“ | Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses it is your duty to uphold it. | „ |
~ Glynda Goodwitch. |
Glynda Goodwitch is one of the major supporting characters in the world of RWBY and a staff member at Beacon Academy. She was introduced in the first episode in which she saved Ruby from an attack by Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall. She is the first known Huntress in the series.
In the English verison, she was voiced by Kathleen Zuelch in Volumes 1-3, and as of RWBY: Ice Queendom, is currently voiced by Tiana Camacho. In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Masumi Asano, who also voiced Rina Toin in Mermaid Melody and Blue in Wolf's Rain.
Background[]
Glynda Goodwitch is a Huntress and is affiliated with Beacon Academy. Based on her interactions with Headmaster Ozpin, the two may have been associates for some time.
As a part of Beacon Academy's teaching staff, she acts as a representative, introducing new arrivals to the academy during the flight via hologram.
RWBY[]
Dust Shop Robbery[]
During one of her trips outside of Beacon Academy, Glynda comes across Ruby Rose doing battle with Roman Torchwickand some henchmen. Just as Roman attempts to detonate a Dust crystal at Ruby's feet from his getaway Bullhead, Glynda intervenes, shielding Ruby from the blast.
Upon the interference, Roman informs Cinder Fall that a Huntress has arrived, before taking over the aircraft controls in her stead while she and Glynda fight with powerful spells. Neither side is hurt in the clash, but Roman and Cinder manage to escape.
Glynda's show of her Huntress abilities left Ruby starstruck to the point of asking for her autograph. Instead, Glynda takes her to an isolated room where she explains how her actions put herself and others in great danger, with Ruby's only defense being that "They started it." Glynda adds that if it were up to her, Ruby would be sent home with a pat on the back and a slap on the wrist; however, she informs Ruby that someone else wants to meet her.
Ozpin joins Glynda and continues the conversation on her behalf, remarking on Ruby's abilities and asking where she gained her training in combat. Glynda watches with disapproval as Ozpin listens to Ruby's story. When he offers Ruby a chance to enroll at Beacon Academy, Glynda simply rolls her eyes.
A holographic image of Glynda greeting the incoming students of Beacon Academy can be seen in the ship that Ruby and Yang Xiao Long boarded. The hologram explains that the people on the ship have been selected to train at Beacon during this time of great peace in order to preserve that peace by protecting their world. The hologram soon fades and the students look out the windows as they arrive at Beacon.
Welcome to Beacon Academy[]
Glynda is seen briefly alongside Professor Ozpin as he welcomes the new students to the academy. After Ozpin finishes speaking, she instructs the students to gather in the ballroom that night and prepare for their initiation the next day.
Beacon Academy Initiation[]
Glynda informs the first-year students through intercom that they are to gather at Beacon Cliff for the initiation. She is then seen alongside Ozpin as he briefs the students on the task they must complete. As the two observe the students' performance during the initiation, Glynda gives her thoughts on the pairings the students have formed. She believes that Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie aren't a good match for each other, but should fare better than the partnership between Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc. She also says that, despite what Jaune's transcript shows, he does not appear to be ready for Beacon. As she walks away, she asks Ozpin what the relics are, but he doesn't respond.
First Term[]
On the first day of class, Glynda appears briefly with Ozpin, checking her watch as she observes the new students racing to make it to their first class on time.
After a few weeks of classes, Glynda monitors fights between the students to measure their progress. She is forced to step in to stop the fight between Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc after Jaune's Aura levels drop into the red. After this lecture, she informs the students of the Vytal Festival where teams from rival schools will compete in a combat tournament. She later appears in a flashback, explaining that the school's lockers are rocket-propelled and can move around the school by entering a six-digit code.
Glynda is later seen giving a lecture about the Forever Fall forest to teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL. She explains that although the forest is beautiful, there is no time for sightseeing as they are supposed to be collecting red sap for Professor Peach. She then warns the students to stay together, as there are Grimm in the forest.
Second Term[]
The day before the beginning of the second term, teams RWBY and JNPR start a massive food fight in the lunch room. At the end, Glynda bursts into the dining hall and uses her Semblance to put all the food, tables, and tableware back to where it should be. She appears visibly frustrated, but Ozpin arrives and tells her to let it go. She questions this, as they will soon become the defenders of the world; however, Ozpin simply remarks that they will be some day and they should be allowed to be children for now.
When James Ironwood first arrives for the Vytal Festival, Glynda quickly leaves Ozpin's office upon Ironwood's entrance, expressing disapproval towards his presence. Afterwards, she supervises a sparring match between Pyrrha and Team CRDL, which Pyrrha wins. She congratulates Pyrrha on her skills, remarking that she shouldn't have any problem qualifying for the upcoming Vytal Festival tournament. For the next sparring match, she attempts to coax Blake Belladonna into participating, but is instead cut off by Mercury Black, who volunteers to fight Pyrrha. Glynda protests on the grounds that Pyrrha has already fought, but relents at Pyrrha's insistence. However, Mercury forfeits mid-battle, prompting a scolding from Glynda.
Glynda is seen alongside Ozpin chaperoning at the Beacon Dance. Ironwood invites Glynda to a dance, which she accepts reluctantly.
The day after the break-in during the dance, Glynda waits alongside Ironwood and Ozpin in the headmaster's office for Ruby, who informs them of the events that transpired in the CCT tower the previous night. After Ruby describes the intruder's attributes, Glynda makes note that the glow of the clothing sounds similar to that of the woman she fought back when they first met Ruby, although she is unaware that it was Cinder herself. When Ruby drops information she supposedly heard from Cinder on a secret hideout in the southeast, Glynda questions the claim's legitimacy, as Ruby previously stated that the mysterious woman never spoke; however, she is quickly cut off by a knowing Ozpin.
After Ruby leaves, Glynda becomes visibly agitated by Ironwood's attitude toward the problem and his proposed solution, criticizing his military bravado statements, and how he treats everything as a show of power. Although she is quieted by Ozpin, the headmaster agrees with her and then asks Ironwood what his first action would be in a war.
Later that day, Glynda delivers an announcement to all first-year students, asking that they meet in the assembly hall and observes Ozpin's speech.
Later that night, Glynda comes across Ironwood looking out over the city of Vale. When he tries to brush it off as his arm acting up again, Glynda makes a point that he wouldn't have gotten up to stare out into the city fully-dressed if he wasn't troubled by something. When Ironwood begins to vent his concerns about losing trust in Ozpin, Glynda consoles him, stating that he is a good man, but that he needs to start showing trust instead of simply talking about it, while reminding him that Ozpin has significantly more experience then the rest of them.
Glynda arrives during the Grimm breach of Vale, killing several Grimm and sealing up the hole the train smashed into the ground, leaving some creases on the structures she fixed.
Vytal Festival Tournament[]
After Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee fight and damage the Beacon courtyard, Glynda shows up with Ozpin to quell the crowd, repairing the damage with her Semblance. When they meet in Ozpin's office, Glynda chastises Winter, stating that she did not need to attack and that Qrow is always drunk. After Winter's departure, when Qrow mentions that the enemy is responsible for the current condition of Amber, the Fall Maiden, Glynda is clearly surprised.
Later, Glynda returns to Ozpin's office, accompanied by Ironwood, Ozpin, Qrow, and Pyrrha Nikos, to tell Pyrrha that besides holding positions at the combat schools, Ozpin's inner circle is also responsible for protecting the people of Remnant and the four Maidens. They take an elevator to the large, open vault below Beacon Academy in order to show Pyrrha Amber, who is hooked up a life support machine. They ask Pyrrha if she would become Amber's successor as Fall Maiden, and she accepts before knowing the consequences. Pyrrha learns that she may not be the same person after becoming the Fall Maiden, and the group gives Pyrrha until the end of the Vytal Festival to decide whether she will accept.
When the Grimm attack the city following Penny and Pyrrha's match, Glynda visits Ozpin's office with Qrow. Ozpin instructs both of them to fight off the impending horde.
The Battle of Beacon[]
Glynda fights creatures of Grimm alongside Qrow in Vale. In the midst of conflict, the Atlesian Knight-200 androids turn on the duo instead of fighting against Grimm, due to the computer virus introduced by Cinder and controlled by Roman. Later in the battle, Glynda and Qrow feel an earthquake, and Glynda, seemingly knowing what it entails, is overcome with shock. An enormous Grimm Dragon erupts from a nearby mountain and heads towards the city. After Ironwood joins them, he suggests that Glynda set up a Huntsman base in Vale, to which Glynda immediately agrees.
Glynda is seen after the invasion, attempting to repair a building. Growing tired, she is forced to catch a breath, resulting in her repairs being undone. This scene is shown again on the Vale News Network in "Of Runaways and Stowaways".
In the months following the fall of Beacon, Glynda works diligently with the other professors to restore the academy, as noted by Professor Port. Glynda makes an appearance in Amity watching Ruby's broadcast, along with Shopkeep.
Appearance[]
Glynda appears to be a middle-aged woman that has very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes are bright green and she wears thin ovular glasses. She has dangling teal earrings that match the hanging pendant on her collar.
She wears a white long-sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body is covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black-brown stockings.
She wears black boots with bronze heels, and a cape that is purple inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape is stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads appears an emblem of a tiara that is her personal symbol.
When not in use, Glynda's crop appears to be collapsed and attached to the top of her right boot. At one point she also wore a golden wristwatch.
Personality[]
It seems that Glynda has a very stern and sharp personality - one that does not tolerate mischief or needlessly getting into dangerous situations. This is apparent when she berates Ruby Rose for fighting Roman Torchwick and his group in the first episode. She does, however, admit that Ruby might have done the right thing, despite the fact she put her own life and the lives of others in great danger. Glynda is mainly seen as cool and business-like; even her fighting is very systematic.
Her stern behavior is not absolute, however. After cleaning up after the food fight, she sighs with weariness and takes Ozpin's advice to go easy on Teams RWBYand JNPR. Her concern in the moment reveals that she's driven by her desire to guide her students into being defenders of the world. Glynda also shows compassion toward James Ironwood on multiple occasions, despite being vocal about her disapproval of him and some of his methods.
Powers and Abilities[]
Using a riding crop as a focus tool, Glynda can generate a wide variety of techniques through the use of Dust. This includes creating a protective energy shield and forming a storm cloud that hails shards of ice. She frequently uses her crop as an instrument to focus her Semblance, telekinesis.
Her skills were shown again when she fixed the entire cafeteria after the food fight left tables stacked up and food scattered everywhere in "Best Day Ever". When Grimm attacked Vale through the tunnel from Mountain Glenn, Glynda took out beowolves by merely flicking her crop and not even turning to look. With one focused gesture, she also repaired the entire torn street. It is notable that she does this all, seemingly, without effort.
Glynda's telekinesis may have failed following the events of Battle of Beacon due to a combination of fatigue and stress.
Quotes[]
“ | If it were up to me, you'd be sent home, with a pat on the back... and a slap on the wrist! | „ |
~ Glynda, to Ruby Rose. |
“ | Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world. | „ |
~ Glynda's speech aboard the airship, to the new Beacon Academy students. |
“ | Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today. | „ |
~ Glynda, addressing students at the initiation. |
“ | I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. | „ |
~ Glynda, expressing misplaced doubts about Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. |
“ | I don't care what his transcripts say; that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat. | „ |
~ Glynda, on Jaune Arc. |
“ | Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. | „ |
~ Glynda, reprimanding Jaune on his command of his Aura. |
“ | We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we? | „ |
~ Glynda, mockingly reprimanding Jaune. |
“ | Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so. | „ |
~ Glynda, explaining the reason for the students being in the Forever Fall forest. |
“ | Children, please, do not play with your food. | „ |
~ Glynda, to teams RWBY and JNPR, after their food fight. |
“ | Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels. | „ |
~ Gynda, to Ozpin about General James Ironwood's escort fleet. |
“ | And remember, the dance is this weekend. But you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses. | „ |
~ Glynda, to all of the students in the arena. |
“ | Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado!? | „ |
~ Glynda, questioning Ironwood's methods. |
“ | Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering. | „ |
~ Glynda, to Ironwood in regards to Ozpin. |
“ | He's always drunk! | „ |
~ Glynda to Winter, about Qrow Branwen. |
“ | The Maidens have existed for thousands of years, but much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto the power forever. | „ |
~ Glynda, explaining the succession of Maidens to Pyrrha Nikos. |
“ | At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed onto young women, but as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more intimate. As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power. | „ |
~ Glynda, explaining how a Maiden's power chooses its next host to Pyrrha. |
Trivia[]
- Her name may be a reference to Glinda, the Good Witch of the South from the novel "The Wizard of Oz."
- Glynda's cape is emblazoned with a crown symbol. In episode 9, Glynda was seen as a silhouette alongside Ozpin in the ending credits. The background to the credits shows her emblem to be a deep purple tiara.
- In her render picture, the crown on the back of her cape is not present.
- She is one of the few characters whose (apparent) color is not obviously alluded to or referenced in her name.
- Glynda is currently the only known female staff member at Beacon Academy.
- Glynda was the first Beacon staff member to be introduced.
External links[]
- Glynda Goodwitch on the RWBY Wiki