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For the World of Remnant episode of the same name, see Grimm (WoR episode).
For as long as Humanity can recall walking the surface of Remnant, so do they remember this wicked force.

Overview Image Gallery



The Creatures of Grimm, or just Grimm, are monsters inhabiting the majority of Remnant. They were originally created by the God of Darkness and their current master is Salem.

They are described as "creatures of destruction" that do not possess a soul, rendering them unable to use Aura. They are also drawn towards negative emotions such as jealously, grief, loneliness, hatred and fear; causing them to often congregate on the source of these emotions, attacking any and all Humans and Faunus they encounter on sight.

History[]

The Grimm were created by the God of Darkness in order to destroy the creations of the God of Light. Eventually, the two Brothers ended their feud by creating something that could both create and destroy, namely Humanity. However, despite the younger brother's involvement in creating Humanity, the Grimm were still left to roam Remnant and prey on them.

The Grimm have been locked in an existential war with Humanity for as long as can be remembered, seeking to destroy them and all of their creations. When the God of Darkness wiped out the first wave of Humanity, he left the Grimm alive before departing Remnant. Following the reemergence of Humanity, the Grimm began to attack again. At first, it seemed as though they would succeed, as Humans did not have the strength to fight them. However, Humans discovered the power of Dust, and with it, the Grimm were driven back. During this time, Humans enjoyed a time of peace and soon formed their own Kingdoms, which grew to survive and prosper. However, this time would not last indefinitely.

Although the Grimm mindlessly wander Remnant, they have a hidden master in Salem, an ancient and mysterious figure who is able to both control and create them. She currently leads the Grimm against Humanity to further her goals.

Dust

Mankind combats the Grimm with the power of Dust

While Grimm are initially mindless and heedless of risk during their youths, leading them to simply attack any Humans on sight, some Grimm are so powerful that they have survived to live for hundreds of years. In that time, they have evolved and learned from their experiences fighting Humanity. This leads them to exhibit restraint and the patience to avoid taking unnecessary casualties in futile conflicts. Instead, they stay close to Humanity's borders, waiting for the opportunity to come where they can finally strike. Because of this, mankind is in ever-present danger, even in times of apparent peace. Bartholomew Oobleck recounts this in the episode "Search and Destroy" when he tells Ruby Rose how intelligent some species, such as the Goliath, have become over the years.

The Grimm also, for many years, disrupted land-based travel and communications between Kingdoms. After the Great War of Remnant, the invention and production of the CCT towers replace futile land-based communication systems with instantaneous wireless electronic messaging capabilities.

Additionally, the Grimm appear to be the predominant species in the world of Remnant as Humans and Faunus appear to be limited to four primary pocket settlements referred to as Kingdoms, which are guarded by Huntsmen, as well as several villages that exist with mixed success. Attempts by the Kingdoms to expand beyond their borders are often met with resistance, and even failure, such as the loss of an entire sector of the city of Vale to the Grimm.

In recent history, the White Fang attempted to cause a breach in the city of Vale and let the Grimm enter and destroy the Kingdom. However, the attempt ended in failure as multiple students, Huntsmen and the Atlas Military managed to seal the breach and kill the Grimm that managed to get through.

Later, Merlot Industries began experimenting on Grimm and created mutants using a special serum created by Dr. Merlot. Before he had a chance to use these Grimm to attack Beacon Academy however, Team RWBY/Team JNPR put a stop to his plans and destroyed his main facility.

V3 12 00187

Beacon Academy is overrun by the Grimm

During the 40th annual Vytal Festival tournament in Vale, the Grimm were attracted to the main city and Beacon Academy due to growing negativity caused by the plans of Cinder's Faction and an attack with the help of the White Fang. Beacon Academy was overrun in an event known as the Fall of Beacon and attempts to retake the Academy from the Grimm are still ongoing.

Later, the Grimm began to attack the city of Argus due to a negativity spike caused by Caroline Cordovin, but were warded off by the soldiers stationed in Argus.

In the past, the cold climate of Solitas managed to keep the Grimm at bay due to it being too cold for them to survive. However, they began to adapt to the cold due to Salem making them more resistant and converged on the Kingdom of Atlas.

Eventually, the Grimm managed to attack Mantle, but were repelled during the Battle of Mantle by the combined forces of the Atlas Military and the Huntsmen.

When Salem destroyed the Hard-Light Dust Shields protecting Atlas, she landed Monstra on the island and created an army of Grimm to attack the city. While the Atlas Military tried to hold off the Grimm during the Battle of Atlas, Monstra was eventually destroyed and took many of the Grimm it created with it, although there were still many left.

Biology[]

Manga 1 Grimm

The Grimm as they appear in the manga

In the episode "The Next Step", the births of Grimm are depicted, with Beowolves emerging from black pools in the Land of Darkness.[1] However, most of Humanity is unaware of the origins of Grimm. Ancient Human cultures believed the Grimm to be animals possessed by evil spirits or even the tortured spirits of animals themselves. Further study has disproved this theory over time due to the discovery of certain species of Grimm which have no animal counterparts, such as Creeps and Griffons. With the discovery of new types of Grimm every day, scientists are left with more questions than answers.

Grimm come in a variety of shapes and sizes; the latter appearing to mostly be a factor of age. Grimm are very biodiverse as different individuals may be born with less size, armor, spikes, etc. Some Grimm have the ability to evolve into stronger versions of themselves like the Centinels which will evolve into its alpha variant, the Cenitaur, if they aren't taken out quickly enough.[2] Grimm are said to be the only creatures without souls, thus being deprived of the use of Aura, but they make up for this with strength, durability and savagery. Some Grimm even have special abilities such as possession or usage of lightning and fire. Grimm are stated to be attracted to generally negative feelings such as sadness, hostility, anger and fear, and even congregate in areas that, although Humanity has long since abandoned, still hold residual traces of these feelings.

V3 10 00062

Grimm dissipating upon death

This behavior will even lead to them to join in on an attack in progress if the Humans being attacked begin to panic. Grimm typically form packs or other types of large groupings with other members of their own species. While some lone Grimm may stray from the pack for hours or even months, they will inevitably rejoin their group to continue their instinctive drive to hunt the people of Remnant and destroy any creations associated with them.

V8 06 00178

Grimm in Solitas have bones with a blue hue and white spots

The longer a Grimm lives, the larger it becomes, with species such as the Beowolves growing from just over the size of an average man to massive behemoths that dwarf Atlesian Knight-200s. Although Grimm have a more reckless and aggressive nature during their youth, older Grimm who have managed to survive their battles have the tendency to learn from their experiences. While sometimes requiring hundreds of years, the individual Grimm's accumulated experiences over the course of surviving their battles with man can cause them to begin exercising caution.

This self-preservation can even lead them to avoid unnecessary conflicts altogether, instead waiting for an opportunity to present itself. This demonstrates that for all their apparent intelligence, older Grimm simply use it as a means to become more effective in their singular purpose of killing. However, no matter how much they learn from battle, Grimm by themselves are not smart enough to coordinate a concentrated attack on a battlefield and require Salem's direction in order to actually pose a threat to massive forces like the Atlas Military.[3]

V8 06 00198

Different types of Grimm

Grimm display no enmity towards normal animals and they only clash during territorial disputes. Humans and Faunus are the only races they attack on sight. Grimm can also choose not to eat and it is commonly believed that they do not require sustenance. When a Grimm dies, their corporeal form evaporates, preventing detailed anatomical or biological studies. This also means that Huntsmen that kill for sport cannot stuff and mount Grimm bodies as trophies, making replicas instead.

V6 01 00075

Some Grimm have attacks like fire or lightning

Also of interesting note is that Grimm usually die off when in captivity if they cannot kill their captors or escape first, implying that they cannot be kept alive by normal means.

Initially, the cold climate in Solitas proved to be inhospitable for the Grimm for a very long time. Over time, however, the Creatures of Grimm grew to adapt to the cold of Solitas, now said to be the strongest species of Grimm.[4] In recent history, the Grimm adapted at a supernaturally fast rate, leading many to wonder the cause of this change.[5]

Grimm are shown to have tar-like innards underneath their skin which can splash into things as if it were blood before dissipating into smoke.[6]

In RWBY: Before the Dawn, Shade Academy students discover that Grimm are not only attracted to negative emotions but also their very souls – their Aura. Powerful Auras are like Grimm magnets, causing them to drop their original targets in favor of the more powerful supply of Aura as though they were moths to a flame. It is unclear whether this applies exclusively to unlocked Aura or to both locked and unlocked Aura, and it is specified as only Human and Faunus Aura, despite animals having it.[7]

Additionally, attempting to transfer Aura to the Grimm instead causes them to attempt to drain it from the user.[8]

Similar to Semblances, Grimm have different "types." While most types are unknown, Possesion-type Grimm have the ability to posses inanimate objects to use for themselves or even other species of Grimm and people. The only other confirmed type is the Serpent-type which seems to only include snake-like Grimm. Most Grimm simply use brute force and some can use mental attacks on people.

Experiments[]

There is also an as of yet unknown method for grafting Grimm anatomy to a Human body, as seen with Cinder Fall's left arm. However, there are two critical weaknesses to those who undergo such a process. First, Aura cannot protect the Grimm component due to retaining the Grimm's soulless nature. Second, the graft recipient is vulnerable to the power of the Silver-Eyed warriors due to the Grimm's weakness to their power. Such a graft recipient is also afforded several abilities. One ability is the power to forcibly absorb and potentially assimilate the powers of a Maiden. Another is the power of elasticity, which Cinder Fall was able to use by extending her left arm several meters while still appearing to maintain physical strength.

The graft recipient also appears to "bleed" from the Grimm component in the form of black smoke when it is severed or cut, the same way a true Grimm does. Furthermore, Cinder was capable of feeling intense pain when exposed to the flash of Ruby's silver eyes and when a glass fragment pierced her arm in her duel with Raven Branwen. Given Salem's ability to modify the bodies of Grimm through magic, it is likely that this is the primary means by which the graft is created and attached to the host. Salem is also able to control a grafted Grimm component as if it were any other Grimm. She was known to use this to punish Cinder by inflicting agonizing pain on the latter's Grimm arm.

The Schnee Dust Company managed to create an Arma Gigas by putting a mutated form of a Geist in a copy of Nicholas Schnee's armor.

Mutant Grimm[]

Mutant Beowolf

Merlot's Mutant Beowolf

There exists a group of Grimm that have been genetically modified to be superior to normal Grimm in every way. They posess powers like exploding and creating waves of crystal-like bone spikes. Unlike all other Grimm, their eyes, markings and inside of their bodies were green instead of red. Their spikes took on an appearance similar to glowing green crystals. So far the only species that have been seen in mutated form are Creeps, Beowolves and a single Death Stalker.

Image Gallery[]

Virtual/Artificial Grimm[]

In Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part One, through the work of Kilg%re and Arthur Watts, a virtual space was made which included the Grimm. Like their counterparts, the virtual Grimm were as hostile and deadly as from Remnant. All of them were also capable of absorbing Dust which would leave their opponents helpless during a certain moment. However, unlike Remnant's Grimm, the virtual Grimm were much less durable where a single hit could cause one to fade away instantly. Their existence was also unstable in the virtual world, which caused them to glitch in and out of existence, or even leave parts of themselves behind to study.

All of them could be controlled by Kilg%re, who could command them or even possess their bodies.

In Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part Two, after transferring a copy of his mind in the Digital Space and arriving on Earth, Watts managed to find a process to produce artificial Grimm, even creating new ones. Like those of Remnant, they were hostile and dangerous, holding the exact same abilities as their Remnant counterparts and more. Though unlike Remnant's Grimm, instead of fading away into smoke, they turned into goop and then vanished. Watts also claims that the Grimm on Earth were more easily programmable, allowing Kilg%re to possess them if he so desired to. They could also be commanded to attack more strategically and adapted much faster to their enemies such as when attacking cooperatively against Vixen and Black Canary.

On Kilg%re's suggestion, Watts also managed to change and modify the Grimm to give them their own powers; such as personal shields or the ability to 'reboot' and 'revive'. Some Grimm were also made to counter the Justice League themselves such as Superman or affecting Jessica Cruz's ring. Watts and Kilg%re having given them differently abilities for the heroes with Cyborg revealing that the six primary variants utilized poison, power absorbing, silencing, DNA splicer, Kryptonite and whatever fights Green Lantern's ring. Despite their effectiveness, they could be hacked by others such as Cyborg (on risk of dying or transforming), and unless Watts and Kilg%re remained on the same plane as them, the entire Grimm army will vanish away without their combined energies to power them.

Grimm Pools[]

Main article: Grimm Liquid
V4 01 00002

A Beowolf rising from the liquid

Grimm spawn from a viscous, tar-like substance. Pools of this substance appear in numbers in the Land of Darkness. Grimm of sufficient size like the Wyvern and Monstra were able to produce this substance and create new Grimm. The Wyvern could create drops of tar that created Creeps, Beowolves and Ursai, while Monstra was large enough to create waves of tar from its mouth that could spawn endless amounts of Grimm.

Salem created a river of Grimm Liquid under Solitas using Monstra, which she later utilized to breach through the Hard-Light shield of Atlas.

In Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part Two, Watts managed to create his own artificial Grimm Liquid.

Grimm Species[]

Notable Grimm[]

Name Abilities Features
Apathy Willpower-Draining Aura, Ear-Piercing Scream Humanoid Shape, Long Arms, Deformed Face
Beetle Power Transfer Beetle Body
Beowolf Lunges, Claws Strikes, Bites Black Fur, Bonelike Spines
Beringel Grappling, Throwing, Punching Black Fur, Bonelike Plates
Blind Worm Biting, Head Charging, Spitting Acid, Swallowing Bone Plates, giant mouth, acidic blood
Boarbatusk Charges, tusks, body rolls White Bone Plates, Four Eyes, Large Tusks
Cenitaur Acid Spit, Bladed Arms Black Skin, External Bone Plates, Acid Sac, Bladed Arms
Centinel Acid Spit, Biting, Ensnaring Black Skin, External Bone Plates, Segmented Body, Strong Jaws
Chill Temporary Human Possession Glowing Eyes
Creep Ramming, Bites, Tail Swipping Bonelike Spines, Two-Legged
Death Stalker Claw Grabs, Stinger Strikes Black Exoskeleton, White Bone Plates, Glowing Stinger
Geist Possession Black Skin, Bonelike Spines
Goliath Stomping Black Skin, Bonelike Spines, Giant Tusks
Griffon Charging, Claws Black Fur, Feathers, Bonelike Spines, Avian Wings
Horse Grimm Charging, Stomping, Kicking Horse Body, Black Smoke, Bone Protrusions
The Hound Adapting Canine Body, No Eyes, Wings
Imp Arm Stretching, Screech Humanoid, Bone Protrusions
King Taijitu Lunges, Fang Bites, Constriction Bonelike Spines, Grimm Markings
Lancer Firing Stinger, Ramming, Projectiles Wasplike Body,Armor
Leviathan Fire Breath Webbed Limbs, Large Tail
Manticore Clawing, Biting, Tackling, Stinging, Fireballs Black Fur, Feathers, Bonelike Spines, Avian Wings, Stinger Tail
Megoliath Charging, Stomping Mammothlike Body, Black Fur, Frozen Skin, Giant Tusks
Monstra Flight, Spawning Grimm Giant Whalelike Body, Gravity Dust Spikes, Red Wings
Nevermore Headbutt Charge, Spearlike Feather Quills Black Plumage, Wing Claws, Bonelike Headpiece
Nidhogg Flame Breath, Kryptonite Long Serpentine Body, Red Membranes, Fins, Claws, Kryptonite
Nightmare Possession, Aura draining Thorny Appendages, Bonelike Spines
Nuckelavee Extendable Arms, Sonic Roar Equine Body, Humanoid, Horns, Slender Arms, Hooves
Ravager Biting, Clawing Black Fur, Bonelike Spines, Red Wings
Razorwing Flight Harpy Body
Sabyr Biting, Charging, Clawing Black Body, Large Canines, Frozen Skin
Sea Feilong Lightning Breath, Ramming, Wind Gust, Biting Scales, Dorsal Fin, Collapsible Wings, Tendrils, Forearms
Seer Telecommunications, Strangulation, Sharp Tentacles Red Tentacles, Black Body
Shadow Hand Sharp Claws, Elasticity, Energy Absorption Clawed Arms
Sphinx Bite, Tail Strike, Fire Breath Wings, Snake Tail
Spider Grimm Illusion Casting Spiderlike Body, Three Eyes
Sulfur Fish Superheating, Combining Sulfur Swarm Insectlike Body, One Eye, Three Tails
Tempest Flight, Storm Generation Black Medusa, Red Tentacles
Tentacle Grimm Tentacles, Merging Grimm Small Skull Body, Tentacles
Teryx Lunges, Claw Strikes, Bites, Flight Raptorlike Body, Wings
Ursa Lunges, Claw Swing, Bites Black Fur, Bonelike Spines
Wyvern Ramming, Flight, Spawning Grimm Black Skin, Bonelike Spines, Batlike Wings

Other Grimm[]

  • Dromedon - A camel-like Grimm that can spit acidic venom. Fox Alistair battles one in Feldspar.[9] They are shown to have armored humps.[10]
    • Dromedary is the scientific name for the Arabian camel.
  • Jackalope - A huge rabbit-like Grimm with black fur, branching red and white antlers and powerful hind legs. A Jackalope is encountered by Velvet Scarlatina in Feldspar in RWBY: After the Fall.[9] They later make a return in RWBY: Before the Dawn when Coco Adel and Carmine Esclados face a pair of them.
    • The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns.
  • Ziraph - A three-headed Grimm that resembles a giraffe. Their bodies are covered in red spots that bear resemblance to a leopard's. Each head has two horns. They are described as being five stories tall and having razor-like plates on their four legs as well as long tongues which they use to ensnare people and swallow them whole.[9] They are so powerful that it took the entirety of Team CFVY to defeat one of them.
  • Owl Grimm - Owl Grimm are described in RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant in the story "The Warrior in the Woods", in which three owls attack a boy in a forest, only to be saved by a warrior woman.[11] The story's animated adaptation depicts them with a similar appearance to Nevermores, though it is unknown if they are a separate species from Nevermores or not.
  • Lagartodiles – Fearsome Grimm described as living in the swamps of Mistral by Bartholomew Oobleck in RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant.
  • Grendels – Fierce Grimm described as living in the swamps of Mistral by Bartholomew Oobleck in RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant.
    • Grendel is a fictional monster from the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf
  • Long Tongues – Poisonous Grimm described as living in the swamps of Mistral by Bartholomew Oobleck in RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant.
  • Whisps – Tricky Grimm described as living in the swamps of Mistral by Bartholomew Oobleck in RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant.
    • Whisps are possibly based on the Will-o'-the-wisp, an atmospheric phenomenon of light that gave rise to folk beliefs of fairies and ghosts.
  • Capivara - A large, rat-like Grimm from Menagerie described with having a long black tail with white barbs at its end, sharp elongated claws, and two rows of teeth the size of Human fingers. One makes an appearance in RWBY: Roman Holiday, where Mistral crime boss Paul Parrot has it imported into the city and keeps it in the basement of his club for use in executing his enemies. After Roman Torchwick, Melanie and Miltia Malachite face off against it, it escapes, kills many of Paul's men and is then destroyed by Spider.[12]
    • The Capybara is the world's largest rodent, native to South America.
  • Drake - An unnamed large, dinosaur-like terrestrial Grimm described in the "I Burn Anthology", which is mostly non-canon. As yet, they have only been seen in a dream sequence so whether this is an existing species or merely a figment of Yang's imagination is unconfirmed.
  • Berserker - An unnamed hairy, bipedal, mammalian Grimm described in the "Mirror Mirror Anthology", which is mostly non-canon.
  • Theropod Grimm - A theropod, dinosaur-like Grimm which first appears in RWBY 6. This Grimm is shown to have a body resembling a three-headed tyrannosaur and having horns on its white face mask. It is seen in Menagerie, being quickly dispatched by Blake and Sun Wukong.
  • Combat Ready Grimm - Unidentified Grimm resembling a Beowolf with elements of a Leviathan appears on the Grimm Portal objective card in RWBY: Combat Ready. Whether it is a unique Grimm or an artistic representation of a Beowolf is unclear.
  • DC Grimm - Unidentified Grimm resembling a Beowolf or Ursa summoned by Weiss in the RWBY Comic which may have been an artistic representation of a Beowolf or Ursa rather than a unique species. Another Grimm with less discernable features was shown, although it was likely the same Grimm in the process of materializing.
  • Shark Grimm - Seen on a poster in "Strings".
  • Grimm Puppy - Seen in "Vol. 5: Shine", which is mostly non-canon. It resembles a wolf or husky puppy. Whether it is meant to be a young or infant version of a Beowolf or a unique species is unknown.
  • Praying Mantis Grimm - First revealed in RWBY: Ice Queendom, which resembles a praying mantis.
  • Sea Dragon Grimm - First revealed in RWBY: Ice Queendom, which resembles a sea dragon with a piranha-like head. Whether it is intended to be a new species or an artistic representation of a Sea Feilong is unknown.
  • Godzilla Grimm - First revealed in RWBY: Ice Queendom, which resembles to a giant dinosaur. It shares this resemblance with the Drake and Leviathan and may simply be an artistic representation of one of them rather than a separate species.
  • Swindlens - Lemur-like Grimm first revealed as minor enemies in RWBY: Arrowfell.
  • Antelope Grimm: A Grimm resembling a goat or an antelope with a skeletal face that appears in Lex Luthor's imagination along with various other Grimm in DC/RWBY 4.

Notable Characters[]

God of Darkness[]

Darkness Human ProfilePic V6 03

The God of Darkness is one of the two Gods who created Remnant as well as the creator and original master of the Grimm.

Initially, he created the Grimm in order to counteract the creations of the God of Light. However, the two eventually settled their differences and created Humanity together. Following this, the Grimm were largely kept confined to the Land of Darkness. In the tale The Two Brothers, it is revealed that the God of Darkness cared for the Grimm, as after his truce with his brother, he chose to live in the Land of Darkness among his own creations as opposed to anywhere else.

Following the Gods' departure from Remnant, the Grimm were left to roam the planet until eventually they came under the control of Salem.

Salem[]

Salem V6 04 ProfilePic 1

Salem is the primary antagonist of RWBY and the current master of the Grimm. She is the last living member of the original Humanity and was cursed with immortality by the Gods as punishment for trying to manipulate them to bring her lover back. She tried ending her life by jumping into the Grimm Pool in the Land of Darkness, but instead was physically altered and gained the power to control the Grimm.

She can affect the physiology of Grimm and mutate them and is even capable of grafting Grimm body parts to a Human's body. She causes Beringels to sprout wings in "Our Way" and gives Cinder Fall a Shadow Hand to replace her missing arm. In addition, she has the ability to summon multiple Shadow Hands on command as seen in "So That's How It Is". Her preferred method is using them to restrain her opponents.

She is also capable of creating Grimm hybrids, as was the case with The Hound, who was shown to have a Faunus as its core, most notably with a Silver Eye.

Merlot[]

Merlot larger

Doctor Merlot is the main antagonist of the video game RWBY: Grimm Eclipse and founder of Merlot Industries, a research and development corporation based out of the ill-fated settlement at Mountain Glenn. At some point, Merlot gained an unhealthy obsession towards the Creatures of Grimm, believing them to be a "superior species" and that due to their "unbridled raw aggression and lack of sentience" they would make "the perfect vessel".

His corporation began performing experiments on Grimm, research which Merlot believed was vital to the future of Remnant. However, when they began running out of specimens to experiment on, they started attracting Grimm to the city in order to acquire more, with disastrous results. After the fall of Mountain Glenn, Doctor Merlot was presumed dead.

However, Merlot, in fact, survived the destruction of Mountain Glenn and transferred his operation to a highly remote island at an unknown location, and continued his experiments at his new secret laboratory, creating the mutant Grimm using his serum, a glowing green substance.

Years later, Team RWBY would lead an investigation of mutated Grimm traced back to Merlot Industries, eventually arriving on Merlot's island. After Team RWBY infiltrates his laboratory and destroys his mutant Grimm, he self-destructs the laboratory.

Arthur Watts[]

WattsJLxRWBY2

Dr. Arthur Watts is one of the series' supporting antagonist in RWBY. He is an ex-Atlas scientist who aided Salem in her attempts to bring destruction in the world, faking his death to defect to her side. During the events of Volume 8, Watts perished after being imprisoned in the falling city of Atlas by Cinder's actions.

However, despite dying, Watts managed to upload a copy of his mind in a digital space which was found by Kilg%re and kept safe. In Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part Two, The two would proceed to relocate to the DC universe where they would create their own artificial Grimm alongside unique variants to unleash upon earth and destroy the Justice League. Watts, after recreating a new body for himself, would gain the ability to create and control the Grimm similar to Salem while intending to remake Earth in his own image.

He and Kilg%re are confronted by the Justice League and Team RWBY where Watts is ultimately imprisoned alongside Kilg%re in a holo-trap and cut off from their Grimm which causes them to die off.

Hybrids[]

Cinder Fall[]

CinderShadowHandExposed

Cinder Fall is an antagonist in RWBY and a member of Salem's Inner Circle. She used a Beetle Grimm to steal the power of the Fall Maiden, but after getting severely damaged by Ruby Rose's usage of Silver Eyes, she had her entire left arm replaced with a Shadow Hand. Her arm is capable of slashing, stretching, channeling magic and directly absorbing Maiden powers. Because of its Grimm nature it is incapable of channeling Aura, making it vulnerable to direct damage.

The Hound[]

Hound-canine

The Hound was a Grimm hybrid created by Salem using an unnamed Silver-Eyed Faunus. It was smarter than any other known Grimm and capable of changing its form to suit its needs. Known forms include a humanoid form, a canine form and a winged form. It was also capable of creating a third hand out of its back. It was partially resistant to Silver Eyes, possibly because of its hybrid nature, but was damaged as a result of the attack. The Hound was the first Grimm shown to be capable of speaking the Human language due to how it was created. It was later killed and left behind the corpse of the Faunus as it died.

Trivia[]

Behind the Scenes[]

  • The name for the creatures of Grimm may be a reference to the Brothers Grimm and Grimms' Fairy Tales, a famous classic collection of German fairy tales compiled by the brothers. Notable stories include "Little Red Riding Hood", "Snow White" and "Hansel and Gretel", all of which serve as inspiration for RWBY characters.
    • In "The Lost Fable", Jinn refers to the Grimm as "The Brother's Grimm", pronounced the same as "The Brothers Grimm", strengthening the allusion.
    • Additionally, the word Grimm is German for fury, wrath, fierceness or grim.
  • Different parts of Remnant have different species of Grimm. The crew stated that they try to theme the Grimm based on the location they are found.[13] The icy continent of Solitas features Grimm based on prehistoric and ice age animals.[14]
  • Miles Luna has compared the Grimm to Pokémon, stating that some will pop up in every region while others are region-specific.[15]
  • According to the Volume 3 DVD Directors' Commentary, the ability of the Wyvern to spawn Grimm offers a sneak peek towards their creation.[16] Later it was shown that Grimm spawn from dark Grimm pools in the Land of Darkness.
  • An early idea for Grimm involved the people of Remnant bottling the Grimm oil and selling it on the black market. This essence could be used on animals to "Grimm-ify" them or be used on two creatures to create a hybrid.[17]
  • In a deleted concept for Volume 1, Corsac and Fennec Albain would have used the Grimm liquid to summon Grimm in the Beacon Academy Initiation.[18]
  • On May 21st, 2020, Rooster Teeth Productions and Full Sail University announced a collaboration for the production of Volume 8. Full Sail University students and graduates were given exclusive opportunities to design a Grimm that would be featured in Volume 8. The RWBY animation team would select the top five submissions for Rooster Teeth fans to vote on, with the contest ending on June 21st, and voting starting on July 7th and ending on July 12th, 2020.[19] Following controversy surrounding one of the finalist designs, Rooster Teeth released a statement addressing the concern over the creature's design, clarifying it was not the artist's intent to be insensitive, and instead compensated both the artist and another who dropped out of the contest during that time.[20] Ultimately, the Sulfur Fish was chosen as the winner of the competition, set to debut in Volume 8.[21] They first appeared in "War".
  • All of the Grimm creatures' vocal sound effects are done by William Orendorff, the voice actor of Hazel Rainart.[22]

Biology[]

  • When injured or killed, Grimm emit smoke, similar to how Humans and Faunus bleed. If they are killed, they don't leave behind a corpse.
    • The only exception to this was the Hound which left behind the body of the Faunus used as it's core after it was killed.
  • The Hound was the only Grimm capable of speaking due to how it was created.
  • In the manga, the Arma Gigas is described as being a Possession-type Grimm, having been created by amalgamating several different species of Grimm.

Story[]

  • To someone who is familiar with how Grimm are supposed to behave, seeing one like The Hound slowly stalk a corridor and go in circles instead of "being 100% aggro all the time" is deeply unsettling.[23]
  • The Hound's more intelligent behavior and the fact that it didn't prioritize violence all the time are meant to be hints that it wasn't just a Grimm.[24]

Miscellaneous[]

  • Grimm typically follow a color theme of red, white, black and a little yellow.[25]
    • These are all the colors of the four main characters.
    • This color theme was later expanded with the Cenitaur and its green body sack and acid, and the Centinel's acid spit.
    • RWBY: Grimm Eclipse introduced mutated Grimm that have glowing green elements.
    • The Magic Necklace from RWBY: The Grimm Campaign causes Grimm's eyes to glow blue.
    • The yellow and red sometimes mix into orange.
    • Grimm in Solitas add a slight blue tint to the normally white Grimm bone spikes.
    • Monstra has purple in its design due to its Gravity Dust.
    • RWBY x Justice League introduces Hypnotic Grimm that are black, yellow, green, blue and purple.
  • The White Fang wear Grimm Masks. This symbolizes how Humans tried to make monsters out of them.
  • At one point, ancient cultures of Remnant believed that Grimm were animals possessed by evil spirits or were the tortured spirits of animals.
  • RWBY: Grimm Eclipse is named after the Grimm, which serve as common enemies in the video game.
  • It is currently unknown if there are plant based Grimm in the series. The RWBY: Ice Queendom continuity however, does feature the Nightmare Grimm which bears similarities to a plant.
  • The Jabberwalker is a creation of The Gods as shown in "Of Solitude and Self", whose purpose is to hunt down Afterans and devour them, preventing them from ascending. Because of its hostile nature and similar appearance as well as the God of Darkness' fondness towards it, its possible that the Jabberwalker is a precursor to the Grimm.

References[]

  1. Rooster Teeth Twitter
  2. RWBY Volume 8 Directors' and Writers' Commentary chapter 8
  3. RWBY Volume 8 Directors' and Writers' Commentary chapter 7
  4. RWBY: Amity Arena Megoliath card bio
  5. RWBY: Amity Arena Ice Sabyr card bio
  6. RWBY: Before the Dawn Chapter 10
  7. RWBY: Before the Dawn Chapter 21
  8. RWBY: Before the Dawn Chapter 21
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 RWBY: After the Fall
  10. RWBY: Before the Dawn Chapter 5
  11. RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant Preview
  12. RWBY: Roman Holiday Chapter 4: Cheat
  13. RWBY Volume 7 Crew Commentary - Chapter 1
  14. RTX 2019 RWBY Panel
  15. RWBY Volume 7 Crew Commentary - Chapter 1
  16. Volume 3 DVD Directors' Commentary Chapter 10
  17. The World of RWBY: The Official Companion (Grimm page)
  18. Volume 5 Directors Commentary
  19. Full Sail University website
  20. RoosterTeeth Blog
  21. RoosterTeeth Animation YouTube
  22. IMDB
  23. RWBY Volume 8 Directors' and Writers' Commentary Chapter 8
  24. RWBY Volume 8 Directors' and Writers' Commentary Chapter 8
  25. Volume 1 Directors Commentary "The Emerald Forest"
Setting
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