Review: RWBY “Haven’s Fate”

It’s the final episode!

Overview: 

Mother and daughter face off, while the rest of the team fights off Hazel. In the meantime, Blake confronts Adam once again.

Our Take:

Yang confronts Raven, but doesn’t fight her. She calls Raven out for her cowardice, and for her attitude. Raven’s kill or be killed tactics earned her the powers of the Spring Maiden after she killed the previous one. It also cast her away from her daughter, with the excuse of making her stronger. Yang also delivers a final point— that Raven won’t take the relic. To take the relic is to send Salem after whoever has it, and Raven isn’t willing to take that risk. The relic will make her more powerful, sure, but it will also paint a target on her back. Raven is unwilling to engage with Salem whatsoever— not even if it’s to protect her only daughter.

Raven’s cowardice and the ways she takes to justify it are huge parts of this season overall, and it ends with Raven running away. She doesn’t change, and instead, she chooses to protect herself from anyone else. While it would have been nice to show a braver Raven, this is who she is. Fear isn’t something to be underestimated, and it can change a person. With Raven, who ran, and with Lionheart, who tried to run and was killed by Salem, cowardice is a strong motivating factor. It’s not honorable, but it’s understandable.

Adam also faces his downfall, losing all credibility with the White Fang and facing arrest. He manages to dodge the authorities, but he’s likely to meet up with Hazel shortly after. Either way, the White Fang have lost their leader, and are bound to face an upheaval. With the Belladonnas implied to be in charge again, hopefully, they will become less extreme.

The ending leaves a lot for next season to cover: the girls are reunited, but they still have to get the relic to Atlas, and Raven is shown to possibly meet up with Taiyang. We still don’t know what happened to Cinder, and Salem is still going strong. Plenty to build off of, but for now, a good wrap up to the season.

Also, don’t forget to check out Shirow Miwa’s RWBY manga! It just came out this month, and Miwa’s art is as strong as ever!