Qrowe and Raven Branwen - RWBY R63

{{These are the younger versions of these characters, from when they were students at Beacon Academy. They're both 19.}}

{{Qrowe is into younger men. She's a cougar at heart.}}

{{Qrowe Branwen (pronounced "Crow") is a character in RWBY. She is a Huntress, the younger twin sister of Raven Branwen, the biological aunt of Yang Xiao Long, and the honorary aunt of Ruby Rose. Her weapon of choice is a scythe called Harbinger. She made her first appearance in New Challengers..., watching the fights taking place at the Vytal Festival.}}

Qrowe is a former member of the Branwen Tribe, a former teacher at Signal Academy, and a former member of Team STRQ alongside Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, and Raven.

She is also involved with a secret brotherhood led by Ozpin, whose purpose is to protect Remnant and is privy to knowledge kept secret from most of the world.

In her official design, she has graying black, spiky hair, faded red eyes, and slight stubble along her jawline. Along with a red, tattered cloak, she wears a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. In an old picture of her with her former team, she looked exactly the same but lacked stubble.

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

Qrowe’s bangs are down most of the time, but she sometimes pushes her hair back when fighting. In addition, her hair is made to look like it is composed entirely of feathers.

As a corvid, Qrowe has black feathers, red eyes, and a feathery crest on the top of her head. Unlike her sister, she transforms into a crow rather than a raven (befitting their names), as indicated by her call; whereas Raven's call is a deeper croak, Qrowe’s is a higher-pitched, harsh caw.

Qrowe is a seemingly rude, blunt, cynical, sometimes crass, yet cool-headed and nonchalant individual, who appears at first glance to be somewhat immature, insensitive, and stand-offish but actually has a heart of gold.

She is an alcoholic, as Glynda Goodwitch notes that she’s always drunk, and is usually seen taking swigs from her hip flask, often at inappropriate times, such as in front of children or during important strategic meetings. It’s also clear that she cannot handle leadership without relying on alcohol, as seen during her travels with Team RNJR following the Fall of Beacon. Qrowe has a habit of giving people nicknames, referring to Ruby as "Pipsqueak," though her preferred nickname for her is "Kiddo." Other examples include "Firecracker" for Yang, "Oz" for Ozpin, "Jimmy" for Ironwood, and "Ice Queen" for Winter Schnee.

She dislikes Atlas and openly criticizes their military for occupying Vale and mistreating Ozpin during the Vytal Festival. Qrowe's dislike of Atlas is brazen enough for her to immediately get into a brawl with Winter Schnee upon encountering her, and personal enough for her to back down at the last second just for the chance to humiliate Winter in front of James Ironwood. She also shows a level of cockiness when baiting Winter into attacking her. She has a mercurial attitude toward her age, disgusted at the notion of being called old by her nieces, yet willing to use it as an excuse to leave uncomfortable conversations.

This childish and maverick facade, however, belies the demeanor of a veteran Huntress. While watching the Vytal Festival Tournament matches, she openly expresses displeasure and lack of approval, even calling one a mess. She hints to her nieces that her time out in the field has hardened her, making the much safer displays of strength on the broadcast seem tame and benign in comparison. She is very cautious because of that, warning Ruby and Yang not to let their past near-victories against Roman Torchwick and the White Fang go to their heads. Regardless, she has faith in her nieces' potential as Huntresses, encouraging them to continue learning throughout their time at Beacon, saying they will go far after graduating. She also tries to help raise Yang’s morale after her disqualification and proposes to help her find her mother, though she warns her that Raven is not a kind person and is a dangerous woman with a worldview she does not share.

Qrowe is shown to be tender at heart despite her rough demeanor and cares for both of her nieces dearly. She saved Yang and Ruby from Grimm when they were very young and later took Ruby under her wing, training her in scythe-wielding and allowing her to pursue her dreams as a Huntress. It’s Brawl in the Family and Lessons Learned show that she has remained very close to her nieces and plays the part of the childish aunt. In Family, it is shown that, unlike her sister, Qrowe despises killing and is upset with Raven for not contacting Yang, especially after she learned her daughter had lost her arm. While both Qrowe and Raven attended Beacon to learn how to kill Huntsmen, Qrowe's disgust and anger toward Leonardo Lionheart show how far she has come. Her value for family is strong to the point that she suggests Raven return to help in the fight against Salem, implying she still cares for her despite everything she has done. However, this changes in The More the Merrier, as after Qrowe finds out Raven joined forces with Cinder Fall and set a trap for her, her nieces, and their friends, she claims that she no longer sees her as family. However, she still asks for Raven's whereabouts after the battle, showing that she may still care for her. Qrowe also agrees to hide Lionheart's cowardice and betrayal from Ironwood for the time being, as well as cover up Lionheart’s death so that the people of Mistral believe he died a hero.

She is also very self-conscious about her Semblance to the point of self-loathing. Aware of its possible impact on the people around her, she makes a point to keep her distance from those she cares about. Qrowe regards her life as cursed due to her misfortune Semblance. Seeing herself as a burden to friends and family because of the bad luck she brings, she tries to spend most of her time living and working alone.

She does not hold back her opinions. She berates Ironwood for militarizing Vale, undermining Ozpin, and inciting fear in the population, which empowers the Grimm. She admonishes her nieces for thinking they can put a stop to all crime in Vale and tells them they are not thinking like true Huntresses. When Ozpin tells Pyrrha Nikos why he needs her help and asks her to become a Maiden, Qrowe is the only one who bluntly tells her just how bad the consequences could be. When Ruby tries to reassure Oscar Pine that he’s his own person and not just another life to Ozpin, Qrowe bitterly remarks, "Don’t lie to him, Ruby. We’re better than that."

Despite Qrowe’s general dislike of authority and rules, she is extremely loyal to and trusting of Ozpin at first. She holds religion in doubt but takes Ozpin’s word on the existence of the Gods and their Relics. However, when Ozpin's past is revealed, Qrowe feels betrayed and worthless. She turns her back on Ozpin, immediately losing all faith in him, and lashes out both physically and verbally, deeming meeting him "the worst luck of her life."

By Lost, Qrowe falls into a depressive state, and her alcoholism worsens. She refuses to talk with anyone about her problems and resorts to drinking to numb her pain. It is not until Ruby stands up to her that Qrowe starts to snap out of her depression, even making efforts to drink less. She also shows surprise and pride in Ruby’s growing maturity and leadership skills. Qrowe later mentions to Clover Ebi in Sparks that she has given up alcohol, and in Cordially Invited, she turns down a drink when offered.

Despite her reputation as a frequent alcoholic, Qrowe is nevertheless one of the most capable Huntresses in the series, being a trusted member of Ozpin’s inner circle.

A testament to her strength and skill is that even while under the influence, she was able to match Winter, a high-ranking Atlas official, in armed combat. Despite her slim and lean build, Qrowe has great physical prowess and remarkable mastery of her weapon, Harbinger—a shotgun-sword-scythe.

Raven Branwen is a former Huntress and the leader of the Branwen Tribe. She is the mother of Yang Xiao Long, the older twin sister of Qrow Branwen, and the estranged wife of Taiyang Xiao Long. Her weapon, Omen, is a sword with a rotary chamber containing six types of Dust blades. She first appeared saving her daughter from Neopolitan before disappearing through a portal.

Once a member of Team STRQ alongside Summer Rose, Taiyang, and Qrow, Raven later became the Spring Maiden, using her tribe member Vernal as a decoy until Vernal's death at the hands of Cinder Fall. She served as a major antagonist in Volume 5, aligning with Cinder to obtain the Relic of Knowledge from Haven Academy. However, she planned to double-cross Cinder, keeping the Relic as a safeguard against Salem. After a confrontation with Yang, she ultimately handed over the Relic and escaped through a portal linked to Taiyang. She later resurfaced at a Shade Academy meeting alongside Winter Schnee, Professor Theodore, and Oscar Pine.

Her original outfit in Volume 2 consisted of a black and red kimono top with a pleated skirt and black shorts, accessorized with beaded necklaces, a red obi sash, and a tasset carrying her weapon’s sheath. She also wore red-armored gauntlets, black fingerless gloves, and mid-thigh-high boots with armor plating and red splatter patterns. By Volumes 4 and 5, her boots became solid black with red soles and heels, and her eyes darkened to a deeper crimson.

Her defining feature is a full-face mask resembling a Creature of Grimm, with four eye slits that make her appear more menacing. Initially, her eyes were visible through the lower slits, but in later volumes, the slits turned black and red inside. She uses the mask to conceal her Maiden powers and intimidate her tribe. Beneath the mask, she strongly resembles Yang, sharing the same facial structure and long, voluminous hair. However, her hair is jet black, her complexion lighter, and she has slight age lines under her eyes. She wears her hair in a loose ponytail tied with a red bandanna, the ends resembling curved black feathers, with a cowlick sticking up, similar to Yang’s.

Cynical, patronizing, and selfish, Raven justifies her abandonment of Yang by claiming that saving her once was enough. She adheres to a survival-of-the-fittest mentality, shaped by her upbringing in a nomadic bandit tribe, and sees little issue with taking innocent lives. Despite her power as a Maiden, she is ultimately a coward, terrified of Salem and willing to risk her own family to secure the Relic. Yang calls out her shallow view of strength, exposing how she hides behind others rather than confronting her fears.

Manipulative and deceptive, Raven tries to emotionally sway Yang into staying with her by feigning warmth before resorting to intimidation. She deceives Salem’s subordinates into believing Vernal is the Spring Maiden and orchestrates an ambush for Qrow and the students to gain access to the Relic. Her pride and hypocrisy prevent her from acknowledging her faults, blaming others instead. She criticizes Ozpin for secrecy and manipulation, yet she herself uses the same tactics.

Her relationship with Qrow is strained; she sees him as a traitor for leaving their tribe, while he considers her dangerous. Although they remained in contact, Raven seemingly only reached out to extract information. When Qrow renounced her after she set a trap for him, Yang, and Ruby, she implied she may have never viewed him as family. She dismisses Ozpin’s leadership, believing him untrustworthy and condemning those who follow him, including Qrow, Ruby, Taiyang, and Yang.

According to Taiyang, Raven had a direct and forceful approach, valuing strength above all, traits Yang inherited. He described her as ambitious and dedicated to causes she deemed just, though her flaws contributed to Team STRQ’s collapse. When Yang accused her of abandoning her past self, Raven’s visible shock suggested she was once a braver, more idealistic person before leaving her family behind.

In combat, Raven possesses incredible speed, making her attacks difficult to follow. She is skilled in Iaido-style swordsmanship, similar to Adam Taurus, as seen when she first clashes with Neo. Her fight with Cinder showcases her precision and reaction speed, allowing her to split a boulder and use her ice blade’s elemental effects to evade attacks seamlessly. She strategically exhausts opponents before counterattacking and uses her environment to her advantage, incorporating falling debris into her tactics.