Some thoughts and theories about Juane on RWBY Vol.9 OP, Episode 1 and onward.
But also something about the OP no one has mentioned yet. Could be minor, or it could be huge.
This contains spoilers, so I’ll do a break and tag accordingly.
So since the teaser and moving forward, and with everything that has been giving to us so far, one of the biggest things I see, and *partially* agree with is:
This is our White Knight, Possibly also the/connected to the White Rabbit (this character is seen with a JACKALOPE towards the end of the OP) and hinted to be Juane.
I agree . . but I do not believe this is ALL of Juane. I think this is only HALF of Juane.
So far, a lot of speculation about this season is about what’s INSIDE. The Within. “What are you?”
In fact, these scene during the OP has the lyrics ‘Inside’ framed on it. Looking in, seeing darkness, seeing nothing. And as pointed out by many others which I did not see before, there is no 11th hour. Hope is lost.
This man is broken. Fractured. Much like his sword.
This card, along with Ruby’s own card, are the only characters to have any other color on them that’s not a hue or tint of their predominate color.
Juane has the red of the blood from Penny, Ruby has white for emptiness, nothingness.
We see Ruby slowing down, loosing her light, lossing her way. She is slowly becoming undone.
But Juane, is already broken, and his mind is fractured. He has had no time to process the fact he had to kill someone dear to himself and even more so to Team RWBY - to Ruby herself. Ruby who is his very dear to him. His first friend at Beacon. His Team Leader buddy, who has helped him through so much.
It does not matter it was war. It does not matter the sacrifice was necessary.
That scream he let go of when he had to do what was asked of him, was the scream of someone breaking, and then smbolically, so too goes his sword.
And so he falls, he shatters.
So then. . . “What are you?”
Juane no longer can feel like he’s a Hero. Juane can no longer feel like he’s going to be there to save people.
Because now Juane feels like a monster. A killer. A murder.
So now this place takes that fractured mind, that broken boy and makes him into what he feels he really is, a monster:
“. . . or could I lose my mind?”
The first time we see the Jabberwalker, it is ‘Seeking, Searching, Scouring, Stalking.’
It then listens, senses danger and after accessing attacks. It then sizes up its target. Then, when it analyzed the battlefield and sees it is outnumbered, it makes the call to Retreat.
A creature of high intelligence and battle field tactics. Voicing its actions as if voicing commands to others, but no one is there except itself. Was able to show great strength against Blake, and then took evasive action.
I think this is actually the real Juane, or rather his mind and soul. I think the White Knight is his empty body, a vessel and little else. A malleable puppet.
Or perhaps the WK part of Juane is what is left of the hero he was suppose to be, and this creature is what he feels he’s become. A danger. A monster.
The Chevrons on the tail seem an interesting choice, and what are Chevrons is just a pointed arc?
Then lastly, the OP - At the end as Ruby falls, she falls downward and passes by all the important highlighting motifs. . . except. . . I saw something peculiar. She’s falling in front of every thing as she descends. . making this seem like a flat image. Making it seem she’s beyond their reach.
Except. .
This creature is not reaching UP the graphic, it’s reaching OUT of the graphic.
Ruby falls BEHIND this creatures hand.
That is an Animation CHOICE. To me that is SIGNIFICANT.
Also to me the significance of the broken mind is the placement of these two - the high standing hero figure (top) looking towards the horizon, and the other the demon/monster (bottom) look up towards where it’s trying to reach
But I will stress all of this is just my crazy brain putting little tiny things together, exploding those into a macro level of thoughts and feelings. I feel the WK/WR is a huge subversion, a great one, and no one has questioned what the sanity of an already broken mind could look like. . because we are instead watching the possible fall and break of another one.
