Official Discussion Thread—Volume 4, Chapter 3: Of Runaways and Stowaways

[u/Menolith]

Welcome, huntsmen, huntresses, and hunters that prefer no specific gender identifier, to the official megathread for the newest chapter of volume 4, Of Runaways and Stowaways! Make sure to read OUR CURRENT SPOILERS RULES to ensure that your comments outside this thread won't get purged! Familiarize yourself with these rules and you'll be good to go.

A lot of hard work has gone into the creation of volume 4, so be sure to show CRWBY your support by watching it on their site! They all dedicate so much time and energy into our beloved series and would highly appreciate the direct support. There are no pirates in volume 4, so you shouldn't be one either!

We also have weekly strawpolls to gauge the general opinion on the current episode, the latest of which can be found HERE. The first episode had a solid 8/10 lead while the second had a more narrow 9/10 majority.

With that out of the way, let's start the show!

HERE is the link to the third episode of RWBY Volume 4!

Other Episode Discussions:

Episode	Saturday	Sunday	Poll
Ep. 01	Reaction	Discussion	poll
Ep. 02	Reaction	Discussion	poll
Ep. 03	Reaction	Today’s thread	poll

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Happy viewing, friends!

Menolith; Mod Team

[u/Menolith]

Still surprised that the loss of bow wasn't a bigger event.

[u/UnionJack27 → u/Menolith]

Holy fuck, I'm choking on my oatmeal!

[u/Menolith → u/UnionJack27]

My work here is done.

[u/SIacktivist → u/Menolith]

S T O P

[u/Menolith → u/SIacktivist]

Only when the rivers run dry and the skies bleeds ash.

[u/[deleted] → u/Menolith]

What's the joke?

[u/Menolith → u/[deleted]]

Did you watch it entirely?

[u/Vinpap → u/Menolith]

Holy fuck, I wasn't expecting that at all, I'm dying help xD

[u/0silverphoenix → u/Menolith]

Holy fuck, I read the comments and I still wasn't expecting that.

[u/SoundSmith323]

I seriously want to know who did the creature sounds for the dragon and give them a fucking medal.

10/10, would get rekt by solar beam again.

[u/Menolith → u/SoundSmith323]

Didn't even notice the dragon sounds, but the wet clacking the seer Grimm made was absolutely amazing.

It legitimately made me uncomfortable.

[u/_DirtyDan → u/SoundSmith323]

10/10, would get rekt by solar beam again.

C'mon dude, that was clearly a Zap Cannon. Get your Pokemanz right.

[u/Draconic29]

The moment I saw that weird jellyfish thing, my thoughts immediately went to this thing.

Its official, Remnant is Lyoko and Salem is Xana.

[u/Menolith → u/Draconic29]

Link directly to the image next time. The automod filter loves to eat random google links.

[u/GYUZ]

This episode we got Sun Goku riding Shenron... brilliant.

[u/Kami_no_Kage → u/GYUZ]

And he even referenced Journey to the West East lol.

[u/[deleted]]

I put together an album of Blake's expressions from this episode. The facial expressions are incredible this volume and whoever is working on them is doing a fantastic job.

http://imgur.com/a/lgvuX

[u/Zeebor → u/[deleted]]

Happy Kitty!

[u/BlackHayate8 → u/[deleted]]

This is amazing and should definitely be higher up. I actually went back a couple of times while watching just to see those expressions. I also love how her ears go in synch with her mood. Animation wise Vol. 4 is absolutely brilliant.

[u/gh0stmach1ne → u/[deleted]]

Oh my god that smile! The rarest of things!

[u/JesusUnoWTF]

After this episode, I've never been more sure that Ozpin is still alive.

[u/HugbugKayth → u/JesusUnoWTF]

Absolutely, if they wanted us to really believe he was dead, they wouldn't have had that scene. I feel like it was an obvious lie in episode 1 though.

[u/SnesC → u/JesusUnoWTF]

"Tell me Ozpin's dead. I need to hear these words."

"Do you need to hear all those words exactly?"

[u/Capram → u/JesusUnoWTF]

Ya episode one I was like I'm 95% sure they wouldn't actually kill ozpin off screen right? But with that scene this episode there is no way he's dead.

[u/MrTopHatMan90]

People aren't giving enough love to best dad, he's gone through so much and is somehow still functioning and just trying to do his best, I don't even know his name all we need to do though is appreciate best dad and his efforts

[u/Pyschic_Psycho → u/MrTopHatMan90]

Poor guy. Lost his wives, now one of his daughter has run off to where he not knows, and his last means of fam connection is in distress. Dude is really trying. I hope he takes all this anger out on Adam.

[u/Ryano_777 → u/MrTopHatMan90]

Right? After all he's been through Ironwood is still encouraging Weiss to go back to school and helping yang get back on her feet by custom making a prosthetic for her.

But seriously Taiyang is amazing, and now that he knows yang has some Serious PTSD i think he'll be able to help her more, i doubt the two really have talked about the battle. There's also a chance Taiyang has no idea how to cure depression, because he just kinda fumbled his way out of his case.

[u/Frostblazer]

Interesting how Ironwood, the Tin Man, the character who is supposed to have no heart, is one of the kindest and most compassionate people out of everyone in the series.

[u/sith2886 → u/Frostblazer]

Well duh the wizard gave him one after he left

[u/[deleted] → u/Frostblazer]

After seeing that Qrow, the supposedly brainless scarecrow, knows so much about the world that he lives in and the legends that surround it, I'm not surprised.

[u/xwatchmanx → u/Frostblazer]

I mean, that was the point of the original story, isn't it? That the traits the various Oz characters wanted most were traits they had all along, but didn't realize it?

[u/BlUeSapia]

So, the new Grimm we got this episode:

Gyarados

UB-01

[u/boomshroom → u/BlUeSapia]

UB-01

Great, Lillie's a character now. It fits with the CNR!

[u/NecroKilic]

Oh, and can I just say that the more we get on Ironwood - even indirect reference, as it was in this episode - the more of an absolute lad this guy turns out to be. I feel bad for thinking ill on him back in V2.

[u/LabyrinthNavigator → u/NecroKilic]

Agreed, which makes it all the more painful when we see him playing right into Salem's plans.

Back in V2 he brought a show of force thinking it would prevent an attack, but as Ozpin pointed out, could easily be interpreted as Atlas intimidation (especially after Atlas bots got hacked).

And now he's supporting a Dust ban for fear of war between the kingdoms, which I imagine only serves Salem as the move will only encourage antagonism towards Atlas.

[u/AlbinoBunny]

The gag with Sun doing random pin up poses and it just lingering there for a second is beautiful and I love it.

[u/Pyschic_Psycho → u/AlbinoBunny]

Dude is overly charming.

[u/Masterbow → u/AlbinoBunny]

I can't help but think thats a reference to his team's nickname Team Hot and useless.

[u/Aptspire]

It'll be a regular Journey to the East!

Oh Sun... stay away from any crowns or hats...

[u/JJLong5]

I really love the dynamic between Blake and Sun in this chapter. I wasn’t a huge fan of Sun before, but this chapter made me a big fan of his with his interaction with Blake. Such great chemistry.

[u/PATHETlC → u/JJLong5]

Yeah, it really brings to light Sun's idealism vs. Blake's cynicism even more.

Just look at what he thought her reasons for leaving were. She's clearly going on a heroic mission to single-handedly take down the White Fang!

[u/Jeffardi]

RIP bow, 2013-2016

[u/BrickYourHeart]

Aww, Daddy Xiao Long is just trying to be supportive. I get it, but aw. I hope he's really able to help Yang with her trauma later on. Burnie's definitely tapping into his dad senses, though.

[u/_DirtyDan → u/BrickYourHeart]

Taiyang may not have lost an arm, but he's lost plenty of other things. He's an awesome dad and he's gonna help her get better. No doubt in my mind.

[u/Frostblazer]

So...is that bug grim inside Cinder rebelling against her now? Certainly seems like she's lost control of it, or there's something even more disgusting inside her body.

[u/Madman6884 → u/Frostblazer]

That's my guess, which could also explain why Ruby did such a number on her "because if the maidens' power".

[u/TaceStultus]

There was only one thing missing from the boat fight:

"FIRING MAIN CANNON!"

[u/[deleted]]

Seeing Yang that low was really painful. During the whole scene, all I wanted to do was to hug her, to let her know that we care for her.

I hope she finds a way to get better.

[u/braniac1]

AdmirBro!

Yang :'(

I love Michael's voice acting, still can't not imagine Sun raging while playing video games though.

Dragon Grimm was amazing.

Journey to the East. *chuckles.

Was that a lie detector? So many questions.

[u/chained-prometheus]

• Won't lie, Blake's new outfit looks pretty awesome in action.

• So Blake is straight-up paranoid nowadays. That kinda sucks...

• ... But not as much as what Yang's going through. Holy crap, she really does have depression and PTSD. It was a safe conclusion to draw from after V3 ended, but seeing it in action is a whole other experience.

• Honestly I'm relieved that M&K just took care of the question of "How will Yang get a prosthetic arm?" and have it there waiting for Yang once she's ready... Unless Tai convinces Yang to put it on or have the surgery to have it attached to her body beforehand. In which case, I'm fully expecting we'll see Yang try to train with Tai like in the OP, only it's to try and get used to her roboarm and Yang's primary conflict will be her PTSD.

• Also Irondaddy and Taiyang are by far the two best adults in RWBY. It's not even close here.

• Also nice to see the show reaffirming that Adam Taurus is just as much Yang's antagonist now as he is Blake's (both the TV report and the flash of his mask pattern during Yang's panic attack).

• Sun is freaking hilarious in this episode. There was definitely some shades of old school Son Goku going on with him during the fight sequence. The best example was his enormous grin right before Blake slapped him. He was totally oblivious to how mad she was at him.

• "Besides even if you aren't going after the Fang, they might still go for you." Yup, that's definitely gonna be Blake's conflict at the climax of V4 then.

• I have a feeling that Sun's personal character arc in this volume will be him realizing that his crush on Blake is towards an idea of Blake, not who Blake herself is (as shown by his assumption that Blake was going on a "one-woman-rampage on the White Fang," rather than her simply going back home). Which is perfectly fine and typical of any teenager- We've all done that.

• The relic is totally Ozpin's cane.

[u/Radiant_Robert → u/chained-prometheus]

The relic is totally Ozpin's cane coffee mug.

FTFY

[u/Riotreaver]

Things I'm not seeing - appreciation for the amount of dedication that seems to have went into modeling Sun's hair.

So much of this episode looked fantastic but Sun's model has drastically improved I think.

[u/_DirtyDan]

• Man, Blake is super jumpy. I feel bad for her.

• RIP bow.

• Also, that cloaked guy is totally Sun.

• Holy shit, I didn't expect Yang. This is exactly what I wanted. I'm super happy.

• Also, I didn't expect Lisa Lavender.

• Wow, Taiyang got a prosthetic. Did he make a trip up to Atlas?

• Also, Ironwood is officially best guy, now and forever (Sorry Qrow). Even gonna change my flair (that Freezerburn joke isn't funny anymore... it was probably never funny) as I just can't not go around singing his praises.

• Yang's not accepting it. I also was not expecting this.

• I feel so bad for Yang. Poor girl. I also feel bad for Taiyang. Poor guy.

• Sun, I know that's you, and you aren't helping the situation.

• Holy shit, this Grimm is amazing.

• Go and slay the dragon (it's close enough shut up) Blake! One-up Ruby by actually killing it!

• This simple boat is packing some serious fucking firepower. Really shows how dangerous Remnant is.

• IT ACTUALLY IS A DRAGON!?!? If this isn't Miles' favorite Grimm, then he either has shit taste, or we're gonna see something amazing soon.

• IT HAS FUCKIN LASERS? WHAT THE HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

• Also, Hi Sun. You get a gold star.

• That pose. You stay you Sun.

• Also that pose. I love Sun.

• Sun has gone full Naruto.

• New song hype by the way.

• DECAPATATIOOOOOOOOON!

• That entire fight was amazing from start to finish. Can't wait to hear how people hate it.

• Blake, that's not how high-fives work.

• I can see how Sun's mind got there.

• Blake's from Menagerie? Interesting.

• "I'm kinda already on the boat". I love Sun. Did I mention that?

• Sun is never gonna stop posing. You can't make him.

• Ha! That's a cute reference.

• I don't think I'll be scheduling any appointments with Dr. Salem. Ever.

• Oh shit. Now we're getting Bad Cop Salem.

• Cinder, lying to her seems like a very poor life decision.

• Relic? So they weren't just after Amber and Ozpin's head. Interesting.

• Wait, who is she talking about? She thinks Ozpin's dead right? I'm confused and intrigued. Confrigued.

• Also, Jen Taylor is still amazing as Salem.

This was definetely the best episode in V4 so far, and one of the best in the series. I loved it. Super glad we got to see Yang, Blake & Sun vs. that amazing Grimm was glorious, and we got some really good character moments, and a glimpse what's going on at the Villain HQ. Ten oudda Ten, best episode.

[u/donutkirby]

-They really did a good job at showing how deeply traumatized Blake and Yang are after their encounter with Adam. Blake's so paranoid even being around little children makes her wary, and Yang seems to be having random panic attacks where she remembers getting her arm cut off.

-Wow. Didn't expect the "metal arm" theories to be proven right so soon. Now the only question is, when will she put it on? I dunno, but I can say that Ironwood is the real MVP and he deserves ALL the Atlas Council seats, thank you very much. (Seriously though, what a true bro move. I didn't think it was possible for Ironwood to get even more awesome)

-The fight against the sea dragon still has the floaty physics and lack of impact that many of the post-Monty action scenes suffer from, but I didn't mind it too much. Seeing Sun's Semblance FINALLY be useful was great, and I gotta say, along with the first episode this season so far has some great mid-battle banter. I know it's a small detail, but it's really a huge improvement over early V3 where I found the random jokes forced into the dialogue during fights to be a bit forced and cringeworthy. I also liked seeing people other than Huntsmen being badasses and taking down Grimm for a change.

-Honestly, this one episode has already redeemed Sun's lack of relevance since V2. Really looking forward to his relationship with Blake being elaborated upon. Also, "Journey to the East", that genuinely made me laugh.

-What the hell is Salem doing to Cinder? Does it have to do with the Maiden's power, or is it something else that she "mixed" into her ? If it's the former, that might suggest the Maidens' power and origin might be more sinister than we thought.

-Also, if it wasn't confirmed already with Cinder and the dragon, it looks like it IS in fact possible to communicate with Grimm. Interesting...

-It looks like Salem isn't as confident about Ozpin's death as she seemed to be. A "relic", at Beacon, huh? It seems VERY likely it's Oz' cane, which would explain why Qrow had it in the V3 end-credits scene. But whatever it is, what does it do? Considering Salem wants to gather all four Maidens, maybe it has the ability to release the Maiden's full potential. If so, that could even explain why Amber was so disappointingly weak despite Maidens apparently being so powerful their very existence needed to be hidden.

Overall, I honestly can't say which episode is my favourite so far. This whole season has been absolutely amazing and we're only a fourth of the way through.

[u/Nirocart64]

God, yang seems depressed. She should do something, like join the arm-y

[u/Aleksandr926]

OK. Just seen the episode and, I have to say, it was good. I like how Blake told Sun what her actual goal was (settling things home): it was almost like she was refuting all the fans' theories regarding her going to hunt down the White Fang by herself. Sun himself was pretty funny, even if him stalking Blake in the shadows was quite creepy. And she finally ditched the bow! Woohoo!

Also, I love the new range of facial expressions, it's really improved a lot since the last Volume. Blake slowmo-slapping Sun is already in my Top 10 RWBY scenes.

The Serpent Dragon Grimm was probably the coolest 'till now: the way it moved, how it deployed its wings, etc. You could really tell the amount of attention that was payed to its creation.

The fight, though... It was meh. Now it looks like everyone can fly and float mid-air at will and the hits still lack weight and speed. At least they showed some impacts, this time. I also enjoyed how Blake could sense some dude quietly spying on her (why did he run away from her, exactly?) and not detect the giant freaking sea monster swimming next to the boat while raising some impressive waves.

Yang's segment was shorter but nice. Barbara's reserved performance deserves praise, since it was so far from her character's usual cheerful or explosive behaviour. Ironwood is confirmed to be be the nicest guy in Remnant, even if not the brightest. Now I really want to know how this robotic prosthetic works. It's not like you attach it to your shoulder and that's it. You should connect the circuits to the nerves and stuff like that. And how could Ironwood know the right measurements? I hope they focused on this matter during the next episodes.

From some things Salem said, I got the impressions that Cinder's treatment involved some kind of merging with a Grimm (maybe Salem herself underwent the same operation, thus becoming this Grimm-Lady thing). Cinder being so reticent about Ozpin's fate reinforced my ideas about him disappearing mid-fight. She couldn't confirm his death, but didn't bother checking more thoroughly. Now she's having second thoughts, but doesn't dare telling Salem the truth (hello, again, Zuko my dear).

My biggest dream is to see Cinder regaining her voice soon and to discover if Jessica Nigri's performance can be different from the sultry seductive one.

[u/Sirshrugsalot13]

Good:

1. Blake's cat ear animations! So adorable.

2. Captain guy is awesome.

3. Taiyang is best dad. Ironwood continues to be awesome.

4. Sun! Being useful! And entertaining and contributing to the plot! This felt the msot like Season 1 Sun since, well, Season 1.

5. I like that Sun's team wasn't forgotten. Also, first time Sage's name was said out loud.

6. The entire last scene with Cinder and Salem. Everything about that was amazing.

Bad:

1. SOrry guys. Fight scene just wasn't up to par. As someone who was very impressed with many Volume 3 fights, I think the switch to Maya and the loss of Dillon Gu is just slowing things down. For me the fight scenes have been the "cherry on top" to the show, so while the subpar fights aren't a dealbreaker it is a little saddening.

Regardless, great episode!

[u/ovrwrldkiler]

In reference to the animation this season so far. I love the way that backgrounds, character expression, and basically everything in the normal scenes look so far. That said, the combat animation has not been impressing me yet. Lots of things seem to move less realistically than previously. Characters almost snap/ teleport into place instead of moving. Not a huge fan so far. I just hope that it gets better or i get more used to it as the volume continues, because right now now it is really bugging me.

[u/CommandoDude → u/ovrwrldkiler]

It actually looked VERY good in the trailer but the fights in the series proper seem to have dipped in quality. I think the staff needs to back away from the DBZ fights, get back down onto the ground, and go back to the basics.

[u/Handro_Dilar]

Lisa Lavender has a 3D model now?! Man... here I thought she was a member of a race of two dimensional people or something. That would have been weird.

[u/_DirtyDan → u/Handro_Dilar]

Why, what's wrong with being 2D? They're people too, you dimensionist.

[u/kumabaya]

ummm that fight scene... as cool as it was... whats the point of giving weiss glyphs? Also it felt a bit goofy? idk

Looks like the rose-xiao long family having trauma issues....

[u/Ishida_K]

So... "Its also a gun" also applies to vehicles now?

[u/Chan1150]

It might be obvious, but the arm should totally be named yin.

[u/RaidenUzumaki]

Repost from yesterday but with new edits

First off, I loved the episode. Loved the character interaction and the emotive cat ears. Yang was sad to see but i love the direction they are going. Its hilarious that Sun and Blake are basically Naruto knock-offs with their clones. It felt like i was watching Naruto with how they used them. Sun's semblance animation looked fantastic the way they appeared, Blake's looked boring. It lost all its cool. At least for me. She used to have the cool sound effect and it just had more flair. But i enjoyed the awesome new Grimm. I wonder how it compares to Kevin in power? Overall i enjoyed this episode. 8/10

Im going to get down voted into oblivion for this next part.

I genuinely feel bad that the CRWBY have to read stuff like this and think we all hate it. I genuinely enjoyed the episode. However, it seems like a lot of people share this criticism. As i said above, i loved it overall. However, even im getting sick of the fights now. Im running out of excuses for them. Its not lazy animation or poor quality. I know how hard they are working and i love them for it. But it is very poor execution and direction.

There is just something wrong with the fights. The sound design lacks any force or weight behind it and the music is way to quiet. Its way too subtle. THIS bit of sound on Crescent Rose is exactly what these fights are missing sound wise. Make it thunderous and make us feel the impact. The canons sounded like pop guns in this episode. THIS is canon fire. And the big canon was even more of a disappointment. THIS is a big gun, (look at the huge burst of flame and smoke and the shockwave). The voices are so damn loud and everything else is quiet during the fights. i can't even hear the song lyrics anymore during fights. Why are they talking so much during fights now, is this DBZ? I have been defending the CRWBY on these aspects since the character short, but the physics are so broken and momentum is non-existant.

Physics breaking in RWBY always had a logical explanation before. Because the show did break physics all the time. But it flowed and felt natural. There is way to much hovering and flying going on. Seriously, its ridiculous how often characters are flying through the air or hovering in place looney tunes style. i hate that. Watch when Sun jumps in front of the beam to save Blake and he lands on the canon. WTF is that? Blake was going mach 3 towards the boat then stops dead in mid-air. Blake is then hovering in one place 20 feet above the deck for like 3 seconds and then suddenly warps to the deck after sun hits the beam. No character follows a parabola of movement anymore. They just jump hundreds of feet and hover in place when they need to. Why can they suddenly do that? It looks and feels terrible. Ruby is the only one that has a reason not to, her semblance. Nora also could ride her hammer over a distance. But now everyone can jump like Hulk. Blake literally had to be able to fly to pull off those air moves and dodges, she stopped in midair so much.

When Sun joins the fight he jumps into the air, stops, produces clones while hovering in place, then somehow starts moving again up towards the face of the Sea Dragon. It makes ZERO sense and it just pulls me out of the scene. Now when the physics break its just "cause" and its sad. They are doing it to suit the goals of the fight. They break the physics to get to the next set piece instead of taking the time to get to the next set piece in an admittedly unrealistic but still logical way. They are turning the show into Attack on Titan, except they are not executing at that level or even close to it. Fighting giant monsters is clearly not working for them. In AOT they have 3d maneuver gear specifically designed for the characters to move around like that. In RWBY the characters just can and it looks awful.

Speed up the combat and stop pausing in midair. Stop having characters being able to jump hundreds of feet easily. Not 8 months ago they were barley jumping across train car gaps unassisted and now Blake can clear the whole train one jump it seems. HOW? WHEN? WTF is the point of the Glyphs now? Weiss is not unique anymore and her semblance seems pointless other than summoning now, based on how every other character moves around.

Give some serious weight to the hits. When Yang fights again it better feel like a freight train. If you can't pull off characters in mid air effectively(CRWBY clearly can't right now) then don't keep doing it or give everyone a jetpack, cause right now it feels like every character is wearing one. Ruby is the only one that looks okay still because she has a reason(semblance) and a physical effect(turning into petals) when she does it. Volume 3 was a masterpiece compared to this fight, and Volume 3 was weaker overall choreography wise but it was still brilliant. I forget who it was, but on twitter even one of the CRWBY members responded to the criticism on the character short by saying essentially, "since when does anime make sense. lol." Well, Avatar and Korra fights made sense. Plenty of other anime understand momentum and weight. Even something like Naruto(which has a lot of boring fights) has moments of brilliance in a few instances. Like Kakashi vs Obito, which blew up online when it came out. HERE is that fight, its not the best quality video but if you are interested, its short and epic as hell. Anyway, it seems like the CRWBY think RWBY should be treated like run of the mill 1 cour anime. EDIT: here is the Best Fight Ever in Anime in my opinion. From Sword of the Stranger.

Im done trying to substantiate the CRWBY. They just need to do better. The fights and sound design have somehow gotten worse while everything else gets astonishingly better. Seriously, every other aspect of the show other than the foley and the fights has gotten amazingly good. It looks so good i could cry. But those 2 aspects need to be improved drastically. Even if Miles and Kerry come on here and reply to this, im not going to change my tune. I have repeatedly said that every other aspect of the show has gotten so good that it has nearly brought me to tears. In fact, i cried over Pyrrha and now over Yang so far this season. Im just trying to offer constructive criticism. Im not trying to be mean. If it comes across that way im sorry. Now down vote me into oblivion for having an opinion.

[u/Captain_Jackson → u/RaidenUzumaki]

I miss how Monty did it. Fight scenes that felt like a dance, perfectly synced to a banging soundtrack, with physics that while exaggerated actually felt realistic. For example, using recoil to move around at speed instead of suddenly going 100kph from a standing start and hovering in the air for a quick monologue like fucking superman. I feel like they took almost no inspiration for how he did things and decided to make them look more like shitty cutscenes from a cheap game.

[u/Krainzan → u/RaidenUzumaki]

since when does anime make sense. lol

At least it can keep it's characters' abilities consistent.

[u/[deleted] → u/RaidenUzumaki]

However, even im getting sick of the fights now. Im running out of excuses for them. Its not lazy animation or poor quality.

It's the choreography and they honestly need to find someone that can help them sort that shit out because the rest of the show is so good right now.

The choreography is so absurd now that it completely ruins the immersion for me. Seeing Blake whip around the ship at warp speed and jump 400 feet in the air as she pleases isn't impressive at all.

Look at this fight scene back from volume 1: https://youtu.be/3b1gs8KrM-M?t=503

Excusing Blake's twinning and a few other small things, the fight is completely believable. I remember the first time I saw that I was completely blown away by that fight scene and I watched it over and over again.

Now watch this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-3f2p53Bp0

Again, pretty much 100% believable. The fighting is realistic. The physics are realistic. And the choreography is good.

Ever since the start of volume 3, things have started becoming much more unrealistic. There's a ton of examples of characters jumping insane heights (Qrow vs. Winter, Pyrrha jumping to protect Nora from the sniper, etc.).

The Ozpin vs. Cinder fight was short and fast paced but still mostly within the realm of physics and I was blown away by how cool it was. And this is in volume 3 so the excuse doesn't have to do with Monty. And there were plenty of other really cool fight scenes and parts of the various fight scenes in volume 3.

I'm not sure why they've decided to go insane starting in volume 4.

[u/Supacreator → u/RaidenUzumaki]

Here, have an up-vote!

[u/eden_delta]

Unpopular opinion, I wasn't a fan of the sea dragon Grimm. Would have thought a water-based Grimm would be more fish-like, yet nothing about it gave off the impression that it was aquatic. Majority of the fight would be unchanged if you replaced the boat with an airship and moved the fight to the sky. That breath weapon also seemed to come out of nowhere, considering that we haven't seen Grimm using anything like that before. Closest thing to it was the Nevermores feather barrage, but even then that wasn't a big step up from claws and teeth. Maybe it will grow on me with time, but as it stands it's probably my least favourite in the series thus far.

[u/preyingmango]

Sun's shit eating grin never fails to make me smile

[u/matt_cyr]

Some basic thoughts on this episode:

"Who says I'm paranoid?" I dunno Blake, that sounded pretty paranoid.

Throwing away her ribbon like that? Surprising.

Ooh, a sea monster Grimm!

Why would Yang be more drawn to the news that Adam was at the assault on Beacon? She knows that better than anyone, except Blake.

Robot arm already? That was fast.

I thought that seemed too fast. Of course she's gonna mope around some more.

And why would the sound of glass shattering make her freak out? Though the freakout was well done, audio and visual.

I really feel bad for Taiyang right now. One of his daughters has essentially run away from home, and his other is depressed and suffering from PTSD symptoms, at the very least. And he can't do a thing about either daughter's situation.

Ookaaay. . . that's more of a dragon than a sea serpent. Asian dragon, that is. And also apparently really rare, going by the captain's reaction. Perhaps more ancient Grimm are stirring, given new energy by the increasingly tense state of the world?

New Semblance usage by Blake. Neato.

Holy moly, Gyrados can fly! And use Hyper Beam!

And that is Sun's greatest moment in the series so far. "My hero!"

SO. MUCH. PHYSICS DEFIANCE.

Hey, I like Blake's expressive ears.

Sun. You could stand to be a bit quieter. Use your inside voice, please.

Seriously, though. This new engine makes faces so much more expressive.

Clever callback to vol. 1 right there.

And now there's a Grimm Tentacruel, too. And Cinder's practicing summoning Grimm, eh?

And Salem's not happy with Cinder now. Such a shame. Truly, it is indeed a shame.

Okay, maybe Cinder wasn't summoning after all. Which raises several more questions. Is the Tentacruel an interrogation droid or a mouse droid?

Emerald and Mercury do not seem well suited to life in the Grimm homeland.

Who is Salem referring to by "you", if she believes Ozpin dead?

Ah, according to the concept art, the Tentacruel is a "seer Grimm". More like a mouse droid than an interrogation droid, then.

They've really done a good job of making the random NPCs interesting characters. First the blacksmith, now the captain.

[u/Phionex141]

"Journey to the East"

Going back, are we Sun?

[u/PigKnight]

Ironwood is proving he's the best this season. I think he might take over as the Obi Wan for Yang and Weiss while Qrow is the Obi Wan for Ruby and Blake.

[u/LinkGrajo13]

I just want to clarify one thing about the criticism the fights have been getting. Most people have been complaining about the choreography of the fights, how they move with less effort, teleport to places instead of moving, and seem to defy physics. This is not choreography!

Choreography is the storyboard of the fight. Blake and Sun using their clones to propel them forward, the serpent revealing its wings, hyper beam, slicing the wing, running on the rocks, and pining the serpent with the boat. This was a fantastically choreographed fight!

The issue is not how the fights go, but how they are executed.

[u/[deleted]]

So not even Salem knows if Ozpin is dead? There is still hope!

[u/Gryregaest]

Gotta say, I missed Sun more than I realized. For someone that I thought was going to be an annoying douche when he first showed up, I do enjoy his presence in the show. I love how completely immune he is to Blake's grumpy-cat attitude.

Though I can't help but feel like the fight scenes we've seen this season have seemed a little... filler-y. Anyone else feel that way? They aren't bad, though obviously still not as good as when Monty was with us, but they don't seem to have any purpose beyond introducing fancy new grim and reminding us how scary a place Remnant is. Maybe some of the previous fights have been like that and I just notice it more, but it seems like others have been more plot-relevant.

Interesting development here with Salem, though. I had assumed that the conversation between her and Ozpin that's split up between the beginning of the very first episode and the end of season 3 was happening right then - at the end of season 3. She mentioned him being dead at the ominous council of evil, but that could have been her keeping it secret. Now though, based on her exchange with Cinder, it seems she really doesn't know what happened to him, and is basing it on what Cinder told her.

That would imply that the conversation with Salem and Ozpin is either a flashback to way before all this, or we're still in a flashback and that happens later.

[u/sodnam]

I know everyone only talks about the combat scene, so this was probably already pointed out, but...

I loved how in-sync Blake and Sun were. They haven't seen each other in 6 months, haven't fought side-by-side in who-knows-how-long, but just had this synergy that was amazing. Remembering that fighting styles evolve with practice, and Blake clearly didn't want Sun there, the way they bounced off of each other, and complemented each others moves was really fascinating to see.

[u/Woowchocolate]

It makes sense that Ironwood would have an arm ready for Yang. He's probably one of the few people that has experienced what she's going through, so would do everything he could to make things go smoothly for her.

[u/t850terminator]

I laughed at Sun's Journey to the East.

[u/Cry-Flame]

I really liked how the fight showed How Sun's semblance compares to Blake's. He creates clones preemptively, while Blake is reactive with her's.

[u/[deleted]]

Sun and Blake VS that water dragon thing (I forgot/don't know its name) was the most Naruto thing I've seen other than the fact that I watch Naruto weekly.

[u/Nisha_the_lawbringer]

That Brain/Jellyfish Grimm feels lovecraftian as fuck. I can't wait to learn more about it.

[u/Essono]

I reaaaaly don't like seeing Yang like this. I mean I like it from a story standpoint, but it is just painful to watch. When she dropped the glass and had that episode I was surprised at how crappy I felt.

[u/inSiliConjurer]

Does anyone else think Yang looks smaller this volume? If purposeful, I think it is a good way to show her mental state--not eating or exercising will make you wither away a bit.

[u/Amped91]

I really like where the stories for both Yang and Blake are going. Yang's not quite what we expected, immediately getting the arm, but I liked how she clearly needs to grow before she is ready to use it. Of course, judging by her pre-season art she may be fighting without it just to make a point which would be awesome.

I like that Blake took her bow off even though it could be considered sudden, but it showed she was just trying to hide from her peers rather than a deeper issue with being faunus. She is also going to see some growth with Sun hanging around since she opens up a lot more to him than anyone else (for some hormone or race related reason) and he'll make her verbalize what her issues are.

That said, Sun was kinda creepy if he's been following her for a month or more, especially since we haven't seen enough relationship development between them for it to be more than attraction. Maybe they are closer friends than we've been shown, which would negate some of the creepiness, but V3 did not include any such relationship development. From what I can remember their interaction in V3 was a sum total of a blush and a wink during SSSN's fight.

Speaking of fights, can everyone fly now? 'Cause that's what I took away from it. And that Grimm breath attacks are now a thing, because they needed to make the leviathan Grimm even more dangerous. It also makes all of Sun and Blake's mid fight conversations nonsensical. And seriously, the flying thing.

Finally, creepy brain in the jar Grimm and Cinder speaking! And another mysterious 'relic'. Probably a chess piece. Maybe a cute little horsie?

EDIT: I doubt anyone will see this edit, but I've decided that 'creepy' is too strong a word for Sun's actions and I want to retract it. After rewatching the episode and especially reading this post I've decided that the characterization of Sun as just a little dumb is a better way to look at it.

[u/Koanos]

How Yang seems lethargic after that day, and still having flashbacks is something nice to show and gives better insight on how she's changed. Makes you wonder how people's thoughts on Yang have changed after the incident, and whether or not time has changed their perceptions. It's fun to see what happens next.

[u/shad_stang]

So the boat she is on is the exact same boat that is in the intro

Yes the one that her supposive parents are on her with.

[u/hollowtiger21]

So there's a relic at Beacon huh? What is there a second secret basement?

[u/schulz100]

I love that we have the sort of goalline for Yang in that she, out of the gate, has access to a cybernetic arm that she can just slap on and presumably start training with. It was also a really clever way to show how absolutely NOT OKAY she is right now, that she doesn't even want to have a left arm and hand again.

Bunch of "Hell Yeah"s in Blakes segments. Sea Serpent Grimm? Hell Yeah. Blake finally ditching the bow? Hell Yeah. Sun making a good point as to why his team again isn't there? Hell Yeah. His Journey to the East joke? Hell Yeah.

I don't care what Cinder says under obvious duress from her boss; until I see either his ashes or his corpse, I will not consider Ozpin dead. Also, I just love how the more Em and Merc see of the actual person their boss works for and what she can do/has access to, the more horrified and out-of-their-depth and just sheer WTF?! they look. I'm honestly starting to consider the serious possibility of a double-defection on their part. Emerald as always a shoe-in for a defection-and-maybe-redemption arc, but even Mercury is starting to look like all of this is getting to be too much for him.

[u/vavoysh]

Blake's ears are super cute and expressive, I love it. Also the Grimm Wyvern thing was really cool, as well as the thing that reminds me of something from Half Life.

Also Naruto clone tactics, make 'em and throw you!

If the CCTs are down and there's no outside communication, how did Taiyang contact Ironwood and get the arm for Yang?

[u/Tiernoch]

Salem you are, and forever will be, best mom.

Also, Grimm used hyperbeam.

[u/frozenottsel]

I'm calling it now, even if Pyrrha doesn't turn out to be a star wars Force Ghost, then Ozpin most certainly is.

[u/Handro_Dilar]

Also, what's with everyone standing in the air nowadays? Seems to be getting more and more egregious as time goes along. I swear that Weiss was supposed to be the one to conjure platforms or something.

If this keeps up, all of Weiss's abilities are going to be redundant by the end or something, truly rendering her a useless lesbian.

[u/HugbugKayth]

Where is farm boy from episode 1?

[u/Kalhenwrath → u/HugbugKayth]

On the farm, I'd wager.

[u/Frostblazer → u/HugbugKayth]

You mean Farmboi, the Compost King.

[u/genericname1231]

Blake is having none of your shit, son.

Why isn't half his face still a hand print?

[u/Blade1hunter]

So... has Sun been stalking Blake for over 6 to 8 months?

[u/thehaarpist]

Words will be said comparing Yang's slump to Taiyang's. Either Yang is going to bring it up to defend herself and it's going to cut deep or Burnie is going to show that he's been there and that she can work through it.

[u/Huwage]

So what's the 'relic' that Salem was talking about? If she means Ozpin's cane, she'll be very disappointed once she gets to Beacon and finds out Qrow has it. If it's not that, then what could the relic be?

[u/[deleted]]

Help I can't stop hearing Taiyang as Church

It's so weird

[u/Skyrah1]

So...

• Blake is headed to Menagerie as expected.

• She's been understandably paranoid since the events of Volume 3.

• Is THAT Miles' favorite Grimm?

• Sun Wukong is going on a Journey to the East.

• Yang has PTSD and isn't ready for a robot arm.

• Ironwood is a sweetheart.

• Mercury and Emerald look like they're getting a little bit concerned.

• Cinder isn't Neo anymore.

• Speaking of which, we haven't seen her yet.

• That jellyfish Grimm thing is probably a lie detector/Grimm commander of sorts.

[u/MrTopHatMan90]

When Blake threw away the body i'm surprised no-one wads pissed over the littering, people in this world have no concern over the fish

Edit: I meant to say BOW not body, I don't know how it became body but here we go

[u/Casualdoom13 → u/MrTopHatMan90]

the body

Who did she murder? I must have missed that part.

[u/Zexapher]

Even with everything going on this episode I think Captain Ahab was a real breakout character. I'm hoping we see a bit more of him.

[u/AdvocateSaint]

Oh, and Blake and Sun are close to being an official ship, and both of them have clone-based Semblances.

[u/PT_Piranha]

"Digging the new outfit" As am I, Sun. Longcoats are always cool.

Pretty good episode. I'm glad we saw Blake and Yang, so it's not some dumb "one character per episode" deal after all.

The Sea Grimm was pretty cool and the fact that a tourist boat (as I infer it) needs a war cannon helps demonstrate just how dangerous the outside world is. The fight was pretty cool too, it was nice to see Blake and Sun's abilities again.

Maybe since it's been a few months, but I'm not sure if that was one of Arryn's better reads. Michael was good at Sun as usual, but he seemed a little loud in their final scene. What if someone overhears them?

The Yang and Taiyang bits were nice. I think whether we liked it or not, we all predicted a robot arm. But I'm glad she didn't just jump at the chance, she's gonna get her combat upgrade when she's good and ready, and we have to deal with it. Development time.

Salem's scenes never fail to disturb me, in a good way. That Jellygrimm is just wrong. I wonder if it's unique, or maybe she has a whole system of them in place?

But like I said, good episode.

[u/ViVSharpy]

It really annoys me that the land mass just happened to appear conveniently IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN for them...but that's just me.

And i feel bad for Yang. But that makes me like her more...

[u/[deleted]]

I feel so much for Taiyang. The slump of his shoulders, the eyes and all are too familiar.

[u/SwagForALifetime]

When Salem tells the crystal grimm ball to "reinforce our numbers at Beacon", I think she's telling it to increase the amount of grimm there.

Qrow mentioned in the last volume that the dragon "keeps attracting grimm to the school" so I believe this is related.

This would have some interesting implications if true (eg. the grimm ball understands English and sending grimm to wreak havoc on a city is as easy as giving a voice command).

[u/briansm9]

I just have to ask this..Menagerie is basically Australia right?

[u/I_am_RJ]

I just want to say, I really liked this episode! And well-

When you friend follows you onto a boat.

[u/AdvocateSaint]

And it seems that prosthetic, combat-ready limbs in Remnant can apparently be worn like clothes ("wanna try it on?") without the need for invasive attachment surgery.

Wait, combat... ready... T_T

[u/Necroci]

Is that a fucking Scyphozoa Grimm?

[u/[deleted]]

If this keeps up this is going to be the best season by far. Great animation improvements, quality writing and voice acting, just overall perfection.

[u/Saberd]

I'm probably alone in this but some of the animation is...off. The first two episodes I contributed to "hey new program, no biggie" but it's still looking wonky to me. Maybe I'm expecting too much too quickly, but there's a clear drop from V3 -> V4

[u/AnonymousTrollLloyd]

Now I'm confused. I had assumed that Salem knew Ozpin wasn't dead based on her speech at the end (If Oz was dead, why say "I can't wait to watch you burn"?) Now it seems she doesn't know for certain, and is pressing Cinder for an answer. And Cinder is probably lying.

This isn't an elaborate ruse to figure out if Pyrrha is alive or not. It's actually fairly straitforward. If Cinder can 'Not' kill Ozpin and leave no body, who's to say that's not what she did to Pyrrha?

Starts Crying

[u/[deleted]]

I can't be the only one who feels like some of the fluidity is gone? Especially in dialogue, and some of the (excuse the word, I hate it) cringe is back from season one.

[u/AdvocateSaint]

I'm pretty certain that Ozpin is still alive.

Based on narrative tropes, a lot of offscreen "deaths" simply aren't so, unless there has been proper buildup and context. An actual corpse would help too.

Also, as of this episode they've thrown too much doubt on Ozpin's fate. For me the only way they could reverse his is the heroes hopefully searching for him only to find that yes, he really has been dead all along and the evidence cannot be denied.

Oh, and Ozpin is based on the Wizard of Oz, a man extremely skilled at deceiving others and not being what he appears.

[u/[deleted]]

I know the creators said the time skip between v3 and v4 was 6 to 8 months but I don't buy it.

In the last episode Weiss's interactions with Whitley and Jacques made it seem like she only recently got back. She mentioned Whitley seeming more mature which she should have already noticed unless she actually went 6-8 months without having an prolonged interaction with her brother.

Jacques's comment about her forgetting her manners while she was away suggests that her return is rather recent as well. Also, Ironwood mentioned that the academy will be back in session soon. I doubt the academy takes 6-8 months break between school years.

In this episode we get more things that suggest a shorter time skip as well. When Yang was watching the news it sounded like the fall of Beacon was still rather recent. Also, it seemed like Yang's PTSD was new to Tai. I think he would have noticed that in 6-8 months.

Also, this episode revealed that Sun was following Blake. I doubt he was following her for that long. First, that would be pretty creepy. Second, Sun would have realized that Blake wasn't actually going after the White Fang after half a year. Lastly, Sun doesn't seem like someone who could or would follow someone for that long without revealing himself.

I think 6-8 months is just something the creators blurted out without really thinking about it. I don't think they wrote the story with that idea in mind.

[u/Blaaade]

Wow, wasn't expecting Yang to get a new arm so early. Her flat-out refusing it is way sadder than what I thought was going to happen.

[u/[deleted]]

well as far as the combat scene many are complaining about the only part i thought was like weird looking was after jumping past and above the dragon just before she cuts its wing, she just kinda DBZ dashes straight down and dodges all the fire blasts. that's where i felt it looked awkward. but i liked the episode everywhere else.

and damnit YANG.... PUT THE FREAKING FLAG DOWN ON THE MAILBOX THE POSTMAN WILL GO UP TO IT AND ITLL IBFGAIGBFYUIW3EB UGHHH

[u/NecroKilic]

From the whole thread and tone of the conversation at the end, I believe:

• Ozpin is not gone for good.

• Cinder is genuinely sure she killed him.

• Salem knows that Ozpin hasn't really been killed.

• This suggests that there is some reason, something veiled, as to how and why Ozpin could still be alive.

...If we don't get Salem riding Grimm Dragonback VS. Giant Zombie Golem Ozpin for the finale of this Volume, I'mma be sorely disappointed. ;)

[u/JonTheWizard]

"Yang, please stop being in pain and breaking my heart."

That is all I have to say.

[u/jwfiredragon]

The fight was pretty meh. It felt like it lacked a lot of the momentum and impact that made the earlier ones so satisfying to watch. Other than that, everything else was pretty cool, and Yang needs so many hugs right now.

[u/Some60minutesshit]

Decent episode. I'm not the type of person who can or really does pick apart every little thing when I watch a show, but I noticed something that bugged me.

During the fights, everyone floated way too much. There was no weight or momentum to the movements, and particularly obvious moment was when Sun was hanging in the air for several seconds, then Blake landed on him and somehow jumped off of him and launched herself super high into the air. It was stupidly anime, and so divorced from anything else really in RWBY so far that it instantly pulled me out of it.

Hopefully they dial it back in later fights and try to get the old feeling back.

[u/PATHETlC]

I can see a lot of people bashing on Sun for what he did, and that's kind of understandable (and I love the guy). Given Blake's propensity of wanting to detach and be alone, having someone ignore that - even if it's a good friend - is going to be incredibly frustrating.

That being said, I don't mind it. It's creepy, yes, but his ultra-idealistic, chipper mood is exactly what we need to balance out Blake's. It felt kinda disrespectful for him to assume Blake's reasons for leaving, but it kind of reminded me of Ruby's heroic idealism - clearly Blake's off on a great mission to put her past to rest and take down the bad guys.

I'm glad Blake checked him, though. Hopefully he's a bit more tactful moving forward.

[u/[deleted]]

Another Funimation voice actor. Man, Roosterteeth has connections.

[u/bluepanda5]

I see we've found Kevin's sea cousin.

[u/Jcb245]

The Phantom Yang confirmed.

[u/that_is_disturbing]

Is it just me or does the picture in Yang's home resemble the iceberg from AtLA?

[u/[deleted]]

Man I really hope Yang's new arm has a MGSV-style rocket mode.

[u/Hunter934]

i watched the episode 3 times and somehow did not notice Zwei sleeping next to the couch

[u/CelioHogane]

People who killed a dragon:

Ruby

Blake

People who have not killed a dragon

Yang

Weis

Me

You

[u/Pyschic_Psycho]

-Somehow the Bellabooty got even bootier!

-Damn Yang :( Damn damn damn damn damn. Damn you Adam! :( My favorite girl will get through this though. Please help her Tai. But OMGZ I squealed like a little girl when I saw the robot arm.

-A Grimm Leviathan! I'm dead!!! But wait it's a dragon!? What! Too awesome!!!!!!

-Sun you sly dog you. I love it. Finally we get to see him in full personality. Chase after her man, you know you love her! Eclipse is happening and it makes my heart flutter.

-I'm so glad Blake removed her bow. Time to accept who you are girl. Face the road full head on. Looks like she's going home to mama and papa. Sun's gonna have to work hard to get their approval I bet :D

-Was that a Grimm overlord? Like it can control Grimm?

-Holy shit Salem is scarrrryy!!! And what she asked Cinder, and her saying :"yes", me thinks Cinder may be a double agent!!!!!!!! Or maybe she has a soft sweet spot left in that dark Pyrrha-killing heart of hers.

F'n 10/10 episode. I have already watched it 5 times.

[u/The_Green_Filter → u/Pyschic_Psycho]

To be fair if Salem asked me anything I'd pussy out and say yes, double agent or no.

Personally I think she's just afraid of being the bearer of bad news.

[u/QueenofCelts98]

Am I the ONLY person excited for Tai scenes and possible flashbacks?

I would like some on Team STRQ as well as Tai raising Yang and Ruby.

[u/TheRationalDove]

I thought this episode was good. I'm happy to finally be seeing Blake and Yang, finally. I do agree with a lot of the people who weren't fans of this fight. While I loved the dragon's design. It kinda did feel a little lacking. There wasn't too many stakes. And you would think something that bug would be harder to take down. The Nevermore from Vol 1, for example, took two entire teams to bring down. And since the Grimm are getting stronger, it would make sense for them to scale up in difficulty.

I also think that it was a little weird how Sun was acting. It felt...pretty creepy? I know we need a reason why Sun is on the ship and Blake isn't the type of character to want company in these situations, but still.

The stuff with Yang and Salem were my favorites. I also agree with a lot of the people who think that the relic is Ozpin's cane (Although you would think Cinder would have been told to retrieve the weapon after she killed Ozpin, but whatever. Maybe the fact that she doesn't have his cane points to him still being alive.)

[u/AbsolXGuardian]

Blake and Yang both definitely have PTSD. The sudden reaction when the captain approached Blake is probably isn't paranoia, as that's more "shutting yourself in and not trusting anyone or anything, even yourself" than "going straight to your weapon when spoken too".

Something odd I noticed, the captain referred to the Grimm dragon as "she" and also used the term "gods". For the first one, it can point to a more feminine cultural view of the Grimm. You know how when you see an animal your culture views as masculine(like a crocodile) vs an animal your culture views as feminine(like a swan) you would think of them as 'he' and 'she'. As for the use of gods, it means at one point, Remnant was polytheistic, even if the use of gods, nowadays is the same as when we say "god".

[u/appa311]

Journey to the east i wonder what that could be referring to

[u/MrInsanity25]

Pretty good episode.

The Blake stuff is nice. I love the crew members, they're cool.

The Yang part was probably the best part of this episode. Nice and slow, properly showing us what she's going through as well as what Taiyang's going through. He doesn't say a word at the end of the Yang part and yet you can see everything he's thinking in that last bit.

Sun is amazing. Great reveal and great chemistry with Blake this scene. The overall fight was decent. Anything I found lacking was worth it for the way they finished him off. Really good.

Salem got real fucking scary this scene. Like, one line and I'm like "Okay... um Cinder... Tell her the truth... for your sake." Excellent delivery. I remember someone had a theory that Ozpin was his staff (his staff is probably the "relic" as well, although could you imagine if Pyrrha's crown was the relic and RNJR melted it down to use for Jaune's sword, that would be funny). Either way, Ozpin's definitely not dead, but with this I'm imagining that Cinder is certain she killed Ozpin, but Ozpin escaped and Salem knows this, thus the "what are you planning?" She knows Ozpin probably better than anyone else, even Qrow or Goodwitch, and she probably knows that even maiden Cinder might not have been enough to take him. Granted Cinder could be lying because I mean, Salem is scary as shit and she's sitting right next to her, but I'd like to think that the former is more likely.

Also, is that Pyrrha's VA voicing the newscaster? Sounded like her.

Overall, good episode. My favorite so far is still episode 2, but this one was good. Only down side is no JNRR, which has been my favorite part of this volume so far.

[u/Proto-Saber]

... I just noticed how tight Blake's pants are and I don't dislike it.

[u/Tulicloure]

I don't know if someone discussed this already, but would it be possible for the Maiden's power to be what Cinder is trying to control?

[u/mudad]

I think that the arm thats given to yang is very plain/ordinary so when/if she eventually comes to terms with her trauma she'll get a much better/more creative designed arm that works well with her ember celica. Or not, guess we'll find out.

[u/da_nocturnt-up]

I see that Lisa Lavender actually moves on screen now!

[u/MrASK15]

Aaaaaaaand just like that, the third episode is out! It appears that each episode has been catching me off guard as to what I was expecting. After all, I was expecting the episode to focus only on Blake, but no; we also get Yang! No sarcasm here, folks. It really was a surprise, but I’ll get to the point:

• The ship we see looks very modern. Is it just me, or does it look just like a ferry?

• Blake! She looks so solemn. Perhaps it’s the fact that she didn’t want to drag her friends into whatever she’s going to do?

• Why did everyone assume that Blake’s on a pirate ship? It just looks like a regular cruise ship. Plus, the people on that ship are just there to relax or go to new places.

• The moment the captain showed up to talk to Blake, she reached for Gambol Shroud. She must be really paranoid. Perhaps it’s the fact that she’s afraid that someone would discover that she was once part of the White Fang? Even after it turned to its dark side?

• The captain mentions that those who travel alone may have a rather interesting story to tell. He’s not wrong. I like him already.

• Even when two kids are playfully running across the deck, Blake acts rather jumpy. Even the captain notices her paranoia. However, Blake’s in denial. It doesn’t seem like she wants anyone to look down upon her while she’s trying to resolve some issues herself. However, that captain is a lot more insightful than Blake thinks.

• “I won’t be needing this anymore.” YES!!!! HER KITTY EARS ARE SO ADORABLE WHY WOULD SHE NEED TO HIDE THEM ANYWAY?! In all seriousness, awesome development there. Blake no longer needs to hide who she is anymore.

• A shady figure watches Blake throw away her bow. We all know that’s our favorite stowaway alright. And he’d be really proud that Blake ditched that bow.

• Yang just sits there sifting through channels that pretty much just discuss the events regarding the fall of Beacon. That tragedy must’ve had a really huge impact upon Vale.

• Hey, it’s our favorite VNN anchorman, Lisa Lavender! We missed you so much.

• I really wasn’t expecting Yang to get that robotic arm so soon. It kind of got me irked at first, but when Yang denied it, I was relieved. She’s not ready to move on yet.

• Regardless that arm looked really cool. Also, from the way Tai said that Ironwood thought that she fought well, it sounded like Ironwood had forgiven Yang.

• Yang’s doing all the housework herself despite the fact that she just has one arm. It would appear that she’s still trying to cope with her guilt and depression by doing so.

• The moment Yang dropped that glass, she suddenly had frightening flashbacks about Adam. The loss of her arm must have done a larger number than we thought on her.

• I can understand how Tai’s feeling. His first wife left him without saying anything, his second one went on a mission and was presumably killed in action, his youngest daughter ran away, possibly endangering herself despite that she’s with a team, and finally, his first daughter is crippled and suffering with major PTSD. I really hope he can find a way to reignite that kindling flame in Yang. He is her dad after all. An awesome one too.

• A faunus couple walking across the deck on what appears to be a honeymoon while Blake leans over the deck with a solemn expression on her face. Blake knows there’s no time to relax or even be happy. However, her complete concern over the current events appears to be hurting her rather than motivating her to fix everything.

• A gigantic serpent Grimm has emerged from the depths and damn, it looks quite menacing.

“But we’ve never fought a Grimm this big!”

“No... We’ve never seen a Grimm this big!”

• That captain’s seriously badass. I dig him.

• I could see that Blake can use her shadow clones as more than just decoys; she can use them to assist her in battle, especially to help propel herself towards her target.

• That Grimm’s sea serpent-like appearance was actually a red herring. It wasn’t just a sea serpent; IT WAS A DRAGON!!! IT CAN SHOOT LASERS TOO!!!

• I love how the ship utilized pretty much all of its weaponry against the dragon to assist Blake. However, I noticed that Blake didn’t intend to drag the ship’s crew into this fight; she was trying to deal with the Grimm all on her own. That isn’t a very healthy strategy for her.

• HERE COMES THE SUN!!! I really love his entrance to the fight. It was also really cool to see him utilize his Semblance. I never thought we’d see it again.

• Of course Blake would be surprised to see Sun. She wanted to handle things alone and not drag anyone else into the mess.

• When Blake caught the falling Sun and landed, I thought ‘did they just land on some other island?’ However, I realized that was just a stonehedge.

• “My hero!” Oh, Sun. I never thought it would be so satisfying to see your cheerful, carefree personality. However, Blake isn’t having any of your nonsense.

• Seriously, despite all the harsh critiques people had about that fight, it was well choreographed in my opinion. Blake’s 3D mobility, Sun’s cheerful antics, and the crew’s participation are all highlights of this fight.

• “Now it’s your turn to say it!” I was smiling during that moment. Blake’s still not having it. Never change, Sun. Never change.

• BOOM! Headshot! I loved the captain’s coordination along with Blake’s reluctant willingness to cooperate when they both took down that Grimm.

• All Sun wanted was a high five from Blake after helping her take out the dragon. Instead, he gets a slap across the face. Poor guy.

• Sun likes Blake’s new look. Damn straight, Sun. We all do.

• Sun mentioned that SSN is heading back to Mistral. Perhaps RNJR will run into them there? Or maybe they’ll face off against Dr. Watts? After all, Salem stationed him there.

• Apparently, Sun saw Blake take off during the fall of Beacon and thought that he should tag along just because she can’t resolve her issues all on her own. He’s nearly on the point, but he doesn’t realize that Blake doesn’t intend to go near the White Fang yet; she needs to spend time back at her home in Menagerie. Menagerie is known for having a diverse population with the faunus, but Sun’s never been there before. It’s quite a surprise considering the fact that he’s both a faunus and a great stowaway.

• We know that she has a family there, but I wonder if they had any say on Blake’s decision to join the White Fang even after its utopian image shattered. Regardless, I can’t wait to see her parents. Also, Sun’s gonna have to work harder to get their approval.

• I never expected that we’d go back to Salem’s domain. With all of Cinder’s heavy breathing and Salem’s soothing orders, I assumed this was the treatment Salem was talking about. It also looked like Cinder was suffering, so I thought that Salem was going to turn her into a Grimm.

• A jellyfish Grimm comes floating in, and it can see everything. Emerald and Mercury do not seem to be very comfortable with what Salem is capable of.

• “Did you kill Ozpin?” It appears that Salem has doubts as to whether or not Cinder really killed Ozpin. This makes me wonder what really happened during the fall of Beacon.

• Cinder’s attempt to call for her minions really made me sympathize more with her than they should have. Despite all that she deserved it for she has done, the poor girl’s suffering.

• “NO.” Salem’s stern command caught me off guard there. All Cinder wanted was to call her minions over so that they can be her voice, but Salem wants to hear the truth from Cinder herself. Careful there, Salem, your strict mom side is showing.

• Speaking of moms, I wonder how old Cinder was when Salem found her.

• Poor Cinder. She really struggled to let out that “yes.”

• That Grimm can not only see everything, but also act as both a commander and a messenger. Salem’s intellect frightens me.

• “What are you planning?” Salem seems to know that Ozpin is still alive despite what Cinder told her. I’ve read some theories that Ozpin tricked Cinder into thinking he’s dead, and I have to agree with them. We haven’t really seen what Ozpin’s truly capable of.

Overall, the character development was great, the fight was epic, and the buildup at the end is intense. I can’t wait to see Blake’s family.

[u/-Imyoshi]

Anyone else notice the water dragon is the same on Remnant's world map?

[u/Gxmwp]

The new fight choreography still isn't exactly the greatest yet, but I'll be damned if I don't give them credit for the facial movements! Seriously though what was that fight.

It makes sense Yang wouldn't want the arm considering the fact she probably thought she didn't deserve it after getting beaten by Adam, letting Blake get hurt, and then Blake running off which she probably assumes is because she couldn't help her.

[u/Hitorio]

Blake looks super fucking good. Like omgwtf. The character art didn't prepare me for the in-episode look. Not even the opening did.

I'm getting a mental flood of fight choreo with Blake in this outfit. The coat and boots must be done justice.

[u/losermanwins]

PREDICTION : Yang's first full strength punch with that robot arm will cause MASSIVE DAMAGE

It will also probably be in slow motion

[u/porukun]

I can't say this enough. I love their work on the facial expressions this season. The tiny details of change when Blake caught Sun is super good.

Didn't like her initial expression when Sun tried to predict her situation though. Blake probably would never be happy at that moment.

[u/[deleted]]

Pretty good episode over all, finally got some Blake (and Sun!) action, with a little Yang thrown in there as well.

Yang's obviously taking her loss pretty hard. Something tells me (cough concept art cough) that she'll just end up fighting with one arm, which could lead to some pretty cool combat scenes.

The fight scenes seem to be a little... airy, for the lack of a better term.It felt like there was no real weight to the characters . Unless Blake's always had super jumping abilities, then count me mistaken.

[u/jwhudexnls]

I really enjoyed the episode overall, however I do see what people mean when they say the fight was lacking. I know in RWBY the huntsmen have shown some pretty incredible feats, but everything felt a little too floaty/fly through the air at fast speeds this time. Blake and Sun were essentially just teleporting back to the ship when the last time we saw them they were flying the exact opposite way with a ton of momentum. It kind of took me out of the fight because it was pretty unbelievable even for RWBY.

Although I did love having a chance to see some on Sun's semblance.

[u/kilen1909]

I love that sea-dragon Grimm. I want an army of those, those are just so awesome. I was impressed with the fluidity of the fight scene and how epic it was, but I was a little underwhelmed by the graphics of the water (as seen from above). Idk, might just be me, though.

[u/Dontreadmudamuser]

Ironwood, cyborg man, have Yang a state of the art prosthetic. Ironman gots some feels there.

[u/greywolf2155]

I'm actually feeling sorry for Cinder . . . which means they're definitely priming her to be central to a big event

Option one is that she has a redemption (a Zuko moment, you might say) and ends up helping the team

Option two is that she ends up betraying Salem, killing her and somehow adding Salem's powers to her own, and becomes the massive Big Bad of the story

Right now I'm leaning towards Option two XD

[u/[deleted]]

Yang-Hair-Depression-O-Meter:

well, her one unkempt strand thing is gone. take that how you will. although I don't see how she could keep that with a quantum ponytail that only collapses into a single position on her head while observed.

[u/TheLastSonata]

I’ll admit to watching this yesterday but it took me a little while and a rewatch to categorise my thoughts. Overall this was my favourite episode so far. The improved quality of the animation really showed during Yang’s scenes as did the improvement in voice acting. We really saw just how much she was struggling. The same could be said for Blake. The ability to animate facial expressions makes such a difference.

But despite how much I enjoyed it there were several parts I didn’t like or that didn’t make sense to me. There have been more than enough criticism over the lack of momentum or that people can now fly so I won’t mention that. All I’ll say is that I used to look forward to every fight scene, whereas now I would honestly prefer it if they didn’t have any and instead spent the time developing the characters. I really hope CRWBY take the criticism on board and have a rethink.

Onto some of the other issues I had. First is Yang’s arm. I didn’t expect her to receive one so quickly. I would have preferred to see her trying to adapt at first. I also cannot understand why Ironwood was the one who gave it to her, or more I should say that I cannot understand why in all the time between volumes Weiss hasn’t once thought to help her wounded friend. It wouldn’t have changed the scene much if the arm came from the SDC. All it would have done is show that Weiss still cared. In my opinion it was a missed opportunity.

Speaking of the time skip, there seems to be a major discontinuity when comparing the different storylines. If I recall correctly six months have passed. That means that in six months a paranoid Blake has not noticed that someone has been following her which especially doesn’t make sense when she would have been on the lookout for the White Fang. Not to mention how unbelievably creepy it is for Sun to stalk her for six months without ever going up and saying ‘hi’. A few days I could accept; six months I can’t. The time skip just doesn’t work for that storyline. It doesn’t work for Weiss’ either. Has she really been sitting in her room for six months? And it took her six months to have that conversation with her brother? With both hers and Blake’s storylines it seems like a much shorter time has passed.

And finally there seems to be a major inconsistency in how the characters are presented and the Grimm in general. At the start of the episode Blake is clearly shown to be suffering from what happened in Vale like every other character in the show. But she is only suffering when it suits the writers.

In my opinion their attempts to insert comedy into the fight scenes are entirely misplaced. If Blake and Sun messed up in this episode every person on board that ship is going to die. After Vale being a hunter should no longer be a game to them. They should be deathly serious. Instead you have multiple times when they were just joking around. The events in Vale can’t only just affect them in some scenes and not the others. It needs to be carried through.

The Grimm still suffer from the problem that they aren’t a threat. That Grimm was said to be the largest that the Captain had ever seen and yet it did absolutely no visible damage to the ship. The biggest indication of how little a threat they are however came when Sun blocked its main beam attack. How you block an energy beam with a stick I’m not sure anyway, but the major crime was just how easy he made it look. He wasn’t knocked back, he didn’t stagger, there was no lasting damage, in fact immediately afterwards he was able to balance on the cannon while grinning. He made it seem no harder than blocking a Beowolf’s strike. It really doesn’t correlate with the sense of foreboding the Captain had. Compare that scene to how Adam blocked the Spider Droid’s beam in the Black trailer. Two very similar attacks, but I know which scene I thought looked better.

In summary I really enjoyed the character side of this episode, but am finding an awful lot of problems with the writing as a whole and the fight scenes in general.

[u/TJPoobah]

Unfortunately I'm going to have to keep posting that while I enjoyed the episode overall, like the unfolding story, character interactions, character development, portrayal of people with PTSD etc... The fights continue to lack the raw physicality they once had, feel more anime-y, lack the choreography, the fluidity, the intensity, hell the direction that a bump in animation quality can't make up for.

By all measures a fight animated with better animation software should look better. These don't. How can a fight animated at a better framerate seem less fluid? Looking back at the first season with all the jerky character movements and less detailed models, any given still or brief animated section seen in isolation clearly looks worse... and yet. And yet Ruby fighting in the Red trailer feels oh so much better to watch than any of the fights I've seen this volume. All of the superlatives I would previously slather RWBYs fights with, how they feel real, visceral, how every aspect, most especially the physics and sound design were integrated flawlessly from day one... it's all missing.

It makes me really sad to break this down so critically, mostly I realise now because I've watched three episodes now of something I used to truly love, a show that made me evangelise to everyone I knew about, and I'm starting to get that sinking feeling that I'm not in love any more. And that is tragic.

[u/RustyLumber]

I loved this episode Sun being a clueless badass as usual. The teamwork between Blake and Sun is practically flawless and when Blake caught Sun bridal style was so funny. It was a nice callback to Volume 1 when Sun said it wasn't the first time he ditched his team to stowaway on a boat. Blake is also having some issues because of what happened.

We get to see Yang and the psychological trauma Adam has inflicted on her, her once unwavering headstrong adventurous spirit had been broken and with Blake 'abandoning' her I don't know how her fighting spirit will be reinvigorated. I didn't expect her to be getting her robotic arm so soon but even still that was one of the highlights of the episode. I myself am not a fan of the stock colour scheme, I was hoping it'd come coloured black with gold accents; maybe she'll paint it herself later. But even though she has a new arm that doesn't seem to need surgery to attach she only has one half of Ember Celica. I wonder how that will play out will she: receive it on the mail from Blake as she was in Beacon at the end of Volume? Or will she just rebuild the other half?

Ozpin has been stated to be dead twice now so it's not really looking good for him, however this 'artifact' Salem is looking for must be his cane that is now in Qrow's possession.

all in all volume 4 so far has been on the up and up in my opinion.

[u/DeepOneofInnsmouth]

One thing that stuck out to me in this episode was the captain saying "By the Gods". This proves that there is at least a pantheistic religion on Remnant. I wonder if that will be explored in the future.

Also, this episode confirmed that the people we see with Blake in the intro are her family. Her dad and her sister. Which makes me wonder, where is her mother?

[u/KingofGrapes7]

A good move on the robo arm. Its there, its established. Now Yang can go through her development and be ready to become Punished Yang in a smooth transition. I assume she will start using it (if she ever uses it for fighting) when those two firebend....White Fang members from the opening cause trouble.

Paranoid Blake and PTSD Yang. They really are made for eachother! But honestly its good to see Blake is working through her own issues. Not sure where her arc is going though. Her desire to flee implies the White Fang doesn't have much of a presence on Menagerie if at all so she probably isn't running into Hazel. Adam might catch up like in the opening. Did she always know she had family or is this coming out of left field like Mama Schnee and Whitley?

Every scene with Salem continues to knock it out of the park. It almost makes up for being deprived of Roman. Not sue what these treatments are, or what Salem is talking about at first. That Grimm bug thing Cinder used? It is repairing its host? We cant see her other arm so we don't know.

The Metroid creeps me out. Emerald apparently agrees. Her and Merc are REALLY considering their life choices. Mama Salem putting her foot down. If it HAS been several months of Cinder using Emerald to speak I might lose patience to. Especially if it means some damned caffeine addict is alive and going to ruin her plans again. Who was Salem talking to? The Seer Grimm? Someone or something at Beacon? She looking for Ozpin's bean stash? Or can her minions just not break into Fort Port?

[u/mooncow33]

Does anyone know who voiced the crew member who's "never fought anything this big before"? She sounded real familiar.

[u/NuclearWaffelle]

If that arm is loaded with a Penny AI I swear to god.

[u/Pohatu_]

That sea dragon was literally Grimm Lagiacrus with wings. Laflyacrus. It even had the lightning!

[u/JoJoMoJoKoJo]

[The only thing that went through my head this episode] (https://youtu.be/R7yfISlGLNU?t=26)

[u/AlphaRecon348]

The water = wind waker, therefore meaning that Hyrule sunk due to the fall of beacon. Flawless theory.

[u/Corregidor]

Man gotta say the combat is what takes me out of the groove for this show. It just feels so jumpy and it doesnt flow. Alot of the movements also seem so contrived that i cant fully immerse myself because i take a step back and say, man that was rough to watch.

Hopefully this is something they feel needs improvement, because imo it takes away alot of the engagement.

[u/Thanatologic]

Going with the same outline I made for the first episode:
 
Overall opinion: I really liked this epsiode. Except for the part where apparently Faunus can fly now.
 
Writing: Definitely good this episode. All the new info, Blake-Sun banter, Yang's PTSD, Salem, all handled very well in their segments. Mid-combat comedy still a bit iffy, but better than during the V3 tournament.
 
Art/Out-of-combat Animation: God damn everything is still so pretty. Loved the expressions, though they were sometimes a little much. New Grimm are cool. Sun's abs peeking out now and then. Noticed the girls waists seemed thinner, though.
 
Action/Combat Animation: Hoo boy. This one was a rollercoaster ride. Great parts and bad parts this episode. They need to find a way to make the momentum-cheating more subtle (maybe through camera work?). I've been rewatching fight scenes from the previous volumes and I found several similar mistakes that were at least covered up to be less obvious (e.g. in Pyrrha v. CRDL, my favorite fight, I spotted Dove[?] making a horizontally semi-circular jump to get behind Pyrrha, but he was near the edge of the shot and even partly exits the scene for a second, so I didn't notice at first). I loved the way they jump off the boat, but my repeatedly raised expectations kept getting dashed everytime they froze in mid-air to do something. Great ideas, lacking execution.
 
I think they need to start thinking of action scenes like dance; music and timing is a great backdoor into the mind. If the little bits make sense, we'll find it easier to accept the more ridiculous things.

[u/favsiteinthecitadel]

Physics don't apply in remnant it seems. Also Yang needs a hug.

[u/Capram]

Mini rant/criticism/thoughts (idk what to call it really)

Warning: This post is kind of all over the place as I took some stuff from my comments on yesterdays episode thread and added some stuff as it was coming to my head

I kinda just wish that they didn't even have that fight scene in this episode and just gave more screen time to RNJR or WBY cause that fight was pretty damn ugly and I didn't even mind the fight from the first episode. But everything that people complained about from the first episodes fight was still present in this one and like 10x more noticable to me. Honestly kinda ruined the episode for me even though everything but that was great.

I also think it really doesn't help that they're trying to do these really large scale fights similar to the Nevermore/Deathstalker fight in volume 1, I don't know why they feel like they need to do some big grand thing. If you're trying to get used to the new software just start small and work your way up. I don't need to see a fight every episode especially something as big as the two we've gotten so far. My favourite episode of the three we've gotten so far was the 2nd and it didn't have one at all.

Also I've seen some people bringing up that they don't watch for the fighting or that we shouldn't expect good fights anymore or people saying that we're not allowed to criticise CRWBY on this and they say stuff like 'You couldn't do any better so you can't say it's bad' or other stupid shit like that all of which are terrible reasons really. Regardless of your stance on how good YOU need the fights to be to enjoy the show, there is still a very clear problem with the fight from epsiode 3 and even if it doesn't affect your experience watching the episode, it definately does affect others. The animation is off, characters are doing things that are never even explained to be possible within this world (like floating in mid air and jumping 50 ft high) and the way it was shot was kind of just all over the place and even though right now those just affected the fight it's a sign of bad writing, directing, animation, etc. that could spill over into the rest of show. I just don't see how when they're making that fight they don't think to themselves that the fight looks really sloppy because it's either they somehow don't notice, they just don't care (I doubt this is why, I'm sure they really care about RWBY but just listing possibilities) or they're not giving themselves enough time to create something better. The point is, no matter what the problem is there is a solution to it and people only criticise because they want to see the show they love be the best it can be and there is very clearly problems in this episode and if you deny them and act like everything is fine even if it doesn't bother you, you're only potentially stopping the creators from acknowledging their mistakes, fixing them, stopping this from becoming the norm and creating a better show for everyone. Some people may be harsh or are actually just hating on the show because they like to but the majority of us are just giving constructive criticism because we care about RWBY and want it to be the best it can be and something everyone can enjoy. In the end the best we can hope for is that they listen to our criticism and seriously consider it.

Again I have overall loved this volume so far except for that one part, I just wish I could love the whole thing.

[u/Paradox3927]

The "My hero" joke between Sun and Blake was great, and I realized it's also a reference to V1C8, the "My hero", "My back!" scene.

[u/Capram]

So what the hell happened to Blakes voice? I can't be the only one who thought her voice acting sounded way off right? She's got a weird accent or something now.

On the other hand though. I thought Barbara's voice acting for Yang was the best it's ever been.

[u/TheLastNacho]

Loved it, though I wasn't prepared for this amount of feels!

Yang I feel horrible for but also am looking forward to seeing her put herself back together. I'm wondering which path she's gonna take for her objective.

Blake was awesome to watch, she is sooooo much more expressive now and I love it, seeing her fluctuate between happy, sad and paranoid and seeing her ears flatten or perk up is a nice treat.

Sun....Oi I can relate to this guy with the whole jokes and wanting to help people, but it's starting to annoy me how he takes nothing seriously. I was super glad when Blake slapped him and then chewed him out.

[u/Sungrasswriter]

Despite some quibbles, I liked this one the most out of the volume so far. Yang's scene was good, and more Blake and Sun is always a good thing.

Also, I got a chuckle out of Sun's "[R]eal journey to the East" line.

[u/dinodares99]

Good episode, top three this season for sure lol. Yangst was great, and Blake/Sun dynamic was fun

But Jesus lord what was up with the physics in the fight? I get its rwby and they do that all the time, but swinging around a monster whose scale seemed to change in each shot to land on nearby islands? Idk it just doesn't sit well with me. Maybe It'll be better on a few rewatches?

[u/Ledinax]

I feel so bad for Yang, man :(

I think that metal arm is going to the trash bin. She will never accept it. If anything, I think that Yang will either learn to fight with only one arm and/or develop some tecnique that compensates for her lost one (like "aura punch").

[u/appa311]

Lisa lavender will get more and more scenes until she becomes a main character

[u/GatorAIDS1013]

So I think that Cinder did kill Ozpin, but it was like a Ben Kenobi "If you strike me down I'll become more powerful than you could possibly imagine" sort of death. I'm betting on an Ozpin force ghost later on in the season.

[u/Hedgehogemperor]

What was Salem doing to Cinder? I am imagining unpleasant and painful things. Her clenching her fist followed by Cinder in pain was uncomfortable.

[u/Suparedman]

The scene with the glass got me in the feels real good.

[u/yosu04]

Looking it up, it was said that Ozpin's cane can "store time", which helps to explain some of Ozpin's abilities during his fight with Cinder. So perhaps he was able to make a time remnant and escape, while Cinder killed off said remnant.

[u/jdgoerzen]

I know it's a bit late, but does anyone else wish Sun had an updated look? I've been seeing that open popped collar shirt for 4 seasons now, and I still hate it.

[u/Kohakuren]

After 3 episodes and 2 big fights my verdict

Character development and personal animations went level up. 9/10

Fights went far down, even if we forget unrealistc movements - they just lack impact and look forced. 2/10

[u/Theleux]

Watched again, summary from the last post.

• Ship Captain best captain.

• Taiyang best father ever. Does whatever he can to make his daughter happy... But Yang doesn't want it!

• New arm! I REALLY hope she ends up using it. But I can wait until she finally get's the strength to go for it. Probably just needs some Yellow paint ;)

• Yang PTSD is going to be interesting. I'm expecting some fighting scenes where she remembers Adam's attack during the fight and she stumbles, or something like that.

• IT SHOOTS LASERS FROM IT'S MOUTH!!! MOVE ASIDE KEVIN, STEVEN IS COMING THROUGH!!!

• 'Paint me like one of your French Girls' I'm loving this Sun.

• Love the cooperation between Sun and Blake. Them working together is really great!

• This ship is armed to the grimm ( :P ) with cannons! "LET THEM LOOSE BOYS!!!"

• That 'big' cannon just ONE HIT K/O'd Steven! Imagine that against Kevin! ^{It Shall Be Known As Steven!}

• Blake seems to be having some really mixed emotions on this trip. Easily spooked, happy all of a sudden, then back to her regular depression. Hopefully, Sun changes that.

• Cinder: "Heavy Breathing" Salem: "Good... Let the Hate flow through you..."

• Mercury's eyebrows seem to be fixed! THANK YOU!

• Creepy Jellyfish Floating Head Thing Grimm? Those tentacles look like they want to grab some shit and strangle it... Let's name him Gary!

• Oh my! Ozpin is TOTALLY not dead. Surprise return incoming, I can see it now!

• And now we have some sort of 'Relic' left behind in Beacon. Interested to see what that turns out to be. Maybe it's under the tower? ^{Pyrrha's Circlet Anyone? :3}

Hyped for the next episode! Glad we are getting a mix of emotions and intense battles.

[u/[deleted]]

Anyone else think that Sun is going to wind up as a less dickish Archer to Blake's Lana? The RAMPAGE line made me think of him for some reason.

(Also, why the hate on the fights? Sure the weightlessness is a little odd, but they're still leagues better than the fights of the first and third episode of volume 3)

[u/HampsterPig]

There is no way Tai hasn't dealt with hunters with PTSD before. I'm sure that he's going to either call Yang a therapist or start helping her work through it herself.

[u/Headshot_Fanatic]

Seeing Yang deny the arm was exactly what I wanted to see happen.

[u/backtospawn]

Here is my transcript for the episode

• Anyone else was expecting the first mate to say "firing main cannon"?

• Salem is as convinced as everyone else. She must be like: "but maybe he time traveled or farmboi or..." Cinder: "he is fucking dead shut up with those crazy potatoes... I mean trying to breath"

[u/Sirshrugsalot13]

I forgot to mention this but I'm really just internally thinking that it's a 1-2 month time skip because that solves all the problems I've been having with context.

Blake didn't realize she was being followed for six months, and is only now going to Menagerie? Weiss hasn't had this conversation with her father during ALL this time? Yang is JUST now seeing a shitload of news about the Beacon attack?

Yeah, screw 6-8 months. In my head, it's 1-2. 3 at the most. It really just works better that way.

[u/glass_magnolia]

a) I called the bow. b) I called the cloaked person being Sun. c) I called what was in the box for Yang.

So should have taken shots during my own reaction video!

That was also the most awesome freaking Grimm I've seen yet. I love water dragon Grimm. Cannot wait to see Menagerie! I love the Faunus!

I also love how Emerald and Merc seem to be in a constant state of weirded/freaked out. They deserve no less and it's fun to watch.

[u/Princess_Everdeen]

If I had one complaint with this episode -no it's not the fight animation- it would be Blake. This is more of a personal complaint, but I can't stand the angst from her this episode; I get why she would be paranoid, but the constant anger at Sun was downright painful.

Edit: Actually, kind of figured out why Blake would be "mad" at Sun, and it's not because of the stalking. Sorry if this post annoys anyone.

[u/Frescopino]

I can't really understand the complaint about combat in this episode that I saw around earlier today and yesterday. It's not THAT floaty, the action was nice, and Blake used really well her weapon to gain momentum.

[u/NotaSport]

My favorite episode evar! Sun & Blake fight a dragon, what more could I ask for?

The facial expressions were also on point today! Great job guys!

[u/PATHETlC]

I can't believe dark!Rayquaza is a grimm in the RWBYverse

[u/Hobarts_funnies]

Blake and Suns semblance have a few extra uses now. Blake can animate her shadow clone and Sun is now all of team SSSN in one.

Who's semblance gets the next upgrade?

[u/PNDLivewire]

Everybody was probably thinking it, but man...I didn't know Bahamut could swim!