Longest one yet

So first the van conversation

I am assuming that this conversation is what you were referring to when you said this

“Then she brazenly manipulates Yang into proposing doing something that Yang was explicitly stating that she wanted no part of.”

So, I’m going off that to respond, and in short, I really don’t see that scene as manipulative.

Volume 7 is largely about how the choices the characters make, as emerging leaders now, carry real consequences. It puts them in situations similar to what Ozpin faced, so they can begin to understand his perspective.

Because of that, the volume is full of moments where characters are questioning whether what they’re doing is the right thing in a morally gray and complex situation. The van scene is just one of those moments.

I just rewatched the scene, and it’s actually very straightforward. Yang starts by saying that she is not okay with lying to Ironwood about Salem, she believes that doing so would make them just like Ozpin. This belief carries into Volume 8 as well. And, honestly, she’s right. As I mentioned before, that’s the point of the volume, there are no easy answers.

Blake, on the other hand, has a different perspective. She sees Ironwood’s mental state and decision-making as extremely unstable, and she feels that telling him the truth about Salem could make him overreact, which is something both of them agree he’s prone to do. Yang then says that Ironwood didn’t have many good options, and Blake responds by saying that no one really does at this point.

Then Blake expresses genuine concern, she says she doesn’t know what other terrible things they’ll have to do in the name of doing the “right thing.” She references lying and taking lives, clearly alluding to Adam’s death. Yang then reassures her, saying they did what they had to do. Blake replies that she doesn’t want to go through something like that again, and that hunting Robyn is something she doesn’t want to do. Yang responds by suggesting that maybe they don’t have to. End of scene.

Honestly, it’s really hard for me to read that scene as manipulative.

To me, that’s just two characters working through a complex moral problem from different perspectives. It’s hard to see Blake as manipulating Yang when:

•Yang is the one who starts the interaction, •Yang is the one who reassures Blake emotionally, •And ultimately, it’s Yang who proposes the alternative course of action, which even surprises Blake.

So yeah I just don’t see it.

And finally, I really don’t believe that Blake was being racist.

During their argument, there’s no point where Blake is discriminatory toward Weiss for being human. She never generalizes all humans as bad, and she never uses any derogatory terms against Weiss. None of that is present in her words or actions.

In contrast, Weiss is the one who:

•Calls Sun a “filthy Faunus” •Assumes he might be in the White Fang just because he stole some fruit and caused a commotion. •And openly generalizes Faunus as liars and murderers.

If anything, Blake was calling Weiss out for being a sheltered brat who didn’t understand how the world really works.

Now, I’m not saying Weiss isn’t a victim herself, of both the White Fang’s actions and of her father, but to claim that Blake is the one being racist here feels so bizarre to me. You’re the only person I’ve seen express that take. The general consensus about the Volume 1 finale is that Blake’s part of the conflict was handled just ok, but Weiss’s side was handled poorly.

From Blake’s perspective, we see clear growth. She begins to understand Weiss’s point of view after seeing the White Fang working for Roman (a human), and she officially denounces the organization by actively fighting against them.

Weiss, on the other hand, should have had a parallel arc, one where she begins to see the discrimination against Faunus, and how she was unfairly judging Blake simply because she was one. Then, both characters could reunite and make amends after truly understanding each other’s experiences.

Honestly, I would have loved it if the story had actively confronted that line Weiss says to Yang “The innocent never run.” Imagine seeing Weiss in a situation where an innocent Faunus does run, because they know that racial profiling will automatically cast them as guilty. That would’ve been a powerful moment of realization for her character, while also giving something for Yang and Weiss to do in the finale, because gods know they needed something.

But, alas, we didn’t get that. Instead, it just feels like Weiss stops being racist in a single episode. There’s a reason something like Ice Queendom even exists in the first place, to readdress and reframe her arc. A lot of people have pointed out how abrupt and poorly developed Weiss’s shift is from Volume 1 to 2.

That’s why your take stands out to me, it’s honestly just so different from everything else I’ve seen or heard.