RWBY Characters & Their Disney Counterparts

The world of RWBY is populated by characters who draw inspiration from fairy tales. Ruby Rose, for example, is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. The inspirations can be seen in their signature colors, some of their accessories, and even key story points.

Like RWBY, Disney’s animated features are full of fairy tale characters. Funnily enough, not all of RWBY’s Disney counterparts would be the same as their fairy tale ones. As their storylines have developed and more of their character traits have been revealed, the RWBY characters have evolved beyond their initial inspirations.

10 Jaune: Aladdin

Jaune has a lot of growing to do when the series begins. He has a big dream, much like Aladdin. They are both also characters who are telling big lies.

While Aladdin uses the magic of Genie to turn himself into a prince and get a chance to talk to Princess Jasmine, Jaune uses forged documents to nab a spot at Beacon Academy. His dream isn’t of a princess, but of being a respected Huntsman. Jaune has to learn what that really means, just as Aladdin has to learn that being a good guy is about more than wealth and status.

9 Ren: Elsa

Ren tries very hard to keep his emotions in check and control himself around other people. Sound familiar? It’s exactly what Elsa does at the beginning of her story in Frozen.

Elsa’s fear of her own power and her desire to keep her sister safe causes her to hide herself away and keep the people she cares about at arm’s length. While Ren doesn’t have the same kind of power as Elsa, he does treat his emotions the same way she does — holding them back for as long as he can.

8 Nora: Anna

It might be strange to think of Ren and Nora as Elsa and Anna, but just as the siblings complement one another in the movie, so do Ren and Nora in the show.

While Elsa isolates herself, Anna jumps into every situation with complete enthusiasm. She’s an eternal optimist, always ready to pull Ren out of his own head and never giving up on him no matter how often he closes himself off. It’s not unlike Anna deciding to trek across the country to find her sister.

7 Salem: Ursula

Salem used to be a regular princess (taking a little bit of inspiration from Rapunzel) with a bit of magic. Her anger and need for revenge, however, changed her. Throughout the series, her goal seems to be to end the entire world, but she’s got an obsession with a handful of people and, of course, some loyal minions.

While Ursula isn’t intent on ending the world in The Little Mermaid, she is keen on revenge and shaking things up. Like Salem, she’s isolated in her own little corner of the world. Also like Salem, she holds a grudge against a powerful man. Ursula manipulates Ariel into doing her bidding in much the same way as Salem manipulated Cinder. Of course, Cinder has her own dark motivations, while Ariel was always motivated by love.

6 Weiss: Mulan

Weiss takes inspiration from the original story of Snow White. Her theme song is even “Mirror, Mirror.” She does not, however, have a lot in common with a young woman who spends the bulk of her time cleaning house and falling for her stepmother’s lies.

Instead, Weiss has a Disney counterpart in Mulan. Both women have a strict sense of honor and duty. For Mulan, that means taking her father’s place in a war to save her country. For Weiss, that means standing up to her father and reclaiming her family name while defending the world.

5 Yang: Merida

Yang’s signature yellow color, impulsive nature, and penchant for fighting Grimm that look like bears all link her to her Goldilocks and the Three Bears inspiration. Her impetuousness, however, might call to mind a Disney princess: Merida.

The princess at the center of Brave, Merida wants to carve her own path in the world instead of being held back by societal rules. Yang would love Merida’s push to be herself, something the two have in common. Their impulsive natures also land them both in hot water quite a bit. Merida even has a strained relationship with her mother, though hers is repaired by the end of her movie. Time will tell if Yang and Raven can find common ground.

4 Blake: Belle

This is one RWBY character who only seems to have more in common with her fairy tale inspiration as time goes on. Yes, Blake Belladonna takes her inspiration from the tale of Beauty and the Beast. It just so happens that her version of the beast, Adam, doesn’t turn into a handsome prince.

Blake and Belle both have a love for learning and adventure. In the early episodes, Blake often has a book in her hands, soaking up fictional worlds the same well Belle does. They also both go on epic adventures to get to their family. Belle has wolves attack her in the woods while Blake finds herself up against a monster at sea. They also both stand up for the misunderstood in society; it just so happens that Blake stands up for the Faunus while Belle stands up for the Beast.

3 Ilia: Ariel

Fans don’t get to see much of Ilia as of the eighth volume of RWBY, and that’s not just because of the chameleon abilities she has as a Faunus. She only appears briefly in part of Blake’s story, but that makes it easy to find her Disney counterpart.

Ilia is a little younger than Blake and still a little naive about the world. She falls for Adam’s lies about his goals for the White Fang. She ends up manipulated into going after Blake, parroting Adam’s ideals and effectively losing her own voice until Blake helps her see who he truly is. It’s not unlike Ariel naively trading her voice away for legs in The Little Mermaid, thinking she knows exactly what she’s doing but finding the world very different from her imagination.

2 Cinder: Cinderella

Like Blake, Cinder is one of the few characters who has the same Disney counterpart as her fairy tale inspiration. Cinder just went a little darker than Disney’s Cinderella did.

Cinder grows up, forced to clean up after others and dreaming of a way out of her world. Her way out comes courtesy of a Huntsman as her fairy godmother. He secretly trains her until she’s able to defend herself. Instead of escaping to a fancy ball, Cinder takes the gift she’s been given and rids herself of the family that’s been persecuting her. Her glass slippers are actually her glass-making semblance and her animal familiars are the Grimm she can communicate with.

1 Ruby: Rapunzel

If any character has the same wide-eyed enthusiasm as Tangled‘s Rapunzel, it’s Ruby. She’s also just as naive when her story begins, wanting the adventure of being a Huntress but not entirely seeing the dangers at first.

Also like Rapunzel, Ruby has a special ability that she’s advised to keep hidden. For Rapunzel, it’s magic hair, but Ruby has silver eyes. They even both inspire confidence in those who are more worldly. Rapunzel is able to charm a tavern of thieves while Ruby consistently takes on the leadership role amongst her older teammates.

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