History YMMV / WeightOfTheWorld

* AngstDissonance: Blake receives more anger, frustration, and disgust than sympathy for her angst over Sun's revealed secret and her misery over her damaged friendship with Yang. It doesn't help that it was Blake's actions[[note]] running away without a word and refusing to see her actions as wrong when she returned.[[/note]] that damaged their friendship in the first place, making her angst self-inflicted and (to some) unsympathetic.

* AngstDissonance: Blake received a lot more anger and disgust than sympathy for her angst over Sun's revealed secret and her misery over her damaged friendship with Yang. It doesn't help that it was Blake's actions[[note]] running away without a word and refusing to see her actions as wrong when she returned.[[/note]] that damaged their friendship in the first place.

* WhatAnIdiot: With the threat to her loved ones hanging over her head, Blake runs and hides from Adam... by going home to her family in Menagerie. Not only does this put her family in danger, but Menagerie is ''the country'' ''[[NationsAsPeople Adam]]'' ''represents''.

** Many found it hard to tolerate Ruby's bitterness and anger towards [[spoiler:America after Salem attacks Frontier and seemingly kills Qrow]]. She is understandably upset after what happened but comes across as being needlessly cruel to someone who in no way deserves it, especially since she allows [[spoiler:[[PsychopathicManchild Russia]] to drag America into the woods when she knows Russia has hurt him every other time they've been alone]]. It comes across as her wanting [[spoiler:America]] to be hurt as [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming punishment]] for what happened.
** People became even less sympathetic towards Ruby when she [[spoiler:blames America for Blake's death, says it was his fault to his face, and implies [[YouShouldHaveDiedInstead he should have died instead]]. Her blame is one of the reasons America considers [[HeroicSuicide killing himself so Salem cannot win]], though in reality (and partially thanks to Ruby's words) he [[DrivenToSuicide believes living isn't worth it]] and he'll only get more of his friends killed.]] Ruby herself acknowledges how terrible she's being (though she cannot [[MomentOfWeakness make herself stop]]) and [[spoiler:Pyrrha]] quickly calls her out on her behavior, so this response may have been an IntendedAudienceReaction for both instances.

* RewatchBonus: There's foreshadowing galore for the existence of Remnant nation-tans, America being Vale, Canada being Mantle, Ironwood's involvement, England's arrival on Remnant, Pyrrha's [[SparedByTheAdaptation survival]], Canada's Semblance, America's Semblance, Adam's identity as Menagerie, and [[spoiler:Blake's death]].

** Many fans agree that the story handles subjects such as loss, PTSD, and grief with much more realism and grace than canon RWBY. Plotlines like Silver Eyes being a SuperPoweredEvilSide and [[spoiler:Ozpin's [[AmbiguouslyEvil questionable morality]]]] are praised for giving characters like Ruby (a VanillaProtagonist in the show) more depth and nuance and being more interesting than how [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot those plots are handled in the show]]. The series also has loads of worldbuilding for Remnant which gives the world its own vast history and culture. The audience is ''shown'' the world, not merely told about it through exposition or a World of Remnant segment.

** Adam's characterization as a WellIntentionedExtremist who has no romantic interest in Blake (and thus is not a Yandere), and whose actions are [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse understandable but not excusable]] has been unanimously praised for the complexity and depth it gives him compared to his [[CrazyJealousGuy canon characterization]]. It in turn gives more weight and nuance to the White Fang and Faunus rights conflict as a whole.

** After Yang is arrested, Ruby laments her team may never be whole again. Later, [[spoiler:Blake dies saving Yang, leaving Team RWBY incomplete forever.]]

* MisaimedFandom: Some fans miss or ignore the underlying messages about using peace and cooperation instead of violence and war to solve problems. Instead of seeing that few characters want war and most characters genuinely want to work together for the good of both worlds, these fans want Earth to make Remnant "pay" by nuking them.

* MisaimedFandom: Some fans miss or ignore the underlying messages about using peace and cooperation instead of violence and war to solve problems. Instead of seeing that few characters want war and most characters genuinely want to work together for the good of both worlds, these fans want Remnant to "pay" for hurting Earth and want Earth to nuke them.

** People became even less sympathetic towards Ruby when she [[spoiler:blames America for Blake's death, says it was his fault to his face, and implies [[YouShouldHaveDiedInstead he should have died instead]]. Her blame is one of the reasons America considers [[HeroicSuicide killing himself so Salem cannot win]], though in reality (and partially thanks to Ruby's words) he [[DrivenToSuicide believes living will only get more of his friends killed]].]] Ruby herself acknowledges how terrible she's being (though she cannot [[MomentOfWeakness make herself stop]]) and [[spoiler:Pyrrha]] quickly calls her out on her behavior, so this response may have been an IntendedAudienceReaction for both instances.

** Bleeding over from feelings due to [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} canon]], some feel TheReasonYouSuckSpeech directed at Blake by Yang was well-deserved.

** All the times Ozpin did not trust his followers with vital information and made them fear he may hurt them becomes a lot harder to read after it turns out canon Ozpin has the exact same characterization. In canon, he does not trust anyone with all the information and he ''lunges for Ruby'' when she attempts to discover his secrets. In other words, what appeared to be AdaptationalVillainy in ''Weight of the World'' was revealed to be [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting nothing of the sort]].

** People still bring up Ruby's unfair and cruel treatment of [[spoiler:America]] long after she regretted her actions. While some are content for her to apologize, others demand Ruby [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty pay for it]] through [[UpToEleven injury or death]].

** To a portion of readers, [[UpToEleven Remnant as a whole]] is this. Some feel Earth has been forced to sacrifice too much compared to Remnant even though Earth was uninvolved in the war until Remnant dragged them into it. This made several readers hope that the forces of Earth will have enough and use nuclear weapons on Remnant. This is despite only Atlas, Salem, and Ozpin being responsible for Earth's involvement in the first place, and [[MisaimedFandom Remnant being home to half the main characters and millions of innocents]].
** Many found it hard to tolerate Ruby's bitterness and anger towards [[spoiler:America after Salem attacks Frontier and seemingly kills Qrow]]. She is understandably upset after what happened but comes across as being needlessly cruel to someone who in no way deserves it, especially since she allows [[spoiler:Russia to drag America into the woods when she knows Russia has hurt him every other time they've been alone]]. It comes across as her wanting [[spoiler:America]] to be hurt as [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming punishment]] for what happened.

* TheScrappy: Primarily due to [[TheStationsOfTheCanon canon events,]] Blake is this to many readers. Her decision to leave Team RWBY [[WhatAnIdiot without warning anyone about Adam]], her [[AesopAmnesia inability to learn from her mistakes]], her [[IWorkAlone loner attitude]], and how she did not return to RWBY through a conscious decision but only through [[ContrivedCoincidence chance]] has not charmed her to the majority. So much so that Yang chewing her out, listing her flaws, and refusing to forgive her for leaving is seen as a TakeThatScrappy moment by most fans. Her reaction to Sun being the personification of Vacuo only increased the dislike thanks to her hypocrisy.

** The author's notes state she was worried Yang would seem unsympathetic when she yelled at Blake for abandoning her team. The author needn't have worried. The ''opposite'' reaction happened, with a majority of fans rooting for Yang and cheering when Blake was given a well-deserved TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In the author's defense, a majority of the ire towards Blake seems to come from canon.

** Adam's characterization as a WellIntentionedExtremist who has no romantic interest in Blake and so he is not a Yandere has been unamnously praised for the complextiy and depth it gives him compared to what canon did.

** People still bring up Ruby's unfair and cruel treatment of [[spoiler:Amerca]] long after she regretted her actions. Some demand Ruby pay for it through injury or death.

* NeverLiveItDown: Yang has forgiven Blake for abandoning Team RWBY but many readers have not.

** Hazel's reasons for hating Ozpin are also praised for its implementation in this series. He hates Ozpin and works with Salem because [[spoiler:Ozpin sent Gretchen's ''first'' year team on a ''third'' year mission to test the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide unstable Silver-Eyed]] girl on their team. The team did not know the mission was meant for third years and were woefully unprepared. The Silver-Eyed girl ended up losing control and slaughtered her team, including Gretchen.]] Hazel's sister did ''not'' know what she was getting into. She died directly because of Ozpin's arrogance and manipulative tendencies.

** Is England a well-meaning if [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Knight Templar-ish]] older brother who only wants what is best for America and will go to admirable and understandable lengths to keep him safe? Or is he a ManipulativeBastard, JerkAss, and [[FantasticRacism anti-Remnant]] hypocrite who wants to destroy ''anything'' to do with Vale, regardless of what America wants and how many innocents get hurt? One the one hand, Remnant put his family through hell and his anger is {{Justified}}. On the other, if England succeeded in performing the ritual, Ruby, Yang, and all the people of Vale [[LossOfIdentity would have suffered from the loss of their personification]]. [It becomes worse after it's implied Ilia grew gravely ill because Mantle's people lost their connection with Canada and she only survived because she sees Menagerie as her home now.

* CreepyCute: [[spoiler:Penny 2.0]]. She [[TheUnblinking never blinks]], [[SociopathicHero kills remorselessly]], and says unsettling things about murder that should not be said in everyday conversations. She is also devoted to [[spoiler:America]] and is as cute as a button, especially when she begins learning the art of puns.

** All the times [[spoiler:Ozpin]] did not trust his followers with vital information [[spoiler:and made them fear he may hurt them]] becomes a lot harder to read after [[spoiler:it turns out canon Ozpin has the exact same characterization. In canon, he does not trust anyone with all the information and he tries to ''attack Ruby'' when she attempts to discover his secrets.]] In other words, what appeared to be AdaptationalVillainy in ''Weight of the World'' was revealed to be [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting nothing of the sort]].
*** Ozpin's internal comments that it would be a shame if the twins did not live to see their full potential realized becomes a lot more insidious after [[spoiler:he considers killing Canada after he is infected with [[TheCorruption Grimm essence]] and tries to [[HumanSacrifice murder]] America.]]
** In canon, Silver Eyes runs on a desire to protect people and activate when Ruby's friends are in danger. In this series [[spoiler:Silver Eyes are a SuperPoweredEvilSide that wants to destroy everyone in their path and Ruby's friends can do absolutely nothing to break her out of her UnstoppableRage.]]

* RewatchBonus: There's foreshadowing galore for the existence of Remnant nation-tans, America being Vale, Canada being Mantle, Ironwood's involvement, England's arrival on Remnant, Canada's Semblance, America's Semblance, Adam's identity as Menagerie, [[spoiler:Blake's death]] and even Pyrrha's [[SparedByTheAdaptation survival]].

** A majority of fans cheered when Yang Xiao Long gave Blake a ReasonYouSuckSpeech.

* TheScrappy: Primarily due to [[TheStationsOfTheCanon canon events,]] Blake is this to many readers. Her decision to leave Team RWBY [[WhatAnIdiot without warning anyone about Adam]], her [[AesopAmnesia inability to learn from her mistakes]], her [[IWorkAlone loner attitude]], and how she did not return to RWBY through a conscious decision [[spoiler:but only through [[ContrivedCoincidence chance]]]] has not charmed her to the majority. So much so that Yang chewing her out, listing her flaws, and refusing to forgive her for leaving is seen as a TakeThatScrappy moment by most fans. Her reaction to Sun being the personification of Vacuo only increased the dislike thanks to her hypocrisy.

** The author's notes state she was worried Yang would seem unsympathetic when she yelled at Blake for abandoning her team. The author needn't have worried. The ''opposite'' reaction happened, with a majority of fans rooting for Yang and cheering when [[spoiler:Blake]] was given a well-deserved TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In the author's defense, a majority of the ire towards Blake seems to come from canon.

** [[ItsAllAboutMe Atlas (Ciel Soleil)]] is the personification of the Kingdom of Atlas. After Vale was attacked by Cinder and left comatose, Atlas sought out a personification to put her Aura into in order to prevent the rest from going to Cinder. She kidnapped America and Canada, imprisoning and [[ColdBloodedTorture torturing]] the twins to test which one was more "worthy" of getting a Remnant personification's Aura. After the fall of Beacon, Atlas opens the Transformation Institute, a facility that brainwashes her people, and throws hundreds of citizens in there. When America confronts Atlas in the Institute and refuses to surrender to her, she threatens to break all of his bones and to have her men rape him. Later, she stabs America repeatedly while he's protecting Ruby and Weiss, pinning his injuries on Ironwood. She later selfishly unlocks the Relic of Creation and teams up with Emerald and Watts in order to kill Canada. Despite claiming that what she does is "[[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist for the good of Remnant]]", Atlas truly only cares about boosting her own ego, and sees everyone--even her own citizens--as being disposable.

'''Warning: Beware of unmarked spoilers for all books. Read at your own risk.'''

* AccidentalInnuendo: After [[spoiler:America]] is beaten up by two guards and shoved to the floor, the AxCrazy soldier comments that he likes him better on his knees.

** Is Ironwood remorseful for what he and Atlas did to America and Canada? Or does he see their abduction and [[PlayingWithSyringes torment]] as a NecessaryEvil and only "apologizes" to try to get America to agree to fully become Vale? Regardless of his initial thoughts, he grows to [[spoiler:regret what he's done and genuinely apologizes for the suffering he caused.]]
** Is England a well-meaning if [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Knight Templar-ish]] older brother who only wants what is best for America and will go to admirable and understandable lengths to keep him safe? Or is he a ManipulativeBastard, JerkAss, and [[FantasticRacism anti-Remnant]] hypocrite who wants to destroy ''anything'' to do with Vale, regardless of what America wants and how many innocents get hurt? One the one hand, Remnant put his family through hell and his anger is {{Justified}}. On the other, [[spoiler:if England succeeded in performing the ritual, Ruby, Yang, and all the people of Vale [[LossOfIdentity would have suffered from the loss of their personification]].]] [[spoiler:It becomes worse after it's implied Ilia grew gravely ill because Mantle's people lost their connection with Canada and she only survived because she sees Menagerie as her home now.]]
** [[spoiler:Doctor Polendina post FaceHeelTurn.]] Has he become so deranged that he is [[ObliviouslyEvil oblivious to his evil actions]] and how much he hurts [[spoiler:America]]? Or is he perfectly aware of the pain he causes but wears a [[FauxAffablyEvil well-intentioned]] [[MaskOfSanity mask]] in an attempt to seem sympathetic to his prisoner?
** [[spoiler:The AxCrazy soldier.]] Did he only intend to torture [[spoiler:America]] and acted touchy-feely towards him simply to mess with his victim, or was he genuinely lustful towards [[spoiler:America]] and planned to sexually assault him?
** Is [[spoiler:Ozpin]] a ManipulativeBastard who is trying to hold all the info and thus stand above everyone else for (in his eyes) [[TheNeedsOfTheMany the good of Remnant]] or [[spoiler:has [[WhoWantsToLiveForever he]] [[MyGreatestFailure lost]] [[MayflyDecemberFriendship so many people]] and [[EtTuBrute been betrayed so many times]] that he doesn't [[AllForNothing see the point]] of giving people information until they ask for it]]?
* AngstWhatAngst: Averted. Characters react appropriately to trauma and loss, most notably [[StepfordSmiler America]], [[BadPowersGoodPeople Canada]], [[ShellShockedVeteran Pyrrha]], and [[IronWoobie Ruby]]. For example, Ruby mourns Penny and suffers flashbacks from the trauma of losing an eye and [[spoiler:America]] goes to therapy in an attempt to work through his trauma.

** Many fans agree that the story handles subjects such as loss, PTSD, and grief with much more realism and grace than canon RWBY. Plotlines like [[spoiler:Silver Eyes being a SuperPoweredEvilSide and Ozpin's [[AmbiguouslyEvil questionable morality]]]] are praised for giving characters like Ruby (a VanillaProtagonist in the show) more depth and nuance and being more interesting than how [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot those plots are handled in the show]]. The series also has loads of worldbuilding for Remnant which gives the world its own vast history and culture. The audience is ''shown'' the world, not merely told about it through exposition or a World of Remnant segment.

** After all his lies and withholding of the truth, [[spoiler:seeing Yang punch Qrow in the face and floor him]] is satisfying to read.
** Bleeding over from feelings due to [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} canon]], some feel TheReasonYouSuckSpeech directed at [[spoiler: Blake by Yang]] was well-deserved.
** Seeing the heroes learn from past mistakes and grow to recognize [[spoiler:Ozpin's]] lies as lies made many fans cheer. {{The Reason You Suck Speech}}es he gets when he continues to lie (and the heroes see through it) are also satisfying.

** Cinder Fall is one of Salem's henchmen. She attacked Amber (Vale) and took part of her Aura, leaving her comatose [[spoiler:but aware and [[AndIMustScream unable to interact with the waking world]]]]. She successfully causes Grimm to invade Vale during the Vytal Festival by orchestrating the AccidentalMurder of Penny Polendina at the hands of Pyrrha Nikos. Possessing part of Vale's Aura gives Cinder an empathic connection with the Kingdom of Vale's people, which means she feels echoes of their emotions. Usually this connection causes the personification distress like a part of themselves are being hurt, but Cinder is the opposite. She [[{{sadist}} relishes in the pain and terror she causes]] during the fall of Beacon. Upon realizing America has part of Vale's Aura, she hunts him down with the intent of torturing him to death for daring to "steal" part of the power that's "owed to her". She is defeated by Canada but remains unrepentant for everything she's done. Her attempt to stab him in the back fails and he kills her.

** Chapter twenty-six of ''The Depths of Deception''. [[spoiler:The heroes lose the Relic of Knowledge, Canada's connection with Mantle's people is severed, and America, France, Romano, and Australia are captured by Atlas soldiers and taken back to Remnant.]] [[{{HSQ}} Holy]] [[PrecisionFStrike shit.]]
** In ''The Atrocities of Atlas'' [[spoiler:a soldier tortures America and scars him in chapter six. In chapter seven, it's revealed ''Vale is alive'' and stuck in America's head. And in chapter nine Penny 2.0 is activated and ''slaughters'' Polendina and his soldiers.]]
*** Chapter twenty-three: [[spoiler:America fights Atlas and almost beats her. She overwhelms and tortures him before turning on Ruby. Qrow intercepts the attempted killing blow and collapses in front of his niece. As a result, Ruby activates [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Silver Eyes.]]]]

** If readers don't think [[spoiler:Polendina crossed the line when he kidnapped America, he certainly jumps over it when he allows his men to torture America and plans to tear out part of his Aura to use America's [[{{Technopathy}} Semblance]] for himself.]]

* NeverLiveItDown: [[spoiler:Yang Xiao Long]] has forgiven Blake for abandoning Team RWBY but many readers have not.

* RewatchBonus: There's foreshadowing galore for the existence of Remnant nation-tans, America being Vale, Canada being Mantle, Ironwood's involvement, England's arrival on Remnant, Canada's Semblance, America's Semblance, [[spoiler:Adam's identity as Menagerie,]] and even Pyrrha's [[SparedByTheAdaptation survival]].

** A majority of fans cheered when [[spoiler:Yang Xiao Long]] gave Blake a ReasonYouSuckSpeech.

* TheScrappy: Primarily due to [[TheStationsOfTheCanon canon events,]] Blake is this to many readers. Her decision to leave Team RWBY [[WhatAnIdiot without warning anyone about Adam]], her [[AesopAmnesia inability to learn from her mistakes]], her [[IWorkAlone loner attitude]], and how she did not return to RWBY through a conscious decision [[spoiler:but only through [[ContrivedCoincidence chance]]]] has not charmed her to the majority. So much so that [[spoiler: Yang chewing her out, listing her flaws, and refusing to forgive her for leaving]] is seen as a TakeThatScrappy moment by most fans. Her reaction to [[spoiler:Sun being the personification of Vacuo]] only increased the dislike thanks to her hypocrisy.

** The author's notes state she was worried [[spoiler: Yang]] would seem unsympathetic when [[spoiler:she yelled at Blake for abandoning her team.]] The author needn't have worried. The ''opposite'' reaction happened, with a majority of fans rooting for [[spoiler:Yang]] and cheering when [[spoiler:Blake]] was given a well-deserved TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. In the author's defense, a majority of the ire towards [[spoiler: Blake]] seems to come from canon.

** The [[NoNameGiven ex-soldier]] is a TortureTechnician who was hired by Atlas in case they needed to "encourage" America and Canada to work with them. After Mantle's Aura was forced into Canada in what was essentially "[[MindRape Soul Rape]]", the ex-soldier was one of the two to drag him back to his cell. He strikes Canada for laughing hysterically from the pain and would have continued to beat him if another guard had not stopped him. The ex-soldier is fired when America and Canada escape, and is hired by Doctor Polendina to be one of America's guards when he is recaptured with the intent of resurrecting Penny. When America does not do what Polendina wants, the soldier [[ColdBloodedTorture tortures]] him by carving the word "Sacrifice" into his back until it scars and then keeps coming back to do it over and over again for at least a month. He even convinces the other guards to assist with torturing America--[[EvenEvilHasStandards something they normally don't do]]. Even though he has a brief appearance, the ex-soldier is responsible for torturing America for nearly two months and giving America PTSD--all of which he did for his own amusement.

'''Warning: Spoilers from ''Weight of the World'' and ''The Shattered Soul'' are unmarked. Read at your own risk.'''

* ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia''[=/=]''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' crossover ''FanFic/WeightOfTheWorld''.

** Cinder Fall is one of Salem's henchmen. She attacked Amber (Vale) and took part of her Aura, leaving her comatose [[spoiler: but aware and [[AndIMustScream unable to interact with the waking world]].]] She successfully causes Grimm to invade Vale during the Vytal Festival by orchestrating the AccidentalMurder of Penny Polendina at the hands of Pyrrha Nikos. Possessing part of Vale's Aura gives Cinder an empathic connection with the Kingdom of Vale's people, which means she feels echoes of their emotions. Usually this connection causes the personification distress like a part of themselves are being hurt, but Cinder is the opposite. She relishes in the pain and terror she causes during the fall of Beacon. Upon realizing America has part of Vale's Aura, she hunts him down with the intent of torturing him to death for daring to "steal" part of the power that's "owed to her". She is defeated by Canada but remains unrepentant for everything she's done. Her attempt to stab him in the back fails and he kills her.
** Atlas (Ciel Soleil) is the personification of the Kingdom of Atlas. After Vale was attacked by Cinder and left comatose, Atlas sought out a personification to put her Aura into in order to prevent the rest from going to Cinder. She found America and Canada and kidnapped them, imprisoning them in a lab. [[spoiler:She ordered her men to experiment on the twins to test which one was more "worthy" of getting a Remnant personification's Aura. One of those experiments involved America being vivisected to test his Healing Factor. After the fall of Beacon, Atlas becomes a Military State. She opens the Transformation Institute, a facility that brainwashes her people, and throws everyone in there from Faunus to political "dissenters" to people who were out one minute after curfew began. America confronts her in the Institute and she declares he belongs to her, he should be grateful for everything she put him through, and she "gave him a soul." When he refuses to surrender to her, she threatens to break every bone in his body and "order her men to keep him company" (Interpret that how you wish because the author is letting readers fill in the blanks.) She attacks Ruby and Weiss during their fight, forcing America to protect them since they are frozen in time and have no idea what is going on. She pins America and demands he submit to her and admit she is better than him. He shakes his head, so Atlas [[DisproportionateRetribution repeatedly stabs him through the stomach]] and tries to kill Ruby (who is still unaware). Canada finds America unconscious and goes after Atlas. She immediately pins America's injuries on Ironwood. She selfishly unlocks the Relic of Creation and teams up with Emerald and Watts in order to kill Canada.]] Everything Atlas does is out of self-interest. Even her "heroic" and "for the good of Remnant" acts are done to boost her own ego. For example, she seeks out a replacement for Vale so she could say she was the one who "created" the new Vale. She wants Remnant (and Earth) groveling at her feet because she is the "superior" nation. Part of the reason she targeted America in the first place is because he is a Superpower and she wanted him broken at her feet, "proving" she is better than him. Atlas has no empathy for anyone, and cares for no one except herself. She grabs America and Canada so the other could be the spare if the first one died. She does not view Faunus or the people and personifications of Earth as people. She sees them as soulless husks as sub-human and disposable as Grimm. In fact, [[spoiler:even her own people (the people responsible for her existence) are disposable to her. If they do not match her view of "perfection" they need to be eradicated.]] She remorselessly kidnaps, tortures, brainwashes, and murders. She has no redeeming qualities.
** The ex-soldier is a TortureTechnician who was [[spoiler: hired by Atlas in case they needed to "encourage" America and Canada to work with them. After Mantle's Aura was forced into Canada in what was essentially "[[MindRape Soul Rape]]", the ex-soldier was one of the two to drag him back to his cell. He strikes Canada for laughing hysterically from the pain and would have continued to beat him if another guard had not stopped him. He dismisses Canada's pain from the procedure and mockingly mentions America screamed himself hoarse shouting threats and pleas at the scientists to leave his twin alone. He grins as he tells Canada he can't wait to hear America scream when it's his turn. The ex-soldier is fired when America and Canada escape, and is hired by Doctor Polendina to be one of America's guards when he is recaptured with the intent of resurrecting Penny. When America does not do what Polendina wants, the soldier tortures him by carving the word "Sacrifice" into his back until it scars and then keeps coming back to do it over and over again. He repeats this process every day, multiple times a day, for at least a month. The soldier pretends he is angry about being fired but in reality he doesn't care. He encourages fellow guards to beat up their helpless prisoner. While torturing America, he runs his hands over his prisoner's skin and presses his body against his just to terrify him. When America is freed, the ex-soldier corners him and pins him down while telling America he will never escape him and what he did to him will haunt America forever. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Depending on how the reader interprets the scene]], the soldier may have intended to sexually assault America if he was not fought off. The ex-soldier tortures one person, but he made it his purpose to make that person's life hell. He is given a position of power over someone and takes full advantage of it to torment America over a period of at least two months. He does not do it out of revenge or because he believes he is right: he does it because it's fun. He also manipulates other guards into doing heinous things they would not consider normally. His only "goal" for torturing America is to leave a permanent mark on him so America will remember him forever. America still has PTSD and scars from the soldier.]] The ex-soldier only shows up in a few chapters but he is one of the cruelest characters in the series.

%% The AxCrazy [[NoNameGiven ex-soldier]]. He is a TortureTechnician who tortures [[spoiler:America by carving the word "Sacrifice" into his back until [[AScarToRemember it sticks]]]] and then keeps coming back to do it over and over again. He encourages a fellow guard to beat up their helpless prisoner. While torturing [[spoiler:America]], he makes sure to [[PervyPatdown run his hands over his prisoner's skin]] and press his body against his [[ForTheEvulz just to terrify]] him. It's also implied he may have intended to [[RapeAsDrama assault]] his victim during their last encounter.

** Cinder. She has her [[{{Sadist}} canon personality]] with the added bonus of possessing part of Vale's Aura, meaning she can feel Vale's people's terror and fear. She finds it amusing.
** The AxCrazy [[NoNameGiven ex-soldier]]. He is a TortureTechnician who tortures [[spoiler:America by carving the word "Sacrifice" into his back until [[AScarToRemember it sticks]]]] and then keeps coming back to do it over and over again. He encourages a fellow guard to beat up their helpless prisoner. While torturing [[spoiler:America]], he makes sure to [[PervyPatdown run his hands over his prisoner's skin]] and press his body against his [[ForTheEvulz just to terrify]] him. It's also implied he may have intended to [[RapeAsDrama assault]] his victim during their last encounter.
** Atlas. She sees the people of Earth as expendable. She gave her scientists permission to [[spoiler:dissect America and Canada. She wrongfully arrests and brainwashes her own people. She remorselessly attacks Weiss and Ruby when they are are unable to defend themselves. ''And'' she sadistically tortures America [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he refuses to yield to her and admit she]] did what was [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "right"]]. Her rant also indicates [[IRejectYourReality she believes]] people and nations from Earth don't have souls.]] She has no redeeming qualities.

** Many found it hard to tolerate Ruby's bitterness and anger towards [[spoiler:America after Salem attacks Frontier and seemingly kills Qrow]]. She is understandably upset after what happened but comes across as being needlessly cruel to someone who in no way deserves it, especially since she allows [[spoiler:Russia to drag America into the woods when she knows Russia has hurt him every other time they've been alone]]. It comes across as her wanting [[spoiler:America]] to be hurt as [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming punishment]] for what happened. Ruby herself acknowledges how terrible she's being (though she cannot [[MomentOfWeakness make herself stop]]), so this response may have been an IntendedAudienceReaction.

* AccidentalInnuendo: After [[spoiler:America]] is beaten up by [[spoiler: two of the guards]] and shoved to the floor, [[spoiler: the AxCrazy ex-soldier]] comments that he likes him better on his knees.

** Many found it hard to tolerate Ruby's bitterness and anger towards [[spoiler:America after Salem attacks Frontier and seemingly kills Qrow]]. She is understandably upset after what happened but comes across as being needlessly cruel to someone who in no way deserves it, especially since she allows [[spoiler:Russia to drag America into the woods when she knows Russia has hurt him every other time they've been alone]]. It comes across as her wanting [[spoiler:America]] to be hurt as [[UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming punishment]] for what happened. Ruby herself acknowledges how terrible she's being (though she cannot [[MomentOfWeakness make herself stop]]), so this reaction to Ruby may have been an IntendedAudienceReaction.

* BetterThanCanon: Many fans agree that the story handles subjects such as loss, PTSD, and grief with much more realism and grace than canon RWBY. Plotlines like [[spoiler:Silver Eyes being a SuperPoweredEvilSide and Ozpin's [[AmbiguouslyEvil questionable morality]]]] are praised for giving characters like Ruby (a VanillaProtagonist in the show) more depth and nuance and being more interesting than how [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot those plots are handled in the show]]. The series also has loads of worldbuilding for Remnant which gives the world its own vast history and culture. The audience is ''shown'' the world, not merely told about it through exposition or a World of Remnant segment.

* TheScrappy: Primarily due to [[TheStationsOfTheCanon canon events,]] Blake is this to many readers. Her decision to leave Team RWBY [[WhatAnIdiot without warning anyone about Adam]], her [[AesopAmnesia inability to learn from her mistakes]], her [[IWorkAlone loner attitude]], and how she did not return to RWBY through a conscious decision [[spoiler:but only through [[ContrivedCoincidence chance]]]] has not charmed her to the majority. So much so that [[spoiler: Yang chewing her out, listing her flaws, and refusing to forgive her for leaving]] is seen as a TakeThatScrappy moment by most fans. Her reaction to [[spoiler:Sun being the personification of Vacuo]] only increased the dislike thanks to her hypocrisy.

** Atlas. She sees the people of Earth as expendable. She gave the scientists permission to [[spoiler:dissect America and Canada. She wrongfully arrests and brainwashes her own people. She remorselessly attacks Weiss and Ruby when they are are unable to defend themselves. ''And'' she sadistically tortures America [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he refuses to yield to her and admit she]] did what was [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "right"]]. Her rant also indicates [[IRejectYourReality she believes]] people and nations from Earth don't have souls.]] She has no redeeming qualities.