Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-168.103.228.28-20150809162836

Hey guys,

So, a little while ago, I heard a guy said that it was quite likely, if not inevitable, that Pyrrha will die/get injured significantly in the upcoming Volume(s) of the series. I have also seen this is a pretty popular theory among some fans, as Pyrrha's name (possibly a reference to Pyrrhic Victory, character motivation and motif (Achilles), and her status as a mentor figure to Jaune, seems to make her more susceptible to a potential death/grim injury (and that is not a pun).

Personally, I doubt RT is going to go the "killing Pyrrha" route, but they may very well cause her to get hurt bad. While it is true that is quite common-arguably cliché-for the mentor of a character to die in order for said student to become stronger and more independent, RT has been shown to do both the "tried and true" method, new ideas and a new play on an old trope.

Besides this, RT as a whole has been shown to be very reluctant in killing off main characters/protagonists. While the only other RT show I have as of yet is Red vs. Blue, I think that it is a good example: despite later seasons taking on more serious storylines with more dangerous situations, very few main characters have ever died. *Spoilers* The closest to any form of an actual death would be Epsilon-Tex and even then, not only was this due to the actions of Epsilon-Church, it is also possible she may be brought back somehow in a later episode/season (how, I'm not sure and its not part of the discussion right now). While some of the other shows from RT I have yet to see may tackle main character death/the Anyone Can Die trope, I still think that RvB does show that the writers don't like to kill off main characters.

Pyrrha getting seriously hurt, however, I do think is a bit more likely. After all, Cinder has talked about taking away the power of their enemies, so it is quite possible that Pyrrha may lose her semblance and/or abilities due to Cinder's intervention (once again: how, I don't know and it's not important for the discussion). This could lead to a point in the story where Jaune has to take care of himself and protect Pyrrha from harm, which could lead to character development on the former's part. Along with this, it could also lead to a story arc where the characters have to get Pyrrha's, and possibly other's, semblance and/or abilities back. Said arc not only may be interesting (in my opinion at least) to watch, but it could also invoke some of the problems mentioned in "Pyrrha's death" theory without having to kill anyone off.

Finally, there is the fact that Monty Oum has stated that the writers of RT weren't trying to retell fairytales and myths. In a way, this is seen throughout the series, as while the members of Team RWBY have fairytale motifs, they still are original characters and are (arguably) only loosely based off of their fairytale counterparts/archetypes. Therefore, it is quite possible for Pyrrha to get hurt without her actually dying, unlike Achilles who was killed.

Personally, I also hope that RT doesn't kill Pyrrha either. While my opinion holds no leverage, I think that it is really overdone to kill off mentor figures simply to have the student grow. Along with this, Pyrrha is a really interesting character who's death, I believe, will do a disservice to the story by making it so that while she is an incredible fighter, she is still ultimately killed. Along with this, Pyrrha's strong points seem to come from more internal rather than external conflict: she wants to be treated as an equal, rather than a superior, by her peers, has feelings for Jaune but is too afraid to mention them, and seems to be somewhat reluctant to take on an "Ideal Hero" role, possibly implied by how she apologizes to Jaune for stopping his fall in the Emerald Forest, after he thanks her nonetheless (yes, I know this was a joke, but it could show some character development on her part). It's entirely possible that the members of Team JNPR may have internal conflict as a constant theme (Jaune and Pyrrha obviously have it, and Ren and Nora may show some in later Volumes), so to see everyone but Pyrrha resolving said conflicts completely seems to be a bit of sloppy writing and can almost make Pyrrha look like a genuine Mary Sue-after all, she's beautiful (in-world at least), smart, funny, powerful, wants to be normal, and if she is killed, it may be taken as the writers trying to invoke the Too Good for this Sinful Earth trope, all of which have been attributed to Mary Sue characters.

Besides, if Pyrrha dies before the story's finale, we would miss a lot of good fighting scenes with her (yes, I know this is a bit more selfish and unlikely since her being a good fighter doesn't mean she's now got Plot Armor, but I still feel like the writers will be throwing away a good thing if they do intend to kill her off before RWBY's finale).

While I do believe that RWBY will take a darker turn in the next season, and most likely keep said tone throughout any more seasons, I personally think it is a little difficult to tell right now whether the writers will be trying to go Trigun/Rosario + Vampire routes of darker storytelling in upcoming seasons or if they will do what they did for Red vs Blue: Reconstruction.

But anyway, what do you guys think about what will happen with Pyrrha in later seasons? 