With Rooster Teeth’s closure after two decades, the fate of its iconic web show, RWBY, was left hanging in the balance. However, their luck has changed with the recent acquisition of the show by the dubbing giant VIZ Media. With this new owner, many fans wonder about the series’ fate.
Both the animated series and its creator, Rooster Teeth, have had a tumultuous history over the years. Despite this, the anime homage has simultaneously acquired a massive fanbase that kept goodwill alive even after its parent company’s demise. Here is a rundown of the biggest takeaways.
RWBY Acquired By VIZ Media
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According to Anime News Network, the web series RWBY was acquired by the anime giant VIZ Media. The announcement came during the recent and massive Anime Expo in California, where many other huge reveals came. This includes the rights to the series, spinoffs, merchandise, and licensing. As this acquisition was only just announced, no release date was given yet for volume 10. The sudden closure of Rooster Teeth naturally raised many fans’ concerns about the series’ fate.
VIZ Media is currently one of the most influential companies in the anime dubbing industry. This is far from the first time VIZ has worked with the series; they published Shiro Miwa’s manga adaptation online. With new owners, the series will have to start fresh with its new resources, and these next few volumes will probably look and feel quite different. All they gave us thus far was a teaser poster for the next volume, giving viewers a glimpse of the team’s new look.
What Was RWBY?
Eleven years ago, RWBY first graced the screens of anime fans. The story follows goth Ruby Rose, her sister Yang, and allies Blake and Weiss as they train to become huntresses, guarding the world from the demonic Grimm. Along the way, they learn there are many other factions at play. The late Monty Oum created the series as a love letter to anime and its many tropes.
While the series maintains a massive fandom, reception has always been mixed. One common criticism is how the show wastes its story elements, such as dust and the Grimm. Others criticize how the series is overreliant on anime cliches while failing to analyze its heroes’ mistakes. Special criticism went to the faunus subplot, widely regarded as a poor allegory for racism.
Regardless of the series’ reputation, it became a huge franchise worldwide. By its ninth volume aired, several video games based on the series had already been released, including a crossover with the iconic BlazBlue series. The series also received manga, a crossover with the Justice League, novelizations, and even an official anime with Ice Queendom. Overall, the series has amassed a fandom that will rejoice at its return.
The Downfall Of Rooster Teeth
As with any great empire, Rooster Teeth’s downfall was gradual before its eventual collapse. It began in 2003 with the machinima series Red Vs. Blue, which quickly went viral. During the early days of YouTube, Rooster Teeth was one of the first “big” YouTube studios before they became mainstream. RWBY itself had many prominent Funimation voice actors in its dramatis personae.
However, as it grew, cracks started to form. In the years before the studio shut down, waves of allegations emerged regarding the poor working conditions and abusive staff. One of the biggest blunders was the mecha series Gen:LOCK. Despite its impressive voice cast and animation, the series ended as a critical and commercial flop that damaged the studio’s reputation.
In early 2024, the doors finally shut its doors, with executives citing “difficulty with monetization and changing consumer practices.” Even worse, RWBY itself was recently removed from Crunchyroll. With VIZ’s purchase, this classic series can finally flourish once more.
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