This manga tells of Ruby Rose, a fifteen year old girl who wishes to become a Huntress as an adult. She is accepted into the acclaimed Beacon Academy two years early and is made the leader of a team of Huntresses-in-training consisting of her sister Yang Xiao-Long, a famous heiress named Weiss Schnee, and a quiet Faunus named Blake Belladonna.
Though RWBY: The Official Manga adapts the series' first two volumes rather faithfully, there are notable character and event deviations between the manga and web-series. Most chapters cover more than one episode from the series.
This manga is separate from the 2015 manga (which is simply titled RWBY). It is also a separate piece from the RWBY: Official Manga Anthology.
This manga provides examples of:
- Adapted Out:
- Cinder's Face Framed in Shadow introduction and fight with Glynda in the first chapter is completely omitted in the manga.
- In the original series, Yang leaves Ruby in chapter 2 to hang out with a mass of friends who are never referenced again. The manga makes Yang more in-line with her later portrayal by having her go off on her own instead.
- Many of Ren and Nora's solo scenes from the first half of Volume 1 have been cut, including their extended introduction and Ren fighting off a King Taijitu.
- The "Jaundice" arc concerning Jaune being bullied by Cardin Winchester is skipped over entirely.
- All of the villain scenes from Volume 2's first episode were completely removed, including Emerald and Mercury's introductions and their conversation with Roman that introduces Cinder, and as well the scene in the second episode that confirms they've infiltrated Beacon.
- Pyrrha's battles with Team CRDL and Mercury were cut.
- Yang's conversation with Blake in Burning the Candle was completely excised, which drew a lot of ire particularly due to it being the first time Yang shows more of her character than just hot-headed party girl.
- Emerald and Mercury only appear in three panels.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: Ruby's motivations for being a huntress are different than in canon. In canon, Ruby grew up on the stories of heroes and wanted to be like them and make the world a better place herself. Here, Ruby wants to follow in Taiyang and Summer's footsteps by becoming a professional huntress.
- Adaptational Badass: With Cinder's Face Framed in Shadow Adapted Out, Roman is able to escape Ruby and Glynda entirely on his own rather than need Cinder to help him. In addition, rather than a simple crook that was responsible for a string of Dust robberies like in canon, Roman is a well known criminal mastermind that has terrorized Vale for quite some time. Volume 2 even gets an expansion to show Roman using the stolen Paladin mech to fight off Sun and Neptune.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Roman in the original show was an evil bastard to be certain, but in this version towards the Breach arc he's portrayed as an unhinged sadist who looks forward to the slaughter the Breach will involve. And in a minor but notable change, in this version after Ruby is captured he has her tied to a chair intending to let the White Fang members torture her to death. And in the original he had genuine Even Evil Has Loved Ones with Neo, here he coldly tells her about her "place" and even threatening to kill her if she "interferes" immediately after she saves his life.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Unlike in canon, Weiss has the decency to apologize for her harsh words to Blake when they reunite at the docks.
- Adaptational Wimp:
- Conversely to Roman's Adaptational Badass, Glynda comes across less impressive here than in canon. Whereas she was able to stall Roman's Bullhead with a telekinetic storm comprised of rubble and glass that necessitated Cinder attacking her and Ruby to distract them long enough for Roman to fly away, Roman just flies off without Glynda offering much resistance.
- In canon, Roman barely manages to block Sun's gun-chuck barrage, whereas here he effortlessly stops Sun before he can begin the assault.
- Adaptation Distillation:
- "The Badge and the Burden," which covered Ruby and Weiss' argument after officially forming Team RWBY is condensed down to a single playful exchange, with most of the development involved for Weiss already present during initiation.
- Blake and Weiss's argument in "The Stray," rather than starting in Vale and going on for an entire day, begins and ends soon after the team meets Penny, with Blake running off there.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Ruby's hair is straight-up black, without its red highlights.
- Adaptation Expansion: Sun and Neptune get an extended fight scene against Roman's Paladin here, whereas in canon they get shunted off the freeway bridge before RWBY tackle it.
- Adaptation Name Change: The Abandoned Temple is renamed the "Abandoned Ruins".
- Adaptation Personality Change: Ruby is noticeably more somber and introspective here, with her expressing more insecurity over being accepted into Beacon early. She's also much less tolerant of Weiss's initial Rich Bitch attitude, with the enmity between the two of them being much more mutual than in the original series.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the original Neo had a very close relationship with Roman Torchwick, being his sidekick and later is motivated by a desire to avenge him. Here it's implied Neo is actually part of Cinder's group, given Roman's words to her about how he may have teamed up with "you people" but he was no hired goon.
- Adaptation Species Change: In Chapter 2, Ruby and Weiss encounter Ursai instead of Beowolves.
- Comic-Book Adaptation: It's a manga adaptation of RWBY.
- Compressed Adaptation: The manga chooses to omit numerous scenes that serve for character interactions in favor of a more streamlined plot, particularly those involving JNPR and the non-Roman villains. This includes removing Nora and Ren's original introduction and skipping the "Jaunedice" arc.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Ren and Nora aren't introduced like they are in the original show. They're instead given background cameos, such as in the locker room.
