Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5217560-20150210080209/@comment-3146930-20150212014453

To some extent, I don't feel that a Semblance will grow drastically over time. It is more likely that as Hunters get better at controlling their Aura, they can focus it more and use their Semblance more effectively (not wasting any Aura). I say this because Pyrrha mentions when unlocking Jaune's Aura that he has a lot of it. Because of this, it seems that in their world some people just have a naturally stronger Aura. As a result, those people would be the ones to become prime targets for becoming Hunters. However like I said, I don't feel that their Aura/Semblance will get stronger, just that they will be better at controlling it (in a way making it stronger).

As far as how a Semblance manifests is much more complicated. We like to believe that their Semblance reflects on the person somehow, but people will always find ways to connect A to B. You could give me a random superpower and a random character and I could find a reason for that person having that power. As an example, Ruby has speed because of her energetic personality, but really Nora seems like a more ideal candidate as her energy levels are over NINE-THOUSAND!!! Wow, where did that come from?

Another bit of information was that the staff once mentioned that a Semblance may in some way be inherited from parent to child. We haven't seen any (confirmed) parents yet, so there is no way to confirm this. However if this does hold true, then a person's Semblance is not completely random and is probably locked in place from the moment they are born. What I mean by this is that everyone in the world has a unique soul obviously, but it is your life experiences that shape who you are; which your soul has no part in. For example, if Pyrrha grew up as a bank robber her Semblance would probably be the same, she would just be an evil person.

Another reason I don't feel like a Semblance is linked to personality is because people change over time. Weiss is usually considered an Ice Queen and at the start of the series saw everyone (except Pyrrha) as beneath her, but she is somewhat a better person currently. Yet her Semblance will never change even if next volume she turns into Snow White and starts singing to birds.