Works

Rock Band 2 Rock Band 2 is a 2008 band-based rhythm game from Harmonix that expands cooperative instrument play, multiple game modes, and downloadable music support across major consoles.

Rock Lee (Naruto) — Profile, Abilities, History and Reception Rock Lee Rock Lee is a fictional shinobi from Naruto, known for his dedication to taijutsu, role in Team Guy, underdog story, and strong fan reception across media and merchandise.

Rock Steady (No Doubt album) Rock Steady (album) Rock Steady is No Doubt's fifth studio album, released in December 2001. It marked a stylistic shift toward reggae, dancehall and electronic textures and earned critical praise and…

Rocket League: overview of the vehicular soccer video game Rocket League Rocket League is a physics-driven vehicular association football video game developed by Psyonix and later acquired by Epic Games. It features rocket-powered cars, multiple modes,…

Rocks (Aerosmith album) Rocks (album) Rocks is the fourth studio album by American rock band Aerosmith, released May 3, 1976. Celebrated for its raw sound and influence on later hard rock and heavy metal acts, it remai…

Rodan: Toho’s Giant Pterosaur Kaiju Rodan Rodan is a giant pterosaur-like kaiju created by Toho in 1956. Noted for supersonic flight and destructive shockwaves, Rodan appears across decades of films, comics, and games as b…

Rodeo (ballet) Rodeo is a one-act ballet choreographed by Agnes de Mille with music by Aaron Copland, premiered in 1942. It combines classical technique with American folk dance and features the…

Roland Daggett — Gotham industrialist and recurring Batman antagonist Roland Daggett Roland Daggett is a fictional Gotham City industrialist and recurring antagonist in Batman media, introduced in Batman: The Animated Series and later adapted into other works as a…

Role-playing game (RPG): forms, mechanics, history and uses Role-playing game An RPG is a game where players adopt characters and influence a story or progression. Covers tabletop, video/computer RPGs, and solo gamebooks, with common mechanics like experienc…

RollerCoaster Tycoon (video game series) RollerCoaster Tycoon RollerCoaster Tycoon is a series of theme park management simulation games where players design parks and build roller coasters, balancing creativity, crowds and finances across sc…

Rolling Papers (Wiz Khalifa album) Rolling Papers Rolling Papers is Wiz Khalifa's third studio album, released in 2011. It produced the hit single "Black and Yellow", debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and was certified Gold i…

Rolling Stone: history, coverage, and cultural influence Rolling Stone Rolling Stone is an American popular-culture magazine founded in 1967, known for music journalism, long-form features, reviews, photography and political commentary.

Romana (Doctor Who): Gallifreyan companion of the Fourth Doctor Romana (Doctor Who) Romana (Romanadvoratrelundar) is a Time Lady from Gallifrey who travelled with the Fourth Doctor. Portrayed by Mary Tamm and Lalla Ward, she is notable for her intellect, regenerat…

Romance: love, literature, languages and cultural movements Romance Overview of the many meanings of 'romance': romantic love and relationships, the literary and film genre, medieval chivalric tales, the Romance language family, and the Romantic mo…

Romance comics A comic-book genre centered on love, courtship and relationships that rose after WWII, peaked midcentury, then declined in the 1970s; its styles and themes persist in later comics…

Romeo and Juliet (ballet) — Prokofiev’s dramatic dance adaptation Romeo and Juliet (ballet) A concise encyclopedia entry on the ballet Romeo and Juliet: its music by Prokofiev, source in Shakespeare, premiere in Brno (1938), major choreographic versions, and lasting signi…

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Roméo et Juliette Charles Gounod's five-act opera based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, premiered in Paris in 1867. A staple of the lyric repertoire, notable for its melodic charm, famous arias a…

Rookie (magazine) Rookie was an influential online magazine for teenage girls founded by Tavi Gevinson in 2011, known for themed issues, personal essays, interviews, and two printed yearbooks.

Room Service (Bryan Adams album) Room Service is a rock album by Bryan Adams, released internationally in 2004 and in the U.S. in 2005. Singles include "Open Road", "Flying", "Room Service" and "This Side of Parad…

Ropin' the Wind — Garth Brooks album Ropin' the Wind Ropin' the Wind is Garth Brooks' third studio album, released in 1991. It marked a major commercial milestone, debuting at No. 1 and producing several hit singles including a Billy…

Rory Williams (Doctor Who character) Rory Williams Rory Williams is a fictional companion from Doctor Who, known for loyalty, ordinary-turned-hero arc, his marriage to Amy Pond and connections to River Song and major Eleventh Docto…

Rose in Bloom (novel by Louisa May Alcott) Rose in Bloom Rose in Bloom is Louisa May Alcott's 1876 sequel to Eight Cousins, following Rose Campbell's coming-of-age and social debut; it examines independence, morality, and expectations fo…

Rosie the Riveter: wartime icon, cultural symbol, and legacy Rosie the Riveter Rosie the Riveter is an American cultural icon from World War II representing women war workers. The figure evolved from songs, posters, and photographs into a lasting symbol of la…

Ross Geller — fictional character from Friends Ross Geller Ross Geller is a central character on the American sitcom Friends, portrayed by David Schwimmer. A paleontologist known for pedantry, romantic ups and downs, and memorable cultural…

Rouen Cathedral series (Claude Monet) Rouen Cathedral (Monet) Claude Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series (1892–1894) comprises more than thirty oil canvases that explore changing light and atmosphere on the cathedral’s western façade, a landmark s…

Roy Rockwood (Stratemeyer Syndicate house pseudonym) Roy Rockwood House name used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for juvenile adventure series, best known for the Bomba the Jungle Boy and Great Marvel books and for being produced by multiple ghostw…

Royalty: Chris Brown's 2015 R&B album Royalty (album) Royalty is Chris Brown's seventh studio album, released December 18, 2015 via RCA. A contemporary R&B record with pop and hip‑hop influences, dedicated to his daughter and examinin…

Rubber Soul (1965): The Beatles' Transformative Album Rubber Soul Rubber Soul is the Beatles' sixth studio album, released in 1965. This article covers its recording, musical direction, editions, notable songs, instruments and lasting influence o…

Rubik's Cube: design, history, solving methods, and cultural impact Rubik's Cube Overview of the Rubik's Cube: invention, physical design, solving approaches, variants, and its role in mathematics, education and popular culture.

Rubik's Revenge — the 4x4 Rubik's Cube Rubik's Revenge A four-by-four twisty puzzle invented by Péter Sebestény. Larger and mechanically different from the 3x3 cube, it introduces movable centers, paired edges and unique parity problem…

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Fictional reindeer created in 1939 whose glowing red nose and story of acceptance became a Christmas classic through booklets, a hit song and a beloved TV special.

Rumble Fighter Rumble Fighter is a free-to-play online arena fighting game known for customizable avatars, class-based fighting styles, competitive PvP matches, and cooperative Adventure Mode.

Run This Town “Run This Town” is a 2009 song by Jay-Z featuring Kanye West and Rihanna from the album The Blueprint 3 — a dramatic hip-hop track noted for its cinematic production and high-profi…

Runaways (Marvel Comics) Runaways (comics) Runaways is a Marvel Comics series about teenagers who discover their parents are supervillains and reject their legacy. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, it explores…

RuneScape — overview of the long-running MMORPG RuneScape RuneScape is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role‑playing game first released in 2001. This article explains its gameplay, history, community-driven economy, and notable ver…

Running gag A running gag is a humorous line, action, or reference repeated across a single work or series to produce comedy, reinforce character traits, or create continuity.

RWBY (animated web series) RWBY RWBY is an American anime-influenced web series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. It follows four young huntswomen training to fight monsters in the world of Remnant and has…

S&M Airlines (NOFX album) S&M Airlines Second studio album by American punk band NOFX, released September 5, 1989 on Epitaph Records. Produced by Brett Gurewitz, noted for its raw, fast-paced punk sound and a closing co…

Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat Children’s book character created by Amy Tan and adapted into a PBS Kids animated series set in a fictional Qing-dynasty household, known for gentle moral lessons about family, dut…

Sailor Moon (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon) Sailor Moon Sailor Moon is a Japanese shojo manga and multimedia franchise by Naoko Takeuchi, famous for its influential magical‑girl anime, ensemble of heroines, themes of love and justice, a…

Saints of Los Angeles (Mötley Crüe album) Saints of Los Angeles Saints of Los Angeles is a 2008 studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, marking the group's return with new songs and a sound recalling their classic era.

Saints Row (video game series) Saints Row (series) Saints Row is an action-adventure open-world video game series by Volition, noted for its shift from crime-simulator roots to increasingly exaggerated, humorous, and supernatural g…

Sakuteiki (Records of Garden Making) Sakuteiki Sakuteiki is the oldest surviving Japanese manual on garden design, compiled in the 11th century. It documents principles for stone placement, water features, and garden types and…

Salamandastron (novel and fortress in the Redwall series) Salamandastron Salamandastron is a Brian Jacques creation: both the title of a 1992 Redwall novel and the name of a fictional mountain fortress inhabited by badgers and the Long Patrol hares.

Samizdat: Underground Self-Publishing in the Soviet Bloc Samizdat Samizdat was the clandestine practice of copying and circulating banned literature in the Soviet bloc. This article explains how it worked, why it mattered, and the terms and legac…

Samson and Delilah (opera) by Camille Saint-Saëns Samson and Delilah (opera) A concise overview of the three-act French opera Samson et Dalila: origins, libretto, musical highlights, premiere history and its place in the operatic repertory.

Dr. Samuel Loomis (fictional psychiatrist in the Halloween franchise) Samuel Loomis Dr. Samuel Loomis is a fictional psychiatrist in the Halloween films, created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Originated by Donald Pleasence and later reinterpreted by Malcolm Mc…

Samus Aran Samus Aran is the armored protagonist of Nintendo's Metroid series: a human bounty hunter known for her Power Suit, arm cannon, and long-running struggle against Space Pirates and…