilise. It is the manifestation of their soul, emitting a different coloured glow from that varies person-to-person. The Aura can create barriers, boost a person’s abilities, and provide minor healing. But, it does have limits and must be recharged. Then, we have the Semblance, described as an extension of Aura. In short, it is an individual character’s own signature superpower. For example, Ruby Rose has super speed. Weiss Schnee’s glyph power seems hereditary. A Semblance can be combined with Aura and the use of Dust for a variety of combat uses.

Dust

In layman terms, Dust is a “natural occurring energy repellent” that can be weaponised by the Aura of Huntsmen. It is used as an energy source in Remnant, and can be used for many different purposes, like in technology. Dust can be used in a raw form, but the user must be powerful. It is commonly used as elemental ammo, but can be woven into clothes, and dangerously fused into a person’s body (as seen with Hazel Rainart). The origins of Dust’s creation remain a mystery. The Schnee Dust Company is Remnant’s largest producer and distributor of the mineral.

The Creatures of Grimm

The creatures of Grimm are black creatures with white, skull and bone-like appendages. They are drawn to humans and negative emotions, and solely attack human settlements. It is commonly belief that Grimm don’t need to feed, but choose to. Little is known about the Grimm, but they become smarter as they grow older. When killed, a Grimm’s body disintegrates, making it difficult for scientists to study their biology. The Grimm appear in many, terrifying forms, from the wolf-like Beowulf, to the nightmare fuel-inducing Nuckelavee. In lore, the Grimm were created by a god of darkness, to combat his brother’s own creations.

Are you a fan of RWBY? Are there any parts of the story or lore you need catching up on? Leave a comment below or on our Twitter feed.

About the author

Mark Russell