Hello! Leena here! If you don't know me, you probably should, as I am Owner snd Head Administrator for this fine site here. However, I am slso a simple RWBY fan, which... is why this place exists in the first place.... ANYWAY, with Volume 3 FINNALY upon us, i thought I would celebrate with my full analysis on the Volume Three Opening, as well as the trailer and Opening song. I will not touch the world of remnant, since its pretty self explanitory honestly, and this specific topic will only be about the Opening credits and possibly the song. So without further ado, here is my full analysis on RWBY Volume 3 Opening Credits.
The first thing that happens is a single rose petal floating down to meet a single rose as the words "Created by Monty Oum" appears on screen. I think there is no doubt in the fact that this is a tribute to the man himself. However, in the slim chance that you do not believe me, I will explain anyway. First of all, the Rose petal is similar to the first opening where Ruby is shown visiting her Mother's grave, with rose petals flowing from here cloak, as well as what I will assume is Summer's cloak. If that doesn't do it for you, Monty Oum is the ONLY one credited. Normally, when Rooster Teeth displays only the opening, there are no credits littering the screen other than "Rooster Teeth Presents" at the very beginning. This means that they felt Monty's tribute is important enough (and it is) to include in any and all versions of this opening.
Next, Grimm happen. Lots of them. An entire armmy and it happens many times throughout the sequence Shown in this particulaer scene however, there are Ursai and Creeps. No matter how many times I play this, that is what I see. No new grimm quite yet. They run for a bit before the scene changes to display Team RWBY. I've been sitting here for a bit staring at the still, but there is nothing super interesting to find, though I do not currently recognize the building that they are standing in front of. It is possible that it is a brand new location, seeing as those are guaranteed to appear. Thinking about it now, it could be the Amity Colluseum. I am also interested to know why Yang is the only one here shown smiling. This bit is completely speculation, but it could be in reference to the possiblity that she is the only one that will come to complete terms with her past in this volume, since we know she finds her mother, or rather her mother finds her. The rest of the team has things they still need to deal with, though in Ruby's case she has all but forgotten. It might be a bit of a stretch, especially considering Ruby's age when Summer died, but that is the only reason I can think of for Yang's smiling face. If it were up to personality, Ruby would be smiling too. Or maybe I'm thinking too hard.
The scene then changes to show Team SSSN. Here we get a better look at both Scarlet and Sage, and the team is shown more prominantly than in the last intro. Right off the bat I notice something VERY interesting, or at least I think so. Between Scarlet sand Sage, there is what appears to be a brown colored braid hanging down from the top. It sits there for the entirety of Team SSSN's appearance. What does this mean? Maybe there is a fifth Team member? Maybe there is another player from Mistral that they are close with? That braid is not there for nothing, yet only time will tell what it means, as there is not enough current information. The team seems to be standing in the same location, and it still makes sense that this might be the colluseum.
Now, before I get to the next scene, I would like to point out how interesting it is that Team JNPR is shown AFTER Team SSSN. For the entire series this far, JNPR has een very close with RWBY, and they are usually seen with or around each other. Sequenced nexgt to each other. Ts RWBY going to be closer to SSSN now? Honestly I dont think that is quite it. RWBY has known JNPR for the entire school year, since before teams were formed even, and they only met half of Team SSSN so far. So to have team JNPR play less of a role would make little sense, and would be sad, since we all know Jaune is a fan favorite Destined to do great things. In any case, JNPR is the team shown in this next scene. Other than the fact that it is shown after SSSN, there isnt much interesting here. I was hoping that I would find something to symbolize Ren's new Voice actor, but I have yet to see anything.
After that, Cinder's group makes an appearance. First of all, Mercury is flipping tall. That has nothing to do with anything, but wow. More importantly, the setting changes here. While this is clearly the same location shown with the other teams, the other team's sets looked identical to each other, while this one is not. It is obviously a different spot. This might be in reference to the fact that "one of these things is not like the other" as Cinder and her partners are indeed Evil. However, this is the only thing out of the ordinary here. The closeup to Cinder's face seems to be a clear indication that her plans are to come into fruition, the fire representing the dust imbued within her.
Next we see more Grimm running toward Beacon (Sounds like our plot... I totally called it you guys. :o ). The grimm I see here are still Ursai and Creeps.They rampage through the school, clearly controlled by someone. as they reach the tower, two nevermore are seen flying overhead s well as SOMETHING climbing the tower. It is only a quick glimpse from far away, But i Do not believe it is a grimm we know. In proportion to the tower and the smaller grimm scaling it, this thing is MASSIVE. The biggest grimm we know are Nevermore, Deathstalkers, King Taijitu, and Goliaths. This huge grimm does not hold the shape of any of these, though the closest is Goliath being a quadriped (But honestly I don't see Goliath joining the fight, much lesst climbing a tower). So is this a new grimm? Well possibly, and possibly supported by the next sene which shows Ozpin and Glynda Facing a "mirror" with a plethora of grimm on the other side. On the top left of the mass of grimm, a creature with two beady red eyes can bee seen. The only Grimm known with two eyes on each side of the head is the boarbatusk. However, this is NOT a boarbatusk's face. For starters, there are no visible tusks. Secondly, The eyes are not identical in size. The eyes of a boarbatusk are all roughly the same size and shape, but this grimm shown has smaller back eyes. In addition, There is a red mark across both eyes, while a boarbatusk has no such markings. While there is not enough detail to determine the creature this grimm is based off of, the evidence strongly suggests something new. Also interesting is the feact that the grimm seem to be after Ozpin, who could either be representing himself, or Beacon as a whole.
As the perspective changes, Glynda and Ozpin stand infront of that mirror that took the place of their window for this opening, and it shatters, letting in a full view of what isn't grimm, but dozens of airships soaring through the sky. Clearly the work of Ironwood. We all knew the military would take part in this, so this is of little surprise. Seems like the Military will once again take a stand against the grimm.
After this we see Blake walking through Forever Fall, which seems to be her favorite place at this point because that is where we keep seeing her. As she walks we see Adam, who we know will finally be used in this volume, and he seems to be leading an army of White Fang. Someone had to take over for Torchwick, right? Personally I am hoping for some good interaction between Adam and Blake, and I am sure we will get it, if this bit is anything to go by.
Next we get the fighting, which is shown in every RWBY Opening. In this case we see a grimm army running to face off with Teams RWBY and JNPR, who are closely follwed by the military. Whether it happens in this volume or the next, this will be a huge battle. It may not happen exactly as shown here, but two armies WILL clash. We then see the usual one on one fights with Yang v. Mercury, Blake V. Adam, Weiss v. Emerald, and Ruby v. Cinder. This happened in the previous opening, but we never saw the fights concerning Mercury or Emerald, with Mercury mockfighting Pyrrah instead.
In the next scene we get Weiss clearly trying to please Winter to no avail, Qrow finishing up a conversation with his nieces, and an obvious tension between the two. It is interesting to see the tables turned on Weiss a bit here, as she seems to be getting treated like she treated Ruby in the first season before they become best friends. This explains why she did not want to see Winter in the Second Volume. This family dynamic directly condradicts that of Qrow, With both Yang and Ruby smiling as he walks away. As the two meet in the middle, it is plain to see that they know each other, or at the very least, of each other (what if they dated...? o[]o ). As they standoff, Qrow notices a photograph float by. Pictured in this photo is none other than his own team, and we FINALLY GET TO SEE SUMMER'S FACE, and boy, is she Adorable. It also seems that the only resemblance that Ruby or Yang have to their father is Yang's blonde hair. This picture does not show Summer or Dad's weapons, and we have already seen Raven's weapon in action, But we do get a glimpse of Qrow's weapon. Up until now we knew that he weilded a Scythe, as that was established in the first episode of Volume one, but now we see that it seems to also have a sword form, differing it from Ruby's Crecent Rose.
As the camera zooms into the gears on Qrow's sword, the scene fades to show a dark red void, That not only was shown in the First opening, but was also seen in the second season as the portal used by Raven. Do we get to see how such a portal works? Does it go to some other dimension? ell at the very least it clearly indicates that Raven will be back this season, if that was not ovbious enough already. The scene fades again to show Teams RWBY and JNPR falling, hand in hand to form a ring. Suddenly, the members of Team JNPR break away leaving only team RWBY and Ruby's frightened and confused face. This could o hand in hand with the fact that Team SSSN appeared before JNPR. This may also and more likely indicate that Team RWBY will have to deal with something that Team JNPR cannot help with. Something that they must do alone, and Ruby might not be ready for it. This is reinforced by the last scene before the title card, with all members of Team RWBY sitting sadly in a spotlight, with only Ruby looking up. The burden of the life she chose might just now be hitting her, and the appearance of Yang's mom might reopen some wounds about her own mom.
So that is my Full analysis of the Opening Credits. The song will be in a different topic, because this one is WAAAAY too long. If you read all of it, kudos. There is much to be excited for this saturday. Feel free to comment with your own theories, things that I missed, things that i got wrong, or anything of the sort~!
The first thing that happens is a single rose petal floating down to meet a single rose as the words "Created by Monty Oum" appears on screen. I think there is no doubt in the fact that this is a tribute to the man himself. However, in the slim chance that you do not believe me, I will explain anyway. First of all, the Rose petal is similar to the first opening where Ruby is shown visiting her Mother's grave, with rose petals flowing from here cloak, as well as what I will assume is Summer's cloak. If that doesn't do it for you, Monty Oum is the ONLY one credited. Normally, when Rooster Teeth displays only the opening, there are no credits littering the screen other than "Rooster Teeth Presents" at the very beginning. This means that they felt Monty's tribute is important enough (and it is) to include in any and all versions of this opening.
Next, Grimm happen. Lots of them. An entire armmy and it happens many times throughout the sequence Shown in this particulaer scene however, there are Ursai and Creeps. No matter how many times I play this, that is what I see. No new grimm quite yet. They run for a bit before the scene changes to display Team RWBY. I've been sitting here for a bit staring at the still, but there is nothing super interesting to find, though I do not currently recognize the building that they are standing in front of. It is possible that it is a brand new location, seeing as those are guaranteed to appear. Thinking about it now, it could be the Amity Colluseum. I am also interested to know why Yang is the only one here shown smiling. This bit is completely speculation, but it could be in reference to the possiblity that she is the only one that will come to complete terms with her past in this volume, since we know she finds her mother, or rather her mother finds her. The rest of the team has things they still need to deal with, though in Ruby's case she has all but forgotten. It might be a bit of a stretch, especially considering Ruby's age when Summer died, but that is the only reason I can think of for Yang's smiling face. If it were up to personality, Ruby would be smiling too. Or maybe I'm thinking too hard.
The scene then changes to show Team SSSN. Here we get a better look at both Scarlet and Sage, and the team is shown more prominantly than in the last intro. Right off the bat I notice something VERY interesting, or at least I think so. Between Scarlet sand Sage, there is what appears to be a brown colored braid hanging down from the top. It sits there for the entirety of Team SSSN's appearance. What does this mean? Maybe there is a fifth Team member? Maybe there is another player from Mistral that they are close with? That braid is not there for nothing, yet only time will tell what it means, as there is not enough current information. The team seems to be standing in the same location, and it still makes sense that this might be the colluseum.
Now, before I get to the next scene, I would like to point out how interesting it is that Team JNPR is shown AFTER Team SSSN. For the entire series this far, JNPR has een very close with RWBY, and they are usually seen with or around each other. Sequenced nexgt to each other. Ts RWBY going to be closer to SSSN now? Honestly I dont think that is quite it. RWBY has known JNPR for the entire school year, since before teams were formed even, and they only met half of Team SSSN so far. So to have team JNPR play less of a role would make little sense, and would be sad, since we all know Jaune is a fan favorite Destined to do great things. In any case, JNPR is the team shown in this next scene. Other than the fact that it is shown after SSSN, there isnt much interesting here. I was hoping that I would find something to symbolize Ren's new Voice actor, but I have yet to see anything.
After that, Cinder's group makes an appearance. First of all, Mercury is flipping tall. That has nothing to do with anything, but wow. More importantly, the setting changes here. While this is clearly the same location shown with the other teams, the other team's sets looked identical to each other, while this one is not. It is obviously a different spot. This might be in reference to the fact that "one of these things is not like the other" as Cinder and her partners are indeed Evil. However, this is the only thing out of the ordinary here. The closeup to Cinder's face seems to be a clear indication that her plans are to come into fruition, the fire representing the dust imbued within her.
Next we see more Grimm running toward Beacon (Sounds like our plot... I totally called it you guys. :o ). The grimm I see here are still Ursai and Creeps.They rampage through the school, clearly controlled by someone. as they reach the tower, two nevermore are seen flying overhead s well as SOMETHING climbing the tower. It is only a quick glimpse from far away, But i Do not believe it is a grimm we know. In proportion to the tower and the smaller grimm scaling it, this thing is MASSIVE. The biggest grimm we know are Nevermore, Deathstalkers, King Taijitu, and Goliaths. This huge grimm does not hold the shape of any of these, though the closest is Goliath being a quadriped (But honestly I don't see Goliath joining the fight, much lesst climbing a tower). So is this a new grimm? Well possibly, and possibly supported by the next sene which shows Ozpin and Glynda Facing a "mirror" with a plethora of grimm on the other side. On the top left of the mass of grimm, a creature with two beady red eyes can bee seen. The only Grimm known with two eyes on each side of the head is the boarbatusk. However, this is NOT a boarbatusk's face. For starters, there are no visible tusks. Secondly, The eyes are not identical in size. The eyes of a boarbatusk are all roughly the same size and shape, but this grimm shown has smaller back eyes. In addition, There is a red mark across both eyes, while a boarbatusk has no such markings. While there is not enough detail to determine the creature this grimm is based off of, the evidence strongly suggests something new. Also interesting is the feact that the grimm seem to be after Ozpin, who could either be representing himself, or Beacon as a whole.
As the perspective changes, Glynda and Ozpin stand infront of that mirror that took the place of their window for this opening, and it shatters, letting in a full view of what isn't grimm, but dozens of airships soaring through the sky. Clearly the work of Ironwood. We all knew the military would take part in this, so this is of little surprise. Seems like the Military will once again take a stand against the grimm.
After this we see Blake walking through Forever Fall, which seems to be her favorite place at this point because that is where we keep seeing her. As she walks we see Adam, who we know will finally be used in this volume, and he seems to be leading an army of White Fang. Someone had to take over for Torchwick, right? Personally I am hoping for some good interaction between Adam and Blake, and I am sure we will get it, if this bit is anything to go by.
Next we get the fighting, which is shown in every RWBY Opening. In this case we see a grimm army running to face off with Teams RWBY and JNPR, who are closely follwed by the military. Whether it happens in this volume or the next, this will be a huge battle. It may not happen exactly as shown here, but two armies WILL clash. We then see the usual one on one fights with Yang v. Mercury, Blake V. Adam, Weiss v. Emerald, and Ruby v. Cinder. This happened in the previous opening, but we never saw the fights concerning Mercury or Emerald, with Mercury mockfighting Pyrrah instead.
In the next scene we get Weiss clearly trying to please Winter to no avail, Qrow finishing up a conversation with his nieces, and an obvious tension between the two. It is interesting to see the tables turned on Weiss a bit here, as she seems to be getting treated like she treated Ruby in the first season before they become best friends. This explains why she did not want to see Winter in the Second Volume. This family dynamic directly condradicts that of Qrow, With both Yang and Ruby smiling as he walks away. As the two meet in the middle, it is plain to see that they know each other, or at the very least, of each other (what if they dated...? o[]o ). As they standoff, Qrow notices a photograph float by. Pictured in this photo is none other than his own team, and we FINALLY GET TO SEE SUMMER'S FACE, and boy, is she Adorable. It also seems that the only resemblance that Ruby or Yang have to their father is Yang's blonde hair. This picture does not show Summer or Dad's weapons, and we have already seen Raven's weapon in action, But we do get a glimpse of Qrow's weapon. Up until now we knew that he weilded a Scythe, as that was established in the first episode of Volume one, but now we see that it seems to also have a sword form, differing it from Ruby's Crecent Rose.
As the camera zooms into the gears on Qrow's sword, the scene fades to show a dark red void, That not only was shown in the First opening, but was also seen in the second season as the portal used by Raven. Do we get to see how such a portal works? Does it go to some other dimension? ell at the very least it clearly indicates that Raven will be back this season, if that was not ovbious enough already. The scene fades again to show Teams RWBY and JNPR falling, hand in hand to form a ring. Suddenly, the members of Team JNPR break away leaving only team RWBY and Ruby's frightened and confused face. This could o hand in hand with the fact that Team SSSN appeared before JNPR. This may also and more likely indicate that Team RWBY will have to deal with something that Team JNPR cannot help with. Something that they must do alone, and Ruby might not be ready for it. This is reinforced by the last scene before the title card, with all members of Team RWBY sitting sadly in a spotlight, with only Ruby looking up. The burden of the life she chose might just now be hitting her, and the appearance of Yang's mom might reopen some wounds about her own mom.
So that is my Full analysis of the Opening Credits. The song will be in a different topic, because this one is WAAAAY too long. If you read all of it, kudos. There is much to be excited for this saturday. Feel free to comment with your own theories, things that I missed, things that i got wrong, or anything of the sort~!
~HM Leena
