User blog comment:Forrestib/"Breach" was Brilliant, and Here's Why/@comment-4820209-20141031224430/@comment-9090085-20141103075511

Ah, but it was a hard fought battle: Ren had to avoid many attacks from the King Taijitu, and while he managed to get some hits in, he couldn't find an opening for a killing blow; until the King Taijitu disarms him, and moves in for the kill. It is there, on the edge of life-and-death, that he finds the opening he needs. Plus, like all people of Remnant, Ren has Aura - the full-body force-field that prevents you from being injured until it's depleted, at which point you're unconscious; like Weiss was after her fight with the WF Lieutenant instead of ripped to shreds(Speaking of Weiss, based on easily she got back in the fight, I'd say Aura "recharges" quickly between fights). If Ren fought multiple King Taijitus I think you would have a compelling argument, but he only fought one, and it took him a good deal of effort to kill.

You mentioned earlier that you felt the episode didn't explain why Ozpin "failed"; Well, I'll give an explanation, at lest how I see it: The reason the counsel thinks Ozpin failed is because...

Grimm got into the city.

You see, You and I have opposite ideas of why the antagonists are threatening in this show: You see the Human foes as the main antagonists, and the Grimm largely as combo filler; I see the Grimm as the true enemy, and view the Human foes as all the more dangerous because of this.

You compared the Grimm to the Titans in AoT; it's far more apt then you think it is. In addition to sharing several physical and psychological traits(evaporating on death; no need to eat; attacking only humans), they control most of the land, and keep humanity confined to their walled cities(Mountain Glenn is prof of this). The main difference between the two is that the Titan forces consist almost entirely of "mid-level" 7+ meter tall Titans; while the Grimm forces consist largely of "low-level" creatures, similar to 3 meter tall titans(this is part of why attrition in AoT is so high: there are no "weak" foes for rookies to "break their teeth" on).

The Humans are safe behind their walls, however - they can repel any direct attack by the Grimm from them. The Grimm that have learned this, like the Goliaths, stay back and wait. Wait for their "Colossal Titan" to appear and open the floodgates. And that is where the Human antagonists come in.

Cinder isn't dangerous because of her strength(though impressive); or because she wants to take over Vale; or because the WF can kill all humans(they'd love to try though). They are threatening because their machinations threaten to fracture the foundations of civilization in Vale, shattering any coordinated defense. And with the walls of Man destroyed from within, Nature, in the form of the Grimm, will sweep in to wipe them out.

Cinder is the "Colossal Titan" of RWBY, sharing much the same role in the story. And she is making preparations to bring the walls down; this "breach" is one of them:

The Grimm entering the city were never intended to cause any real damage, they were meant to frighten the Counsel into believing Ozpin was incompetent. And, being politicians more concerned with image and pointing fingers, they hastily appointed Ironwood as head of security for the Vytal Festival. But Ironwood is impulsive, making him much easier for Cinder to trick(plus, it gets Roman on Ironwood's flagship).

That is what the overreaching drama of RWBY looks like to me: Will our heroes stop Cinder, or will her plot to bring the walls of Vale crumbling down succeed? Will the Darkness that almost wiped out Humanity in its infancy manage to snuff out one of the four lights of civilization if this happens?