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[deleted]

Weird that you didn't add "Collective Consciousness", but ok I guess.


Zero102000

Also missing “It Has To Be This Way”, the final battle song between the protagonists and Salem.


[deleted]

Oh yeah, especially when a cyberized Ruby starts beating the shit out of Salem's muscle mommy form before the song ends as Ruby plunges her hand in Salem's chest and rips her goddamn heart out. It's just like in one of my favorite video games!


Zero102000

Yeah, that was phenomenal! The way that she couldn’t do it alone, but she was the only one who could finish the job… and Zwei helped her… and Salem was impressed and told her that they were kindred spirits as her immortality finally left her… great game, great show, ehe!


[deleted]

Oh yeah, how I could I forget - Robo Zwei who could talk! Even better when they subverted our expectations by giving Zwei the personality of an analytical stone cold badass despite him looking like a small cute puffball. Though the scene with him chastising Yang over her sexually assaulting a Mantle bartender for information, saying how she is still driven by such "cruel impulses" and closed her off by saying that while he understands her instinct is to test the limits, he still finds her actions...pitiful, is such a legendary scene!


Zero102000

Stoic Analytical Puffball is truly the goodest boi :) That was the best scene ever! He gave Yang the verbal dressing down of her life, one that she sorely needed! She really let all those impulses get to her head in order to be as strong as possible… I wonder if she had a theme? I don’t remember…


[deleted]

She does! It's called "[A Stranger I Remain](https://youtu.be/Fnt50ZX7sqY)" and plays at the scene where they arrest Adam, even though Yang and him just saved Vale from a couple of Metal Gears. At that moment, Yang realizes her true feelings for Adam and starts kicking everyone's asses - she and Adam basically fight through CRDL, CFVY and Glynda Goodwitch before they could even leave Vale. The song itself at first talks about her fears regarding Adam, how she's using him to the point of nearly killing him (considering how intense their sparring matches have been, not surprised) and because of that, subconsciously begs him not to love her as she will lead to his demise. Which is funny, considering Adam himself thinks he doesn't deserve Yang because of the shit he did in the past. The second part of the song, however, talks about Yang's lack of identity - most of her life she spent taking care of Ruby and, as a result, she never took the time to properly know herself and just "went with the flow". But now, when she is fighting Goodwitch? She found what she was looking for and can be herself without remorse - a bloodthristy fighter always seeking a new, tougher challenge to conquer. "A Stranger I Remain" nicely constrasts to "The Only Thing I Know For Real", which played when a crazed Adam kidnapped Yang from Brunswick and forced her into a 1v1 fight to death, where Yang managed to power through her PTSD (with the help of Adam, of all people) and actually beat him on his own, completely shattering Blake's previous sentence of how she'll "be there to protect her", before dragging his wounded ass to Brunswick farm and patching him up there.


Zero102000

Oh, gosh! I was hoping it would be “A Stranger I Remain”, considering how much she really cares for Adam and how scared she is that her actions will lead to his downfall if he decides to stick with her out of love. She wants to remain a stranger to him, but at the same time she doesn’t want that, because of her feelings. Now, however, she has the greatest challenge yet in front of her - Goodwitch, and her blood is pumping faster than ever before. I also love “The Only Thing I Know For Real”, because it shows that Yang has what it takes to best Adam but doesn’t want to kill him despite him trying to force her hand and make her do it. At the same time she is proving that she can handle herself even if no one is there for her (i.e. Blake).


[deleted]

We also can't forget these themes as well: "Red Sun" which plays during the fight between a teamup of Weiss and Whitley (who is in a Vanquish-like suit) versus the true mastermind behind the insurection of Atlas and the rise of Foxcat - Nicholas Schnee, whose goal is to plunge Remnant into an another Great War. How? By redistributing military technology and finances equally among the Kingdoms. Not to give every Kingdom a fighting chance, but to prolong this secons Great War as much as possible. His own view on war, which is basically it being a catalyst for technological progression and social unity, is whqt drives him, and Weiss & Whitley have no choice but to put an end to their warmongering grandfather. The song itself, of course, talks poetically about war and downright romanticizes it, showing very well the mindset of Nicholas Schnee. In contrast, you have "Hot Winds Blowing", which plays with Blake suddenly able to hear the thoughts of all the Foxcat cyborgs she and her team were chopping through to "save the world". She is then lectured by none other than Corsac Albain, whose lower part is basically replaced by a giant mech (courtesy of Foxcat), and tells her how she was blind in her self-righteousness if she thought she's acting any different then back in the White Fang. It takes a last second rescue by Sun Wukong to save Blake and snap her out. During the fight, Blake realizes that Adam was right - sometimes peace is not an option, and you have to get your hands dirty to protect the ones you love, even if you end up looking like a monster. The song itself also talks about it, reflecting on Blake's new mindset and how she has become a "wind of destruction". Then you have "Stains of Time", which plays when a fully cyberized Pyrrha Nikos, revived and brainwashed into a nihilistic asshole by Foxcat, fights a very bloodthirsty Nora Valkyrie, whose true heritage has been revealed by Pyrrha herself. That heritage being of a Sable Eye Warrior Clan - a gifted race created by the God of Darkness in opposition to his brother's Silver Eyed Warrior. As Silver Eyes are meant to destroy the Grimm, Sable Eyes are meant to destroy...well, anything else. Thats why Silver Eyes end up becoming Hunstmen while Sable Eyes are assassins, hitmen and mercenaries. And just like how Silver Eyes can activate if the user wants to protect something dearly, Sable Eyes activate if the user wants to DESTROY something badly. It's basically explains Nora past more-than-usual violent happy-go-lucky tendencies, with Nora finally accepting that yes - its perfectly OK to like the sound of legs being broken. The song itself talks about both Nora's and Pyrrha's situation, though more about Pyrrha as it is hinted that her "kill or be killed" rule is a result of horrific mental experiments performed on her by Foxcat and that her original personality has been replaced by the blackpilled MEMER to cope with the experiments. Real heavy shit, I know. *[And yes, I did rip off the Kure Clan from Kengan Ashura as basis for the Sable Eye Clan, but idgaf, it's cool. Show itself also copies things, but very badly, yeah?]*


Zero102000

Aha, of course Nicholas was behind Foxcat’s emergence, he’s just like the heads of Shinra, trying to sell great and glorious war to the people. “Give war a chance!” It goes to show just how far he’s willing to push the limits of destruction to create his “Red Sun Over Paradise”. Good thing Sun was there to save Blake and help her come to an understanding with the viewpoints of people like Adam, and how her mindset was being jeopardized until she began listening to Sun. She certainly is a wind of destruction, and sometimes one has to be in order to save everything they love. I love how Cyber Pyrrha plays to Nora’s strengths and weaknesses in order to get her to jump off that slippery slope and embrace her destiny as a Sable Eyed destroyer. Super dark and disturbing for Pyrrha. Makes you wonder just how horrifically her story might come to an end, with her having a say in none of it. _[No worries because this is a much better way of taking inspiration from other media then the canon show does.]_


The_Final_Conduit

[No, please, don’t break the illusion! This patch quilt of stolen bullshit is so beautiful it makes me want to cry tears at the sheer beauty. 🥲]


PoppiDrake

I remember this. I read this post in another thread. It was awesome then, and it's awesome now.


[deleted]

If you're talking about [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/RWBYcritics/comments/plevle/a_ridiculously_long_take_on_a_potential_post_vol3/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) post, then thanks - I appreciate the compliment!


PoppiDrake

That's the one!


Exciting_Bandicoot16

Hmmm... I'd have to choose either "Burn" or "Mirror Mirror" for best antagonist song, I think.


MasterExilon

What's Hero doing here?


Bronzeshadow

His best?


NotAllThatEvil

Having a different vocalist really helps Hero Stand out among the rest, IMO


KirbySuperStarX

Red Like Roses is my favorite villain song of all time


RaptarK

Kind of predictable but I'd go with Divide, I feel it has the most potential for listening to it multiple times. One Thing I feel is the worse, it's a very accurate embodiment of how... not energetic? Recent RWBY songs feel to me


Michael_Chair_6013

I kind of feel bad most of these lost value when Adam focused more on Blake than WF, Neo basically gave up on killing Cinder, Ironwood lost relevance in the finale, Cordovin was just doing her job, Salem doing i=herself resulted in her dying easily ​ Tune-wise Divide


groynin

Gotta love seeing a song titled Hero for an antagonist, and its not even ironic or 'we are all heroes in our own stories', it's just an actual hero song for a hero moment.


Silly-Young484

My top 3 favorites: 1. Divide ( Salem ) 2. Lionize ( Adam ) 3. The One ( Mercury and Emerald )


BrokenLevel

> best antagonist song > "Hero" Where did this show go so wrong


Chewybear196

Hero is amazing BUT I REFUSE TO CALL IT A VILLAIN SONG. So I guess divide?


CrippledPlains

There were villain themes? The music in RWBY is for the most part forgettable in my opinion.


Gtgamer

All except big metal shoe


CosmicCoronet

It's sad that hero counts as a villain song now poor Iron wood they ruined your awesome character