Itâs extremely interesting how Yangâs personality and development is actually taking pattern after her uncle Qrow.
Whereas Ruby and Qrow share weapons and fighting techniques, most of us were left in the dark as to what Yang would have in common with their uncle. At first, a lot of people thought they shared similar semblances (i.e. after Winter landed a hit on him, Qrow got a glint in his eye and his next move made disproportionately large damage to the surrounding area, much like when Yang takes damage and converts it into attack power), but itâs more likely that Qrowâs semblance is the ability to shapeshift into a crow.
When we first see Yang and Qrow interact, she seems to take a liking to him but rebuke his uncouth behaviour, especially as it leaves a sort of bad image for Ruby to emulate (and given that Ruby has emulated a lot of herself after her uncle, this is not an unreasonable worry on Yangâs part, especially given that Yang is dedicated to protecting her sister as best she can).
However, later scenes go on to establish a questionable relationship between them, with Qrow being his normal uncouth and bitter, jaded self and Yang even sullenly admitting that maybe he is right and that sheâs crazy.Â
Though he offers to help her look for her mom if ever she wants to look into it, right before that, he tries to encourage her to move past the mishap regarding the Vytal Festival Tournament and Yangâs interaction with Mercury by saying âSometimes bad things just happen.â It was meant to be encouragement, meant to be supportive and something intended to help her feel better and not worry about it.
But now that sheâs been dismembered and robbed of her right arm, Yangâs now sullen and depressed and withdrawn and bitter and rightly so. The thing to note, though, is what she tells Ruby when Ruby, idealistic and optimistic even after all the trauma sheâs been through, all the horrible things sheâs witnessed (i.e. being unable to stop her best friend Penny Polendina from being ripped to shreds by her other friend, when she knew that Penny was a robot and that Pyrrhaâs semblance was polarity and that would be extremely bad for Penny; witnessing Torchwick being literally eaten alive by a griffon grimm; seeing Pyrrha be seemingly killed right before her eyes), tries to justify and explain and make sense of what is going on and why things happened the way they did.
Ruby tries to believe in her friend Blake, tries to understand and imagine thereâs a reason that Blake fled, but Yang immediately shoots it down with a, âNo there doesnât! Sometimes bad things just happen, Ruby.â
That was quite clearly a callback to what message she internalized when Qrow tried to make her feel better. But what was intended to do good, now ultimately only does bad. Yang is growing pessimistic and bitter, simultaneously lashing out and being withdrawn. She has a long road ahead of her, an adjustment period that no one knows how long it will take. She has to get used to her new reality, that her fighting style and her arm was taken away from her, along with her confidence and optimism.Â
Just like with Blake, this volume served as a rude awakening for Yang. Same with Ruby, and to an extent, Weiss. This volume will spark massive changes and growth for all the characters, and even hints at development for others (i.e. Nora and Ren, for one; perhaps even Sun, Neptune, Scarlet and Sage).Â
I wonder if Yang is unconsciously internalizing her uncle Qrowâs world views on things as a way to feel connected to the mother she never had, no matter how much Summer Rose stepped up to the plate and took the place of Raven Branwen as Yangâs mother. Perhaps itâs the closest she thinks sheâll ever get to her after that incident in the train car where Raven scared off Neo.Â
And now that she knows that her uncle Qrow sometimes has contact with his sister Raven, maybe sheâs unwittingly taking on some of his personality and views as a coping mechanism to deal with how her mother blatantly doesnât want to be around her, and with all these traumatic goings-on and Yangâs life and world views and happy-go-lucky demeanour and confidence going through upheaval and being yanged yanked out at the roots, maybe sheâs just clinging and clutching to whatever she has left.
Basically Iâm excited for Yangâs growth and weâve got another disabled character for more representation, and itâs a major character, one of the titular four girls.Â
