Broadcasts from Remnant - Anticipating RWBY Volume 5
RWBY is back! Here's a quick list of predictions for what we might see in Volume 5.
1 - Mistral-themed Cameos
The most important team from Mistral is obviously Team SSSN and I'd be shocked if they didn't show up at some point this volume. Now that we're in their home territory, we might even start to see big roles for Scarlet and Sage, who up to now have just been 'the other two'. Sun is still helping Blake with the White Fang on the other side of the world, but the other three members of SSSN might jump in to help RNJR at some point for a fun mid-volume surprise. This show has issues at times with spreading itself too thinly and trying to keep the spotlight on too many characters at once, but with 14 episodes in the volume and the first episode being over 20 minutes long, I think we'll have more than enough screen time to give Team SSSN a moment. The only other team we know of from Mistral is Team ABRN, who we might see hanging around in the background of some scenes.
2 - Adam's Death
It's time to start writing out some characters. I love big casts but RWBY's cast is getting a little too big, and there are certain characters who are kinda unnecessary now. A big one of these is Adam, who I think can be safely killed off this year by Yang and/or Blake. There are more than enough villains in the show right now and with the introduction of Sienna Khan, we don't need two 'Leader of the White Fang' antagonists. Adam has a lot of history with the girls though, so even though I'd like to see his story end, I still want it to end properly and with enough time given to it. As I say, the ones who'd be best to do it are Yang and Blake, particularly as Blake is now on a mission to retake the White Fang. By killing Adam, it'd be a way of moving their arcs forward while also freeing up screen time to deal with other, more important villains, like the members of Salem's inner circle who haven't had a chance to shine yet. And also Sienna Khan, who's apparently going to be a big deal going forward. Adam is a really effective villain, but I think his usefulness to the story is done now.
And yes, I understand the hypocrisy of wanting a character to be written out immediately after asking for cameos.
3 - Oscar Pine-related Answers
It's basically tradition now for every RWBY volume to have an infodump episode in the same way other shows have a scheduled clipshow. I'm guessing this year's infodump will focus on the hows and whys of Ozpin and Oscar, and what exactly's up with that. Honestly, I can't decide if I want Oscar to be his own independent character or if I want him to start dressing and acting like Ozpin, the ultimate wizard/mentor figure, and ordering people around while still looking like a child. I'd love to see Oscar learn to use the cane to fight, mainly because it would allow for some really nice and physical hand-to-stick fight scenes. Aside from that, I want to see him learn how to use his weird powers (which I assume he has) and more specifically I want to see him join JN_R to form a new team: ORNJ. This idea has been brought up before by the fandom, but it'd be a neat and tidy way to complete a team after the death of Pyrrha. Also, 'ruby' and 'orange' are both common warm colours, so it'd work out well. Other than that, I want the show to make full use of the comedic potential of Oscar navigating a strange new land while everything he does is narrated by Shannon McCormick.
4 - Maidens and Relics
Volume 3 and 4 dropped a lot on us with regards to the maidens and the relics, which form the main pieces in Ozpin and Salem's seemingly infinite chess game over Remnant. I'm expecting the first relic to appear this volume when Salem finds it in the ruins of Beacon Academy. As for the maidens, the trailer leads us to believe that the search for the Spring Maiden will form part of Volume 5's main plot, and the poster hints that Cinder, the Fall Maiden, is back in a more prominent villain role. Cinder as the Fall Maiden is one of the villains I'm most excited to see, because we'll finally be seeing what someone trained to use the maiden powers can do. I honestly can't wait until more of the maidens and relics are active in the story and characters are casually throwing around world-ending powers in fight scenes.
That's basically it for my big wants and predictions. I'll be making RWBY-related posts throughout Volume 5 as the plot thickens.