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Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "With great power comes great responsibility."
Spider-Man has declared that this article is still under construction. |
| “ | I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like. | „ |
| ~ Lie Ren |
| “ | The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain. | „ |
| ~ Ren, to Ruby. |
| “ | For my mother. For my father. For all those that you've slain. For myself. | „ |
| ~ Ren, as he decapitates the Nuckelavee. |
Lie Ren is one of the main deuteragonists of the American web cartoon series RWBY. He is a student at Beacon Academy and a former member of Team JNPR. His weapons of choice are a pair of green automatic pistols dubbed StormFlower, which have blades attached to them.
He was voiced by the late legendary Monty Oum from Volume 1-2 and is currently voiced by his brother Neath Oum.
Background
Ren came from a family who lived in Kuroyuri. A Nuckelavee attacked the village and killed everyone, including Ren's parents. Ren became an orphan, like his close friend Nora Valkyrie, whom he had met in Kuroyuri shortly before the attack. The two later trained to become Huntsmen together.
RWBY
Beacon Academy Initiation
Ren is woken up in the morning by an extremely active Nora, who chats on and on to him about how excited she is to finally be at Beacon Academy as they go through their morning routine. He responds briefly to her suggestion of a secret sloth noise to find each other as he pulls StormFlower from his locker.
He is seen later readying his weapons atop the launch pad on Beacon Cliff as Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch brief the students on the objectives of their initiation. After being launched into the sky, Ren uses the knife-like edges of StormFlower to make a safe landing in a quick and efficient swirling movement down the outside of a tree, his momentum causing him to circle around the tree in a downward spiral.
While wandering alone in the Emerald Forest, Ren is attacked by a large King Taijitu. At first he fights with only his bare hands, but he defeats it by using his Aura and StormFlower. As he brushes himself off, Nora makes her "sloth call" before appearing hanging upside down from a tree. Ren states that sloths do not sound like that, but Nora just touches his nose while saying "boop".
Ren and Nora arrive on an Ursa's back at the Abandoned Temple. With the others, he flees the temple grounds to some ruins to get to safety from a Death Stalker and a Nevermore. Ren leads a head on attack against the Death Stalker, jumping onto the stinger and shooting it at point blank range until he is knocked back into a stone pillar, incapacitated for the remainder of the fight. He is later inducted into Team JNPR.
Start of Classes
Ren is first seen alongside his team sticking their heads out of their dorm room, who are all staring at Team RWBYrushing for class. After falling, he is later seen running to class with the rest of JNPR after realizing that they are late.
While eating in the cafeteria, Nora tells the others her dream with exaggerated detail. Any time she gets a detail wrong, Ren jumps in with the actual events of the dream, constantly correcting her.
Ren is seen alongside two members of his team, Nora, who is jumping on the bed, and Pyrrha Nikos, who is staring out the window. Nora asks about Jaune Arc'swhereabouts, to which he says he's been rather scarce after he started to do favors for Cardin Winchester. Pyrrha however, brushes him aside, claiming Jaune knows what he is doing. Ren and Nora looked at each other questioningly. Later, he is seen in the forest collecting sap as an assignment from Professor Peach with Nora, Pyrrha and Team RWBY. Nora drinks the sap that he has just gathered and makes him refill the container.
Second Semester
The two teams then engage in a food fight that causes all the other students to run away. Ren kicks three watermelons at RWBY, but when he moves in to engage them, Weiss Schnee uses a ketchup bottle to cause him to slip and crash into a group of tables. He gets back up and grabs two leeks before facing Yang in close combat (who is using a pair of turkey-gauntlets). Yang sends him flying into the air, he tosses his leeks at her and she punches him into the ground. He manages to get up just in time to be caught in Ruby's finishing attack. Glynda arrives to end the fight and repair the cafeteria.
Some time later, Lie is seen with his team in the library. After Sun arrives with Neptune, Neptune points out on how libraries are supposed to be for reading, and Ren agrees.
Sometime later, prior to the dance, Jaune pulls Ren into a conversation directly after the latter's shower and before he can change into clothes. Ren sits listening to Jaune about his problems with girls and how he considers him a "best friend". However, Ren questions what to say until Pyrrha walks into the room and gives Jaune advice instead.
At the dance, Lie Ren performs a coordinated routine with his team. He is later with Team JNPR as they see Team RWBY off on their mission.
After Jaune receives a missed call from Ruby, he points his worries out to the team as they prepare to embark on their own mission. Ren objects to Jaune's fears, reminding the team of RWBY's prowess in battle. After alarms are sounded throughout the city, Jaune changes plans, deciding to aid RWBY and reassuring Ren that they will sheriff the village later, who nods in response. Ren aids his team and the rest of the Huntsmen in fighting off the Grimm.
Vytal Festival Tournament
Ren and his team find Team RWBY at a stand in the fairgrounds before accompanying them for a meal. He asks his team if it's wise to eat before a fight. After Nora tells Jaune to aim his vomit at their enemies, he notes that it's disgusting, but he is not opposed to doing it if need be. Nora later details the team's skill while bashing Jaune, and he asks Jaune if he can take the indirect insult. They are soon called away by Bartholomew Oobleck to report to Amity Colosseum for their match.
Team JNPR's first match in the Vytal Festival tournament is against Team BRNZ of Vacuo's Shade Academy. After a brief melee in the center of the arena, Team JNPR is quickly pinned down by May Zedong, Team BRNZ's sniper, who has taken cover in the trees on the opposite end of the battlefield. Ren gets into a close-quarters fight with Nolan Porfirio, who hits Ren with his cattle prod, incapacitating him momentarily with an electrical shock.
Charging at May, Ren evades attacks from other members of Team BRNZ, sliding beneath Roy Stallion's buzzsaw attacks. He eventually gets into another hand-to-hand exchange with Nolan but is this time victorious, trapping him in a hold. After coordinating responses to Team BRNZ's attacks, Team JNPR regroups.
Jaune attempts to finish the match by calling out team attacks, starting with "Flower Power" for Ren and Nora. However, Ren and Nora don't understand his instructions. Ren is especially confused as to how he is expected to bring "a flower" and how this constitutes a combat tactic. Nora suggests that he bring "flour, like in baking". Exasperated, Jaune simply has Nora hit Team BRNZ with her hammer, which she does, knocking them clear out of the arena and winning the match.
Team JNPR progress through the doubles round and elect Pyrrha to represent them in the finals. Before Pyrrha fights in the singles round, Ren and Nora offer her different ways to train. Instead of Nora's idea, helping Pyrrha work out, Ren offers Pyrrha a beverage made of herbs, vegetables and algae. Nora drinks some and instantly vomits it. Jaune suggests the team gets fresh air, and the four go outside. When he and Nora find Jaune and Pyrrha outside, Nora immediately drags Ren back to the fairgrounds to give Jaune and Pyrrha some time alone.
Ren and the rest of his team are present at Amity Colosseum to cheer on Pyrrha in her match against Penny Polendina, where he witnesses Pyrrha accidentally destroy her opponent.
The Battle of Beacon
Ren is among the group of students present at Amity Colosseum at the beginning of this Grimm attack on Vale. His weapon flies to the floating arena in a rocket-propelled locker. After a Giant Nevermore breaks into the stadium and is defeated, he is among the students that choose to fight this battle rather than flee. The group takes an Air Bus to Beacon where they begin to fight the Grimm.
Ren, along with Nora, are recovering from their injuries while staying by their decision to leave only when Jaune and Pyrrha return.
Journey to Haven
After the incident, he accompanies Nora, Jaune and Ruby Rose to investigate the conspiracy behind the Vale by journeying to Haven Academy.
Ren is seen next with Nora and Jaune debating over their team name until Ruby appears, luring a large Grimm that was terrorizing a nearby village in Anima. Ren, along with the rest of Team RNJR , defeat the Grimm and head to the local blacksmith after speaking with the town official. There Jaune receives his new sword, shield and armor. Ren calls it a "sign of progress".
They move on to Shion in the hopes of taking an airship to Haven. Upon arrival at Shion, they are all shocked to find it destroyed. Ren finds a severely wounded Huntsman who tells them bandits attacked the village and the panic attracted the Grimm. After hearing this, he walks off and placed his hands over his head as Ruby, Jaune and Nora try and think of a way to aid the Huntsman, but he dies from his wounds. Devastated, Nora asks if they should bury the Huntsman, but Ren walks away and says they should leave. Nora walks after him, and they spot a hoofprint on the ground.
Days after the fall of Shion, the team travels to the Higanbana village and stay at an inn.
Some time after their stay in Higanbana, Ren and the others happen across an abandoned village. After finding out its name, Oniyuri, Ren tells the group about its history and how his parents were involved with it before a Grimm managed to wipe it out. As the group prepares to leave, Ren starts to sense Tyrian Callows. Tyrian easily overwhelms them in his hunt for Ruby and almost manages to seriously injure Ruby until Qrow Branwen timely intervenes.
Qrow and Tyrian fight, during which Ren and Nora try to assist but to no avail. After Ruby severs Tyrian's scorpion tail, causing him to flee, Ren asks Qrow how he was able to get to Team RNJR. That night, Team RNJR learns from Qrow about the four Maidens, the two deity brothers, the four relics and Salem. The following morning, the team wakes to find that Tyrian poisoned Qrow during the fight.
They create a makeshift stretcher to carry him and try to find help, but they are soon forced to make a difficult choice when their path splits between a mountainous route toward Mistral and a route that leads to a destroyed town. The team splits. Ren and Nora take the mountain path in hopes of higher ground allowing them to see a better way to bring help. On the way through the mountains, the two pass through an open cave filled with walls stained black and various weapons and items from villages across Anima. He and Nora hear a howl and see a strong disturbance in the trees. They rush to Kuroyuri just in time to reach Jaune, Ruby and Qrow before the Nuckelavee Grimm arrives.
During the ensuing battle, the Nuckelavee attempts to attack Qrow, and Ren utilizes his Semblance to help Jaune get Qrow to safety. Later in the fight, the Nuckelavee pins Ren to a wall, and with Ruby's help, Nora saves him from getting hit by its other hand. However, this leaves Nora vulnerable, and the Nuckelavee breaks her Aura, which sends Ren into a frenzy of attacks. Even after the Nuckelavee breaks his Aura, Ren attempts to continue to fight driven by emotion, but Nora tackles him out of the fight and talks sense into him. When the pair returns to the fight, they work with Jaune and Ruby to pin the Nuckelavee down so Ren can finish it off with his father's dagger.
The smoke that results from the Nuckelavee disintegrating catches the attention of pilots from Mistral who were on patrol, and the group is transported to the City of Mistral where Qrow receives medical attention and they find a place to stay. On the way there, he sits with Nora and initiates hand-holding. Once in the city, he and Nora join Jaune in sitting in quiet remembrance of lost loved ones in Jaune's room.
In Mistral
Ren, along with Qrow and the rest of Team RNJR, meets Leonardo Lionheart, headmaster of Haven Academy. He learns of the connection between the Maidens and the Relics through the subsequent conversation. Later, when Oscar Pineshows up and asks for Ruby, he is protective of Ruby just like Nora.
Ren is present as Oscar gives Ozpin control of his body and the former headmaster reveals the true nature of his being as a soul and memories transferred into Oscar after a long line of succession. Ozpin plans to train Ren and the rest of his team so they can best ensure the safety of the Relic of Knowledge.
Ren, Oscar, and the rest of Team RNJR train outside. After Ozpin finishes teaching Oscar and Ruby as they spar, Oscar comments on his exhaustion. Ren explains the process of training one's Aura and the perceived relationship between one's Semblance and personality.
Later, while Qrow does his search for Huntsmen in Mistral, Ren and the others prepare dinner for the expected arrival of Huntsmen. Ren warns Ruby that she is going to overcook her food, and later watches her as she unexpectedly reunites with Yang and Weiss. The six students then enjoy a ramen dinner together, and Ruby mentions Ren "[was] out of control" during the fight with the Nuckelavee. He apologizes for losing his temper, but Ruby rephrases out of control as "awesome", and he thanks her. After dinner, Ren tells everyone they have all grown in their own ways. He states that their reflecting on their past, realizing their mistakes and learning from experience is proof of their continuous growth.
The Battle of Haven
On the night of the full moon, Ren travels with Qrow, Oscar and his classmates to Haven to meet with Lionheart. However, they find that it was all a trap set up by the Haven headmaster and are ambushed by him, Raven Branwen and Salem’s faction. In the ensuing battle, Ren and Nora battle Hazel Rainart as he is working for Salem. They later watch in horror as Weiss is fatally impaled by Cinder Fall. Ren then rushes to help Jaune tend to Weiss, but he finds her hardly breathing and does not know what they can do. He is then amazed as Jaune unlocks his Semblance and heals Weiss, returning her to a stable condition. Ren later volunteers for Ruby to help Oscar and Qrow in battling Hazel and Lionheart. Unfortunately, Hazel's brute strength proved to be too much as Ren is punched to a wall and severely shocked by lightning Dust. He struggles to get back up as Nora rushes to his side. As the fight resumes, Ren and Nora are protected by Jaune from enemy fire as they have become completely exhausted.
After the battle, Ren happily watches with Jaune and Nora as Team RWBY is reformed.
Appearance
Original (Volumes 1-3)
Lie Ren is a male teenager with long black hair tied into a ponytail that ends midway down his back. There is a magenta streak on the left side of his hair. His eyes match the streak in his hair, and his clothing appears to be influenced by Chinese culture.
He wears a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that is red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming goes down the right side of his torso and forms a black collar.
This color scheme seems to be influenced to some degree by the lotus flower, which is his emblem. He wears a black, long-sleeved shirt beneath the suit, and light-tan pants with black shoes.
Post-Timeskip (Volume 4 - Current)
After the timeskip following the Fall of Beacon, his design is updated. Ren wears his hair down, and it has grown to, as his concept art notes, "almost butt-length". His attire is similar to before in color. He has a longer, sleeveless tailcoat. Under it he wears a black, sleeveless turtleneck with red, tasseled ropes over the hips, pants that get tighter below the kness, and calf-high open-toed sandals. From his middle finger to his biceps run gradient pink-to-black detached sleeves ending in metal armbands.
Child
As a child, he wore a similar outfit to his Volume 4 one except for the magenta shoulder patches and the black open-toed sandals. He used to have his hair in a neat bun.
Personality
As a young child, Ren was much more cheerful and even a little sassy according to his mother. He was also shown to be very naive, not understanding how to use Lien or thinking he could buy sake. He also was easily frightened, shown when the bullies looked at him and he was about to run away.
Ren is usually mellow and wishes for peace and quiet, much like Blake Belladonna. He seems very much in control of himself, as shown by his calm and deliberate response to the appearance of the black half of a King Taijitu. He is unbothered by Nora Valkyrie's bubbly and contrasting personality, showing a great deal of patience when dealing with his hyperactive, happy-go-lucky childhood friend.
Ren is also shown to be quite studious, as seen in "Welcome to Beacon", in which he openly agrees with Neptune Vasilias as to how libraries should be only for reading. Likewise, he is well informed about villages in between kingdoms, such as when he informs Ruby about Higanbana in "Family". However, this is not to say that he is completely humorless. He is slightly playful after finding Nora in the Emerald Forest, during the events of "The Emerald Forest". This is also shown when he and Nora were debating over team names in "The Next Step". Ren is also indicated to be a bit of a cook, as he makes pancakes for the team in "Forever Fall, Pt.2". However, not everything he cooks is well received, as the nutrition drink he prepared in "Destiny" made Nora ill even though he drank it with no problems.
In "Remembrance", Ren is more solemn than his teammates are about the destruction of Shion Village. His advice is to keep moving forward. This is something he repeats with a bit more angry emphasis in "Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back" when Ruby suggests going to the destroyed town of Kuroyuri in search of abandoned medical supplies. Being one of the few survivors of the Grimm massacre of that town manifests itself in Ren's less than calm emotions.
In "No Safe Haven", Ren reveals a much more reckless and vindictive side to him previously unseen, when he lets out all of his anger against the Nuckelavee in attempt to avenge his parents and all its other victims. This is a stark contrast to his usual calm and patience. During the Nuckelavee's execution by his hand, Ren seems to finally come to terms with his trauma, calmly and swiftly delivering justice for his family, the monster's victims, and for himself. Following this, Ren seems to have finally come full circle, being more open with his emotions, particularly his feelings towards Nora.
Since then, Ren has become more noticeably conversational, vocal about his opinions, and is known to speak somewhat philosophically.
Powers and Abilities
Lie Ren is a very capable fighter and can hold his own against creatures of Grimm, such as a King Taijitu. He demonstrates peak physical ability, being able to do various acrobatics. He can move and react with impressive speed.
Ren appears to be proficient in martial arts, using palm thrusts and various combat stances when fighting the King Taijitu. His combat skills were also seen in "Best Day Ever" during a food fight with Team RWBY, where he briefly held his ground against Yang Xiao Long, although he was soon bested by her.
Ren appears to have a high degree of control over his Aura. When fighting in the Emerald Forest, he first uses it defensively by forming a shield against the attack of a King Taijitu. After tearing its fangs off, Ren uses his Aura offensively by blasting the black King Taijitu's fang through its own eye, blowing its head to pieces.
Despite this, he still has a very limited amount of stamina. Ren is shown collapsing after he, and the rest of JNPR, defeat the Death Stalker during "Players and Pieces". His average endurance is also seen after he defeats the King Taijitu as he catches his breath. This could be due to his heavy usage of Aura, which is needed to fight as shown in "Jaunedice". However, his lack of endurance is shown once again in "Best Day Ever", where Yang defeats him in very few blows.
He also has some form of extrasensory perception, as shown when he knows Tyrian Callows approaches Team RNJR in the episode "Tipping Point" and is aware of the approach of that same King Taijitu.
Weapons
Along with his physical abilities, Ren can also skillfully wield his weapons, StormFlower, and effectively uses them for both ranged and melee combat. As of "The Next Step," he can even use his weapons as boomerangs by throwing them as he did with one during the battle against a Geist.
Ren carries a dagger that originally belonged to his late father, Li Ren. The blade of the weapon is similar in shape to the blades of his StormFlower. As seen in "No Safe Haven", the dagger itself is strong enough to easily sever the limbs of a Nuckelavee whereas the weapons of Team RNJR could not, even after repeated attacks. The dagger itself can also be skillfully thrown in an arcing loop.
Semblance
Ren's Semblance masks negative emotions, which aids him in avoiding detection by Grimm, as demonstrated the night Kuroyuri was attacked. When he first used it that night, he was hiding in a small channel, gripped with panic. His Semblance activated, and soon after, he became calm and rushed to help Nora with no interference from nearby Grimm. Once there, he activated his Semblance again, extending its effects to Nora, who stopped trembling and whimpering. A Nevermore that was perched atop the house moved down and looked around, but it left them alone.
When his Semblance activates, the affected person's colors become temporarily desaturated to at least the viewer.
Ren can also channel this ability through the ground to reach those from a distance, as shown when he desaturates Jaune and Qrow in "No Safe Haven."
Quotes
| “ | I don't think sloths make a lot of noise. | „ |
| ~ Ren, in response to Nora Valkrie's suggestion for a secret signal. |
| “ | Nora... Please... Don't ever do that again. | „ |
| ~ Ren, on Nora's decision to ride on an Ursa. |
| “ | She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now. | „ |
| ~ Ren, after Nora finishes her story. |
| “ | Thank you! | „ |
| ~ Ren, to Neptune Vasilias in response to the latter's query, "Uh, aren't libraries for reading?". |
| “ | And I, you. | „ |
| ~ Ren, to Jaune Arc regarding their level of "brothership". |
| “ | Jaune, what is this all about? | „ |
| ~ Ren, asking why Jaune is acting out of the ordinary. |
| “ | Wait, what is happening? | „ |
| ~ Ren, expressing confusion toward Nora Valkyrie at the dance. |
| “ | Team RWBY has always performed exceptionally in the field. We should be focusing on our own mission. | „ |
| ~ Ren, reassuring Jaune. |
| “ | Sure, why not... | „ |
| ~ Ren, when Jaune tells him to distract May Zedong. |
| “ | How do I bring a flower? | „ |
| ~ Ren, about "Flower Power". |
| “ | It wasn't alone. | „ |
| ~ Ren to Coco Adel, on how the Nevermore made it past Vale's defenses. |
| “ | Griffons... | „ |
| ~ Ren, identifying the new Grimm. |
| “ | But 'junior' isn't a color. | „ |
| ~ Ren, to Nora. |
| “ | Well, I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything. | „ |
| ~ Ren, about Jaune's Pumpkin Pete hoodie. |
| “ | He certainly does. | „ |
| ~ Ren, commenting on Jaune cleaning up nicely. |
| “ | We should go. It's not safe here. | „ |
| ~ Ren, disagreeing with the suggestion to bury the Dying Huntsman's body. |
| “ | You might think of it as Anima's Mountain Glenn, had it never been completed. Years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run. | „ |
| ~ Ren, talking about Oniyuri to his team. |
| “ | Frustrated with the council, they pooled their resources together to build their own city, with their own laws. They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom. Many thought it would be the future. | „ |
| ~ Ren, talking about Oniyuri to his team. |
| “ | I know my parents did. | „ |
| ~ Ren, mentioning his parents to his team for the first time. |
| “ | We're not going to find anything! We just have to press on! | „ |
| ~ Ren, to Ruby's suggestion to scavenge for medicine. |
| “ | We have to be brave. | „ |
| ~ Young Ren to Young Nora, hiding together during Kuroyuri's destruction. |
| “ | We never get the easy path, do we? | „ |
| ~ Ren to Nora, as they hike the mountain. |
| “ | No... | „ |
| ~ Ren, realizing that the Nuckelavee is heading again to Kuroyuri, where Qrow, Jaune and Ruby are. |
| “ | Well that embarrassment, that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid, that just proves you’re not the same person you used to be. You’re smarter, you’re kinder, you’re stronger, and you’re not done growing yet. None of us are. | „ |
| ~ Ren to friends, about their growth. |
Trivia
- He is the first character revealed whose emblem color is not recognizable at first glance, as it does not appear to be a prominent color in his apparel.
- "Ren" is Japanese for 'lotus,' hence his emblem. "Lie" (烈) is Chinese for 'ardent.' "Lie Ren" (猎人) is Chinese for "huntsman."
- Many fans assumed Ren's name was pronounced "Lee Ren"; however, Glynda's pronunciation in 'The Emerald Forest, Part 2' was "Lie Ren" instead.
- To some degree, he physically resembles Monty Oum, his voice actor.
- Ren has a habit of brushing himself off whenever he does something that could have caused him to get dirty.
- This could be a sign that he has a form of OCD
- This also could mean he wants to be clean and respectable at all times.
- He seems to wear the same clothes when he sleeps.
- Ren is the first character to win a fight without assistance from his primary weapon.
- In the episode Players and Pieces, Ren appeared exhausted, twice. The first time was after he and Nora rode on an Ursa, and the second time was after team JNPR killed the Death Stalker. Since Ren was voiced by the series' creator, Monty Oum, this could be a nod to Monty's tweets about his sleep deprivation (since he worked hard on the series).
- Monty Oum, his voice actor, passed away in January of 2016. As a result, he was voiced by Monty's brother, Neath Oum, for the entirety of Volume 3.
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