Gambol Shroud

Gambol Shroud is the signature weapon of Blake Belladonna in the American animated webseries RWBY. It is a weapon capable of transforming into a cleaver-like sword, a katana, a gun, and a chain scythe on a ribbon.

Appearance
Gambol Shroud appears as an elongated black blade with a black pistol-like handle and grip with Blake's emblem on it. Its sheath is bladed itself, and when sheathed, resembles a cleaver-like rectangular blade. When unsheathed, the sheath can be held via a rectangular grip for duel-wielding. The unsheathed Gambol Shroud resembles a katana, with a long black blade with grey stripes and a sharp point. The blade also folds backwards and forwards for its gun and scythe modes respectively.

Powers and Abilities
Gambol Shroud's sheath is balded, allowing it to be used in combat even when sheathed. The two components can be detached, allowing for duel-wielding. Additionally, the blade can be reconfigured into a chain scythe on the end of a ribbon, allowing for long range hooking and attacks. The blade can also fold back to reveal a barrel, and fire Dust ammunition as a pistol. Dust, which is an elemental energy source, can also be used in conjunction with Blake's Semblance of creating afterimages called Shadows. By channeling Dust through Gambol Shroud, Blake can give her shadows elemental properties such as fire, ice, and rock.

History
Gambol Shroud first appeared in the series' "Black Trailer". Blake is a part of the terrorist group the White Fang, under the leadership of her mentor/ex-lover Adam Taurus. She uses Gambol Shroud in the attempted robbery of a Schnee Dust Company train, fighting against Atlesian androids. However, she abandons Adam and the White Fang to start a new life, using Gambol Shroud to cut the train cars apart and allow her to leave. She enrolls at Beacon Academy with the intention of training to become a Huntress.

During initiation, Balke uses Gambol Shroud to navigate the Emerald Forest with help from her new partner Yang Xiao Long. They, along with Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and other allies end up chased by a giant Nevermore and Death Stalker Grimm, and Blake uses Gambol Shroud to shoot at the Nevermore, then uses the ribbon to help propel Ruby to kill it. Blake is named a part of Team RWBY under Ruby's leadership.

Blake, along with her friend Sun Wukong, go to investigate a series of Dust robberies, and find out that the White Fang is working with the criminal Roman Torchwick. Blake holds her blade to Roman's throat, but he manages to escape and leaves Blake to fight the White Fang.

Later on, Blake and her team investigate Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, and Blake and Sun infiltrate a White Fang rally. However, upon being recognized, Blake shoots out a power box to allow them cover, but Torchwick gives chase in an apprehended mech suit. In the ensuing battle, Blake is aided by Weiss to cut projectiles fired by the mech, and aids Yang in using Gambol Shroud's ribbon to propel her.

The team is later tasked with investigating the ruins of the settlement of Mountain Glenn. Blake fights Grimm all day, and finds out that night that Torchwick and the terrorist organization the White Fang are hiding beneath the city, and sending bomb-filled train to breach Vale. She engages in combat with Torchwick, using Dust Shadows to overpower and defeat him, leading to his arrest. She then fights off the Grimm attacking through the breach, saving the city.

Blake later carries Gambol Shroud with her in an investigation into the corrupt Merlot Industries, and uses it against the Mutated Grimm and Androids produced by the evil Dr. Merlot.

Team RWBY then participates in the Vytal Festival Tournament, where they compete against other teams in sporting combat matches. Blake uses her weapon to overpower her opponent and win, though Weiss and Yang move on to the next round and Yang moves onto the singles match.

However, the Tournament is sabotaged by the White Fang and the supervillain Cinder Fall, who lure Grimm into the city. Blake stays to defend against Grimm, the White Fang, and hacked military robots, and finally is forced to fight Adam. However, Adam defeats her and Yang, though Blake manages to help them escape. It is also during this time that it is revealed that fellow student Velvet Scarlatina uses her weapon Anesidora, which creates hard-light copies of others' weapons, to replicate Gambol Shroud in combat.

Vale falls to the Grimm, and Blake leaves to return to her home on the island of Menagerie, trailed by Sun. During the journey, they are attacked by a Sea Feilong Grimm, though Blake and Sun manage to defeat it. Blake returns home and reunites with her family, though the White Fang is still active in her home, including her former friend Ilia Amitolia. Blake fights Ilia's spy and Ilia herself, but decides to rally the people of Menagerie against the White Fang. The White Fang attempts to assainate her family, but Blake arrives in time to save them as well as sway Ilia to her side.

Blake makes her way to Mistral, where it is revealed that Mistral's Haven Academy is the next target for Cinder, who is now revealed to be working for the sinister Salem. Headmaster Leonardo Lionhart reveals himself to be a traitor. Team RWBY and their allies fight off Salem's Inner Circle and the White Fang, and Blake is reunited with her team. The target of the attack, a mystical lantern known as the Relic of Knowledge, is secured, and Weiss and her allies decide to take it to the city of Atlas for safety.

On the trip to Atlas, their train is attacked by Grimm. The train partially derails, and Blake and her allies make it to an abandoned village, where they are encountered by willpower-draining Grimm known as the Apathy.Blake is severely affected by the Grimm, but they all manage to escape.

The group makes it to the city of Argus, but are not allowed into Atlas due to an embargo and travel restriction. The group attempt to steal an airship, with Blake going to disable a radar tower. However, she is ambushed by a vengeful Adam, who cuts Gambol Shroud in two. With the aid of Yang, the two are able to grab the two sharp pieces of the weapon and impale Adam, killing him.

Upon reaching Atlas, the Atlas military repairs Gambol Shroud, and Blake and the others are tasked with defeating a Giest Grimm in an abandoned mine. They succeed, and as a reward, are promoted to professional Huntsmen and Huntresses. Blake uses her repaired weapon in several Grimm-clearing tasks, but when Salem's minion Arthur Watts hacks into the security of the nearby town of Mantle and allows a Grimm breach, Blake goes to combat the threat.

However, after a series of misunderstandings and deception, Team RWBY and their allies find themselves at odds with Atlesian General James Ironwood, who wants to abandon the town of Mantle in order to launch a communications tower to connect the whole world. Blake and her allies oppose him, and he calls for their arrest. Blake teams up with Yang, using Gambol Shroud to propel her and defeat his Ace Operatives. However, the Relic of Knowledge is stolen by Cinder's associate Neopolitan, Ironwood sees them as enemies, and Winter is obligated to attempt to arrest hem. Blake escapes with her allies, but Salem herself arrives to wage war on Atlas.

RWBY Chibi
In the non-canon comedy spinoff series RWBY Chibi, Blake again uses Gambol Shroud for a variety of combat scenes, as well as to create Shadows.

RWBY (mobile game)
Blake uses Gambol Shroud in the now-unavailable Chinese mobile game.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
Blake appears as a fighter in the crossover fighting video game BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, wielding Gambol Shroud for a mix of short and long-range attacks.

RWBY: Amity Arena
In the mobile video game RWBY: Amity Arena, Blake appears as a part of four units: Ribbon Blake, Shadow Blake, Bumblebee, and Checkmate; Ribbon Blake travels to anywhere on the map for a series of slashes, Shadow Blake creates stone Shadows to lure enemies while she fires at them, Bumblebee has Blake propel Yang around in a massive attack, and Checkmate has Weiss change time to allow Blake a quick series of strikes as well as temporary invincibility.

RWBY: Official Manga Anthology
Blake appears in her own chapter of the second manga spinoff, using Gambol Shroud in a retelling of the "Black Trailer".

RWBY: The Official Manga
Blake and Gambol Shroud appear in the third manga spinoff of RWBY, where they fight Roman Torchwick.

DBX
Blake appeared as a combatant in the fourth season of the animated webseries DBX, a spinoff of the series DEATH BATTLE, where she fought Inuyasha from the InuYasha franchise. Weiss used Gambol Shroud in the battle for a manuverability and long-range attacks, but ultimately lost.

RWBY (DC Comic series)
Blake uses Gambol Shroud in battles against Grimm outside of Beacon Academy throughout the DC Comic adaptation.

SMITE
Blake appears as a guest character in the fantasy video game SMITE, using Gambol Shroud.

Knights Chronicle
Blake appears as a guest character in the mobile RPG Knights Chronicle, where she uses Gambol Shroud for dark-based attacks.

Trivia

 * Gambol means "to leap about playfully". A shroud, commonly a cloth, is something that conceals or protects.
 * After its repair in Atlas, Gambol Shroud now has a golden strip connecting the broken blade to its new half. This may be a reference to the ancient Japanese tradition of Kintsugi,where repairs are made noticeable to emphasize the perfection in imperfection.