Top 10 Best RWBY Characters

RWBY is an amazing show by Monty Oum. If you haven't seen it go check it out! This list is about who in your opinion are the best characters in RWBY. Hope you like it!
The Top Ten
1 Weiss Schnee Weiss Schnee is a former student of Beacon Academy and one of the main protagonists of RWBY. Her weapon of choice is a Multi Action Dust Rapier (MADR) named Myrtenaster.

The former heiress of the vastly influential Schnee Dust Company, Weiss made her first appearance in the "White" Trailer. After enrolling in Beacon against the wishes of her father, she becomes a member of Team RWBY alongside... read more

In my opinion Weiss has the most interesting and versatile semblance. With her glyphs she can do so many things not only for herself but she can use it on others too. Plus she can finally summon! I really can't wait to see her use this ability in battle. And I hope her time dilation glyph ability is explained further. She has grown so much in personality. She is more accepting and friendly than she was at first while still keeping her cocky attitude. But I absolutely despise her father! It's no wonder she starts out the series acting so snotty with the cold and emotionally detached upbringing she had! At least she has her sister and butler to rely on.

Without doubt has the most character development throughout the series. More of a glass cannon, Weiss certainly is not the strongest... but Weiss' desire to restore her family name, and do in her heart what she believes is right sets her apart in my mind... seeing the family she came from, and how she is exploited from her father as an object truly sales that you cannot always judge a book by its cover, or background. She does not have it near as easy as everyone assumes, and despite every excuse she could use to be indifferent, and just live in luxury, she chooses instead to become a better person. Weiss is truly best girl.

2 Yang Xiao Long Yang Xiao Long is one of the main protagonists of RWBY. She is the half-sister of Ruby Rose and the former partner of Blake Belladonna. Her parents are Taiyang Xiao Long and Raven Branwen. Her signature weapon is a pair of twin shotgun gauntlets named Ember Celica. She alludes to the fairy tale character Goldilocks.

Honestly, she's the character I care the most about. Which made the events of the volume 3 so sad for me, really...
She is strong, physically but more importantly mentally. Her semblance is perfect for increasing the tension during fights, and represents her overall strength at overcoming hardships. And I particularly enjoy the fact that her fighting style (boxing) could have easily been given to one of the boy characters. But no, they went for one of the 4 main female characters, and they managed to make her tough (cow-boy and biker look, puns, wearing shorts), sunny (smile, puns, yellow color) and feminine (long blonde hair, sexy clothes). This makes for an amazing and complex character. And her relationship with Blake is the main reason I come back every year for the next volume : might just be the "parner" thing going on, but I really see Bumblebee moments as romantic ones...

3 Qrow Branwen

This man has struggled with the burden of a semblance he can't control all his life, and its led him to a life of despair and drunkenness. Despite all this, he still strives to be the best uncle he can be for Yang and Ruby. He's such a great character who adds humor but also offers wisdom to Team RWBY, the remaining members of JNPR, and even Oscar. He's gone through so much and has been on the brink of giving up so many times that it reminds us that life isn't easy sometimes and there will be times when you're a hair's breadth from giving up

A really awesome character. I hope we will get to know more on his background with his clan and sister. I feel like his semblance suits him and adds such a tragic air to his character but he's got such a great sense of humor about it all. Not only are his fighting skills top notch but his weapon is one of the coolest ever, a sword/gun/scythe! I love watching the fighting choreography with his battles. The way he fights, it's like his weapon is a part of him.

4 Ruby Rose

I love Ruby. She's so adorable and funny and awesome. She's my favorite part of RWBY, and the reason I watched it in the first place. I was very interested in her, and when I watched the first episode and saw her tossing one of Torchwick's goons out the front window, I wasn't disappointed.

I love watching her. I haven't gotten to Volume 4, and because of how pissed I was when I found out how terrible the show gets after Volume 3, I don't plan to. But in those first 3 volumes, she always made me smile.

She's my favorite RWBY character, and one of my favorite characters. I think she could be a little better, I'd like her to have some character development, but I still find her extremely cute, funny, and awesome!

You know, for a series called RWBY, which is literally named after the main character and the team she leads, she never really got that much development unlike the other members of Team RWBY. And that's really sad because I really do like Ruby's character, but it would be nice to see her change as a character. Yes, we do notice her motives as a leader since the time gap between Volumes 3 & 4, but I want to see her evolve as a character. Give me a reason to why she's the main character of the series! Give me a reason to why she should be my absolute favorite character! Also, Lindsay Jones, as much as I enjoy your performance as Roobs, at least make her sound a bit older. Why did she sound like she was 17 in Volume 1, and she currently sounds like she's 10. Shouldn't that have been the other way around?

Nonetheless, she's easily my least favorite of Team RWBY, and I really do like her character. So please, Miles & Kerry, give Ruby a reason to why she's the main character of the series next Volume. I don't care if you focus it on her too much, it'd at least better than the way she was treated in Volumes 4 & 5.

5 Lie Ren A black-haired student at Beacon who dual wields machine pistols with attached blades, collectively called StormFlower. His Semblance allows him and his targets to avoid detection from Grimm. Ren lost his parents during a Grimm attack on Kuroyuri, the village he lived in.Vol. 4, Ch. 10 He and Nora are long-time friends, though he is the exact opposite of her, as he is mostly quiet, mellow and mature.Vol... read more

RWBY seems to make some... rather... not-as-good male characters (luckily they improve over the series), usually... But Ren, however, is the best character I have seen in the entire series. Who couldn't love an intelligent, quiet, athletic, yet good-looking guy? He was such a good character in the beginning that the character improvement just made me love this character more! Usually, I'm the kind of person who likes characters that are somewhat opposite of me, different... but then I see this character and my entire mind was changed. He's the all-time best character there is, and that's that.

As a supporting character he doesn't get as much of the spotlight as he deserves. His ability to hide emotions going bankrupt later in the series lets the viewer see a whole new side to the calm, collected man.

I absolutely love his new look in season 4! In the words of Nora "He's basically a ninja." I love his fighting style very Hyuuga clan from Naruto in some ways when he wields his aura. I enjoyed learning more about his background in the new season and got to see another side to his usually calm demeanor.

6 Pyrrha Nikos

The death that hurt the most. Never obsessed over a characters passing so much as hers. I hope somewhere down the line her "destiny" ends up being more than just dying to cinder.

Pyrrha's attitude alone makes her the best character in the series. How she acted around Jaune was funny and touching. In addition to this, she's an epic warrior who fights with the purest and most skilled form out of both RWBY and JNPR. Her chemistry with Jaune formed the best relationship within the series. She stole (More say, earned) the spotlight at the Ballroom episode. She played a vital role in V3 and her death left me in absolute shock. It was ironic that out of the eight characters, she was taken. Rest in Peace Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was such an inspirational character who was always there for the ones who needed her even if they didn't realize they needed her, and the fact she knowingly went into a fight she knew she stood no chance of winning just to try to protect those she loved... that's a level of dedication I feel this world needs more of

7 Jaune Arc

He is the most loyal out of all of them I believe. He is the one getting the most development. I think it was kind of charming how he tried to woo Weiss even with all the rejections showing his devotion to the heart, if I was him I would have given up on the first "no" and moved on to the next dance partner. He even told us he was interested in her because of how beautiful her voice was and played the guitar pretty well in front of her door, pretty sure that anyone that is this sweet would have had more options* like nikos*. He also is pretty relatable to just about all normal human being like us at the beginning. Even when still in mourning he went with ruby along side nora and ren to fight cinder and shows quite a bit of different emotions through out the show. All in all he is our lovable goofball turning fierce huntsman.

Jaune is Awesome. I think Jaune is the one character that everyone can relate to the most, he thinks very low about himself in the beginning and as the story progresses he becomes more confident about himself and his abilities. He shows that with support from friends anything is possible. I personally think that he is the most developed and had the greatest character arc. He is the person every one is trying to be.

8 Nora Valkyrie

Personally...I think she's overrated compared to the much more complex characters. Such as Pyrrha, Yang, Blake, Ruby, Ren. Well pretty much almost everyone, thankfully in Volume 4 they actually made her a real character. Volume 4 fixed a lot of problems I had with Nora, but it took 3 Volumes for me to actually care about her.

I wish the show developed her more because I really like her conceptually, but I can't really point to anything I like that isn't just her introductory scene or something she did during the Emerald Forest stuff (or the foodfight). It feels like she hasn't gotten the opportunity to be very cool or interesting outside of that. V8 helped a bit.

How can Nora be this far down the list?! She's so crazy amazing! Her and Ren's past and relationship is so moving. I really hope we continue to learn more about these 2. She's a quirky, pancake loving, spitfire wielding a giant war hammer/grenade launcher! What's not to love?

9 Blake Belladonna

I've never watched this series, so I don't know many of the characters, but isn't Blake one of the four main antagonists? Shouldn't she be higher or is her character development not as good as the others? I'm just curious, I'm in the process of watching the show actually, although I'm only up to episode 3 season 1 so far, I've heard it's got really good character development, not to mention the ship between Blake and Yang, so I have high expectations.

Mixed feelings once again. She has been through a lot and struggled in ways no one else in the story can compare to. Yet she always seems to make her own life worse and pushes other people away. But a total badass and an amazing character.

I wish she was higher up, I identify with her the most and I love her motives and how she asserts herself and opens up with everyone. She made some big mistakes but her motives were good and she has grown a lot.

10 Penny Polendina

Oh dear sweet Penny, you had so much potential and were so fun in the Vale years. If only anything ever happened with you and you weren't just here to make the audience feel sad.

I relate most to this character. Feel awkward and dependent on others' orders despite wanting to take self-control. Also, ORANGE AND GREEN for the win!

She's too pure and innocent for the cruel world of RWBY.

The Contenders
11 Ozpin Ozpin was the headmaster of Beacon Academy. Ozpin is introduced in "Ruby Rose", inquiring of Ruby Rose about where she learned how to fight, her future goals, and her desire to join his school. He is frequently seen with his cane despite having no visible motor impairment. In "End of the Beginning", Ozpin's body was killed after his battle with the newly ascended Fall Maiden, Cinder Fall.

I don't blame his for his secrets, he's had everything taken away from him over and over again and still gets back up. The love of his first life turned into a monster and he's meant to bring humanity back whilst she still roams the earth. He's given a pretty much impossible task and tries his hardest to save humanity and gets faulted for having some secrets. His teenaged students get upset. Because he didn't share every single detail. Of every single moment he's lived. Stupid. He kept secrets because he was scared of how they would react and they react exactly how he was scared they'd react. Anyways I digress. I think he has the most interesting backstory and motives and tries so hard. I love this man with a burning passion and he will always be my favorite.

Calm and wise but still bears a weight of responsibility that only those in the know would be aware of. He gives off that sage master vibe that anyone can turn to. Though he had secrets he did so to protect those around him. I feel kinda bad for him in the sense that he asked to return to the afterlife to be with Salem only to learn that she is alive and became corrupted by her own desires, and even when she got what she desired, it wasn't enough for her. He wasn't enough.

12 Roman Torchwick

I'm so sorry, Roman won't be coming back because he is comfirmed dead. In Roman Holiday it is mentioned that Neo put a tracker in his hat, which means she would have tracked down his body which is why she is wearing his hat and scarf in the later volumes. Although, it is possible Neo could use her semblance now that it has evolved in volume nine to replicate him somehow.

I honestly hated this guy in the volumes but then I read Roman Holiday and now he's like my second favorite character. He's badie, but he cares so much about Neo, and he has a great sense of humor. It was great to see his character develop (still need a better outfit tho XD)

Roman Torchwick is a lier, stealer, cheater, but he's still a favorite character to some people, but now he died by a Grimm and now there's a volume 8 coming soon November 7th and that makes me think.. What if he comes back because he could use his cain to bust his way out the Grimm.

13 Emerald Sustrai

Love emeralds design. Aesthetically best character for me. Her loyalty, attitude and especially her banter with Mercury are well written. Not to mention her semblance is amazing.

Emerald, because of her witty and snarky personality. I really like her Illusion semblance and her backstory is realistic to me. Her design is really cool and I hope to see more of her.

I love her so much, am I simping for her? yes, do I constantly watch the same episodes she's in? yes, do I wish for her and oscar to be siblings her? yes, I seriously cannot express how much I love her.

14 Neopolitan

Lets be honest, Neo is the only person who seems to "understand the assignment" She manages to accomplish all the goals she is given and make time for her own.

This girl is the best! I mean she is so sassy despite her muteness and so stylish! I love her backstory so much in Roman Holiday and hate her parents (they stink like toe cheese)

One of my favorite mutes but adorable to boot. Meta from Red Vs. Blue still holds my number one mute spot but Neo is definitely there. In the later seasons, she does feel flat as a character since she doesn't show as many expressions or actions as she used to when she was first introduced.

15 Atlas Pilot

Calling all those that love Atlas Pilot, vote for him, clear our browser data, reload the page and then vote for him again. Clearly the best character in the whole show. He deserves better than 15th place.

Carrying the whole show, we honestly need more characters like this.

Definitely carries the whole show. I mean, we don't even know his name, and he still has the most engrossing character development in the entire show. 10/10 best character hands down, very underrated.

16 Sun Wukong

Good supporting character for Blake, who seems to need it. They make a cute couple and his lighthearted humor helps make a dark anime a little less so.

Sun was such a good character and the SunXBlake ship was definitely a favorite before they yeeted him into non-existence.

They had so many characters who were golden but Sun was toward the top with his personality and also understanding of other people. Shame that the character has become useless.

Wild and free spirited and in some cases socially awkward, Sun is the opposite to Blake's semi cold and solitary character who desires to be left alone.. I think this changed a bit due to her time with team RWBY and Sun's influence. (I ship these two also)

17 Bartholomew Oobleck Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck is a teacher at Beacon Academy. He is first seen in "Jaunedice, Pt.2" teaching history to the students, specifically teaching about the war between the Humans and the Faunus, which appears to have taken place a few generations before the start of the series.

He is also shown to be more of an intellectual than a fighter through his actions on the battlefield in "Search... read more

They managed to give him a defined personality, and a reason for doing what he does within a few episodes. And sadly, those are things RWBY usually struggles with a lot. Also, one of the funniest characters in the main series. Oobleck is the best character, fight me.

Okay now this guy is really hyper, but he is also wise. Super speed would be my pick for a super power. Why is Caffeine not this guy's song? Also, can relate to the messy, and GREEN hair.

As quoted by this brilliant man, "History is important gentlemen, if you can't learn from it... You're destined to repeat it." Damn! Wiser than Ozpin.

18 James Ironwood

Hot take: Ironwood had the most fun character introduction, that scene was great! And he was so cool in v4 then again in v7. I liked his cold military aesthetic combined with his more laid-back attitude and almost chaotic good outlook.

Pure chad energy

19 Oscar Pine

I think he's had the smoothest character development, even if we don't really see all of it. Plus I really do love the shyer, more reticent, or otherwise less bombastic characters in this show, like Oscar, Pyrrha, and Ozpin. He's just such a great addition to the cast.

Probably the most developed character since he went from having someone inhabit his body to taking a role in leading things. I would go to the Rose Garden ship since they fit pretty well together and they are adorable together.

ORANGE ahem I mean, this guy does pretty well to sound just as wise as Ozpin. It is a little hard to believe he was just a farm boy...4 volumes ago. Actually, that's a lot of volumes.

20 Mercury Black Mercury Black is an antagonist in RWBY. He is an associate of Cinder Fall and partner of Emerald Sustrai.

I gotta say he may be a villan character but he's pretty awesome. I want the good guys to win but he kinda makes me root for the baddies. His moves in that tournament fight were just jaw dropping! He took control of that fight and kicked ass! All basically using his metal legs the whole time to get the advantage over team CFVY. Plus his jokey attitude and snark won me over before I even saw him fight. I enjoy him and Emerald's interactions. Just an all around badass.

How does Merc not even have an entry? He has an interesting design and concept, potential for an awesome backstory (From what we've seen so far it could end up being pretty good), and the most entertaining fighting style in the show.

Plus he's voiced by Yuri Lowenthal in the 3rd Volume! I mean, who wouldn't want a baddie who's voiced by Sasuke Uchiha of all people!

21 Glynda Goodwitch

! Glynda is so perfect because she has a visually intriguing semblance to viewers and also doesn't have a limit to the awesomeness. At first glance, a lot of people categorize her semblance as "telekinesis', but it is definitely much more than that. You can't telekinetically (if that is a word) move a cloud and make ice dust rain from the cloud. It is magic, yes it is!

Do I even need to explain this?

Really a good witch.

22 Coco Adel

Extremely overrated. Only has 3 scenes in the entire show, and in one of them she had her ass kicked by Emerald.

She only appeared in one episode so far and instantly became my favorite character of the series.

Dude just look at her

23 Winter Schnee

Just like weiss, but better, stronger, and more beautiful.

She needs to let it go...

24 Zwei

Even more powerful than the 2 brothers.

My burnt marshmallow baby...

Best boi enough said

25 Salem

I think she's wrong and she's been and is selfish like a good antagonist, but I admire her strength, determination, intelligence and like design.

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