RWBY is the first manga adaptation of the original web animation, RWBY. It was drawn by Shirow Miwa. It delves more into character motivations and expands on the events of the show's four trailers.
The creators of the original show have stated that this manga is "canon until it's not", exploring further information that didn't make it into the show, but any contradiction between the two works would result in the web animation superseding the manga.
This manga ran from 2015-2017, and is a separate work to the other manga series that came later.
This manga provides examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion: Weiss discusses the concept of possession-type Grimm, revealing in the process that the knight she fought in the White Trailer was animated by an artificially created form of possession-type Grimm. The RWBY DVD commentary for Volume 4 confirms that the name of the creature Weiss is talking about is an Arma Gigas.
- Attack Its Weak Point: When battling the Cephalopod Grimm, Teams RWBY and JNPR realise its weakness is that, like the Geist Grimm its related to, the core of its body is weak. By attacking the centre of the fused King Taijitus, they are able to defeat it.
- Comic-Book Adaptation: This manga is a Japanese adaptation of an American animated web show of the same name.
- Dem Bones: The body of the Cephalopod looks like a giant horned skull.
- Fusion Dance:
- The Schnee Dust Company is able to create a new possession-type Grimm by forcibly merging together many small Grimm. This creation is what powered the knight that fought Weiss in the White Trailer.
- The Cephalopod Grimm is capable of fusing itself and four King Taijitu to create one giant, hydra-like creature.
- Stage Fright: When forced to fight Cardin in front of the whole class, Ruby spends a few minutes locked in her own head, freaking out about Cardin's weapon and how she just wants to go home and watch cat videos.
