RWBY/Characters

Staff
In addition to the below, we know of at least one other staff member: Professor Peach, who is only mentioned once in V1E13 and has not yet (as of the end of V3) appeared on-screen.

Professor Ozpin

 * Voiced by: Shannon McCormick
 * Based on: The Wizard of Oz


 * Ancient Tradition:
 * Big Brother Is Watching: Ozpin seems to know and see more than is reasonable, for instance having a live feed of Ruby and Weiss in the Emerald Forest during their initiation.
 * Big Good: He presumably has been 's main opposition for a considerable time period and he is in a position of leadership.
 * Eccentric Mentor/Trickster Mentor
 * Lennon Specs
 * Older Than They Look: Random throwaway details before the end of V3 suggest that he was around for the last big war, which was nearly a century before the start of the story.  And there's some evidence that that was a relatively recent event for him.
 * Opaque Lenses: But since they never seem to obscure his eyes they probably don't count.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Shout-Out Theme Naming: To The Wizard of Oz. (The Wizard's initials spelled out "O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.A.D."; Ozpin is Headmaster of Beacon.)
 * Trademark Favorite Beverage: Is almost never seen without a coffee cup in his hand.  It could be argued that his Catch Phrase is "sluuuuuuuurp".
 * Trademark Favorite Beverage: Is almost never seen without a coffee cup in his hand.  It could be argued that his Catch Phrase is "sluuuuuuuurp".

Glynda Goodwitch

 * Voiced by: Kathleen Zuelch
 * Based on: Glinda, the Good Witch of the North


 * Alliterative Name
 * Ancient Tradition:
 * Badass
 * Badass Teacher
 * Badass Back: Was telekinetically bitch slapping Grimm with waves of her riding crop without even turning around in mid-stride in the Volume 2 Finale.
 * Lady of War
 * Lady of White Magic
 * Hot Librarian
 * Hot Teacher
 * She's Got Legs: It's especially noticeable in V3E3 -- either her skirt got shorter or her legs got much longer.
 * Shout-Out Theme Naming: To The Wizard of Oz, of course.
 * White Mage: Her spell set tends heavily towards defense/repair.

Professor Peter Port

 * Voiced by: Ryan Haywood
 * Based on: Peter of Peter and The Wolf


 * Alliterative Name
 * Badass
 * Badass Mustache
 * Badass Teacher
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Eyes Always Shut
 * Great White Hunter
 * Large Ham
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Shout-Out: Monty Oum has described Port as Peter from Peter and The Wolf grown up, and indeed, Port's first lecture on-screen contains several references to Peter and The Wolf, and the background music switches to passages from the work.

Professor Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck

 * Voiced by: Joel Heyman
 * Based on: Dr. Seuss' Bartholomew and the Oobleck

"Those who do not study history....are doomed to repeat it."
 * Anime Hair: One of the few examples on the good guys' side; he has a wild shock of green hair.
 * Badass
 * Badass Bookworm: Believes his mind is a better weapon than conventional weaponry.
 * Badass Teacher: With PhD's in history and kicking ass.
 * Beware the Silly Ones: He's slightly goofy, but when push comes to shove, he can more than prove he earned the right to be called a Huntsman.
 * British Accents
 * Genki Boy
 * Insistent Terminology: Is very firm on being called "Doctor" and not "Professor".
 * Heroes Love Dogs: Immediately takes a shine to Zwei (and this seems to be mutual), even utilizing Zwei as a (willingly) magically enhanced projectile to take down enemies.
 * Lennon Specs: Which have Opaque Lenses.
 * Motor Mouth: To go with his Super Speed
 * Must Have Caffeine: He practically sips from his coffee cup every fifteen seconds. In the field he carries a massive thermos from which he also continuously sips.
 * Opaque Lenses
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Serious Business: The study of history is to him, with very good reason:


 * Shout-Out: To Dr. Seuss' Bartholomew and the Oobleck.
 * Super Speed

Team RWBY
(Pronounced "Ruby")

Tropes that apply to Team RWBY as a whole:
 * Action Girls
 * Badass
 * Amazon Brigade
 * Badass Crew
 * Color-Coded Characters
 * Theme Naming: Women and girls from Fairy Tales.
 * True Companions

Ruby Rose

 * Voiced by: Lindsay Jones
 * Based on: Little Red Riding Hood, The Ruby/Silver Slippers

"I know you didn't plan this; You tried to do what's right. But in the middle of this madness, I'm the one you left to win this fight."


 * Alliterative Name
 * Ascended Fangirl: Ruby, who geeks out over huntsmen and huntresses, manages to get into Beacon Academy two years before she normally would be old enough, on the basis of both skill and overwhelming enthusiasm.
 * Badass
 * Badass Adorable
 * Badass in Charge: Officially so, as leader of team RWBY.
 * Big Eater: At least where cookies are concerned.
 * Dramatic Wind: Even indoors, in still air, her red cape ripples and waves.
 * Elegant Gothic Lolita: Her "working clothes" have a very strong EGL flavor.
 * Friendly Sniper: She makes frequent use of a sniper rifle, however we haven't seen her use it against distant targets that much.
 * Genki Girl
 * Grave Marking Scene: She starts the "Red" Trailer with one; she also starts and ends V3 with one.
 * Hand Behind Head: Could be considered her signature gesture.
 * I Call It "Vera": Ruby with Crescent Rose (and to a lesser degree weapons in general), at least as of the start of V1.  She gets better socialized with people by the end of that volume, and seems less... fetishistic about weapons by then.
 * I Just Want to Be Normal: Oddly enough, her primary reaction to getting moved up two years and getting into Beacon, after the initial elation wears off.  This reaction vanishes pretty quickly, though, once it's apparent that her classmates (other than Weiss) don't notice or care that she's that much younger than them.
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Little Red Fighting Hood
 * Magic Skirt
 * Magnetic Hero
 * Missing Mom
 * Motor Mouth: When she gets excited.
 * Petal Power: Ruby seems to emit showers of rose petals -- and a Dramatic Wind to carry them -- just by moving. And sometimes by standing still.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Judging by the heights of other characters, Ruby can't be any taller than about 5'2".
 * Recoil Boost: Ruby boosts her already-impressive speed by using the recoil from her Dust shells.
 * Small Girl, Big Gun
 * Silver Eyes: Basically the first thing Ozpin says to her is commenting on her eyes. Her eyes are
 * Socially Awkward Hero: Or so she initially describes herself. But by the middle of Volume 1 she seems to be quite at ease with the other students around her, enough so that she can even briefly mentor Jaune on being a team leader. At one point in the manga she had a fear of large crowds. This fear is not seen in the Vytal Festival, so presumably she got over it.
 * Super Speed
 * Swiss Army Gun/Sinister Scythe: The two modes of her weapon.
 * Teen Genius: Word of God describes Ruby as a prodigy with immense natural talent, who subsequently doesn't have to work very hard to excel as she has.  This is initially a source of friction between her and Weiss, who puts a great deal of effort into being as good as she is.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Weiss.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Weiss.

Weiss Schnee

 * Voiced by: Kara Eberle
 * Based on: Snow White

"Mirror, tell me something, Tell me who's the loneliest of all? Fear of what's inside of me, Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?"

"[ Ruby hugs Weiss] Weiss: Shut up! Don't touch me! [ hugs back]"
 * Abhorrent Admirer: Jaune -- at least until about halfway through V2.
 * Baby Talk: To Zwei, when they first meet in V2.
 * Badass
 * Badass Heiress
 * Lady of War
 * Barrier Warrior: Her glyphs can provide physical or energy defenses.
 * Big Sister Worship: Appears to be how she feels about her sister Winter, judging from her reaction in V3E2.
 * Death Glare: A mistress of the art, with no hesitation about inflicting it on anyone she judges worthy of it.
 * Elemental Eye Colors: Blue eyes for the Ice Queen.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars:  Weiss's surprisingly subtle facial scar -- acquired during the events of the "White" trailer -- is definitely a "good scar".
 * Human Hummingbird: Weiss does this at least once, early in Volume 1.
 * An Ice Person
 * Ice Queen -> Defrosting Ice Queen: Weiss defrosts over the course of Volume 1 and into Volume 2:

- Volume 2, Episode 2


 * Instant Runes: Her "glyphs".
 * Jerkass -> Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Kill It with Ice: Weiss incorporates this in her style.
 * Magic Skirt: Plus enough petticoats or other under-ruffles to block even a view from directly underneath.
 * Only Sane Man: The least impulsive member of Team RWBY, at least.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Out of her high-heeled boots, it's possible she's as much as a couple inches shorter than Ruby.  She's certainly no taller than Ruby is.
 * Rapunzel Hair: Given it's normally in a high ponytail that goes to her thighs, her hair probably hangs to her ankles when it's down.
 * Rich Bitch: Mellows considerably with Character Development.
 * Royal Rapier
 * Summon Magic: A family trait that she initially was unable to use; she finally displays some ability with it by the end of V3.
 * Time Master: In Volume 2, Weiss employs a new glyph that instead of looking like a snowflake looks like clockwork, and which seems to accelerate her personal time rate for a brief period.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Ruby.
 * Woman in White

Blake Belladonna

 * Voiced by: Arryn Zech
 * Based on: Beauty of ''Beauty and the Beast

"Born with no life, into subjugation. Treated like a worthless animal, Stripped of all rights, just a lesser being, Crushed by cruel ruthless Human rule."


 * Alliterative Name
 * Animal Jingoism:
 * Badass
 * Beast Folk
 * Bookworm
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Catgirl
 * Covert Pervert: It's heavily implied some of her favorite literature is on the trashy side. Ninjas of Love, indeed!
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Dirty Coward: Believes this of herself.
 * Doppelganger Spin/Doppelganger Attack: Blake leaves images of herself behind to take hits from opponents; most of the time these images appear to be insubstantial, but in V2E11 we see that she can also (apparently with the aid of Dust) make them of some elemental material -- fire, stone and ice were shown.  Unlike the typical Doppelganger manifestation, though, her images do not move.
 * Eyes of Gold
 * Important Hair Accessory: Her bow.
 * Mafia Princess: Strongly implied.  She tells Sun she was "born to [the White Fang]" and she was the partner and love interest of a leader of the White Fang.
 * My Instincts Are Showing: She has demonstrated a few catlike behaviors in Volume 2, such as following the dot of a laser pointer and reacting with hostility to dogs.
 * Rapunzel Hair: Second only to Weiss.
 * Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Judging by events in both V2 and V3, she and Yang appear to have one.
 * The Stoic: In Volume 1.  By Volume 3, though, she has opened up considerably and is very expressive.
 * Super Speed: And she leaves afterimages in her wake.

Yang Xiao Long

 * Voiced by: Barbara Dunkelman
 * Based on: Goldilocks

"I burn! Can't hold me now. You got nothing that can stop me. I burn! Swing all you want. Like a fever I will take you down."


 * Badass
 * Badass Biker
 * Bare-Fisted Monk/Shotguns Are Just Better: Her weapon is Ember Celica, a pair of gauntlets that can fire Dust-filled shotgun shells, sometimes combined to give her punches greater impact.
 * Berserk Button: Nobody Touches the Hair.
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Cool Big Sis: To Ruby.
 * Cowgirl: Her "working clothes" give off this vibe, even though, on closer examination, they really aren't Western gear.
 * Critical Status Buff: Even though she isn't a video game character, Ruby tells us in volume 2, episode 4, she still manages to have this trope.
 * Flaming Hair: Sometimes it looks as though this is the case.
 * I Have Several Names: Or so she claims in the "Yellow" trailer.
 * Improvised Weapon: Substituted a pair of turkeys for her gauntlets during a food fight.
 * Jerkass: She's got a bit of this, especially when focused on a target.  For instance, in the "Yellow" trailer, she probably could have walked out of Junior's bar after apologizing for the Groin Attack and not had any trouble.  But she chose to escalate matters unnecessarily, apparently just for kicks.
 * There's also way she handled Blake's obsession with stopping Torchwick. Instead of remaining calm and trying to understand Blake's side of things, she gets angry the second Blake disagrees with her and shoves her against the nearby desk until Blake surrenders and agrees to slow down.
 * Kaleidoscope Eyes: Normally her eyes are lavender, but they go to bright red if her stress level is high enough -- or if someone presses her Berserk Button.
 * Missing Mom
 * Nobody Touches the Hair: It's her Berserk Button, in fact.
 * Playing with Fire: Appears to be an effect provided by Ember Celica rather than an inherent power, judging by the red Dust shells it uses.
 * Promotion to Parent: Yang seems at times quite maternal in regards to Ruby.
 * Pungeon Master: Mostly amusingly horrible ones.
 * Recoil Boost: Yang uses strategically fired shots from Ember Celica to launch herself into the air or directly at foes..
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: When Yang gets angry or frustrated, her eyes change from pale lavender to bright red.  And she bursts into flame.
 * Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Judging by events in both V2 and V3, she and Blake appear to have one.
 * Super Strength: And she gets stronger with every hit she takes.
 * Unorthodox Reload: As seen in the "Yellow" trailer.

Zwei

 * Voiced by: Mrs. PennyApple/Penny Layne Matthews


 * Cuteness Proximity
 * Expy/Shout-Out: To Ein from Cowboy Bebop
 * Made of Iron: Has been used as a projectile several times against mecha and Grimm and comes out of it unharmed.  According to Word of God, Zwei is not a normal Corgi, even by Remnant standards.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter
 * Team Pet

Team JNPR
(Pronounced "Juniper")

Tropes that apply to Team JNPR as a whole:
 * Theme Naming: Historical or mythological figures who crossdressed at one point or another.

Jaune Arc

 * Voiced by: Miles Luna
 * Based on: Joan of Arc


 * Adorkable
 * Ancestral Weapon: The sword-and-shield combination called Crocea Mors ("Saffron Death" in Latin).
 * Attack! Attack! Attack!: Oddly enough, Jaune shows tendencies along these lines, continuing to attack his foes when conventional aura strategy  is to retreat or defend.
 * Audience Surrogate: For much of Volume 1, Jaune is a naive innocent whose ignorance of just about everything important to the show allows the audience to learn with him everything they need to understand the show's setting and premise.
 * Badass: Takes a while for this to show.
 * Badass in Charge: Was chosen to lead Team JNPR due to his leadership ability.
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * Butt Monkey: During Volume 1.  Once he Takes a Level In Badass, though, this ends -- though he still remains a bit insecure and goofy.
 * Casanova Wannabe: Towards Weiss, at least until about halfway through Volume Two.
 * Cheaters Never Prosper: Appears to be subverted with Jaune.  He used falsified transcripts to get into Beacon because he felt so strongly the need to live up to his family history, but despite his self-doubts he does appear to be Beacon material.
 * Country Mouse: He gives the impression of having grown up relatively isolated from a lot of Remnant's pop culture and/or media.
 * Hair of Gold: Rare male example.
 * Incompletely Trained: Almost untrained, in fact, at the start of the series -- but Pyrrha eventually takes care of that.
 * Jeanne D'Archetype: Extremely rare male example of the trope, but he's got it -- protected by women who like him under the Dulcinea Effect, making him a Magnetic Hero, and a natural leader. Oh, and the name.
 * Legacy Hero
 * Magic Feather: Late in Volume 1, Pyrrha gives him a little unseen help in a battle with an ursa, the defeat of which allows him to really believe for the first time that he deserves to be at Beacon.
 * Oblivious to Love: Doesn't seem to notice Pyrrha's crush on him, though he does consider her a close friend. At least until about halfway through Volume 2, when he finds out directly from Pyrrha that she likes him.
 * Outnumbered Sibling: Has seven sisters.
 * Socially Awkward Hero
 * Unskilled but Strong: Pyrrha quickly realizes he has a lot of potential, he just doesn't know how to focus it properly.
 * Wholesome Crossdresser: Wears a dress at a formal ball because of a promise he made, and manages to look not too bad in it.
 * Wholesome Crossdresser: Wears a dress at a formal ball because of a promise he made, and manages to look not too bad in it.

Nora Valkyrie

 * Voiced by: Samantha Ireland
 * Based on: Thor

"Nora SMASH!"


 * Badass
 * Badass Adorable
 * Beware the Silly Ones
 * Big Eater: When it comes to sweets.
 * Cleavage Window
 * Critical Status Buff: As revealed in V3E2, Nora's semblance lets her absorb electricity to boost her combat strength.
 * Cute and Psycho: Definitely seems like this at times, but it's more a reflection of the lack of a filter between her brain and her mouth.  She speaks what she thinks, and sometimes it's things like "We'll break his legs!".  Usually, though, her next thought is some variety of "oh, wait, we can't".
 * Drop the Hammer
 * Genki Girl: Even more than Ruby -- Ruby can at least stand still for extended periods of time.  Nora, however... On the director's commentary for Volume 1, it's stated that the half-joking idea behind Nora and Lie Ren is that they share a single pool of energy between them, and Nora hogs it all.
 * Grenade Launcher: Nora's weapon is one of these, when it isn't a warhammer.  With hearts on it.
 * Heart Symbol: Nora, all over.  Literally -- from her weapon to the cutout on her decolletage.
 * Heartwarming Orphan
 * The "I Love You" Stigma: According to an Image Song for Nora on the Volume Two soundtrack, instead of saying "I love you" to Ren, she says "boop" because it's safer.
 * Motor Mouth
 * Platonic Life Partners: Appears to be this with Rie Len -- but her Image Song on the soundtrack for Volume Two (track 5, "Boop") makes it pretty clear that she has, of late, fallen in love with him.
 * Rocket Jump: Nora can do this with strategic application of her grenade launcher/warhammer Magnhild.
 * Shock and Awe: Like her inspiration, Nora appears to be able to summon lightning from storms, and when charged up can add electrical effects to her attack.
 * Throw Down the Bomblet: Although she uses a grenade launcher instead of throwing them, Nora certainly demonstrates the "poor impulse control" aspect of this trope.
 * During the food fight in V2E1, she shows this behavior when throwing cans of soda as grenades.
 * Wacky Girl

Pyrrha Nikos

 * Voiced by: Jen Brown
 * Based on: Achilles


 * Academic Athlete
 * Attractiveness Isolation: Being very talented in what she does also makes everyone else think she is out of their league.
 * Badass
 * Lady of War
 * Because Destiny Says So: Starting around the middle of Volume 3 is plagued by a conflict between what she thought her personal destiny was, and what it might actually be.
 * Catch Phrase: "I'm sorry!"  Possibly followed closely by "Hello again!"
 * Celebrity Endorsement: As of the start of Volume 1, she's on boxes of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes, Wheaties-style.
 * Chosen One: Oddly enough by a mortal agency which serves a non-mortal power.
 * Hot Amazon
 * Humble Hero: Despite her fame and athletic prowess, Pyrrha is terribly self-effacing and down-to-earth.
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Perfectly willing to so this for Jaune..
 * Magnetic Hero: Both literally and figuratively.
 * Miss Exposition: To Jaune, regarding Aura and Semblances.
 * Mythological Allusion:
 * Sexy Mentor: To Jaune.
 * Significant Green-Eyed Redhead
 * Throwing Your Gun Always Works: Especially when it turns into a spear.
 * Throwing Your Shield Always Works: Pyrrha's shield doubles as extra-large chakram.

Rie Len

 * Voiced by: Monty Oum (V1-2), Neath Oum (V3-?)
 * Based on: Mulan


 * Badass
 * Heartwarming Orphan
 * Ninja: So described by Nora in V3E1, even though he's pseudo-Chinese and not pseudo-Japanese.
 * Not a Morning Person: For reasons explained in Nora's Genki Girl entry.
 * Odd Couple: He and Nora get along well despite having totally opposite personalities.
 * Platonic Life Partners: Appears to be this with Nora.
 * The Quiet One
 * The Stoic

Team CRDL
(Pronounced "Cardinal")

Tropes that apply to team CRDL as a whole:
 * The Bully
 * Dirty Coward
 * Jerkass
 * Theme Naming: Birds

Cardin Winchester

 * Voiced by: Adam Ellis
 * Based on: Henry Beaufort, Cardinal of Winchester


 * Blackmail: Overheard
 * Break the Haughty: Got his ego cut down severely when Jaune saved him.

Russel Thrush

 * Voiced by: Shane Newville
 * Based on: Unknown


 * Cowardly Sidekick (to Cardin)
 * Knife Nut

Dove Bronzewing

 * Voiced by: (no spoken lines yet)
 * Based on: Unknown


 * Cowardly Sidekick (to Cardin)
 * Eyes Always Shut

Sky Lark

 * Voiced by: (no spoken lines yet)
 * Based on: Unknown


 * Cowardly Sidekick (to Cardin)

-

Team CFVY
(Pronounced "Coffee") "Caffeine. I'm caffeine. Caffeine. I'm caffeine. I'm a bad dream. I'm a rad scene. I'm a tad mean. But I'm not afraid to take you out."

Tropes that apply to Team CFVY as a whole:
 * Theme Naming: Sweets and desserts

Coco Adel

 * Voiced by: Ashley Jenkins
 * Based on: Coco Chanel/Chocolate


 * Alliterative Name
 * Badass
 * Action Girl
 * Action Fashionista: Has probably got to be the the best dressed Huntress in the series, and her reason for kicking ass so intensely in her debut fighting appearance was because some Grimm destroyed her favorite clothing store.
 * Cool Shades
 * More Dakka: Her handbag turns into a minigun.
 * Prepare to Die: Said word for word in her first appearance as a Pre-Mortem One-Liner.
 * Shout-Out: Possibly to Coco Chanel.

Fox Alistair

 * Voiced by: (no spoken lines yet)
 * Based on: Fox Hunter's Pie


 * Ambiguously Red-Brown
 * Blank White Eyes: Has solid white, pupil-less eyes
 * Wolverine Claws: His weapon is a pair of bracers on which are mounted large, long blades that extend well past his hands.

Velvet Scarlatina

 * Voiced by: Caiti Ward
 * Based on: The Velveteen Rabbit/Red Velvet Cake


 * Badass Adorable
 * Beast Folk
 * Breakout Character: According to the behind the scenes videos, a single scene where she was designed just to be an example faunus led to an expanded role. And hundreds of fan-submitted designs for her in battle garb.
 * Hair-Raising Hare: Despite being cute and sweet-tempered, Velvet is a dangerous fighter.  At the end of V2, after Coco tells her not to use her weapon, Velvet starts taking out Grimm with only close-range melee attacks (mostly kicks, befitting a rabbit faunus).
 * Swiss Army Weapon: Her weapon, which is known only as "Velvet's Weapon", is a camera which allows her to manifest an energy version of any other weapon that she's taken a photo of with it, and apparently gives her the skill to use it properly.  In V3E11, we see her use almost a dozen different "ghost weapons" including all of Team RWBY's gear, Nora's hammer/grenade launcher, and Penny's swords.  May have limited charges or use, or be of incredible power, given Coco's warning in V2E12 that she'd "spent all semester building that up" and that she shouldn't "waste it".  It looks like a wood-and-brass lunchbox.

Yatsuhashi Daichi

 * Voiced by: Joe MacDonald
 * Based on: Yatsuhashi Kengyo/yatsuhashi, a regional confection from Kyoto


 * Acrofatic: For a guy who's seven feet tall, heavily muscled, carrying a five-foot-long sword and wearing armor, he is surprisingly agile and acrobatic, tumbling, dodging and leaping like Spider-Man.
 * BFS: To go with being The Big Guy.
 * The Big Guy: At seven feet tall even, he's the largest person in RWBY.
 * Meaningful Name: Depending on the kanji, "daichi" can mean "great" or "large" in Japanese.
 * Samurai: Or has the same basic look, at least.

Team SSSN
(Pronounced "Sun")

Sun Wukong

 * Voiced by: Michael Jones
 * Based on: Sun Wukong


 * Badass
 * Beast Folk
 * Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Comes out the food fight in V2E1 completely untouched.  Neptune, two feet away, is covered with all manner of goop.
 * Epic Flail
 * Fighting with Chucks
 * Walking Shirtless Scene: Most of the time wears a vest with no shirt.

Scarlet David

 * Voiced by: Gavin Free
 * Based on: G-Dragon of Big Bang/Peter Pan


 * Ambiguous Gender: Confirmed to be male, though.
 * Expy: Of G-Dragon from the K-pop group Big Bang.

Sage Ayana

 * Voiced by: Joshua Ornelas
 * Based on: Aesop

Neptune Vasilias

 * Voiced by: Kerry Shawcross
 * Based on: Poseidon


 * Badass
 * Bishie Sparkle
 * I Can't Dance
 * Ironic Name: In Roman Mythology, Neptune is the god of the sea. Neptune in RWBY is afraid of the water.
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Invokes this with Jaune concerning Weiss.
 * Shock and Awe: Can deliver electric attacks with the trident form of his weapon.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Water?: Ironically for someone named after a sea god, Neptune suffers from an almost-paralyzing fear of water.

Roman Torchwick

 * Voiced by: Gray G. Haddock
 * Based on: Romeo Candlewick/Lampwick


 * Affably Evil: Just because he's a villain doesn't mean he doesn't attempt to be civil to his enemies, especially in parting.
 * Badass
 * Badass Driver: Has thus far piloted an airship and a Powered Armor with a fair degree of skill.
 * Badass Normal: Has yet to display any abilities other than his melee and gunplay skills, but is able to fight experienced semblance users to a standstill.
 * Cultured Badass: Dapper gangster-style suit-wearing "mob boss" type with a cane that doubles as a miniature cannon.
 * Boomerang Bigot: Utilizes this to get the White Fang to Enemy Mine with him, claiming that humans are assholes, but the ones he and the Faunas have a common enemy in are those who control everything.
 * Cane Fu: Show to full effect in his battle with Ruby in V3E11.
 * Cigar Chomper
 * Dastardly Dapper Derby
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * The Dragon: To Cinder.
 * Grappling Hook Pistol: Can fire the handle of his cane as a grappling hook.
 * Gun Cane
 * Man in White
 * The Nicknamer: Rarely calls people (especially Team RWBY) by their names.
 * Nietzsche Wannabe: In V3E11, he lectures Ruby at length -- in the midst of a battle, yet -- about how futile it is to be a hero.
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Said when it's obvious he's outmatched.
 * Shout-Out: To A Clockwork Orange in his design.
 * The Unfettered: His goal is his personal survival in the face of a world of hostile monsters.

Cinder Fall

 * Voiced by: Jessica Nigri
 * Based on: Cinderella


 * Archery: The ranged form of her weapon is a bow, and she is a dead shot with it.
 * The Baroness: Sexpot version.
 * Big Bad
 * Cat Smile: Does this quite a bit.
 * Dutch Angle: Cinder is unique among characters in RWBY for the number of shots that are made from the vicinity of her right foot and its anklet of black crystals.
 * Evil Sorceress: Seems to fit this archetype very neatly right from her first appearance in V1E1.
 * Eyes of Gold
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Her hair is noticeably shorter during the flashbacks in V3E7.
 * Face Framed in Shadow: When we first see her and in the first season opening.
 * The Man Behind the Man: Her initial appearance in V1E1 suggested she was Torchwick's flunky; the Stinger on V1E16 revealed that instead she was his boss.
 * Master Swordswoman
 * Mythology Gag: When infiltrating the communications tower during the formal dance in Volume 2, Cinder is told she needs to get back to the ball by midnight.
 * Older Than They Look: She is at least in her twenties and possibly older, but is able to pass (at close inspection) as a 17- to 20-year-old.
 * Playing with Fire:
 * Professional Killer
 * Spy Catsuit: Has donned one on occasion.
 * The Tease: Flirts with just about everyone.
 * Vampiric Draining: In conjunction with some kind of Grimm insect with which she seems to have a symbiosis, Cinder can drain a person's powers.  Whether it was a special attack intended only for the person so drained (in V3E7) or a generalized ability has yet to be seen.
 * Vampiric Draining: In conjunction with some kind of Grimm insect with which she seems to have a symbiosis, Cinder can drain a person's powers.  Whether it was a special attack intended only for the person so drained (in V3E7) or a generalized ability has yet to be seen.

Mercury Black

 * Voiced by: J.J. Castillo (V2), Yuri Lowenthal (V3-?)
 * Based on: Mercury


 * Artificial Limbs: His legs, which were replaced at some point after he joined up with Cinder.
 * Bare-Fisted Monk: His primary attack method.
 * Book Dumb: By his own admission.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Gentleman Thief: For a loose definition of "gentleman".
 * Kick Guy
 * Patricide: Appears to have killed his father in a battle to the death.
 * Professional Killer: The son of an assassin, trained by his father, who apparently murdered his father.
 * Self-Made Orphan
 * Sticky Fingers: Appears to have a mild case of kleptomania.

Emerald Sustrai

 * Voiced by: Katie Newville
 * Based on: Aladdin, Cleopatra


 * Absolute Cleavage
 * Bare Your Midriff
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: In V3E1, she expresses an inability to understand why the members of Team RWBY seem to always be  happy.
 * Evil Orphan
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Her hair is considerably longer and gathered into a waist-length ponytail during the flashbacks in V3E7.
 * Five-Finger Discount: Mercury describes her as a master thief; she can pickpocket him, and he is no slouch at thievery himself.
 * Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: Subverted:  Emerald has wide, round eyes of a type usually seen on Wide-Eyed Idealists and other innocents, but is very much neither.
 * Important Haircut: Emerald changed her hairstyle some time before arriving in Vale with Cinder.
 * Impossibly Low Neckline
 * Master of Illusion: Confirmed to have a mental illusion ability of limited range or power -- convincing two medics in V3E7 that Mercury didn't have bionic legs and that one was seriously damaged almost knocked her out after a few minutes.
 * Professional Killer: Given how casually she dismisses Tukson's murder, she may be as much one as Mercury.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * Sticky Fingers
 * Street Urchin: Before Cinder recruits her.
 * Super Reflexes: Judging from the fight with Tukson in V2E1, she may well have some degree of this.
 * You Gotta Have Emerald Hair

Neopolitan, aka "Neo"

 * Voiced by: (no spoken lines yet)
 * Based on: Unknown


 * Adorable Evil Minion
 * Badass Adorable
 * Cane Fu: As part of her combat style using her umbrella.
 * Enigmatic Minion
 * Kaleidoscope Eyes: Neopolitan appears to have complete voluntary control over her eye color.  In what is presumably her "normal" appearance, she usually has one pink and one brown eye, matching her hair colors but in counterpoint.  In V3E1, we see her in disguise with bright green eyes, although they shift back to her usual pink and brown right before she delivers a Coup De Grace.  She appears to lose control over their color and they revert to white when she is surprised or shocked.
 * Kick Chick
 * Multicolored Hair: Has hair in colors reminiscent of Neapolitan ice cream, hence her name (probably) -- one side is pink with white streaks, and the other is chocolate brown.
 * Older Than They Look: Strongly hinted at by Word of God
 * Parasol of Prettiness/Parasol of Pain: Carries a delicate, lacy parasol which can block energy blasts and deflect blows, and which has a blade hidden in its shaft.  While she does use it as a weapon, it's almost secondary to her kicks.
 * Perpetual Smiler
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Confirmed as the smallest character in RWBY by Word of God, but capable of effortlessly defeating Yang.
 * Silent Antagonist: For the moment.  Gray Haddock has confirmed that she has a voice actress, and that the character is not mute.
 * Sword Cane: She has an epee-like blade hidden in the shaft of her parasol, and was about to use it to perform a Coup De Grace on Yang after defeating her in V2E11, until Raven interfered.
 * Teleportation: Appears to be her primary non-combat ability, possibly her Semblance, and possibly in combination with some kind of illusion/image power.
 * Waif Fu: Easily below 5 feet in height, slender, flawlessly acrobatic and graceful, and took out Yang without getting a scratch on her.

Hei "Junior" Xiong

 * Voiced by: Jack Pattillo
 * Based on: Baby Bear


 * Badass in a Nice Suit: Goes about his business wearing a three-piece suit without the jacket.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": As of V2E12, no one has actually called him anything other than "Junior".
 * Groin Attack: Got one thanks to Yang in Yellow trailer.
 * Mooks: Has a good-sized band of minions who all share the same fashion sense.  Sadly, he's not all that impressed with their quality.

Junior's Mooks

 * Conservation of Ninjutsu: There's a lot of them.  There's not a lot of skill or bravery amongst them.  Sadly for them, Junior knows this and lets them know he knows.
 * Lennon Specs: With bright red lenses.
 * Mooks: Exactly What It Says on the Tin
 * Sharp-Dressed Man: They all wear dapper black suits with red ties and Nice Hats.
 * Sinister Shades: They're making an effort at it, but it doesn't quite work.

Melanie and Miltiades "Militia" Malachite

 * Voiced by: Margaret Tominey
 * Based on: Uncertain. The Three Bears' porridge (too hot and too cold), Cinderella's wicked stepsisters, and the German fairy tale "Snow-White and Rose-Red" (in which the titular sisters befriend a bear, i.e. Junior) have all been suggested.

"Melanie, who is this girl?"

- Miltiades, about Yang, in the Yellow trailer


 * Alliterative Name: Times two!
 * Always Identical Twins
 * Elegant Gothic Lolita
 * Identical Twin ID Tag: Possibly.  Every time we've seen them, Melanie has been in all-white and Militia has been in all-red.
 * Kick Chick: Melanie's preferred weapon are a pair of spur-like blades on the backs of her armored boots, which she wields with an array of kicks.
 * Meaningful Name: Malachite is a pale green mineral; they have pale green eyes.
 * Twin Banter: Averted; they're quiet, almost dour.
 * Those Two Bad Girls
 * What Might Have Been: According to Monty Oum, their outfits are based on early discarded costume designs for Weiss and Ruby, respectively.
 * Wolverine Claws: Militia's preferred weapon are a set of double claws the length of her forearms.

Salem

 * Voiced by: Jen Taylor
 * Based on: The Wicked Witch of the West (?)


 * : Looks like she's this.
 * Facial Markings: Red and purple veins up her cheeks, and a black diamond on her forehead.
 * God Save Us From the Queen: Appears to be the Grimm equivalent to the Borg Queen.
 * Kill All Humans: Her goal.
 * She is the
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * Tainted Veins: At least they look like them.

Adam Taurus

 * Voiced by: Garrett Hunter
 * Based on: Beast from Beauty and the Beast 


 * Ax Crazy: To quote Gray Haddock:  "Adam is not the most stable of individuals."
 * Beast Folk
 * Colourful Theme Naming: Although it is not obvious, his name does fit the color theming of character names -- "Adam" is a Hebrew name meaning "Red Earth".
 * Which, when combined with his last name gives us a possible Punny Name: "Red Bull".
 * Draco in Leather Pants: Despite being painted an obvious villain in the "Black" trailer, as well as being clearly aligned with Cinder as of the end of Volume 2, he has an Estrogen Brigade among the RWBY fandom -- although the events of the end of V3 may well change that.
 * Heal It with Fire: Adam's sword apparently is hot enough to cauterize the wounds it causes.
 * Ki Attacks
 * Mask Power
 * Stalker with a Crush: His possessiveness about Blake has a very strong flavor of this trope.
 * We Can Rule Together: Almost word-for-word one of the things he says to Blake in V3E11.
 * Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: While not said exactly in those words, Adam certainly seems to lay responsibility for his mistreatment of her at Blake's feet.

Unnamed White Fang Lieutenant

 * Voiced by: Gray G. Haddock


 * Beast Folk
 * Chainsaw Good: Carries an immense chainsword during his fight with Yang in V2E11.
 * Fan Nickname: "Banesaw"
 * Mask Power: Wears a mask somewhat larger and more elaborate than the basic White Fang model.
 * Tattooed Crook: Has a distinctive set of tribal tattoos on his upper left arm.

Shopkeep

 * Voiced by: Patrick Rodriguez


 * Eyes Always Shut
 * No Name Given
 * Running Gag: Always seems to be operating a different business every time he's seen: Dust shop, food service...
 * Shop Keeper: Well, yeah.
 * The Unintelligible: Except for a single line uttered in the first moments of the very first episode, the Shopkeep's dialogue has been entirely grunts and other wordless sounds.

Penny Polendina

 * Voiced by: Taylor Pelto McNee
 * Based on: Pinocchio


 * Alliterative Name
 * Become a Real Girl: An unusual and inverted case, in the Penny claims she's not a "real girl", but Ruby assures her that she actually is.
 * The Blade Always Lands Pointy End In
 * Catch Phrase: Penny appears to have one in "I'm combat-ready!"  Strongly supported by its appearance on the Penny T-shirt available in Rooster Teeth's online shop.
 * Children Are Innocent: It's entirely likely that Penny is the chronologically youngest foreground character in the show, and despite being a robot built for combat is also easily the most innocent character we meet.
 * Hand Blast: Her Wave Motion Gun, with extra bonus swords.
 * Heart Drive: By implication.  Something is different enough about Penny's construction that she possesses a genuine soul, unlike other Atlesian robots, which are mere automatons.
 * Idiot Hair
 * No Sense of Personal Space: During Volume 1.  She seems to have gotten much better about it by Volume 2.
 * Pinocchio Nose: She hiccups when she lies.
 * Required Secondary Powers: Averted.  While she is super-strong Penny not completely resilient -- stopping a truck from hitting Ruby tears the skin off her hands, revealing her Robot Girl nature.
 * Ridiculously-Human Robot: Justified, in that she is a gynoid with a soul.
 * Robot Girl
 * Set Swords to Stun: Despite being all about flying swords, none of Penny's attacks actually draw blood, and her Wave Motion Gun only damages property, not people.
 * Strange Girl: Although by Volume 2 she seems to have become more "normal", possibly due to her exposure to Team RWBY and other people outside of the complex where she was built.
 * Super Strength
 * Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Especially if you're controlling a couple dozen or so...
 * Uncanny Valley: Penny lived there during her first appearances in Volume 1, but at some point between Volumes 1 and 2 moved to a much better neighborhood.

General James Ironwood

 * Voiced by: Jason Rose
 * Based on: The Tin Woodsman


 * Ancient Tradition:
 * Cyborg: V3E12 revealed that most if not all of the right side of his body is cybernetic.
 * Four-Star Badass: And is perfectly willing to lead the charge into battle at the front if he had to.
 * General Ripper: Dangerously close to this trope, as it would be his first impulse to Zerg Rush his enemies and overwhelm them with sheer firepower.
 * Man in White: Possibly applies; the council's transfer of responsibility from Ozpin to Ironwood certainly doesn't look good, despite Ironwood's apparently sincere intentions.
 * Morality Pet: Both Ozpin and Glinda (whom he is well acquainted with) have called him out on his gung-ho tendencies and have attempted to temper his rashness with appeals to logic and caution.
 * More Dakka: Firm believer in this.
 * Mythology Gag: In Volume 3, one character references his "metal head", and there is some discussion whether or not he has a heart.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: To an extent. Is supportive of Ruby when she takes the initiative to stop a break-in at Beacon and commends her, but is also incredibly gung-ho and impulsive.
 * Shout-Out Theme Naming: To The Wizard of Oz -- it's pretty clear he's based on the Tin Woodsman.

Winter Schnee

 * '''Voiced by: Elizabeth Maxwell
 * Based on: Unknown (Snow White, Rose Red or other "alternative" Snow Whites from Grimm's Fairy Tales, maybe?)

Weiss's elder sister, and it's obvious they're related -- they have many traits in common. She and Qrow appear to have some kind of history.
 * Badass
 * Badass Heiress
 * Badass Longcoat: As part of what appears to be her military uniform.
 * Lady of War: Appears to be a mid-level officer in the Atlesian military under Ironwood.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Maybe, with Qrow.  It's hard to say this early.
 * Dual-Wielding: At least one form of her weapon is a saber/main-gauche pairing.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper
 * Ice Queen: Qrow even calls her this during V3E3.
 * Instant Runes: Like Weiss manifests glyphs as part of her Semblance.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Brusque, almost nasty to Weiss and Ruby; she slaps Weiss for an "unacceptable" answer to a question yet at the same appears to be genuinely concerned for her performance and socialization at Beacon.
 * Rich Bitch: Even more than Weiss.
 * Summon Magic: She's able to summon doppelgangers of her past enemies. This is a uniquely hereditary semblance.
 * Super Speed

Team STRQ
(Pronounced "Stark")

Summer Rose

 * Voiced by: (no spoken lines yet)
 * Based on: The poem "The Last Rose of Summer" by Thomas Moore
 * Deceased, circumstances unknown.


 * Battle Couple: With Taiyang Xiao Long.
 * Missing Mom: To both Yang and Ruby, along with Raven.

Taiyang Xiao Long

 * Voiced by: Burnie Burns
 * Based on: Unknown


 * Battle Couple: Twice: first with Summer Rose, and after her death with Raven Branwen.
 * Heroic BSOD: In the wake of Summer Rose's death.
 * Overprotective Dad: Described as such by both Ruby and Yang, and probably justified by the incident where they were nearly slaughtered by Beowolves, as recounted to Blake by Yang in V2.

Raven Branwen

 * Voiced by: Anna Hullum
 * Based on: Muninn


 * Battle Couple: With Taiyang Xiao Long.
 * Cool Gate: Apparently can generate them at will.
 * Generation Xerox: Confirmed to be Yang's mother, and bears a strong resemblance to Yang.
 * Mask Power: See [[media:Rwby-raven branwen masked.jpg|this image]].
 * Missing Mom: To both Yang and Ruby, along with Summer Rose.

Qrow Branwen

 * Voiced by: Vic Mignogna
 * Based on: Huginn, The Scarecrow (?)

Ruby and Yang's uncle, Raven Branwen's brother. He and Winter Schnee appear to have some kind of history.
 * The Alcoholic
 * Ancient Tradition:
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Maybe, with Winter Schnee.  It's hard to say this early.
 * Functional Alcoholic
 * The Mentor: To Ruby, at least; probably to Yang, also.
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Super Strength: He can hold out his arm with Ruby all but performing acrobatics on it, without showing any signs of exertion.
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting: The Stinger to Volume 3 suggests that Qrow can turn into a crow.