Events[]
- Kuroyuri's Destruction
- Beacon Academy Initiation
- Beacon Dance
- 40th Vytal Festival
- Battle of Beacon
- Battle of Haven
- Airship Heist
- Mantle Election Slaughter
Battles[]
Background[]
Ren and Nora as kids
Ren came from a family who lived in Kuroyuri. A Nuckelavee attacked the village and killed everyone, including Ren's parents, Li Ren and An Ren. Ren became an orphan, like his close friend Nora Valkyrie, whom he had met in Kuroyuri shortly before the attack. The two later trained to become Huntsmen together.
RWBY[]
Beacon Academy Initiation[]
Ren prepares for the initiation
Ren is woken up in the morning by an extremely active Nora, who chats on and on to him about how excited she is to finally be at Beacon Academy as they go through their morning routine. He responds briefly to her suggestion about a secret sloth noise to find each other, stating that he does not think that sloths make a lot of noise as he pulls StormFlower from his locker.
He is seen later readying his weapons atop the launch pad on Beacon Cliff as Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch brief the students on the objectives of their initiation. After being launched into the sky, Ren uses the knife-like edges of StormFlower to make a safe landing in a quick and efficient spiraling movement down the outside of a tree, his momentum causing him to circle around the tree in a downward spiral.
While wandering alone in the Emerald Forest, Ren is attacked by a large King Taijitu. At first, he fights with only his bare hands, but he finally defeats it by using his Aura and StormFlower. As he brushes himself off, Nora makes her "sloth call" before appearing hanging upside down from a tree. Ren states that sloths do not sound like that, but Nora just touches his nose while saying "boop".
Ren and Nora arrive on an Ursa's back at the Abandoned Temple. With the others, he flees the temple grounds to some ruins to get to safety from a Death Stalker and a Nevermore. Ren leads a head-on attack against the Death Stalker, jumping onto the stinger and shooting it at point-blank range until he is knocked back into a stone pillar, incapacitated for the remainder of the fight. He is later inducted into Team JNPR.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "The First Step"
- "The First Step, Pt.2"
- "The Emerald Forest"
- "The Emerald Forest, Pt.2"
- "Players and Pieces"
Start of Classes[]
Ren is first seen alongside his team sticking their heads out of their dorm room, who are all staring at Team RWBY rushing for class. After falling, he is later seen running to class with the rest of JNPR after realizing that they are late.
Ren in the cafeteria.
While eating in the cafeteria, Nora tells the others about her dream with exaggerated detail. Any time she gets a detail wrong, Ren jumps in with the actual events of the dream, constantly correcting her.
Ren is seen alongside two members of his team, Nora, who is jumping on the bed, and Pyrrha Nikos, who is staring out the window. Nora asks about Jaune Arc's whereabouts, to which he says he's been rather scarce after he started to do favors for Cardin Winchester. Pyrrha however, brushes him aside, claiming Jaune knows what he is doing. Ren and Nora looked at each other questioningly. Later, he is seen in the forest collecting sap as an assignment from Professor Peach with Nora, Pyrrha and Team RWBY. Nora drinks the sap that he has just gathered and makes him refill the container.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Second Semester[]
The two teams then engaged in a food fight that causes all of the other students to run away. Ren kicks three watermelons at RWBY, but when he moves in to engage them, Weiss Schnee uses a ketchup bottle to cause him to slip and crash into a group of tables. He gets back up and grabs two leeks before facing Yang in close combat, who is using a pair of turkey-gauntlets. Yang sends him flying into the air, he tosses his leeks at her and she punches him into the ground. He manages to get up just in time to be caught in Ruby's finishing attack. Glynda arrives to end the fight and repair the cafeteria.
Sometime later, Lie is seen with his team in the library. After Sun arrives with Neptune, Neptune points out how libraries are supposed to be for reading, and Ren agrees.
Ren and Jaune's awkward conversation.
Sometime later, prior to the dance, Jaune pulls Ren into a conversation directly after the latter's shower and before he can change into clothes. Ren sits listening to Jaune about his problems with girls and how he considers him a "best friend". However, Ren questions what to say until Pyrrha walks into the room and gives Jaune advice instead.
At the dance, Lie Ren performs a coordinated routine with his team. He is later with Team JNPR as they see Team RWBY off on their mission.
After Jaune receives a missed call from Ruby, he points his worries out to the team as they prepare to embark on their own mission. Ren objects to Jaune's fears, reminding the team of RWBY's prowess in battle. After alarms are sounded throughout the city, Jaune changes plans, deciding to aid RWBY and reassuring Ren that they will sheriff the village later, who nods in response. Ren aids his team and the rest of the Huntsmen in fighting off the Grimm.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "Best Day Ever"
- "Welcome to Beacon"
- "Burning the Candle"
- "Dance Dance Infiltration"
- "Field Trip"
- "Breach"
Vytal Festival Tournament[]
Ren and his team find Team RWBY at a stand in the fairgrounds before accompanying them for a meal. He asks his team if it's wise to eat before a fight. After Nora tells Jaune to aim his vomit at their enemies, he notes that it's disgusting, but that he is not opposed to doing it if need be. Nora later details the team's skill while bashing Jaune, and he asks Jaune if he can take the indirect insult. They are soon called away by Bartholomew Oobleck to report to Amity Colosseum for their match.
Ren is zapped by Nolan.
Team JNPR's first match in the Vytal Festival tournament is against Team BRNZ of Vacuo's Shade Academy. After a brief melee in the center of the arena, Team JNPR is quickly pinned down by May Zedong, Team BRNZ's sniper, who has taken cover in the trees on the opposite end of the battlefield. Ren gets into a close-quarters fight with Nolan Porfirio, who hits Ren with his cattle prod, incapacitating him momentarily with an electrical shock.
Charging at May, Ren evades attacks from other members of Team BRNZ, sliding beneath Roy Stallion's buzzsaw attacks. He eventually gets into another hand-to-hand exchange with Nolan but is this time victorious, trapping him in a hold. After coordinating responses to Team BRNZ's attacks, Team JNPR regroups.
Jaune attempts to finish the match by calling out team attacks, starting with "Flower Power" for Ren and Nora. However, Ren and Nora do not understand his instructions. Ren is especially confused as to how he is expected to bring "a flower" and how this constitutes a combat tactic. Nora suggests that he bring "flour, like in baking". Exasperated, Jaune simply tells Nora to hit Team BRNZ with her hammer, which she does, knocking them clear out of the arena and winning the match.
Team JNPR progresses through the doubles round and elects Pyrrha to represent them in the finals. Before Pyrrha fights in the singles round, Ren and Nora offer her different ways to train. Instead of Nora's idea, helping Pyrrha work out, Ren offers Pyrrha a beverage made of herbs, vegetables and algae. Nora drinks some and instantly vomits it. Jaune suggests the team gets fresh air, and the four go outside. When he and Nora find Jaune and Pyrrha outside, Nora immediately drags Ren back to the fairgrounds to give Jaune and Pyrrha some time alone.
Ren and the rest of his team are present at Amity Colosseum to cheer on Pyrrha in her match against Penny Polendina, where he witnesses Pyrrha accidentally destroy her opponent.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "Round One"
- "New Challengers..."
- "Destiny"
- "PvP"
The Battle of Beacon[]
Ren is among the group of students present at Amity Colosseum at the beginning of this Grimm attack on Vale. His weapon flies to the floating arena in a rocket-propelled locker. After a Giant Nevermore breaks into the stadium and is defeated, he is among the students that choose to fight this battle rather than flee. The group takes an Air Bus to Beacon where they begin to fight the Grimm.
Ren, along with Nora, is recovering from their injuries while staying by their decision to leave only when Jaune and Pyrrha return.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Journey to Haven[]
Ren and the rest of Team RNJR
After the incident, he accompanies Nora, Jaune and Ruby Rose to investigate the conspiracy behind the Vale by journeying to Haven Academy.
Ren is seen next with Nora and Jaune debating over their team name until Ruby appears, luring a large Geist Grimm that was terrorizing a nearby village in Anima. Ren, along with the rest of Team RNJR, defeats the Grimm and head to the local blacksmith after speaking with the town official. There Jaune receives his new sword, shield and armor. Ren calls it a "sign of progress".
They move on to Shion in the hopes of taking an airship to Haven. Upon arrival at Shion, they are all shocked to find it destroyed. Ren finds a severely wounded Huntsman who tells them bandits attacked the village and the panic attracted the Grimm. After hearing this, he walks off and placed his hands over his head as Ruby, Jaune and Nora try and think of a way to aid the Huntsman, but he dies from his wounds. Devastated, Nora asks if they should bury the Huntsman, but Ren walks away and says they should leave. Nora walks after him, and they spot a hoofprint on the ground.
Days after the fall of Shion, the team travels to the Higanbana village and stay at an inn.
Ren senses Tyrian's presence
Sometime after their stay in Higanbana, Ren and the others happen across an abandoned village. After finding out its name, Oniyuri, Ren tells the group about its history and how his parents were involved with it before a Grimm managed to wipe it out. As the group prepares to leave, Ren starts to sense Tyrian Callows. Tyrian easily overwhelms them in his hunt for Ruby and almost manages to seriously injure Ruby until Qrow Branwen's timely intervention.
Qrow and Tyrian fight, during which Ren and Nora try to assist but to no avail. After Ruby severs Tyrian's scorpion tail, causing him to flee, Ren asks Qrow how he was able to get to Team RNJR. That night, Team RNJR learns from Qrow about the four Maidens, the two deity brothers, the four relics and Salem. The following morning, the team wakes to find that Tyrian poisoned Qrow during the fight.
They create a makeshift stretcher to carry him and try to find help, but they are soon forced to make a difficult choice when their path splits between a mountainous route toward Mistral and a route that leads to a destroyed town. The team splits. Ren and Nora take the mountain path in hopes of higher ground allowing them to see a better way to bring help. On the way through the mountains, the two pass through an open cave filled with walls stained black and various weapons and items from villages across Anima. He and Nora hear a howl and see a strong disturbance in the trees. They rush to Kuroyuri just in time to reach Jaune, Ruby and Qrow before the Nuckelavee arrives.
During the ensuing battle, the Nuckelavee attempts to attack Qrow, and Ren utilizes his Semblance to help Jaune get Qrow to safety. Later in the fight, the Nuckelavee pins Ren to a wall, and with Ruby's help, Nora saves him from getting hit by its other hand. However, this leaves Nora vulnerable, and the Nuckelavee breaks her Aura, which sends Ren into a frenzy of attacks. Even after the Nuckelavee breaks his Aura, Ren attempts to continue to fight driven by emotion, but Nora tackles him out of the fight and talks sense into him. When the pair returns to the fight, they work with Jaune and Ruby to pin the Nuckelavee down so Ren can finish it off with his father's dagger.
Ren and Nora holding hands
The smoke that results from the Nuckelavee disintegrating catches the attention of pilots from Mistral who were on patrol, and the group is transported to the City of Mistral where Qrow receives medical attention and they find a place to stay. On the way there, he sits with Nora and initiates hand-holding. Once in the city, he and Nora join Jaune in sitting in quiet remembrance of lost loved ones in Jaune's room.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "End of the Beginning"
- "Volume 4 Character Short"
- "The Next Step"
- "Remembrance"
- "Family"
- "Tipping Point"
- "Punished"
- "A Much Needed Talk"
- "Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back"
- "Kuroyuri"
- "Taking Control"
- "No Safe Haven"
In Mistral[]
Ren, along with Qrow and the rest of Team RNJR, meets Leonardo Lionheart, headmaster of Haven Academy. He learns of the connection between the Maidens and the Relics through the subsequent conversation. Later, when Oscar Pine shows up and asks for Ruby, he is protective of Ruby just like Nora.
Ren is present as Oscar gives Ozpin control of his body and the former headmaster reveals the true nature of his being as a soul and memories transferred into Oscar after a long line of succession. Ozpin plans to train Ren and the rest of his team so they can best ensure the safety of the Relic of Knowledge.
Ren, Oscar, and the rest of Team RNJR train outside. After Ozpin finishes teaching Oscar and Ruby as they spar, Oscar comments on his exhaustion. Ren explains the process of training one's Aura and the perceived relationship between one's Semblance and personality.
Ren, reflecting on their growth as people
Later, while Qrow does his search for Huntsmen in Mistral, Ren and the others prepare dinner for the expected arrival of Huntsmen. Ren warns Ruby that she is going to overcook her food and later watches her as she unexpectedly reunites with Yang and Weiss. The six students then enjoy a ramen dinner together, and Ruby mentions Ren "[was] out of control" during the fight with the Nuckelavee. He apologizes for losing his temper, but Ruby rephrases his loss of control as "awesome", and he thanks her. After dinner, Ren tells everyone they have all grown in their own ways. He states that their reflecting on their past, realizing their mistakes and learning from experience is proof of their continuous growth.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "Welcome to Haven"
- "Unforeseen Complications"
- "Lighting the Fire"
- "Known by its Song"
- "Rest and Resolutions"
The Battle of Haven[]
Ren prepares to help Oscar and Qrow.
On the night of the full moon, Ren travels with Qrow, Oscar and his classmates to Haven to meet with Lionheart. However, they find that it was all a trap set up by the Haven headmaster and are ambushed by him, Raven Branwen and Salem's Inner Circle. In the ensuing battle, Ren and Nora battle Hazel Rainart as he is working for Salem. They later watch in horror as Weiss is fatally impaled by Cinder Fall. Ren then rushes to help Jaune tend to Weiss, but he finds her hardly breathing and does not know what they can do. He is then amazed as Jaune unlocks his Semblance and heals Weiss, returning her to a stable condition. Ren later volunteers for Ruby to help Oscar and Qrow in battling Hazel and Lionheart. Unfortunately, Hazel's brute strength proved to be too much as Ren is punched to a wall and severely shocked by lightning Dust. He struggles to get back up as Nora rushes to his side. As the fight resumes, Ren and Nora are protected by Jaune from enemy fire as they had become completely exhausted.
After the battle, Ren happily watches with Jaune and Nora as Team RWBY is reformed.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Journey to Atlas[]
As they recover back at the house, the heroes pack their belongings as Ozpin is now directing them to take the Relic to the Kingdom of Atlas. Ren reminds everyone that General James Ironwood closed off the borders and called everyone from the kingdom back. But Qrow reveals that there is an Atlas military base in Argus, and is convinced that Ironwood will not leave it abandoned because of the trading port between the continents. When Ozpin emerges from his rest, the heroes learn that the Relic of Knowledge can answer three questions every one hundred years. Ren is amazed but later informs Nora in embarrassment that the Relic is not for wishes.
Two weeks following the Battle of Haven, Ren prepares with his friends to ride a train to Argus. While they are on board, Manticore and Sphinx Grimm attack, and Ren and his teammates join Team RWBY in fighting off the monsters. When the train reaches a tunnel, Nora asks Ren if he can use his Semblance to mask the emotions of the passengers to get them away from the Grimm, though he is worried because he has never used his powers on a large number of people.
Ren and Jaune, leading the train to safety
Then, Ruby and Weiss suggest having Jaune amplify his Aura. The decision settles that Ren and his teammates get the passengers to the front cars while Team RWBY, Qrow and Oscar fend off the Grimm in the back. After the cars are decoupled, Ren uses his Semblance with Jaune's aid and covers the entire train. Emotions hidden, the train speeds its way to Argus without Grimm detecting them.
- Episodes Covering These Events
In Argus[]
Upon arriving in Argus, Ren, Nora and Jaune stay with Jaune's elder sister, Saphron Cotta-Arc and her wife Terra Cotta-Arc. At some point, they attempt to connect with the Argus military base, but it does not go well. The next day, everyone from the detached train makes it to Argus. They meet outside the town, and Ren and Jaune tell everyone Argus' history. Saphron meets up with them and takes them to her home, where the heroes get fully reacquainted. Ren shares a concerned look with Nora about Team RWBY going to the Argus military base.
Ren excuses himself and his team
The following day, Ren goes back to the base with the group, and they find that Caroline Cordovin will only permit Weiss to return to Atlas. When the gate shuts on them again and Qrow goes to drink, Ren and his team are perplexed by the sad faces of Ruby and Oscar. Back at the Cotta-Arc house, Ren, Nora and Jaune learn the truth about Ozpin and Salem, leaving Ren to wonder how they can defeat Salem if she is immortal. After Jaune lashes out at Oscar, Ren excuses his team to have time to themselves. When everyone regroups, Ren and his team are shocked to find that Oscar is missing.
That night, Ren goes out with Jaune, Nora and Saphron to search for Oscar in the city. When Saphron asks about their mission, the team only gives vague answers, with Ren stating that they are unsure of what to do next. After Saphron leaves to pick up Adrian, Ren and Nora go to a cafe for hot drinks while Jaune wants to be alone. The pair later find Jaune in a nearby park after he finds a statue of Pyrrha. As Jaune apologizes for his mistakes, Ren pleads for him to stop beating himself up for Pyrrha's death, as he and Nora love their leader as family and do not want to lose him. As they look up at the statue, the trio decide to follow Pyrrha's example to try and fight, and then leave to meet up with the others. They return to the house, and the group is surprised to see Oscar back with a new outfit. Ren then observes as Jaune offers an idea of stealing an Atlas airship. The entire group of students is disheartened when Qrow rebukes the idea, but their spirits are lifted when Ruby decides that they should listen to Jaune's plan and do things their way.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "The Grimm Reaper"
- "Dead End"
- "Lost"
The Airship Heist[]
Ren is among the group of heroes that waits on the Argus coast for Weiss and Maria to return with the stolen airship and pick them up. However, once Blake and Yang's part of the plan falls through and the military detects the stolen airship, Cordovin pilots a Colossus and follows Weiss and Maria to the group on the coast. Fighting ensues, and once Weiss saves the group from a blast and there is a lull, Ren follows Jaune and Nora to where the Colossus makes contact with land. He runs onto the Colossus, using StormFlower's blades to climb up its body.
Ren, opening the panel to the shield generator
Cordovin blocks the group's attacks with hard light Dust, and the group shifts their attention to finding the mech's shield generator. As Ren climbs the Colossus, he hears the generator faintly, and upon opening a panel on the Colossus' back, he and Qrow discover and shoot out the generator. Weiss and Ruby retrieve Ren and Qrow on her summoned Lancer, and they fly back to the coast. Ren watches Jaune save Nora with his Semblance, but they both tumble back, clearly having sustained a massive hit. Amidst his worry for them, Cordovin shoots a Dust blast at the Lancer summon, sending Ren the heroes aboard stumbling through the air and falling onto land.
As the group recovers, Ren is relieved to see his teammates are unhurt and rushes over to them. Then they all listen to Oscar as he has discovered that because the Colossus' missiles pop out of the cannon, they are exposed and can be detonated with a well-placed shot. The group watches as Ruby rides the airship to get close to the Colossus for a clear shot but misses, and as the ship is hit with a lightning Dust blast with they themselves barely dodging the attack. After the ship crash lands and Ruby tries to negotiate with Cordovin, Ren and the others are left in disbelief as Ruby jumps into the cannon and fires at the Dust, causing them to detonate and spread all over the cannon. The group has no time to celebrate as they receive word that a Leviathan is fast approaching the city.
Blake and Yang rejoin the group, and they board the airship and leave Cordovin behind. They reach Argus to find the Leviathan breaking through the city's shields. At Ruby's command, Ren masks the emotions of everyone on the airship, aided by Jaune augmenting Aura, as they fly past the Manticores to reach the giant Grimm. But as they have to pull back as the Leviathan destroys the last city shield, Ren and Jaune collapse as their Auras break. But in the end, Ruby petrifies the Leviathan and Cordovin finishes it off. The group then continues on to Atlas as the military fight off the Manticores.
That night, the students are impressed by Ruby's feats, with Ren voicing their impression with amazement in his voice. They soon reach the kingdom of Atlas, but find the floating city surrounded by the Atlas fleet.
- Episodes Covering These Events
From Mantle to Atlas[]
Cautiously, Ruby and the group decide to fly to Mantle instead of trying to meet Ironwood directly. Along the way they leave the Manta behind and Maria leads them through Mantle to what turns out to be Pietro Polendina's pharmacy. The heroes talk to him and try to ask him to meet Ironwood.
Ren captured by the Ace-Ops
Suddenly, however, an alarm sounds, and Ruby and the group are forced to fight an onslaught of Sabyrs. Penny interrupts the fight and finishes off the last of the Grimm before sharing an oddly heartwarming reunion with the heroes. After Penny leaves to fight more Grimm, the Ace Operatives arrest the heroes for unauthorized weapon use, seizing their weapons and the Relic, and putting them in a transport bound for Atlas.
On the airship they meet Forest, a supporter of Robyn Hill. They talk with him about Robyn for a short while before they are delivered to Ironwood and released from their restraints. Shortly after that, Ironwood reveals his plans to the group while Ruby decides to withhold information about what happened on their way to Atlas from Ironwood.
Later the group, minus Qrow, is lead to Atlas Academy where they can rest.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Start of Professional Career[]
New Huntsmen in town
After completing a mission to secure the launch site for the Amity Communication Tower, Ironwood grants Ren and his friends their Huntsmen licenses. As now official Huntsmen, Nora and her friends go through several training exercises with the Ace Operatives to improve their skills and Huntsmen missions to assist the construction of Amity Tower as well as defend Mantle from any Grimm attacks and hunt any loose Grimm.
Ren also participates in training with her team in a sparring match with Team FNKI, and later trains with Elm Ederne in Atlas.
After several weeks of rigorous training and missions, Ironwood grants Ren and his friends a night off during election night. Ren decides to spend his night with Nora and Ruby at a pre-election party for Robyn.
En route to the party, Ren questions what can be done about Salem; Nora suggests that Jinn's statement Ozma could not kill her only applied to him. Ren insists they should be training, which leads to an argument with Nora.
Nora and Ren kissing
At the party, Penny greets the three of them, and when she asks where the others are, Nora insinuates a romantic relationship between Blake and Yang, a notion Ren rejects, both using language that suggests their own relationship as well, furthering their argument. After Ren tells Nora he isn't good with talking, she tells him to "screw talking", and they share a kiss.
However while at the venue, Ruby notices a hooded Tyrian Callows at the party. She tries to warn everyone but before she can do so, the venue is hacked by an Outside party who disables the power to use the cover of darkness for Tyrian Callows to begin massacring the crowd. The chaos and stampeding crowd knock Ruby into the ground where she loses Tyrian in the dark. After killing numerous people, Tyrian slips away before the power comes back on, framing Penny for the attack. The negativity draws a Grimm attack to Mantle, while Jacques Schnee comes out as victor in the election. Ruby, Nora and Ren assist Atlas authorities in repelling the invasion while a traumatized Penny returns to Atlas.
Following this, Nora, Ruby, and Ren meet with Ironwood, Winter Schnee, Clover Ebi and Qrow in the headmaster's office, where James informs the group he is close to declaring martial law after Robyn takes to vigilantism. Nora objects, claiming the martial law plan will only draw Grimm to Mantle, but is eventually ordered to help find the Happy Huntresses. Nora is shocked to find Ren agreeing with Ironwood.
Ironwood and his subordinates are invited by Jacques to a private dinner party at his mansion to defend his council position. Nora and her friends are invited along too as a precaution in case the council needs more witnesses. Before leaving, Team RWBY and Oscar discuss their suspicions of Jacques and his suspicious election victory and possible ties to the hacker in the security network. They decide for Weiss to sneak off in the mansion and search his office for clues. Ren and his team help Weiss get away from the party by distracting Whitley Schnee for the former heiress. Weiss successfully sneaks to his office during the party and, with some help from her mother, obtains a recording of her father and Arthur Watts striking a deal for Watts to rig the election in exchange for humiliating Ironwood. Weiss shows the footage to the council resulting in Jacques being stripped of his rank and arrested.
Meanwhile Watts, using Jacques' council credentials, hacks into the Mantle heating grid and deactivates the heat throughout the city, freezing the citizens. The public assume Atlas to be freezing them out and cause a huge riot and fire in the streets, attracting a massive Grimm invasion. With the panic Ironwood was afraid of already happening, Ruby and Oscar convince him to tell the council and Robyn of Salem, which he agrees and complies with. Before the Ace Operatives, Team RWBY and Team JNR deploy to Mantle to protect the citizens and repel the Grimm, Ruby and Oscar agree to reveal the truth of Ozpin's disappearance and Salem's immortality to Ironwood, which Oscar stays behind to do.
The Huntsmen fly into Mantle on an airship but are shot down by Teryx Grimm. They split up into teams of 3 to help as many civilians as possible, with Ren being on a team with Jaune and Vine Zeki to fight a pack of Sabyrs. As they battle the Grimm, Ironwood releases a broadcast to Mantle and Atlas revealing the existence of Salem, her associates and their responsibility with their attacks on Beacon, Mistral and Mantle much to Ren's joy.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "Ace Operatives"
- "Pomp and Circumstance"
- "Sparks"
- "A Night Off"
- "Worst Case Scenario"
- "Cordially Invited"
- "As Above, So Below"
- "Out in the Open"
Fallout with Atlas[]
JNPR vs Neo
During the evacuations, Ren and the other Huntsmen suddenly receive a message from Ironwood to be recalled with zero explanation. Confused, Ren and her team return to Atlas Academy to find Oscar. Soon, Oscar finds himself hunted by Neopolitan in the Academy's halls, under the orders of Cinder to obtain the Relic. She succeeds but fails to kills Oscar, who has gone missing. Meanwhile, Team JNPR returns to the Academy to find him, seeing only the aftermath of their battle as they hear from Ruby about Ironwood's plan to raise Atlas and of Salem's impending arrival.
While searching for him, JNPR finds Neo, who is posing as Oscar, having stolen the Relic of Knowledge. Nora is almost fooled by the disguise, but the real Oscar arrives, striking a blow to her face and taking back the Relic. Neo continues trying to steal the Relic of Knowledge from them. Their fight is interrupted when Atlas Soldiers begin chasing Team JNPR and Oscar, who are still on a wanted list. Oscar is exhausted from his previous encounter with Neo from before Team JNPR found him, and due to his exhaustion, he is unable to keep up with JNPR and becomes lost. Neo, having disguised herself as Nora, hides Oscar from the Atlas soldiers and steals the Lamp. She then flees, making it past Oscar and Jaune with her agility and then Ren by playing with his feelings for Nora. Due to more interference from Atlas soldiers, she manages to escape.
Strained
While Team JNPR and Oscar hide from the soldiers, Ren frustratedly talks about how they have lost the Relic, leading Oscar to start quietly thinking. Before an argument can break out, Pietro Polendina and Maria Calavera contact them through their formerly blocked communications. Maria informs the group that they have an escape vehicle and will be coming to get them. While this happens, Oscar sneaks away and soon after tells them that he must do something alone. Team JNPR is unable to pursue him due to being found by more soldiers.
Maria, Pietro, Blake, and Yang pick up Team JNPR in the Manta serving as their escape vehicle, and Yang questions where Oscar and the Relic are. The group leaves to pick up Weiss, Ruby, and Penny after a battle with Cinder. On the airship, the group intercepts a broadcast from the military; Salem has arrived.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Evacuating Mantle and Rescuing Oscar[]
Ren and Yang argue
After Ruby, Weiss, Oscar, Maria, and Penny reconvene with the rest of the group in one of the Happy Huntresses' shelters in Mantle, a schism begins to form amongst them. Some want to help the citizens of Mantle while others are in favor of launching Amity Colosseum and revealing Salem's existence to the world. Jaune suggests a temporary split-up in order to achieve both objectives. The task of evacuating the population of Mantle into the crater beneath Atlas falls to him, Yang, Ren, and Oscar.
Later, Jaune helps his team to fend off the Atlesian Knights investigating Pietro Polendina's pharmacy, and uses the hoverbikes inside to combat the Grimm threatening some Mantle civilians. He also uses the Disc Grenade for the first time to help Ren take down a pair of Sabyrs. While amplifying Ren's Semblance to mask the group of civilians en route to the crater, Jaune attempts to share some encouraging words with Ren, but is coldly shut down. At the crater, his group volunteers to clear out some Grimm in East Mantle in order to reduce Fiona Thyme's workload. After The Hound launches its ambush and takes Oscar hostage, Jaune is prevented from attacking due to the Grimm using Oscar as a human shield. As the Hound takes to the skies with Oscar, Jaune and his group give chase on their hoverbikes.
The group follows the Hound into the tundra outside Mantle. Ren manages to latch onto the Hound and slow him down somewhat, but is forced to let go in order to save Jaune and Yang from tumbling off a cliff. As the hoverbikes were either lost or damaged during the fight, the group is forced to head back to Mantle on foot. Ren has an angry outburst concerning the group's recent spate of bad luck, and while Jaune tries to calm him down, his own past of using deception to enter Beacon Academy is brought up. Jaune acknowledges his poor decisions, and tells Ren that he only moved beyond that mistake because of the friends and allies around him. His group later picks up on Ruby's broadcast from Amity Colosseum, after which they discover a river of Grimm Liquid heading toward Mantle.
Jaune's distress call is received by the Ace Ops, and when they come to take his group into custody, they witness the destruction of Atlas' hard-light shields and Monstra making landfall. On board the Ace Ops' Manta, he successfully convinces Winter Schnee to let his group infiltrate Monstra and recover Oscar before the Atlesian military makes its attempt to destroy the gargantuan Grimm with a bomb.
Ren's Semblance evolves
The group successfully infiltrate the creature, stopping to catch their breath as they stop in a hallway. As the group tries to collect themselves and figure out their next step, Ren points out that he can feel some people's emotions deep within, to Jaune and Yang's surprise. The group decides to follow Ren's lead as Jaune boosts Ren's Aura as he masks their emotions while searching for Oscar. Jaune's Aura starts to deplete, so he suggests Ren focus simply on locating Oscar and give Jaune directions so he can scout ahead for Grimm. After Jaune leaves, Yang jokingly comments that the two of them seem to have mended fences. Ren replies that she doesn't have to always hide her fear with humor, and both acknowledge that they are afraid, though Ren notes that Jaune doesn't seem to share it. Jaune suddenly rushes back, forcing the three of them to hide as a Seer floats down the passage. However, Ren's Aura finally gives out and the Seer sends out an alert of their presence.
Yang, Jaune and Ren race through the tunnels until they run into Emerald and Hazel: as they prepare to attack, "Hazel" holds his hands in surrender, as Emerald's Semblance disguise disappears to reveal it is actually Oscar. Despite Yang's hostility toward Emerald, Ren acknowledges, without his Semblance, that they can trust her because she's just as afraid as they are. Emerald adds that she knows a way out of Monstra.
Ren tries to use his Semblance to hide the group from the Seer
Just as Jaune, Oscar, Yang, Ren and Emerald an exit in Monstra's side, they hear a rumbling sound, which Emerald recognizes in horror to be Salem; seconds later, she bursts through the wall in a blast of magic. Seizing Emerald, she coldly acknowledges that the latter has improved her Semblance, then after a brief struggle easily restrains the group with Shadow Hands.
Salem threateningly asks a terrified Emerald what she did with the Lamp, which has been taken. When Emerald insists she didn't do anything with it, Salem turns to Oscar, asking why he (Ozma) keeps coming back. Yang throws the question back at her, asking why Salem keeps bringing death and destruction on everyone else just because she didn't get "a fairy-tale ending". She adds that everything and everyone she's lost was due to Salem. When Salem asks who she took from Yang, she replies "Summer Rose... my mom', much to Salem's amusement.
Hazel suddenly arrives. Salem orders him to return Oscar to his cell, saying she has "work to do" on Emerald for her betrayal. After glancing at each of the captives, Hazel approaches and grabs Oscar, and mutters "No more Gretchens, boy" in his ear, and slips him his cane. Hazel sucker punches Salem, telling the group to flee as he attacks her.
As Yang, Ren and Emerald escape from Monstra, Jaune urges Oscar to follow them, but Oscar points out that Salem will just come after them again. The woman turns and to see Oscar attempting to activate The Long Memory. She lunges toward him but Hazel restrains her her from behind. Salem summons more Shadow Hands to strangle him, but Hazel activates a Fire Dust crystal concealed in his mouth, immolating himself and Salem in a pyre of flames. As Salem thrashes and screams in rage, Hazel urges Oscar to "do it". Oscar activates the cane, which releases a green forcefield followed by a blast of light that engulfs all three of them.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Reunion[]
Near Monstra's corpse, Jaune heals Oscar, and Yang receives a call from Blake who wants to know if Yang's Group is alright. Oscar and Ren look over at Emerald who is on her knees in the ash, mourning Hazel. Through the Scroll, Weiss sends Yang a map of where to access a subway tunnel and what route to take from there.
As Yang's Group walks through a subway tunnel, they discuss what to do with Emerald. Oscar wants to work with her, while Yang opposes. Emerald wants to leave, but Jaune does not want her to go free because of how she helped Cinder. Ren agrees with Oscar, stating that their actions should not come from fear. Through this conversation, Oscar ends up revealing to the group that Ozpin has returned and wants to help them. He tells them that Ozpin took the torture Hazel dished out. He then explains that the explosion he created inside Monstra came from him utilizing most of the kinetic energy that was stored in his cane over the course of lifetimes. In the distance, they hear a baby crying and rush toward the sound to find the City of Atlas' citizens taking shelter in a subway station.
At the Schnee Manor, Jaune, Yang, Ren and Oscar reunite with Ruby, Weiss and Blake. Ren asks where Nora is, and Weiss goes to talk to him while Ruby turns to meet Oscar. It is then that Ruby notices Emerald and takes an aggressive stance. Just as Oscar attempts to explain, Ruby receives a call from May Marigold. May begins to explain that the SDC cargo ships they sent to Mantle are not alone, but soon after, she has to call out for everyone to run to the mines. There is an explosion, and the call cuts out.
Ren is reunited with the rest of Ruby's Group
Ren and Jaune reunite with Nora who is still healing in Weiss' room. The latter tries in vain to clear up her scars with his Semblance. There, Nora and Lie Ren voice their feelings, and Ren apologizes to Nora and Jaune. When Ren's speech turns to a more romantic undertone toward Nora, Jaune awkwardly flees the room to give them alone time. The two continue to open up about their feelings, leading them to confess their love for each other. Nora explains to Ren that, for now, she needs time to discover and understand who she is as a person separate from him, and Ren voices that he is perfectly okay with that.
An alarm sounds from everyone's Scrolls, signifying an emergency broadcast. Ruby uses her Scroll to project a screen for everyone to watch the broadcast on. The screen shows the SDC ships being shot down by Atlas military ships, and the broadcast then switches to Ironwood standing in a spotlight in a dark room. He claims that Penny alone is standing in the way of Atlas' salvation. He then gives Penny a choice - either she opens the Vault for him and Mantle is left to fend for itself, or he will destroy Mantle with the bomb that was originally intended to kill Monstra.
Ren tells Nora why he loves her
With seemingly no options, Ruby concludes that it is impossible, and the tension and distrust toward Emerald momentarily rises. Ruby becomes frustrated, stating that they are still where they started, and she runs from the room, Yang chasing after. Soon, tension returns as the group finds Penny once again struggling against the virus. Blake and Ren use their weapons to keep Penny from flying away. Using Jaune's Semblance to boost Penny's Aura to combat the virus, Penny calms down temporarily. In her attempt to give everyone encouragement, Emerald admits that she has switched sides. With the mood lightened, Ozpin tells everyone through Oscar that he realizes he should have trusted them with the truth and should not have run away when they discovered it for themselves. Yang, Blake and Weiss state that they understand that trust is a risk. The virus continues trying to force Penny to go to the vault, and Ruby gets an idea.
- Episodes Covering These Events
The Ultimate Risk[]
Soon after, Penny arrives alone to meet Ironwood, and Winter places a Gravity Bolas on her wrists. Once Ironwood lets his guard down, "Penny" reveals that she is actually Emerald, who used her Semblance to disguise herself and hide Oscar, Jaune, Nora, and Ren leap off the airship they arrived on. Emerald takes advantage of Ironwood's surprise and disarms him before the others engage him in combat. During the fight, Winter assists Jaune's group and eventually breaks Ironwood's Aura, knocking him unconscious. After this, the group attempts to warn the citizens of both Atlas and Mantle to evacuate The Lingo due to Atlas beginning to fall, but they are prevented from doing so by Arthur Watts and Jaune is forced to warn them himself. The group later makes their way to the Vault, where Team RWBY has since created the Evacuation Central Location with the help of Ambrosius to save the citizens of Mantle and Atlas.
Ren, Oscar and Emerald prepare to fight off the incoming Grimm
With this, Oscar, Ren, and Emerald walk through an exit portal into Vacuo, hoping to immediately call Shade Academy for assistance, due to the likelihood of Grimm being attracted to the refugees' negative emotions. However, there is a severe sandstorm where the portal opens up to, blocking the view of Vacuo and the communication signal. Sometime later, Ren's Aura breaks after masking the large crowd's emotions. After a comment from Emerald, Oscar realizes that Penny should have arrived already and rushes back to the portal. Instead of passing through the portal, he is simply knocked backward, and Ozpin figures Ambrosius designed it that way based on one of Team RWBY's members misspeaking. Soon, a flock of Ravagers arrives and begins attacking. Oscar, Ren and Emerald draw their weapons and prepare for a fight. The group is saved by Winter Schnee, who emerges from the portal with the power of the Winter Maiden after a battle took place inside the pocket dimension. The group is left stranded in the desert.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "Creation"
- "Worthy"
- "The Final Word"