Ho Yay / RWBY

Sometimes, even a strong woman needs a shoulder to lean (or in this case, lay) on.

With such a dynamic female-centric cast, it's only to be expected that this trope shows up in spades.

---

Warning: Spoilers Off applies to these pages. Proceed at your own risk.

---

Ruby/Weiss

Volumes 1-3

• Ruby and Weiss are a case of opposites attract. When they first meet, Ruby is mortified by her clumsiness and wants nothing more than to make up with Weiss, who is persistently annoyed with Ruby's antics. In the forest, Weiss doesn't think twice about rescuing Ruby from the fire they accidentally start. Although they fight like a married couple, Ruby is happy that Weiss accepted they were team-mates, and when Weiss rescues her again from the Death Stalker, Ruby is thrilled that Weiss offers a truce and the chance to try and work together. While they fall out over Ruby being anointed leader, they quickly make up when Weiss brings Ruby coffee, tells her she believes her and promises to be the best teammate ever. Ruby is left with a huge grin on her face and after that Weiss becomes much warmer and more loyal.
  Ruby: I have a plan!
  Weiss: [warmly] You always do.
• In Volume Three's third episode, Weiss introduces Winter to Ruby in a manner not so different from introducing a significant other to family. When Winter asks Weiss if she has been making any friends, Weiss immediately motions to Ruby, and Winter also comments that Weiss has told her about Ruby before. Winter then thanks Ruby for "taking an interest" in her sister which leaves one to wonder what exactly has Weiss been telling Winter.
• During the fall of Beacon, Weiss immediately grabs Ruby's hand after seeing that Ruby is safe. She is also extremely reluctant to let Ruby see how horrifically injured Yang is.
• When a shattered Beacon is being evacuated, and Ruby learns that Pyrrha and Jaune are missing, she is determined to rush off into danger to find them. Weiss firmly stops her and tells her she's not going alone, then goes with her to share the danger. When they have to separate to get Ruby to the top of the tower as fast as possible (Ruby's speed combined with Weiss's glyphs), Weiss earnestly tells her that Ruby can do this.

Volumes 4-6

• In the first episode of Volume 4, after Nora makes an offhand comment about the Schnee Dust Company, Ruby immediately looks saddened after seeming happy throughout the episode. She then glances to the sky with a wistful expression, making it fairly obvious who she's thinking about. Cue the scene immediately transitioning to Weiss gazing out a window with a similar look, making it pretty clear she's thinking about Ruby too.
• Following the final battle of Volume 5, Ruby falls to her knees and Weiss rushes to ask her if she's okay. She remains holding Ruby for a while after that.
• In the opening for Volume 6, there're two moments focused on Ruby and Weiss. The first, while the team is on the train, Ruby is playfully chasing after Weiss, both smiling happily with one another. The second, at the end, Weiss helps Ruby to stand up, with Ruby leaning heavily on her as they stand defiantly together.
• In the first episode of Volume 6, after Ren brings up how they're traveling closer to Atlas, Weiss expresses her annoyance at having to return there after the effort she put in to escape. Ruby then steps up to reassure her, grinning at her cheerfully, while her words put a warm smile on Weiss' face.
  Ruby: I know you're worried Weiss, but trust us; Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second! I promise.
• Also in V6E1, Ruby and Weiss are shown to completely have one another's backs. Weiss creates an ice wall to shield Ruby from an attacking Manticore Grimm, playfully telling her to "Thank [her] later!" as she skates by on her glyphs. Later, Weiss is almost knocked off the train they're fighting on by a stray blast, only to be caught by Ruby. She echoes what she'd said to her earlier, before using her Semblance to whisk them both to safety; she can be seen holding Weiss from behind as she does, with the resulting cloud of roses being both red and white.
• In Volume 6 Episode 2, after Ruby asks her question and Team RWBY appear to be 'separated', Ruby calls out for Weiss first before calling out for her sister; Weiss only calls out for Ruby, and does so twice.
• In Volume 6 Episode 5, Ruby closes the front door as Blake and Yang depart to find Weiss standing in the library doorway, huddled in a blanket. She suggests food might cheer up Weiss, who looks briefly disappointed, as if she wanted something else from Ruby. The episode also highlights the difference between the two pairs: Yang is reluctant to be alone with Blake, while Weiss wants to be by Ruby's side; things end tensely for Yang and Blake when Yang storms off, while Weiss's doubts about continuing their mission alarms Ruby, causing Weiss to apologise. Weiss also empathises with Ruby's concerns about Qrow's alcoholism, having had the same experience with her own mother.
• When Team RWBY is nearly paralyzed by the Apathy Grimm's power, Ruby crawls over Weiss and puts her hand on her back to try and encourage her to keep moving. While the camera is focused on Weiss, Maria is telling Ruby that 'life is beautiful'.
• After they are denied entrance to Atlas during Volume 6 Episode 8, Weiss is looking down, but Ruby puts her hand on Weiss' shoulder to reaffirm that Team RWBY will not abandon her which causes Weiss to smile. Ruby is also quick to shut down the idea of Weiss giving herself back to her father in order to safeguard the Relic.
• In Volume 6 Episode 11, Ruby lands on top of the mecha, only to then fall; she's saved by Weiss riding on her Lancer summon. When they fly around to pick up Qrow and Ren from the robot's back, Ruby can be seen sitting flush up against Weiss with her arms around her waist.

Weiss/Yang

• During the Team RWBY vs. Team FNKI doubles round, Weiss throws herself and Flynt into a geyser to save Yang from being knocked out. This is enough to get Yang to go into overdrive and curbstomp Flynt and Neon on her own. What's the very first thing Yang does once she's won? She runs over and very gently cradles Weiss, asks her if she's okay, and then once she gets confirmation makes a teasing joke about Weiss' stunt.
• When Weiss and Yang reunite in Raven's camp for the first time after the fall of Beacon, Weiss drops her beloved weapon Myrtenaster, practically jumps into Yang's arms, and nearly tears up while telling her how much she missed her, with Yang happily returning it in a soft way that makes it look like Weiss is safe and protected in her embrace. The episode ends on a lingering shot of them holding each other while soft piano music plays and the Knight fades away into the sunset.
• After Yang storms off after Ruby hits a raw nerve about Blake, Weiss goes by herself to counsel Yang and bring her back to her senses. After Yang accuses her of not understanding her loneliness, Weiss opens up to Yang about her own issues with her family, something she's seemingly never done even with Ruby.
  Yang: I'm really sorry. I ... shouldn't have assumed.
  Weiss: You're right though; I don't know loneliness like you do. I have my own version.

Blake/Weiss

• Blake has several scenes where she helps Weiss or is worried about her well-being. Examples include her grabbing or pulling her out of the way of danger, giving her a blanket, helping her stay steady during a fight, and asking her if she's okay at least once.
• It's possible to interpret "Wings" in a Weiss/Blake light. The song is about Blake and a few of the lyrics refer to Weiss mentioning that she spent twelve hours looking for Blake.
• Blake and Weiss have a lot of chemistry while fighting. Their Volume 2 combination attack required a lot of coordination to pull off and they also had a Back-to-Back Badasses moment later. During the train fight, Blake rushes to the side of an unconscious Weiss, catching and cradling her before scooping her up and carrying her away.
• Blake is the first to offer Weiss moral support after her confrontation with Jacques Schnee, even going so far as to hold Weiss' hand.

Ruby/Penny

• When Ruby first meets Penny, she casually says "Take care, friend" to Penny before walking away. Penny fixates on being called "friend", implying that it's the first time anyone has ever given her a sign of friendship, and Ruby tolerates Penny's quirky behavior far more than her team-mates do. When Blake goes missing shortly afterward, Penny declares she won't rest until she's found. When Roman appears on the scene, Ruby's first instinct is to call Penny back for Penny's own safety, getting shot in the back for her trouble. Penny immediately dives into the fight on Ruby's behalf, forcing Roman's group to flee.
• When Ruby next sees Penny after the fight with Roman, Penny doesn't seem to recognise her. Ruby abandons the mission she's on to pursue Penny, and find what's going on and why Penny disappeared; she had been worried for Penny's safety. Ruby doesn't give up until Penny acknowledges her and confides in her despite knowing she's not allowed to.
• When Penny flees from Atlesian soldiers, Ruby unhesitatingly follows using her speed to try and lose them. She loses control of her Semblance and almost falls in front of a lorry but Penny rushes back to save her. Once alone, Penny reveals her dark secret, that she's a robot, and Ruby instantly dismisses her concerns telling her that she can feel Penny's soul, unhesitatingly accepting her as a person. Penny then hides Ruby from the soldiers to protect her, making it clear that her secrecy up to this point has been largely for Ruby's sake as she doesn't want Ruby getting into trouble.
  Penny: I'm not real.
  [Ruby takes Penny's closed hands. Penny opens them, letting Ruby see the exposed metal. Ruby closes her hands over top.]
  Ruby: Of course you are. You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?
• After Penny's doubles round in the Vytal Tournament, Ruby goes to congratulate her personally. Penny's first reaction to seeing Ruby is to give her The Glomp before confiding in her that she desires to stay at Beacon rather than return to Atlas.
• Penny’s unintended death by Pyrrha, orchestrated to happen under Cinder and her lackey’s ministrations, has Ruby visible distraught and shaking with tears when she witnesses this. She later has PTSD over Penny, wishes she had spent more time with her, and talks about how she loved her.
• In the finale of Volume 6, when Ruby thinking of happy memories with her friends and family to activate her Silver Eyes against the Leviathan, the last person she thinks of before her mother is Penny.
• Starting with the Volume 7 finale and going into Volume 8, Ruby and Penny's relationship got a lot more physically intimate. Ruby holds her on the airship as they flee and starts giving her hugs once per episode. She wraps her arm around her when Ironwood accuses Penny of abandoning Atlas, and in "Refuge" they have a rather tender conversation about Penny's struggle with her identity now that she's the new Winter Maiden, during which Ruby holds her hands gently and affirms she's a person once more.
• In "Strings", Penny goes from cowed and uncertain to genuinely angry when Harriet threatens Ruby. When they're escaping at the end and Penny has to leave for Amity, they share a particularly tender hug and Ruby promises that they'll see each other again.
• In Volume 8's "Risk", Penny - struggling to fight off the virus Watts implanted in her - asks Ruby to kill her in order to keep the Vault from being opened. When the virus takes control, all Penny can think about is going to the vault and self-terminating... but she is totally certain that, even with the virus overriding her thoughts, she will be able to think of Ruby in her dying moments.
  Penny: Kill me, and I can make sure the power goes to you.

Emerald/Cinder

• Emerald visibly lights up whenever Cinder appears and becomes eager and polite when addressing her, in contrast to her usual irreverently cocky attitude. When Cinder shows up to chastise Roman for threatening Emerald and Mercury, Emerald is thrilled to see her, and starts toward her with her hands held out as if hoping for a warm greeting. Cinder's instructions to her, when not a sharp rebuke, are almost purred.
  Emerald: I just thought...
  Cinder: Don't think. Obey.
• Volume 3 shows that Cinder recruited Emerald first, cornering the scared street thief in an alley and holding extended eye contact. Voice-over of their early days together suggests Emerald might even see Cinder as a sort of savior. When Cinder recruits Mercury, Emerald becomes very jealous and insists that she and Cinder are doing fine by themselves. Cinder slapping Emerald in response indicates Emerald's needy obsession with Cinder is not healthy.
  Cinder: Come with me, and you'll never be hungry again.
  Emerald: Thank you...
• In the debut of Volume 4, with Cinder recovering from her injuries (including a missing eye and an inability to speak audibly), Emerald seems to have established herself as her caretaker and voice, and is clearly upset over her weakened state. When Cinder summons her and Mercury to the table, Emerald shoves Mercury out of the way so she can be as close to Cinder as possible.
• At Haven, Emerald blatantly tells Ruby that she doesn't care about Salem, but she owes Cinder everything. She bursts into tears when Cinder doesn't return from the Relic vault and has a Villainous Breakdown, summoning a giant Salem illusion via her Semblance going haywire in the process.
• When Emerald is in mourning after returning to Salem's keep without Cinder and Tyrian begins laughing about it, Emerald becomes enraged and threatens to cut off his tail and more until Tyrian intimidates her. When Salem forces Emerald to admit that Cinder is to blame for their failure, she only does so out of total fear for her life, and even then is horrified when she realizes she did so; and this was when she thought Cinder was dead.
• When Mercury outright tells Emerald that Cinder didn't care about her (or him), at all, she actually attacks him.
• In Volume 8, Emerald not only helps Cinder defy Salem in going off to fight Penny, she tries to protect Cinder with her own body when Penny defeats her despite knowing that Penny could kill her easily. While Cinder's unconscious, Emerald caresses her face once or twice. We later see that she put Cinder in a bed to wake up and waited by her side until she did, and when Cinder wakes up she gently takes her hand between both of hers. Most notably, as soon as Cinder confirms that she doesn't care about her, Emerald immediately decides to leave and switches sides soon after, making clear that she was only on Salem's side for Cinder's sake.

Qrow/Male Characters

• Qrow/Ozpin: Qrow is extremely devoted to Ozpin. He picks a fight with Winter because he's angry that Ironwood stabbed Ozpin in the back, he's privately worried about Ozpin's reputation and argues in Ozpin's defence every time Ironwood disagrees with Ozpin; he implies he only tolerates Ironwood's involvement because it's Ozpin's wish, and tells his nieces he has a long history with Ozpin. When Ozpin goes missing, Qrow refuses to believe he's dead, speaks of going on missions for Ozpin wistfully, and carries Ozpin's cane almost reverently. Ozpin and Qrow share a gears motif, both wear crosses at their throat, and Ruby thinks the two men sound very much alike. Qrow's reaction to Oscar asking for the cane back is simply a soft "It's good to see you again, Oz." Based on Raven's info, Ozpin's influence on Qrow was enough for him to abandon a mission from his own tribe, part ways with his twin sister, endure an apparently unpleasant process of becoming a shapeshifter, and become whole-heartedly devoted to the headmaster and his cause.
• Qrow/Ironwood: Ironwood and Qrow's interactions while working under Ozpin sometimes come off as sheer Belligerent Sexual Tension, as they look for any opportunity to bicker at each other. Near the end of volume 3, though, it turns out their relationship is actually quite good and friendly outside their work, both are confirmed to think very highly of each other and actually like each other. Ironwood tries to minimize any damage he might do to Qrow while defending himself when he thinks Qrow will attack him, but as it turns out, Qrow actually runs past him in order to save him from a Griffin. After that, he states in a very soft and friendly tone that he believes Ironwood would never do something bad. As it turns out, "Jimmy" is also Qrow's Affectionate Nickname for Ironwood, not just a way to pick fun at him. In Volume 7, Ironwood stops Qrow as he's leaving and tells him that he is genuinely glad to see him, and gives him a hug. And not a Man Hug, either - a full hug with them pressed against each other.
• Qrow/Clover: Qrow gains a foil in the form of Clover Ebi, who exudes good luck in contrast to Qrow's bad. When the two are paired together on a mission, Clover catches Qrow when he trips, and later explains the complementary nature of their Semblances, winking at Qrow while saying "Lucky you" in a Call-Back to the waitress who'd upgraded Qrow's drink in volume 4. And Qrow looks ambiguously hesitant and vulnerable afterward. And in "Sparks", Clover praises Qrow on helping the kids get to where they are and doesn't let Qrow get away with deflecting the compliment, with Qrow again seeming vulnerable and acting embarrassed before Ruby interrupts them. The most glaring example is in "Cordially Invited" just as Clover is leaving with Ironwood for a meeting with Jacques, he turns to Qrow and jokingly says "Wish us luck." Qrow's response is downright flirtatious when he says "I mean, they already invited you, didn’t they?" to Clover's amusement. In "As Above, So Below", Clover once again winks and salutes Qrow as he falls off the ship, which prompts a laugh and a fond "Showoff." from Qrow. And in "With Friends Like These", Qrow is driven into a rage once Tyrian stabs Clover, screaming that he will kill Tyrian before collapsing beside Clover and swearing that Ironwood will pay for causing it to happen. Clover gently wishes Qrow luck just before he dies, and once he's gone Qrow lets out a Skyward Scream with tears running down his face. The finale and following volume reveal that he's kept Clover's lucky charm as a Tragic Keepsake, eventually using it to focus on reversing the effects of his Semblance to keep Ironwood's bomb from hitting Mantle, essentially calling on Clover's memory for help.

Others

• Ruby/Emerald: When Emerald is talking with Ruby after their first fight in the Vytal Festival, Ruby has a rather bizarre reaction to Emerald complimenting how she fought: she is left blushing and babbling incoherently while making a gesture that look like a silent Squee.
• Weiss/Vernal: Vernal takes a strong interest in Weiss immediately while she is caged up, and seems to genuinely admire Weiss' feisty attitude in the face of her captors. She gently handles Myrtenaster in front of her owner and even quips that maybe Weiss should stay with the tribe rather than be ransomed back to her father.
• Yang/Various: Yang attracts female opponents who tend to flirt with her while they fight. Neo fights silently, spending their train-side battle with Yang mocking and flirting with body language; she twirls her parasol, delicately crosses her legs, smiles brightly every time their eyes meet, and flutters her eyelashes at Yang. Neon obsesses over Yang's busty figure during their tournament match, calling Yang "top-heavy", quibbing about Yang's butt, and commenting that Yang looks pretty when she's angry.
• Jaune/Ren: When the blacksmith says that Jaune cleans up alright, Ren is quick to respond that "he certainly does" in a very affectionate tone. Some fans have also noted that Ren seems to pretty much always look at Jaune whenever they're on screen together. He also seems to be the one who constantly rushes to Jaune's rescue, more so than either Nora or Ruby. This seems to mirror the way Nora - who does have a confirmed crush on Ren - is always the one to rush to Ren's rescue when needed. Also, when RNJR + Qrow split up, Jaune and Ren hug each other. And only each other. In Volume 8's title sequence, there is a shot of Ren standing alone, until Jaune comes up to place a hand on his shoulder-much like the shots of the canonical Jaune and Pyrrha in Volumes 1 and 2. In "Witch", Ren describes Jaune's fearlessness and optimism with a look of utter adoration on his face.
• Jaune/Tyrian: Tyrian seems to have some interest in Jaune. When Tyrian gets his first face-to-face after hopping onto Jaune's shield in the middle of a fight, he pauses to look at Jaune closely with apparent and unsettling, interest and even woohoos in delight before resuming fight. When asked about his motives, he dismisses Nora and Ren as not mattering to him, but when it's Jaune's turn he pauses and admits that actually he's interested in him, before resuming talking about his main goal: Ruby.
• When Ilia takes down a White Fang mook about to shoot, one of the Faunus she saved, a bunny girl, can be seen blushing while looking at Ilia.
• Maria seems to be the most fascinated by Jinn, who, while having Barbie Doll Anatomy, is completely naked save her chains, though all of RWBY seem to be equally awestruck by the giant, naked blue woman. And while her existence is straight-up shocking regardless, Qrow at least seems conscious enough of her appearance to look away, while the girls all seemed quite content to stare. In particular, Blake's ears can be seen perking up when Jinn lets out a moan while stretching.
• Maria/Tock: While Maria doesn't put up with it, Tock acts in a semi-flirtatious manner when meeting the former, complimenting the power that her silver eyes grant her before adding that having silver eyes makes her a target, and calling her "love". After blinding Maria, Tock notes that her master ordered her to kill Maria on the basis that she's a silver-eyed warrior, but offers to spare Maria since Tock already cut her eyes out. When Maria initially ineffectually tries to shoot at Tock despite being blinded, the latter respects that and calls Maria a fighter to the end.
• Ironwood/Watts: The conversation they have as the platform rises during their Volume 7 fight sounds uncannily like the result of a really bad break-up. Ironwood then spares Watts's life, even after telling Watts he was willing to sacrifice anything to defeat Salem.

  Ironwood: I gave you everything you could have wanted!
  Watts: You chose that fat imbecile over me!

• Summer/Raven: Ruby's flashback/vision in Volume 9 reveals that Summer and Raven were surprisingly close. Summer apparently trusted only Raven to help on her secret mission and is also rather bitter towards Raven for leaving Yang, Ruby and herself. Meanwhile Raven is not only in an uncharacteristically good mood to see Summer, but both her joking, awkwardness around Summer and general body language very much parallel Yang's awkward but earnest flirting with Blake. In the present, it's also notable that Raven seems all too happy to criticize, mock and generally bad-mouth the likes of Ozpin, Qrow, Tai and even Yang, yet curiously has nothing bad to say about Summer, and only mentions her in an extremely restrained compliment that Ruby sounds much like her.