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Fria is a supporting character in the American animated webseries RWBY. As the previous Winter Maiden, she passed away due to her old age after passing her power down to Penny Polendina.
She was voiced by Luci Christian in English and Kyoka Yamaguchi in Japanese.
Appearance[]
Fria was a thin, elderly woman with short, spiky white hair and dark blue eyes. She wore a green and white hospital outfit with a silver bracelet on her right wrist.
Personality[]
Fria appeared to be a friendly woman, politely sharing a conversation with Winter Schnee, implying the two are on good terms. She enjoyed hot tea and painting, decorating part of her room with her art. Fria appeared to miss or have some nostalgia towards the outside world, solemnly asking how the weather is in Atlas.
During her confrontation against Cinder it was revealed that due to her old age, Fria has become senile, showing traits similar to Alzheimer's disease, rendering her to have patches in her memories, a difficult time remembering things, and keeping conscious track of time.
However despite her failing memories and frequent sense of confusion, Fria has displayed fierce loyalty and a strong sense of duty and dedication to her role as the Winter Maiden despite her failing health and fading memories. Despite knowing that she would die and her sense of time slowly fading, Fria still held on and remembered her duties to safeguard the power of the Winter Maiden and showed no fear at the prospect of dying as long as she knew her powers would be inherited by a proper successor who would continue on her duties for her.
Other than this Fria has been shown to be soft spoken and kind hearted, as seen during her final moments with Penny before passing on.
Powers and Abilities[]
Fria was the previous Winter Maiden and as such had access to immense elemental magic. As the Winter Maiden, Fria was the only one that possessed the ability to open the Vault containing the Relic of Creation in Atlas. Similar to her fellow Maidens, Fria's eyes are surrounded by a flame effect when using her powers, in her case a light azure blue flame matching her Aura.
Upon being confronted by Cinder attempting to steal her powers, She was able to repel her by creating a vortex of snow and ice with temperatures easily capable of freezing and burning a person's flesh to their very bone. Fria's frost was strong enough to flash freeze Cinder's Shadow Hand and freeze the entire area in a thick layer of ice, effectively rendering the area inhospitable.
Winter noted that Fria had "fully realized" her powers as the Winter Maiden, showing that Fria had completely mastered her powers during her youth. She easily overpowered Cinder despite the latter being much younger and physically stronger than her. This is made even more impressive given the Fria was only acting on instinct and was near death due to old age, further highlighting just how much stronger a fully realized Maiden is.
Biography[]
At some point before the events of the series, during her youth, she became the Winter Maiden, given the chance of being the final woman of the former Maiden's last moments. She has held by the Maidenhood for a long time living with her last few days at the highly secured Atlas medical facility in order to use her power, so that it did not fall into the hands of Salem. Similarly, to the Fall Maiden Amber, she was in critical condition. James Ironwood was restricted visits to only Winter, which means as the Atlesian Military's Special Operatives, that point when Fria dies, Winter would become her successor due to being on her final moments.
Visisted by Weiss and Winter[]
Fria was first mentioned when Qrow inquires about her status. Winter's response that she is in stable condition briefly makes them uneasy. Before Qrow informs the group she isn't a spring chicken, implying her advanced age.
When Winter takes her sister Weiss to the facility housing her room, Winter enters alone and the pair share tea while Weiss watches on.
Death[]
During the Battle of Mantle, Winter and Penny go to the Atlas Medical Facility so that Winter can claim Fria's powers. She is placed in a transfer pod as Winter gets ready to enter the other while Penny oversees the process. They are interrupted by Cinder Fall, who is after the powers for herself. A fight ensues, in which Cinder defeats them and returns to Fria's bedroom. Upon arriving, Fria is confronted by the Fall Maiden, forcing her to reveal her true power and destroying the room. Cinder retreats, and Penny arrives to Fria's aid. The two are attacked by Cinder again, who clashes with Winter. As Fria dies due to her age and exhaustion, she passes her power onto Penny, thus choosing her as a successor.
Trivia[]
- Her Voice Actress, Luci Christian, also voiced Hiro Sohma in Fruits Basket (2019), Mitsukuni Haninozuka in Ouran High School Host Club, Koyuki Azumaya in Sgt. Frog, Nami in One Piece, Ochaco Uraraka in My Hero Academia, Kaname Chidori in Full Metal Panic!, Hestia in Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Satomi Murano in Parasyte, KOS-MOS in Xenosaga, Trish in Devil May Cry anime, Eucliwood Hellscythe in Is this a Zombie?, Lenalee Lee in D.Gray-man, Minori in Log Horizon, Stella Vermillion in Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Meryl Stryfe in Trigun, Duck in Princess Tutu, Chifuyu Orimura in Infinite Stratos, Makina Hoshimura in Corpse Princess, Nagisa Furukawa in Clannad, Erica Hartmann in Strike Witches, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun in Slayers Premium, Hitomi Kashiwa in Welcome to the N.H.K., Sen Tokugawa in Samurai Girls, Kagura in Gintama: The Movie, Mizuki Segawa in Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor, Natsu Dragneel (young) in Fairy Tail, Cruz Schild in Needless, Margaret Burton in Madlax, Hungary in Hetalia, Touko Nanami in Bloom Into You, Neneko in Yumeria, Carmen Ibanez in Starship Troopers: Invasion, Chizuru Aizawa in Shinryaku! Ika Musume, Sonya in Kill Me Baby, Miyako Miyamura in ef - a fairy tale of the two, Lucia Nanami in Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, Train Heartnet (young) in Black Cat, Akira Tachibana in After The Rain, Kuki Urie (young in episode 1) in Tokyo Ghoul, Laito Sakamaki (young) in Diabolik Lovers, Rico in Gunslinger Girl, Steina in I'm Quitting Heroing, Amu in The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World, Cocona Cocomine in Flip Flappers, and Joy in Shenmue the Animation.
- Fria and her interaction with Penny likely allude to the character known as "The Fairy with Turquoise Hair" (also known as "the Blue Fairy") from The Adventures of Pinocchio, in which she turns Pinocchio into a real boy.
- Her name possibly derives from the Norse Goddess, Freya. In some languages derived from Latin, her name is the singular feminine noun for "cold". In Spanish and Portuguese, "Fria" is also the female adjective for cold.
- Due to her Aura color being light blue, it is implied that Fria was a member of the Schnee Family.
