GARO: SSBR of Makai
is a RWBY and GARO crossover fanfiction by EvaShinobiKaiserKnight.
The Makai Order is a secret organization of warriors who hunt down the Horrors: monsters born from the darkness of human souls. Essentially, they are pretty much similar to Huntsmen, except they are in action during the night time, hiding in the shadows to protect the light. Sirius Saejima is a Makai Knight who has inherited the title of GARO from his deceased father. With the help of his trustworthy Madou Ring Zaruba, he spends his nights hunting down and slaying the Horrors that have possessed humans.
One day, he meets Ruby Rose, a student of Signal Academy in training to become a Huntress. After Sirius rescues Ruby from a Horror, it seems Sirius has an interest in Ruby, once they enroll in the Beacon Academy.
Some time before Sirius enrolls, he is tasked by Ozpin and the Kingdom of Vale's Watchdog to deal with Darkus, a Horror that is rumored to be the progenitor of Grimm. All of the Makai Priests of the past had sealed his essence right under Beacon Academy before the academy was constructed, and has remained there ever since. In the present day, two shadowy figures sneak into the academy and use a talisman to free the creature and the Horrors. In order to prevent a catastrophe happening, the Watchdog also assigns a group of selected young professionals: Sliver Green, a stern and aloof wolf-based Faunus who inherits the BARON armor; Beret Vali, a noble and a strict by-the-book type Makai Knight who bears DAN title; and Rachel Grey, a Makai Priestess who loves playing shamisen and eating sweets.
Under the name SSBR (read: Saber), together they must unravel the dark secrets within the Kingdom of Vale and the whole Remnant, as well as find out who was responsible for Darkus' unsealing.
An upcoming sequel, titled GARO: Remnant Knight has been announced.
GARO: SSBR of Makai contains examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Jaune Arc in original canon story has very little skill during the entire initiation except during the fight against the bigger Grimm, but over the course of the story he manages to show himself as a competent fighter. In this fic however, not only does he become competent like in the canon story, but also grown up as a fully fledged Makai Knight by inheriting his grandfather's title as GAIA the Stronghold Knight. He demonstrates this by single-handedly defeating a Horror infested Ursa.
- Some of the Beacon Academy staff also become this, as they are working for the Makai Order, despite the fact that their true capabilities are yet to be shown.
- Qrow Branwen, while still being a teacher of Signal Academy and a Huntsman like in the original story, he is also a member of Phantom Knights, the Makai Order's black ops team and the bearer of CROW the Phantom Knight title. He's also the one who teach Ruby how to wield a Soul Metal weapon.
- Even Raven, Qrow's sister becomes this. She's not only protects Yang from Neo like in the original canon story, but also heals Rachel's wound from her battle with Neo. It's highly implied that she's also a member of Shadowfolks, as a Darkness Huntress.
- Adaptation Species Change: Penny Polendina in the original RWBY story is an android. In this fic, she is a humanoid Madogu.
- As Long as There Is Evil: The Horrors are deemed to exist as long as human malice is present in peoples' hearts, and therefore there must always be Makai Knights to fight them.
- Battle Couple: Sirius and Ruby develop into this over the course of the story, but most notably Ruby gains the YAIBA armor for the first time.
- Big Bad: While Torchwick, Cinder and her brother Flare are the force behind the story (though the first two still retain the role from the original series), Salem is actually the one who is responsible for the whole mess. Not only that, she has a loyal apprentice who wields the title KIBA the Dark Knight.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Though the "badass" word is questionable, all members of Team SSBR are essentially acting as Beacon Academy's elite guard, especially for Team RWBY.
- Brand X: With a little dash of No Celebrities Were Harmed, there's a minor team in Chapter 16 called JAMM.
- Chick Magnet: Despite being a newcomer for Beacon Academy, Sirius' charismatic nature pretty much attracts any female students, including Ruby herself, though he's too cool to embrace this status.
- Cool Horse: As in the original TV series, Gouten is a cool signature mechanical steed for the Golden Knight.
- Darker and Edgier: Than the original source. However, thanks to the crossover with GARO franchise, this fic is also being Bloodier and Gorier. Explicit scenes of violence and gore happen here and there, such as Body Horror, decapitation, cannibalism amongst Horrors, and body dismemberment with a healthy dose of either High-Pressure Blood or Gory Discretion Shot. In addition, Team RWBY (especially Ruby) are forced to explore the darker aspect of human hearts and humanity sins.
- Demon Slaying: Huntsmen and Huntresses are elite warriors dedicated to slaying the creatures of Grimm and whose duty is to "uphold the peace" of their world. Makai Knights, on the other hand, not only "uphold the peace" like the Huntsmen and Huntresses do by slaying Horrors, but also protect human hearts from evil malice.
- Double Entendre: At one point before Sirius and the rest of Team SSBR explain the origins of Horrors, Yang really likes Sirius' hobby and gives him a compliment with this vibe.Yang: If he good with the brush, I wouldn't mind if he paint on me.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Holy crap, Sliver! Even though he's still young, he uses draconian yet effective methods on Jaune to make him an extremely competent fighter, as both a Huntsman and a Makai Knight.Sliver: I will not be holding your hand through this training. I will not spoil you and not being soft to you. If you want strength, you do as I say. If you want power, you will stand there and take it. If you want to live, then don't die! This will be two weeks of Hell arc, and by all that is I will make you into a Makai Knight. Do you understand?
- The Heartless: Grimm and Horrors are attracted to human negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, every single negative emotions of humanity. However, Horrors is even more dangerous Grimm, because the latter also including any dark aspects of humanity, such as lust and temptation.
- Hotter and Sexier: The original story is largely devoid of any sexual Fanservice content, other than Male Gaze. In this fic, it dives straight into this. Especially from Yang, who becomes The Tease towards Ruby and Sirius (and to an extent, Beret), as she along with Rachel doesn't hesitate to crack a sexual innuendo for her amusement. Not to mention, during the field trip at Mt. Glenn, she also deliberately makes out (read: engaging in sexual activity) with Beret, while the rest of Team RWBY and Team SSBR are still sleeping.
- "I Can't Look!" Gesture: During the "Painting the Town" arc, Blake closes her eyes after watching Flare brutally execute a human hostage right in front of her and the rest of White Fang members, as she thinks that even though she was once a White Fang member, she never mercilessly executed someone to get the point across or just for shit and giggles.
- Luminescent Blush: Happens often for Sirius and Ruby when Rachel and Yang constantly tease them, suggesting them to be a sweet couple.
- Sole Survivor: Sliver's family was massacred by Cinder and Flare, alongside the villagers he and his family lived with.
- Squee: As expected from her character, Ruby has a tendency to do this.
- Shipper on Deck: Yang and Rachel take this role, as they try to persuade Sirius and Ruby to confess their feelings to each other.
- Took a Level in Badass:
- Compared to his canon self, Jaune takes his grandfather's role as GAIA the Stronghold Knight.
- Ruby also gets this one after she inherits the YAIBA armor, becoming the second wielder of said Makai Armor. Not only that, her Semblance is also imbued with YAIBA's fire power, and as a result her rose petals become engulfed in flames, effectively increasing her combat performance.
- Training from Hell: Sliver gives Jaune with this treatment, in order to impress his grandfather to inherit his title as GAIA.
- You Can Talk?: Weiss is shocked that a Horror infested Grimm can talk to her and the rest of Team RWBY and SSBR.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Despite being 15-17 years old, all members of Team SSBR uphold complex and mature philosophical principles, compared to the rest of Beacon Academy students.
