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You're asking the wrong questions, Red! It's not what I have to gain, it's that I can't afford to lose! I may be a gambling man, but even I know that there are some bets you just don't take. Like it or not, the people that hired me are going to change the world! You can't stop 'em, I can't stop 'em!
„
~ Roman, explaining his motivation to Ruby.
“
You got spirit, Red. But this is the real world! The real world is cold! The real world doesn't care about spirit! You want to be a hero? Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history! As for me, I'll do what I do best: lie, steal, cheat... and survi-
„
~ Roman Torchwick's speech to Ruby, also his last words before he is eaten by a Griffon.
Roman Torchwick is a major antagonist in the anime-influenced webseries RWBY and its manga prequel/adaptation, as well as one of the two main protagonists (alongside Neopolitan) of its 2021 prequel novel RWBY: Roman Holiday.
He was a notorious crime lord in Vale and a member of Cinder's Faction, as well as an affiliate of the White Fang. Initially presented as the main antagonist of the series, he was soon revealed to be one of Cinder's underlings. His death in Volume 3 continued to motivate his partner Neopolitan into getting revenge on Ruby Rose. He is one of the arch-nemesis (alongside Cinder Fall and Salem) of Ruby Rose.
He was voiced by Gray G. Haddock (who also voiced Locus in Red vs. Blue) in RWBY volumes 1 to 3, the late Billy Kametz (who also voiced Takuto Maruki in Persona 5 Royal, and Jed in Hunter X Hunter) in RWBY volume 9 and Christopher Wehkamp in both RWBY: Ice Queendom and RWBY volume 9. and by Shin-ichiro Miki in the Japanese dub (who also voiced Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super, Innocent Zero in Mashle and Mizuki in the Naruto series).
Roman is a tall and slim man with black eyeliner, dark green eyes and orange hair with long bangs covering his right eye. He wears a black bowler hat with a red band and a small feather.
He wears a black shirt under a white, black-lined cloak with red patches inside the neck, yellow buttons and a gray scarf. He wears black gloves with rounded sleeves, as well as long black pants and shoes. All of which was designed and made by Neo; with the exception of his hat, which was stolen.
Personality[]
“
Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans... are the worst. Case in point.
„
~ Roman gesturing to himself.
Roman's personality was a mixture between that of a formal gentleman and a ruthless thief. He emits charm and speaks calmly even in the middle of an armed robbery. Roman emits hostility when upset or frustrated, as seen in "No Brakes", when he ordered the White Fang to help him shoot Ruby as she escaped, bent his weapon and slammed a subordinate backward.
Roman also demonstrated ruthlessness, evidently willing to use lethal force on Ruby when she foiled his scheme, even going so far as to laugh after successfully shooting her down in "Black and White". In "Heroes and Monsters", he even chastised Ruby for her being blind to the cruelty of the real world while trying to beat her with his cane.
Judging by his elaborate outfit and accessories, Roman also had expensive tastes; a common stereotype of Mafia Dons and other organized crime kingpins. This is further exemplified by his reaction to the destruction of the Atlesian Paladin-290 that he was piloting, which caused him to be violently flung to the ground scattered by debris. Rather than appearing upset with what happened to his mech or afraid of the situation, he simply brushed himself off, commenting that the experience has ruined the cleanliness of his suit.
Despite working with the White Fang, he had no respect for them or Faunus in general. On several occasions, he talked to or about them in a derogatory fashion, referring to them as "mutts" or "animals". It is unclear if this is representative of hostility towards the Faunus in general or him acting out his frustrations towards having to work with the group. It may be he did not like being ordered around by Cinder Fall and her associates.
He also often took to insult his enemies in a sarcastic but quite childish way, as seen when he called out to Blake Belladonna, saying "Here kitty, kitty, kitty," as well as when he responded to Ruby's arrival by saying, "Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" This quality persisted even when he was in very difficult situations; such as when he was interrogated by Ironwood.
In "Heroes and Monsters", he revealed that he worked for Cinder's Faction under the belief that nobody can stop them, and he couldn't afford to lose, considering himself a gambling man who knew what bets not to take.
Despite his self-serving personality, it is shown that Roman genuinely cared for his right-hand woman Neo, to the point that he was saddened when she was blown away from the airship during their fight against Ruby; leading him to viscously beat Ruby. While left up to interpretation in the show itself it is implied that Roman might have been in love or have a crush on Neo from momets of him mildly flirtingly joking with her (to be fair he does it a bit in the book), admitting she's the only person he trusts even with his life along with becoming mildly flustered when she kissed him on the cheek at the end of the book "RWBY: Roman Holiday". The writers have further implied that there was some sort of love in their relationship but a few felt it was more like a father and daughter or similar previously but then others claiming that they might of been romantically involved in things like "RWBY: Amity Arena", given "RWBY: Roman Holiday" takes place officially in canon it leans more towards the romantic sense of love though it is blatant they are at minimum close friends.
Roman utterly detests children and teenagers, having had his hatred for younglings fueled by his past, where he was stuck babysitting the Malachite Sisters as their bodyguard under Little Miss Malachite's orders; being driven mad by their constant questions and messing with his Melodic Cudgel to the point one nearly killed the other. Primarily this is why he detests working with Mercury and Emerald, who both carry out Cinder's orders like he does. Though Roman notably made an exception when he met teenage Neo, whom was a mute; finding her resourcefulness and wit a match for his own.
As shown in "RWBY: Roman Holiday", Roman is an unusual criminal in that he only seeks fame and a sustained lifestyle; not caring about becoming the next kingpin of Vale, but just a notorious hindrance (since he knows that running a criminal empire like the Xiong family and Little Miss Malachite's Spiders risked trusting numerous people who could double-cross him). Roman lives in a luxury apartment and never hides his face, making him an easy target; though he counts on this, as local authorities would keep him safe from other criminals he may have angered. Two of Roman's crimes that baffled authorities were his theft of a souvenir copy of a famous painting from a museum and a six pack of soda from a convenience store; neither of which would be more than a handful of lien (Remnant's currency).
Roman also appears in the non-canon comedy spinoff series. Here, he is also an outright villain with self-proclaimed evil plans to destroy Ruby.
RWBY: Amity Arena[]
Roman appears in RWBY: Amity Arena as a unit. When deployed, he melee attacks with his cane, but also has the ability to launch his cane like a grappling hook and pull an enemy unit to him, stunning them in the process. His voice can also be heard when Neopolitan's card is deployed. He also appears in the Team Attack "Partners in Crime", where he teams up with Neo to pull enemies in for her to melee attack them.
Powers and Abilities[]
Roman never unlocked his semblance. He never felt bad about it as he considered using one a crutch.
Fighting[]
Roman operated as a formidable fighter, despite never having discovered his Semblance. Roman fought using his signature cane-cannon, Melodic Cudgel. In "Black and White", Roman was shown to be adept in using his cane as a melee weapon. He was very capable in parrying, able to hold his own against both Blake and Sun Wukong, deflecting nearly all of their attacks.
He had the skills to use Melodic Cudgel offensively, such as using it to hook Blake towards him to deliver a punch or staggering her by whipping her knees. In fact, Roman came close to overpowering Blake, having gotten far enough to knock her to the ground and temporarily disarm her.
He also seemed to have exceptional accuracy, as from a considerable distance he was able both to hit Ruby with a blast from his cane as well as snatch her by the hood with the grappling hook. His fight against Blake and Sun, both extremely swift, dual-wielding opponents, showed his reflexes were impressive as well. Despite Blake producing shadow clones using her Semblance, Roman remained perfectly aware of her position and movements during the engagement, quickly countering her attacks. He could also easily deflect long range attacks, which is seen with Sun's weapons. Roman was also able to counter all of Ruby's attacks with ease during their fight atop the airship, even when she was using her enhanced speed. However, Roman was liable to underestimate his opponents and had trouble adapting to surprise attacks. In "No Brakes", Roman found himself unable to counter Blake's use of Dust-augmented Semblance clones and was promptly defeated.
Piloting[]
In "Ruby Rose", Roman was shown to be a skilled pilot, as he was able to keep a Bullhead relatively stable even though it was being bombarded with multiple attacks.
In "Painting the Town...", he was also able to pilot an Atlesian Paladin-290 and utilized the machine's weapons and sensory systems to good effect, though he was unable to defeat Team RWBY while using the machine. Roman also showed great skill in piloting the Paladin, effortlessly guiding it through traffic, moving it fast enough to catch up to a fleeing Blake and Sun.
In "PvP", he was shown to be able to pilot an Atlesian Airship all by himself and uses it to take down two other Atlesian Airships with ease.
Planning[]
Roman appeared to be a sort of criminal mastermind. By "Best Day Ever", he had reportedly obtained most of the Dust in Vale, showing that his nefarious scheming was something to be reckoned with. This image was furthered by "Players and Pieces", as he was seen planning a heist, attack or something similar targeting the entirety of Vale. He also appeared to be very good at planning escapes should his schemes fail, escaping on a Bullhead after his failed Dust heists and after his Paladin is destroyed.
Quotes[]
“
Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late.
„
~ Roman talking to the From Dust Till Dawn cashier.
“
Calm down, we're not here for your money... Grab the Dust.
„
~ Roman, assuring the From Dust Till Dawn cashier and commanding his henchmen.
“
Okay... get her.
„
~ Roman commanding his henchmen.
“
You were worth every cent. Truly, you were.
„
~ Roman, standing over the body of his fallen henchman.
“
Well, "Red", I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening. And as much as I'd love to stick around, I'm afraid this is where we part ways...
„
~ Roman to Ruby Rose.
“
Persistent...
„
~ Roman, running from Ruby Rose.
“
End of the line, Red.
„
~ Roman to Ruby Rose.
“
We've got a Huntress.
„
~ Roman to Cinder Fall.
“
We're gonna need more men.
„
~ Roman to his White Fang henchman.
“
Oh, kid, didn't you get the memo? The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!
„
~ Roman to Blake Belladonna.
“
I wouldn't exactly call it a 'little' operation.
„
~ Roman, in response to Blake, as more ships come.
“
Here kitty kitty kitty
„
~ Roman to Blake.
“
You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are ya kid?
„
~ Roman to Sun Wukong.
“
Why hello Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?
„
~ Roman to Ruby.
“
Oh, look! She sent the kids again! This is turning out just like the divorce.
„
~ Roman making a comment towards Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai.
“
Sorry if I've been a little busy stealing every speck of dust in the kingdom!
„
~ Roman to Cinder.
“
Look around, kid, I've got this town running scared. Police camping out at every corner, Dust prices through the roof and we're sitting pretty in an old warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials and rounds than we know what to do with. Speaking of which if you guys won't mind filling me in on your grand-master plan it might actually make my next string of robberies go a little smoother.
„
~ Roman to Mercury, on his contribution to Cinder's plan.
“
But, before the claws come out, I'd like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy: the ones in control; the people pulling the strings; the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms! Government; military; even the schools: they're all to blame for your lot in life! And they're all pests that need to be dealt with! Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around... No offense to any rodents in the room.
„
~ Roman, speaking in White Fang Faction Meeting.
“
Just got this thing cleaned...
„
~ Roman, after the Atlesian Paladin-290's destruction.
“
Ladies, Ice Queen, Always a pleasure!
„
~ Roman to team RWBY.
“
Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have had a day... That would be bad.
„
~ Roman on finding Ruby.
“
Wow! You are much more manageable without that oversized gardening tool of yours.
„
~ Roman knocking Ruby around after she is discovered by White Fang members.
“
Hello, kitty cat. You miss me? You know, we really gotta stop meeting like this. People are gonna talk...
„
~ Roman to Blake on the train.
“
I know this might be hard to believe, General, but uh... I'm not the biggest fan of local law enforcement.
„
~ Roman to James Ironwood.
“
Well, hello, gorgeous.
„
~ Roman, upon meeting Cinder.
“
Oh, it is good to be back!
„
~ Roman, after destroying two Atlesian Airships after being freed from his cell.
“
Hmm, let's see, what does this button do? Oh, fun!
„
~ Roman causing havoc at the controls of his stolen airship.
“
Now this one... This one's going to be fun.
„
~ Roman, after he gets the infected Scroll.
“
Little Red, little Red, you are just determined to be the hero of Vale, aren't you?
„
~ Roman to Ruby.
“
An absolutely beautiful moonlit night. Sinister schemes go smoothly on nights like this. I think you'll enjoy what I have in store for you this time. I hope you like it. My Little Red.
„
~ Torchwick in the manga.
“
Nothing good comes out of crossing paths with those little brats. Just you wait, Little Red. You'll learn how cunning adults can actually be.
„
~ Torchwick in the manga.
“
Hello, Red. Been a while! How's the hero biz treating you? I gotta say, you're not looking too good.
„
~ Roman's illusion, to Ruby.
“
You know, once Neo realized where she was, everything changed. Always loved the idea of a place to run away from it all, do whatever you want. I offered that to her back on Remnant… but we all remember how that ended.
„
~ Roman's illusion revealing to Ruby why Neo is hunting her.
“
You don't deserve to die, Red. You deserve to be broken down, torn apart… wiped from existence.
„
~ Roman's illusion, to Ruby before Neo attacks her.
“
You've finally done it! Little Red's gone. With your Semblance stronger than ever now, we could take over this whole absurd place. …Why not? Offing Little Red can't be all you wanted, right?
„
~ Roman's voice in Neo's mind.
“
To have what they have. What a thing, right. So, that's it then?
„
~ An illusion of Roman talking to Neo.
“
Yeah, I know, I'm not real.
„
~ The illusion of Roman to Neo, with the latter accepting that Roman is dead, thus making the illusion disappear.
Trivia[]
Roman alludes to Romeo Candlewick from the story Pinocchio.
Only his role is reversed, with Roman being forced to do the bidding of Salem through Cinder's Faction; rather than be a bad influence on others.
His appearance bears some resemblance to Candlewick's appearance in Disney's film adaptation of Pinocchio named Lampwick.
The director's commentary on the RWBY Volume 1 DVD mentions that Roman's appearance is a "shout-out to A Clockwork Orange, with his appearance, in particular the bowler hat, eyeliner and penchant for white clothing, seeming to echo the appearance of the gang (known as the "droogs") in the film, specifically Alex.
Originally, Roman was only going to appear in Volume 1. However, Monty Oum, Miles Luna, and Kerry Shawcross loved the character and how Gray G. Haddock voiced him, and they decided to keep him around.
Roman's name and weapon could relate to the famous Roman candle firework, which ejects multiple pyrotechnic stars and is illegal in some countries. Also, Roman's weapon fires a blast that resembles a firework.
Roman calls Ruby by the name "Little Red", a possible reference to the fact that she is an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood.
Roman's fighting style seems to be inspired by the martial art of bartitsu, where practitioners are taught to use a cane as a weapon in addition to various hand-to-hand techniques.
Roman's emblem is a Jack-O'-Lantern, otherwise known as a Will-O'-The-Wisp or Will-O'-The-Torch, the origin of which was a spirit cursed to roam the world with only a torch/lantern. The symbol can be found on Roman's lighter and Melodic Cudgel.
Roman was meant to have Fiona's semblance, with the name Deep Pockets. However, there was never a time for Roman to use it.
Billy did manage to pull in a few lines for Roman in RWBY Volume 9 before his passing, with Christopher Wehkamp filling in any lines Billy could not do.
