Yang Xiao Long/Synopsis

Welcome to Beacon
Yang is first seen greeting Ruby on the airship to Beacon Academy, displaying her excitement that her "little sis" will be attending the same school as her. She teases and then consoles Ruby when the latter displays her nervousness and even unhappiness that she might be treated as someone "special" at their new school.

Yang shows concern for Ruby's apparent lack of social skills, and manages to create an opportunity to let Ruby learn on her own by dashing off with her friends, leaving Ruby alone (who falls down on Weiss Schnee's luggage).

Yang reappears inside the auditorium of Beacon Academy where the students have gathered, and waves Ruby over beside her. She asks Ruby about her day so far, who responds by recounting the trouble she got into involving Weiss and Blake Belladonna. Yang at first thinks Ruby is joking, but realizes her little sister is telling the truth when Weiss comes up and starts berating Ruby again.

She tries to play the easygoing mediator between the two, but with no success. Their heated conversation is interrupted when Professor Ozpin starts with his welcoming speech, and Yang shows some vague exasperation when Ozpin mentions that they are still nothing compared to the world they will enter. She mentions directly afterwards that Ozpin seemed "kind of off".

Later, when all the new students are preparing to go to sleep, Yang crashes next to Ruby and asks her about the letter she is writing. The two have a conversation where Ruby once again brings up her unhappiness at having to join the school without knowing anyone, but Yang tells her that there are plenty of friends at Beacon whom just hasn't met yet (after teasing her about Weiss being an enemy rather than a "negative friend").

Yang drags Ruby over to where Blake is reading a book, and attempts to engage the two in a conversation. At first, Blake's aloof unsocial character causes the conversation to die multiple times and Ruby and Yang awkwardly try to pick it back up every time it happens, but after Yang proclaims that Blake is a "lost cause" Ruby inquires about the book Blake is reading, which starts what appears to be a genuine exchange between the two.

However, Yang butts in and tells Ruby about how she is proud of her (for starting a conversation and expressing her dreams to be a protector of the peaceful world they live in so other people may enjoy it) and picks Ruby up, which annoys the latter and causes a brief fight between the two, until Weiss storms up and interrupts them again.

Beacon Academy Initiation
Yang talks to Ruby while they are getting prepared for their initiation about what she will do about teams. When Ruby suggests that she would just join Yang's team, Yang insists her little sister should be more outgoing and find a team of her own. She and Ruby then talk to Jaune who was put down coldly by Weiss, having had Pyrrha Nikos throw her spear at him.

Yang remarks that he probably shouldn't have referred to Weiss as "Snow Angel" and the three of them then head to Beacon Cliff for initiation. After Ozpin tells them about their initiation and how they will form teams, Yang is launched into the Emerald Forest with the other students.

Yang is seen literally flying through the trees with a pair of aviators on, thoroughly enjoying the experience and extending it by using the kinetic energy from shots from her shotgun gauntlets to keep moving. After bouncing through the trees, Yang nails her landing and takes off. Shortly after when Ruby lands, she instantly starts looking for Yang in the hopes of making Yang her partner.

While walking through the woods, Yang starts to become bored after not finding anyone. When she hears a rustle in the bushes, she wonders if it is Ruby, but is instead attacked by two Ursai. She dodges their attacks and almost seems to be playing with them, until she notices that a small strand of her hair was cut off. Yang goes into a rage at this and punches one of the Ursa with a flurry of punches, sending it flying into several trees. She goes to confront the other bear, but it is quickly killed by Blake in a single strike. The two smile at each other and Yang claims that she could have taken it.

Yang and Blake arrive at the temple. As they approach it, they make note of that the relics are chess pieces and that some relics are missing, which suggests that they aren't the first to arrive. After Blake and Yang examine the chess pieces, Yang chooses a yellow knight because it looks like a "cute little pony". When the two are about to leave the temple, they hear what sounds like a girl's scream. Yang asks Blake what they should do but she seems distracted by something above them; as Yang tries to get Blake's attention, Ruby suddenly falls from the sky.

Yang is seen asking Blake on what they should do, which continues from the previous episode in reference to Jaune's girl scream. After seeing Ruby fall, she is left confused by the later turn of events, such as Nora Valkyrie riding on an Ursa, and when Pyrrha is running away from a Death Stalker, which chased her from from its cave.

Shortly after she tries to give her sister Ruby a hug, but is interrupted by Nora. When Ruby decides to attack the Death Stalker, she fails and is forced to run away. Yang rushes to her aid but is unable to after the Nevermore keeps them separate with a barrage of feathers. After Weiss saves Ruby, Yang hugs Ruby in delight knowing she is safe.

Once Ruby and Jaune choose their chess pieces, Ruby leads both teams away as Yang smiles seeing that her sister is becoming what she knew she would. When Blake asks what is wrong, she implies it is nothing, but Blake seems to already know. Both teams are then split and each faces the Grimm species separately as Team JNPR faces the Death Stalker and Team RWBY faces the Nevermore.

After a series of attacks prove unsuccessful, Ruby makes up a plan to beat the large bird. Yang helps Blake make a slingshot, which launches Ruby into the air with the help of Weiss' glyph. Yang watches in amazement as Ruby slays the Nevermore. She is later made an official member of Team RWBY, and hugs her sister in joy when Ruby is made leader.

Start of Class
After rooming with her team, Yang wakes up with a joyful approach. She states that they need to decorate their room. She is seen placing a poster about a certain boy band named The Achieve Men. When Ruby is suggesting they make bunk beds, Yang agrees along with Blake, while Weiss seems to be annoyed by the fact.

She later attends class, where she seems to have no interest, and seems to be weirded out by one of Professor Peter Port's gestures.

As Weiss faces down the released Boarbatusk, Yang cheers her teammate on along with Blake and Ruby. Later that night, she is seen asleep in her bunk bed above Blake.

Yang is seen eating lunch with her team alongside Team JNPR, where she seems to be the only one interested interested in Nora's story. She later comments that it must be hard being a Faunus after seeing Cardin and the rest of Team CRDL teasing Velvet Scarlatina, a girl with rabbit ears.

Yang is briefly seen with her sister in the Forever Fall forest. She is later seen gathering sap for Professor Peach.

When Ruby points out the Ursa's growl in the distance, Russel Thrush shouts out that the Ursa is attacking Cardin. She then quickly grabs Russel and demands the Ursa's whereabouts. Once she releases Russel, she and Blake go to find Glynda Goodwitch while Ruby, Pyrrha, and Weiss make their way to Jaune and Cardin.

Team Divided
Yang is seen with her team walking the streets of Vale. While Weiss joyfully explains the events of the upcoming festival, Yang remarks on how she knows how to make good thing sound boring. Later, the team stumbles across a crime scene at a local Dust Store, which she says is terrible. Right after Weiss and Blake start a discussion on the White Fang, Weiss comments on how the White Fang know only how to lie, cheat and steal, Yang responds with it not being entirely true.

Soon afterwards, the team chases a fleeing Faunus, much to Weiss demands. After bumping into a girl named Penny Polendina, the team leaves, only to have her appearing instantly in front of them. After believing she heard Yang call her weird, Penny goes directly Ruby asking her if she was her friend.

Much against Weiss, Yang, and Blake's gestures, she says yes, causing the three girls to fall to the ground. Later that night, Yang, along with her sister Ruby go throughout the day hearing Blake and Weiss argue constantly on the White Fang.

Two days after Blake accidentally revealed herself as a Faunus, Yang pushes on to find Blake with her sister and Weiss. When Penny shows up out of nowhere, Yang and Weiss take the opportunity to leave while Penny is distracted. During the duo's search, Yang asks Weiss if she cares about Blake's absence. That night, Yang and Weiss meet up with Blake and Ruby after the Faunus was found.

Beginning the Second Semester
While in the dining hall, Nora flings small grapes at Yang, who catches them in her mouth. Yang then sees that Blake is looking at her notebook and asks what she is doing, but Blake quickly closes the book and says she is looking over notes, causing Yang to loose interest and continues catching food. Ruby appears with a book full of ways to start the new term off with a bang, resulting in Yang making a lame pun about liking to start her terms off "with a Yang". No one finds it funny, and Yang is hit in the head with an apple, causing her to become angry, and she tosses an apple back. Nora tosses back an entire pie, but it ends up hitting Weiss instead of Yang.

A large food fight breaks out between JNPR and RWBY, with Yang grabbing two whole turkeys to use as her gauntlets. She uses them to smash a barrage of watermelons and then launches the turkeys at Jaune, taking him out. However soon after, Pyrrha hits her with a loaf of bread that she tosses at Yang like a spear. Yang quickly gets back into the fight, picking up the two turkeys and beats Lie Ren by smashing him into the floor. Yang in turn is smashed through the ceiling by Nora moments later when hit by her watermelon hammer. After the fight ends, Yang crashes through the ceiling back into the room and has a good laugh with the others.

Yang is seen playing a board game with her team, one in which she is seen clearly to be the dominant one, having taken out both Ruby and Weiss, each much to their dismay. She then points out to Blake on how it's her turn, but the latter shows no interest in the game and soon leaves, following the arrival of Sun Wukong and his friend Neptune Vasilias. That night, Yang enters the dorm room with Weiss and Ruby and seems disappointed in the fact that she lost the game to Neptune, with Ruby telling her she should've attacked when she told her to.

She then has her attention caught by Weiss telling Blake to stop, as she was leaving the room. There, the team gets into a discussion, most of which reflect on Blake's worries and concerns on the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. But Yang tells her that Ozpin told them not to worry, for the police and Huntsmen/Huntresses would take care of it, but Blake remarks on how it is not enough. After hearing Ruby's idea of the four of them stopping their enemies, Yang agrees enthusiastically, and tells Blake that she loves it when she is feisty, making her smile.

RWBY Investigations
The next day, after Port's class has ended, Yang is with her team in their dorm changing their clothes. After Ruby joyfully exclaims they begin their investigation, and Weiss' sarcastic comment on how seriously they are taking it, Yang notes that since they have a plan, it is moderately serious. She then explains what her part in the mission is, saying it shouldn't be a problem to get intel. After Sun suddenly appearing and with the intention of helping them, despite Ruby and Blake not wanting him to, Yang is paired up with Neptune.

Yang and Neptune wait until nightfall, at which point they ride on Bumblebee to Junior's club. Two henchmen attempt to stop Yang from entering, remembering what she did to the club in the "Yellow" Trailer, but Yang easily blows the entrance open, knocking both thugs unconscious; she then walks inside, proudly proclaiming she is back.

Every henchman in the club immediately points his gun at her, causing her to lose her flippant attitude and prepare for a fight mirroring the one which took place in the "Yellow" Trailer; however, Junior immediately defuses hostilities out of fear and respect for Yang, knowing the battle would go the same way it did before. He makes his men lower their weapons and asks Yang what she wants, to which she replies she is still owed a drink and drags him to the counter.

Despite Yang's intense questioning, Junior is once again unable to provide her with the answers she is looking for; he tells her he hasn't seen Roman since the night she first entered the club, and that he never returned with the men he loaned out to him. Unbeknownst to him, they had been subdued by Ruby and left unconscious for the police to apprehend when they attempted to rob a Dust store. Yang becomes frustrated and leaves with Neptune.

As they board her bike once again, Yang, along with the rest of team RWBY, receives an urgent call from Blake and Sun, whose cover was blown during their stage in the plan and are now being chased by Roman inside an Atlesian Paladin-290.

Yang asks where they are, but a moment later Blake, Sun and the Paladin are seen running by them in the street; she immediately revs her bike and gives chase to help stop Roman. She maneuvers Bumblebee skillfully while traversing the highway to avoid cars being flung at her and asks Neptune to slow it down; he succeeds in distracting it, but he and Sun are thrown off the highway and removed from the fight shortly after. Weiss causes the Paladin to slip on an ice patch and plummet off the highway, and the battle begins in earnest.

Team RWBY first employ a tactic known as "Freezerburn", involving Weiss and Yang and so named for their affiliation with ice and fire respectively, as well as being the fandom's ship name for the two. Weiss creates a large layer of ice, which Yang punches, presumably while using her aura to generate fire, to create a large coating of mist which settles over the area, clouding Roman's view and giving Team RWBY cover. Yang is then seen swiftly dodging the Paladin's blasts while the rest of the team use their team attacks.

Eventually, she catches Roman off-guard, leaping onto the back of the Paladin where she delivers a multitude of damaging shots to its head. However, it overpowers her by charging backward through pillars with great force, then punching her through another pillar as she falls. Blake appears worried, but is reassured by Ruby, who reveals that Yang absorbs energy from each hit she takes and uses it to make herself stronger, which is "what makes her special".

Yang gets up and catches a punch from the Paladin with relative ease and new found strength, her eyes turning red from the use of her Semblance. She delivers a counter-punch to the Paladin's hand, completely shattering its entire right arm. The Paladin kicks Yang back, sending her flying, and Ruby calls for a tactic known as "Bumblebee". Blake throws Yang Gambol Shroud, and she catches it in midair, regaining her balance as Blake begins to swing her around in a wide arc. The Paladin dodges her kick, but Ruby and Weiss freeze it in place, allowing her to connect with a solid punch, which completely shatters the Paladin.

Yang fires a long-distance blast from Ember Celica to finish him off, but Neopolitan drops from above and blocks it with her umbrella. Yang angrily charges in to deliver a punch, but Neo tricks her with an illusion depicting her and Roman. The fake barrier shatters from Yang's punch, and it's revealed that the two retreated to a nearby airship and made their escape. Yang comments on Roman having a new henchman, ironically berates Weiss for making an attempt at a pun, and leaves with the rest of Team RWBY.

The Aftermath and The Dance
Some time thereafter, Yang, along with the rest of RWBY, attends a sparring class, and watches Pyrrha obtain successive victories over Team CRDL and Mercury Black, though the latter was by forfeit. Following the class' end Team RWBY leave; outside, Yang watches Sun approach Blake and ask her to the dance, to which Blake curtly denies before storming ahead herself. Later, Yang sits next to Blake on their bed and attempts to convince her to go to the dance on the weekend with the rest of Team RWBY, mentioning that they are worried over her lack of sleep and high stress level and that they want her to take it easy for one day.

It is revealed that Yang and Weiss were charged with organizing the dance following Team CFVY absence due to a mission taking longer than anticipated, and Yang promises the day will be enjoyable for Blake; however, Blake once again shrugs them off, thinking of it as a waste of time, and leaves for the library, which saddens Yang. Afterwards she watches with horror as Jaune attempts to seduce Weiss into going to the dance with him by playing a guitar and singing, and when Weiss slams the door in his face Yang quips that this was why people called her the "Ice Queen".

Yang is seen helping Weiss prepare for the dance, carrying a huge speaker. Noticing Ruby, Yang asks what she will wear for the dance, but when Ruby says there's no point in going if Blake doesn't, Yang counters stating that Blake will go to the dance. After Sun and Neptune arrive, Sun asks if Blake is still "Blake-y". To Ruby saying that she has yet to find a way to change her mind, Yang walks out telling them that Blake is going. At the library, Yang attracts Blake's attention with a laser pointer and takes her to an empty classroom to discuss the recent problems. While Blake is seen not wanting to talk, Yang tells her to simply listen, and that she is not trying to make her stop her ongoing investigation of Roman Torchwick, but merely to convince her to slow down.

Yang then begins telling Blake about her and Ruby's past, as who their mothers were, bringing up how her actual mother was a member of a team alongside her dad, Summer, and Qrow. However, shortly after Yang was born, her mother left. She tells Blake how she asked and searched for answers on why her mother disappeared, but never found anything, until one day she believed she discovered a clue to her whereabouts and went to search for her, taking a sleeping Ruby along, but was attacked by the creatures of Grimm.

At the last minute, Qrow came to the two girls' rescue. Yang states that her stubbornness almost got them both killed that day. Blake, in return, expresses sympathy for Yang's past, but states her situation is different. Yang disagrees, saying that she doesn't want her to stop, but slow down, as she herself still searches for answers to her questions, but doesn't let the search control her.

However, when Blake keeps pressing on how only she can do anything, Yang gets frustrated at her partner - asking her what would she do if Roman suddenly came barging through the door, with Blake answering that she would fight. Yang points out that Blake wouldn't be able to stop him, since she can't even stop Yang herself. She then hugs Blake, telling her that she isn't asking her to stop, but to just rest, not only for herself, but for everyone she cares about. Yang invites Blake to the dance once more, promising her that she'd save her a dance.

The next day, Yang is seen in joy over her sister's dress saying that she looks beautiful. Yang then gives Blake her first dance of the night, keeping her promise, before Sun takes over. Shortly afterwards, Yang welcomes both Mercury and Emerald Sustrai to the dance as they enter. She is later seen alone on a balcony, apparently lacking a date of her own, overlooking the dance floor until she is approached by Ruby, who she headlocks playfully (much to the other's chagrin) and advises to have a good time while they have the chance; she is not seen for the rest of the night.

The Mountain Glenn Mission
The following day, Yang along with Blake and Weiss confront Ruby upon her return to their dorm after a meeting with Ozpin, Glynda and James Ironwood. After Ruby informs them of her situation, Yang attempts to cheer her sister up by revealing a package addressed to them by their dad. Revealing it to be Zwei, the family dog back in Patch, Yang reads the letter sent by their dad, stating that Zwei will be staying with them for an indefinite amount of time.

Following an announcement from Glynda, leading up to Ozpin's speech, Yang and her team choose to select a mission from Search & Destroy, but after being unable to join, Ozpin bends the rules for them and signs them up for Quadrant Five. After leaving, they meet up with Velvet and her team, who informs Team RWBY on why they took so long and wishes them to be safe.

Later, Yang, just like the rest of her team are left completely shocked upon the huntsmen who will be joining them on their mission, that being Bartholomew Oobleck. The team travels to Mountain Glenn via an airship and are briefed on the way, with Yang mentioning that Mountain Glenn had been an attempted expansion of Vale that was overrun by Grimm and cut off. Doctor Oobleck believed it would be the ideal place for a criminal hideout.

After their arrival they are almost immediately set upon by Beowolves, which they kill in droves while Oobleck looks on. Yang eventually becomes restless and questions why Doctor Oobleck isn't helping them fight or doing anything, to which Oobleck responds that this was a job and they all signed up for it.

Oobleck later asks Yang why she wants to become a huntress. She initially responds with fighting Grimm and helping people, but Oobleck informs her that that was what she was doing rather than why she was doing it, and asks again. Yang responds this time that she is a thrill-seeker who wants to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many adventures as she possibly can, and if she can help people along the way then it just makes it all the better.

After the group break for camp that night, Yang, along with Blake and Weiss, make a fire. Yang complains about them not finding anything and Blake replies that they were usually fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and that they couldn't have luck on their side all the time. Weiss then mentions that her earlier response to Oobleck's question wasn't the full truth and that there was something more to being a huntress than living up to her family name, to which Blake and Yang both agree, saying that there was more to their answers as well. Yang attempts to assert that they all knew why they were here, but fails to sound convincing.

That night, all three of them have difficulty sleeping, and while Ruby takes first watch they start talking again; Yang asks Blake why she thought Oobleck was asking them those questions before prodding Weiss if she was still awake. Yang later tries to reassure Blake when she says she is confused as to what she can do to make up for her time in the White Fang after a lifetime of hate.

Yang also says that while Blake and Weiss have a driving purpose behind their reasons for being a huntress, she herself is just going with the flow, and questions that while that is who she is how long she can keep it up for. She notes that she's not training to be a huntress because she wants to help people or be a hero; rather, as she mentioned earlier, she seeks adventure, and the feeling of not knowing what tomorrow will bring and for that to be a good thing, and that becoming a huntress just happens to line up with that.

She adds that she isn't like Ruby, who has felt a genuine sense of duty and a desire to protect people and do what's right ever since Yang read her stories when they were little. Weiss mentions that Ruby is just a kid and Blake responds that they all are, but Yang replies by saying they are not anymore - that they are armed to the teeth and in the middle of a war zone.

Yang later takes watch duty after Ruby, and once her turn ends goes to inform Weiss it was her turn; however, she notices Ruby's sleeping bag is empty and grows worried. Unbeknownst to her and the rest of the team, Ruby had been captured by the White Fang, and after Zwei leads them to the hole she had fallen through into Mountain Glenn's underground city, whose history is explained to them by Oobleck, they prepare to go in after her.

Having successfully reached the underground levels of the city, Yang, and the rest of Team RWBY, accompanied by Zwei and Oobleck manage to locate Ruby, who in turn is fleeing from Roman, using the distraction created by her team. Before four White Fang henchmen can shoot and kill Ruby, Yang arrives in time and blows the four of them away and happily shouts for her sister, who jumps in her arms and share a small embrace.

Releasing her, Ruby informs them of the cargo the White Fang currently has, and given no other choice, Ruby prompts that they chase after the fleeing train. While aboard the train, they are met with pressing difficulties, such as several carts being filled with bombs, prompting them to jump cart after cart, until then, taking out several more henchmen who are above the train.

As Ruby and Oobleck decide to take care of the incoming Paladins, Yang, Weiss and Blake head into the train to try and stop it, after Oobleck discovered that the bombs are creating opening for the Grimm. As they encounter Neo, Yang decides to fight her. Once Weiss and Blake move on, Yang begins fighting Neo, but is easily countered and parried by her, and is quickly beaten and rendered unconscious.

Before Neo can kill her, a mysterious woman arrives through a red portal and scares Roman's aid away, thus saving Yang's life. As she begins to regain consciousness, she manages to catch a small glimpse of her rescuer before regrouping with her team. As the train nears an incoming wall, Weiss quickly creates a shield of ice around them, protecting them from what could have been a fatal crash. As the team reawakens on the surface, they can only then look in horror as Grimm rise from the underground and begin attacking the human populace.

Yang and the rest of the team are seen surrounded by several creatures of Grimm until Ruby leads them to attack. They are later aided by Team JNPR, Team CFVY and a few professors. After the fight, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang are seen looking at the city from the school and begin talking about how they did manage to do their job. Weiss compliments on how they should get extra credit, but Yang doubts that will happen due to the destruction the Grimm caused. After thinking on what to do, Yang asks what should they do now, and Ruby suggests they go to bed. Everyone agrees.

Later, Yang is seen alone, walking through Beacon's courtyard late at night. She comes to a stop in front of the academy statue and is met by Raven Branwen who saved her from Neo earlier. Yang stands her ground and demands to know who the woman is; she removes her helmet to reveal red eyes and features almost identical to Yang's own. Yang's eyes turn red as well as the woman cryptically states that they have a lot to talk about.

Vytal Festival Tournament
At the enormous floating stadium Amity Colosseum, Team RWBY's first match in the Vytal Festival tournament is with Team ABRN of Haven Academy. Yang fights Arslan Altan, a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. Despite taking some beating, Yang deals the finishing blow against all of Team ABRN, punching them clean out of the stadium. After an action-packed match, Team RWBY emerges victorious, and the team heads to the Vytal Festival fairgrounds to get a meal.

There, they run into Emerald, who praises their performance in the match. It is revealed that Yang will be joining Weiss in moving forward onto the doubles round to represent Team RWBY, whilst Emerald and Mercury will move on from their team. Emerald remarks that they won't go easy on them if they happen to be paired up, and they bid farewell.

Team RWBY ends up eating at a noodle store run by the Shopkeep. Weiss attempts to pay for their meal, but her card is declined. Fortunately, Pyrrha arrives and pays for their meal instead, and they are joined by Team JNPR. After they have eaten, JNPR is called away to their next match. Yang and her team follow them over to the stadium, taking their place at the spectator stands to cheer their friends on. When they walk in, Yang notices Mercury and Emerald walk in behind them.

When Team JNPR and Team BRNZ face off, Yang agrees that Jaune has gotten a lot better with combat, but he still has nothing on Pyrrha's skills. After Team SSSN dances after their defeat of Team NDGO, she calls them dorks, to which Blake agrees. She heads off with her team to congratulate them.

Later, Yang plays video games with Qrow and Ruby in their dorm room, and discusses their experiences fighting Roman and the White Fang. Qrow briefly takes out a photo of his previous team, Team STRQ, which includes Raven. Yang is briefly transfixed by the picture, but Qrow notices and puts it away. Qrow remarks that Yang and Ruby have a lot to learn, but that they will "go far" if they "never stop moving forward".

Yang and Weiss face Neon Katt and Flynt Coal of Atlas Academy's Team FNKI in the doubles round of the tournament. Neon immediately draws Yang's ire by criticizing her weight and hair. When the fight starts, Neon manages to evade all of Yang's attacks and continues taunting her with puns and insults, angering her even further. However, after Weiss sacrifices herself attacking Flynt, Yang manages to defeat both him and Neon, winning the match.

Yang fights in the singles round against Mercury. Using her Semblance, she defeats him. After telling him he would have better luck against her next time, Mercury states there will not be a next time, and he lunges for her with his boots. In self-defense, she punches his leg, firing Ember Celica at the same time. However, because Mercury has no Aura left to shield him, Yang's punch apparently breaks his leg. The crowd in Amity Colosseum, however, sees Yang shoot Mercury in the leg without provocation. Atlas soldiers, some androids and some human, come to apprehend Yang for her apparently unwarranted assault.

Back in Team RWBY's dorm, General Ironwood tells Yang that he looks at her action as a stress-induced hallucination. He says that no matter the situation, millions of people saw Yang attack Mercury without provocation. He also informs Yang that she is hereby disqualified from the tournament.

Yang asks her team if they believe her side of the story. Ruby and Weiss do, but Blake hesitates. She reasons that she has seen Yang's actions before but in a different person. Blake makes Yang promise that she is telling the truth. Yang promises, and Blake accepts. The rest of her team leaves, and Qrow arrives soon after. Qrow thinks Yang's story of self-defense as a lie or that Yang is crazy. Yang said she is not lying, and Qrow reasons that she must be crazy.

Yang mentions seeing her mother. She recalls her mother saving her and vanishing when Yang is incapacitated. Qrow verifies that it is her mother, but he also relays to Yang that she will not intervene again. Qrow says her mother is dangerous and has a very different worldview. He says she should not let what happened in her singles match defeat her. He offers her a way to move on, telling her some information that will help her track her mother down.

She is later seen listening to Cinder's speech in her room with Zwei also there.

The Battle of Beacon
Yang leaves her dormitory with Zwei. She calls Weiss and Blake about the attack, and asks if they have seen Ruby because she won't answer her scroll. The two try to assure her that Ruby is probably fine and can look after herself. Yang appears to accept this with some reluctance. She then heads for the school's docks.

She then rushes to Weiss and the group of students as they finish prevailing over the rogue Paladins. As Weiss tells her of her whereabouts, Yang sets off to find Blake.

After beating up the White Fang rank and file, she, to her horror, sees Adam stabbing Blake in the stomach. Yang then goes into a berserk rage, leaping towards Adam with tears in her eyes - until Adam intercepts her attack with his sword and severs her right arm. She is sent falling to the ground, unconscious, and with yellow embers flowing from the stump of her limb. Blake then uses her Semblance to divert Adam's attention and escapes the building with Yang's unconscious body.

As she is bandaged for her injuries, Blake apologizes to her unconscious self about being the catalyst for Yang's dismemberment.

After the incident, a crestfallen Yang is shown safely recovering in her home in Patch. When Ruby visits her, she explains what befell Beacon along with their team, and that she wishes to be left alone. In the winter, she sees a crow flying outside her window, not even noticing her father rushing past her open door.

Recovering on Patch
Months after the fall of Beacon, Yang remains at home, no longer bedridden but still very troubled and living rather idly. She watches television instead of reading books, and does chores around the house emotionlessly. When her father gives her the cybernetic arm Ironwood ordered specifically for her, Yang is less than enthusiastic about putting it on.

Between segments on the news, small kitchen accidents and nightmares, Yang is clearly struggling with trauma connected to Adam cutting off her arm.

It is not until Port and Oobleck visit her father that she is directly confronted with what is holding her back from putting on the new arm. Some frank talk between the four of them, and loving support from her father, helps Yang begin to come to terms with moving forward. She is also struck by realizing, due to overhearing her father saying goodbye, that she has been holding him back from important things like helping with Beacon's repair and going after Ruby.

The next morning, Yang steps outside the house, equipped with her new arm. Taiyang stops his gardening, and the two get into battle stances.

The Xiao Longs train for weeks and Yang learns to enjoy the new arm. Taiyang introduces to her a lesson about relying on her Semblance so much that it becomes a handicap. In the process, he opens up about Raven, telling his daughter he sees so many of her mother's good qualities in her. However, he adds that she also needs to see her way around problems rather than through them, a fault she shares with her mother. Yang takes the lesson to heart and bonds with her father even more.

Later, Yang is seen repainting her robotic arm in her colors, along with the left half of Ember Celica. She prepares to leave on her motorcycle, but Taiyang catches up with her before she can depart. He agrees that she is adult enough to make her own decisions, and asks whether she is going to find her sister or her mother.

In Mistral
Sometime after the conversation with her father, Yang takes a ship to Anima and rides Bumblebee to cover ground more quickly. During her travels, Yang encounters a drunk patron who, even after she punches him for being too pushy in his interest, approaches her to suggest he can help her in her search. Said patron leads her to a clearing where he and other bandits surround Yang. However, she defeats them all with ease.

Yang is escorted into the Branwen Tribe's camp, where she is finally reunited with her long absent mother, Raven. The tribe leader congratulates Yang on finding her and offers her hospitality, but Yang counters by stating she came for Raven's help in finding Ruby, something she could do with her Semblance. When Raven refuses and orders her removal, Yang angrily insists she comply and punches another bandit who tries to silence her. In doing so, she reveals a caged Weiss who quickly makes her escape, assisted by her Arma Gigas. Before they can fight their way out of the camp, Vernal halts their advance with a lightning bolt and Raven commands her tribe to stop fighting, lest they attract the Grimm. Raven commands Yang and Weiss into her tent to learn "the truth." As the bandits disperse, the two share a hug of reunion.

Yang and Weiss learn Raven and Qrow attended Beacon Academy to kill and not become Huntsmen, that Ozpin was very interested in Team STRQ and shared many secrets with them and that there is a being named Salem who leads the Grimm to destroy humanity. When Raven starts insulting Team RWBY, Taiyang and Qrow, Yang angrily yells at her mother and asks why she left her. She and Weiss learn of Raven and Qrow's shapeshifting ability, which Ozpin gave them. Raven creates a portal and gives an ultimatum- either they stay with her and learn more or go to Yang's uncle and sister and face what she believes is certain death. Yang angrily replies that all she cares about is Ruby's safety. When she and Weiss ride toward the portal, Raven says she will not act kind the next time they meet. Yang dismisses her and leaves. The two girls reach Qrow, who takes them to Ruby. As her sister tearfully apologizes to her for leaving her, Yang embraces Ruby and tells her she loves her. The two of them invite Weiss to join the reunion hug.

Yang shares a meal and reminisces with Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, Ren and Nora. She shows off her cybernetic arm, and when Nora challenges her to arm wrestle with it, she cuts the match short by shooting it as a projectile into a wall along with Nora. Nora is petrified at the detached limb, but Yang considers revealing the detaching feature a success and laughs heartily. When she and Weiss sit to learn of Ozpin's nature, Yang presses him to answer why he would turn her mother and Qrow into birds. Qrow says it with their decision and was taken seriously. Ozpin then offers the former Beacon students a chance to leave if they feel that the battle against Salem is too much for them. Yang decides to stay on the condition that Ozpin no longer keeps any further secrets from them. Ozpin agrees and invites the students to take the night to rest before taking action.

The next morning, Yang meets Ruby and Weiss outside and expresses disbelief of being in Mistral along with what Ozpin revealed. When Ruby mentions Blake's absence, Yang acts dismissive, bitter and apathetic of the Faunus. Ruby and Weiss press her about this behavior, and she reacts with defiance and red eyes, leading Ruby to worry. After realizing how she came across, Yang dismisses them and returns to her bedroom. She is surprised to find Weiss approach her, and she explains herself. She details the feeling of being alone and left behind and assumes Weiss would not understand. Weiss opens up about her family situation, and Yang apologizes for her assumptions. She continues to not understand why Blake would choose to leave if her friends from Beacon are there for her and why Blake would not be open about herself. Weiss comforts Yang, saying all they can do is be there for Blake when possible, but Yang thinks Blake may not come back to them. Weiss reassures her and says Team RWBY is more a family to her than her brother or father and that she is there for Yang. The blonde is in a better state of mind as Ruby checks in on them.

The Battle of Haven
On the night of a full moon, Yang travels with Qrow and the others to Haven Academy to meet with Professor Lionheartabout the raiding party for the Branwen tribe. During the meeting, however, she spots her mother in her avian form, prompting Raven to reveal herself to everyone. Yang and the others are shocked to find that both Lionheart and Raven have seemingly conspired with Salem's faction, and they find themselves surrounded by the enemy. In the ensuing battle, Mercury confronts Yang, and they battle once again. She is shocked when she sees Weiss impaled by Cinder Fall. When Raven and Vernal travel with the Fall Maiden down to the vault of the Relic, Yang is urged by Nora to stop them. But before she can proceed, she is attacked by Mercury and Emerald. Throughout the fight, Yang is at a great disadvantage with Emerald's hallucinations and Mercury's surprise attacks. But she is then saved by Ruby, and the two sisters prepare to fight together.

Yang coordinates with her sister and fights Emerald, but is later exhausted from the long battle. Upon the arrival of the Menagerie Faunus and the Mistral police force, Yang is shocked to find Blake standing outside the school building. But she quickly complies with Ruby’s command to head for the vault, dodging Emerald and Mercury and detaching her robotic arm. Yang then jumps down the pathway and lands outside, confronting her mother as she is about to take the Relic.

Yang asks what happened to the previous Spring Maiden and realizes Raven killed her, which turns the discussion heated. Yang criticizes Raven for her hypocrisy and cowardice, reasoning that she is not strong because she lets others take conflict for her. Yang uses this logic to demand Raven to relinquish the Relic because of her fear of Salem. She does not heed her mother's warning and shoves her away to reach the vault. Yang returns Raven's apology and turns to find her mother gone, leaving a black feather behind. Yang walks into the chamber and takes the Relic, but drops to her knees and cries at the revelation that her mother has left her once again.

Yang returns to ground level with the Relic in hand, and glances at Blake with a smile. After Salem's followers make their escape following Emerald's breakdown, Yang gives Qrow the Relic and reports that Cinder is gone and Vernal is dead. However, she only states that Raven is gone, withholding her mother's status as the Spring Maiden. As she rejoins her teammates, Yang makes amends with Blake and Team RWBY hugs, reunited.