User blog comment:Tsubori/Hypersonic RWBY characters? It's more likely than you think/@comment-73.222.177.213-20160209055326

Anime pyhsics calculations are always extremely spotty, maily due to the fact that anime worlds operate on a different set of pyhsics. For example, the much used jump-on-falling-rocks/debris move, is physically impossible. The falling rocks and falling person are all accelerating downward at the same rate, so it's physically impossible to jump from rock to rock. Also, the whole recoil propulsion RWBY characters use is completely impossible under normal physics. A large caliber gun maybe has enough force to knock an unrepared person to the ground, this is nowhere near the force needed to slow down a person falling at probably 120 mph (using average person weight and Earth's gravity). These all work based on THE RULE OF COOL.

If you actually want to find their speed, its probably a better idea to compare their speed to something whose speed we know. For instance when Ruby meets Cinder in the CCT, Cinder shoots an arrow at Ruby which she barely avoids, allowing Cinder to escape. However, RWBY characters block/dodge bullets regularly. An arrow travels at max 250 mph. Therefore, a bullet in RWBY would be around the same. Of course in this instance, Ruby was wearing heels, so that could have affected her mobility.

RWBY charaacters are definitely not mach speed. Jaune is shown to be capable of keeping up (sorta) with mininum training (at the begining he's basically a normal guy). When they were being chased by the Nevermore, all characters - including Jaune, who we know has NO HUNTER TRAINING run at approximately the same speed. This implies that the average speed for RWBY characters is still around human levels. Also when pursuing the mech, there's a reason the cars are moving faster than most of the characters.