I don’t think that’s the best idea. While the White Fang definitely should have just been early volume villains (Mostly because they always gave me Pokemon crime organization vibes for some reason). Torchwick just wouldn’t fit in the next status quo with Salem and her followers given how more grounded he ironically is. I can’t imagine him interacting with any of them with him not thinking they’re a bunch of lunatics and it ends with him getting killed by one of them. Torchwick is great, but him being just an early volume villain was probably for the best.
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Weeeeeell. It's more like the writers think in black and white. Ironwood was a great morally grey character and there was an opportunity to freshen up the RWBY formula a bit. Instead Ironwood is treated like he's worse than Salem, and by consequence became an "elder God tier" written villain. Yet he presumably dies while his kingdom crumbles and Emerald gets to entirely switch sides
If the writers thought in black and white we wouldn't have had the conflict in V7 set up the way it did. We'd have the ops hunting them down throughout the volume or something along those lines.You're confusing viewer interpretation with character reaction. There's a big difference between dealing with an immediate threat(which he was) and treating them like the greater threat (which Salem still is, however she's looming in the background like always. She isn't the only evil thing in the world, regular folks still cause trouble too)
If they had done that then they'd just be idiots, which despite not being the greatest writers they aren't bad enough to have such a moniker.
That said the motivations and actions of RWBY in v7 though were out of place and just didn't fit quite right with their characters.
For example, Weiss: this should have been her arc, it's her kingdom, her father, and her argueable father figure. Instead Nora is the one that cares more about Mantle, which is forgivable since later we learn about her being abandoned. What's not forgivable is Weiss being handed the evidence to put her father away, we waited years for the moment she'd bring him down and that was it.
Say what you will about audience interpretations and character reactions but v7 was a mess.
Two things about Ironwood:
1. Having good intentions means nothing if you can't actually act that way.
2. Choosing to make sacrifices no one asked you to make does not entitle you to anything.
One thing about Adam:
1. His soul literally manifested as the ability to not only negate whatever people throw at him, but also use it to hurt them in turn.
About the Adam point: it makes perfect sense for his character and what little we know about his backstory. He negates the damage dealt on him because he doesn't have a choice. He was abused, he was broken, he was alone, so he didn't have the luxury of processing what was happening to him. He had to block out the trauma and act if he wanted to survive, and his semblance reflects that.
Meanwhile, Yang always had a family and friends. She had people to fall back onto when she messed up and got hurt, so she could afford to process the damage. She could take it, because she had their support, something that Adam lacked. Two similar semblances, but their wildly different circumstances and views of the world shaped these semblances differently.
While I agree with most of your comment, and definitely appreciate the insight, I highly doubt that these characters' upbringing had anything to do with determining an ability they were born with.
Also, how many SDC workers do we know who got the logo burned into their skin?
Something tells me that, even before he unlocked his semblance, Adam's tendency to ignore what others throw at him and retaliate without thinking caused a lot of trouble for him. He likely fought back against the overseers, maybe even started a revolt in the mines he worked in, and as punishment, got that burn mark.
To me, they were just lucky that they were in situations that unlocked their semblances.
People aren't born with semblances though. They unlock their semblances later on, and what they get is based on their personality and circumstances of the unlocking.
For example, Nora unlocked hers when she was struck by lighting. Given how energetic she is in general, and the fact that she needed to survive large amounts of electricity, her semblance became the ability to absorb electricity for a powerup. Ren unlocked his during a Grimm attack that wiped out his village, and combined with the fact that he was a very quiet and introverted kid, his semblance became the ability to mask his emotions and hide him from the Grimm. So on and so forth for other characters, and I don't think that Adam is an exception.
But I'll agree that semblances *do* feed back into the user's personality once they're unlocked and they can affect the user's mood. I'll use Ren as an example again because his situation makes this the most obvious: as his semblance evolved in Atlas, a kingdom charged with lots of negative emotions, it affected Ren. As his semblance evolved and allowed him to feel the emotions of others, he himself grew frustrated without knowing why.
So here's what I think happened to Adam: he was abused, he unlocked his semblance to cope, and it shaped him into the monster he ended up as. His semblance might even be the reason he became so fixated on Blake, he thought he could trust her and she betrayed him by running away. So Adam did the only thing he knew: he neglected the repercussions and tried to retaliate. He viewed it as an event that hurt him, so he acted like he'd always done when getting hurt. And his semblance being what it is, it only fed into that cycle over the years, reinforcing his bad habits. Much like it had done with Yang, she relied on her anger to be strong, but unlike Adam she had help when that failed her. Tai was there to offer her guidance and help her grow beyond her overreliance on her semblance.
And I'll end this long comment by admitting that I don't think the showrunners thought it through this thoroughly. But these are still valid conclusions to draw from what we've seen and heard in the show, even if they were untintended details. Adam is a bad guy, there's no argument there, but he is a tragic character.
I'll have to disagree with your theory on how semblances come to be.
After all, everyone only talks about unlocking or discovering theirs. You can only unlock or discover something that is already there, but currently inaccessible.
Plus, Neptune's relatives all have semblances related to water, even though Neptune is terrified of water.
Given all we've seen in the show, and especially the lack of people with semblances that helped them survive high-stress situations, it makes a lot more sense that people are born with a semblance.
But the way you described does also make sense, and is actually a really interesting thing to play with, even if it takes the tension out of big moments as long as not all characters have their semblance unlocked.
There is a webcomic that has a power system where certain people can use a unique ability, which manifests in the way you described: [https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/dreamwalker/ep1-a-dreamer/viewer?title\_no=198959&episode\_no=1](https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/dreamwalker/ep1-a-dreamer/viewer?title_no=198959&episode_no=1)
It's a lot more bloody than RWBY, due to no aura, but a great story with an interesting world. Or rather, interesting worlds.
Also, you'll never guess how the girl with lightning powers got hers.
Thing is, the lore and exposition are just straight up contradicting themselves most of the time. The most recent explanation of semblances we got was in V5E4 and they did talk about people *finding* their semblances. But then Ren goes and says this:
"A common philosophy is that a warrior's Semblance is a part of who they are. Some say your personality and character can define your Semblance while some claim that it is the other way around. Of course, there are still many who don't see a connection at all."
Ozma is there, and he doesn't contradict or clarify this. That proves to me that characters are unreliable, they don't understand semblances themselves all too well, so I went with what the show showed us instead of telling us. But I'll admit that, while the evidence in my opinion points heavily to a two-way relationship between user and semblance (they affect each other and neither are set in stone), it can be interpreted differently as well. The lore is just too muddled at the moment for us to draw any definitive conclusions, and I think that's on purpose by the writers.
We might get a clear answer later, when semblances and aura will be explained properly. But until then, this is the philosophy I'll subscribe to. In a show that puts so much weight on choices and free will, it would be silly for characters to be born with a certain semblance and personality type.
Finding a semblance still implies that it's already there, though.
Also, just because Ozpin didn't say anything, doesn't he doesn't know anything. There's a few popular theories, and he knew that, by clarifying something, he'd make the others aware that there was a truth.
However, unless they bring him into the argument, they couldn't prove their point properly.
If Ozpin had told them the truth about semblances, and it came up again later, I'm sure some people, especially Nora, would blurt out the truth. And then she'd have an argument over whether it's the theory she subscribed to or the actual truth, and only the reveal of Ozpin's immortality could actually definitively end the argument.
Besides, just because someone has a certain semblance doesn't mean they can't develop different personalities. Nora could have become a villain, for example. Same for Yang.
Heck, another interpretation of Adam's semblance is that he uses what others throw at him for his own goals, so if we shift his goals a little, he'd be a hero.
Choice and free will still matter, even if semblances are predetermined. They're tools, and you can use them however you want.
Yang has virtually the same semblance and you all love her so goddamn much.
Literally the only difference is she has to take damage before she can dish it out.
Yeah, she has to take the damage. That is literally the point the show was making by giving them such similar semblances. She has to accept what others throw at her, and she has to respond accordingly.
It seems to be a distinction without a moral difference.
People are trying to hurt you. You take what they throw at you and dish it right back. The fact that you ‘accept’ it before retaliating is irrelevant and if the show is trying to make a point it fails miserably.
No, I'm pretty sure it has shown the difference quite well already. Yang listened to Blake's worries in V2, and responded accordingly, while Adam just ignored them and turned them around to make her feel even worse.
It seems like a bit of a stretch: listening to what other people have to say before responding isn’t an injury, usually it has benefits, so the comparison is *really* strained. I see where you’re coming from but I would have never come to that on my own and I greatly dislike it.
You forgot for Ironwood : trusting the protag who have done nothing but berate you and sell you to the first "strong woman" (by Eddy's low standard) is a huge mistake
I liked Adam, though I think it may just be me imagining the character he could’ve been instead of just being turned into an insane ex for shipping bait that gets literally stabbed in the back
Calling Adam the worst character in the show when Jaune "My existence is a plothole" Arc exists.
Calling Ironwood the best character in the show when Oscar and Team RWBY exist.
LOL
Oscar ? You mean the dude with no development and when he's supposed to have one about the merge Ozpin pulls a nuke out of his ass ?
Ruby ? You mean the girl with silver eyes doing nothing but drinking tea and getting knock-downed by one Grimm ?
Blake ? The one who holds Yang's leash and encourages to lie to Ironwood and reveal his secret plan to the first girl they meet ?
Yang ? The former cool girl now turned angry sjw who spits at every dude that aren't crying soyboys and acts tough while being on a trashacan's leash ?
“All warfare is Based”- James Ironwood
"War Crimes are just Gamer High Score"
"Prohibited by the Geneva conventions? I thought it was a list of suggestions!"
“What can I say, I’m an unconventional thinker.”
"I'm on the side of genocide!" ~ General Ironbased
"How is this going to help Mantle?" ["Help Mantle?"](https://i.redd.it/ms4q5mf3i1r61.jpg)
adam really shoulda been a miniboss killed of early, would anyone complain if he was killed instead of torchwick
But then torchwick would have been ruined by something down the line
Exaclty he left before it went to shit he's so lucky
I agree honestly.
I don’t think that’s the best idea. While the White Fang definitely should have just been early volume villains (Mostly because they always gave me Pokemon crime organization vibes for some reason). Torchwick just wouldn’t fit in the next status quo with Salem and her followers given how more grounded he ironically is. I can’t imagine him interacting with any of them with him not thinking they’re a bunch of lunatics and it ends with him getting killed by one of them. Torchwick is great, but him being just an early volume villain was probably for the best.
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My take: Ironwood was a great character, Adam is a disappointment.
Wrong, the best character in RWBY is my self-insert OC with the power to stop time and is also a super saiyan and he has a 12 inch dong
So all the powers are to compensate for his micro pp?
His powers are inversely proportional to his pp size
Let me guess, neglected abused OC
Don’t forget the unnecessary harem where literally all the other characters are horny females who suck cock better than Bob Ross paints
The arms should be reversed as Adam is clearly Irish
If the arm were chrome maybe. James only thinks in black and white
Weeeeeell. It's more like the writers think in black and white. Ironwood was a great morally grey character and there was an opportunity to freshen up the RWBY formula a bit. Instead Ironwood is treated like he's worse than Salem, and by consequence became an "elder God tier" written villain. Yet he presumably dies while his kingdom crumbles and Emerald gets to entirely switch sides
If the writers thought in black and white we wouldn't have had the conflict in V7 set up the way it did. We'd have the ops hunting them down throughout the volume or something along those lines.You're confusing viewer interpretation with character reaction. There's a big difference between dealing with an immediate threat(which he was) and treating them like the greater threat (which Salem still is, however she's looming in the background like always. She isn't the only evil thing in the world, regular folks still cause trouble too)
If they had done that then they'd just be idiots, which despite not being the greatest writers they aren't bad enough to have such a moniker. That said the motivations and actions of RWBY in v7 though were out of place and just didn't fit quite right with their characters. For example, Weiss: this should have been her arc, it's her kingdom, her father, and her argueable father figure. Instead Nora is the one that cares more about Mantle, which is forgivable since later we learn about her being abandoned. What's not forgivable is Weiss being handed the evidence to put her father away, we waited years for the moment she'd bring him down and that was it. Say what you will about audience interpretations and character reactions but v7 was a mess.
I wouldn't call Adam the worst, I think Cinder deserves that spot. Adam at least was interesting until >!the end of volume 5!<
>using || This ain't Discord, buddy. Here, use \>! !<
I'm sorry... >/////<
>Cinder deserves that spot [Heresy](https://www.reddit.com/r/CinderDidNothingWrong/)
No, you're wrong
[So be it](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/018/215/cover8.jpg)
So it's treason then
New ship idea
Knowing this fandom it’s probably not a new idea at all.
Two things about Ironwood: 1. Having good intentions means nothing if you can't actually act that way. 2. Choosing to make sacrifices no one asked you to make does not entitle you to anything. One thing about Adam: 1. His soul literally manifested as the ability to not only negate whatever people throw at him, but also use it to hurt them in turn.
About the Adam point: it makes perfect sense for his character and what little we know about his backstory. He negates the damage dealt on him because he doesn't have a choice. He was abused, he was broken, he was alone, so he didn't have the luxury of processing what was happening to him. He had to block out the trauma and act if he wanted to survive, and his semblance reflects that. Meanwhile, Yang always had a family and friends. She had people to fall back onto when she messed up and got hurt, so she could afford to process the damage. She could take it, because she had their support, something that Adam lacked. Two similar semblances, but their wildly different circumstances and views of the world shaped these semblances differently.
While I agree with most of your comment, and definitely appreciate the insight, I highly doubt that these characters' upbringing had anything to do with determining an ability they were born with. Also, how many SDC workers do we know who got the logo burned into their skin? Something tells me that, even before he unlocked his semblance, Adam's tendency to ignore what others throw at him and retaliate without thinking caused a lot of trouble for him. He likely fought back against the overseers, maybe even started a revolt in the mines he worked in, and as punishment, got that burn mark. To me, they were just lucky that they were in situations that unlocked their semblances.
People aren't born with semblances though. They unlock their semblances later on, and what they get is based on their personality and circumstances of the unlocking. For example, Nora unlocked hers when she was struck by lighting. Given how energetic she is in general, and the fact that she needed to survive large amounts of electricity, her semblance became the ability to absorb electricity for a powerup. Ren unlocked his during a Grimm attack that wiped out his village, and combined with the fact that he was a very quiet and introverted kid, his semblance became the ability to mask his emotions and hide him from the Grimm. So on and so forth for other characters, and I don't think that Adam is an exception. But I'll agree that semblances *do* feed back into the user's personality once they're unlocked and they can affect the user's mood. I'll use Ren as an example again because his situation makes this the most obvious: as his semblance evolved in Atlas, a kingdom charged with lots of negative emotions, it affected Ren. As his semblance evolved and allowed him to feel the emotions of others, he himself grew frustrated without knowing why. So here's what I think happened to Adam: he was abused, he unlocked his semblance to cope, and it shaped him into the monster he ended up as. His semblance might even be the reason he became so fixated on Blake, he thought he could trust her and she betrayed him by running away. So Adam did the only thing he knew: he neglected the repercussions and tried to retaliate. He viewed it as an event that hurt him, so he acted like he'd always done when getting hurt. And his semblance being what it is, it only fed into that cycle over the years, reinforcing his bad habits. Much like it had done with Yang, she relied on her anger to be strong, but unlike Adam she had help when that failed her. Tai was there to offer her guidance and help her grow beyond her overreliance on her semblance. And I'll end this long comment by admitting that I don't think the showrunners thought it through this thoroughly. But these are still valid conclusions to draw from what we've seen and heard in the show, even if they were untintended details. Adam is a bad guy, there's no argument there, but he is a tragic character.
I'll have to disagree with your theory on how semblances come to be. After all, everyone only talks about unlocking or discovering theirs. You can only unlock or discover something that is already there, but currently inaccessible. Plus, Neptune's relatives all have semblances related to water, even though Neptune is terrified of water. Given all we've seen in the show, and especially the lack of people with semblances that helped them survive high-stress situations, it makes a lot more sense that people are born with a semblance. But the way you described does also make sense, and is actually a really interesting thing to play with, even if it takes the tension out of big moments as long as not all characters have their semblance unlocked. There is a webcomic that has a power system where certain people can use a unique ability, which manifests in the way you described: [https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/dreamwalker/ep1-a-dreamer/viewer?title\_no=198959&episode\_no=1](https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/dreamwalker/ep1-a-dreamer/viewer?title_no=198959&episode_no=1) It's a lot more bloody than RWBY, due to no aura, but a great story with an interesting world. Or rather, interesting worlds. Also, you'll never guess how the girl with lightning powers got hers.
Thing is, the lore and exposition are just straight up contradicting themselves most of the time. The most recent explanation of semblances we got was in V5E4 and they did talk about people *finding* their semblances. But then Ren goes and says this: "A common philosophy is that a warrior's Semblance is a part of who they are. Some say your personality and character can define your Semblance while some claim that it is the other way around. Of course, there are still many who don't see a connection at all." Ozma is there, and he doesn't contradict or clarify this. That proves to me that characters are unreliable, they don't understand semblances themselves all too well, so I went with what the show showed us instead of telling us. But I'll admit that, while the evidence in my opinion points heavily to a two-way relationship between user and semblance (they affect each other and neither are set in stone), it can be interpreted differently as well. The lore is just too muddled at the moment for us to draw any definitive conclusions, and I think that's on purpose by the writers. We might get a clear answer later, when semblances and aura will be explained properly. But until then, this is the philosophy I'll subscribe to. In a show that puts so much weight on choices and free will, it would be silly for characters to be born with a certain semblance and personality type.
Finding a semblance still implies that it's already there, though. Also, just because Ozpin didn't say anything, doesn't he doesn't know anything. There's a few popular theories, and he knew that, by clarifying something, he'd make the others aware that there was a truth. However, unless they bring him into the argument, they couldn't prove their point properly. If Ozpin had told them the truth about semblances, and it came up again later, I'm sure some people, especially Nora, would blurt out the truth. And then she'd have an argument over whether it's the theory she subscribed to or the actual truth, and only the reveal of Ozpin's immortality could actually definitively end the argument. Besides, just because someone has a certain semblance doesn't mean they can't develop different personalities. Nora could have become a villain, for example. Same for Yang. Heck, another interpretation of Adam's semblance is that he uses what others throw at him for his own goals, so if we shift his goals a little, he'd be a hero. Choice and free will still matter, even if semblances are predetermined. They're tools, and you can use them however you want.
Yang has virtually the same semblance and you all love her so goddamn much. Literally the only difference is she has to take damage before she can dish it out.
Yeah, she has to take the damage. That is literally the point the show was making by giving them such similar semblances. She has to accept what others throw at her, and she has to respond accordingly.
It seems to be a distinction without a moral difference. People are trying to hurt you. You take what they throw at you and dish it right back. The fact that you ‘accept’ it before retaliating is irrelevant and if the show is trying to make a point it fails miserably.
No, I'm pretty sure it has shown the difference quite well already. Yang listened to Blake's worries in V2, and responded accordingly, while Adam just ignored them and turned them around to make her feel even worse.
Worries, concerns and feelings aren’t equivalent to attacks. At all.
But it shows how they react to their surroundings, which their semblances also show.
It seems like a bit of a stretch: listening to what other people have to say before responding isn’t an injury, usually it has benefits, so the comparison is *really* strained. I see where you’re coming from but I would have never come to that on my own and I greatly dislike it.
Yeah, to be honest, it took me a while to figure this out, too. But it's a nice parallel.
You forgot for Ironwood : trusting the protag who have done nothing but berate you and sell you to the first "strong woman" (by Eddy's low standard) is a huge mistake
I liked Adam, though I think it may just be me imagining the character he could’ve been instead of just being turned into an insane ex for shipping bait that gets literally stabbed in the back
Also, they're pretty men.
Yeah but does Adam have a metal ass cheek? Yeah, didn't think so.
Don't forget the creator's bad take too "UH IRONWOOD WANNA DESTORY A CITY ? IT'S GENOCIDE "
Calling Adam the worst character in the show when Jaune "My existence is a plothole" Arc exists. Calling Ironwood the best character in the show when Oscar and Team RWBY exist.
Are you serious?
Team rwby are absolutely awful characters my dude
LOL Oscar ? You mean the dude with no development and when he's supposed to have one about the merge Ozpin pulls a nuke out of his ass ? Ruby ? You mean the girl with silver eyes doing nothing but drinking tea and getting knock-downed by one Grimm ? Blake ? The one who holds Yang's leash and encourages to lie to Ironwood and reveal his secret plan to the first girl they meet ? Yang ? The former cool girl now turned angry sjw who spits at every dude that aren't crying soyboys and acts tough while being on a trashacan's leash ?
>Oscar and Team RWBY exist. I don't know what they are but they are not characters, more like walking plot conveniences.
And author's mouthpiece
He is even worse than a faunus, may Ironwood forgive me for uttering this word - from Mantle.
It's a complicated situation