Qrow Branwen

**Qrow Branwen** (クロウ・ブランウェン, *Kurō Buranwen*; pronounced as "Crow Branwen"), is a fictional character and ally from the *RWBY* series. He is the twin brother of Raven Branwen, biological uncle of Yang Xiao Long and adoptive honorary uncle of Ruby Rose. Qrow's weapon of choice is his scythe known as Harbinger.

He is a former member of the Branwen Tribe as well as a former teacher at Signal Academy. In his youth, Qrow attended Beacon Academy with his sister and together they were on a team with both Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long, known as Team STRQ.

Qrow is also involved with Glynda Goodwitch and James Ironwood in a secret society led by Ozpin, whose purpose is to protect Remnant and is privy to knowledge kept secret from most of the world.

"*You two… You're gonna go far, but only if you keep learning, if you never stop moving forward.*"

—Qrow, to Ruby and Yang.

## Appearance & Biography

*Voice Actor*: Vic Mignogna (English), Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (Spanish), Not Known (German), Not Known (Finnish), Not Known (Korean), Not Known (French), Not Known (Latin American Spanish)

### Appearance

In the flashback sequence of "*Burning the Candle*", Qrow had dark spiky hair and donned a cloak, with predominantly dark or black clothing. In "*Ruby Rose*", Ozpin described him as a "dusty, old crow".

In his official design, he has graying black, spiky hair, red eyes, and slight stubble along his jawline. With a red, tattered cloak, he wears a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

He also wears a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right fourth finger, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant.

Qrow's bangs are down most of the time, but he pushes his hair back when fighting.

* Hair Color: Black
* Skin Color: Pale White
* Eye Color: Red
* Age: Not Known
* Height: Not Known
* Weight: Not Known

## Personality

Qrow is a rude, blunt, cynical, sometimes crass, yet cool-headed and nonchalant individual. It's acknowledged that he's an alcoholic as Glynda Goodwitch states, "He's always drunk!" He openly disrespects the Atlas military, apparently for the occupation of Vale and the mistreatment of Ozpin during the Vytal Festival. Qrow's dislike of Atlas is brazen enough for him to immediately get into a brawl with Winter Schnee upon encountering her, and personal enough for him to back down at the last second just for the chance to humiliate Winter in front of Ironwood. He also shows a level of cockiness when he taunts Winter into attacking him.

His mischievousness is consistent, for he shows in "*Lessons Learned*" that he's immature enough to be willing to distract his nieces with a sexual quip in order to claim victory over them when playing a video game. He also has a mercurial attitude towards his age: disgusted at the notion of being called old by his nieces, but willing to use it as an excuse to leave uncomfortable conversations.

Behind this childish facade, however, however, lies the demeanor of a true, veteran Huntsman. While watching the Vytal Festival Tournament, he openly expresses displeasure and lack of approval while observing the matches, even as far as calling one a mess. He hinted to his nieces that his time out in the field has hardened him, which made the much safer displays of strength on the broadcast seem tame and benign in comparison.

Qrow is shown to be tender at heart despite his rough demeanor, and cares for both nieces dearly, he is also very self-conscious about his Semblance to the point self-loathing, aware of its possible impact to people around him, he makes a point to keep his distance from those he cares about. He saved Yang and Ruby from being killed by Grimm when they were very young. He also took Ruby under his wing and trained her in scythe-wielding, allowing her to pursue her dreams as a Huntress. "*It's Brawl in the Family*" and "Lessons Learned" also show that he is very close to his nieces and plays the part of the childish uncle, ruffling Ruby's hair when he sees her again, playing video games with his nieces and not being above distracting them to claim victories.

He's also very cautious, warning Ruby and Yang to not let their past (near) victories against Roman Torchwick and the White Fang go to their heads. Although cautious with them, he has faith in his nieces' potential as Huntresses, encouraging them to continue learning throughout their time at Beacon, saying they will go far after graduating. He's also very aware of Yang's obsession with her mother, Raven, making an unsuccessful effort to conceal her face when he shows his nieces the Team STRQ picture, and quickly putting it away when he notices Yang's fixation on her.

In "*Family*" it is shown that unlike his sister, Qrow despises killing. He is upset with Raven for not contacting Yang, especially after she knew her daughter had lost her arm. He clearly values family, doesn't appreciate what he calls her skewed perception of what it means, and finds his sister's concept of it to be skewed. His value for family is strong to the point he suggested that Raven return to help in the fight against Salem, implying he still cared for her, despite everything she had done. However this changes In "*The More the Merrier*", as after Qrow found out Raven joined forces with Cinder, he claimed he no longer sees her as family anymore.

Qrow is very self-conscious about his Semblance. Aware of its possible impact to people around him, he makes a point to keep his distance from those he cares about.

Despite Qrow general dislike of authority and rules, he seems extremely loyal to Ozpin and place great trust in him. He is shown to disregard those whom he perceives as betraying him and in "*Rest and Resolutions*", Qrow quickly defends Ozpin from Yang's accusations. He holds religion in with a bit of dubiousness, but he takes Ozpin's word on the previous existence of the brother gods and their Relics.

In "*Known by its Song*", Raven stated that she and Qrow attended Beacon to learn how to kill Huntsmen, implying that he once shared her brutal nature in the past. By comparison, when Qrow realized that Leonardo Lionheart had the Mistral Huntsmen killed, he expressed pure disgust and anger towards his former ally, showing how far Qrow has come since his youth.

## Relationships

### Family

* Raven Branwen (Twin Sister)
* Ruby Rose (Adoptive Niece)
* Yang Xiao Long (Niece)

## Powers and Abilities

### Abilities

Despite his reputation as a frequent alcoholic, Qrow is nevertheless one of the most capable Huntsmen in the series. Qrow is also shown to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat, able to deliver several quick staggering blows and then knock back his opponents a distance with a kick.

A testament to his strength and skill, is that even while under the drunk influence, he was able to match Winter Schnee, a high ranking Atlas official, in armed combat, easily making a fool of her, despite her status as a highly trained huntress. His skill and power is so great that Mercury Black, a professional assassin who can casually defeat trained 2nd Year Huntsmen-in-Training like Coco Adel, is terrified of his presence and immediately flees on sight.

Even when disarmed, he simply resorted to fisticuffs to beat Tyrian Callows back with ease, despite the latter's status as one of Salem's most trusted followers showing himself to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat, able to deliver several quick staggering blows and a kick strong enough to put some distance between him and his opponent. He is also an expert tracker, having followed Team RNJR for months without their knowledge, and is wise enough to be part of Ozpin's inner circle, which includes high-ranking individuals like James Ironwood and Beacon's Glynda Goodwitch.

Qrow is strong enough to smash a crater into the ground with his sword, cut through metal poles, as well as release Aura arcs. Qrow has also shown proficient accuracy with Harbinger as a throwing weapon, as seen in his fight with Tyrian when he launched his sword into the ground in mid fall to act as a foothold to regain traction and control of the battle.

Even among his peers, Qrow is a greatly feared and formidable Huntsman, with even the likes of General Ironwood and Dr. Arthur Watts being wary of his combat prowess.

Qrow has been shown to be incredibly resilient to toxins, as it took a substantial amount of time for Tyrian's venom to work its way through his bloodstream, even with Qrow drinking alcohol, which would make the venom spread even faster.

It is stated in "*Welcome to Haven*" that Qrow is equally matched with his sister Raven.

### Semblance

Qrow's Semblance brings misfortune wherever he goes, and unlike most Semblances, his is always active and uncontrollable. This leads to incidents as small as a glass being knocked onto the floor in "*New Challengers...*" or as significant as a blocked attack chopping off the corner of a building in "*Punished*". His Semblance can come to his advantage in a fight, such when Tyrian Callows falls through an old roof.

His Semblance does not discriminate whom it affects, which causes him to keep his distance from the people he cares about. According to Kerry Shawcross, he can also choose to amplify his Semblance when he wishes, in which case it uses Aura.

### Transformation

In the postcredit scene of "*End of the Beginning*", Qrow is seen leaping from a cliffside, and a black bird takes his place, which would suggest that he has the ability to transform into a crow. His shapeshifting ability is confirmed and shown again in "*Tipping Point*", where he transforms to quickly catch up with Team RNJR during their fight with Tyrian Callows.

In "Known by its Song", Raven says Ozpin gave Qrow this ability. The exact nature of the ability or how it is granted is unknown except that it is magical in nature.

Prior to his leap, he has possession of Ozpin's cane, further evidence of his vow to continue the missing headmaster's work.

### Weapons

*Main article:* *Harbinger*
As mentioned by Ozpin, Qrow is a master scythe wielder, having taught Ruby how to use her scythe. Crescent Rose is confirmed not to be a copy of Harbinger, as Ruby stated that she designed Crescent Rose herself. There are also notable differences. In "*Heroes and Monsters*", he was showing easily dispatching a Griffon by slicing it in half, demonstrating he has remarkable mastery of his weapon.

In the episode "*It's Brawl in the Family*", his weapon first appears as a longsword, which contains gears near the crossguard area (on a regular blade). And like most Huntsman weapons, his blade can also transform into a gun. Though as he began to reveal its true form, he stops and retracts it before its transformation is complete. However, the scythe form is later seen in its entirety in "*Heroes and Monsters*".

Qrow is strong enough to smash a crater into the ground with his sword, cut through metal poles, as well as release sonic waves. Qrow is able to perform a slash with his scythe that is too fast for the eye to see, even when everything is viewed in slow motion. Moreover, during his fight with Winter, Qrow wielded his weapon proficiently with either hand, revealing himself to have trained to be able to use it whether it is in his dominant or weak hand.

## History

### Past

Qrow was raised alongside his twin sister, Raven Branwen, in a bandit tribe outside the Kingdoms. When they were of age, the tribe sent the twins to combat school in order to learn how to counter the Huntsmen. Qrow strayed from this plan and refused to return to them, seeing them as "murderers and thieves". However, Raven saw the tribe as her true home and saw his desertion as betrayal, straining their relationship.

Qrow and Raven enrolled in Beacon Academy at some point in their youth and would later form Team STRQ with fellow students Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long. Qrow declared them to be the coolest team to ever graduate from Beacon.

According to Taiyang, while they were still students at Beacon Academy, they tricked Qrow into wearing a skirt by claiming it was a kilt. It was his first time wearing a school uniform, and Qrow had no reservations about showing off his legs to the female students.

Following the team's graduation, Qrow became both a maternal and honorary uncle to Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, who are children with Raven and Summer, respectively. After Summer's death, when Yang took Ruby on a search for Raven, Qrow saved the lives of both his nieces from Beowolves. He also became a teacher at Signal Academy alongside Taiyang.

Qrow at some point in his life would become a part of Ozpin's Group. He and Raven accepted the responsibility of reconaissance, tracking Salem's forces and searching for the new hosts of Maiden powers when unclear. Along with this, Ozpin gave both twins the ability to turn into birds, and at some point, Raven deserted these responsibilities.

Eventually, he trained Ruby under his wing to become a Huntress, which included instruction on how to use "one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed", Crescent Rose. At some point after instructing Ruby, Qrow resigned from his teaching position at Signal Academy as mentioned in "Welcome to Haven".

Around the events of the *"Black" Trailer*, he encountered Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black when the three of them ambushed and attacked Amber, the Fall Maiden. Qrow arrived in time before Cinder could fully steal Amber's powers. Because of Emerald's Semblance, Qrow was unable to make out Cinder's face and identity. After the three retreated, Qrow took a weakened Amber to Ozpin's Group.

## Synopsis

### *RWBY*

#### Dust Shop Robbery

When Ruby is being questioned by Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch about her fight with Roman Torchwick and his men, Ozpin asks her how she acquired her skills with Crescent Rose.

Ruby explains that her Uncle Qrow taught her, mentioning that she was "complete garbage before he took [her] under his wing".

#### The Vytal Festival

Ozpin received a message from Qrow via Scroll saying "Queen has pawns". A silhouette of his face can be seen in his profile on Ozpin's Scroll.

#### Second Semester

Qrow is mentioned in a conversation between James Ironwood and Ozpin.

Yang Xiao Long tells Blake Belladonna about her search for her mother Raven Branwen. She describes how, while she was barely able to stand, Qrow saved her from a pack of Grimm.

## Battles

### Canon

* Qrow Branwen vs. Winter Schnee (Interrupted)
* Qrow Branwen, Glynda Goodwitch, Cardin Winchester and James Ironwood vs. Grimm and AK-200s (Won)
* Qrow Branwen and Team RNJR vs. Tyrian Callows (Won)
* Qrow Branwen vs. Raven Branwen (Interrupted)
* Qrow Branwen and Oscar Pine vs. Leonardo Lionheart and Hazel Rainart (Removed from combat)

## Events

### Canon

* Battle of Beacon
* Battle of Haven

## External links

* Qrow Branwen *Wikipedia*
* Qrow Branwen *RWBY Wiki*

## Notes & Trivia

* *Branwen* is Welsh, meaning "blessed white raven/crow", which corresponds to his first name.
* Qrow, along with Raven, may allude to Huginn and Muninn, a pair of ravens that flew all over the world to bring information to the god Odin.
	+ During the scene where Yang talks about her search for Raven and being saved by her uncle Qrow in "Burning the Candle", the text on the chalkboard (enlarged) is an extract from a poem about Huginn and Muninn, two ravens from Norse mythology. The text supposedly reads:
	+ :*Hugin and Munin fly each day over the spacious earth.*
	+ :*I fear for Hugin, that he not come back, yet more anxious am I for Munin.*
* On November 10th, 2013, a Wikia account registered as Montyoum made an edit to this page to indicate that Qrow's full name was "Qrow Branwen". As no verification from an official source was provided that this account was linked to Monty Oum in any way, the edit was reverted. Interestingly, however, following the release of the Volume 2 episode "*Breach*", on October 30th, 2014, it was revealed that Raven's full name was "Raven Branwen".
	+ The credits for the episode "New Challengers..." confirmed that his last name is Branwen.
* Given his name and association with Ozpin and Ironwood, it's possible he alludes to the Scarecrow from *The Wizard of Oz* who goes to the Wizard in search of a brain. Correspondingly, Qrow gathers intelligence which he shares with Ozpin, and vice versa.
* The mumbling of the phrase "That's my uncle!" by his adoptive niece, Ruby, is a reference to the *Rooster Teeth Animated Adventure* "Left 4 Trek".
	+ This is referenced again in the episode "It's Brawl in the Family" when Ruby first notices Qrow and Winter fighting.
* Qrow was first seen in "Burning the Candle", not in a rendered model, but only as stylized artwork.
* While only officially given a name by Monty when *Tales of RWBY* was created, the character Qrow is based on what had been a brainchild of the show's creator for nearly a decade. He had gone through many design iterations, but both his personality and combat style have essentially prevailed over the years.
* By saying "damn" in "It's Brawl in the Family", Qrow is the first character in the show to curse without being censored. Previously, Roman nearly said "fuck" in "Black and White", and Ozpin stopped Glynda from saying "dicks" in "Field Trip". Cardin Winchester's use of the word "crap" in "Forever Fall, Pt.2" is not considered a curse because "crap" is often seen as a replacement word used to refrain from cursing.
* During his fight with Winter, his left eye flashed a red glint after Winter whacked him in the face, before he smashed a crater into the ground; however the significance of this, if there is any, has yet to be revealed.
* Kerry Shawcross and Miles Luna stated that Qrow was their favorite character to write because it was refreshing to have an adult character who didn't take things seriously.