RWBY is an animated television series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth, and it ran from 2013 through 2023 across nine seasons, 116 episodes, and two streaming platforms. It follows four teenage girls training to become Huntsmen and Huntresses at Beacon Academy, fighting monsters called Grimm in a fantasy world named Remnant. The show premiered on July 18, 2013, and concluded on April 22, 2023, with a final episode that closed out the ninth volume. The series was originally released exclusively to Rooster Teeth subscribers, then moved to YouTube, and finally settled on Crunchyroll for its final two seasons.
Trailer, via vizmedia.
The Four Girls Who Carry the Show
The core team of RWBY consists of Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Each character is tied to a color and a personality:
- Ruby Rose is the leader, voiced by Lindsay Jones, with a cheerful, optimistic demeanor despite facing personal loss early in the series.
- Weiss Schnee is the uptight heiress, voiced by Kara Eberle, whose arc involves coming to terms with her family’s expectations and past trauma.
- Blake Belladonna is the Faunus who hides her identity, voiced by Arryn Zech, and she carries the weight of her former role in the militant White Fang.
- Yang Xiao Long is the loud, physical fighter, voiced by Barbara Dunkelman, whose injury and trauma define much of her later story.
Their friends Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren form their own team, JNPR, pronounced “juniper.” Ruby and Jaune both become leaders of their respective teams, giving the show a dual focus on two groups rather than a single main squad.
From Rooster Teeth to Crunchyroll
The series began as a web-only release, with episodes first airing to Rooster Teeth subscribers before moving to YouTube a week later. That changed after Monty Oum’s death in 2015, during the production of the third season. The remaining crew confirmed they intended to continue the series, but the show shifted its production and release schedule in response.
Volume 9 premiered on Crunchyroll on February 18, 2023. The move came after Rooster Teeth announced plans to shut down, and with it came the sale of the IP rights to Viz Media, announced on July 5, 2024. A tenth volume of the series is currently in production.
The Story of Beacon and Beyond
The plot follows Team RWBY through a series of escalating conflicts. Early episodes establish the world, its monsters, and the academy’s purpose, while later seasons dig into the characters’ personal histories and the larger conflict against the villain Salem. Key events include:
- Blake revealing herself as a Faunus and former member of the militant White Fang.
- The invasion of Beacon by Salem’s minion Cinder Fall, her ally Roman Torchwick, his assistant Neopolitan, and the White Fang under Adam Taurus.
- The destruction of Penny Polendina, an android friend of Ruby’s, and the death of Roman in the chaos.
- Yang losing her arm protecting Blake from Adam.
- Cinder assuming the power of the Fall Maiden and killing Ozpin and Pyrrha, only to be forced to retreat by Ruby’s divine power associated with her silver eyes.
- The separation of the RWBY members, with Ruby traveling to Haven Academy in Mistral, Weiss returning home to Atlas, Blake reconnecting with her family in the Faunus territory of Menagerie, and Yang remaining in Patch.
- The reunion of the team and the confrontation with Salem’s followers to obtain the Relic of Knowledge.
The show stretches arcs across multiple volumes without resolving them cleanly, which creates an uneven middle stretch.
The Voice Cast and Dubbing
The voice work is consistently strong throughout the series. Lindsay Jones brings warmth to Ruby, Kara Eberle delivers Weiss’s snobbery with precision, Arryn Zech carries Blake’s quiet dignity, and Barbara Dunkelman gives Yang a physicality that matches her character’s fighting style. The dubbing of the show into Japanese, broadcast by Tokyo MX in Japan, was produced in partnership with Rooster Teeth.
Comparing the Teams
| Team | Members | Pronunciation | Leadership |
|---|---|---|---|
| RWBY | Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long | “Ruby” | Ruby |
| JNPR | Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren | “Juniper” | Jaune |
Final Verdict
RWBY is a flawed but compelling piece of animation that built a dedicated following through consistent quality and emotional storytelling. Its best episodes rank among the strongest in the medium, and its worst suffer from pacing issues that leave viewers wanting more resolution.
The show earns a 7.8 out of 10.
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