History RWBY / TropesAToB

** Roman Torchwick was never able to unlock his Semblance, but he's a powerful enough fighter to be able to fight elite Huntsman studenties like Team RWBY. Even when Blake and Sun try to double-team him, he can fight them off.

** During Volume 7, Ironwood uses his opponents natures against them to obtain the outcome he wants. [[spoiler:He publicly reveals the Amity Communications Project to the population while sending Robyn Hill to an openly stated location to help with Mantle's evacuation. Amity is used to tempt Watts out of hiding because he cannot resist investigating and sabotaging any technological project that his rival, Ironwood, is involved in; Salem also cannot afford to have the Kingdoms reunite after destroying global communications in the first place. Robyn is used to lure out Tyrian, a serial killer who cannot resist causing chaos and mayhem, and who has been murdering Mantle rights activists to and framing Ironwood -- Robyn is the most important Mantle defender of all. The gambit works and both Watts and Tyrian are captured.]]

* BattleAura: Every living being posses a soul and therefore manifests their soul as LifeEnergy called Aura. When trained, Aura can block attacks and [[HealingFactor heal injuries]]. [[DVDCommentary This is why]] most human/Faunus characters and certain special animals like Zwei are so tough--they're using their Auras to protect against injury and achieve super-human feats. In battle, Aura that is overused or over-stressed will break. The visual effects for stressed or breaking Aura are first seen during the Volume 3 tournament face-off between Yang and Mercury as a colour-coded water-like ripple effect across the person's body. From Volume 4's battle between Blake, Sun and Ilia, the ripple effect is clarified a stress-sign and breaks involve a shattering effect around the body, like breaking glass. This breaking effect only becomes consistently used on-screen from Volume 6, due to the creators [[WordOfGod previously hiding]] Aura breaks off-screen for drama.

** When the team attempt to stop Roman from breaching the city's walls with a runaway train, Yang fights Neo but is easily defeated by her and knocked unconscious. As Neo unsheathes her blade to stab Yang to death, a portal unexpectedly opens in the ceiling and a masked woman with a huge sword drops out of it to the floor. Clearly recognising the woman, Neo backs off in obvious terror and flees. The woman then departs without a word to the now semi-conscious Yang. [[spoiler:It's later confirmed that the masked woman is Yang's MissingMom, Raven.]]

** In volume 9, Yang and Blake are stuck on opposite sides of broken bridges, in the middle of a storm. They discover that the bridges are repairing themselves when they tell eachother things they never shared with eachother, starting with small but heartfelt compliments, and slowly turning their exchanges into a full-blown LoveConfession. Ultimately, while a tender and sweet song begins to play in the background, they both realize that the one thing they haven't said to eachother yet is the key to end their predicament. Yang is a little hesitant, not quite ready to say outloud what she feels deep down, but Blake nudges her in the right direction with a comforting smile and a few words. As they finally confess their love for eachother, they are instantly reunited and share their FirstKiss, while the scenery around them changes, the storm dissipating and leaving in its place a sea of clouds colored after Yang and Blake's associated colors (rose/purple and yellow), with white flowers blooming at their feet.

** At the conclusion of her battle with the heroes, Cordovin screams a few when she realises what Ruby's plan is. [[spoiler:Ruby enters the giant mecha's arm cannon to detonate it from the inside, damaging it and pinning the mecha down. This act causes problems for the heroes as well as Cordovin when a giant Grimm takes advantage of their fight to attack Argus. Cordovin is forced to sever the mecha's arm in order to help save the city from destruction.]]

** Yang [[BloodKnight enjoys fighting]] and wants to become a Huntress for the [[ThrillSeeker thrill of adventure]]. In Volume 3, she undergoes a series of traumatic events that leave her reeling and broken by the end of the volume. [[spoiler:During the tournament, she is [[MasterOfIllusion tricked by Emerald]] into seemingly breaking Mercury's legs in front a live global audience, who believe she ruthlessly attacked an innocent man; she's disqualified, with her reputation destroyed. When Beacon is invaded, Yang's attempt to save Blake from Adam results in him severing her arm with a single stroke. She ends the volume, broken and bed-ridden. It takes her the whole of Volume 4 for her to get back to her feet and back in the game... along with a state-of-the-art Atlesian cyberarm.]]

* BrightIsNotGood: The Schnee family is entirely white themed. Their surname means "snow" and those born into the family have names that evoke whiteness. The red-themed founder of the Schnee Dust Company, Nicholas, is a good man who uses his wealth to lift the people of Mantle out of poverty. However, the family head, Jacques Schnee, marries into the family and takes on the family's name and symbols after taking over the business from Nicholas. Under his leadership, the SDC loses the beacon of quality and philanthropy; as a stately, white-haired, white-suited man, he looks the part and engages in good PR, but is a greedy businessman who not only maximises profit by cutting corners on quality, suppressing wages and workers rights, but who also terrorises his own family and seeks to control every aspect of their lives.

** Bartholomew Oobleck calls out Jaune and Cardin for not paying attention in class and telling them being accepted into Beacon means they're being held to a higher standard (with a hint of ObliviousGuiltSlinging since Jaune got in with fake credentials). He also makes Weiss, Blake and Yang re-evaluate their reasons for wanting to be Huntresses.

* BottomlessMagazines: Countless characters have weapons that also double as guns, many of which also have gatling-like firing rates. There are occasions when Ruby and Weiss have been shown switching their weapon ammo from one Dust type to another, and one or two occasions where Yang has been shown reloading her ammo in a dramatic way to indicate she's about to get serious. However, for the most part, Huntsmen are almost never shown running out of ammo or needing to reload, even in those weapons that seem to hold very few rounds, such as Blake, Ren and Nora's. This is occasionally used as a plot point; in Volume 2, Weiss gives Blake a Dust cartridge which enables Blake to start using Dust effects with her cloning Semblance during her battle with Roman, and Volume 9 establishes that Dust reserves are low, forcing Weiss and Blake to limit how much Dust they use in battle until the volume's climax.

* BottomlessMagazines: Countless characters have weapons that also double as guns, many of which also have gatling-like firing rates. There are occasions when Ruby and Weiss have been shown switching their weapon ammo from one Dust type to another, and one or two occasions where Yang has been shown reloading her ammo in a dramatic way to indicate she's about to get serious. However, for the most part, Huntsmen are almost never shown running out of ammo or needing to reload, even in those weapons that seem to hold very few rounds, such as Blake, Ren and Nora's.
** Ammo can still be important. In Volume 2, Weiss give Blake a magazine of Dust rounds, both showing how the two are coming to trust each other and allowing Bkake to empower her Semblance.
** In Volume 9, Weiss notes early on that she's low on Dust, and this is important throughout the Volume. Myrtenaster is rendered with several empty Dust chambers to continually remind the audience of Weiss' depleted ammo reserves, and she rarely uses the Dust attacks she's known for.

* BattleAura: As explained by Pyrrha, every human can manifest their soul in a way that creates this, blocking attacks and [[HealingFactor healing injuries]]. (Animals, too, though ''not'' Grimm.) Word Of God (via the director's commentary), confirms that this is why most human characters (not to mention animals like Zwei) are so tough--they're using their Aura to defend against injury. Starting around Volume 4, "Aura Breaks" (when a character has taken enough damage to deplete their Aura) are shown by a color-coded fizzle effect around the character.

%% ** Pretty much any combination of team RWBY (plus Blake and Sun) or team JNPR are Bash Brothers, as are Sun and Neptune. Tellingly, team CRDL fails at this in their fight with Pyrrha.

* BattleAura: As explained by Pyrrha, every human can manifest their soul in a way that creates this, blocking attacks and [[HealingFactor healing injuries]]. (Animals, too, though ''not'' Grimm.) Word Of God (via the director's commentary), confirms that this is why most human characters (not to mention animals like Zwei) are so tough--they're using their Aura to defend against injury.

BareMidriffsAreFeminine: This seems to be a popular look among female characters, Yang and Blake had outfits like this up until the Atlas Arc, Emerald Sustrai, Cinder in the tournament, and several other minor characters.

Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: This seems to be a popular look among female characters, Yang and Blake had outfits like this up until the Atlas Arc, Emerald Sustrai, Cinder in the tournament, and several other minor characters.

* BareMidriffsAreFeminine: This seems to be a popular look among female characters, Yang and Blake had outfits like this up until the Atlas Arc, Emerald Sustrai, Cinder in the tournament, and several other minor characters.

* AuthorityGrantsAsskicking: Huntsmen and other warriors that live long enough to become tutors or truly old are extremely dangerous people by virtue of having a survived a dangerous job with a very high death toll. This can cause its own problems as {{Discussed|Trope}} in-universe. There is a conflict between General Ironwood and the Beacon staff because Ironwood believes in closely associating authority with the amount of ass-kicking that authority is capable of. It's why he insists on bringing an army to Vale for the Vytal Tournament. By contrast, Ozpin, Qrow and Glynda fear such displays will backfire rather than be helpful. The lesson the Beacon teachers seem to teach their students is that authority requires leadership ability rather than combat skill, something that Ozpin makes a point of telling Ruby to make her take responsibility for her position as team leader; this is a lesson that Ruby then passes on to Jaune, for the same reason. [[spoiler:When the heroes, led by Ruby end up in conflict with Ironwood in Volume 8, they ultimate succeed over Ironwood not through asskicking, but through thinking outside the box.]]

* AWorldHalfFull: Past the humor and high-octane action in the series, it's made increasingly clear that humanity has only survived with a foothold of civilization. Even with [[AppliedPhlebotinum Dust]] to fight back the [[TheHeartless Grimm]], there are only four truly safe havens on ''the entire planet'', and this is already considered unprecedented. Attempts to expand often fail, and atop that, violent prejudice and criminal conspiracies are still opting to tear this all down. Ultimately, though, the show makes it clear that solutions can be found, and it first starts with a positive outlook. [[spoiler: The latter half of Volume 3 [[CerebusSyndrome veers into]] much, much [[CruelAndUnusualDeath darker territory]], with the ending narration mocking this worldview. The show stays in this territory, however, as it becomes clear that only sheer unbridled [[TheDeterminator determination]], unity, and hope hold any chance against the darkness, and even as the situation grows more hopeless, the heroes only become more resolved to make the world better. Volumes 8 and 9, though, really push this trope to its limit by having the villains [[TheBadGuyWins achieve complete victory]] and putting the heroes in a position where they are forced to question if victory [[InvincibleVillain is an actual possibility]], culminating in an apparent subversion when Ruby, a smaller, more honest soul, effectively ''[[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]]'' due to the stress placed upon her by the weight of her burdens.]]

* Past the humor and high-octane action in the series, it's made increasingly clear that humanity has only survived with a foothold of civilization. Even with [[AppliedPhlebotinum Dust]] to fight back the [[TheHeartless Grimm]], there are only four truly safe havens on ''the entire planet'', and this is already considered unprecedented. Attempts to expand often fail, and atop that, violent prejudice and criminal conspiracies are still opting to tear this all down. Ultimately, though, the show makes it clear that solutions can be found, and it first starts with a positive outlook. [[spoiler: The latter half of Volume 3 [[CerebusSyndrome veers into]] much, much [[CruelAndUnusualDeath darker territory]], with the ending narration mocking this worldview. The show stays in this territory, however, as it becomes clear that only sheer unbridled [[TheDeterminator determination]], unity, and hope hold any chance against the darkness, and even as the situation grows more hopeless, the heroes only become more resolved to make the world better. Volumes 8 and 9, though, really push this trope to its limit by having the villains [[TheBadGuyWins achieve complete victory]] and putting the heroes in a position where they are forced to question if victory [[InvincibleVillain is an actual possibility]], culminating in an apparent subversion when Ruby, a smaller, more honest soul, effectively ''[[DrivenToSuicide commits suicide]]'' due to the stress placed upon her by the weight of her burdens.]]

* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: A majority of the villains in the series, if it's not a case of [[SelfDisposingVillain their own hands]], then at the hands of villains. Two notable examples include [[spoiler:Lionheart, a traitor who helped contribute to the fall of Beacon, [[YouHaveFailedMe being killed by Salem]] and Jacques, Weiss's abusive father, meeting his end via Ironwood's {{BFG}}.]] There's tons to count that it's easier to count how many villains ''did'' die by RWBY's hand: [[spoiler:One: Adam Taurus]].

* ArmiesAreEvil: Invoked. General James Ironwood brings a portion of the Atlas Military with him as security for the Vytal Festival in Beacon Academy. Since the actions of the series BigBad are becoming noticeable, he feels that this is a sign of protection that will deter aggressors. BigGood Ozpin states that a guardian is a symbol of protection, while an army is a symbol of conflict. The masses will be on edge, wonder what threat a force so large is meant to fight, and their negativity will in turn attract the Grimm.

* AllForNothing: Raven spends the fifth volume concocting a plan to oppose Salem by obtaining the Relic of Knowledge for herself. This plan eventually becomes a lost cause. [[spoiler:Qrow renounces Raven as his sister; Vernal, her lieutenant, dies because she's a decoy; and she exposes herself as the Spring Maiden to the enemy, something that would effectively put herself on Salem's hit list. Then, once she finally tries obtaining the Relic, Yang tells her Salem will pursue her for the rest of her life if she took it, something she knows terrifies Raven. In the end, she allows Yang to take the Relic, and tearfully apologises before leaving.]]

** In a world where Phlebotinum, guns, and blades intersect, Jaune uses... a plain old [[AncestralWeapon sword]] and a [[RetractableWeapon collapsible]] [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe shield]]/scabbard. Ruby lampshades this, saying that it's good to have a healthy respect for the classics.
** General Ironwood's weapon of choice? A simple revolver. It's a damn big one, but there's nothing else really notable or crazy about it. It really should tell you everything you need to know about the world of Remnant when ''a HandCannon'' is this trope. It seems to have two barrels and two triggers, but that is still far more normal than most weapons in the setting... and it still kicks ass.

* BoobsOfSteel: Yang Xiao Long is a powerhouse who uses GoodOldFisticuffs (her fighting style being too unrefined to be boxing despite seeming to have training in it) equipped with [[PowerFist Ember]] [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Celica]] and is physically one of the strongest characters of the series, she also tops most of the adult women in the bust department.

* AccompliceByInaction: In Volume 5, Ilia explains that the reason she views the [[FantasticTerrorists White Fang]]'s violent terrorism against humanity as NecessarilyEvil. As far as she's concerned, ''no'' humans are good or innocent - they either actively [[FantasticRacism hate]] the [[LittleBitBeastly Faunus]] or just [[BystanderSyndrome stand back]] and let the hate happen. [[VillainHasAPoint Ilia's words]] serve as a CallBack to Volume 1 when Velvet, a rabbit Faunus, was being harassed by [[TheBully Cardin Winchester]]; although both Teams RWBY and JNPR all expressed disgust with Team CRDL's behavior and sympathy for Velvet's plight, they, including Blake, just stood back and watched it happen, doing nothing to intervene on her behalf.

* BreakingTheFellowship: The Beacon headmaster creates Team RWBY, who must learn to work together both academically and in combat in order to graduate. They are forced to separate after the villains invade Vale in the Beacon arc and don't reunite until the end of the Anima arc. [[spoiler:Yang loses her arm and recovers at home; Weiss is forcibly taken to Atlas by her father Jacques; and Blake goes on the run to her Menagerie home after her PsychoExBoyfriend Adam helped the villains destroy Beacon and maim Yang. As for Ruby, she joins the remains of Team JNPR to seek out the villains.]]

* BreakingTheFellowship: The Beacon headmaster creates Team RWBY, who must learn to work together both academically and in combat in order to graduate. They are forced to separate after the villains invade Vale in the Beacon arc and don't reunite until the end of the Anima arc. [[spoiler:Yang loses her right arm and recovers at home in the fourth volume; Weiss is forcibly taken to Atlas by her father Jacques; and Blake goes on the run to her Menagerie home after her PsychoExBoyfriend Adam helped the villains destroy Beacon and maim Yang. Ruby joins the remains of Team JNPR to seek out the villains.]]