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The World of Remnant: Solitas

Remnant is a harsh landscape inhabited by the Creatures of Grimm that dominate the skies, land and oceans. There were once many kingdoms scattered across the continents of Sanus, Solitas and Anima. However, most have fallen to the Grimm, leaving behind only four survivors. By combining technological advancement with local topography, civilisation flourishes within the protected boundaries of these four kingdoms.

Solitas is the most northerly continent, a harsh, ice-cold environment that both humans and Grimm find difficult to cope with. As a result of the inhospitable conditions, human civilisation and technological understanding has advanced swiftly and the continent boasts the youngest kingdom in the world, the Kingdom of Atlas, which was created out of the more ancient Kingdom of Mantle.

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Kingdom of Atlas

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Atlas' emblem

The Kingdom of Atlas is located in the south of Solitas and to the north-east of the old Kingdom of Mantle.

As a result of the technological innovation produced as a result of the pressures of the Great War, a decision was made to use Alsius Academy as the site for R&D research and military headquarters. As a result of the growing success and prosperity, the administrative capital was moved away from Mantle. Alsius Academy was renamed Atlas Academy, and the Kingdom of Atlas was born.

Now Atlas floats above the icy surface of Solitas, a gleaming jewel in the sky that is nicknamed 'the City of Dreams'. Meanwhile, Mantle remains grounded in the ruins of the old kingdom and wreathed by the smoke of the mines Atlas left behind. Broken and impoverished, Mantle has become increasingly resentful of the luxury it provides for Atlas but isn't allowed to share.

Atlas Academy & Military

Unlike other kingdoms, the training of Huntsmen and the military overlap. Atlas Academy oversees the training of Huntsmen who are strongly encouraged to graduate into the military. As a result, the headmaster of the academy is also the general of the Atlesian military. This position means the holder of both posts gains two seats on the ruling Council of Atlas.

James Ironwood

General James Ironwood

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"The kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation, and 'fine'... Well, that's just not good enough, is it?"

^{Click here to see him after the timeskip.}

Voiced by: Jason Rose^{Foreign VAs}Masaki Terasoma (Japanese)

Debut: Welcome to Beacon^*Volume 2 Episode 2

"'Discreet' wasn't working. I'm here because THIS is what was necessary."

The general of Atlas's military and headmaster of their Huntsman academy, he has a long history with Ozpin as a part of the Benevolent Conspiracy. However, while Ozpin favors subtlety, Ironwood believes that the power of the Atlesian Military is all that's needed to save humanity, and this can put him at odds with the others. He fights with Due Process, a pair of revolvers that can combine to form a Wave-Motion Gun. His Semblance, Mettle, allows him to hyper-focus and strengthen his resolve to carry out his decisions.

0% Approval Rating: Initially the well-respected General of Atlas, his increasingly paranoid behavior and authoritarian decisions slowly lead to him burning all his bridges and earn him nothing but hatred from the people he claims to be protecting. By the end of Volume 8, Salem has more allies and supporters left than Ironwood. After abandoning Mantle to the Grimm, threatening to nuke it afterwards, declaring the heroes public enemy #1, overthrowing the Atlesian Council and imposing martial law on the city, and murdering and arresting everyone that refuses to go along with his actions, even the firmly loyal Winter and Ace-Ops have turned on him.
Affectionate Nickname: Qrow calls him Jimmy, which is there just to piss him off, but the end of the Volume 3 implies their relationship is better than it seems and the nickname is genuinely meant as friendly.
Alas, Poor Villain: Ironwood descends into villainy in his single-minded drive to save Atlas, the Relics and the Winter Maiden from Salem; it leaves him broken, isolated and utterly abandoned. He fails to save either Atlas or the Relics, and he is abandoned by the heroes, Winter Maiden, and Winter, who manage to save thousands of lives without him. Injured and defeated, he watches from the ground as Salem collects the Relics from Cinder and departs without ever acknowledging his existence; even the normally boastful Cinder simply declares "And that's checkmate." before leaving him to his fate on a crashing Atlas.
Appeal to Force: By holding two council seats, General James Ironwood commands both the Atlesian military and huntsmen, giving him disproportionate power within his kingdom and facilitating his influence of foreign councils, such as in Volume 2 where his reports convince the Vale Council to transfer Vytal Festival security from Professor Ozpin to himself. After Beacon's fall, his increasing authoritarianism sidelines his fellow councillors, leaving resistance to Robyn Hill's Happy Huntresses until the heroes arrive in Volume 7. Once he succumbs to paranoia, his control of Atlas becomes absolute, ruthlessly targeting opposition, shooting allies for disagreeing with him, and coercing both villains and heroes alike to achieve his goals.
Arc Villain: While Salem remains the main overarching threat of the series, Ironwood's degeneration into a paranoid tyrant makes him a significant threat to the heroes starting in Volume 7 and continuing throughout the next volume. After "Witch" ends with Salem temporarily incapacitated, Ironwood takes all of Mantle hostage in order to force the heroes to surrender Penny, only to be taken down by their teamwork. Cinder picks up Salem's legwork and steals the Relics for her master; both leave Ironwood alone in a collapsing Atlas. Volume 8 therefore concludes with Ironwood's death.
Authority Sounds Deep: Fitting the leader of Remnant's most militant country, James Ironwood has a deep, powerful voice that carries his authority.
Baritone of Strength: Ironwood is a large, physically powerful man who combines a very physical and aggressive fighting style with an imposing stature and demeanor. In keeping with his physical power, his vocal gravitas matches his stature, being capable of making great speeches in reassuring, authoritative or intimidating tones as necessary.
Beard of Sorrow: His beard stubble in Volume 4 is implied to be this. He has to keep up a strong front, but the fall of Vale, the loss of Ozpin and his responsibilities since then have taken their toll. In Volume 7, he has a full beard and the level of stress he's under from trying to protect everyone against Salem is a big problem for the heroes as they try and figure out just how much information they can trust him to handle without overreacting.
Believing Their Own Lies: Ironwood is firmly convinced his methods are effective, justifying them as Necessarily Evil even when everyone else realizes he's only pushing away potential allies and playing right into Salem's hands. During his confrontation with Winter at the end of Volume 8, he angrily accuses the people of being too ungrateful to see he has Remnant's best interests at heart.
Beyond Redemption: By the time Salem's faction begins to invade Atlas, the heroes conclude Ironwood can't be reasoned with. Oscar compares Ironwood's threat-level to Salem's, while Winter considers him an enemy of Atlas.
BFG: If he considers his revolvers insufficient, Ironwood can insert them into a small turret he carries and aims with the revolvers' grips. A single energy blast vaporizes Jacques and the entire Hard Light cell he was confined in.
Big Good: When Professor Ozpin disappears, Ironwood sees himself as the only person who can lead the fight against Salem. As the general of the world's largest military, and holding two seats on the Atlesian Council, he circumvents the Council's authority. The Atlas arc explores the growing concern among the Council, kingdom's citizens and heroes over his decisions and determination to concentrate power and control in the hands of himself and a few hand-picked supporters. Determined to avoid the mistakes Ozpin made, he shares as much information as he dares with the heroes. However this is eventually subverted, as his paranoia and controlling nature causes him to descend so far into fear that his decision to institute martial law and abandon Mantle to save Atlas turns the heroes against him. After Oscar tries telling him he's becoming just as dangerous as Salem, Ironwood shoots him, triggering the return of the true Big Good, Ozpin.
Bling-Bling-BANG!: His weapon is a pair of revolvers that are decorated along the barrels and the handles with the pattern of a swirling vine.
Boring, but Practical: In a world of over-the-top individualistic ways of combat, Ironwood has a more simplistic fighting style. For close confrontations, he uses straightforward punches, kicks and tackles accompanied with the occasional Pistol-Whipping. His weapons are a pair of large revolvers that lack alternate transformations but whose bullets can punch through most targets. And if that's not enough, Ironwood can insert these guns into a portable turret with even greater firepower and that he uses as a makeshift club in melee combat.
Brain/Computer Interface: The small piece of hardware on his right temple is a neural implant, designed to assist in controlling the mechanical portion of his body. It is normally the only modification that is visible, with long sleeves and gloves covering his prosthetics from view. Thus, it serves as the first indication of Ironwood's extensive modifications.
Brains Evil, Brawn Good: During his fight with the villainous Arthur Watts, his opponent compares his own brains to Ironwood's brawn and notes that they are evenly matched. Ironwood is clearly the superior fighter in straightforward combat, but Watts makes good use of his hacking skills to control the terrain of Amity Colosseum and keep pace with him.
Break the Badass: While initially a heroic figure, continual losses against Salem's forces push him to more and more extreme measures to try to win; at the same time, so much pressure piles on his shoulders that his mistakes help trigger a chain reaction of events that serve to break him further.
The Brigadier: Is amicable with Ozpin, and is concerned enough about his students' safety to bring some military forces to protect them. He also makes an offhand comment that he "serves" Ozpin.
Bright Is Not Good: Since his first appearance, Ironwood dresses in pristine white garb befitting his status as a headmaster and general dedicated to protecting Remnant's citizens. However, he willingly turns on his own allies if he thinks they're not up to the job, taking authority away from them in favour of giving it to himself. When he does it to Ozpin in the second volume, it brings Qrow back to Beacon, prepared to pick a fight over Ironwood's behaviour. Five volumes later, the Atlesian Council becomes increasingly concerned about his growing ability to circumvent their power in favour of placing himself in command of all the sensitive decisions. Eventually, Ironwood descends so far into authoritarianism in his fight against Salem to the point where he becomes an Arc Villain.
Broken Pedestal: Ironwood is a near-mythical figure for his military forces, with several soldiers speaking about him with near-reverence and his closest subordinates expressing their absolute faith in him. But as the invasion of Atlas goes on, and Ironwood begins to come unhinged from the pressure, the faith of his subordinates begins to crumble. Rank-and-file soldiers are visibly frightened of him, and Winter and the Ace-Ops struggle to accept his actions. Marrow finally breaks from the group, shouting that he believed in Ironwood, but no longer sees working for him as an honor. Ironwood's attempt to execute Marrow for insubordination further shakes the other Ace-Ops, with Elm barely remembering to get back into formation. This is the final straw that leads Winter, the one person who Ironwood never expected to turn on him, to do just that, declaring the general himself an enemy of Atlas.
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Ironwood's weapon, Due Process, is normally an elegant if simple weapon that shows his straightforward Appeal to Force thought process. The extension that he adds near the end of Volume 8 at the nadir of his villainy shows his fall on the outside. It is bulky, blocky and inelegant, especially compared to the usual Atlas tech. It's so large that Ironwood can actually use it as an impromptu club.
Can't Take Criticism: Going hand in hand with his Never My Fault tendencies. Ironwood hates anyone bringing up how his ways don't work, with extreme annoyance being the best reaction possible. It doesn't matter if someone is simply stating the objective tangible negatives of his actions, he will not hear it. He argues with Nora when she calls him out on how much damage he's doing to Mantle and only stops when she points out his declaration of martial law to deal with the unrest is going to cause far worse problems if he goes through with it. At the end of Volume 7, Oscar tries reasoning with him and points out his recent actions make him as bad as Salem, but Ironwood shoots him. Then, at the start of Volume 8, Ironwood murders Councilor Sleet in cold blood just for sensibly demanding some answers.
Character Shilling: An In-Universe example. RWBY: Amity Arena gives bios to every character in the game compiled by the In-Universe developers. While many try to be objective, the ones representative of the Atlas Elite tend to demonstrate a notable bias, most prevalent with the General's. His bio is very defensive of him, calling him the "hero of our time" and that he wears the burden of the world on his shoulders, talking him up as a Hero with Bad Publicity.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: While he demands complete loyalty from others, Ironwood has repeatedly betrayed the trust of others in the name of what he believes is the greater good. If someone is an obstacle to accomplishing what he believes is necessary, he will unapologetically use political or even military power to enforce his will. This includes reporting Ozpin to the Vale and Atlesian Councils when they disagree on how best to defend Vale, which gains him control over Vytal Festival security and puts Ozpin's job on the line, and abandoning Mantle to the Grimm in favour of saving only Atlas, betraying his promise to protect Mantle and having the heroes arrested for objecting.
Clothing-Concealed Injury: Ironwood's uniform and single glove cover up the extensive mechanical implants and scarring on his body. Near the end of volume 3, battle damage on his uniform exposes much of the implants giving viewers a look at his cyborg implants and scars. In the aftermath of his battle with Watts he replaces another arm with a mechanical replacement that isn't covered.
Control Freak: Despite his good intentions, he believes the best solution to any situation requires his full control. Volume 2 introduces him unexpectedly accompanying his students to Vale with a large fleet, eventually taking security control of Vale and the Vytal Festival from Ozpin. Since Volume 4, Ironwood's increasingly Draconian protection of Atlas includes embargoing Dust, closing borders, and introducing curfews. Volume 7 reveals he has groomed Winter's career in hopes of making her the next Winter Maiden, one that he can control. As Salem's forces and the heroes' secrets escalate his paranoia, he invokes martial law to rescue Atlas by sacrificing Mantle, blocks the heroes' Atlesian-issued scrolls when Ruby tries warning them, and issues arrest warrants for them all. Once the councillors confront him about martial law, he cements control by killing one.
Corrupted Character Copy: General James Ironwood is an intentional Expy of The Tin Man from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" that helped Dorothy kill the Wicked Witch who believed that he didn't have a heart. While Ironwood initially did start in the series trying to help the heroes take down the Big Bad and series equivalent of the Wicked Witch, Salem, he did so through very controlling and questionable means and suffered from constant paranoia with one of his allies even believing that he didn't have a heart. Following the fall of Beacon however, he begins changing for the worse and uses even more controlling methods in Atlas to stop her, leading to the Kingdom to begin hating him in the process and even the heroes begin to question if trusting him is wise. After the villains intentionally trigger his Trauma Button near the end of Volume 7 despite finally deciding to trust his allies, his paranoia fully corrupts him and causes him to turn against the heroes and abandon the city of Mantle to just save Atlas with the implication that he finally lost his heart in the process, leading to him becoming the Arc Villain of Volumes 7 and 8 as well as all of his allies eventually turning on him and him Dying Alone.
Counting Bullets: In his duel in Volume 7, his opponent quietly keeps track of the number of bullets in his revolver. Towards the end of the battle, the duo are in a lock with a gun to Ironwood's head. James then boasts that his opponent isn't the only one who can count, and accurately predicted that he was out of ammo at the time.
Create Your Own Villain: Parodied by Watts, who serves Salem because Ironwood wronged him in some way, leaving him with a personal grudge. He is so determined to destroy Ironwood that he's willing to have people murdered just to frame him. However, when they finally fight, and Watts accuses Ironwood of having used his genius for his own gain instead of appreciating him, Ironwood counters with the accusation that he gave Watts everything he could have wanted. That's when Watts reveals the real reason why he hates Ironwood so much: he's Driven by Envy because Ironwood chose Pietro's P.E.N.N.Y. project for development instead of Watts', and that's why his method of destroying Ironwood involved framing Penny.
Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Throughout Volume 7, Ironwood constantly wrestles with the idea that his humanity makes him weak against Salem. He believes she lacks humanity and this is what makes her so formidable. When he and Watts fight, Watts traps his left arm in a Hard Light shield, banking on the idea that Ironwood has lost so much of his body to metal replacements that he won't want to lose his remaining biological arm. Ironwood sacrifices the arm, telling Watts that he will sacrifice anything to defeat Salem. Although beaten, Watts is delighted and declares that he hopes Ironwood will do exactly that. When Ironwood learns Salem is at his doorstep, he enters full sacrificial mode: he sacrifices Mantle, his alliance with Robyn and the heroes, and shoots Oscar to sacrifice his humanity. He then replaces his damaged left arm with a mechanical alternative to emphasise his transformation. His Image Song Hero also discusses the relationship between his humanity and his cybernetic body.
Determinator: For good or ill, Ironwood never abandons his vision of protecting others, alienating his own allies in the process. After failing to convince Ozpin to do things his way, he uses the Atlesian and Vale councils to override Ozpin's authority and gain control of Vytal Festival security. When he tries to single-handedly regain control of his flagship from the villains, he fights his drones on foot even after the ship crashes. In Atlas, he sacrifices his reputation by using Draconian measures to protect the kingdom, and his biological arm to defeat Watts in battle, vowing to do whatever it takes to stop Salem. Even when saving Atlas at everything else's expense turns everyone against him, he pursues his chosen path to the bitter end.
Don't Call Me "Sir": Ozpin initially attempts formality, but James immediately tells him it should be dropped between friends. Glynda outright dismisses him. He acknowledges that he lets his friends call him, "James". When Oscar calls him this while trying to reason with him, Ironwood tells him that to him, and by proxy to Ozpin, he is General right before he shoots him off the edge of the Atlas Vault.
Dueling Messiahs: With Qrow in Volume 3. While both serve under Ozpin, James is uptight, formal and likes getting straight to the point, while Qrow is drunk, grumpy and enjoys winding people up. Putting them together in a room causes fireworks; they both want to help Ozpin fight Salem but they can't agree on how. James approaches problems with open, physical and excessive displays of force while Qrow prefers intelligence gathering, working from the shadows and playing their cards close to their chest. While both men are aggressive, James focuses on macho, physical aggression that's backed up by verbal arguments while Qrow prefers sarcastic, verbal attacks that's backed up by physical actions. Although their constant arguing in Volume 3 over Ironwood's decision to bring an army to Vale gives Ozpin a massive headache, things don't truly fall apart between them until Volume 7 when the best way to protect Mantle drives a more serious wedge between them.
Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: When Ironwood's eyes turn flat and lose their shine, it's implied to be a sign that he's using his Semblance to repress his doubts and continue forward with morally questionable actions. For instance, when Oscar compares Ironwood's threat-level to Salem's, Ironwood's eyes turn flat before he shoots Oscar off the ledge they're standing on; his eyes once again turn flat at the end of his threat to bomb Mantle and remain so for the next two episodes, regaining their shine when he thinks Penny has surrendered herself to him; and flitting between dull and bright during his fight with Winter, his facial expressions and vocal tones changing to match.
Dying Alone: Ironwood's paranoia and refusal to compromise leads to him isolating himself more and more, turning on allies and ultimately driving away even his most loyal supporters. Winter finally abandons him to his fate, while Salem and Cinder deem him Not Worth Killing. Instead, Ironwood spends his final moments completely alone, both physically and emotionally. All his former relationships have been destroyed, his army no longer answers to him, and the city of Atlas itself has been evacuated. Ironwood dies having lost everything — and everyone — that he once had.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Even after he turns against his friends and allies that he once cared for, Winter was the one person that he refuses to hurt or kill until she had enough of his actions and turned against him. When the two clash in the vault he shows sadness and remorse for having to fight her.
Expository Hairstyle Change: Ironwood's hair is shaggier and more unkempt in Volume 4 and accompanies a rough, unshaven look to his face. His behaviour throughout Volume 4 is increasingly emotional, aggressive and authoritarian. He's extremely paranoid about both friends and foe: he becomes frustrated and angry whenever Jacques questions his decisions, he doesn't trust the Haven headmaster, and second-guessing the villains leads him to set up Dust embargoes and seal the kingdom from the rest of the world. He also begins to use his two council seats as a means to threaten Jacques to keep him in line. An angry outburst reveals the fall of Beacon and Ozpin's apparent refusal to listen to his advice has deeply affected Ironwood's emotional state, and where his mistrust turns out to be right, it's almost by accident due to his wide-sweeping paranoia.
Face–Heel Turn: Ironwood first appears as one of Ozpin's most trusted allies and someone who desperately wants to protect the world from Salem. The events of Volume 3 leave him traumatised from the way the villains exploit him and his army to harm Vale; he becomes increasingly authoritarian and controlling, such as closing the Atlesian borders and imposing curfews. Four volumes later, the heroes become increasingly concerned about his decisions until he finally snaps from a combination of learning that Salem can't be killed and the villains pressing his Trauma Button one too many times. Pushed over the edge into villainy, he fulfills Oscar's prediction of becoming as dangerous as Salem by temporarily replacing the Big Bad as Volume 8's Arc Villain.
Failure Hero: Ironwood does want to do right, but his conviction that his way is the best way alienates him from his allies. This in turn hampers any contributions he can make to the cause of fighting Salem. It eventually culminates into a full turn to villainy in Volume 8, to the point that even his previously loyal subordinates turn against him. This is an Exploited Trope and Invoked Trope on the part of Salem's faction. A big part of why their plans work out in the later volumes is because they are counting on Ironwood's paranoia and refusal to be swayed from his path.
Fallen Hero: The Atlas Arc explores Ironwood's descent into villainy as he cracks under the strain of his responsibilities, the knowledge Salem cannot be killed and the villains pressing his Trauma Button. Through increasingly paranoid and authoritarian decisions, his attempt to lay claim to Ozpin's status as Big Good transforms him from zealous do-gooder to Volume 8 Arc Villain. By the end of his journey, he has gone from a troubled hero with a good heart to a tyrant who murders and arrests his own allies, forces enemies to work for him, sacrifices every alliance, and threatens to bomb an entire city in his quest to raise Atlas to the heavens and abandon the rest of the world to Salem.
Fashionable Asymmetry: In Volumes 2-3, he wears a plain white glove on one of his hands, while the other hand is bare. It's to hide his robotic arm. From Volume 4, he wears white gloves on both hands, but changes to his military uniform include black aiguillettes that are worn only on the left side.
Fatal Flaw: Ironwood's main weakness is his paranoia. At even the slightest hint of a threat, Ironwood immediately assumes the worst-case scenario and uses overwhelming military force. However, he is uninterested in having his allies talk him down from making his decisions or sharing information with him because he often mishandles delicate scenarios. It's a lesson he never learns.
Four-Star Badass: He's Atlas's leading huntsman as well as the commander in chief of the Atlesian army. He's also capable of soloing an alpha Beowolf with complete ease, judo-flipping the massive beast over his shoulder and pinning down its foreleg before shooting it in the back of the head, executioner-style.
Friendly Address Privileges: At the end of Volume 7, Oscar addresses him as "James" in a very Ozpin-like manner. Ironwood observes that only his friends call him that, bluntly declaring that he's "General" to Oscar; this is a renouncement of his friendship with Ozpin, whom he told to drop the "General" in Volume 2.
Frontline General: Despite his high rank in the Atlesian military, when Salem's forces cause Grimm invasions of both Beacon and Mantle, Ironwood quickly enters the fray; at Beacon, he fights and kills an Alpha Beowolf and his own hacked robots; in Mantle, he personally lures Watts into a trap just so he can force a single combat fight. During Salem's Volume 8 siege of Atlas, he divides his time between Central Command and his office, co-ordinating the military operations from behind the lines; however, when he completely runs out of allies at the end of the volume, he returns to the front lines one last time to personally battle Winter for the fate of Atlas.
General Failure: A played with case. When he first appears, he is a genuine force of good, and when his blind spots are taken advantage of, he still manages to get back up and fight for the sake of others. After the Fall of Beacon however, Ironwood begins burning the candle on both ends and slowly loses his mind. He grows paranoid, shell shocked, and controlling, and he becomes obsessed with outward displays of strength. Combined with his refusal to admit error, by Volume 7, he continually makes poor decisions that only blow up in his face and hand the villains victories, just as Salem desires. All of his actions in Volume 8 ultimately do nothing but impede the heroes' own efforts, as well as cause what little supporters he has remaining to turn on him. By the end, Atlas has fallen as a result of his own actions, he is all alone, and he dies forced to see that everything he did was All for Nothing.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Over his right eyebrow, there is a small metal plate which is actually a neurotransmitter to help him fully control his cybernetic prostheses. It does absolutely nothing to mar his physical appearance.
Guile Hero: Ironwood looks and acts like a straight-forward military man who prefers action to politics, but he plays the political game as well. He holds two seats on the Atlesian council. When Ozpin appears to dismiss Ironwood's suggestion that they send in the military to deal with the White Fang, Ironwood secretly reports Ozpin to the Vale Council. The Vale and Atlesian Council agree to strip Ozpin of security control for the Vytal Festival and give it to Ironwood. When Beacon falls, he organizes a Dust embargo on the rest of the world to cut off the villains' supplies of Dust, and uses the fact that he has two council seats to Jacques's one to keep the profit-hit Schnee Dust Company in line. When Ironwood receives intel that Haven is the next target after Beacon, he uses his position to seal Atlas from the outside world — nobody comes in or leaves without being Council approved. He says he will use his seat dominance on the council to threaten Jacques's business if Jacques does not fall in line. In Volume 7, Ironwood calmly shoots down Jacques' protests about commandeering a private mine with juristic justifications, even telling him he should brush up on Council law. During the battle in Mantle, he cleverly uses lies and editing of his broadcast with Robyn to trick Watts and Tyrian into walking into specially prepared traps where they can be confronted and captured.
Guns Akimbo: Ironwood has two revolvers, a white and black pair called Due Process. Although he primarily uses the white revolver, he uses both against Watts. The black one is loaded with Gravity Dust, which he uses to propel himself and counter the directional forces of the Gravity Biome they're fighting in; the white one is used for both ranged and melee combat. Although Watts shoots the black one out of Ironwood's hand, he recovers it from it Amity later on.
The Gunslinger: Ironwood's weapons are two revolvers called Due Process that seem to lack melee forms; if he goes for close combat, he holds them by the barrels for Pistol-Whipping. Otherwise, he simply blows away enemies the traditional way, though in "Heroes and Monsters", he displays a few Trick Shot moves while blasting apart his hacked robot soldiers. In Volume 8' final episodes, Ironwood inserts them into a portable energy cannon that just destroys whatever he aims it at.
Half the Man He Used to Be: Ironwood's entire right half is mechanical, the most extreme modifications seen within the series. How this happened to him remains unrevealed, but indicates he survived something severe enough to require replacing not only his limbs, but half of his torso.
Hand Cannon: Ironwood fights with a revolver called Due Process that possesses two triggers. Its barrel is over a foot long and is powerful enough to cause miniature explosions and pierce through a Grimm's armored head.
Hero Antagonist: In Volume 7, Ironwood makes increasingly paranoid and Control Freak decisions in the name of the greater good, leading to the heroes becoming increasingly unsupportive of his actions. After Cinder leaves a black queen chess piece in his office and he learns that Salem on her way with an army, he concludes he's played right into Salem's hands, has Winter kill the Winter Maiden for her power, declares martial law, and issues arrest warrants for the heroes. Ironwood begins his final transformation into a villain after Oscar warns him he's becoming as dangerous as Salem.
Hero with Bad Publicity: Ironwood is desperately trying to protect Atlas and Mantle from attack by Salem while trying to plan a counter-move against her. However, his method of protection involves using his military to place strict controls on the Mantle population's ability to function and to divert essential construction supplies away from Mantle's border protections. Thus, the people of Mantle regard him as no better than a dictator who is harming both their livelihoods and their city defenses. Ironwood is aware of the negative sentiment, but dismisses it as an unfortunate necessity to achieve the greater good. After becoming a full on villain however he rants that everyone is ungrateful to him for all he has done and sacrificed for Remnant indicating that this angered him more then he initially let on.
Heroic Build: Ironwood stands out in a cast of mainly anime-styled characters for whom Muscles Are Meaningless because he has a very classic comic book character-style build, broad shoulders, narrow waist, very obvious muscles and all. The mechanical side of his torso is even sculpted to match.
Heroic Safe Mode: Ironwood's Semblance was revealed during RTX 2020 to be "Mettle", an ability that involves hyper-focusing to achieve his goal no matter what stands in his way. Hints of this ability are stated to have appeared in the series.
He Who Fights Monsters: Volume 7's events slowly but surely tear away at the positive aspects of his character as he succumbs to fear and paranoia, and questions whether Salem's strength comes from her ability to strip away her humanity. By the end of the volume, he has degenerated into a paranoid tyrant who abandons Mantle in favour of saving Atlas, is willing to kill a dying Winter Maiden to protect the Relics from Salem, and arrests heroes for disagreeing with him. Oscar even points out to Ironwood that his actions and mentality make him no better than Salem.
Hidden Depths: Sam Keiser, the set designer for Ironwood's office in Volume 7, confirmed that the design is meant to convey the idea that Ironwood is a forward-looking person. It does this by being designed in the style of an observatory to reflect Ironwood's love of astronomy.
Holier Than Thou: This is what drives a significant part of the conflict between himself and would-be allies. Ironwood wants to stop Salem and repeatedly justifies his actions by claiming they're for the "greater good", but he's firmly convinced that only he knows what the "greater good" is. His refusal to consider any other alternatives, combined with his callous disregard for anyone he deems unimportant, results in his policies and methods harming the people he should be protecting while enabling Salem's Divide and Conquer methods.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: He starts out as a powerful, respected, larger-than-life leader, but as the series progresses and tragedy mounts, he's reduced to a paranoid, bitter shell of his former self. By the end of Volume 8, Salem and Cinder barely acknowledge his existence and deem him Not Worth Killing, and he's left to die unmourned and alone under the debris of the kingdom he sacrificed everything and everyone to save.
Humanizing Tears: After he descends into complete, murderous and genocidal madness, which in turn instigates Winter to betray him in favor of aiding Team RWBY, Ironwood gives Winter (whom he admits was previously the only person that he truly trusted) one chance to stay out of his way. When Winter refuses, Ironwood's response is to shed a Single Tear before engaging her, which is one of the only potent displays of humanity that ever get through his ruthless mask between his fall from grace and his death.
Image Song: Volume 7's "Hero" is from James' point of view and covers his willingness to sacrifice whatever he must to protect the people of Atlas, as well as his belief that emotions get in the way of this. The song plays during his fight with Watts, which ends with them discussing it. Ironwood rips the skin off his entire arm to escape a Hard Light trap and capture Watts, warning him that he will sacrifice anything to stop Salem. Watts simply tells him that he hopes Ironwood does; when Salem talks to Ironwood shortly afterwards, it becomes clear that Watts' mission wasn't to 'win', it was to destabilise Ironwood into succumbing to this very mentality, which isolates him from his friends and turns his allies against him.
Innocently Insensitive: In "Worst Case Scenario", Oscar tells Ironwood that it feels very strange to know a part of him was responsible for the creation of the Vault of the Winter Maiden. Ironwood attempts to reassure him by saying that he'll get used to it and that, eventually, he won't even know who's who anymore. Oscar is standing behind him, so he doesn't see how Oscar deflates at that comment; Volume 6 revealed that Oscar's biggest fear was that he's nothing more than just another of Ozma's lives.
Ironic Name: His revolvers are named "Due Process", a term for ensuring that people who are deprived of their liberty are ensured that their legal rights remain. In Volume 8, Ironwood uses Due Process to murder Councillor Sleet in cold blood, is only just barely stopped from summarily executing Marrow simply for disagreeing with his methods, and completely vaporizes prisoner Jacques Schnee. All in a manner completely contrary to the concept of due process.
It's All About Me: He believes only he can protect the world and labels anything that contradicts this belief as a threat. When the heroes are evacuating Mantle's civilians, he doubles down on the attitude that only he knows what's best for Remnant; even when the kingdom is lost and there's no point to it anymore, he still attempts to take back the Relic of Creation and raise Atlas. While fighting Winter, he rants that no-one is grateful for the sacrifices he has made; Winter tries to point out that he's sacrificed nothing and it's everyone else who has been sacrificed, but he refuses to listen.
Jacob Marley Warning: This is discussed and subverted. Ironwood desperately wants Ozpin's advice on his plan to fight back against Salem, as well as his plan to protect Atlas. However, Ozpin's unavailability means his only advisor is Ozpin's new host, Oscar. Oscar tries to teach Ironwood not to make Ozpin's mistake of isolating himself into a corner where he becomes the only person who makes the decisions and shares none of the burden with allies. Although it initially looks like Oscar's advice has sunk in when he unites with the council and Robyn to evacuate Mantle, the discovery a short time later that Salem is almost on their doorstep with an army is the last straw for Ironwood; he completes the transformation into a dangerous authoritarian who won't listen to reason when he decides to silence Oscar once and for all.
Jerkass Has a Point: In Volume 2, he confides to Glynda that Ozpin's keeping them in the dark, but she dismisses his concerns, knowing his refusal to trust anyone. However, the feeling leads to him going behind Ozpin's back to convince the Vale Council of his concerns about Ozpin's decisions. In Volume 5, Ozpin tells Team RNJR he does hold back information because he's learned from experience to "play his cards close to his chest". In Volume 6, Team RWBY and Qrow learn just how much he's been withholding and just how massive those secrets are. Ironwood himself is finally updated in the next volume.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Since the fall of Beacon Academy, Ironwood has become increasingly unstable and paranoid, making more and more ethically questionable decisions that he repeatedly justifies as the greater good; by his own admission, he will do anything it takes to stop Salem. When Cinder plants a black queen piece in his office, along with the discovery that Salem is personally leading an attack on Atlas, Ironwood finally snaps, deciding to abandon Mantle to Salem's mercy to keep Atlas, the Winter Maiden, and the Relics out of her reach before ordering Team RWBY's arrest when they refuse to follow his regime. What fully cements how far he has fallen is shooting Oscar, a 14-year old boy who is only trying to talk him down, off a ledge. After the Council confronts him over his declaration of martial law and abandonment of Mantle, Ironwood casually murders Councilman Sleet in front of Winter and the Ace-Ops. Even when Salem is (briefly) defeated, his single mindedness causes him to sink further; he threatens to nuke Mantle unless Penny turns herself in, and when imprisoned with both cities being evacuated, murders Jacques for no real reason.
Killed Offscreen: The last time Ironwood was seen, he was shown to give up as Cinder declared checkmate to him as she and Salem flew away from Atlas as it crashed onto Mantle. While it isn't shown, it was confirmed by Miles Luna on a cameo video that he was killed in the crash.
Knight Templar: As Volume 7 progresses, he becomes willing to commit increasingly dubious actions in order to oppose Salem. He starts off by imposing a military embargo on Mantle despite the economic hardships said embargo is causing for the civilians on the ground and diverting resources that Mantle needs to rebuild its infrastructure to build a comm tower at Amity Colosseum. By the end of the volume, he's degenerated into declaring full martial law, abandoning Mantle to die, and either killing or arresting anyone who opposes him.
Laughing Mad: "Ultimatum" has a subtle but chilling moment of laughter as a sign of insanity. After smashing his command console in a fit of rage, Ironwood is informed that SDC cargo fleet has started to head for Mantle. He sinks down into his chair laughing softly, expression wild as he realizes he can use Mantle as leverage to force the heroes to surrender Penny. This drastic swing from barely-controlled rage to softly laughing is the start of even his most loyal subordinates realizing that he's lost his mind.
Leitmotif: A bombastic militaristic theme plays whenever he and the Atlesian Army appear. An extended version, "Hero", plays during his confrontation with Dr. Watts.
Line in the Sand: When the students ask him what they should do in response to the invasion of Vale, Ironwood states that they can either stay and defend Vale and Beacon or they can go ahead and run to save themselves. They decide to stay and fight.
Locked Out of the Loop:
- In "Mountain Glenn", he admits to Glynda that he thinks Ozpin is hiding information from him. When Glynda points out he's in the loop that's hiding information from everyone else, Ironwood mentions that makes his fear worse. He eventually learns what Ozpin has been hiding in Volume 7.
- In Volume 7, James specifically tries to avert this after seeing it as one of Ozpin's greatest failings; from the moment he meets up with Team RWBY he tells them in detail about his plans for the Amity Tower, alongside having already brought Winter, Penny and the Ace-Ops into the fold. Team RWBY still decides to hold off from telling him the truth about the Relic of Knowledge, Ozpin and Salem; after seeing the level of military activity in Mantle, they're not sure what Ironwood would do with the information if he had it and want to wait and see if he proves himself trustworthy. This doesn't end well when he learns that Salem's impending attack from her armies was stronger than he anticipated, and that Ruby, Blake and Yang had lied to him for the bulk of the volume about Salem's strength and telling Robyn about Amity respectively.
Moral Myopia: Ironwood's numerous conflicts throughout the series occur because he feels he does not need to follow the standards he sets for others. Examples include:
- Demanding people trust him while showing them none in return, such as when he secretly colludes with Vale and Atlas Councils to remove Vytal Festival security from Ozpin; even as he puts Ozpin's job on the line, he tells Ozpin to trust him.
- Forcing others to sacrifice much for the cause while giving up very little in return, such as squeezing Mantle's economy and protection from the Grimm to breaking point and then complaining that people aren't grateful for his efforts.
- Telling others to follow the rules while circumventing any that inconvenience him, such as expecting Jacques and Robyn to follow the law while he circumvents the rules through abuse of military classification systems to take increasing control of the Atlas Council.
- Insisting on loyalty when he turns on others solely for disagreeing, such as colluding against Ozpin for not doing things the way he wanted and seeking to arrest the heroes for not supporting his plans to abandon Mantle.
Necessarily Evil: His character deconstructs the mindset of this character archetype. He declares his willingness to sacrifice his reputation and humanity for the greater good by forcing others to sacrifice for his cause. Characters constantly question the morality of his choices and his own actions create consequences that later bite him in the ass. His lack of concern over his image and the negativity his actions generate serve only to assist Salem's plans and increasingly alienate him from the heroes. He appoints himself the judge of what counts as the "greater good", he neglects Mantle's security and makes it increasingly vulnerable to attack by viewing it as less important than Atlas. Oscar lampshades the deconstruction by pointing out that being willing to sacrifice all of Remnant just so "a few can live" is making him just as dangerous a threat as Salem.
The Needs of the Many: A recurring theme and character flaw of Ironwood's is his willingness to make any sacrifice for the sake of protecting the people of Remnant, even his own personal safety. However, Ironwood doesn't know when he's gone too far. He doesn't consider the negative consequences his actions have on Mantle and how it hurts his image — something that both Jaune and Nora point out. Rather, he only considers the fact that it will eventually aid in the fight against Salem while allowing tensions in Mantle to grow. When he realizes Cinder is in the city and Salem is on her way in person, he concludes that the decision is between continuing Mantle's evacuation and allowing Salem to slaughter almost everyone or leaving Mantle behind by getting Atlas high enough to avoid the Grimm. He chooses the latter and this causes the schism within the group of those who agree with his assessment and those who don't. Oscar also rightly points out that saving just Atlas will only save a handful of people comparatively while leaving everyone on the ground to die.
Never My Fault: One of Ironwood's biggest character failings is his refusal to see any failing in his own actions or chosen methods. While he acknowledges the harm his actions can cause, he won't see them as wrong and instead expects people to just accept and suffer the consequences as a necessary evil. He also has a bad habit of assigning blame to others while stubbornly insisting he's the only one who is capable of making the right decisions; this means he will continuing using methods that don't work or keep failing long after it ceases to make sense, while expressing bafflement that no-one is grateful for his efforts. He becomes so unreasonable and extreme that even his staunchest allies eventually turn their backs on him, leaving him to a lonely, broken fate.
Not Worth Killing: At the conclusion of his battle in "The Final Word", he is left alive by his opponents. Winter defeats and leaves him behind in the Vault, where Cinder later meets with Salem. Though Ironwood had believed himself the world's best chance to defeat Salem, she doesn't even acknowledge his existence. In the end, he's left to die while Cinder and Salem fly away from the crashing city.
The Paranoiac: Ironwood's biggest character flaw is his extreme tendency to see enemies everywhere around him and his subsequent inability to trust anyone. Signs of his paranoia are sprinkled throughout the first six volumes, such as his assuming control of the Vytal Festival security out of mistrust of Ozpin, his enforcement of a Dust embargo to keep Dust out of Salem's hands, his closing of Atlas' borders so Salem's people can't enter the kingdom, and Leo and Pietro's assessments that the Fall of Beacon is negatively affecting his judgement. However, it's not until the heroes are dealing directly with Ironwood that they begin to see for themselves how disturbing Ironwood's paranoia has become and that the Atlesian Council is very concerned by his behaviour. The heroes struggle to decide if they can trust him, causing them to keep secrets from him and work with Robyn behind his back. When Cinder leaves a black queen on Ironwood's desk and Salem reveals she's already approaching Atlas with her own army, the last of his self-restraint snaps. To protect the Relics and Winter Maiden, he determines that only Atlas can be saved. He has Winter forcibly take the Winter Maiden's power, orders Team RWBY's arrest, implements martial law to de-power the Council, and leaves Mantle to its impending doom.
Percussive Therapy: Whenever he gets angry, frustrated, or just plain agitated, he will start damaging the inanimate objects around him. This ranges from his cracking Jacques' desk by slamming his fist into it to later denting his own desk in worry over which of Salem's forces have infiltrated Atlas to him angrily throwing his scroll at Watts' face when they argue. During the Atlas arc, he becomes increasingly destructive with increasing stress levels. Ironwood utterly destroys his hologram table with a two-handed smash when he learns that he's essentially run out of bargaining chips.
Perma-Stubble: Ironwood was originally a clean-shaven man. However, since the fall of Beacon, he has been sporting an unshaven look, with the stubble reaching all the way up to his cheek bones. He's been run ragged. By the time of Volume 7, it's grown into a full Beard of Sorrow.
Pistol-Whipping: His weapon appears to have no alternate form, and is just a Hand Cannon... that he can hold by the barrel to bludgeon any unfortunate Grimm that crosses his path rather than shooting at them. When he does so the one time, a Sickening "Crunch!" is heard.
Power of Trust: His competence increases drastically when he manages to work through his paranoia and put his faith in others. The biggest Hope Spot of Volume 7 comes when he is convinced to fully explain his own actions to Robyn and the council, leading to Mantle being evacuated in a relatively orderly fashion and Watts and Tyrian both being defeated and arrested. However, when Cinder smashes his Trauma Button by planting a black queen chess piece in his office, he begins second-guessing everyone around him again, and it only takes two episodes for him to undo nearly everything he accomplished in that timespan.
Reasonable Authority Figure: A subverted example. Ironwood's introduced as a reasonable person, being supportive and encouraging of the protagonists during their sparse interactions through most of the series. Once Team RWBY arrives in Atlas and works with Ironwood professionally, it turns out he's actually stubborn, uncooperative, dismisses concerns about negative policy impacts, refuses approaches that share power and responsibility with those who aren't loyal to him, and his decisions are influenced by his PTSD. Eventually, the pressure becomes too much for him and he descends into a villainous spiral that makes him as dangerous a threat as Salem.
Recoil Boost: Ironwood's secondary pistol is loaded with gravity dust bullets. Rather than fire at his target, Ironwood shoots it behind himself to propel himself at any angle a great distance.
Recruiting the Criminal: Ironwood grows increasingly desperate after Volume 7, where a good number of his allies including Pietro have severed ties with him. Thus, he takes drastic steps. Arthur Watts, a leading scientist-turned-criminal, is dragged out of his cell and "motivated" to find a weak spot in Pietro's creation, Penny. All the while, he is surrounded by guards and Ironwood himself gives hints as to what will happen to him if he causes trouble. Eventually, Watts succeeds in infecting Penny with a virus, but she shuts down while in the atmosphere and crashes somewhere in Solitas' tundra; which isn't what Ironwood had in mind.
Redemption Rejection: As the heroes rescue Team JNR from Ironwood's soldiers, Oscar instead risks capture by personally trying to stop Ironwood from what he's doing and bring him back to the heroes' side. However, Ironwood rejects Oscar's words and shoots him, abandoning his friendship with Ozpin in his determination to continue his objective.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Robyn is the Red Oni to Ironwood's Blue. Both stubborn and convinced they're right, their respective Fatal Flaws clash when Ironwood prioritises Atlas and Robyn prioritises Mantle. Ironwood is initially an ally commanding overwhelming authority and a powerful military while Robyn is initially an antagonist commanding no formal power and rag-tag band of misfits. Ironwood is mistrustful, haunted, uncooperative, and uncompromising; by sacrificing empathy and humanity to achieve his goals, he is seen as increasingly villainous by both the kingdom and heroes. Robyn is open, engaging, cooperative and flexible; by embracing empathy and humanity to achieve her goals, she is seen as increasingly heroic by both the kingdom and heroes.
Reputation Apathy: This is discussed and averted during the Atlas arc. Every time characters point out that Ironwood's attempts to enact Draconian policies for the greater good is making people distrust him, he says he doesn't care about his reputation. However, each time it's pointed out, he initially tenses up and looks like he's about to lose his temper before calming down and dismissing it, thereby implying that he's lying. During his final fight, he rants that no-one was grateful for his efforts, confirming once and for all he was never apathetic.
Resignations Not Accepted: As Ironwood's mental state spirals, he becomes more ruthless in upholding military order. After Marrow furiously quits the Ace-Ops, Ironwood silently prepares to shoot him in the back. Winter de-escalates the situation by attacking Marrow and arresting him, preventing any further bloodshed.
Reverse Arm-Fold: Befitting his status as a high-ranking military officer, Ironwood's default stance is to stand broad-shouldered with his hands clasped behind his back.
Revolvers Are Just Better: Ironwood's weapon is a pale revolver that has no other special qualities aside from being very large and powerful with patterns on the barrel. When he needs the extra firepower, he brings out a second revolver that is a much darker version of his primary one, but just shoots different ammunition.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: He holds two positions on the Atlas Council, and takes full advantage of it to see his way through the events of Vale after the breach, as well as in Mantle to maintain order and advance his plans of stopping Salem. In Volume 4, he threatens to use his seats to cause trouble for Jacques and his company if he steps out of line. He completely falls into this territory at the end of Volume 7 when he elects to abandon Mantle to Salem and raise Atlas into the sky, declaring martial law in the process so the rest of the Council can't object to it.
Secretly Selfish: A Zig-Zagged Trope. Ironwood is genuinely dedicated to thwarting Salem however he can but there's also an implication that he's just as motivated by a desire to avoid admitting his own fears and failings and validating his own beliefs as he is by saving people and that part of him becomes increasingly stronger throughout the series. By the end of Volume 7, he shows no discomfort in trying to murder those who do not agree with what he's doing.
Shell-Shocked Veteran:
- In the episode "Destiny", he talks to Team RWBY about the effects of adrenaline on the battlefield, and how it can make even experienced warriors see things that aren't there. Although he's trying to understand why Yang's version of her fight against Mercury doesn't match what the world saw, he touches his cybernetic arm and mentions "even after the threat has passed". There's a strong hint that Ironwood may be talking more about himself and his past than Yang's situation, further implying that he suffers from PTSD.
- In Volume 4, his arguments with Jacques and his scruffy stubble suggest he's haunted by the Battle of Beacon and it's driving his more extreme decisions, such as placing a global embargo on Dust shipping and locking down Atlas to traffic. In the following volume, Leo mentions that he doesn't know what happened to Ironwood during the Battle of Beacon, but it seems to have brought out his worst personality traits, such as paranoia. By Volume 7, his paranoia has led him to refit the Atlas security network to ensure a security breach such as the one that happened in Vale can't happen again; when talking to Oscar about Beacon, he mentions how helpless he felt while experiencing a flashback to the Black Queen sigil that Cinder's uploaded virus created when Cinder took control of the Vytal Festival broadcast and Atlesian fleet stationed at Beacon.
Shirtless Scene: In Volume 3's eleventh episode, he leaves the wreckage of a ship with most of his shirt and some of his pants torn/burned away. It reveals that the right half of his body is biomechanical, and there is burn scarring where it's attached to his body.
Single Tear: When Winter declares her intention to fight him, Ironwood sheds a single tear in response. It serves as a stark contrast to his dull eyes and emotionless expression, showing that even his best efforts cannot fully lock away his heart.
Slouch of Villainy: As one of the heroes, General Ironwood typically sits in a very straight-backed, business-like posture. After his slide into villainy in Volume 8, he slouches in his chair and steeples his fingers as he plans his next move for obtaining the Winter Maiden. The slouch lowers him in the chair so much that a sunburst pattern over the top of the doors behind him appear to be crowning his head like an evil emperor. The scene sets up just how evil his plan is later revealed to be, and kicks off his mini-arc as the protagonists' primary opponent.
Slowly Slipping Into Evil: James Ironwood initially started the series being a member of the Benevolent Conspiracy committed to fighting the evil plaguing the world. However, as time goes on and he suffers more defeats and trauma, he slowly begins taking more ruthless and extreme actions, becoming He Who Fights Monsters. At one point he expresses his belief that Salem's greatest advantage was her own Lack of Empathy. By the end of Volume 7, he has no problem murdering any who dispute his methods, and by the tail end of Volume 8, he goes so far as to threaten to blow up a city.
Sunk Cost Fallacy: The main reason why he wouldn't change course even after multiple characters point out that he's only made things worse. Ironwood needs a justification for his paranoia and all the horrible things he's done. To admit that he made a horrible mistake at this point would mean that all the things he did was for nothing, and he can't do that.
Super-Strength: Ironwood can use his gloved right arm to stop an Alpha Beowolf's punch, and swing the thing over his head like it's nothing, which is impressive given it is roughly three times his size and weight. It's more justified than usual for the series, in this case, as said arm was also the cybernetic one.
Symbolic Mutilation: Early in Volume 7, Ironwood speculates to Oscar that the best way to fight Salem is to strip his humanity like she did. Later on, Watts traps his biological arm in a Hard Light shield, assuming Ironwood won't sacrifice it; when Ironwood does so, declaring that he'll sacrifice anything to protect Atlas from Salem, Watts indicates that's exactly what Salem wants. He goes on to sacrifice Mantle, his alliances, and Oscar. One volume later, he sacrifices his arm for a cybernetic replacement, which becomes the first in a series of increasingly inhumane sacrifices as the volume progresses.
Tautological Templar: Ironwood devolves into this as the series goes on, firmly convinced that only he knows what the greater good is, that everything he does is justified as long as it combats Salem, and readily turning on longtime friends and potential allies the instant they don't agree with him. Even when Winter tells him point-blank that his methods haven't helped anyone or done a thing to impede Salem, Ironwood is adamant that everything he did was for the good of Remnant and accuses everyone else of being ungrateful for his efforts.
Then Let Me Be Evil: Ironwood has made it clear that he will use whatever means necessary to defeat Salem. When Team RWBY calls out his decision to raise Atlas out of Salem's reach, he calmly says he's aware that he is essentially damning Mantle to her wrath. He later tells Oscar that he is done letting others' opinions hold him back from doing what he thinks is right. The boy warns him that he'd become as dangerous as Salem herself like that; the general simply nods to himself but doesn't deny it.
Tragic Hero: He genuinely means well in opposing Salem and her forces, but his severe paranoia complex, exacerbated by the stress of being one of the only ones in the know about Salem and having to explain his actions to the skeptical populace and council, cause his decisions to degenerate over time. By the end of Volume 7, he becomes willing to abandon everyone in Mantle to die, violently lashes out at anyone who opposes him, and manages to undo all of the hard work he's accomplished by second-guessing his own actions.
Tranquil Fury: James is someone who works very hard to keep his emotions under control. In the council meeting, Ironwood becomes increasingly angry with Jacques, but remains calm and controlled throughout the exchange. Once it's revealed that Jacques gave his login credentials for the Atlesian security network to Watts in exchange for rigging the election, he rips into Jacques for his actions, but remains controlled despite his aggressive posture of looming over Jacques. After the battle, when he decides to move Atlas out of Salem's reach and has Team RWBY arrested, he is far too calm. Despite raising his voice during their argument, Ironwood's tone and facial expressions are ice-cold when he draws his gun and shoots Oscar.
Trauma Button: Ironwood implies in Volume 3 that he suffers from PTSD, and if he didn't before then Volume 7 makes it very clear that the Fall of Beacon has severely impacted his psyche. In particular, the black queen chess piece, which is Salem's Calling Card, triggers his post-traumatic stress. Recounting his helplessness when Salem's agents took control of his automated army during the Fall of Beacon, Ironwood flashes back to seeing the Black Queen sigil on his computers. In "Gravity", Cinder plants a home-made Black Queen in his office. Upon seeing it, Ironwood begins making a series of extreme and panicked decisions: he sends Winter to forcefully take the Winter Maiden's power, wildly begins second-guessing his decisions in case they've played into Salem's hands, turns on Team RWBY for keeping secrets and leaking intel to Robyn, and dooms Mantle to save Atlas, the Relics and the Winter Maiden.
To Unmasque the World: Come Volume 7, with Ozpin no longer around to guide them, Ironwood feels a new plan is needed: rather than continue a Secret War, he's going to out Salem's existence to all of Remnant and unite the world against her. Although the heroes were very angry with Ozpin's secrecy, their response to Ironwood's plan is to display similar misgivings to Ozpin himself over the potential chaos and panic revealing the truth to the world might cause. As of "Gravity", he abandons this plan in favour of keeping the city of Atlas, the Winter Maiden, and the Relics of Knowledge and Creation out of Salem's reach, sacrificing Mantle in the process.
Ultimate Job Security: Despite failing to stop the Fall of Beacon, increasingly authoritarian measures, and deteriorating mental state, Ironwood still retains his job and seats on the council from Volume 3 onward. Jacques lampshades it in "Remembrance", stating outright that it's a miracle he hasn't been stripped of his rank. Effectively, the culture of obedience Ironwood has fostered means that nobody in Atlas has the nerve to remove him from power. This contrasts with Ozpin, whose mistakes in Volume 2 get raised by Ironwood to the Vale Council; they immediately strip Ozpin of responsibility for Vytal Festival security and declare that his job will be discussed once the festival is over.
Unwitting Pawn: A discussed example. In Volume 7, Ironwood tries pre-empting Salem's plots and activities by upgrading Atlesian security, recalling his military back home and placing Mantle under heavy surveillance while he prepares a counter-plan that involves repurposing Amity Colosseum. This causes arguments among the heroes over whether the squeeze on Mantle's economy might play into Salem's hands by exacerbating divisions between Mantle and Atlas. When the heroes finally unite to capture Watts and Tyrian, and evacuate Mantle, they appear to finally get on top of the situation. Then Ironwood discovers Salem's black queen chess piece sitting on his office desk, made from Cinder's signature black glass; this reveals Cinder's presence in Atlas and triggers his PTSD over how the villains used that symbol during the Battle of Beacon. Interpreting it as a sign that Salem's been one step ahead of him the entire time, he begins questioning whether every action they've taken has successfully played right into Salem's hands. This reignites the arguments between all the heroes over what the best course of action to take is. Once it becomes clear that Salem's on her way in person and the kingdom's long-distance sensors are offline, the arguments become irreconcilable.
Wave-Motion Gun: Takes to using one in Volume 8. He uses both of Due Process' revolvers as the handles. It's powerful enough to destroy a Hard Light holding cell, and when he uses it in battle, his opponents have to keep dodging it because they know it's potentially a one-hit kill attack. Winter struggles against it because she has to keep dodging it or redirecting the strike, but once she becomes a Maiden, she defeats him by easily redirecting it back at him.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Like the heroes, Ironwood desperately wants to stop the Big Bad, save lives, and keep both the Relics and Winter Maiden out of her hands. Though the heroes initially support his plan to do so, the villains' successful exploitation of his character flaws means he cracks under the pressure of fighting Salem, tries abandoning Mantle in favour of rescuing Atlas, and descends into authoritarianism; he turns on anyone who disagrees with his methods, such as shooting people for disagreeing with him and threatening to blow up Mantle to force the Winter Maiden to the Vault. Eventually, even the most loyal Ace-Ops turn on him, with the one person he never thought would betray him — Winter — declaring him an enemy of Atlas.
We Used to Be Friends: James' personality and mannerisms clash throughout Volumes 2 and 3 with those of Ozpin, Glynda and Qrow, but he considers them trusted friends. In "A New Approach", he seems genuinely relieved at the prospect of Ozpin being back and hugs Qrow in a private moment, emphasizing that he's really happy to see him. By the end of the volume, Ironwood has been willing to sacrifice everything, including his friendships in the pursuit of protecting Atlas. In "The Enemy of Trust", the consequences of Ironwood ordering Qrow's arrest leads Qrow to swear to make him pay for what he's done. Ironwood then clashes with Oscar over the consequences of his intended plan and coldly and violently rescinds his friendship with Oscar and, by extension, Ozpin.
When All You Have Is a Hammer…: His default reaction to any problem is to throw overwhelming military force at it. His presence in Vale triggers arguments with Qrow and Glynda because of this habit and, when he explains that he wants the citizens of Vale to feel safe knowing his army will protect them, Ozpin points out that it'll instead make people wonder what the scale of the threat is. In Volume 7, the heroes are concerned about the level of military presence in Mantle, Blake observes that he's prone to overreacting and Nora argues with him constantly about the harmful impact of his military decisions on Mantle.

Penny Polendina

For more information on Penny Polendina, please see RWBY: The Heroes.

Pietro Polendina

Dr. Pietro Polendina

Voiced by: Dave Fennoy^{Foreign VAs}Katsuhisa Houki (Japanese)

Debut: The Greatest Kingdom^*Volume 7 Episode 1

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pietro_6.png

"I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter’s told me so much about you."

One of Ironwood's most trusted and respected scientists, Dr. Pietro Polendina is an elderly engineer. In addition to working for the Atlesian military, Pietro volunteers at a pharmacy in Mantle.

Absent-Minded Professor: He has been adjusting Maria's cybernetic eyes for years but she has to prod his memory before he remembers either who she is or why she's turned up in his pharmacy. He also doesn't immediately recognise Team RWBY despite his daughter's constant references to them.
Big Fun: Pietro is a fun, enthusiastic man, who is overweight and confined to a custom-designed wheelchair. He is one of the finest minds in Atlas and responsible for some of the most groundbreaking technological advances known to man, such as the creation of the world's first synthetic lifeform capable of generating an Aura — Penny. He is thrilled at the chance to work on upgrading the heroes' weapons, including extras that he came up with by himself, and was delighted to meet Penny's friends in the first place. When they first met him, he was working on designing shoes that make people dance — just for fun. He was deliberately designed to have a "big kid" personality to keep him distinct from the equally enthusiastic Dr. Weller, another Rooster Teeth creation.
Early-Bird Cameo: After the dramatic conclusion of Penny and Pyrrha's fight in Volume 3, there is a brief shot of him from the back, gripping the side of his chair with a tightly-clenched fist.
Fatherly Scientist: Pietro is a skilled roboticist who created P.E.N.N.Y, a breakthrough in cybernetic research due to the robot's ability to generate an Aura. While she's military R&D, Penny has been given the chance to develop a human persona and her relationship to her creator is that of father and daughter. When Pietro meets Team RWBY, he extends his fatherly attitude towards them, talking about how often his daughter has spoken of them, confiding in them his concerns about Ironwood despite having only just met them and worrying about them when they're captured by Ace-Ops. He is also visibly moved when Ruby and Weiss rest against Penny's shoulders, happy that Penny finally has true friends.
Gadgeteer Genius: Pietro is introduced as one of Atlas's finest minds. He created Penny, who is the world's first synthetic being that is capable of generating an Aura. He also created Yang's state-of-the-art cybernetic arm and routinely maintains Maria's cybernetic eyes.
Genius Cripple: Pietro is a brilliant robotics engineer and is paralyzed from the waist down. He gets around with a chair that possesses four mechanical legs and moves like a spider.
Incurable Cough of Death: When first introduced, Pietro is shown to have a rather long, hoarse cough and is bound to a mobile chair that moves on spider-legs rather than wheels. In "Worst Case Scenario", Pietro reveals that he had to sacrifice parts of his Aura to create Penny and that he has to sacrifice more every time he needs to rebuild her. As a result, his Aura contains gaping holes all over his body and he doesn't know if he has the ability to donate anymore should Penny require further reactivation in the future.
Non-Action Guy: Unlike the rest of team RWBY and JNR's allies, Pietro's assistance is off the battlefield. He utilizes his intelligence to provide them with upgrades to their weaponry and continues to aid them with his technological expertise after Ironwood issues warrents for their arrest but is unable to aid them on the field of battle. Justified as Pietro is a scientist, not a Huntsman. Also, he is paralyzed from the waist down and has already sacrificed parts of his Aura for Penny, so even if he had any fighting skills he is in no physical shape to use them.
Old Friend: With Maria for who he has made her prosthetic eyes after she was blinded by Tock. After recognizing Maria, Pietro is visibly happy to see her again and while she is rather annoyed by his forgetfulness and antics Maria strongly cares for Pietro as shown with her worried reaction upon learning about his failing health and her comforting him after he voiced concern about what would happen to him and Penny if she was destroyed again.
Satellite Character: His entire character and backstory revolves around him being Penny's creator and father. Even when he's involved in the main plot, he's only present for scenes that involve Penny.
Uncertain Doom: Maria and Pietro have minor roles in Volume 8 that limit them to dealing with Amity. Once the second half of this volume moves on to deal with Atlas and Mantle, the pair are left behind on Amity having indicated that the Colosseum might even have to land north of the kingdom, but this is never confirmed. After Team RWBY create the evacuation portals with the Relic of Creation, portals open all over Mantle and Atlas, but nowhere else. Even after Atlas and Mantle are obliterated, Pietro and Maria's fates are left uncertain.

Atlas Academy

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Atlas Academy

Originally known as Alsius Academy until the Great War transformed it into an R&D facility and military HQ, the current academy is more militarized than the rest of Remnant would like to see.

Ciel Soleil

Voiced By: Yssa Badiola^{Foreign VAs}Ami Naito (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat^*Volume 3 Episode 5

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"It's been precisely one minute, ma'am."

Penny's partner in the tournament, a stiff and no-nonsense Atlesian cadet who follows orders to the letter.

Facial Markings: There's an indistinct yellow mark right in the center of her forehead, seemingly shaped like the Sun.
Flat Character: As the set-up to how Penny gets into the plot-important final round, Ciel appears only for the doubles round to show how Penny makes it through the tournament to the singles round. She is Penny's partner and minder, characterized by an obsession with punctuality and slight impatience when Penny doesn't stick to their schedule. She plays no further part in the story and so her characterization is minimal.
Hair Color Dissonance: Her hair is either black or a very dark blue.
Literal-Minded: When Penny asks for a minute to talk to Ruby, she gives them a minute, complete with looking at her watch all this time.
Locked Out of the Loop: Although she is Penny's team-mate in Volume 3, and is under orders to escort Penny everywhere, she doesn't know that Penny is a robot.
Meaningful Name: In French, ciel means "sky" and soleil means "Sun". The sun used to be used for timekeeping, and she appears to have been assigned to Penny to ensure that Penny sticks to her prepared schedules and is never late. She also has sky-blue eyes.
Non-Action Guy: While she probably can fight due to the kind of series this is, her role in the tournament is just to fill in the roster and remind Penny not to take too long curb-stomping the opposition.
Satellite Character: Ciel only exists just to center around herself being Penny's partner for the doubles round and makes no further appearance outside of that one scene. Not even when Penny is destroyed or when Penny is rebuilt in Volumes 3 & 7 respectively.
Vitriolic Best Buds: She's forced to spend time with Penny, but looked to be enjoying herself well enough while at the Vytal vendors with her.
What Happened to the Mouse?: She never reappears after her introduction, making it difficult to tell if she died in the Fall or survived. Volume 9 lampshades this when Team RWBY recount their story and are asked if "that Ciel girl" ever came back in any notable way.

Team FNKI

A rival team from Atlas that Weiss and Yang battle in the second round of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Despite originating from the usually strict and militant Atlas, their members are a bit... unorthodox. Their team name is pronounced 'funky'.

Associated Tropes:

Color Motif: No specific color, but rainbows and vibrancy. Neon is the term for the brightest tone a color can achieve, and is absolutely gaudy in her get-up. Their team name and Flynt seem to be based around funk, a music genre identified with very bright and vivid colors.
Conscription: After Salem arrives in Atlas, Ironwood uses all his available troops to fend off her invading Grimm. When his forces start dwindling, he starts drafting the students of Atlas Academy, Team FNKI being the most notable of them thanks to not wearing helmets.
Defeat Means Friendship: After being defeated in the doubles round by Weiss and Yang, Neon and Flynt quit with the Trash Talk and seem to respect them. Later on, they're among the students who jump to Ruby's aid during the Battle of Beacon and help defend the academy.
Fastball Special: Using the sonic power of his weapon, Flynt can push Neon to her max speed on her rollerblades.
Friendly Rival: They're introduced in Volume 3 as one of the teams representing Atlas in the tournament. When Flynt and Neon fight Weiss and Yang, Flynt is hostile to Weiss because her father put his father out of business and Neon spends the fight insulting Yang's weight. However, as soon as they lose the fight, Flynt compliments Weiss's willingness to sacrifice herself for her team-mate and Neon begs them join them for a party because she thinks they're completely awesome. The whole team is also willing to help Team JNR and Oscar train during Volume 7; Neon again trash-talks her opponents but is quick to bestow compliments and praise once the fighting is over.
Graceful Loser: Neon and Flynt initially appear to be upset that they lost the doubles round of the Vytal Festival Tournament, but Neon immediately goes into screams of how awesome Yang and Weiss were, and Flynt admits that Weiss's move was gutsy and he respects her for it. Although Team FNKI loses their sparring match against Team JNR and Oscar, Ivori is smiling while Neon and Flynt compliment the victors.
I Shall Taunt You: Flynt and Neon spend just as much time trolling Weiss and Yang as they do fighting them. Flynt frequently insinuates that Weiss has no merit outside her father's money, and Neon teases Yang for her weight and tells Flynt that she'd be easy to take out. It ends up costing them the match.
Living Prop: While Flynt and Neon receive characterization and get occasional speaking lines, Ivori and Kobalt are largely just there to fill out the roster, neither even being seen at the Fall of Beacon despite the entire team alledgedly being there. This is especially evident after they're drafted to fight Salem's forces. While Flynt and Neon are shown comforting each other over being forced to fight and shown actually fighting the Grimm, Ivori and Kobalt are only seen once standing amidst the other soldiers.
Pride Before a Fall: Their arrogance leads to their downfall during the tournament. In Flynt's case, he keeps repeating the same tactic while Neon ends up tripping because she spent too much time taunting Yang.
Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Though they both enjoy taunting their opponents, Flynt for the most part remains cool and level headed throughout the fight, where as Neon is an energetic troll against her enemy.
Trash Talk: Flynt and Neon spend a lot of time taking digs at Weiss and Yang. It appears to be a large part of Neon's strategy against Yang, making her so frustrated she can't fight properly, to which she proves to be vulnerable.

Flynt Coal

Voiced by: Flynt Flossy^{Foreign VAs}Tooru Sakurai (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat^*Volume 3 Episode 5

"Too bad all that money can't buy you skill."

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"That was a gutsy move, Schnee... I dig it."

^{Click here to see him after the timeskip.}

A musician who resents the Schnees, but is rather easygoing and comes to respect Weiss. His weapon is a trumpet capable of blast massive waves of sound, and his Semblance, Killer Quartet, allows him to generate three duplicates of himself.

Badass Arm-Fold: The first time we see Flynt, when Neon rushes to his side as the fight starts, he has his arms crossed while holding his trumpet in his right hand.
Can't Tie His Tie: Though most likely a fashion choice, Flynt keeps his untied necktie around through his collar. No small wonder how it hasn't fallen off yet.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: His Semblance creates three copies of himself to quadruple his stopping power, and each one has a different accent color. However, he is always seen wearing a cyan tie and has a cyan band around his hat, so it's easy to keep track of where the actual Flynt is compared to his copies.
Cool Shades: Wide sunglasses that hide most of his eyes, though they are visible when he looks down and over the shades.
Crippling Overspecialization: Flynt can do one thing, and one thing only: blast sound waves. Even with his Semblance, he still can't do much more than 'point trumpet, blow trumpet'. The moment his opponents find a way around this, as happened with Weiss and Yang, he starts getting his ass kicked.
Fashionable Asymmetry: Flynt only has one glove on his left hand, and only his right ear is pierced.
It's Personal: Flynt resents Weiss for her father's company running his own father's Dust shop out of business, and decides to take her on with that in mind.
The Leader: Given his name, of Team FNKI.
Make Some Noise: Flynt's weapon is a trumpet that can release sound waves powerful enough to blast others back and give Yang a hard time.
Self-Duplication: Flynt's Semblance allows him to create three color-coded duplicates of himself, amplifying the power of his sonic attacks. This makes him the third character shown so far able to create a second image of himself, though he's limited to three clones judging by the information Oobleck gives.
Waistcoat of Style: He has the theme of a laid-back, easy-going jazz musician. As a result, he wears pin-stripe trousers, an untucked, open-collared greyish-white shirt; draped loosely over his shoulders is a a blue tie that matches the blue band on his charcoal grey fedora. To smarten up the casual way he wears his suit is a waistcoat, charcoal grey in the front to match the fedora and paler grey at the back to match the pin-stripes.
Weapon Stomp: Flynt steps on Myrtenaster after knocking Weiss off her feet, causing her to lose it a few feet in front of her.

Neon Katt

Voiced by: Meg Turney^{Foreign VAs}Konomi Fujimura (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat^*Volume 3 Episode 5

"You should try rollerblading sometime! It's super fun! It would probably take you a while though, since you're so, you know, 'top-heavy'."

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"Never miss a beat."

^{Click here to see her after the timeskip.}

A hyper-energetic cat Faunus who likes rollerblades. Not shy about dropping insults, Neon skates around the battlefield and uses a pair of nunchaku to deliver painful strikes on her foe. Her Semblance, Rainbow, enables her to create a rainbow trail behind her that pushes her forward.

Awesome, but Impractical: Her rollerblades give her great mobility in a fight, but skating on uneven ground carries with it the risk of being tripped up. When she is distracted by Yang during their tournament fight, she loses her concentration and ends up falling, allowing Yang to defeat her.
Bragging Theme Tune: Neon is a vivacious, colourful combat fighter who enjoys trash-talking her opponents while she's fighting them. She also revels in her skill and enjoyment of rollerblading. A techno-song called "Neon" plays during her fight with Yang focuses both on her habit of trash-talking opponents to bolster her image and talk-down her opponent's.
Close-Range Combatant: Neon excels in Hit-and-Run Tactics to dart in and out of melee range with her dust enhanced nunchuks and rollarblades and leaves ranged combat to her teammates. This does leave her vulnerable when she cannot move properly and is unable to find suitable ground.
Collared by Fashion: She wears a white collar with a bell on it, modeled after a cat's bell collar.
Color Failure: Neon's color pallet becomes a muted gray after their defeat, though it quickly comes back once she's gotten over it.
Colorful Contrails: Neon zips around on a pair of rollerblades, leaving behind a colourful rainbow streak whenever she moves. She is inspired by the Nyan Cat meme.
Eyelid Pull Taunt: Flashes Yang one of these briefly in their fight.
Facial Markings: A small heart under her left eye.
Fashionable Asymmetry: Neon is covered in various accessories that make it easier to count what part of her attire is symmetrical.
Fragile Speedster: Neon is extremely fast and easily evades all of Yang's attacks, especially coupled with constantly taunting Yang to make her too angry to fight properly. Ultimately, however, when she moves too fast for her own good and trips into a geyser, it makes it easy for Yang to hit her. A single shot from Ember Celica immediately puts Neon out of the fight.
Flash Step: Neon uses this to beat Yang up in the doubles round.
Genki Girl: Neon is an incredibly energetic girl, with a personality to match her vibrant looks and Semblance. Both times she's lost a fight, she's responded by asking the other team to hang out with her.
Girlish Pigtails: She has two sets of these: two big, puffy pigtails on each side of her head, and two smaller ones on the back of her head. She's a Genki Girl with a Rainbow Motif, so it fits.
An Ice Person: Her nunchucks are energized with Dust, allowing her to use its effects on contact. She prefers ice Dust judging by her use of it on the Grimm and on Yang, further limiting her opponents' mobility in comparison to her own.
Little Bit Beastly: She's a cat Faunus, having a long tail and a cat smile by default.
Logical Weakness: Her attacks rely heavily on a combination of her speedy Hit-and-Run Tactics, making her opponents too angry and distracted with taunts to be able to land hits, while also having to maintain a rhythm in order to be able to keep her movement going properly. If her opponent ends up being unfazed by her taunts, or they manage to disrupt her rhythm (by say, destroying the ground so that it's too unstable), then she'll become off-balance and distracted, leaving her an easy target. Her attacks also rely on having a lot of space to move around to weave and evade around, meaning that if she's cornered, she's out of luck (as Team FNKI's fight against JNPR shows).
Modesty Shorts: Neon wears a thin blue top with spaghetti straps and which exposes the midriff, as well as a tiny pink micro-skirt. However, despite all the skin that she exposes, she wears purple hot-pants underneath her skirt, which ensures no further exposure occurs during battle.
Pink Is Feminine: Neon's primary color, down to her tail.
Punny Name: Try reading her name "Neon Katt" quickly and the sound would be similar to Nyan Cat. She's a cat Faunus who zips around with a rainbow trail, much like the Nyan Cat.
Rainbow Motif: Neon leaves a rainbow wake in her path thanks to her Semblance. Even her starry eyes are rainbow gradient!
Rollerblade Good: Neon wears a pair of two-wheeled rollerblades, giving her a high amount of mobility around the battle field, though they are vulnerable to rough terrain.
Super-Speed: Her Semblance enhances her speed.
Survival Mantra: She repeats "never miss a beat" rapidly multiple times during the fight, and does so again just before she trips on a rock formation, enabling Yang to take her out.
Neon: [as she is skating on a rough rock formation] Never miss a beat, never miss a beat, never miss a... [loses her balance] beat? [tears up just before tumbling over the formation and landing on a geyser, which erupts, blasting her upwards]
Title Drop: The episode title, "Never Miss a Beat", is Neon's Survival Mantra.
Troll: Neon never lets up her insults on Yang throughout the fight, and is clearly enjoying how upset she makes Yang.
Whole Costume Reference: Her Volume 7 appearance was specified by Erin Winn to have been based on the costume of Jolyne Cujoh.

Kobalt

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

Bare-Fisted Monk: Kobalt uses hand-to-hand combat when training with Oscar. Even though Oscar is fighting with his cane, he is still able to disarm Oscar with just his bare hands.
Butt-Monkey: When Nora declares she's hungry enough to eat a sandwich the size of Kobalt, their training room manifests a giant sandwich that lands on top of Kobalt. An unamused Kobalt pops the creation, but is left with a large lettuce leaf on his head.
Whole Costume Reference: Kobalt is an allusion to an infamous dress that was blue and black but was percieved by some as white and gold. His outfit alludes to the former of these two.

Ivori

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

Long-Range Fighter: Uses a whip for distance melee attacks.
Sunglasses at Night: Ivori wears a pair of sunglasses with white frames and yellow lenses. Even when they're training inside a training room with no windows, he still wears the sunglasses.
Whole Costume Reference: Ivori is an allusion to an infamous dress that was blue and black but was percieved by some as white and gold. His outfit alludes to the latter of these two.

Atlas Military

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The military of Atlas is very proficient and very active around the world. While many serve the general in Atlas, many others are stationed at different locations all around the world, be it on short-term or long-term assignment.

Winter Schnee

For more information on Winter Schnee, please see RWBY: The Heroes.

Caroline Cordovin

For more information on Caroline Cordovin, please see RWBY: Anima.

Nubuck Guards

For more information on the Nubuck Guards, please see RWBY: Anima.

Olive Harper

Lieutenant Colonel Olive Harper

Voiced by: Skye Lafontaine [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/every_single_new_character_from_arrowfell_v0_rv2pjg7znq0a1.png

A lieutenant colonel in the Atlas Military.

The Atoner: Realizing that Bram lied about wanting to improve the kingdom's conditions, she tells Team RWBY where Bram is and turns herself in to repent for her betrayal.
The Mole: She is revealed to be the military officer who helped Amoncio Glass and Hanlon Fifestone develop the Orbs.
My God, What Have I Done?: When she finds out Bram never wanted to help the kingdom and just wanted petty revenge on General Ironwood, she is horrified to realize that she has sacrificed her morals and military career for nothing.
Tears of Remorse: Blake notices that her actions leave her in tears when Team RWBY confronts her prior to fighting Bram.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: She and Hanlon Fifestone were so desperate to solve the kingdom's social issues, that they were willing to become moles to spy on Ironwood.

The Ace-Operatives

In General

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Ironwood's personal attack dogs

The Ace Operatives is a group of five elite soldiers who are both licensed Huntsmen and General Ironwood's personal enforcers. Each has been made aware of the wider conflict with Salem and are involved with Ironwood's plans to change the course of the fight against Salem.

Associated Tropes:

Benevolent Conspiracy: Ozpin created a group of key individuals who were brought into the loop about the existence and threat of Salem and the need to protect the four Relics. After the fall of Beacon, Ironwood decided he needed to replicate this in Atlas to carry on the fight in the absence of Ozpin. The Ace-Ops form part of this inner circle, along with Winter and Penny.
Conflicting Loyalty: While the Ace-Ops are first and foremost loyal to General Ironwood, throughout Volume 7 they all slowly begin bonding with the protagonists, specifically Team RWBY and Qrow. So when Ironwood declares his decision to abandon Mantle and raise Atlas to the heavens and Team RWBY declares their intent to stay and fight, the Ace-Ops display this to varying degrees. Vine, Elm, and Clover bury their feelings and try to carry out Ironwood's arrest orders, their true feelings only being made known as the fights go on. Marrow meanwhile desperately tries to talk Weiss down while fighting her. Harriet is the only subversion, having a Hidden Disdain Reveal to Ruby as they fight.
Consummate Professional: Deconstructed. The heroes bonding as friends is called childish by Elm and Harriet explains that Ace-Ops trust each other with their lives, but it's a job they do not confuse with friendship. In Volume 8, Ren realises they've been fighting their feelings for each other all long, which has created a dysfunctional dynamic that affects their team-work and led to their loss against Team RWBY. They have felt pressured into denying their feelings by Atlas' culture, and it's only after they turn away from Ironwood's authority that they're able to admit how they truly feel.
Corrupted Character Copy: The Ace Ops are all based on many of the characters from Aesop's Fables. Clover Ebi is based on "The Lucky Fisherman", Marrow Amin is based on the dog from "The Dog and its Reflection", Tortuga and Harriet Bree are based on "The Tortoise and the Hare" respectively, and Elm Ederne and Vine Zeki are based on "The Elm and the Vine". While many of the characters in the story learn an aesop through their experiences, the Ace Ops are based on versions that didn't learn anything and end up suffering because of it with Clover, Tortuga and Vine being killed because they didn't learn anything or learned too late and the team struggling to work together and constantly arguing with each other after Ironwood declares martial law and labels Team RWBY as their enemies throughout the end of Volume 7 and most of Volume 8.
Custom Uniform: The Ace-Ops have relatively individualized uniforms, in comparison to the strict standards all other Atlas military are held to. That said, the design still shares many elements consistent with the Atlas Military, showing how even their most individual elements are still expected to conform, compared to the more colorful and varied outfits of most other Huntsmen.
Divided We Fall: Ace-Ops is full of strong, differing personalities that are united by Clover's leadership. When ordered to arrest Team RWBY in Clover's absence, their clashing personalities leads to dysfunction and defeat when Team RWBY divides them. Weiss defeats a conflicted and hesitant Marrow; Blake and Yang defeat Vine and Elm, who are both holding back and struggling with Elm's enraged sense of betrayal; Harriet is so competetive, obsessive and murderous that she pays little attention to anything but Ruby, resulting in her crashing into an ice-wall created by a nearby Weiss.
Elites Are More Glamorous: The Kingdom of Atlas boasts a powerful military and an elite Huntsman Academy. The Ace-Ops are an elite team made up of the very best Huntsmen in the kingdom who also became the very best military unit in the kingdom. Volume 7 exclusively focuses on how the heroes interact with Ace-Ops and their military commanders, Winter Schnee and General Ironwood. Both the military and the Academy remain in the background so that soldiers, Huntsmen, students and teachers never become part of the main storyline.
Everyone Has Standards: The Ace-Ops are all shown to be firmly loyal to General Ironwood and willing to do whatever he says even if it means abandoning Mantle or attacking other people opposed to Salem. However, the entire team are shocked and horrified when Ironwood murders Councilman Sleet in front of them. In particular, Harriet is shown going through various emotions as she tries to process what has happened. The final straw is when Ironwood announces his intent to blow up Mantle to force Team RWBY to hand over Penny; one by one they turn on him in disgust.
Friendship Denial: While they're a team and trust one another with their lives, it's strictly professional, with Elm and Harriet telling Team RWBY point-blank that the Ace-Ops are not friends. This bites them in the ass when they try to arrest them; Team RWBY are close friends who have mastered teamwork while the Ace-Ops is brought down by in-fighting over how best to apprehend them. Volume 8 shows cracks in their veneer of cold professionalism; Harriet's grief over Clover's death haunts her throughout the volume and Elm explicitly calls her a friend at the end.
Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Gender-Inverted. Elm and Harriet are both extremely physical fighters, with styles that favour getting in close and using brute force. In comparison, the men on the team primarily have ranged weapons with Vine and Marrow in particular providing ranged support for their respective partners.
Hero Antagonist: Ace-Ops and Team RWBY are at loggerheads over how best to handle the threat to Mantle's safety until they finally fall out over the issue and oppose each other. When Ironwood realizes Salem is on her way to Atlas, he changes his plans. He institutes martial law to de-power the Atlesian Council and decides to raise Atlas high into the atmosphere to protect the Maiden and two Relics, abandoning Mantle to its doom. Team RWBY are horrified, but Ace-Ops loyally follows Ironwood's instructions. Ironwood therefore instructs Ace-Ops to arrest Team RWBY, forcing the two teams to fight.
Just Following Orders: Invoked twice during Volume 7, both times in relation to Team RWBY. The first time, the Ace-Ops are reassured that there are no hard feelings over the arrest since they were simply following their orders. The second time it comes up, it's more accusatory. Team RWBY are expressing their disgust over Ace-Ops accepting Ironwood's plan to abandon the citizens of Mantle to die.
Losing the Team Spirit: The Ace-Ops make abundantly clear on multiple occasions that they are merely coworkers, with none of the emotional attachments typically seen with Teams. In War, Harriet points out their attitude towards getting attached is more complicated — Clover isn't the first teammate the Ace-Ops have lost.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Although the Ace-Ops are qualified Huntsmen, they're military Huntsmen so they believe in the chain of command and their loyalty to the General is absolute. When Ironwood orders the arrest of the heroes so they won't interfere with his declaration of martial law, Ace-Ops follows through with the order. They're not happy to turn on people they like, but they don't question the order either. Even when Ironwood shoots Councilman Sleet for challenging him about martial law, the Ace-Ops are shocked and troubled, but continue obeying Ironwood's commands. The cracks begin to form once Ironwood declares his intent to bomb Mantle to ensure Penny's compliance. Marrow calls Ironwood out on his actions and resigns, only avoiding being shot by Winter pretending to arrest him, the two then joining with the heroes. Vine tries to stop Harriet from going through with it after Qrow and Robyn reveal Ironwood was deposed and admits he doesn't even think Clover would have supported that plan. Elm goes to talk Harriet down after Robyn makes her realize that the people are more what makes a Kingdom. And Harriet breaks down after Elm says they are friends and she realizes she is grieving Clover's death, requiring Vine hand her over to Elm so they can escape the blast range while he gives up his life to contain it. By time Atlas has fallen, the surviving members of the Ace-Ops have all subverted this trope.
Punny Name: They're called the Ace-Ops which sounds very similar to "Aesop's", as in Aesop's Fables whose characters their team members are based on.
Technician vs. Performer: The Ace-Ops are Ironwood's counter to Ozpin's randomised, bonding-focussed team system. They're an impersonal five-man team assigned based on technical ability, where the pairs are formed by tactically complementary Semblances and fighting styles, and team fraternisation is discouraged. At their best, the Ace-Ops are a well-oiled machine. When deprived of Clover's good luck Semblance and leadership, they fall apart, unable to manage each other's moods and personalities. They are defeated by Team RWBY, who is very close-knit due to bonding and adapting to each other's personalities.
Theme Naming: They are all based on Aesop's Fables. Clover is based on A Fisherman's Good Luck, Elm and Vine are named after The Elm and the Vine, Harriet is based on the hare from The Tortoise and the Hare, and Marrow is based on the dog from The Dog and Its Reflection.
To Be Lawful or Good: Throughout the seventh and eighth volumes, the Ace-Ops uphold the rule of law while individual members acknowledge that Ironwood's policies have caused harm to the very citizens they're supposed to be protecting. Following Ironwood's decision to abandon Mantle, Ace-Ops continue to support him in defiance of their personal feelings because they still believe he's protecting the bigger picture. After Ironwood decides to bomb Mantle, Marrow, Elm and Vine break with him for good, helping the heroes thwart Harriet from activating the bomb on Ironwood's behalf. Harriet, who thought she was honouring Clover's Undying Loyalty to Ironwood, comes to her senses after realising she's going to get her team-mates, Robyn and Qrow killed with her actions; she screams in anguish as Vine rescues them at the cost of his own life.
True Companions: Discussed. Given their own experiences, Team RWBY initially assumes that the Ace-Ops are this until Ruby says she wants to have her friends' backs the way Ace-Ops has each others. Elm states friendships are for the school years and Harriet scoffs at the idea that Ace-Ops could be friends: Ace-Ops is a team of co-workers who trust each other with their lives but who never confuse professionalism with friendship. This works to their disadvantage when they're ordered to apprehend Team RWBY. Both teams are emotionally charged but Ace-Ops falls to in-fighting over how best to handle Team RWBY. Ren later observes that their true failure is that they're fighting so hard to avoid being friends that it's damaging their ability to work as a team. They finally admit their friendship at the end of Volume 8, but it costs them a life to admit it.
Two Girls to a Team: The Ace-Ops are one of the first Huntsman teams shown with more than four active members. The three male members are Clover, Vine and Marrow, while Elm and Harriet bump it to five.
Well-Trained, but Inexperienced: Talented and experienced at fighting Grimm, the Ace Ops have earned their title as Atlas' best. As established in Volume 7, they're soldiers rather than Huntsmen and have no experience fighting Salem. Used to stacking things in their favour and military grunts cleaning out lesser Grimm before moving in, they rely heavily on obeying orders, controlled environments, and Clover's leadership and Semblance. Salem's forces, however, specialise in targeting weaknesses, dividing allies, and using unusual or unpredictable Grimm. As the Ace Ops' competence and discipline deteriorate, the younger heroes increasingly prove their greater experience with Salem makes them more resilient, competent, and flexible at handling her machinations.
With Us or Against Us: The Ace-Ops ultimately adopt this stance, as General Ironwood takes more extreme actions in the battle against Salem. When Ironwood declares martial law, the Ace-Ops turn on Team RWBY, Qrow, and Robyn when they disagree with Ironwood's plan to deal with Salem's incoming army. Both groups still share the same goal of defeating Salem, but Ironwood and the Ace-Ops treat them as enemies to varying degrees when it becomes clear they won't abandon Mantle.

Clover Ebi

Voiced By: Christopher Wehkamp^{Foreign VAs}Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese)

Debut: The Greatest Kingdom^*Volume 7 Episode 1

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"You might be students, but you’ve been fighting just as hard as we have, if not harder."

A tall man who is the leader of Ace-Ops. He fights with Kingfisher, a weapon that can be cast and reeled in like a fishing pole. His Semblance brings good fortune to himself and those around him.

The Ace: Only the best graduates of the Huntsman academy join the Atlesian military. The very best of those join the unit known as the Ace-Operatives, a unit of five people famed throughout the Kingdom of Atlas as being the most talented and gifted Huntsmen in the kingdom. Clover is the leader of this unit, and is responsible for keeping the team at their best. He is therefore a charming and confident military leader who serves as Ironwood's right-hand man and is considered the best of the best. He is skilled enough to challenge the abilities of experienced, elite fighters such as Qrow and Tyrian, and is only defeated when they both concentrate their attention on him instead of each other.
Animal Motifs: The Kingfisher, the namesake of his weapon and inspiration for his design. Clover's hair in particular resembles the spiky crest of several species of Kingfisher. The bird is also an ancient symbol of Good Fortune, associated with prosperity, peaceful seas, and the winter solstice. Though Classical Mythology connects the bird's origins to a tragic death at sea.
Born Lucky: Clover appears to be blessed with charm and surrounds himself with lucky symbols, such as a horseshoe, lucky rabbit's foot, and a badge that is a combination of a four leaf clover and horseshoe. He gets on well with people, his fights always benefit him. If he engages in reckless or dangerous acts, he always makes it through them without a scratch. These are all clues as to what his Semblance is: the power of good luck itself.
By-the-Book Cop: His RWBY: Amity Arena profile name-drops this trope to praise him, seeing his obedience to rules and unwavering loyalty in his superiors as ideal. But this inflexible attitude proves a major disadvantage to Clover, leading to a confrontation with Qrow and Robyn when they question Ironwood's orders. In the resulting chaos, Tyrian is able to gain the upper hand and kill Clover, before making his escape.
Character Tics: Clover has a tendency to slide his thumb along the edge of the badge he wears on his chest. The badge is a four-leaf clover framed by a horseshoe, both symbols of good luck. The gesture is always accompanied by a slight glow and is followed by either Clover doing something reckless or dangerous that somehow turns out well for him, or before a seemingly random event occurs that benefits him in some way. The gesture is heavily implied to be how he activates his Good Luck Semblance.
Color-Coded Eyes: Clover has teal green eyes, which fits in with his lucky symbolism. In a play on his name and in connection to his luck-based themes, he wears a badge that is a four-leaf clover framed by a horseshoe his eyes therefore fits in with this symbolism.
Cynic–Idealist Duo: In Volume 7, Clover and Qrow are paired together for missions. Qrow is cynical, depressive and prefers to work alone while Clover is upbeat, chatty and prefers working with a team. Qrow's misfortune Semblance is uncontrollable and causes constant inconvenience for himself and others, while Clover has a controllable good fortune Semblance which aids him in combat. They both have a history of Undying Loyalty to a morally grey Huntsman leader: Qrow for Ozpin and Clover for Ironwood. However, Qrow has learned the bitter consequences of Undying Loyalty while Clover hasn't; this differing experience ultimately drives an insurmountable wedge between them.
Dies Wide Open: Clover's eyes visibly dull and become vacant, leaving him staring off into space as he passes away.
Exposed to the Elements: Clover's uniform is sleeveless with a v-neck, showing off his muscular shoulders and arms. His Aura allows him to operate without issue, but he still stands out among the many people that choose to dress appropriately for the freezing temperatures.
Fatal Flaw: His loyalty to General Ironwood. In "With Friends Like These", when Ironwood has RWBY, JNR, Oscar and Qrow arrested, Clover blindly follows his orders, which is one of the factors that leads to the Manta crashing. While fighting with Qrow and Tyrian, Clover is so focused on following orders that he initially focuses solely on Qrow, leading Tyrian to manipulate the situation in his favour and ultimately kill him.
Fearless Fool: Justified as a result of his luck-based Semblance. Clover isn't actually a fool or reckless with the lives of others, but his abilities permit him to get away with things that would normally be incredibly dangerous. While his team handles highly-unstable Dust gems with care, Clover casually tosses one around with very little concern. When others exit carriers by taking in the area, Clover typically uses a Leap of Faith and is even called a show-off for his antics. He finally pushes things too far, when he continues fighting Qrow even when Tyrian escapes and joins the battle. His confidence that he could defeat both his friend and the deranged Serial Killer forces an unlikely Enemy Mine scenario, allowing Tyrian an opening to kill Clover and frame Qrow for the murder.
First-Name Basis: Despite their strict military code and professionalism, Clover has a very close relationship with Ironwood. The general only allows friends to call him 'James', and Clover is one of the people who has his permission to do so. When he argues with Qrow over blindly following Ironwood's orders, he explains that he trusts 'James' with his life.
Good Luck Charm: Clover carries a number of traditional lucky charms on his person, such as a rabbit's foot hanging on his belt and a four-leaf clover framed by a horseshoe on his left breast. When he arrives after capturing the protagonists, he is swinging a horseshoe in his left hand.
Go Out with a Smile: When Clover dies, it's with a gentle smile on his face. The dying Clover tells Qrow that someone should take the fall and Qrow angrily tells him that he'll make sure Ironwood does. Clover wishes him good luck, then dies while watching the morning sunrise with a smile on his face.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: In "With Friends Like These", Clover is fatally stabbed in the back by Tyrian wielding Qrow's sword.
Improbable Weapon User: Among the lucky symbols Clover carries on his person, he has a large horseshoe which is uses like a boomerang. He employs its as both a projectile and melee weapon when fighting Qrow.
In the Back: After a long fight that breaks his Aura, Clover's left exhausted and unprepared for a surprise attack from behind. Tyrian sneaks up on Clover while he's talking to Qrow and stabs him in the back with Harbinger.
Irony: Clover and Qrow tend to work very closely together on missions and they each have a Semblance that counteracts the other: Clover's Semblance brings him good luck in battle and requires aura to function, while Qrow's Semblance brings misfortune to himself and others and is permanently active regardless of aura. As a result, they have a running joke between them regarding how Clover is and how his mere presence can change a situation for the better. When Qrow, Clover and Tyrian fight each other, Clover manages to disarm Qrow, who punches Clover so hard that Clover's Aura breaks, but Qrow's is still intact. This ends the influence of good luck on the battle, but leaves misfortune in play. Distracted by their argument over whether Ironwood can be trusted, neither of them notice Tyrian grab Qrow's weapon until he's run Clover through the chest with it. The battle therefore ends when Clover quite literally runs out of luck.
The Leader: Clover is in charge of the Ace-Ops. He is professional and business-like when it comes to issuing orders and making sure his followers know what the mission is and what's expected of them. However, he also has a friendly personality, jokes around with his team and is quick to apologize to the protagonists for the way they were initially introduced.
Leap of Faith: Others pull off fancy jumps to get down from high places or exit a transport. Clover simply falls backwards, and lets his Good Luck ensure he lands safely.
Meaningful Name: The four-leaf clover is a plant associated with good luck. Clover's Semblance is Good Fortune, and he surrounds himself with lucky symbols, including a badge he wears in the shape of a four-leaf clover that is framed by a horseshoe. Whenever he activates his Semblance, he strikes the badge with his thumb.
Positive Friend Influence: Clover is noted to be a man that brings out the best in others, encouraging others to see the good they have accomplished. In particular, he is quick to call Qrow out for trying to downplay just how important his guidance has been to his nieces and their teammates.
Rod And Reel Repurposed: Clover has designed his grappling hook weapon Kingfisher around a fishing pole. It therefore looks like one, is cast exactly like one, and the sound effects are the same as a casting or reeling line. He can use it as a grappling hook to swing away to the rooftops, and uses it to snare his enemies. When the heroes are first arrested by him, Jaune complains that he can't believe they were taken out "by that fishing pole guy".
Sacrificial Lion: Clover's death serves as the first major loss in the battle for Atlas, and the beginning of the story taking a much darker turn heading into Volume 8. His death heavily influences several plotlines for the volume, with Qrow imprisoned for his murder and the Ace-Ops thrown into disarray by their leader's death. Winter's assignment as his replacement proves a poor fit, with her coming into conflict with the Ace-Ops and Harriet becoming increasingly vengeful. By the finale of Volume 8, Harriet's grief drives her to nearly bomb Mantle and forces Vine to sacrifice his life to save the rest of the team. Tonally, the volume also proves to be incredibly dark with several more significant deaths, the destruction of the entire kingdom, and Salem claiming both Relics.
Sleeves Are for Wimps: Clover notably doesn't wear sleeves, even when out on the frozen tundra. It shows off his Heroic Build and adds to his tough appearance.
Tempting Fate: During the Ace Op's battle in the mines, Clover teases his team and asks what they would do without him. A few episodes later, that rhetorical question is answered when the team goes into combat while Clover is on another assignment: their personalities clash and their teamwork falls apart, allowing Team RWBY to defeat them. Clover himself dies on the assignment, permanently depriving the team of his leadership.
Tragic Bromance: Clover spends most of the volume befriending Qrow; they always work together and become very close, with there being an ongoing running joke between them that Clover can bring good luck to anything he gets involved in. When Ironwood orders the protagonists be arrested, Clover follows his orders without question. This leads to the airship they're traveling on with Robyn and Tyrian crashing, and a battle ensuing between Qrow, Clover and Tyrian. During the fight, Qrow and Clover make it clear they don't want to fight each other, but Qrow is a cynic who feels like all his friendships end up this way while Clover trusts Ironwood with his life and really wanted to be able to trust Qrow, too. The fight only ends when Clover disarms Qrow, who punches him so hard in response that Clover's Aura breaks. Tyrian grabs Qrow's weapon and impales Clover from behind before making his escape, effectively framing Qrow for Clover's death.
Undying Loyalty: To James Ironwood. He adamantly trusts Ironwood with his life, and will follow whatever orders he is given regardless of his personal feelings. After he is fatally stabbed by Tyrian, he subverts this. He says someone had to be the fall guy and drops whatever animosity he had during his fight with Qrow. When Qrow vows to make Ironwood take the fall, his last words are to wish Qrow luck.
Winds of Destiny, Change!: Clover's Semblance brings good fortune. This allows him to shift the potential fate of either himself or others. When Dust collapses from a mining tunnel, his Semblance prevents him from being caught in the resulting explosion. When he fights a Petra Gigas, he activates his Semblance to allow him to successfully pull off an almost impossible move that involves him casting his weapon from a distance, hooking itself under and around the Grimm's mask, giving him the perfect opportunity to rip the Geist out of its stone body.

Harriet Bree

Voiced By: Anairis Quiñones^{Foreign VAs}Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harriet_v7c4.png

"I’m looking forward to seeing what you kids can do."

A woman with a competitive and chatty personality, who fights with a pair of gauntlets called Fast Knuckles. Her Semblance gives her incredible speed.

Animal Motif: Hares. Her nickname is 'Hare' and she has blond tufts at the front of her hairline that resemble long ears. Her Semblance is super-speed, which alludes to the stereotype of hares being extremely fast runners.
Beneath the Mask: As the show goes on, it becomes more and more clear that Harriet's anger and dismissal of friendship is a way to mask her own pain at losing her teammates. When she claims you shouldn't mourn your teammates, Ren's Semblance reveals that she doesn't actually believe that and misses Clover, and she looks vulnerable for a moment before covering it up with anger. When Vine catches up to her in the middle of trying to bomb Mantle on Ironwood's orders, she says it's what Clover would have done, and breaks down crying, not even denying it when Vine says Clover was important to her.
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Harriet is impatient, impulsive and quick to anger. Fitting the series themes of weapons that are indicative of their owners, Fast Knuckles are a blocky, inelegant weapon with exposed machinery that are designed to do maximize damage in as little time possible. Notably most Atlas weapons are precise and smooth, which makes Fast Knuckles all the more noticeable.
Can't Take Criticism: In "Fault," after she shoots down Robyn's suggestion to use her Semblance to confirm whether or not Qrow killed Clover, Robyn verbally attacks Harriet, citing it as proof she cares more about taking her frustrations out on someone than finding out the truth or taking an honest look at what side she's on. Harriet is visibly enraged and only stopped from marching into Robyn's cell to throw down by Marrow's entry.
Character Tics: Harriet flicks her nose whenever she feels a strong emotion like excitement or rage.
Close-Range Combatant: Harriet is so heavily specialised in speed-based fist-fighting that she lacks any ranged capability. She wears a power harness on her arms and shoulders to massively enhance her strikes and her Semblance vastly increases her speed. Although she's incapable of ranged combat, very few can handle her up close.
Colorful Contrails: Harriet has a speed Semblance that is lightning themed. Whenever she activates it, lightning arcs through her eyes and feet, and she leaves behind streaks of yellow lightning as she runs.
Competition Freak: Harriet is nothing if not competitively-driven. When she's introduced to the protagonists, Harriet immediately wants to pit skills against them. Vine warns her that not everything has to be seen as a competition.
Fast as Lightning: When she activates her speed Semblance, Harriet's eyes begin to spark with lightning effects that sometimes travel across other parts of her body, such as her feet. When she starts running at super-speed, she leaves a trail of lightning effects behind her.
Fatal Flaw: Harriet's weaknesses are her loyalty to Ironwood and determination to follow orders. Despite the rest of the Ace-Ops turning against Ironwood shortly before the destruction of Atlas, Harriet personally tries carrying out Ironwood's plan to blow up Mantle out of loyalty. Once she comes to her senses, Watts has hacked the bomb so it can't be stopped, and Vine Zeki is forced to sacrifice himself to protect everyone else from the explosion; Harriet is left horrified and grief-stricken over the fact that someone she cared about is dead as a direct result of her actions.
Fury-Fueled Foolishness: Harriet's mask of anger leads her to make increasingly rash and foolish decisions. During her fight with Ruby, she's so angry that she fails to notice Weiss put up a wall of ice, leading her to crash into it and knock herself out. This has deadly consequences by the end of Volume 8 when she personally carries out Ironwood's plan to blow up Mantle. By the time she snaps out of it, it's too late, and she can only cry in anguish when Vine sacrifices himself to stop the bomb.
Hidden Disdain Reveal: Harriet is a very competition-driven individual. She is constantly eying up people she can test her skills against, even if they're supposed to be allies. When Team RWBY resists being arrested by Ace-Ops, Harriet is incredulous that these kids want to fight the best Huntsmen in Atlas. As they fight, she sneers that she had Team RWBY pegged from the start, indicating that she'd been expecting them to turn on Ironwood from the beginning. As the fight progresses, Marrow complains that Harriet is using excessive force against someone she is supposed to only be arresting.
Hit-and-Run Tactics: Harriet runs circles around a massive Geist, attacking and taunting it as a distraction while it struggles to catch her. By the time it's managed to turn and swing at her, Harriet is already gone and attacking from the other side.
Inertia Is a Cruel Mistress: Harriet's Super-Speed makes her a powerful and almost untouchable foe, but a sudden obstruction will turn that speed against her. With her arms bound, Hare still charges at top speed at Ruby, only for Weiss to suddenly create a wall of ice for her to slam into which breaks her aura and knocks her out.
In-Series Nickname: Her teammates occasionally call her 'Hare'.
Jerkass: Harriet is cold and professional at best; stubborn, condescending and short-tempered at worst. Initially somewhat friendly — if a bit competitive — towards Team RWBY, she shows her true colors once they refuse to go along with Ironwood's orders. Out of all the Ace-Ops, she shows the least bit of inner turmoil over coming to blows with the heroes, refuses to listen to anything they have to say about how butting heads will play into Salem's hands, and is more than willing to use lethal force against others even when unnecessary.
Lightning Bruiser: Between her Semblance and her gauntlets, Harriet can inflict massive damage to her opponents in the span of a few seconds. She is also more durable than average considering she could briefly stop a Megoliath's stomp, though it did cause her Aura to flicker afterward.
Murder Is the Best Solution: Harriet is highly competitive and throws her all into every battle she's in. When ordered to arrest Team RWBY, Harriet states she never liked them and advocates killing them for disobeying Ironwood. Marrow calls her out, reminding her that Ironwood's orders are only to arrest them.
Murderous Thighs: Harriet has a very muscular lower body, with most of her physical strength in her legs. When her arms are restrained during the battle, she immediately switches to attacking with her powerful legs and uses wrestling moves to choke and throw her opponent.
My God, What Have I Done?: Harriet largely buries her emotions beneath a mask of anger, causing her to make rash and reckless actions. Namely, her grief over Clover's death causes her to arm the bomb meant to destroy Mantle, which Watts takes advantage of to remotely hack into her ship and the bomb so that it can't be turned off. After Elm declares that they are friends and convinces her to abandon her grief-fueled crusade, she breaks down upon seeing the bomb remotely armed, saying she's killed them all and begging forgiveness. When Vine then hands her over to Elm so he can sacrifice himself to protect them, Harriet can only cry out in anguish as Elm carries her inside, her actions ultimately killing someone else she cared about.
Not So Similar: To Ruby. They're both high-speed combatants who are often the first to charge into battle. But while Ruby is sweet, bubbly, and values teamwork with her closest friends, Harriet is aloof, brutally honest, and fiercely competitive even with her teammates. Ruby heavily prefers to use Crescent Rose over hand-to-hand, while Harriet specializes in overwhelming her foes with her Power Fist.
Personality Powers: A discussed example appears in her RWBY: Amity Arena bio. The In-Universe developers of the game mull over the idea that a person's Semblance is a reflection of who they are. When analyzing her Semblance and trying to figure out why she has the fastest speed-type they've come across, they hypothesize it's reflective of her incredibly impatient personality.
If Semblances are reflections of who you are, your soul, then perhaps Harriet's speed has something to do with her incredible impatience? Because nothing in this world moves quickly enough for Operative Bree.
Power Fist: Her weapons, Fast Knuckles, are a pair of gauntlets that are connected by an exoskeleton that covers Harriet's arms and upper back. They're strong enough to pulverize a caved-in rock face with one hit.
Principles Zealot: Harriet takes her stubborn loyalty to Ironwood to the point of zealotry. Vine confronts her about her pointless intent to destroy Mantle, but Harriet defends her actions as a matter of principle.
Speed Blitz: Harriet's Semblance is super speed, and this enables her to inflict these on her enemies.
Speed Echoes: Harriet's speed Semblance allows her to move so fast that she leaves behind an extremely faint echo of herself. It usually manifests when she either starts running from a standing start or when she changes direction in mid-run. Her lightning-themed Colorful Contrails are much more visible and easier to spot.
Super-Speed: Harriet's Semblance allows her to move at extremely fast speeds and enables her to strike in lightning-fast attacks. Her Semblances manifests through lightning that crackles through her eyes and across her body when she activates it.
Token Evil Teammate: Harriet is obsessed with competition and will regard even allies as a challenge she must compete against. Vine admonishes her for this behaviour when they're first properly introduced to Team RWBY; her only interest in the heroes is to see what they're capable of. Team RWBY and Ace-Ops end up fighting when Ironwood orders Team RWBY's arrest and the heroes resist. Harriet tells Ruby that she had Team RWBY pegged from the start and proceeds to try and defeat her violently, even attempting to strangle her with her legs. In the middle of the fight, she and Marrow argue about it: she admonishes Marrow for holding back against Weiss while he criticizes her for behaving excessively towards Ruby, whom she's only supposed to arrest. It reaches the point that, when Winter and the other Ace-Ops turn on Ironwood upon discovering his intent to bomb Mantle, Harriet doesn't and goes so far as to try to carry out his plan herself. She only ends up being stopped by Qrow, Robyn and her other teammates after making her have a Heel Realization and the bomb is activated anyway by Arthur Watts before Vine sacrifices himself to save the others as Harriet cries out before his death.
What Would X Do?: Harriet's actions throughout Volume 8 are motivated by her belief that it's what Clover would do if he was still alive. She goes so far as to carry out Ironwood's plan to destroy Mantle purely because she's convinced Clover would have done the same.
Wrestler in All of Us: Harriet is an extremely powerful physical fighter, who is capable of pulling a hurricanrana in battle. When she fights Ruby, Ruby manages to bind her arms with Harriet's own bola. Harriet continues fighting by wrestling Ruby with her legs.

Marrow Amin

For more information on Marrow Amin, please see RWBY: The Heroes.

Elm Ederne

Voiced By: Dawn M. Bennett^{Foreign VAs}Akeno Watanabe (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elm_4.jpg

"Perhaps you kids won’t get yourselves killed after all!"

A huge, powerfully built woman with an very enthusiastic personality. She fights with Timber, a massive war-hammer that can also become a rocket launcher. Her Semblance allows her to encase her feet in energy that locks her in place as though rooting her to the ground like a tree.

The Ace: Her RWBY: Amity Arena bio praises Elm as a veteran operative with an exceptional track record, second only to Clover. Her numerous accomplishments and strong personality make her a pillar that supports and stabilizes the team. The biography goes further in praising her, suggesting that Clover's semblance is the only reason Elm isn't considered the kingdom's best operative.
BFG: Timber can transform into a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher capable of shooting two missiles at once that are powerful enough to one-shot Megoliaths.
Boisterous Bruiser: Elm is an excitable, enthusiastic woman; she loves jumping out of airships, she loves the heroes' enthusiasm to work, and when she finds teams RWBY and JNR Huntsman jobs to undertake she slams the mission board scroll into action like it's a gambling machine and creates an exciting tale of fighting Sabyrs for them to get excited about. When in combat, Elm's a powerful warrior who fights with a large war-hammer and brings the same enthusiasm about life into her fighting style. Everything's big about Elm — including her energy.
Color-Coded Eyes: Elm has rather plain brown eyes in a cast with vibrant, unnatural colors. This earthy hue is suited to a woman with the ability to quite literally ground herself in place.
Et Tu, Brute?: Elm values loyalty extremely highly and is the first to tell Team RWBY that it's enough to simply be given orders and follow them. It's not their job to question the orders they're given. When she learns that Team RWBY kept secrets from Ironwood and leaked intel to Robyn behind their backs, she is infuriated. When Team RWBY tries defending Robyn against Ironwood, she's horrified and demands to know whose side they're really on. While fighting with Team RWBY, Elm's anger is uncontrolled and violent, and she bluntly informs Vine of Team RWBY's treachery.
Genki Girl: When first introduced, Elm makes no secret of her enthusiasm for meeting Team RWBY, gushing over them while shaking Ruby's hand so vigorously that Ruby ends up dizzy.
The Heart: Elm is the most open and excitable amidst the Ace-Ops, and tends to be the one who handles relations between them and the protagonists. Her Amity Arena bio notes that she is considered the "pillar" of the group, second only to Clover in holding the group together.
Logical Weakness: Elm's semblance allows her to anchor her feet to whatever surface she's standing on, allowing her to use her strength to become totally immovable. That means her Semblance is far less useful if she's standing on rubble or broken ground because she has nothing she can properly root herself to. When Team RWBY and Ace-Ops fight, Yang takes advantage of this by tearing up the ground they're fighting on with her explosive ammunition. Elm is left with nothing she can use her Semblance on, allowing Yang to gain the upper hand.
Magical Barefooter: Her footwear consists of shinpads that cover the top of her feet, and trouser bands that loop over the middle of her feet, leaving her toes, heels and most of the soles exposed despite the harsh climate of Solitas. She uses her feet to anchor herself when in battle by sheathing her feet in energy that plants her into the ground like the roots of a tree.
Muscles Are Meaningful: Elm is the second-tallest of the Ace-Ops and her biceps are very developed. Her size and strength is demonstrated when she effortlessly waves Ruby's entire body around like a blanket while shaking her hand. During the Grimm assault on Mantle, she launches a Megoliath hundreds of feet into the air.
Not So Similar: To Nora. Like Nora, she favours a hammer that doubles as an explosive ranged weapon and is a Genki Girl. Unlike Nora, Elm's Genki Girl behavior appears to be genuine and she obeys Ironwood regardless of personal feelings, compared to Nora who uses her behavior as a mask to hide her insecurities and isn't afraid to call Ironwood out on his behavior.
Oh, Crap!: When Vine is taken out by Blake and Yang's coordinated attack, Elm's reaction is to pause for several seconds in wide-eyed shock.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Vine is the Blue Oni, a very calm and quiet individual who shows very little emotion and tends to fight by standing in one place and extending his Aura out like stretching limbs. He is always paired with Elm; as the Red Oni, she is a loud, passionate woman, wears her heart on her sleeve and tends to fight by rooting herself into the earth with her Aura so that she can withstand the recoil from her own rocket-launcher.
Rage Breaking Point: While she was already upset and hurt by the apparent betrayal by Team RWBY, she still controls herself to a degree. However, when Yang mockingly insults how the Ace-Ops are just "following orders", Elm furiously yells, tosses the previously captive Blake into a wall, and gets progressively more aggressive than she was previously.
Rocket-Powered Weapon: In a literal sense as well — not only does her hammer have a thruster in the back of its head to enhance her swings, it transforms into a rocket launcher.
Sticky Situation: Whenever glowing energy encases Elm's feet, she becomes anchored to the position she's in. She can use this to avoid sliding down an icy slope and to stand her ground against an enemy onslaught.

Vine Zeki

Voiced By: Todd Womack^{Foreign VAs}Shunsuke Takeuchi (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vine.jpg

"A very... head-first approach."

A tall thin man with a calm personality. His weapon is Thorn, a bladed chakram he carries on his back. His Semblance allows him to encase his limbs in energy that stretch out like vines to achieve a variety of effects ranging from locking himself into place to lassoing distant opponents.

Facial Markings: Vine has a marking in the center of his forehead that looks like a sun half cresting the horizon, and a shaded mirror image. He has coloured circles of various sizes running down the center of his face from forehead to chin.
Heroic Sacrifice: When Vine goes out, he goes out protecting his friends. When the Ace-Ops, Qrow, and Robyn are trapped on one airship with a live bomb that will blow them all up before they can escape the blast radius, Vine encases the bomb in his own body and allows the others to escape at the cost of his own life.
Hidden Depths: Despite being The Spock, he's more emotionally astute than he lets on. When his attempt to reason with Harriet falls through, he realizes that she's still mourning Clover, and reassures her that she isn't alone in her grief. If Robyn hadn't crashed into them at that moment, he might have talked her down himself.
Icy Blue Eyes: Vine's eyes are an incredibly pale shade of blue, and compliment his cool and calm personality.
Jumping on a Grenade: With their options exhausted, Vine chooses to protect his friends at all costs. When he, the Ace-Ops, Qrow, and Robyn are trapped with a live bomb, he stays behind with the payload, using his Semblance to contain the blast so that the others are able to escape.
Long-Range Fighter: Vine likes using his Semblance in battle. He can extend his Aura like stretchable limbs, allowing him to be able to affect targets from some distance away due to his Aura's reach. He can hold back a street full of Grimm by pinning them all to the wall with the length of his Aura arms. He can extend himself across a cavern to catch falling Dust before it explodes, and he can use it on his legs to swiftly raising his body up to new floors and levels. However, because his Semblance is about stretching limbs to act at a distance, there's not much benefit to it functioning at close range when his normal body and limbs will do. When training with Jaune, he suggests Jaune consider learning how to extend his Aura in battle, too.
Not So Stoic: While Vine is shown to be the most stoic member of the Ace-Ops, even he has moments where he loses his composure. One of which is when he sees Winter Schnee pretending to arrest Marrow Amin with a shocked expression in his face and later in the same scene he was shown afraid when General James Ironwood threatened to kill the remaining Ace-Ops if they would defect like Marrow just tried to do.
Ornamental Weapon: While Vine does have a weapon, namely the chakram on his back called "Thorn", he rarely actually uses it, instead preferring to use his Semblance and occasionally the standard-issue bolas.
Powers Do the Fighting: Vine generally resorts to his Semblance, be it against Grimm or humans. While he does have a weapon, he is rarely seen holding it, let alone using it in a fight.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Vine is the Blue Oni, a very calm and quiet individual who shows very little emotion and tends to fight by standing in one place and extending his Aura out like stretching limbs. He is always paired with Elm; as the Red Oni, she is a loud, passionate woman, wears her heart on her sleeve and tends to fight by rooting herself into the earth with her Aura so that she can withstand the recoil from her own rocket-launcher.
Rubber Man: Vine can sheath his arms and legs in glowing energy and extend that energy like vines to achieve a range of effects. He can brace himself against walls to lock him in place, stretch them out to lasso distant opponents or extend his legs to reach higher vantage points.
Sarcasm-Blind: In response to the heroes' eagerness to test out their new Huntsmen licenses with missions, Marrow quips that he can smell "fresh meat". Vine comments that he doesn't smell any meat, deflating Marrow's hazing.
Skewed Priorities: When the heroes and Ace-Ops reach the hiding place of the Petra Gigas, Vine notes that discharging Dust inside it will cause the raw Dust leaking around the vicinity to wreck the launch site. Marrow then points out that it would also vaporize the heroes, and that Vine has a problem with paying more attention to the mission's objectives than he does to the safety of the team.
The Spock: Vine prioritizes his decisions on what he believes to be the most logical choice, a character trait that comes into particular focus late in Volume 8. After Robyn points out that a kingdom survives if the people do, not if the infrastructure does, Vine tries to talk Harriet down from bombing Mantle. As the people are being successfully evacuated, bombing the city is no longer logical and her obsession with mimicking Clover's Undying Loyalty to Ironwood is therefore wrong.
The Stoic: Vine isn't one to show much emotion; his face is usually set in a placid smile or a straight line. Even when fighting Team RWBY, Vine maintains a calm tone while trying to talk them down. He briefly shows annoyed resignation at the way things go, but recomposes quickly and focuses on capturing them. Out of all his team, Vine shows the least reaction upon Ironwood shooting Sleet dead. Even when Ren uses his newly evolved Semblance to see the true emotions of the Ace-Ops, Vine's emotions remains calm and restrained. A stark contrast to his teammates. The only time he loses his stoic composure is when he is shocked to see Winter Schnee pretending to arrest Marrow Amin and when Ironwood threatened to kill the remaining Ace-Ops if they tried to defect like Marrow tried to where he is shown to be afraid like his teammates. Even as he sacrifices his life Vine remains as calm as always and accepts his death with grace and dignity.
Stronger Than They Look: Vine is the thinnest of the Ace Ops, but his Semblance can let him lift boulders heavier than him and push back multiple Grimm.
Warrior Monk: His hair is very a close-shaven buzz cut which gives him a bald appearance without actually being bald. His clothing has eastern influence, he wears a beaded necklace and has tattoos in the center of his forehead and down his face. He evokes the image of an eastern monk and is described as being focused on self-improvement.
Willfully Weak: During Ace-ops' clash against Team RWBY, Vine twice shows a desire for them to surrender rather than using force. He is also shown aiming to disable them rather than act aggressively during the battle, which results in Elm repeatedly berating him for holding back against Blake and Yang.

City of Atlas

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The City of Atlas

The current capital of the Kingdom of Atlas, the city floats in the skies above Solitas, where the smoke from the Dust mines below cannot reach. A clean, modern city that's been nicknamed 'the City of Dreams', Atlas boasts state-of-the-art technology and security defenses, well-resourced education and training, and comfortable lifestyles.

Atlas Cargo Pilot

Voiced by: Richard Norman^{Foreign VAs}Kazuki Ōta (Japanese)

Debut: No Safe Haven^*Volume 4 Episode 12

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/atlas_pilot.jpg

"Sorry, kid. My ship, my rules."

A Pilot who flies a cargo ship from Atlas to Mistral. He's willing to take a bribe to have Weiss escape Atlas.

Ace Pilot: To fly through the floating islands of Lake Matsu takes skill to deal with the gravity forces from the island gravity Dust crystals that could force his ship to crash. When Lancers attack the ship, he flies between very narrow spaces at speed without crashing, he can time his flight to make it through rockfalls without crashing, and he can lead Lancers to their deaths in a sheer rock face by pulling up at the very last second to avoid crashing into the island. He dies when his ship crashes.
Killed Offscreen: As a result of the battle with the Lancers, the airship he's piloting crash lands. While Weiss comes out badly hurt but surviving, the pilot is nowhere to be found. The creators confirmed that the pilot died in the crash.
Running the Blockade: He's smuggling Dust (and Weiss) out of Atlas immediately after Ironwood banned the export of Dust and closed the borders.

Fria

Voiced by: Luci Christian [EN]

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fria.png

"I had a job to do."

An elderly woman who, despite being on her deathbed, is being held in a maximum-security Atlesian facility.

Because You Were Nice to Me: As a Maiden, her powers pass to whomever she is thinking of when she dies. She chooses Penny as her successor because the gynoid girl did her best to comfort Fria in her final moments.
Face Death with Dignity: While Fria shows signs of a declining mental state and is succumbing to old age, she's alert enough to remember that it's still her responsibility to protect the Maiden powers from evil and shows no fear of death in deciding she's ready to complete Ironwood's plan to transfer her magic to a new host, even though she knows she'll die in the process but can't quite remember who the chosen successor is. Using the last of her fading strength to keep Cinder at bay, she's taken enough by Penny's compassion for her well-being to choose Penny as her successor. She then passes away peacefully as the magic transfers to Penny.
An Ice Person: As the Winter Maiden, she has extremely powerful ice abilities. The cold she creates is so powerful that Winter's gloves partially disintegrate just from getting too close to her, and Cinder, who is a powerful fire-using Maiden is driven back; Cinder's Grimm arm is designed for absorbing Maiden powers, but can't handle the force of power coming from Fria and begins to freeze.
The Last Dance: Fria is on her death bed when Cinder comes to steal the Winter Maiden's power from her. Even with her memories fading, Fria still remembers her duty and fends Cinder off with a final display of the Winter Maiden's full power, creating a vortex of ice and freezing cold so enormous that it blasts through the roof of the building she's in. The blizzard is only stopped when Penny is able to break through, and comfort Fria in her final moments.
Life Will Kill You: Rather than falling in battle against Grimm or someone after her powers, Fria is slowly dying of the effects of old age, which creates gaps in her memory and leaves her bedridden.
MacGuffin Super-Person: Fria is the Winter Maiden, a woman who possesses unimaginable elemental magical power. However, she is an elderly woman confined to a hospital bed, visited only by those to whom General Ironwood grants access. She is introduced to the show already on her deathbed with only days left to live. General Ironwood permits only Winter Schnee to visit her in the hope of making sure Winter is the last person in Fria's thoughts when she dies; by doing that, he hopes to ensure the Maiden powers transfer to Winter when Fria dies.
Meaningful Name: "Fria" is homophonous to Frio, the Spanish word for "cold". As the Winter Maiden, she commands powerful elemental ice magic. It is so cold that it starts disintegrating the gloves on Winter's hands and begins to freeze Cinder's Grimm arm, which was designed to absorb the power of Maidens.
Never Mess with Granny: Despite her old age and being confined to a bed Fria is still tremendously powerful due to her being the Winter Maiden and having fully mastered her powers as noted by Winter. Cinder finds this out the hard way during her attempt to get the Winter Maiden's power when Fria creates a blizzard strong enough to easily repel her. The cold she produces after is such that Cinder (herself a Maiden) and Winter are unable to break through it and that it takes Penny's robotic nature for her to be capable of reaching Fria.
Technicolor Fire: When Fria taps into her Maiden powers, the fire that forms around her eyes takes on the same colour as her Aura, which is a very pale, icy blue.

Henry Marigold

Voiced by: Alejandro Saab

Debut: Tipping Point^*Volume 4 Episode 6

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"Heheh, I'll admit, I only come to these things for the food and drinks... and the extraordinary company, of course."

A young man who is at the Schnee benefit gala for Vale. He offends Weiss when he tries to talk to her.

Idle Rich: While attending a charity for Vale after the fall of Beacon, Henry readily admits that he doesn't know or care what the event is about. He's just there because he likes to go to parties.
Just Here for the Free Snacks: His attempt to hit on Weiss fails when he admits that he has no idea what the charity event is for. Despite standing right next to a sign stating the fundraiser's purpose, he blithely informs her that he's just there "for the food and drinks, and the extraordinary company". He thinks he's charming Weiss, so is utterly baffled when her response is to kick him out of the building.
Upper-Class Twit: Henry is oblivious to what goes on in the outside world and equally clueless about reading the room. When she finally threatens to have security throw him out, his departure consists of him acting like her anger came out of nowhere, making it clear that he completely failed to notice her visibly growing upset with the things he was saying.

Will Scarlatina

Debut: RWBY Before The Dawn ^*

The father of CFVY member Velvet Scarlatina. He is a brilliant scientist originally from Vale, recruited by General Ironwood to work on military projects.

First-Name Basis: He addresses Ironwood by his first name since they are friends. It catches Velvet by surprise when he first does it in front of her. He used this close connection to help his daughter gain access to the rare Hard-Light Dust she uses for her weapon.
Gadgeteer Genius: His skills as an engineer caught the attention of General Ironwood, who recruited him to work for Atlas on top-secret projects. Velvet's childhood was spent building things with her father, developing the skills she would use to build her camera Anesidora.
Insistent Terminology: He prefers to be called a "tinkerer", as opposed to an engineer.
Parents as People: Will is a playful, brilliant scientist who loves his family. However, he is also so committed to his work that it placed considerable strain on his family. He is aware of how it hurt Velvet, and how it also ruined his marriage.
When You Coming Home, Dad?: He moved to Atlas for his work, leaving his wife and Velvet behind in Vale. His research and status as a highly-valued asset for the Atlas military meant he had very little time to spend with them. The summer before Velvet started at Beacon, she asked directly about him coming home. He admitted he was probably going to be staying in Atlas.

Madame and her daughters

Voiced By: Linda Leonard (Madame), Amanda Lee (Both Daughters)

Debut: Midnight^*Volume 8 Episode 6

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_madame.png

"Say it!"

A wealthy Atlesian woman with two daughters who owned the Glass Unicorn, an upscale hotel in Atlas. She found Cinder in an orphanage and made herself Cinder's legal guardian, bringing her to the hotel to live... and to work as a slave.

Big Sister Bully: The sisters were taller and more mature than 10-year old Cinder, and delighted in tormenting their "adopted" little sister at every opportunity. The girls were at best siblings on paper, considering Cinder as nothing more than a slave for them to harass and abuse for their amusement.
Fantastic Racism: Madame ran a very upscale hotel for whoever could afford to stay there and it had regular customers. This included placing a note on the reception desk saying that the hotel didn't serve Faunus.
Killed Offscreen: By the time Rhodes arrives one night at midnight, Cinder had already snapped and killed her abusive step-sisters and he witnessed her killing Madame himself.
No Name Given: Their real names were never revealed, they were just referred to as "Madame" and daughters.
Regal Ringlets: One of the sisters wore her hair in elaborate curls, like a porcelain doll.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: While slavery was made illegal after the Great War, Madame's wealth allowed her to exploit a loophole: by legally adopting orphans, an elite Atlesian can force them to work for the family as slaves. Cinder's Shock Collar is openly worn around her neck, designed to look like a necklace, and the abuse she receives occurs openly in front of guests with no consequences. The guests themselves turn a blind eye to it, and continue to regularly re-use the establishment regardless.
Wicked Stepmother: Madame adopted Cinder from a rural orphanage under questionable circumstances. Her purpose was to obtain a slave who could be forced to work at her hotel for nothing; she barely even fed Cinder, forcing Cinder to scrounge for scraps of food and drink from discarded room service trays. Madame also forced Cinder to wear a Shock Collar which was used not only for punishment but also for her own sadistic pleasure. She also had her two daughters engage in whatever torment and bullying they wished.
Would Hurt a Child: After adopting and enslaving Cinder, Madame risked her life by frequently torturing her with her Shock Collar, forcing her to do all the chores and depriving her of food so severely that she was forced to scrounge for scraps from abandoned room service trays. This proved that Madame had no problem putting a child in danger.

Rhodes

Voiced By: Christian Young

Debut: Midnight^*Volume 8 Episode 6

"Just a few more years and you won't need your guardian's permission."

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/v8_06_00075.png

"You'll be free."

An Atlesian Huntsman who took pity on a young Cinder and encouraged her to become a Huntress. He trained her in secret for several years, but was unable to protect her from her abusive "family".

His weapons consisted of a pair of maces he could dual-wield as either maces or guns, and also a short sword.

Affectionate Gesture to the Head: He would frequently pat Cinder on the head before leaving for his missions, and to praise her when her training went well. In his final moments, he patted Cinder on the head one last time before succumbing to his injuries.
Carry a Big Stick: Rhodes's primary weapon appeared to be twin maces that could also be used as guns. When activated, the mace heads would split apart, increasing in size to improve bludgeoning power. Although he wore a sword at his hip, his maces seem to be his first choice of weapon when fighting Cinder.
Chrome Champion: Rhodes's Semblance allowed him to transform his skin to metal, protecting him from attacks. However, that makes him vulnerable to heat, such as Cinder's super-heating Semblance.
Dual Wielding: Rhodes fought with two maces that he could dual wield as either maces or as guns. He taught Cinder his dual-wielding style while training her to become a Huntress.
Fatal Flaw: His passivity and unwillingness to rock the status quo. While Rhodes is relatively more moral than the Madame and her stepdaughters and recognizes Cinder's abusive situation, he isn't willing to go any further than to try to teach her how to fight so she can join the Huntsman Academies, despite the fact that it would take at minimum seven years before she's old enough to do so, without getting her out of her abusive situation. The fact that he keeps on coming back to enjoy the luxuries of the hotel and seems to turn a blind eye to the anti-Faunus elements of the establishment only further enforces this. When Cinder inevitably snaps under the cruelty and murders her tormentors out of sheer desperation, Rhodes utterly botches any chance of helping Cinder by trying to arrest her rather than empathize with her, showing that he prioritized his own comfortable status quo over helping a victim. This proves to be his downfall, and the start of Cinder's descent into villainy.
Logical Weakness: His Semblance allows him to transform his skin to metal, protecting him from most attacks. However, Cinder's Semblance, Scorching Caress, allows her to super-heat whatever she touches. As a result, it's a natural counter to his Semblance as heating his metallic throat by grabbing it instantly causes him pain and forces him to drop it.
Meaningful Echo: When he first met Cinder, she had stolen one of his swords to take revenge against her abusive adoptive family. Rhodes warned her that, if she killed them, she would spend the rest of her life on the run. When Rhodes discovers Cinder has indeed killed her family, she gives him a manic smile and declares that she doesn't have to run now. Rhodes grimly informs her "that's all you'll ever do" before drawing his weapons to arrest her.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: When Cinder steals his sword, he decides to train her to become a Huntress, hoping he can give her a legal route to a better future instead of her throwing her life away by killing her abusive family. The training lasts for several years until his death, whereupon her Start of Darkness begins. Unable to cope with the abuse any longer, Cinder kills her family; when Rhodes tries to arrest her, his training has been so effective that she is able to kill him. Years of torture ending in four murders is how her road to villainy begins.
Morality Chain: When Cinder steals his sword to kill her abusive family, he intervenes to offer her a better option: secret training to become a Huntress, setting her up for a respectable career and permanent, legal freedom from her family for the rest of her life. The catch is that she has to endure seven years of torture and secrecy before reaching the age when she can take the Academy exam and legally escape. Unfortunately, her family finds the weapon Rhodes gave her, triggering a confrontation that leads to Cinder finally snapping from all the torture before fighting Rhodes when he tries to arrest her. In the end, he wasn't able to save her; he only staved off the revenge killing for a few years, just long enough to give her the skills of a killer and, once he's dead, she has nothing left to bind her to morality or the law.
To Be Lawful or Good: Rhodes realises that Cinder has stolen his sword because she wants to kill her family in revenge for the abuse she's suffers, so he tries to give her a legal route to freedom by training her to become a Huntress. However, this requires her enduring torture for another seven years until she's old enough for the Academy exam as he wants her to make a clean break instead of doing something illegal. When she finally snaps and kills her abusers, Rhodes immediately tries to arrest her.

Amoncio Glass

Voiced by: Lucas Schuneman [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/every_single_new_character_from_arrowfell_v0_tm3xlx6znq0a1.png

An Atlesian elite who sells military weapons.

Arms Dealer: He is a mobster who makes his fortune by making shady deals and selling weapons.
Dirty Coward: He challenges Team RWBY to a fight, then immediately flees to find his mech because he knows he doesn't stand a chance without it.
Small Name, Big Ego: He boasts how not even the Ace-ops can arrest him, but Ruby has absolutely no idea who he is. This annoys him throughout their encounter.

The Schnee Family

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/download_8_24.jpeg

L-R: Winter, Willow, Jacques, Whitley, Weiss

One of the most powerful families on Remnant, the Schnee family runs the largest Dust company on the planet, controlling everything from mining to munition-making. Despite their impeccable public image, the Schnee family has quite a murky history.

Jacques Schnee

Voiced By: Jason Douglas^{Foreign VAs}Madoka Shiga (Japanese)

Debut: End of the Beginning^*Volume 3 Episode 12

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"Did you forget your manners while you were away?"

"I'm sorry. I tuned out for a second, but sounds like I'm the good guy again."

Jacques is in charge of running the Schnee Dust Company (SDC), one of the largest producers of Dust on Remnant and the father of Winter, Weiss, and Whitley Schnee. His original name was Jacques Gelé (French for Jack Frost), but he took the Schnee name when he married into the Schnee family and was given control of the company by his father-in-law.

Abusive Dad: From the start of the series, Weiss heavily implies that Jacques was abusive towards her and possibly her sister while they were growing up. He received a lot of stress from dealing with the White Fang's terrorist acts against the Schnee Dust Company, so he often would come home from work in a less than pleasant mood. Once Jacques finally appears in Volume 4, he's revealed to be a merciless sociopath who only cares about the family name — which he, in fact, married into and took for himself — and has no qualms about disinheriting Weiss for disobeying him one too many times. Volume 7 implies that he's abusive to Whitley too, as he lectures him for disturbing him when he wanted to be alone, and again when he doesn't close the door immediately after he tells him to. He was hardly any better to Winter, who has nothing but bad memories of growing up in the Schnee manor and joined the military to get away from him. It's to the extent that in "Creation," Winter makes it clear to Jacques that she's only going to evacuate him to Vacuo because Weiss decided to do so, her expression and tone of voice heavily implying she would leave him to die otherwise.
Archnemesis Dad: In Volume 4, Weiss is focused on gaining and/or maintaining her freedom, while Jacques is focused on manipulating and abusing her. In the episode "Punished", Jacques eventually disinherits and detains her for disobeying him one too many times, forcing her to flee Atlas in an attempt to reunite with Winter. Winter herself had it just as bad, and joined the military to escape his controlling ways; come "Creation," while Weiss ultimately won't abandon any sense of familial bonds towards him, Winter makes her hatred for Jacques clear.
Bad Boss: Jacques maximizes profit at the expense of his workers' rights and salaries. When running for the council seat, he holds their "non-essential" jobs hostage to force them to vote for him, openly admitting that he'd lay them all off to save money if he didn't need their votes.
Control Freak: Jacques expects his children to follow his orders without question and to further the business interests of the Schnee Dust Company, regardless of their personal desires. Once Weiss tells him about her plans to leave Atlas, Jacques detains her until they reach an "agreement" about how her future will unfold. When Weiss realises that Whitley has been waiting for Jacques to disinherit both daughters so that he will inherit everything, the former reasons that the only way to handle Jacques is to follow the latter's expectations.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: The Schnee Dust Company was founded by Nicholas Schnee, the son of a Dust miner, who was determined to save the Kingdom of Mantle from its economic decline. By training as a Huntsman, Nick was able to lead expeditions in search of Dust and personally protect the people who worked for him. When he grew more elderly and more sickly due to working in the dust mines frequently, he eventually handed the company to his son-in-law, Jacques, the company had a reputation for both quality and trust. Jacques, however, is motivated only by profit, maximizing turnover at the expense of workers' rights and salaries. He will engage in philanthropic activities, such as charity fund-raising to help Vale, but only as a PR exercise to protect his company's investments and profits. In a bid to win Mantle's council seat, he closes all non-essential SDC facilities and promises them to restore their jobs and stop the embargo should he be elected into the Council.
Qrow: Cheap labor, dangerous working conditions, doing whatever it takes to destroy the competition... Jacques Schnee doesn't care about people. He cares about winning.
Corrupt Politician: He's upgraded to this as of Volume 7, pursuing a seat on Mantle's council for the sake of getting around Ironwood's Dust embargo and boosting his company's profits. Jacques really seals himself as this when he negotiates with Watts to rig the election in his favour.
Dark Horse Victory: No-one expects Jacques to win the election and the polls initially reflect this, so he's referred to as the dark horse. Once he wins it, the news reporters refer to it as a dark horse victory.
Digging Yourself Deeper: Jacques presents himself as a calm, controlled individual whose conniving personality never wavers and who can always turn a potential upset into something he can take advantage of. However, when he does struggle to see a solution to a situation he's in, he causes more problems for himself. After the council finds out he collaborated with Watts to rig the election in exchange for his log-in credentials, which were upgraded to the highest level upon winning the election, Jacques' situation falls apart. He insists he "only" intended to win the election and had nothing to do with the massacre of Robyn's supporters, Penny being framed for it, or the shut-down of Mantle's heating grid. The more he talks, the more he angers people: firstly, Councilman Sleet insists he stays to face the consequences; Weiss then uses her new Huntress license to arrest him; Robyn throws a chair across a room at his flippant disregard rigging the election; Winter lectures him about getting Mantle's heating grid up and running; finally, even the stoic Ironwood loses his temper with him.
Dirty Coward: Although Jacques is perfectly composed and arrogant as long as he's in control of a situation, his cowardice becomes readily apparent when things don't work in his favour. When outed for collaborating with Watts to rig the election in his favour, he's reduced to a stammering, fidgeting wreck who can only manage feeble lies in his defense. When that fails, he tries to flee.
Even Evil Can Be Loved: Despite all of his vile and selfish actions, "Creation" ultimately proves that Weiss can't abandon any sense of familial bonds towards him. When he begs to be taken to safety in Vacuo, Winter informs him that they will be coming back for him, but makes it clear that the decision was Weiss', not hers.
Even Evil Has Standards: While Jacques is a Corrupt Corporate Executive, he clearly draws a line at committing murder…directly.
Faux Affably Evil: For all his polite talk, refined style and mannerisms and philanthropic efforts, Jacques brought the Schnee Dust Company to the "morally grey area" of operations with heavy abuse of its workers, human and Faunus alike, covered up by throwing tons of PR efforts on it, — all to satisfy his pure unadulterated Greed. It doesn't help that the SDC is heavily implied to play a part in the Start of Darkness for Adam Taurus, in the end turning him into a genocidal human-hating maniac. And that's before getting to his treatment of his family, which resulted in his wife Willow — whom Jacques married in the first place to get control of her father's company — turning to heavy drinking, and their daughters — first Winter, then Weiss — leaving their Gilded Cage of a home to pursue a career of an army officer and a Huntress respectively.
Gold Digger: Jacques married into the family and took the Schnee name so that he could take control of the company once Nicholas became too ill to continue leading it. He's a cunning businessman who is motivated solely by the size of the profit he can generate. He has taken the company from strength to strength by focusing on profit at the expense of workers' rights and wages, and at the cost of the company's original philanthropic soul.
Greed: Jacques married into the Schnee family to seize control of the company. His primary motivation is profit-making, and his sole concern with Ironwood's Dust embargo is that it's cutting into his profits. He calculates how many Mantle employees he can lay off based entirely on the personal benefits to himself and pursues a seat on the kingdom's council just to obtain the power to end the Dust embargo that's crippling his profits.
Hated by All: As a Corrupt Corporate Executive, on top of being an abusive Gold Digger, Jacques has earned himself the ire of virtually everyone in Atlas and beyond, to the extent he only wins the Atlas council election because he conspired with Watts to rig it in his favor. Even his own family doesn't care for him that much, with Weiss and Winter becoming a Huntress and joining the military respectively to get away from him.
Implausible Deniability: Jacques tends to have an answer for everything when he's in control of a conversation. However, when faced with the unexpected, he doesn't lie well. When Weiss reveals the video footage that proves he worked with Watts to rig the election, Jacques stammers for a response before feebly declaring "That... isn't real." This fools precisely no-one, especially the councilors and Ironwood.
It's All About Me: When it comes down to it, despite doing such things as charity events and fundraisers, Jacques is only concerned with maximizing profits and his own image, and doesn't think much about anyone who's not him unless he can use them to his own benefit.
Jerkass Has a Point: In the seventh volume, he tries becoming a councilman to restrict Ironwood's power and remove the Dust embargo that's eating into his profits, arguing that the embargo is damaging the economy. The embargo is indeed reducing Mantle to destitution and his complaints about Ironwood's paranoia and tyrannical leadership decisions are shared by by the council and even by heroes like Nora, Blake and Robyn. No-one is able to prevent Ironwood's spiral, resulting in him eventually transforming into a villain.
Lack of Empathy: As Qrow himself states, all Jacques cares about is winning and is willing to use others to further his goals. He only hosts a fundraiser for Vale in order to attain good publicity for the company, and says Weiss's dreams and ambitions mean nothing to him.
Meaningful Name: His maiden name, Jacques Gelé is French for "Jack Frost". In stories, Jack Frost was a creature who was always a threat to Christmas, making him an opponent of Father Christmas. The founder of the Schnee Dust Company, Nicholas Schnee, is based on Saint Nicholas, a wealthy man who used his wealth to better the lives of others and is believed to be the origin of the Santa Claus folklore. Nicholas passed on a thriving and philanthropic company to his son-in-law, Jacques, not realizing that Jacques would destroy everything that had ever mattered to him. Jacques has turned the company into a profiteering business that climbs on the backs of the poor and which keeps people in poverty instead of helping them escape it.
No Body Left Behind: His final fate is to be completely vaporized by General Ironwood's BFG in his prison cell as he pathetically begs for his life.
Odd Name Out: Of the Schnees who appear onscreen, he is the only one whose first name doesn't begin with the letter "W". It's a clue that he isn't a Schnee by birth and only married Willow, the SDC heiress, so that he could take the prestigious name and company for his own.
Parental Favoritism: Weiss starts the show as the SDC heiress because Jacques had disinherited his oldest daughter Winter for pursuing a military career that left him unsatisfied. In Jacques's study, the only family portrait present on his desk is that of his son, Whitley. While there is a photograph of Weiss facing the desk, it's located in a much less prominent position on a bookshelf. After Jacques disinherits Weiss for her insolence, he makes Whitley his sole heir. Once Weiss flees Atlas to rejoin her team-mates for good, he turns her photograph away from him.
Photo Op with the Dog: Thanks to Atlas halting Dust exportation with the world in a state of high political tension, Jacques organizes a charity concert to convince the public that the Schnee Dust Company is still on their side, and has Weiss to perform during the event to remind everyone that a Schnee was on the front lines during the Beacon assault.
Playing the Victim Card: Even after his arrest for treason and conspiracy, Jacques still insists he's a victim who was duped by Watts and admits his hands aren't clean in order to argue that he's not as bad as a murderer.
Pragmatic Villainy: He freely admits that the only reason he hasn't laid off his Mantle workers to save money is that he needs their votes for the upcoming election. When Watts strikes up a deal with him to stuff the ballots in exchange for his log-in credentials, Jacques happily agrees.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: A discussed example occurs in the Volume 8 episode "Refuge". Watts notes that everyone in the prison block is in the same boat, and Jacques is certain that Whitley and his legal team are arranging for his release. But as it turns out, Whitley was too emotionally exhausted from the ordeal to actually do much until Weiss went back to the mansion.
Sharp-Dressed Man: His typical outfit is a sharp-looking blue dress shirt, navy vest, and white tie and dress coat (although the tie is actually a clip-on).
Slave to PR: By the nature of his business. While unethical to an extreme, Jacques gets off scot-free by having "the best damn PR team in the world" according to Qrow, and uses charity events and aggressive PR to cover up his abuses and monopolizing.
Slimeball: Above all else, Jacques is a slimy, self-serving Corrupt Corporate Executive whose sole concern is his own personal gain and business profits. He manipulates events around him in his favor and to get good PR and publicity, organizing a fundraiser for Vale and running for the Atlas council to end Ironwood's Dust embargo, both times purely because said embargo is eating into his profits. He can put up a charming and affable act, with polite talk and refined mannerisms, but it's all just an act to get people to side with him and do what he wants.
Smug Snake: When Jacques feels in control of a situation, he is calm, pompous and manipulative. In Volume 4, he cajoles an unwilling Weiss into singing at a charity event for Vale, praising her only when she gives in to his demands. Later, he disinherits Weiss for her insolence while treating her like an ungrateful child. While conversing with the council in Volume 7, he smugly flatters Robyn for her passion and uses Winter's own words against her to have the council end Ironwood's embargo that's eating into his business profits. After Weiss exposes him for treason, ballot stuffing, and accessory to murder, his smug arrogance vanishes to be replaced by a stammering, panicking coward who attempts to run away.
The Sociopath: He puts his needs and desires above everyone else's, cares about no one but himself, and is superficially charming enough to have convinced Nicholas Schnee to let him take control of the Schnee Dust Company and maintain a good public image in spite of his abusive business practices. This all points to him being a high-functioning sociopath. In Volume 7, he takes Watts's advice during the council election to shut down all non-essential SDC operations, and promises the workers to restore their jobs should they vote him into the council. It incites riots across Mantle, but the reason why Jacques wants the council seat in the first place is so that he can address Ironwood's decisions, which are affecting his company's profit margins.
Took the Wife's Name: Jacques changed his last name upon his marriage to Willow Schnee in order to gain profit and recognition off of the fame the name entailed, specifically the social status of the Schnee family and the Schnee Dust Company. This worked as he was later named the president of the company and successor to his father-in-law Nicholas Schnee.
The Unfettered: Jacques is willing to do whatever it takes for the sake of profit and/or power. This includes underpaying his workforce, throwing his employees into dangerous working conditions, ruthlessly destroying competitors, holding his laborers' jobs hostage to force them to vote for him, and handing Dr. Watts a backdoor to Atlas' security grid so he will rig the council election and make Ironwood look bad.
Ironwood: I knew you'd stoop low to get what you wanted, Jacques. But this?
Unwitting Pawn: Jacques's greed makes him a perfect dupe for Watts; When Watts offers to help rig the election so he can lay off his Mantle workers to cut costs, he happily agrees to give the doctor his log-in credentials to do so. However, Jacques's actions play right into the villains' hands. Not only do the lay-offs and Jacques's victory increase tensions, draw more Grimm to the city, and gives Jacques the foothold to interfere with Ironwood, his upgraded access allows Watts to not only hack into more of Atlas' systems but also begin to lock the rest of the council out. The capper is Watts turning off the heating grid under the SDC's supervision, causing riots and a full-on Grimm invasion.
Villain in a White Suit: Jacques adopts a formal white dress suit accented with a blue shirt, pale blue tie and red handkerchief. He is also a Corrupt Corporate Executive who lacks empathy and compassion in dealing with his workers, and primarily cares about profit. At one point, there is a contrasting shot of dirty and poor miners deep in the mines staring at a broadcast of him wearing his expensive, crisp and clean white suit while he claims they're in it together.
Villainous Breakdown: Jacques is smug and arrogant when he's in control of a situation, but freaks out whenever things go marginally pear-shaped. During a meeting at Schnee Manor in Volume 7, he receives some bad news; while everyone in the room focuses on Ironwood, he sits in the background visibly sweating and rubbing his forehead with his hand in worry. He's initially warned the heating grid has been switched off for Mantle but doesn't alert the council because his login credentials were used; when Weiss exposes him for election rigging and treason, Ironwood and the councilors link him as an accessory to murder as well. Once Jacques realizes this, his inherent cowardice comes out and he tries to run away.

Willow Schnee

Voiced By: Caitlin Glass^{Foreign VAs}Gara Takashima (Japanese)

Debut: Cordially Invited^*Volume 7 Episode 8

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"I'm sorry I couldn't come down for your party, I'm... afraid I'm not feeling well."

"I'm afraid your father may be involved in something more dangerous than he realizes."

Jacques's wife and the mother of his three children, and daughter of SDC founder Nicholas Schnee.

Alliterative Family: Willow Schnee's name means "snow willow", a real life tree species. All three of her children have names beginning with the letter W that are also associated with white and snow: Winter, Weiss (meaning "white") and Whitley (meaning "white glade").
Alcoholic Parent: A Played for Drama example. When Weiss talks to Yang about the former's family life in Volume 5, she reveals that Jacques's lack of interest in her 10th birthday party led to him confirming to Willow that he only married her so he can obtain the prestigious Schnee name and company. Her subsequent breakdown led to her, as Weiss puts it, progressing from glasses to bottles of wine and no longer taking any active part in her children's lives. When she drinks straight from a bottle in front of Weiss during their meeting in "Cordially Invited", the latter is noticeably upset, but says nothing.
Cut a Slice, Take the Rest: When she first appears onscreen, she is holding a full tumbler and a half-empty bottle of vodka. While she talks with Weiss, she toys with the glass but never drinks from it; she swigs directly from the bottle instead.
Despair Event Horizon: According to Weiss, when Jacques told Willow that he only married her to obtain the Schnee name, she fell into despair and resorted to drinking alcohol. As her drinking increased, her presence at family gatherings or Weiss's recitals became increasingly scarce to the point where she was no longer involved in their children's lives.
Functional Addict: She downs half a bottle of vodka while taking with Weiss yet remains completely coherent throughout. In general, she seems more depressed and exhausted than inebriated. She also still retained enough awareness of her family's situation to secretly install cameras to monitor Jacques's activities for her and her children's safety.
Mama Bear: Despite her own overwhelming fear at the presence of the Hound in the manor, the moment she sees it heading for the office in which her son is located, she runs to save him and stays by his side for the rest of the battle.
Meal Ticket: Jacques Gelé married Willow for her money, using her to inherit the Schnee Dust Company that her father had built. The heartbreak of learning that she'd married a Gold Digger turned Willow into an alcoholic, unable to protect her children from their abusive father.
Motherly Side Plait: Willow ties her long hair back in a loose, messy ponytail, in comparison to the more elaborate styles worn by her daughters. It makes her look less "put together", and contrasts against Jacques' obsession with their family keeping up appearances.
Parents as People: Willow loves her children unconditionally, and she does worry about the impact that she and Jacques have had on all three of their children, yet she's too trapped in her own helplessness to strike out against Jacques directly. She has been secretly recording Jacques's activities in the Schnee Manor for some time just in case she ever needs to get herself and her family to safety. She also tells Weiss to take Whitley with her when she next leaves, pointing out that Weiss leaving him alone with two terrible parents led to their strained relationship.
Properly Paranoid: She put cameras in every room of the mansion without her husband's knowledge in case he did something that she'd want a recording of (she implies she's worried about Domestic Abuse). She gets a recording of him selling Atlas out to Watts.
Retired Badass: The Schnee family semblance allows the user to summon avatars of the creatures they've killed in battle — specifically, creatures whose defeat helped them to grow beyond the person they previously were. To save Whitley, Willow summons an enormous Boarbatusk avatar that dwarfs the one Weiss summoned in Volume 4 in an extremely short amount of time. It's therefore implied that Willow did master her Semblance and gain combat experience in her youth.
Strong Family Resemblance: All of her children clearly take after her as they all share the same hair and iris color. Her daughters in particular look like younger versions of her with more rounded facial structures and different heights.
Trauma Button: When she hears that there's a Grimm outside, Willow drops her alcohol and starts having a panic attack, running to her room while telling Klein that she "can't do this". Throughout the Hound attack, she seems on the edge of breaking down and struggles to hold herself together, with only the threat of the Hound going for her son spurring her into action.
Useless Bystander Parent: Zigzagged. While Willow does love her children, her despair at discovering Jacques was a Gold Digger led her to become an alcoholic and barely present in her children's lives, too trapped in her own helplessness to stop Jacques from abusing them. However, she has also been secretly recording Jacques' activities in the manor for her and her children's safety, and acknowledges the role she played in creating the abusive environment they live in when she points out to Weiss that she left Whitley alone with them.

Weiss Schnee

For more information on Weiss Schnee, please see RWBY: Team RWBY.

Whitley Schnee

Debut: Remembrance^*Volume 4 Episode 2

Voiced By: Howard Wang^{Foreign VAs}Marina Inoue (Japanese)

"I'll have you know I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon."

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"Good luck with Father!"

Weiss and Winter's little brother and the current heir presumptive of the SDC.

Alliterative Family: The three Schnee children and their mother all have names beginning with the letter 'W' and which evoke the color white. Whitley's name comes from Anglo-Saxon roots, where 'whit' means 'white' and a ley is a clearing in a forest or wood. 'Whitley' therefore means 'white glade'.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When Weiss meets Whitley after returning to Atlas, the latter acts like a decent brother towards her. She's suspicious of this because she knows that Whitley dislikes both of his sisters, but Whitley blows it off as a sign he's growing up. But as it turns out, Whitley's encouragement and support for Weiss is an act. By behaving as a perfect, obedient son, Jacques views Whitley as the only option for the legacy of the SDC when his daughters disobey him. He disinherits both Winter and Weiss and makes Whitley his sole heir, exactly as Whitley planned.
Defrosting Ice King: Initially appearing antagonistic in Volumes 4 and 7, he raises minimal fuss when Weiss later returns to the manor in Volume 8; despite being worried about his family's reputation, Whitley reluctantly offers to help after Ruby explains the situation. Weiss sends him away during the crisis, but Whitley begins taking a more active role once he sees how dire the situation actually is. He calls Klein back to the manor to provide medical care for Nora, and follows this up by figuring out a solution to the crisis in Mantle. It's clear that removing his father's toxic influence and giving him positive attention was all that was required for Whitley to begin looking for ways to help others.
False Reassurance: Once Weiss returns to Atlas, Whitley is supportive of her and understanding about her situation. Weiss is confused by this because she was always under the impression that Whitley didn't really like her or Winter, but Whitley assures her it was only Winter he had issues with. Following her disinheritance, Weiss realizes that Whitley's actions were only a pretense so that he would be seen by Jacques as the only suitable heir.
Fish Eyes: After Weiss discovers that Whitley has tricked Jacques into disinheriting his daughters, Whitley eyes become slightly off-centre as he makes her aware that they must follow Jacques's expectations.
Freeze-Frame Bonus: For a brief moment when Jacques opens the door, Whitley looks saddened as if he overheard the conversation between Weiss and their father after the party, implying that, in spite of his attitude once Weiss confronts him, he does actually love her to some extent.
Guile Hero: Whitley isn't a fighter like his sisters, and doesn't even have an unlocked Semblance like his mother, but he proves to be extremely clever and capable of thinking on his feet. He realises that he can re-allocate the company resources to provide Mantle with a fleet of robot-piloted cargo ships to evacuate the crater by reprogramming SDC drones. He also obtains Willow's help to push a massive statue on top of the Hound, crushing it and saving his sister and her friends.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Thanks to Willow's alcoholism and Jacques' abusive behaviour, Whitley's personality initially puts him at odds with Weiss. Despite this, he deeply loves his siblings. Following Jacques's arrest, he surprises everyone by having Klein treat a seriously injured Nora and planning to re-allocate Schnee company resources to evacuate the Mantle refugees; he even risks his own life to complete the SDC drone reprogramming when the Hound tries attacking him.
Like Father, Unlike Son: The seventh and eighth volumes establish that, despite his own flaws, Whitley's just a lonely kid trapped in the abusive household his sisters escaped from. Though Jacques is confident Whitley's arranging for his legal team to bail him out, he's proven wrong once Whitley willingly shelters Weiss and her friends while having Klein treat a seriously injured Nora. Upon discovering how impressed Weiss is with his efforts, he becomes an active ideas-man for the heroes, regularly proposing solutions to their problems.
Nerves of Steel: He doesn't have any combat prowess, but when pushed into a corner he shows a surprising degree of resourcefulness in the face of danger. During the Hound's attack on the manor, Whitley remembers to send out the drones to rescue Mantle before escaping; when it chases him, he tries slamming a door in its face to no effect; though everyone else is shocked by the reveal of the Hound's true nature, he realises it's moving into a position where an enormous suit of armor can fatally crush it, so he encourages Willow to help him do so.
Non-Action Guy: Whitley demonstrates no combat prowess and has never manifested a Semblance. After Weiss accuses him of being jealous of his sisters' abilities, he says the power lies in armies, such as the Atlesian military. In Volume 8, he realises that he has the power to re-allocate company resources to form an "army" of company cargo ships and automated robots to help the Huntsmen evacuate Mantle. He even risks being attacked by the Hound to complete the drone reprogramming.
Parental Favoritism: During Jacques's conversations with Ironwood and Weiss in Volume 4, a very brief scene of the desk reveals that the only portrait Jacques keeps on his desk is of Whitley; there's no sign he has any daughters or even a wife. After Weiss inadvertently summons a Boarbatusk that seriously injures a guest at the charity fundraiser, Jacques is forced to disinherit Weiss and make Whitley the sole heir to the company.
Sharp-Dressed Man: Although Whitley appears to be drifting around the house, he's in a suit: smart trousers, shirt, tie and waistcoat. He's not wearing a suit jacket, however.
Smug Snake: He is as such in the Volume 4 episode "Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back," when he interrupts Weiss in the middle of her training to ask her if she wants him to pick anything up for her while he's in town meeting business associates. He's uninterested in whether she does have any errands for him, he just wants her to know he's out and about on SDC business while she's detained.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Yes, he's antagonistic towards Weiss and made sure Jacques saw him as the sole heir since he behaves like the perfect son. However, he's as much a victim of their father's abuse as his sisters are thanks to Weiss leaving him alone in an abusive household. To drive the point home, following Jacques' arrest, Whitley becomes forlorn and confused, desperate for someone to genuinely love him. It's telling that when Weiss moves to hug him after he calls on Klein to treat Nora's injuries, he flinches at her approach and seems confused at the embrace before relaxing into it; like many people who experienced abusive childhoods, he instinctively braced for impact.
What You Are in the Dark: In the eighth volume, Jacques claims Whitley will be arranging for his legal team to bail him out of jail. However, Whitley sits alone in the Schnee Manor until Weiss returns, where she tells him to stay in his room and not interfere. While Weiss's group struggle to figure out how to help both the comatose Nora and beseiged kingdom, Whitley secretly eavesdrops before summoning Klein to get Nora proper medical treatment. Once Weiss hugs Whitley for these altruistic efforts, he becomes openly cooperative; several of his ideas become the basis upon which the heroes start their fight back.

Klein Sieben

Voiced By: J. Michael Tatum^{Foreign VAs}Ken Uo (Japanese)

Debut: The Next Step^*Volume 4 Episode 1

"Ah, there's my happy little snowflake."

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"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee? I always find he keeps his study dreadfully cold."

Klein works in the Schnee household as a butler and has the ability to switch between a number of different personas with different eye colors.

Affectionate Nickname: His yellow-eyed personality is a fatherly, compassionate one. When that personality comes to the fore, he calls Weiss his "snowflake".
The Confidant: All of his personalities are be absolutely dedicated to helping Weiss through her troubles.
Eye Color Change: His personality changes are signified by his eyes changing colour. Each eye colour reveals which personality is in control, and each personality is a reference to one of the Seven Dwarfs from the Disney version of the tale.
- Brown: His default personality is solemn, well-mannered and business-like. The Dwarf this references is Doc.
- Red: When his eyes turn red, he takes on the role of a cartoon villain, hunching slightly, with a sly attitude, crude humour and making mean comments. The Dwarf this references is Grumpy.
- Blue: When his eyes turn blue, he sneezes often and becomes humorously nervous and apologetic. The Dwarf this references is Sneezy.
- Yellow: He becomes upbeat and sympathetic when his eyes turn yellow. The Dwarf this references is Happy.
Meaningful Name: Klein Sieben's name means "Little Seven" in German and the different personalities that have so far been seen correspond to the personalities of Disney's Seven Dwarfs. Weiss is based off Snow White, and Klein goes out of his way to try and keep her cheerful and happy in a home environment that is isolated, depressed and stifling. When Weiss gets detained in her own home, it is Klein who helps her to escape through the manor's secret exit; this is what the Seven Dwarfs do for Snow White when she gets detained.
The Medic: He's not just a butler, but a doctor too, and is called by Whitley to tend to a comatose Nora.
Parental Substitute: Weiss's mother is a neglectful alcoholic and her father is a self-absorbed businessman who is only concerned with maximizing profits and his own image. Klein, on the other hand, is a friendly butler who uses his ability to shift personalities to cheer up Weiss when she's feeling low. He provides her with coffee after she's been in a cold room, uses his rude and grumpy personality to make her laugh by mocking Jacques's behaviour, and has a motherly personality that fusses over her well-being. Once Jacques detains Weiss for her insolence in Volume 4, Klein doesn't hesitate to secretly help her escape the family mansion and flee Atlas. Thus, Weiss considers Winter and Klein as the only family she has left.
Split Personality: He displays several different personalities with their own respective eye colors. Each personality comes with its own voice change and body language. His default personality is that of a well-mannered, solemn butler, but he can morph into a grouch that makes mildly rude comments and a sneezy, nervous klutz-type character when aiming for comedy. He also has a very motherly personality that comes out when his eyes turn yellow. An RTX panel confirmed he is a rare, positive non-villain portrayal of dissociative identity disorder.
Waistcoat of Style: Klein's uniform consists of smart charcoal trousers, waistcoat, white shirt and blue tie. The waistcoat is the same charcoal as the trousers and has piping that is the same shade blue as the tie. The top quarter of the waistcoat (the shoulder section) has a very delicate, repeating pattern woven into the material. There are four pairs of silver buttons, which match the silver buckle on his belt and a pocket watch is carried in the right pocket, attached to one of the buttons by a silver chain.

Nicholas Schnee

For more information on Nicholas Schnee, please see RWBY: Remnant.

The Atlas Council

The Atlesian council is the governing body of the Kingdom of Atlas and oversees both the cities of Atlas and Mantle. Its members are democratically elected by the kingdom's citizens and therefore can be natives of either Atlas or Mantle.

The Council consists of five seats made up of three citizens, the general of the Atlesian military and the headmaster of Atlas Academy. Since becoming the headmaster of Atlas Academy, General Ironwood has held two seats on the council.

In General

Authority in Name Only: When Ironwood was given his second seat, a number of checks and balances were put in place to make sure the balance of power wasn't broken by his extra power. However, after the fall of Beacon, it becomes increasingly clear that these checks don't work, allowing Ironwood to make unilateral decisions without the rest of the council. Their initial fear after the fall of Beacon gives him free rein until a new councillor is elected in Volume 7, giving them three seats versus his two. However, by the end of Volume 7, Ironwood declares martial law and renders their authority moot. And when they try to challenge them, Ironwood just kills Sleet outright, terrifying Camilla into compliance.
Locked Out of the Loop: Ironwood refuses to tell them about Salem and the Amity Colosseum project out of fear that word will get back to Salem and she will sabotage it, alongside the fact that they may not take the news about Salem well. This causes major tension with both the council and the public at large, as without context for his actions he comes off as a paranoid tyrant. Although he finally tells them in Volume 7, the heroes tell him about the secret Ozpin has been hiding regarding the true scale of Salem's threat. As neither the heroes nor Ironwood give this extra information to the others, the rest of the council is almost immediately locked out of the loop again.

Councillor Sleet

Voiced by: Chad James [EN]

Debut: Cordially Invited^*Volume 7 Episode 8

"The fact of the matter is, you've operated with a fair amount of autonomy for the past few years, James. But what we need now is for you to work with us."

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"What people intend and what they do aren't always the same, General."

An elderly male member of the Atlas Council.

Killed Mid-Sentence: In the Volume 8 premiere "Divide", Sleet barges into an Atlas medical facility to confront Ironwood about his draconian actions during Salem's attack. Ironwood suddenly shoots him dead mid-sentence, making it clear that he is in charge now and is not brooking any dissent among his subordinates.
Killed Offscreen: When Ironwood shoots Sleet and kills him, he isn't shown on-screen and is hidden behind the walls of the medical facility unlike Camilla who watches in horror.
Make an Example of Them: Sleet and Camilla storm into the medical center to confront Ironwood over his actions, challenging his declaration of martial law and the abandonment of Mantle. Ironwood shoots Sleet dead in front of multiple witnesses, sparing Councilwoman Camilla but effectively ending any official means to challenge his authority.
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: During the council meeting at Schnee Manor in the Volume 7 episode "As Above, So Below", the council discovers that Watts and Jacques made a deal that involved rigging the election, which is connected to the massacre that occurred at Robyn's rally and the shutting down on Mantle's heating grid. Jacques tries to claim the video footage is fake, but an outraged Sleet tells him to "Take. Your. Seat."
This Cannot Be!: When Sleet learns that Watts is active in Mantle, he is so shocked that he sinks back down into his chair. He seems particularly shaken by the fact that Watts is still alive after having been considered dead for several years.
Unwitting Pawn: He is completely right to denounce Ironwood abusing his power and keeping secrets from the Council, and under normal circumstances he'd be perfectly justified in removing him from his seat. As it turns out, he's Locked Out of the Loop about Ironwood's true intentions and him helping get Ironwood off the council is playing right into Salem's hands. This ends when Jacques is exposed and he's brought into the loop.

Councillor Camilla

Voiced by: Anairis Quiñones [EN]

Debut: Cordially Invited^*Volume 7 Episode 8

"It's obvious that no Kingdom intends to declare war on Atlas. We had no involvement in the incident at Haven, we have proof our drones weren't acting on orders at Beacon. At this point, the closure of Atlas borders is only serving to hurt our relations with the rest of the world."

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"Ironwood wouldn't lie about something like this."

A short female member of the Atlas Council.

Reasonable Authority Figure: She notes that there's no evidence that any kingdom is planning to attack Atlas, and Ironwood's embargo is hurting their relations with the other nations. When Sleet questions whether Ironwood's information could possibly be true, she states that she believes it, reasoning that no one would tell such an outlandish lie.

City of Mantle

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The City of Mantle

The original capital of the former Kingdom of Mantle, the rise of Atlas reduced Mantle to a shadow of its former self. Streets are run-down, technology is old, security defenses haven't been updated in years, and smog from the mines hangs heavy over the city. People struggle to eke out an existence, depending on dangerous mines for work and experiencing regular Grimm attacks that the city increasingly struggles to repel. Meanwhile, Atlas hangs in the sky above their heads; a constant reminder of the wealthy elite that is failing to share the wealth that Mantle creates, and a target of Mantle's growing resentment and anger at having been left so far behind.

Robyn Hill

For more information on Robyn Hill, please see RWBY: The Heroes.

Fiona Thyme

Voiced By: Michele Sontag^{Foreign VAs}Mayu Yoshioka (Japanese)

Debut: Pomp and Circumstance^*Volume 7 Episode 4

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fiona_28.jpg

"This is Mantle's moment."

A short sheep Faunus who fights alongside Robyn Hill to uphold the rights of Mantle. Her Semblance "Pocket Dimensions" allows her to dematerialize inanimate objects and store them in a pocket dimension in the palm of her hand, then release them at her discretion.

Animal Motifs: Sheep. Not only does Fiona have sheep ears instead of human ones, she also has a hairstyle that resembles sheep's wool and she has a shy, gentle persona, which is a common stereotype for sheep. She also wears asymmetrical earrings in her ears, one of which looks like the kind of tagging that happens to farmed sheep.
Broken Tears: After Ironwood makes his ultimatum where he threatens to destroy Mantle if Penny doesn't surrender herself to him, or if someone interferes, Fiona falls into despair and break down in tears over Mantle's desesperate situation. May and Joanna are quick to hug and comfort her.
Dual Wielding: RWBY: Amity Arena reveals that, when not using her weapon as a staff, she dual wields their alternate mode, a pair of crossbows.
Hammerspace: Fiona's Semblance allows her to dematerialize inanimate objects at least as large as an armoured truck and the supplies within. RWBY: Amity Arena reveals she can re-materialize whatever she uses her Semblance on at will, with the In-Universe developers expressing frustration at her desire to be a Happy Huntress rather than use her Semblance working at the SDC, ignorant or just uncaring of how horrible the SDC treats Faunus like her.
Little Bit Beastly: Fiona has a pair of white sheep ears instead of human ones.
Mission Control: When Mantle is left to its own devices in the face of a growing Grimm threat, the Happy Huntresses start organizing the evacuation of the city. Fiona stations herself in the refugee zone and coordinates everything: which sectors Huntsmen are evacuating, still need to evacuate and have completed evacuating; where the trouble-spots are; where reinforcements or extra fighters are needed; how to organize the refugees and local residents of the slums; ensuring there's enough food, water, Dust, and dwelling space for everyone; and keeping track of where tensions are rising over crowding, resources or anti-Faunus prejudice.

Joanna Greenleaf

Voiced By: Marissa Lenti^{Foreign VAs}Mariko Higashiuchi (Japanese)

Debut: Pomp and Circumstance^*Volume 7 Episode 4

"Either you're helping... or you're baggage."

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"Don't worry... It's in the bag."

A tall, butch woman who fights alongside Robyn Hill to uphold the rights of Mantle.

The Big Gal: Joanna is the tallest of the Happy Huntresses and has a strong physical presence that she can use for intimidation purposes, as shown when she steals the microphone from a news reporter. She's not afraid of physical conflict and quickly volunteers to put a stop to a brawl that's breaking out among the people she's helping to protect. She also almost never loses a fight, as revealed by Robyn when telling a story about the first time Joanna ever lost one.
Brutal Honesty: Joanna does not mince words. When she helps out the heroes after their fight with Ironwood, she asks them to give back in return by helping them evacuate Mantle. Having just spent the whole night in conflict with Ironwood, Weiss remarks that the group is never going to sleep ever again. Joanna's retort is "You're either helping, or you're baggage."
Flat Character: In Volume 7, Joanna gets very little direct action and dialogue as her character isn't the focus, leaving her personality undefined. In Volume 8, she plays a much bigger role, clearly defining her character and personality, thus growing out of this trope.
Meaningful Name: Joanna's surname is Greenleaf. She is based on Little John from the Robin Hood tales; in The Gest of Robin Hood, Reynolde Greenleaf is an alias used by Little John. Little John is Robin Hood's second-in-command and Volume 8 shows that, in Robyn's absence, it's Joanna who takes command.
Tattooed Crook: Joanna has a number of tattoos, with a few plastered on her face, and she's part of a group that isn't above breaking the law for Mantle's benefit.

May Marigold

Voiced By: Kdin Jenzen^{Foreign VAs}Satsuki Kokubu (Japanese)

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

"Mantle needed me, and to the Marigolds, that meant I wasn't their son anymore. And I made sure that everyone knew that I wasn't their daughter."

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/may_8.jpg

"Oh, funny, that’s why we’re here."

A tall woman who fights alongside Robyn Hill to uphold the rights of Mantle. She fights with a spear. Her Semblance is an invisibility shield; by expanding her Aura, she can cloak everyone and everything inside it from being seen by those outside.

Invisibility: While Robin blockades Clover's transport of construction materials to the mine, May approaches the truck undetected by the huntsmen because she can create a wide-radius invisibility field with her Semblance. She only becomes visible on Robin's orders after it becomes clear that Penny can somehow detect her even when she's invisible.
Not So Similar: Though she and Weiss are Atlesians, they have different mindsets. In "War", Weiss decides to help Atlas because of her blood ties. As for May, she chooses Mantle since her activism there ended her relationship with the Marigolds.
Queer Establishing Moment: While discussing with Weiss whether to protect Atlas or Mantle, May reveals her activism in Mantle led to her Atlesian parents disowning her as a son. She made sure they clearly understood their daughter was disowning them. Kdin Jenzen confirmed on Twitter May is the show's first onscreen transgender character.
Required Secondary Powers: May's Semblance is the ability to selectively turn anything within a field she generates invisible. This also extends to muffling sound from within the bubble, as seen in "Strings" when her voice fades in and out as she demonstrates her Semblance. However, it doesn't cancel out noise completely as she warns everyone to be quiet when two soldiers enter what they think is an empty lift.
Strong Family Resemblance: She has the same hair color and a similar eye color to her cousin Henry. Despite the strong physical resemblance, they have different personalities. Henry is a socialite who doesn't care about the plight of others while May is a Huntress who fights for the rights of the downtrodden Mantle citizens.
White Sheep: The Marigolds are first introduced in Volume 4 when Henry hits on Weiss while she's gazing a painting of Beacon that's being auctioned off to raise money to help Vale recover from the Battle of Beacon. Henry admits he doesn't have a clue what the event is about and is only interested in socialising. An outraged Weiss banishes him from the event. Three volumes later, May is introduced as one of the Happy Huntresses, a small team of Huntresses who are fighting Atlas for the rights of Mantle's downtrodden people. Later on, May reveals her support for Mantle permanently strained her relationship with the Marigolds. Her parents also made a point of disowning their "son", making it clear they were also intolerant of May's identity as a transgender woman.

Forest

Voiced by: Eric Baudour [EN]

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/forest.png

"It’s worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!"

An embittered citizen of Mantle who vocally expresses his resentment of Atlas's lush lifestyle and Ironwood's iron-fisted enforcement of the embargo; he is an ardent supporter of the movement headed by Robyn Hill.

Killed Offscreen: While Tyrian kills him in "Ace-Operatives", we only see him charge at him while Forest screams as the screen fades to black. By the next episode, Forest is already reported to be dead.
Large Ham: While in holding with the heroes, he grandly proclaims his reason for being arrested with the exaggeration that he was apprehended for speaking out against Ironwood. The soldiers transporting them point out that Forest has actually been arrested for throwing a brick at their ship.
Mr. Exposition: By being trapped in the prison transport with the heroes, Forest waxes lyrical on who Robyn Hill is, what her credentials are, and her importance to the people of Mantle. He therefore introduces the character and the political situation in Mantle to both the heroes and viewers at the same time, setting up Robyn's plot line before she enters the story.
The Resenter: He's clearly resentful that the citizens of Atlas live luxuriously at Mantle's expense while they're left barely scraping by, and also is very outspoken against Ironwood's security policies.
Sacrificial Lamb: He is a minor character who is quickly killed off after he's introduced; the murder acts as a plot hook to establish that Tyrian is killing people who openly oppose General Ironwood to frame Ironwood as part of a scheme to turn Mantle and Atlas against each other.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Forest is introduced being transported with the arrested heroes. He introduces both the heroes and viewers to who Robyn Hill is, her credentials and why she's fighting for Mantle. However, when he's finally released by the Atlesian authorities, Tyrian kills him.

Hanlon Fifestone

Voiced by: Major Attaway [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/every_single_new_character_from_arrowfell_v0_buucc87znq0a1.png

Mantle's most celebrated union leader, he is somehow involved with the orbs that are causing Grimm attacks all across Solitas.

Anti-Villain: Hanlon does genuinely care about trying to fix the tensions between Mantle and Atlas, outright stating that he used his semblance in order to do so. However, after being put into a situation where he was coerced to work with Bram Thornmane, he shows a darker side such as a willingness to intimidate Faunus Workers to draw negative emotion from them.
Emotion Eater: His Semblance allows him to physically remove negative emotions, with the strong implication that he used it as a means to placate tensions between Mantle and Atlas citizens and leadership. In the game itself however, he is made to use his semblance to place negative emotions into containers to attract Grimm, although he can only do so by intentionally frightening his target.
Fallen Hero: He was once a well respected figure in Mantle who wanted to improve the issues that exist between Mantle and Atlas. He fell from this path when Bram convinced him to create orbs containing negative emotions in order to attract Grimm all across Solitas.
Fantastic Racism: That an in-game Faunus NPC expresses trepidation at him while human Mantle NPCs express nothing but admiration for him, and the fact that he targets Faunus labor for the few scenes he's in, shows that he is at best indifferent to them, and at worst considers them more expendable for his goals.
Kick the Dog: He had Faunus laborers kidnapped to extract their fear. One unfortunate victim was a rabbit Faunus whom he threatened to blind; the fear he extracts from her is shown to be a painful process.
Villain with Good Publicity: He is regarded as Mantle's most popular union leader and many residents speak his name with praise.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He was willing to go to villainous lengths to solve the societal problems that exist between Atlas and Mantle.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: He plans to finish off the Faunus worker whose negative emotions he has extracted.

Beyond the Kingdom

Outside the cities of Atlas and Mantle is a tundra environment that stretches seemingly forever, broken up by the occasional settlement, ruins of settlements, cave systems and large, inland lakes.

Essen Town

Essen is a small town to the east of Solitas' largest lake. Nearby are deep caves that contain Combustion Dust, but which are infested with Grimm.

Essen's survival depends on trade with the nearby ice fishing village of Dormir.

Bram Thornmane

Voiced by: Yong Yea [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

"It's only a matter of time before they see you for who you really are!"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bram_thornmane.png

The guardian of the town of Essen, he was a former candidate for the Ace-Operatives.

Big Bad: He is the cause of all conflict within Arrowfell. He manipulates others to do his dirty work, is the cause of all the Grimm attacks, and tries to kill Team RWBY when they get in his way.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He presents himself as a local guardian protecting the towns outside the kingdom. He warns Team RWBY of the BRIR bunch, claiming they are rogue Huntresses that extort money out of townspeople. In reality, he is the mastermind behind all the Grimm attacks and is betraying them.
Engineered Heroics: He hoped to trigger Grimm attacks in the city of Atlas in order to blame Ironwood and obtain his military rank.
Entitled Bastard: He believes that he deserves to be an Ace-Op, with all the glory, respect and heroic accolades that come with the status. When Ironwood rejects him, he masterminds a revenge plan to discredit Ironwood by causing Grimm attacks across the continent through manipulating individuals within both Atlas and Mantle. When defeated and arrested, he asks where his allies are, only to discover they've done to him what he did to them: left him to his fate.
Evil Laugh: During his boss fight, he will occasionally stop after attacking to laugh; this creates a free opportunity to hit him.
Evil Is Petty: He commits acts of terrorism across the kingdom because Ironwood felt his Semblance didn't fit the Ace-Ops and so refused to let him join.
Glory Hound: He claims his interest in becoming an Ace-Op is for the glory and admiration that comes with the status. He is willing to engineer Grimm attacks against civilians as revenge against Ironwood for denying him the status he thinks he deserves.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: He can convince well-meaning individuals to help him against Ironwood in order to fix the social problems that exist between Atlas and Mantle. However, he has no interest in helping the kingdom and only seeks revenge and undeserved glory.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: In the end, Thornmane was right about trying to overthrow Ironwood and that everyone would eventually see him for who he really was, since he would eventually become a villain who was even willing to destroy Mantle to get what he wanted and even his closest allies abandoned him as a result. However, his motivation was just to make him look bad as an act of revenge for not being chosen as a member of the Ace-Ops, and his last words to Ironwood were said to spite him.
The Sociopath: He only cares about being seen as a hero and receiving the glory he believes he deserves, is willing to cause Grimm attacks all across Atlas, lies and manipulates anyone that can be of use to him only to have them betrayed when they served their purpose, and shows no concerns for any of the innocents that are put in danger because of his goals.
Unreliable Expositor: He claims that the reason why Ironwood didn't let him join the Ace-ops was because of his Semblance. However, Harper later implies that the reason why Ironwood didn't recruit him is because of his unstable personality and egomania.

Cerise Claire

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

A Faunus with magenta hair who resides in Essen after escaping from her original home in Crossed when it was overrun by Grimm.

Immortality Through Memory: She is desperate to recover her precious book because it contains the stories of her ancestors, who fought in the Great War and defied Mantle's ban on self-expression by maintain a book of stories. Her belief is that the book must be maintained and looked after in order to keep these memories and stories alive.
Little Bit Beastly: She's a Faunus with long canine ears. Although her hair is magenta, her animal ears are grey-furred.
Rugged Scar: She has a horizontal scar across the middle of her face, running across the right cheek, over the nose and ending just under her left eye. She's originally from Crossed, a place from which she barely escaped with her life when it was overrun by Grimm.

Russet Ka

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

A huge blond man who protects Essen Town on behalf of Bram Thornmane. He believes he's better known than he really is.

Famed In-Story: Invoked. Russet believes everyone's heard of him and his prowess as a Huntsman. Outside of Essen, however, that's not the case.
Pain to the Ass: Russet claims he's recouperating from injuries sustained while battling Grimm in Essen Cave; he was bitten in the backside by a Sabyr. The armour he commissions Pietro to make for him are buttock protectors.
Small Name, Big Ego: Russet believes himself to be a local legend, an heroic protector of the people whose name is known far and wide. Team RWBY doesn't have a clue who he is.

Others

Team BRIR

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1487_9.png

A team of Huntresses who originate from outside the kingdom. Described as mercenary huntresses, they protect towns outside the kingdom from the Grimm.

They are a complete unknown to the Ace-Ops.

In General

Flower Motifs: In keeping with their briar-themed team name, each member incorporates the symbol of a thorn into their designs. This ranges from thorn-shaped spikes on armour, thorn-shaped accessories on clothing or hair ties, and thorn tattooes on skin.
Secret-Keeper: Team BRIR are hiding secrets that no-one else knows about and which they will go to any lengths to protect. They are the guardians of Arrowfell Fortress, a secret military complex that was abandoned years ago when its experiments were deemed too dangerous. Ironwood's predecessor never informed him about the Huntress team that was protecting the complex, and they do everything within their power to make sure no-one finds out about it.

Bianca Prisma

Voiced by: Alexis Tipton [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1488.png

Power Copying: Her semblance allows her to copy her teammate semblances though their reflections on her blades.

Roane Ashwood

Voiced by: Laura Stahl [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1489.png

Fire-Breathing Weapon: Roane wields a large flamethrower that shoots out large jets of fire.
Power Glows: Whenever she uses her flamethrower, her hair starts to glow a fiery red.

Ivy Thickety

Voiced by: Amanda Lee [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1490.png

Thinking Up Portals: Ivy's Semblance allows her to create green portals, which she uses to attack with her whip.

Ruda Tilleroot

Voiced by: Judy Alice Lee [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_1491.png

This Is a Drill: Ruda has two large drills on her hands; she can use them as combat weapons or in combination with her Semblance to let her burrow through the earth.

Moss Berbere

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/every_single_new_character_from_arrowfell_v0_jv72n58znq0a1.png

A strange hermit who lives with his pet goshawk in the Mosset Grotto cave system that lies to the east of Mantle.

Cloudcuckoolander: He lives in a cave, but believes he lives in a town and is its mayor. He tries to convince Team RWBY that his town is a tourist attraction and the highlight of a tour will be Duck Rock, which is a rock. Shaped like a duck. Team RWBY struggle to deal with him and end up beating a hasty exit as soon as they're able.
The Cuckoolander Was Right: Moss earnestly tries to convince Team RWBY that his cave is a town that's a popular tourist attraction, and it's received a lot of tourists recently. Although Team RWBY knows that Hanlon Fifestone held a press conference there the day before, they dismiss his reference to four girls visiting a few days before as him talking about them rather than Team BRIR, whom they eventually discover has been travelling all over the local region recently. Later on, they learn that Qrow also visited there very recently to leave a surveillance drone with Moss to track Hanlon's movements. As a result, Moss is right... his home has indeed received a lot of visitors recently.
The Hermit: He lives in a cave that he refers to as his town and believes he is the mayor of. His sole companion is a goshawk he once rescued as a chick at the Tumak Ruins.
Homeless Pigeon Person: Moss lives in a cave that he believes is a town that he's mayor of. His sole companion is a goshawk he first encountered in the Tumak Ruins, and has been looking after ever since. His task for Team RWBY to complete is to find and bring home the missing bird.

Characters / RWBY: Solitas

Edit Locked

All spoilers on this page are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!

The World of Remnant: Solitas

Kingdom of Atlas

Atlas Academy & Military

General James Ironwood

Voiced by: Jason RoseForeign VAsMasaki Terasoma (Japanese)

Debut: Welcome to Beacon*Volume 2 Episode 2

Dr. Pietro Polendina

Voiced by: Dave FennoyForeign VAsKatsuhisa Houki (Japanese)

Debut: The Greatest Kingdom*Volume 7 Episode 1

Atlas Academy

Ciel Soleil

Voiced By: Yssa BadiolaForeign VAsAmi Naito (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat*Volume 3 Episode 5

Team FNKI

Associated Tropes:

Flynt Coal

Voiced by: Flynt FlossyForeign VAsTooru Sakurai (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat*Volume 3 Episode 5

Neon Katt

Voiced by: Meg TurneyForeign VAsKonomi Fujimura (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat*Volume 3 Episode 5

Kobalt

Debut: Sparks*Volume 7 Episode 5

Ivori

Debut: Sparks*Volume 7 Episode 5

Atlas Military

Lieutenant Colonel Olive Harper

Voiced by: Skye Lafontaine [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

The Ace-Operatives

Associated Tropes:

Clover Ebi

Voiced By: Christopher WehkampForeign VAsRyōtarō Okiayu (Japanese)

Debut: The Greatest Kingdom*Volume 7 Episode 1

Harriet Bree

Voiced By: Anairis QuiñonesForeign VAsHitomi Nabatame (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach*Volume 7 Episode 2

Elm Ederne

Voiced By: Dawn M. BennettForeign VAsAkeno Watanabe (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach*Volume 7 Episode 2

Vine Zeki

Voiced By: Todd WomackForeign VAsShunsuke Takeuchi (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach*Volume 7 Episode 2

City of Atlas

Atlas Cargo Pilot

Voiced by: Richard NormanForeign VAsKazuki Ōta (Japanese)

Debut: No Safe Haven*Volume 4 Episode 12

Fria

Voiced by: Luci Christian [EN]

Debut: Sparks *Volume 7 Episode 5

Henry Marigold

Voiced by: Alejandro Saab

Debut: Tipping Point *Volume 4 Episode 6

Will Scarlatina

Debut: RWBY Before The Dawn *A spin-off light novel that is considered canon

Madame and her daughters

Voiced By: Linda Leonard (Madame), Amanda Lee (Both Daughters)

Debut: Midnight*Volume 8 Episode 6

Rhodes

Voiced By: Christian Young

Debut: Midnight*Volume 8 Episode 6

Amoncio Glass

Voiced by: Lucas Schuneman [EN]

Debut: RWBY: Arrowfell

The Schnee Family

Jacques Schnee

Voiced By: Jason DouglasForeign VAsMadoka Shiga (Japanese)

Debut: End of the Beginning*Volume 3 Episode 12

Willow Schnee

Voiced By: Caitlin GlassForeign VAsGara Takashima (Japanese)

Debut: Cordially Invited*Volume 7 Episode 8

Whitley Schnee

Debut: Remembrance*Volume 4 Episode 2

Voiced By: Howard WangForeign VAsMarina Inoue (Japanese)

Klein Sieben

Voiced By: J. Michael TatumForeign VAsKen Uo (Japanese)

Debut: The Next Step*Volume 4 Episode 1

Voiced by: Jason Rose^{Foreign VAs}Masaki Terasoma (Japanese)

Debut: Welcome to Beacon^*Volume 2 Episode 2

Voiced by: Dave Fennoy^{Foreign VAs}Katsuhisa Houki (Japanese)

Debut: The Greatest Kingdom^*Volume 7 Episode 1

Voiced By: Yssa Badiola^{Foreign VAs}Ami Naito (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat^*Volume 3 Episode 5

Voiced by: Flynt Flossy^{Foreign VAs}Tooru Sakurai (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat^*Volume 3 Episode 5

Voiced by: Meg Turney^{Foreign VAs}Konomi Fujimura (Japanese)

Debut: Never Miss a Beat^*Volume 3 Episode 5

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

Voiced By: Christopher Wehkamp^{Foreign VAs}Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese)

Debut: The Greatest Kingdom^*Volume 7 Episode 1

Voiced By: Anairis Quiñones^{Foreign VAs}Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2

Voiced By: Dawn M. Bennett^{Foreign VAs}Akeno Watanabe (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2

Voiced By: Todd Womack^{Foreign VAs}Shunsuke Takeuchi (Japanese)

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2

Voiced by: Richard Norman^{Foreign VAs}Kazuki Ōta (Japanese)

Debut: No Safe Haven^*Volume 4 Episode 12

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

Debut: Tipping Point^*Volume 4 Episode 6

Debut: RWBY Before The Dawn ^*

Debut: Midnight^*Volume 8 Episode 6

Debut: Midnight^*Volume 8 Episode 6

Voiced By: Jason Douglas^{Foreign VAs}Madoka Shiga (Japanese)

Debut: End of the Beginning^*Volume 3 Episode 12

Voiced By: Caitlin Glass^{Foreign VAs}Gara Takashima (Japanese)

Debut: Cordially Invited^*Volume 7 Episode 8

Debut: Remembrance^*Volume 4 Episode 2

Voiced By: Howard Wang^{Foreign VAs}Marina Inoue (Japanese)

Voiced By: J. Michael Tatum^{Foreign VAs}Ken Uo (Japanese)

Debut: The Next Step^*Volume 4 Episode 1

Debut: Cordially Invited^*Volume 7 Episode 8

Debut: Cordially Invited^*Volume 7 Episode 8

Voiced By: Michele Sontag^{Foreign VAs}Mayu Yoshioka (Japanese)

Debut: Pomp and Circumstance^*Volume 7 Episode 4

Voiced By: Marissa Lenti^{Foreign VAs}Mariko Higashiuchi (Japanese)

Debut: Pomp and Circumstance^*Volume 7 Episode 4

Voiced By: Kdin Jenzen^{Foreign VAs}Satsuki Kokubu (Japanese)

Debut: Sparks^*Volume 7 Episode 5

Debut: A New Approach^*Volume 7 Episode 2