Roman Torchwick

—Roman, to Ruby Rose

**Overview**
History
Affiliation
Image Gallery
Quotes
Behind the Scenes

## Roman Torchwick File:RomanEmblem.svg

**Roman Torchwick** was a secondary antagonist in the world of *RWBY*. His weapon of choice was his cane, known as Melodic Cudgel.

Roman made a very small cameo in the "Yellow" Trailer before being properly introduced in "Ruby Rose". There, he orchestrated the robbery of Dust supplies from the store From Dust Till Dawn, but he was ultimately foiled by Ruby Rose.

In "Heroes and Monsters", he was devoured by a Griffon after fighting Ruby atop a hijacked Atlesian Airship.

## Appearance

Roman had slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traced his visible left eye.

Roman wore a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band.

Roman was often seen smoking cigars, as he kept a small zippo-style lighter on hand at all times.

## Personality

Roman's personality was a mixture between that of a formal gentleman and a ruthless criminal. 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 backwards.

Roman also demonstrated a ruthless streak, 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 trait was 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 compromised 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 mocking, taunting, and insulting his enemies, 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 imprisoned and interrogated by James Ironwood.

In "Heroes and Monsters", he revealed that he worked with 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 both saddened and angered when she was blown away from the airship during their fight against Ruby.

## Powers and Abilities

### Fighting

 File:1116 Black and White 15464.png
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 reflexes and parrying, able to hold his own against both Blake and Sun Wukong as swift opponents, deflecting nearly all of their ranged and close quarter 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, knocking her to the ground and temporarily disarming her.

He also had exceptional accuracy, able to shoot Ruby from a considerable distance along with snatching her by the hood with the grappling hook. 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 underestimating 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

 File:1101 Ruby Rose 09957.png
In "Ruby Rose", Roman was 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 operate an Atlesian Paladin-290, effortlessly guiding it through traffic, moving it fast enough to catch up to a fleeing Blake and Sun. He utilized the Paladin's weapons and sensory systems to good effect, yet despite that was unable to defeat Team RWBY.

In "PvP" he was able to pilot an Atlesian Airship all by himself and used 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 formidable. This image was furthered by "Players and Pieces", for he was seen planning a heist, attack or something similar, targeting the entirety of Vale. He was also good at planning escapes should his schemes fail, escaping on a Bullhead after his failed Dust heists in "Ruby Rose", "Black and White" and after his Paladin is destroyed in "Painting the Town...".

In "Best Day Ever", Roman's pickpocketing skills are shown, lifting a piece of paper from Emerald Sustrai without her knowing despite being in close proximity to her.

## Trivia

* Roman alludes to Romeo Candlewick from the story of *Pinocchio*. For more information on this allusion, as well as other choices the creators made for this character, see Roman Torchwick/Behind the Scenes.
* 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 "Red", a possible reference to her 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.
* In "Ruby Rose", it is revealed that Roman's criminal identification number within the Vale Police Department is 274761453. This little known Easter Egg is a nod to his name, as the numbers refer to dates relevant to the Roman Empire (Formation of the Roman Empire in 27 BC, Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD and Fall of the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire in 1453 AD).
* Torchwick miming slitting his throat at Emerald and Mercury behind Cinder's back in "Best Day Ever" was not scripted. It was a character moment added in by Shane Newville.

## References

1. ↑ **Rooster Teeth Tumber Q&A October 5, 2017**
2. ↑ **Volume 2 Directors Commentary "Best Day Ever"**