Worldbuilding of RWBY - The reason i HATE and LOVE the show in equal measure.
I love exploring new fantastical worlds. Be it through books, video games, anime, movies or any kind of media. To me, all of those creative endeavors are not just about the story that is being told, it is also about the world that is being presented to me. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings being one of my first influences in just experiencing new worlds.
RWBY is no different in this regard. While the fights captivated me as much as anyone else, its the world that attracted me the most. It was during the retcon period of League of Legends and (in my opinion) the total failure of a story from “Sunrider” that i got fully immersed in RWBY as not just a cool show with cool fights, but as a full world full of wonder.
And this sense of wonder has only been growing since V1, with each volume bringing in new information, or series such as “world of remnant” that also gave extra information about the world. Even with my opinion that the quality of the show is not the best, anything the show gives i like in a creative sense (to an extent).
The reason why i care about worlds like RWBY is because they allow imagination to run free, for not only the creator but also the consumer. Let us take the universe of “Shadowrun” games for example. It is a dystopian cyberpunk setting with fantasy elements in it. Through this universe i have seen stories, met characters and even explored ideas that i never thought about before. And so have the writers.
We have a cyberpunk setting with fantasy elements? Well, why dont we explore what would happen if a corporation exploited the concept of “Feng Shui” for its own gain?
Why dont we explore transhumanism through one characters quest to achieve immortality of all humanity through integration of machines?
Why dont we explore how becoming an outcast and finding strenght in it can lead a person to reject and even fight against values instilled in them by others?
I could go on for hours about the stories i have experienced in Shadowrun. Characters i have met. And the world itself of course, the differences and connections between different corporations. European war 1 and 2. But most importantly is that while there have been a lot of things explored, i still feel like the world has a LOT to go through. As such i both feel content with what i have now, yet i want more.
Remnant, a world underutilized
This is not the feeling i have with the world of RWBY as much as i would like to. While i still want to see more of it and can tell you about the world of Remnant, i cant even tell close to the ammount of stories that i can about Shadowrun. And its simply because RWBY barely utilizes its world and even characters, at least the main show does.
The books i have heard about quite frankly sound more interesting and more exploring of the world than the show. A brother and a sister working together to recreate a monarcy as they believe to be the righftull descendents of a great ruler? The details i have heard about those books are great, they explain why civilians dont have aura, how Vacuo was fucked over by the other kingdoms.
Or what about stories about Ozpin? Him in his various reincarnations? Him living different lives and influencing legends and stories that outlive his own hosts?
And yet the main show over 8 volumes manages to run over 3(4) kingdoms without barely exploring ANY of them. Why does Vale look so “modern”? Does it even have a consistent city plan that does not change between Volumes? What culture does it have? How is it ruled? How do criminals like Torchwick and Junior come about? The same can be said about other locations as-well. We barely saw Mistral, most of our time in Menagerie was in a literal palace and while V7-8 do try something with Atlas, it is quickly cut short due to Salem being included in a place that she genuinely did not need to appear in.
It just feels like im sitting in a train looking out the window and see so many interesting things pass by, yet being unable to focus on any of them.
This is why for the most part fanfictions of RWBY keep me an avid fan of the show. I have seen fanfictions that create/explore the military life of Atlas. Fanfictions that explore the relationship between huntsmen and simple civilians. Fanfictions that explore a possible crime underground in various kingdoms. Fanfictions that truly explore and utilize the world that the show has, and does not use.
In the end, some of you might say “Well, RWBY as a show does not focus on those things, its fine if they are not shown”, and that is partially correct, RWBY as a show is about different aspects of the world than i have listed previously. The problem is….
Even that is done poorly in regards to worldbuilding.
Aura has been retconed in V5, and even to this day, from the show itself we barely know ANYTHING about it. It can shield people but we dont know what for example decides aura reserves, why do people have different ammounts of Aura? Why are certain weapons (like snipers) not more popular since aura is active? How is Vytal Tournament even a thing if anyone can die from stealth easily? Why are aura trackers seemingly used in the tournament and almost never make an appearance again?
Hunters are basically trained mercenaries right? What governs them, does anyone? Is there any way of ensuring loyalty? Are there many rogue huntsmen? Do businesses or governments use them for some shady stuff? Is that not allowed or allowed? How would you even take in a rogue huntsman and keep them in jail? Can you negate semblances or Aura of people somehow?
Are they all trained to build/maintain their weapons? Where do they get the parts? Who teaches them? Does everyone do that?
I can ask these questions all day and night and receive barely any answers to any of these, while i can go into a single Shadowrun game and get many, if not answers, at least directly proposed theories and information. The same cannot be said about RWBY.
And the questions i gave before? All related to huntsmen, the people we are following on their adventure right now. They even have Qrow with them, a supposed veteran huntsman of a bad background that could be utilized to tell the heroes at least a few of these things.
I love the world of RWBY because it allows a LOT of creativity in those who look at the world and want to add to it. But i also hate the show because it REFUSES to do the same, to take the world it has created and fully utilize it.
RWBY genuinely could have been on the level of Avatar with its worldbuilding. An adventure during which our heroes discover/learn more about the huntsmen system and the kingdoms that they are supposed to protect.
And yet as many have described what RWBY has is a world that is as big as an ocean, yet deep as a puddle. It has so much at its hands and does nothing with it.
I WANT to know more, yet the show refuses to do so and instead looks like its running head-first into the end of the series.
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