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"The Badge and The Burden" is the ninth episode of RWBY Volume 1, which premiered on the Rooster Teeth website on September 12th, 2013.

Summary[]

The morning after their initiation, Weiss Schnee wakes up to Ruby Rose blowing a whistle in her ear and finds that her teammates are already dressed in the academy uniforms. Ruby declares as leader that the team's first order of business is to decorate and, as Blake Belladonna suggests, clean their dorm. Each of them arranges their belongings in the room, hanging posters and paintings, putting away books, and putting up curtains, which have to be stitched back together after Ruby accidentally cuts them in half with Crescent Rose.

Soon, the team realizes that the beds cannot fit side-by-side in the room with all of their belongings. Ruby then proposes a solution: the beds should be redesigned as bunk beds. All except Weiss are in favor of the proposal, outvoting her in the decision.

Ruby then states their next order of business is class, prompting Weiss to realize that class is already about to start in five minutes. They then rush out of the room to their first class, with Team JNPR seeing them leave from across the hall and also realizing they need to get to class. Glynda Goodwitch and Ozpin watch the two teams dashing through the campus, with Glynda judgmentally glancing at her watch.

In one of their classes, Team RWBY is lectured by Professor Peter Port. He gives the students a long-winded lecture about the purpose of the class, how Vale and the other three kingdoms provide safe havens from the Grimm and the purpose of being Huntsmen. He then tells a long, drawn-out story about himself and his experience capturing a live Beowolf as a boy.

During this story, Weiss becomes infuriated as she notices Ruby's inattentive, disrespectful and rude behavior, which includes balancing all her school materials on one finger, picking her nose, and doodling a mocking picture of Professor Port, dubbed "Professor Poop". When Port asks the class who possesses the traits required of being a Huntsman, Weiss raises her hand and proclaims that she does. However, in order to prove this, Professor Port requests that she step forward to fight a Grimm that he has locked in a cage, as a test.

Transcript[]

The opening ends to the window overlooking Beacon Academy from the new room of Team RWBY, panning over to Weiss Schnee sleeping soundly in her bed. Her eyes flutter open and she stretches her arms above herself, yawning, while Ruby Rose, dressed in her strangely-colored school uniform, creeps up on her side and suddenly blows a whistle, causing Weiss to fall off the bed.

Ruby: Good morning, team RWBY!

Weiss: (from the floor) What in the world is wrong with you?

Ruby: (ignoring the question) Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business.

Weiss: (getting up and brushing herself off) Excuse me?

Yang Xiao Long: (holding a collection of objects - pillows, pamphlets, a candle-holder - in her arms, also dressed alongside Blake Belladonna) Decorating!

Weiss: What?!

Blake: (lifting her suitcase) We still have to unpack. (the suitcase opens, spilling its contents) Aaaand clean.

Weiss does not look enthusiastic, especially when Ruby knocks her back again with the blow of her whistle.

Ruby: Aaaalright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission! (raises her fist into the air) Banzai!

Ruby with Blake and Yang: (doing the same at her sides) Banzai! (they turn at an angle as Weiss lays on the floor and upbeat montage music starts playing)

Yang places a poster of six guys in various poses named "THE ACHIEVE MEN" on her part of the room. Weiss positions the painting of the Forever Fall forest to perfection and walks away. Blake is busy putting away her books on the shelves, picking up a copy of Ninjas of Love and widening her eyes as she warily looks around before putting it back. Ruby positions Crescent Rose at an exact angle against the curtains so she can perfectly slash a diagonal portion off. A quick zoom around the room (and the repaired curtains) ends with the girls admiring their handiwork... with one problem. The beds are cramped together in the center of the floor.

Weiss: This isn't going to work.

Blake: It is a bit cramped.

Yang: Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff...

Ruby: Or we could ditch the beds... and replace them with bunk beds!

Weiss: Umm, that sounds incredibly dangerous.

Yang: And super-awesome!

Blake: It does seem efficient.

Weiss: Well, we should put it to a vote!

Ruby: I think we just did.

To the sounds of two dings and a single buzz, Blake thumbs up the idea, Yang makes a double-rocker gesture, and Weiss angrily curls her fists at her side. Decided, they rush at the beds, where sounds of jackhammering and sawing are heard until they gather back at the front of the room.

Ruby: Objective: Complete!

While Weiss' bed is simply on the ground next to her art and luggage, Blake's bed is next to her books, which are used to raise Yang's bed over it by placing the novels on the posts, and Ruby's is hanging from ropes on the ceiling with a blanket used as a tent over it.

Ruby: Allllright! Our second order of business iiiiiiiis...! (the room spins until she lands on her bed and a book lands in her lap) Classes... (pulls out a pencil) Now, we have a few classes together today. At 9, we've got to be-

Weiss: What?! Did you say 9 o'clock?

Ruby: Uuuum...

Weiss: It's 8:55, you dunce!

Weiss is the first rushing out of the room and down the hall, the members of RWBY and JNPR peeking out from their doorways to look at her go.

Ruby: (flabbergasted until she decides) To class!

Ruby runs out, followed by Yang, and Blake.

Jaune Arc: Class...?

Jaune loses his balance and ends up toppling Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren on top of him. He manages to get out from under them and start dashing.

Jaune: We're gonna be late!

In the courtyard, Professor Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch watch the two teams hurry through the school. Glynda looks at her watch, and Ozpin simply sips his drink.


The sight of an axe-blunderbuss weapon pans down to the boards displaying various species of Grimm - King Taijitu, Death Stalker, Beowolf, Boarbatusk, Nevermore, and Ursa - behind an elderly teacher named Peter Port.

Port: Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!

The members of RWBY, seated on the front row, are in varying stages of interest; Blake and Yang are sitting up and paying attention, Weiss is taking notes, and Ruby has her head propped in her hand as she takes a quick nap until she is woken back up by Port's bad joke, which receives a cricket-filled silence as a result.

Port: Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses... (gives Yang a wink, which she groans uncomfortably at) Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!

Student: (raises his fist) Ayyyy-yep! (stands like this for a moment as everyone looks at him strangely before sitting down, embarrassed)

Port: That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy...

His words fade into the background (and a series of "blah"s) when Weiss notices Ruby is very focused on penciling the paper in front of her.

Port: ...Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me...

The speech evolves into more "blah"s as Ruby chuckles at her creation and shows it to her teammates: a ball-with-limbs-and-a-head drawing of the teacher with stink lines coming from him and "Professor Poop" written underneath. Ruby blows a quick raspberry. Blake and Yang laugh, but Weiss looks annoyed.

Port: Ah-heh-hem! (he waits until he has their attention again) In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!

The teacher takes a bow as Weiss slowly gets more and more frustrated with Ruby's antics.

Port: The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!

Ruby is balancing an apple on a book with her pencil held only by her finger while making a silly face.

Port: A true Huntsman must be dependable!

Ruby has fallen asleep again in the first class of the year.

Port: A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!

Ruby is not-so-subtly picking her nose, much to Weiss' building anger.

Port: So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?

Weiss: (still angry, she raises her hand) I do, sir!

Port: Well, then, let's find out! (he turns to gesture at the glowing red eyes surrounded by shadow shaking the cage that traps it) Step forward, and face your opponent!

The unknown monster continues to growl as the scene cuts to black and the credits roll.

Characters[]

Major Characters

Minor Characters[]

  • Student voiced by Kerry Shawcross.[1]

Trivia[]

  • On the commentaries, Monty mentions that Ninjas of Love is a "call-out" to a similar joke (the Icha Icha series) from Naruto.[2]
  • When JNPR is peering outside their door while standing on top of each other, Miles and Kerry describe it as their "Scooby Doo" moment.[3]
  • Early in the episode, a poster of the "Achieve Men" can be seen on the wall. This is a reference to Rooster Teeth's gaming members called the Achievement Hunters.
    • This also references Geoff Ramsey's original name for the website which would have been "Achieve Men".[4]
    • The poster and poses are from the "Boy Band" poster that is sold on Rooster Teeth's online store.
  • Among the items Yang Xiao Long is carrying from 0:57–1:04 are items belonging to several other characters, namely Ruby's headphones and corgi dog pillow, Professor Oobleck's thermos, called Antiquity's Roast, Pyrrha Nikos' shield Akoúo̱ (albeit smaller), Nora Valkyrie's hairbrush, the candles Blake used in "The Shining Beacon, Pt.2", Weiss' "Dust For Dummies" pamphlet, and white queen and black knight chess pieces.
  • Among the things that fall out of Blake's suitcase, a Shi-nee Toothpaste container is seen.
  • The student who shouts "EEEE-YUUP!" in the classroom is a reference to Andrew Blanchard's catchphrase from the Internet Box Podcast, which several cast and crew members of RWBY also work on. However, the voice was provided by Kerry Shawcross.[1]
  • The shouted line "Banzai!" followed by Ruby, Blake, and Yang turning at an angle on their hips with their arms held high (followed by a musical "whump" noise) is a reference to Samurai Champloo, when the main characters did the same thing after finding a bag of gold in the river.

See Also[]

Image Gallery[]

Main article: The Badge and The Burden/Image Gallery

References[]

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