I always thought Whitley hated his sisters because they left him alone with his parents since his lack of the schnee fighting abilities didn't give him the same out that they had
golden brigain Well, if anything is going to happen with him, it will probably at least start in Volume 6 since there is only confirmation of 9 volumes and the next one is supposedly having them take the Haven relic to Atlas. Personally, I'm hoping for some humanity to come out of Whitley and for Ironwood to turn fascist on them, you know, go all "we must secure everything, freedom and human rights be damned." This way we get two characters who are in a much-needed morally grey area. But, given that the writers have been consistently proving their own incompetence, I'm not holding my breath.
I want Whitley to run the Schnee Dust Company at the end of the series while Weiss becomes a huntress. It would be interesting if him and his sisters built an actual relationship and went on to do what they enjoy. Weiss and Winter like fighting, but they're never shown to care much for the business side of the company instead of the symbolic side of the company. Whitley however does seem to have an interest in the business, so it would make sense for him to run it in the end.
I also think she'd be a shit business woman. She has been shown multiple times that she doesn't really have patience with people she doesn't agree with and unfortunately she'd have to deal with those types of people while being a head of a company.
I can see Whitley as the company side of the family. Hopefully we get to see a break in the authoritarian parenting in the Atlas arc with him still running the business, but with more of Nicolas's touch.
Well one thing I try to keep in mind is when Weiss and Whitley first interact. She says he's acting different. Whitley just responds with. "I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon." And then in the confrontation scene. Weiss states that Whitley never liked his other siblings. So why is that? Because they try to rebel? Or because they had it better than him. He's the third try, he can't afford to make the same mistakes that his sisters displayed because his father would already be prepared for that. I have a strange feeling that Whitley is just trying to find the most favorable outcome for himself. His sisters want to abandon him fine. If he has the chance he'll wreck their chances. He can't escape his fate. Fine. But he'll do it by his own terms and betray his father in the end. This is how I see him right now. He us trying to break free like Weiss but secretly and with strategy and cunning. To where Jacque will hand over Whitley's means of success none the wiser that his son wants to ruin him after he inherits the power.
also to add into that he cant escape like his sisters he doesnt have the talent to get into a school like them he's stuck there and learned from the only person he can his father
geekgoddess2.0 That would be an awesome arch for his character. And it makes sense too since being manipulative and putting the odds in your favour would be a trait Jacque would want his successor to have. But he'd never expect his son to be the one to manipulate him. In a ironic twist he did end up making a clone of himself in almost every way but that is what lead to him losing control.
In the likely chance that the sisters neglected him, maybe because of their age difference or because of his resemblance to his father, I think it would also be an interesting arc for Winter and Weiss to reconcile with him...y'know, to reinforce that even main characters have made mistakes in their lives, but are still willing to change given the chance. Whether Whitley will forgive them is something else entirely, but as I said, it would be an interesting story arc for them. --Hopefully, the writers don't mess this up, and end up either villainizing or ruining a character or two.--
You know, Whitley is in the same stage Weiss went through in the beginning of Volume 1 where people hated her. But she started to change throughout the next 3 volumes, Whitley’s character will change, I know it. He deserves more love as every character in the fandom, Whitley deserves a chance. #GiveWhitleyASecondChance
The difference is that Weiss was shaped by Winter. She was uptight and very much a smug know-it-all but because she was mimicking Winter, who as we saw is very obsessed with being perfect and upholding the true strenghts of the Schnee name (not the mere greed of their father, but the honor and power the family held). So no, Weiss was never in his position, she was just a mini-Winter, but not as uptight and a bit more petulant.
the smart ducky No an antihero is protagonist who lacks heroic qualities like blinding optimism and being hesitant to seriously hurt others. Remember the protagonist is whoever the story focuses on and the antagonist is whoever works against them.
This video single-handedly changed my entire perception on Whitley Schnee. Much like you said, I feel I unfairly judged him by association, with how conniving he seemed when compared to Jacques. This was an incredibly well-made video, EruptionFang! Keep up the amazing content, dude P.S. Contact me on Twitter when you get the change. I have an idea for a RWBY theory and would love to see if you'd be down for a collaboration!
thnx hype man of rwby I was gonna be yelling at the screen if you were to say mean things about whitley its also good to know that you pay attention to the community of rwby instead of just ignoring its igsistence like other reactors of rwby do
This makes a whole lot more sense. Whitley could also be this way because his mother ignores him. And his father has been show to be pratically an abusive emotionless bussinus man. That isn't good for a child.
@@alexanderleonardi3625 What? Look at him. Back when I was his age I already stood up to my dad. Then I over the years I built my own company with my mother. while he lost his and works as a waiter. Seriously, I pity this kid. Grow a spine already.
@Outofcatsanddogsreptilesarethesupiriorrace Oh trust me, I got a few broken bones in me to know what abuse is. I also know this, abusers? They aint got no power over one. The only one that does, is the one the mirror. Shit, I was a year older when I told my dad to fuck off and straight up left with my ma. And we didn't have a fortune behind us. Just saying, kid's gotta grow a spine step up.
@@alexanderleonardi3625 why the fuck not? If anything he's just as much as a victim as Weiss and Winter were, the only difference is Weiss and Winter were there for each, Whiteley was left to his own devices. So explain to me why he doesn't deserve any amount of pity.
I can't wait until the new season but I think Whitely is more mischievous than evil, being the youngest sibling he could just want attention from his father because he never gets attention from his mother or the Girls
i don't know if it's true for your grandparents, but I think that for WWW, it's to show he don't care enough for he's children to give them originals names, he could have them called W1, W2 and W3, it would'nt change anything
Freaking finally! Thank you so much for making this video. I actually really do like Whitley, and have never been able to figure out why he is hated so much when he actually hasn't done anything of note on his own violation. He's a bit of a snob, sure, but people seem perfectly happy to forget Weiss's own beginnings with a similar personality, and the fact that Whitley has been kept on a far shorter leash than Weiss, not being allowed to train in combat and most likely having very limited and controlled information on the world outside the manor.People compare him to his father, but that's really not accurate. He is a victim as well, being stuck alone with Jacques for over a year while Weiss was at Beacon and Winter was off with the military. He's playing the game the only way he can, by not making Daddy mad. Throughout the series, even, nearly every single line of dialogue he has motivates Weiss, either encouraging her to face their father, applauding her rebellious song, and even prodding her into running away. Whitley Schnee is not a villain, and he's not even an antagonist. He's a kid in an abusive household with apparently no network of support from either the staff or his sisters or mother. Can you really say his methods of dealing are unwarranted?
My headcanon is that Whitley is the most abused and beaten of the three Schee siblings and resents it. He puts on the "good boy" fascade, because his father will hit his sisters, but beat him to a pulp. In abusive families, typically one kid gets the worst of it, and that is the most powerless one. Old man Schnee may let lose a hit on his daughters, but fears their powers too much to get serious, but the boy may have no training at all.
I definately feel at this point Whitley is a antagionistic victim more so then a villian and alot of what you say supports that. He's by no means supportive of the hero Weiss so long as she betrays their father's demands but you do get the sense he's a victim of Jacques demand for as much control over the Schnee benefits as possible, right down to groom the perfect heir so even in his old years he's still reaping in the positives through his perfect replacement. I will vouch against him as long as he does cause misery and supports Jacques through his role under him but part of me does what things to change for the better, not just for him but for the entire Schnee family, cause just like Whitley, the family as a whole is flawed and broken, maybe to the point of no return. Maybe one day we'll see Whitley find peace or fall even deeper into a hole he's been trapped in for so long, but in comparison to other "villians" in the show, I at the very least would want things to change for him and I hope he doesn't go over the edge into true bad guy.
And this is where I disagree, Weiss was a snob, but one with her heart in the right place. She wanted to protect the world from the Grimm, and in doing so bring back the honor she felt her family had lost through their insatiable greed. Weiss' character development was not about becoming a selfless individual or any such thing, but about how to be a better teammate and friend, letting go of her high class snob tendencies. Not saying Whitley can't be redeemed a bit, but people can't exactly compare him to Volume 1's Weiss because they are nothing alike. Weiss had a purpose that was beyond just her. Whitley has basically been molded into the perfect heir and he's just thinking on how "he" can survive.
This comment aged so poorly its hilarious. The worst thing Whitley ever did was brag about being heir and talk smack to Weiss, yet you and the show are acting like he's a terrorist or some crap. Especially since afterwards Weiss literally does more actual villainous stuff from volumes 4-8 while Whitley acts more heroic and helpful than her while she just sits around drinking tea and whining about no one helping her. This is after she sent him away even though he offered to help her in spite of her sticking a blade in his face.
I really want to see a really emotionally charged argument between the Schnee kids where they all get their own feelings out and come in for a group hug.
I agree. I acturally like him and never understood why people disliked him so much. I always end up liking a character the fandom either don't pay attention to enough or just plain dislike for whatever reason. Since they tend to be really interesting and I like to keep neutral and unbias til I got all the info I need to make a judgement. I either like a charater or feel indifferent towards them until whenever, but even then I like to try and look at the different perspectives with an neutral mindset since hate is a strong word. Especially if I don't know enough of the character like Whitley who we've only just got a taste of. I blame my empathy and analytical nature.
I think you might be onto something here, but the key to all this lies with their mother. We know she started drinking after Weiss' birthday when Weiss was a child. As she crawled further into a bottle, she had less and less impact on her children, and thus less chance to counter Jacques' influence. The result was Winter retaining the strength to resist her father and Weiss eventually building the personal strength to do the same. For Whitley I wonder how much he remembers of what it was like before then. After all, take another look at that portrait. Whitley is the only one smiling. Perhaps to him what his sisters reject is just normal life. Could the Schnee mother be the key to Whitley's redemption, then?
Whitely is at the same stage Weiss was back in Volume 1. Remember how hated Weiss was back then. Also, Adam is my #3 favourite character even after the events of Volume 3. Why? Because in chapter 7 of that same volume you can see his unwillingness to join Cinder but if he doesn't then all of the White Fang members are as good as dead.
Also, SO MANY people distrusted Ironwood when he was first introduced and he was meant to be distrusted by the audience according to CRWBY. So why can't that be applied to Whitley?
Adam didn't care about the White Fang, lol. He was only ever fighting for himself and to get revenge, using the WF as a means to an end. He grouped up with Cinder because he knew he couldn't beat her in a fight after seeing her powers, much like Neo did.
WARNING: V7 SPOILERS! When I was watching RWBY V7, Chapter 4: Pomps and Circumstance, almost near the ending of the episode, there was a segment at Schnee Manor where Jacques is sitting in his office having a drink. Whitley enters his office and tells him that he has a visitor, and it turns out to be Arthur Watts. Jacques gets shocked from getting an unexpected visit from Arthur Watts and he tells Whitley to shut the door. But before he does, Whitley gets a little suspicious and confused on what’s going on between them, Jacques yells at Whitley to shut the door when he didn’t listen to him the first time. While I was watching this scene, I then Noticed before Watts came in, Whitley looked a little scared and nervous when he was telling his father about him having a visitor, we didn’t even see Whitley flinch when Jacques yells at him to shut the door on screen, it shows how Whitley acts around Jacques when Weiss and Winter aren’t home. This scene proved that Whitley IS definitely a victim of abuse to Jacques, looks like EruptionFang was right all along.
Wait...look at Whitley's eyes through out all the clips in these video...that're off...by that I mean personally they don't match up with those of a snarky self obsessed character most of the time Looking back, Whitley reminds of a early volume 1 Weiss
Oh wowie- someone who had the same thoughts I did for Whitley's character! I actually liked him at first and was just a little bit confused when he got all mean, but then I just figured that he was just trying to please his father and was probably scared of doing something his father didn't like. I thank you for making a video explaining both that, and the other reasons you said.
As someone who has personally been emotionally manipulated by parental figures & has been friends with people who've acted like self-preserving snakes in order to protect themselves from their own abusive parents, I've never seen Whitley as a "villain" or "bad guy." It's more that he's, unfortunately, a product of his environment. He's obviously just using self-preservation. Does this make him a bad *character*? No. A bad *person*? Yeah, most likely, especially if he never opens his eyes to what's going on.
yeah with fictional characters people tend to forget that being a kid or even a teen your psychological state can be very different and that younger characters really haven't figured out who they are yet I've always been a good guy myself but even in the past five year my outlook on some things has changed significantly. I'm only 22 so I'm not too much older than the main cast but my point is we have so many characters in fiction with well defined personality even though they are 14 or under people forget how much development a personality can go through in a short time
You, my good man, just made me look at Whitley at a whole 'nother level from this video. So, as of at the moment, I'm 50-50 on him. Do I, or we, think that Whitley's a manipulative asshole who's just a Simmons-like kiss-ass, or is he just as much as a victim like his sisters? I guess we'll find out in Volume 5 or future Volumes.
Freelancer Amber I never thought of him as an asshole since he reminded me of Weiss when we first meet her. He's a Schnee. Lol. Just like his sisters he comes off as arrogant with a better than thou attitude but we know there's more to it than that. There's always more to a character than just face value. I've always thought he might've just resented his sisters since they left and did their own thing while he was stuck with their father.
I have to agree with a lot of this. Something that a lot of people forget is that with Winter in the military and Weiss (at the time) at Beacon, there was only ONE person left that Jacques could punish and abuse. And that person was Whitley. With neither of his siblings around, Whitley was likely left to be punished and abused twice as badly as he had before, as well.
Whitley and Mercury still have chances to be redeemed, but Adam was far beyond that. The path to redemption starts with a character admitting they're in the wrong and wanting to change, but Adam never showed any remorse or self-reflection of his actions, because he was convinced that everything he was doing was right,when in reality it was all him pursuing his own revenge and looking to crush all of humanity for the actions of those that wronged him.
Adam started as a good character with a good character arch. But by the time he died the SDC scare meant nothing. No backstory, no explanation. He didn't want revenge against SDC because of what they did to him and other fanus. He just wanted Blake. I honestly want him to come back just so we can see how he got the scare and why he sees humanity as a disease or whatever.
Well.. adam was done DIRTY AS FUCK by the HACK writers so im honestly prepared to find out that Whitley is secretly an obsessive sister otaku who just wants to bang weiss and mercury is just a psychopath who just wants to kill with no actual motive or ideology. I've come to not expect much from rwby.. they just always let me down😥 lol.
Honestly when i see whitley I see a boy who feels abandoned and betrayed by his older sister who left him in the hands of his father. Probably made him a little bitter towards his sisters.
I never expected to agree with you. Yet I am pleasantly surprised to say that I did! Indeed, you, my friend, are a true kindred spirit. I've been intrigued and appealed by characters that others have plainly repelled by before. I relish the fact that I chose to think differently than others. If anyone faults you for choosing to give characters the benefit of the doubt, then know that I, at least, will laud you.
I personally agree. This is why I love characters like whitley and raven because most people hate them but they often have the most interesting and tragic stories and if u get on their good side they become the best allies.
#Whitleydidnothingwrong He certainly isn't a villain, but he's not a hero. He's just an antagonist on Weiss' VERY idealistic dream, which causes people to be against him. SHE wants to run the Schnee Dust Company. Whitley has taken that chance from her. Therefore, people side against him. From what we've seen of Weiss, all she really knows is how to be a Huntress, not a businesswoman. Sustaining a company isn't easy. Being prey to your own emotions (sympathy, empathy) isn't always good for business, but Jacques is basically an extreme version of that mentality. In the end, I believe that Whitley can be "saved". It's only the matter of how that makes me wonder.
you can't know that. no one but RT knows that. it might not even be until volume 6 or higher. it seems like an end game move when the company is officially passed to him.
I work in behavioral health, and one of the reasons that, out of the hundreds of RWBY content channels on RUclips, you are one of only two that I subscribe to is that you are spot on with with these types of analysis. I do also find that your general analysis of theory or plot to be insightful and well thought out. I am looking forward to more of these types of videos from you. Thank you
I always thought Whitley's "angry face" was actually concern and frustrated worry. As you said, a warning. I recently started reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's series The League. (Adult sci-fi romance.) For a huge majority of the series so far, a particular character named Jullien is built up as a selfish, antagonistic, cowardly villain. But (spoilers) at the end of Born of Betrayal and throughout Born of Legend, he is revealed to be just as much a victim as anyone else in the series, and with few exceptions, all the nasty things he did were childish, desperate attempts to keep himself and those he cared about alive. I think of Whitley as a kid in a similar situation, if not that extreme.
I noticed that, that he was sad when Jaq left the room but quickly hid it. I honestly thought Whitely was scared when he said that it was ‘foolish to disobey, Father’. And I thought that since both sisters were away he saw the his father angry and displeased the most. He was alone. He has no one else to turn to.
Honestly in canon, i empathise with Whitley far more than Weiss. Winter, first heir to the SDC gives up her place in the family to join the Atlas military, therefore escaping the pychological trauma of living under Jaques. Weiss then leaves to follow her dreams to become a huntress, leaving Whitley all but alone with their father, the only upside for him being that he is now heir to the SDC. Then, Weiss comes back, having made friends and experienced freedom, and nearly becomes heiress again, taking his only purpose right from his hands and leaving him hopeless. He has no friends, no aid from his mother, even the butler doesnt like him as much as weiss. But Weiss is a protagonist, so Whitley bad - Weiss good.
@@Cptsuccess A villain that is actually in the right, and with the protagonists being objectively in the wrong would be uncharectaristically good writing from RT, but I hope so either way.
Another thing to think about is something that was, sadly, only really brought up in the official manga and mentioned in the song Path to Isolation (from Weiss' chara short). Chapters 3 and 4 of the official manga explain what was going on in the White Trailer, and while Weiss fights the Arma Gigas (what Kerry said the giant knight is called, due to it being possessed by a Geist), she has a "voiceover" where she explains that she used to have a distorted view of family pride that left her with no sense of self. Winter had snapped her out of that when she was younger, and she decided to create a sense of self that she can be proud of, just like Winter did. Path to Isolation even mentions this with the lyrics "Can't find myself when I'm constantly forced to conform." Weiss had a hard time creating a sense of self while Jacques was forcing her to behave like the heiress he wanted her to be, while she was living in a situation where she had to fit in among the Atlas elite. This is one reason she needed to get away from home, and she used Beacon to do that. In the manga, we're shown the fact that Weiss and Jacques had been having a conflict over which academy Weiss would attend. Jacques wanted her to go to Atlas Academy, but Weiss insisted on going to Beacon. I assume Jacques insisted on Atlas so he could keep her living at home, under his supervision. When she continued to insist on Beacon, Jacques had her fight the Arma Gigas. His secretary explained how powerful it is (3 times stronger than the original version without a Geist), and Weiss responded "So you're basically saying I don't stand a chance." It's possible that Jacques thought she wouldn't be able to defeat it. It's like making a bet with the odds stacked against your opponent. Even after the Arma Gigas injured her eye and the secretary told her that her Aura was at its limit, she kept fighting because that was her only chance to escape her father. Anyway, so... why do I bring this up? Because I think Whitley may not have a sense of self. He may not have a sense of who he is as a person, separate from the Schnee family name. Perhaps if he gets the chance to begin developing into his own person, he'll start to change. I also explained Weiss' fight with the Arma Gigas because I feel it shows even more what kind of father Jacques is. He kept telling Weiss he wanted her to go to Atlas Academy, and she wouldn't listen to him and kept insisting on Beacon. Instead of continuing to say "No", he decided he would make a bet with her, which he may have set up with the odds in his favor. This is especially considering that Weiss had already been training immediately before the Arma Gigas entered the room, so Weiss wasn't even at 100% when the fight began. If she had failed to defeat the Arma Gigas, Jacques could have said "Well, I gave you a chance to prove yourself, and you failed, so I don't want to hear anything else about Beacon." Weiss has a scar over her eye because Jacques did not want her to go to Beacon. *_And yes, she did get her scar from that fight._* The scar appearing next to the blood is an animation error. She didn't have a scar during the first half of the fight. Watch it at 0.25 speed or look at this collage of shots of her without her scar: rwby.wikia.com/wiki/File:Wtrailer_no_scar_collage.png
I agree with you actually. I didn't really dislike him until Volume 4 Chapter 7, when it sounded like he was after Weiss's Heirship since she got back. While I don't like him that much anymore, I have hope for him and feel bad for him as he's just as much a victim as Weiss has been. Reminds me alot of Azula actually.
He literally tried to help Weiss by letting her know her father was busy so she could try and escape the first time. But I dont think anyone noticed. Why would he go all that way to just randomly tell her her dad is out of town?
@@ninjaked1265 he never directly antagonized weiss tho, he was annoying yes- but every conversation had a purpose. He initiated conversation to warn weiss to avoid their father, when he was out of town, and that "the schnee name is in good hands" aka "ayo get out I can handle this you don't wanna be here"
Thanks for showing us a new angle on Whitley Schnee because it helped me realize that just because someone is acting bad doesn’t mean they’re actually bad. It’s just like a movie, everything is fake and everybody’s personality are just made.
Another thing that’s interesting and further proves your point. Weiss in V5 talks about how their father didn’t TRULY come out to reveal how much of an ass he was until her birthday and THAT was what pushed her mom to drink. (10th birthday, if I recalled correctly) This means that while Weiss had a few years of a ‘loving’ (and fake) family, Whitley was pretty much dealing with only the Jacques that we’ve known from the get-go. Poor kid. I seriously get Azula vibes from him and it’s concerning.
To be honest at least Weiss has her sisters and was able to escape her abusive environment. Also people seem to forget that Weiss was racist in Volume 1 while we haven’t seen Whitley be like that at all.
This video really reminds me of something that my writing coach once said: it's very hard to know that you have a choice about something if everyone around you is dead set on making sure you don't even know that a choice even exists.
Remember that girl who's father owned a company that made machines in Legend of Korra? (I forgot her name I'm sorry) She was doing lots for her father but in the end realized what he did and so stopped him. Who knows, maybe Whitley will end up the same?
Thank you SO much for this video! I’ve always loved Whitley and it makes me sad to see people assume things about his character and upbringing when he’s clearly gone through the same struggles, if not more as Winter and Weiss had a special bond and he had none. I really hope rt makes him a complex character and fleshes out his relationship with Weiss a little more ^v^
You also have to consider that when talking about how it's pointless to go again their father, what caused him to believe that to the point of being angry- or at the very least frustrated, as I think is a more appropriate description for it- with weiss when he said that. We already know their father isn't above hitting his kids- even if all we've seen is a smack that's STILL a big deal and shouldn't happen- and like you said, clearly he's been getting more and more strict with the siblings each time. Whitley said, in his first appearance, that he hadn't stopped growing- when Weiss notes he's "acting different" or something along those lines- and if you consider that both of his sisters were gone, and mother is presumably not actively parenting, it's hard to imagine that his "growth" was necessarily productive to him becoming his own person, but likely him having nothing to do but grow into the role their father wants. I don't doubt that he has his own wants, outside of that, but I don't seem him trying to achieve freedom in the same way as Weiss and Winter do. More likely, he's decided it's in his best interests to do whatever their father wants, and now that he's the heir to the company, wait until he has some control.
Volume 7’s Whitley comment from Willow to Weiss made him more likable to me which made me dislike Weiss pointing a sword at him like she forgot about the line from Willow
What if Whitley is hiding his love for his sisters? What if Whitley IS getting punished without anyone to protect him when Winter and Weiss is gone? Did that make him the well mannered boy in the Schnee family?
Now I'm viewing Whitley the same way I do Adam: a potential victim. Thanks fang, for making me empathize with my worst enemies! Seriously, though, great vid man
Honestly, I think there's more to Whitley Schnee than meets the eye. When they introduced him, his emotions seemed mixed, from his speech, to his rapidly changing facial expressions. So, yea, I agree with this theory! Keep up the good work, EruptionFang! Thanks!
I've always felt that Whitley was the one who caught all of the crap in his family. His father is an abusive dick, his mom drinks like a fish, and his sisters formed a bond and basically left him out so he had no body to turn to. He only went to Jacque out of necessity.
I didn't think much of Weiss back when the show started.. now she's my favorite of the 4. Easily the one who's had the most character development.. not the best written but its there lol.
This does have a good point about Whitley. Considering that he's still so young, it leaves room for so much potential in his character growth and maturity. Hopefully, there will be some screentime for us to see him grow.
THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who had hope for this kid (emphasis on KID) who has clearly been molded by his father his whole life. Also, he's not a future Huntsman or a physically-strong fighter, as evidenced by the discussion concerning his lack of the Schnee Semblance, and his lack of concern on that note. He doesn't have the military or the Academies as a potential escape route, and he doesn't have his sisters' support. He needs to find his own way, and I really hope that he does and isn't just made to be a one-off asshole kid character.
I wanna bring up something else about Narcissistic Parents... The "Golden Child and Scapegoat". Narcissistic Parents tend to statistically place favoritism on their children (if they have multiple children), to abuse and Manipulate them. In this situation, Whitley would be the Golden Child, perceived by the Abuser (Jaque) to be trustworthy, talented and full of potential...and thus showers them with praise and positive attention, as a way to manipulate Whitley. Weiss and Winter seem tp be the Scapegoats, the "failures", the "clueless and incompetent mistakes"...these childrens are often the ones to get the most abuse. And here's one more thing, when a scapegoat leaves (cause I've had personal experience with this), the Golden Child can go threw the same abuse as the Scapegoat...which is rly fcked up, and can rly fuck up the now former Golden child mentally, but in a way...Whitley could go threw the same development as the other Schnee children.
I’m waiting to see if whitely uses his influence for some good. If he hasn’t already. (This just popped into my head) What if he was the one who suggested Weiss be disinherited not so he’d be all but guaranteed to inherit his fathers’ business, but so that Weiss would have the freedom necessary to make her own life what she wants it. Or something to that effect
Good theory. I also belive that Weiss and Winter also bonded because of their semblance.. Whitely hasnt developed it or hasnt gotten them so that made his sisters leave him behind since he resembled thier father. Cause Weiss even ask him if he is jealous of her and winters ability meaning he hasnt gotten or developed his semblance.
I would also say he's also likely a bit envious of his sisters. Which is completely understandable. His older sisters are two badasses with ice powers and him and his dad are powerless bean counters. Who's family company is slowly going down the drain. I mean, anyone would be envious, They have the same parents, so what exactly made the first two so special as to why the younger one remained normal? Winter and Weiss are also both capable of taking care of themselves. Though Winter can do so financially as well and we're not exactly sure if Weiss can, but still these two are most definitely independent and don't need their father's protection in anyway. After watching this video it would makes sense that Whitley would want Weiss to leave away from the family as to help her grow on her own much like Winter. He may not have that freedom of choice, but Weiss can and he may want her to be free of her father tight grip. Reply back if you agree in some way.
This video was so good that for the first time in like months, I decided to open up the browser this account is logged into to comment that it's really awesome. Judging from what you said in the bits about intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, Whitley's outburst warning toward Weiss, and the inverse relationship between empathy and successful business, you seem pretty educated on psychology. I don't watch YT logged in but this earned my subscription.
6:00 I hadn't noticed that, but I think you are giving too much credit to the Rooster Teeth team. I mean, tey are the Rooster Teeth team, they aren't known for their understanding of or care for... anything.
Perhaps Whitley may also feel resentment that he doesn't have that bond with his sisters like how they are bonded to each other. When Weiss says "You never liked me or Winter", maybe he actually does like them but they left him out of their friendship unintentionally, so he's naturally bitter about it. Thus he had no one BUT their father to shape his personality. We need to see more of him in the upcoming chapter.
Wonderful video! When I saw the first and subsequent interactions between Whitley and Weiss I got 2 feelings out of them. 1) Whitley is very good at being cunning and subtle, he seemed to have a restrained and controlled personality, probably from being under almost constant watch of his father. He learned from is father how to hide his real feelings and present something else instead. He also probably also has learned how to plot and scheme behind other's backs due to his dad's close watch on him (something his sisters didn't need to learn because they were able to get distance between them and their father) 2) Whitley resents and probably hates his sisters for not being there for him when he received the brunt of their father's "love", he most likely feels abandoned by Winter and Weiss because when they ran away they didn't think about the effects it would have on how much attention Whitley would receive from their father. It wouldn't surprise me if Whitley later on not only betrays Jacque but also betrays his sisters in some way.
We should also take into consideration their battle proficiency, Winter seems to have been a prodigy at her summoning so she broke free easily. Weiss needed time to work on her summons, but once she did she broke free as well. Whitley has so far shown no ability for combat whatsoever so it might be difficult for him to break the chains that bind him.
I think Whitley's memories of his father would not be positive ones, being younger a majority of his memories would be of how his sisters were treated and he decided young that he better be a perfect child even to the point of burning out because he understands the consequences. He has nobody close in age to talk to like Winter and Weiss, no allies, nothing. Perhaps he looks forward to being able to be free someday or maybe he's so thoroughly terrified of his father he would not dare to pursue his own dreams.
He's going to be the one who restores the Scnee name back to it's former glory, with the help of his older sisters to guide him of course. Or the three of them and their mother will lead a coup or an uprising against their father. Shutting him out from the business and returning it to its former glory.
I agree with you, however he's done it a few times. When they first met he was relatively supportive. When she was punished he didn't just watch, but later offered to get her something when he went to the town. And more than that, I saw his 'supportive of dad' actions as him trying to goad her into getting out of there. The more I watched their actions, the more I thought that he saw Weiss as a beacon of hope.... if she could get out from their father's grasp, than he didn't have to be like their father either.
Yup I think he is scared and try to pleases his father and we all know how he control Weiss and Winter(before) so it's not different from Whitley. When Weiss was running away I was hoping for the sisters would come back for him or one of them OR just kick the father out. Weiss or Winter can run the family again or just let Whitley run it since both Weiss and Winter want to be huntresses.
For whitley, I didn't like him at first due to the attitude. But I never saw that frame you pointed out. That one frame completely changed my view. There's something more to him. You see it in a fair few characters who want to please their idols. And even though I think he knows it's wrong for the violence, I think he doesn't have an idea on how to fix it. That's my idea
Whitley looks concerned at the door to Weiss's room as his father emerges because he doesn't want his father to take umbrage at being spied on and be punished for it.
Add to everything mentioned in the video, there's also the fact that as far as we know so far, Whitley does not posses the Schnee semblance to control glyphs, Weiss and Winter have that connection with each other which makes them bond together outside of not wanting to be controlled by their father. Whitley most likely at one point wanted to feel the same level of independence and freedom that Weiss and Winter display now but was not given the same opportunities, and most likely feels betrayed by it. By not inheriting the family semblance, which would probably give him means of being separated from his dad, and practically being left behind by his sisters, he was trapped, had no means to escape, and had no one he could turn to. With all that in mind I changed my perspective of Whitley and started feeling sorry for him, even though this is all speculation on my part, I feel that if he was given the same opportunity to control glyphs like his sisters do, he could have escaped the egotistical control of their father.
I personally don't hate Whitley, in fact I look forward to more character development. I guess its because I can kind of relate. When a parent is that controlling and often times scary, you do your best to survive. The only crime Whitley is committing is staying ignorant of the world, but he can't stay that way forever and he will get sick of his dad eventually, for all we know he doesn't even want the company and is only happy to inherit it because his dad wants him to be the heir. Anyway awesome video!
I feel like the siblings have neglected each other to some degree while growing up, maybe due to their cold upbringing. We have Winter leaving for the military, leaving her siblings to fend for themselves essentially, and from what I understand, I presume that's when Weiss became the heiress and was even more of a punching bag given the White Fang attacks. The pressure of being the next heiress probably didn't add either. And maybe from that came a bit of a resentment for Whitley, who was either too young to be handling the responsibilities she had or was somehow favored more by their father, I don't know. There's also the option of Weiss, maybe spending most of her childhood being presented at fancy parties or asked to perform that more often than not, she wanted to just hole up in her room and rest instead of paying attention to her brother. But regardless, assuming there was some petty resentment involved, she's closer to Winter because of her protection from their father, that's why she barely mentions Whitley.
_[Beginning 10 seconds of video]_ "wouldn't classify Jacques as a bad person" *Me:* _Watches Volume 6 Episode 11_ *Also Me:* That's where you're wrong, kiddo.
I always thought Whitley hated his sisters because they left him alone with his parents since his lack of the schnee fighting abilities didn't give him the same out that they had
my feelings exactly
golden brigain Well, if anything is going to happen with him, it will probably at least start in Volume 6 since there is only confirmation of 9 volumes and the next one is supposedly having them take the Haven relic to Atlas. Personally, I'm hoping for some humanity to come out of Whitley and for Ironwood to turn fascist on them, you know, go all "we must secure everything, freedom and human rights be damned." This way we get two characters who are in a much-needed morally grey area. But, given that the writers have been consistently proving their own incompetence, I'm not holding my breath.
Meta Nightmare445 If I actually wrote RWBY I'd have James Ironwood actually be a major antagonist.
The Atheist Bear
Why though? I mean, he's a bit authoritarian himself, but he isn't that bad to be completely honest.
Claudiu-Mihai Puiu Well, my version changes a lot of things.
I want Whitley to run the Schnee Dust Company at the end of the series while Weiss becomes a huntress. It would be interesting if him and his sisters built an actual relationship and went on to do what they enjoy. Weiss and Winter like fighting, but they're never shown to care much for the business side of the company instead of the symbolic side of the company. Whitley however does seem to have an interest in the business, so it would make sense for him to run it in the end.
I agree but I feel the fandom would be upset because it seems like weiss is almost destined to run the company.
The Happy Boy But I don't think that what's she wants anymore I think she's growing as a huntress more than a business woman
I also think she'd be a shit business woman. She has been shown multiple times that she doesn't really have patience with people she doesn't agree with and unfortunately she'd have to deal with those types of people while being a head of a company.
I agree, I also want Weiss and Whitely to reconcile and have a close brother and sister relationship.
I can see Whitley as the company side of the family. Hopefully we get to see a break in the authoritarian parenting in the Atlas arc with him still running the business, but with more of Nicolas's touch.
Well one thing I try to keep in mind is when Weiss and Whitley first interact. She says he's acting different. Whitley just responds with. "I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon."
And then in the confrontation scene. Weiss states that Whitley never liked his other siblings. So why is that? Because they try to rebel? Or because they had it better than him. He's the third try, he can't afford to make the same mistakes that his sisters displayed because his father would already be prepared for that. I have a strange feeling that Whitley is just trying to find the most favorable outcome for himself. His sisters want to abandon him fine. If he has the chance he'll wreck their chances. He can't escape his fate. Fine. But he'll do it by his own terms and betray his father in the end. This is how I see him right now. He us trying to break free like Weiss but secretly and with strategy and cunning. To where Jacque will hand over Whitley's means of success none the wiser that his son wants to ruin him after he inherits the power.
also to add into that he cant escape like his sisters he doesnt have the talent to get into a school like them he's stuck there and learned from the only person he can his father
geekgoddess2.0 That would be an awesome arch for his character. And it makes sense too since being manipulative and putting the odds in your favour would be a trait Jacque would want his successor to have. But he'd never expect his son to be the one to manipulate him. In a ironic twist he did end up making a clone of himself in almost every way but that is what lead to him losing control.
Now this changed my perspective to Whitley, It really is a great twist for it to happen
Whitley at the end or middle of volume _:
Whitley: omae wa mo shinderu
Jauqe: NANIII?!?
Whitley kills jauqe (or let him be killed by faunus)
In the likely chance that the sisters neglected him, maybe because of their age difference or because of his resemblance to his father, I think it would also be an interesting arc for Winter and Weiss to reconcile with him...y'know, to reinforce that even main characters have made mistakes in their lives, but are still willing to change given the chance. Whether Whitley will forgive them is something else entirely, but as I said, it would be an interesting story arc for them. --Hopefully, the writers don't mess this up, and end up either villainizing or ruining a character or two.--
You know, Whitley is in the same stage Weiss went through in the beginning of Volume 1 where people hated her.
But she started to change throughout the next 3 volumes, Whitley’s character will change, I know it. He deserves more love as every character in the fandom, Whitley deserves a chance. #GiveWhitleyASecondChance
The difference is that Weiss was shaped by Winter. She was uptight and very much a smug know-it-all but because she was mimicking Winter, who as we saw is very obsessed with being perfect and upholding the true strenghts of the Schnee name (not the mere greed of their father, but the honor and power the family held). So no, Weiss was never in his position, she was just a mini-Winter, but not as uptight and a bit more petulant.
Volume 7 maybe
Edward Armstrong it seems you are underestimating verbal and physical abuse
he had his chance and he blew it
@@alexanderleonardi3625 😔 like all the chracters
0:08 I think the word you are looking for is antagonist, a character that works against the protagonists but is not required being evil.
Layton 13 NICE ENGLISH MY DUDE. that's what you get when you go to school. KNOWLEDGE
Layton 13 to summarise your statement basically an antihero
the smart ducky No an antihero is protagonist who lacks heroic qualities like blinding optimism and being hesitant to seriously hurt others. Remember the protagonist is whoever the story focuses on and the antagonist is whoever works against them.
Thanks Siri!
I never noticed the look on his face etc until you mentioned it now i am starting to agree with this thory
I just thought he was surprised to be caught eavesdropping.
i think your name is misspelled, wiess
U NEED TO LOVE WHITELYYYYYYY
Same however... you could also say it was just a mistake or he was surprised he came out with such hate as her thought Weiss new her lesson..
This video single-handedly changed my entire perception on Whitley Schnee. Much like you said, I feel I unfairly judged him by association, with how conniving he seemed when compared to Jacques. This was an incredibly well-made video, EruptionFang!
Keep up the amazing content, dude
P.S. Contact me on Twitter when you get the change. I have an idea for a RWBY theory and would love to see if you'd be down for a collaboration!
MurderofBirds now i'm gonna have some fun watching vol 4 reactions :)
thnx hype man of rwby I was gonna be yelling at the screen if you were to say mean things about whitley its also good to know that you pay attention to the community of rwby instead of just ignoring its igsistence like other reactors of rwby do
Came into the comments specifically, to see if you watched this.
MurderofBirds Can you please react to rwby 30 days angel, it’s an amazing rwby fanimation and I know you’ll love it
This makes a whole lot more sense. Whitley could also be this way because his mother ignores him. And his father has been show to be pratically an abusive emotionless bussinus man. That isn't good for a child.
Not gunna lie, I loved Whitely. Now I love him more
Brooklyn Michelle Me too
Yo same
i loved him the first time i saw him
Same love him
If anything, I pity the kid.
you should not
@@alexanderleonardi3625 What? Look at him. Back when I was his age I already stood up to my dad. Then I over the years I built my own company with my mother. while he lost his and works as a waiter. Seriously, I pity this kid. Grow a spine already.
@Outofcatsanddogsreptilesarethesupiriorrace Oh trust me, I got a few broken bones in me to know what abuse is. I also know this, abusers? They aint got no power over one. The only one that does, is the one the mirror.
Shit, I was a year older when I told my dad to fuck off and straight up left with my ma. And we didn't have a fortune behind us.
Just saying, kid's gotta grow a spine step up.
@@alexanderleonardi3625 why the fuck not? If anything he's just as much as a victim as Weiss and Winter were, the only difference is Weiss and Winter were there for each, Whiteley was left to his own devices. So explain to me why he doesn't deserve any amount of pity.
@@jacobholder8514 he may not have chosen what happened to him, but he absolutely chose what to do about it
I can't wait until the new season but I think Whitely is more mischievous than evil, being the youngest sibling he could just want attention from his father because he never gets attention from his mother or the Girls
#ShotGunDaddy I was leaning towards this. I just need more scenes with him to fully grasp his motivation and end game.
#ShotGunDaddy sarge?
Sean Johnson yes you called?
#ShotGunDaddy I'm guessing you shot grif 50 times in 10 hours
Sean Johnson 10 hours more like 59 times in 10 minutes
Three kids. Weiss, Winter, and Whitley.
My grandparents had three kids. Josh, Jason, and Jeremy. Coincidence? Probably
Social Outcasts I was expecting an "I THINK NOT!" at the end.
hotel? Trivago
Slightly Psychotic I was expecting read more at the end.
i don't know if it's true for your grandparents, but I think that for WWW, it's to show he don't care enough for he's children to give them originals names, he could have them called W1, W2 and W3, it would'nt change anything
I feel like Winter was the only thought out one then they gave up after Weiss lmao
Freaking finally! Thank you so much for making this video. I actually really do like Whitley, and have never been able to figure out why he is hated so much when he actually hasn't done anything of note on his own violation. He's a bit of a snob, sure, but people seem perfectly happy to forget Weiss's own beginnings with a similar personality, and the fact that Whitley has been kept on a far shorter leash than Weiss, not being allowed to train in combat and most likely having very limited and controlled information on the world outside the manor.People compare him to his father, but that's really not accurate. He is a victim as well, being stuck alone with Jacques for over a year while Weiss was at Beacon and Winter was off with the military. He's playing the game the only way he can, by not making Daddy mad. Throughout the series, even, nearly every single line of dialogue he has motivates Weiss, either encouraging her to face their father, applauding her rebellious song, and even prodding her into running away. Whitley Schnee is not a villain, and he's not even an antagonist. He's a kid in an abusive household with apparently no network of support from either the staff or his sisters or mother. Can you really say his methods of dealing are unwarranted?
I would like to give this comment an award somehow.
My headcanon is that Whitley is the most abused and beaten of the three Schee siblings and resents it.
He puts on the "good boy" fascade, because his father will hit his sisters, but beat him to a pulp.
In abusive families, typically one kid gets the worst of it, and that is the most powerless one. Old man Schnee may let lose a hit on his daughters, but fears their powers too much to get serious, but the boy may have no training at all.
I definately feel at this point Whitley is a antagionistic victim more so then a villian and alot of what you say supports that. He's by no means supportive of the hero Weiss so long as she betrays their father's demands but you do get the sense he's a victim of Jacques demand for as much control over the Schnee benefits as possible, right down to groom the perfect heir so even in his old years he's still reaping in the positives through his perfect replacement.
I will vouch against him as long as he does cause misery and supports Jacques through his role under him but part of me does what things to change for the better, not just for him but for the entire Schnee family, cause just like Whitley, the family as a whole is flawed and broken, maybe to the point of no return. Maybe one day we'll see Whitley find peace or fall even deeper into a hole he's been trapped in for so long, but in comparison to other "villians" in the show, I at the very least would want things to change for him and I hope he doesn't go over the edge into true bad guy.
He's a young guy in a bad place, don't be too hard on him. Remember weiss volume 1?
Yeah, basically this
And this is where I disagree, Weiss was a snob, but one with her heart in the right place. She wanted to protect the world from the Grimm, and in doing so bring back the honor she felt her family had lost through their insatiable greed. Weiss' character development was not about becoming a selfless individual or any such thing, but about how to be a better teammate and friend, letting go of her high class snob tendencies.
Not saying Whitley can't be redeemed a bit, but people can't exactly compare him to Volume 1's Weiss because they are nothing alike. Weiss had a purpose that was beyond just her. Whitley has basically been molded into the perfect heir and he's just thinking on how "he" can survive.
This comment aged so poorly its hilarious. The worst thing Whitley ever did was brag about being heir and talk smack to Weiss, yet you and the show are acting like he's a terrorist or some crap. Especially since afterwards Weiss literally does more actual villainous stuff from volumes 4-8 while Whitley acts more heroic and helpful than her while she just sits around drinking tea and whining about no one helping her. This is after she sent him away even though he offered to help her in spite of her sticking a blade in his face.
You called it, dude!
I came to comment the same thing 😂 Fancy seeing you here. Good luck with getting to 100k
I really want to see a really emotionally charged argument between the Schnee kids where they all get their own feelings out and come in for a group hug.
Random Name I want to see that too!
Nope, Whiteley just gets a sword pointed at him, gets talked down to,and then he is thr one to make amends, even though he is the victim.
I agree. I acturally like him and never understood why people disliked him so much. I always end up liking a character the fandom either don't pay attention to enough or just plain dislike for whatever reason. Since they tend to be really interesting and I like to keep neutral and unbias til I got all the info I need to make a judgement. I either like a charater or feel indifferent towards them until whenever, but even then I like to try and look at the different perspectives with an neutral mindset since hate is a strong word. Especially if I don't know enough of the character like Whitley who we've only just got a taste of. I blame my empathy and analytical nature.
I think you might be onto something here, but the key to all this lies with their mother. We know she started drinking after Weiss' birthday when Weiss was a child. As she crawled further into a bottle, she had less and less impact on her children, and thus less chance to counter Jacques' influence. The result was Winter retaining the strength to resist her father and Weiss eventually building the personal strength to do the same.
For Whitley I wonder how much he remembers of what it was like before then. After all, take another look at that portrait. Whitley is the only one smiling. Perhaps to him what his sisters reject is just normal life. Could the Schnee mother be the key to Whitley's redemption, then?
Still waiting on that video of The Old Man Shopkeeper because we all know he's the most interesting character in RWBY
Old Man Shopkeeper is old man Satou is old man Coincidence Probably. ruclips.net/video/J9SY9EB3n4w/видео.html ruclips.net/video/-BOFQc1LXgk/видео.html
The Shopkeeper is the true villain pulling the strings behind Salem
The A-Trane He is the answer to everything in RWBY both good and bad he is all powerful, he is everywhere he is God.
i hope we see him in mistral
Totally.
Eruption Fang = Game Theory of Rooster Teeth.
The VexedCastle True
Nah,he's film theory
More like Flim theory of Rooster Teeth but yes I agree.
He makes better points and his theories about some of the characters are better than what we've actually received from the Hack writers.
Isn't film theory and game theory the same but a little different
Whitely is at the same stage Weiss was back in Volume 1. Remember how hated Weiss was back then. Also, Adam is my #3 favourite character even after the events of Volume 3. Why? Because in chapter 7 of that same volume you can see his unwillingness to join Cinder but if he doesn't then all of the White Fang members are as good as dead.
The Iron Rhino Yeah, that's true
Also, SO MANY people distrusted Ironwood when he was first introduced and he was meant to be distrusted by the audience according to CRWBY. So why can't that be applied to Whitley?
msk I know, right?
he still killed the leader thou -_-
Adam didn't care about the White Fang, lol. He was only ever fighting for himself and to get revenge, using the WF as a means to an end. He grouped up with Cinder because he knew he couldn't beat her in a fight after seeing her powers, much like Neo did.
WARNING: V7 SPOILERS! When I was watching RWBY V7, Chapter 4: Pomps and Circumstance, almost near the ending of the episode, there was a segment at Schnee Manor where Jacques is sitting in his office having a drink.
Whitley enters his office and tells him that he has a visitor, and it turns out to be Arthur Watts. Jacques gets shocked from getting an unexpected visit from Arthur Watts and he tells Whitley to shut the door.
But before he does, Whitley gets a little suspicious and confused on what’s going on between them, Jacques yells at Whitley to shut the door when he didn’t listen to him the first time.
While I was watching this scene, I then Noticed before Watts came in, Whitley looked a little scared and nervous when he was telling his father about him having a visitor, we didn’t even see Whitley flinch when Jacques yells at him to shut the door on screen, it shows how Whitley acts around Jacques when Weiss and Winter aren’t home.
This scene proved that Whitley IS definitely a victim of abuse to Jacques, looks like EruptionFang was right all along.
I think the community judges characters too quickly, i never felt that Whitley was evil just manipulated by his father.
Wait...look at Whitley's eyes through out all the clips in these video...that're off...by that I mean personally they don't match up with those of a snarky self obsessed character most of the time
Looking back, Whitley reminds of a early volume 1 Weiss
Hanro50 True, I know he'll change through Volume 4 and discover his semblance. If he has one
Oh wowie- someone who had the same thoughts I did for Whitley's character! I actually liked him at first and was just a little bit confused when he got all mean, but then I just figured that he was just trying to please his father and was probably scared of doing something his father didn't like. I thank you for making a video explaining both that, and the other reasons you said.
As someone who has personally been emotionally manipulated by parental figures & has been friends with people who've acted like self-preserving snakes in order to protect themselves from their own abusive parents, I've never seen Whitley as a "villain" or "bad guy." It's more that he's, unfortunately, a product of his environment. He's obviously just using self-preservation. Does this make him a bad *character*? No. A bad *person*? Yeah, most likely, especially if he never opens his eyes to what's going on.
yeah with fictional characters people tend to forget that being a kid or even a teen your psychological state can be very different and that younger characters really haven't figured out who they are yet
I've always been a good guy myself but even in the past five year my outlook on some things has changed significantly. I'm only 22 so I'm not too much older than the main cast but my point is we have so many characters in fiction with well defined personality even though they are 14 or under people forget how much development a personality can go through in a short time
You, my good man, just made me look at Whitley at a whole 'nother level from this video. So, as of at the moment, I'm 50-50 on him. Do I, or we, think that Whitley's a manipulative asshole who's just a Simmons-like kiss-ass, or is he just as much as a victim like his sisters? I guess we'll find out in Volume 5 or future Volumes.
Freelancer Amber Hopefully, I want to see more of Whitley's character development
Hey Amber!
Freelancer Amber I didn't know you watch this guy love your channel
Same as Robin 2.0
Freelancer Amber I never thought of him as an asshole since he reminded me of Weiss when we first meet her. He's a Schnee. Lol. Just like his sisters he comes off as arrogant with a better than thou attitude but we know there's more to it than that. There's always more to a character than just face value. I've always thought he might've just resented his sisters since they left and did their own thing while he was stuck with their father.
I have to agree with a lot of this. Something that a lot of people forget is that with Winter in the military and Weiss (at the time) at Beacon, there was only ONE person left that Jacques could punish and abuse. And that person was Whitley. With neither of his siblings around, Whitley was likely left to be punished and abused twice as badly as he had before, as well.
I love both Whitley, Adam and Mercury, but I feel like the fandom is so quick to push me down when I say that.
Saaaaammeee!!!
Whitley and Mercury still have chances to be redeemed, but Adam was far beyond that. The path to redemption starts with a character admitting they're in the wrong and wanting to change, but Adam never showed any remorse or self-reflection of his actions, because he was convinced that everything he was doing was right,when in reality it was all him pursuing his own revenge and looking to crush all of humanity for the actions of those that wronged him.
Adam started as a good character with a good character arch. But by the time he died the SDC scare meant nothing. No backstory, no explanation. He didn't want revenge against SDC because of what they did to him and other fanus. He just wanted Blake. I honestly want him to come back just so we can see how he got the scare and why he sees humanity as a disease or whatever.
@@AstralMuffin105 besides he's dead.
Well.. adam was done DIRTY AS FUCK by the HACK writers so im honestly prepared to find out that Whitley is secretly an obsessive sister otaku who just wants to bang weiss and mercury is just a psychopath who just wants to kill with no actual motive or ideology. I've come to not expect much from rwby.. they just always let me down😥 lol.
Honestly when i see whitley I see a boy who feels abandoned and betrayed by his older sister who left him in the hands of his father. Probably made him a little bitter towards his sisters.
I never expected to agree with you. Yet I am pleasantly surprised to say that I did! Indeed, you, my friend, are a true kindred spirit. I've been intrigued and appealed by characters that others have plainly repelled by before. I relish the fact that I chose to think differently than others. If anyone faults you for choosing to give characters the benefit of the doubt, then know that I, at least, will laud you.
I personally agree. This is why I love characters like whitley and raven because most people hate them but they often have the most interesting and tragic stories and if u get on their good side they become the best allies.
#Whitleydidnothingwrong
He certainly isn't a villain, but he's not a hero. He's just an antagonist on Weiss' VERY idealistic dream, which causes people to be against him. SHE wants to run the Schnee Dust Company. Whitley has taken that chance from her. Therefore, people side against him.
From what we've seen of Weiss, all she really knows is how to be a Huntress, not a businesswoman. Sustaining a company isn't easy. Being prey to your own emotions (sympathy, empathy) isn't always good for business, but Jacques is basically an extreme version of that mentality. In the end, I believe that Whitley can be "saved". It's only the matter of how that makes me wonder.
#WhitleyDidNothingWrong
Spread the word!
I agree with this theory, there's more to Whitley than what people think. I know he'll change sometime in Volume 5.
you can't know that. no one but RT knows that. it might not even be until volume 6 or higher. it seems like an end game move when the company is officially passed to him.
That didn't happen lmao, but we are going to atlas in volume 6 so hopefully we will see more of him
Volume 7 is where it’s at. UwU
I work in behavioral health, and one of the reasons that, out of the hundreds of RWBY content channels on RUclips, you are one of only two that I subscribe to is that you are spot on with with these types of analysis. I do also find that your general analysis of theory or plot to be insightful and well thought out. I am looking forward to more of these types of videos from you. Thank you
I always thought Whitley's "angry face" was actually concern and frustrated worry. As you said, a warning.
I recently started reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's series The League. (Adult sci-fi romance.) For a huge majority of the series so far, a particular character named Jullien is built up as a selfish, antagonistic, cowardly villain. But (spoilers) at the end of Born of Betrayal and throughout Born of Legend, he is revealed to be just as much a victim as anyone else in the series, and with few exceptions, all the nasty things he did were childish, desperate attempts to keep himself and those he cared about alive. I think of Whitley as a kid in a similar situation, if not that extreme.
This aged extremely well
Like a fine wine.
I noticed that, that he was sad when Jaq left the room but quickly hid it. I honestly thought Whitely was scared when he said that it was ‘foolish to disobey, Father’. And I thought that since both sisters were away he saw the his father angry and displeased the most. He was alone. He has no one else to turn to.
Honestly in canon, i empathise with Whitley far more than Weiss.
Winter, first heir to the SDC gives up her place in the family to join the Atlas military, therefore escaping the pychological trauma of living under Jaques.
Weiss then leaves to follow her dreams to become a huntress, leaving Whitley all but alone with their father, the only upside for him being that he is now heir to the SDC. Then, Weiss comes back, having made friends and experienced freedom, and nearly becomes heiress again, taking his only purpose right from his hands and leaving him hopeless.
He has no friends, no aid from his mother, even the butler doesnt like him as much as weiss.
But Weiss is a protagonist, so Whitley bad - Weiss good.
So you know the average rooster teeth villain building scenario
@@Cptsuccess A villain that is actually in the right, and with the protagonists being objectively in the wrong would be uncharectaristically good writing from RT, but I hope so either way.
Another thing to think about is something that was, sadly, only really brought up in the official manga and mentioned in the song Path to Isolation (from Weiss' chara short). Chapters 3 and 4 of the official manga explain what was going on in the White Trailer, and while Weiss fights the Arma Gigas (what Kerry said the giant knight is called, due to it being possessed by a Geist), she has a "voiceover" where she explains that she used to have a distorted view of family pride that left her with no sense of self. Winter had snapped her out of that when she was younger, and she decided to create a sense of self that she can be proud of, just like Winter did.
Path to Isolation even mentions this with the lyrics "Can't find myself when I'm constantly forced to conform." Weiss had a hard time creating a sense of self while Jacques was forcing her to behave like the heiress he wanted her to be, while she was living in a situation where she had to fit in among the Atlas elite. This is one reason she needed to get away from home, and she used Beacon to do that.
In the manga, we're shown the fact that Weiss and Jacques had been having a conflict over which academy Weiss would attend. Jacques wanted her to go to Atlas Academy, but Weiss insisted on going to Beacon. I assume Jacques insisted on Atlas so he could keep her living at home, under his supervision. When she continued to insist on Beacon, Jacques had her fight the Arma Gigas. His secretary explained how powerful it is (3 times stronger than the original version without a Geist), and Weiss responded "So you're basically saying I don't stand a chance." It's possible that Jacques thought she wouldn't be able to defeat it. It's like making a bet with the odds stacked against your opponent. Even after the Arma Gigas injured her eye and the secretary told her that her Aura was at its limit, she kept fighting because that was her only chance to escape her father.
Anyway, so... why do I bring this up? Because I think Whitley may not have a sense of self. He may not have a sense of who he is as a person, separate from the Schnee family name. Perhaps if he gets the chance to begin developing into his own person, he'll start to change.
I also explained Weiss' fight with the Arma Gigas because I feel it shows even more what kind of father Jacques is. He kept telling Weiss he wanted her to go to Atlas Academy, and she wouldn't listen to him and kept insisting on Beacon. Instead of continuing to say "No", he decided he would make a bet with her, which he may have set up with the odds in his favor. This is especially considering that Weiss had already been training immediately before the Arma Gigas entered the room, so Weiss wasn't even at 100% when the fight began. If she had failed to defeat the Arma Gigas, Jacques could have said "Well, I gave you a chance to prove yourself, and you failed, so I don't want to hear anything else about Beacon." Weiss has a scar over her eye because Jacques did not want her to go to Beacon.
*_And yes, she did get her scar from that fight._* The scar appearing next to the blood is an animation error. She didn't have a scar during the first half of the fight. Watch it at 0.25 speed or look at this collage of shots of her without her scar: rwby.wikia.com/wiki/File:Wtrailer_no_scar_collage.png
I agree with you actually. I didn't really dislike him until Volume 4 Chapter 7, when it sounded like he was after Weiss's Heirship since she got back. While I don't like him that much anymore, I have hope for him and feel bad for him as he's just as much a victim as Weiss has been. Reminds me alot of Azula actually.
He literally tried to help Weiss by letting her know her father was busy so she could try and escape the first time. But I dont think anyone noticed. Why would he go all that way to just randomly tell her her dad is out of town?
He was probably trying to rub it in her face as payback for abandoning him to their dad
@@ninjaked1265 he never directly antagonized weiss tho, he was annoying yes- but every conversation had a purpose. He initiated conversation to warn weiss to avoid their father, when he was out of town, and that "the schnee name is in good hands" aka "ayo get out I can handle this you don't wanna be here"
I think Jacques never let Whitley be friends with Weiss and
Winter because he didn’t want him to break free of his control
Whitley is basically a doll to his father
"It's not wise to go against father."
It came off as a threat but with more context it might have just been a legit warning.
Thanks for showing us a new angle on Whitley Schnee because it helped me realize that just because someone is acting bad doesn’t mean they’re actually bad. It’s just like a movie, everything is fake and everybody’s personality are just made.
Another thing that’s interesting and further proves your point.
Weiss in V5 talks about how their father didn’t TRULY come out to reveal how much of an ass he was until her birthday and THAT was what pushed her mom to drink. (10th birthday, if I recalled correctly)
This means that while Weiss had a few years of a ‘loving’ (and fake) family, Whitley was pretty much dealing with only the Jacques that we’ve known from the get-go.
Poor kid. I seriously get Azula vibes from him and it’s concerning.
3 years later. GO WHITLEYYYYYYY!!!!
People don’t like Whitley because he’s like Weiss from Volume 1
To be honest at least Weiss has her sisters and was able to escape her abusive environment. Also people seem to forget that Weiss was racist in Volume 1 while we haven’t seen Whitley be like that at all.
This aged like a fine wine
Who’s here after it’s been confirmed
Inferno The last elemental me
Confirm what?
Wammy Games that he’s been abused by his father and he’s a prick for a reason.
Thank you for being willing to let Whitley's character develope before pinning him as "evil".
This video really reminds me of something that my writing coach once said: it's very hard to know that you have a choice about something if everyone around you is dead set on making sure you don't even know that a choice even exists.
Remember that girl who's father owned a company that made machines in Legend of Korra? (I forgot her name I'm sorry) She was doing lots for her father but in the end realized what he did and so stopped him.
Who knows, maybe Whitley will end up the same?
Thank you SO much for this video! I’ve always loved Whitley and it makes me sad to see people assume things about his character and upbringing when he’s clearly gone through the same struggles, if not more as Winter and Weiss had a special bond and he had none. I really hope rt makes him a complex character and fleshes out his relationship with Weiss a little more ^v^
You also have to consider that when talking about how it's pointless to go again their father, what caused him to believe that to the point of being angry- or at the very least frustrated, as I think is a more appropriate description for it- with weiss when he said that. We already know their father isn't above hitting his kids- even if all we've seen is a smack that's STILL a big deal and shouldn't happen- and like you said, clearly he's been getting more and more strict with the siblings each time. Whitley said, in his first appearance, that he hadn't stopped growing- when Weiss notes he's "acting different" or something along those lines- and if you consider that both of his sisters were gone, and mother is presumably not actively parenting, it's hard to imagine that his "growth" was necessarily productive to him becoming his own person, but likely him having nothing to do but grow into the role their father wants. I don't doubt that he has his own wants, outside of that, but I don't seem him trying to achieve freedom in the same way as Weiss and Winter do. More likely, he's decided it's in his best interests to do whatever their father wants, and now that he's the heir to the company, wait until he has some control.
Volume 7’s Whitley comment from Willow to Weiss made him more likable to me which made me dislike Weiss pointing a sword at him like she forgot about the line from Willow
What if Whitley is hiding his love for his sisters? What if Whitley IS getting punished without anyone to protect him when Winter and Weiss is gone? Did that make him the well mannered boy in the Schnee family?
Now I'm viewing Whitley the same way I do Adam: a potential victim. Thanks fang, for making me empathize with my worst enemies!
Seriously, though, great vid man
"Hello, Sister, I haven't stopped growing since you went to beacon-PLEASE END MY EXISTENCE I JUST WANNA DIE ALREADY!!!"
I love characters like Whitley
I was trying to convince someone to watch RWBY a while back, and I remember saying "And then you meet Whitley, the most sincere asshole in the show"
Honestly, I think there's more to Whitley Schnee than meets the eye. When they introduced him, his emotions seemed mixed, from his speech, to his rapidly changing facial expressions. So, yea, I agree with this theory!
Keep up the good work, EruptionFang! Thanks!
I've always felt that Whitley was the one who caught all of the crap in his family. His father is an abusive dick, his mom drinks like a fish, and his sisters formed a bond and basically left him out so he had no body to turn to. He only went to Jacque out of necessity.
I don't think much of Whitley, but I want to see more of him.
InfinityRage Me too
I didn't think much of Weiss back when the show started.. now she's my favorite of the 4. Easily the one who's had the most character development.. not the best written but its there lol.
ok now just waiting for that sibling bonding moment for the schnee siblings
This does have a good point about Whitley. Considering that he's still so young, it leaves room for so much potential in his character growth and maturity. Hopefully, there will be some screentime for us to see him grow.
2 years later and seems like you nailed it!
THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who had hope for this kid (emphasis on KID) who has clearly been molded by his father his whole life. Also, he's not a future Huntsman or a physically-strong fighter, as evidenced by the discussion concerning his lack of the Schnee Semblance, and his lack of concern on that note. He doesn't have the military or the Academies as a potential escape route, and he doesn't have his sisters' support. He needs to find his own way, and I really hope that he does and isn't just made to be a one-off asshole kid character.
I always thought that he was too scared to argue against their father tbh. Many kids (especially ones with parents like that) are.
I wanna bring up something else about Narcissistic Parents... The "Golden Child and Scapegoat".
Narcissistic Parents tend to statistically place favoritism on their children (if they have multiple children), to abuse and Manipulate them.
In this situation, Whitley would be the Golden Child, perceived by the Abuser (Jaque) to be trustworthy, talented and full of potential...and thus showers them with praise and positive attention, as a way to manipulate Whitley.
Weiss and Winter seem tp be the Scapegoats, the "failures", the "clueless and incompetent mistakes"...these childrens are often the ones to get the most abuse.
And here's one more thing, when a scapegoat leaves (cause I've had personal experience with this), the Golden Child can go threw the same abuse as the Scapegoat...which is rly fcked up, and can rly fuck up the now former Golden child mentally, but in a way...Whitley could go threw the same development as the other Schnee children.
This aged so well it’s scary
I kept trying to tell people Whitley isn't evil. He just isn't brave enough to rebel against his father.
I’m waiting to see if whitely uses his influence for some good. If he hasn’t already. (This just popped into my head) What if he was the one who suggested Weiss be disinherited not so he’d be all but guaranteed to inherit his fathers’ business, but so that Weiss would have the freedom necessary to make her own life what she wants it. Or something to that effect
Good theory. I also belive that Weiss and Winter also bonded because of their semblance.. Whitely hasnt developed it or hasnt gotten them so that made his sisters leave him behind since he resembled thier father. Cause Weiss even ask him if he is jealous of her and winters ability meaning he hasnt gotten or developed his semblance.
I would also say he's also likely a bit envious of his sisters. Which is completely understandable. His older sisters are two badasses with ice powers and him and his dad are powerless bean counters. Who's family company is slowly going down the drain. I mean, anyone would be envious, They have the same parents, so what exactly made the first two so special as to why the younger one remained normal? Winter and Weiss are also both capable of taking care of themselves. Though Winter can do so financially as well and we're not exactly sure if Weiss can, but still these two are most definitely independent and don't need their father's protection in anyway. After watching this video it would makes sense that Whitley would want Weiss to leave away from the family as to help her grow on her own much like Winter. He may not have that freedom of choice, but Weiss can and he may want her to be free of her father tight grip.
Reply back if you agree in some way.
This was proven when Weiss's mother said to her, not to hate Whitley, he only resents her because she and Winter left him with their father.
This video was so good that for the first time in like months, I decided to open up the browser this account is logged into to comment that it's really awesome. Judging from what you said in the bits about intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, Whitley's outburst warning toward Weiss, and the inverse relationship between empathy and successful business, you seem pretty educated on psychology. I don't watch YT logged in but this earned my subscription.
Coming back to this video after the episode from Volume 7 where Wiess meets her mom, i finally fucking get it
6:00 I hadn't noticed that, but I think you are giving too much credit to the Rooster Teeth team.
I mean, tey are the Rooster Teeth team, they aren't known for their understanding of or care for... anything.
Perhaps Whitley may also feel resentment that he doesn't have that bond with his sisters like how they are bonded to each other. When Weiss says "You never liked me or Winter", maybe he actually does like them but they left him out of their friendship unintentionally, so he's naturally bitter about it. Thus he had no one BUT their father to shape his personality.
We need to see more of him in the upcoming chapter.
Wonderful video! When I saw the first and subsequent interactions between Whitley and Weiss I got 2 feelings out of them. 1) Whitley is very good at being cunning and subtle, he seemed to have a restrained and controlled personality, probably from being under almost constant watch of his father. He learned from is father how to hide his real feelings and present something else instead. He also probably also has learned how to plot and scheme behind other's backs due to his dad's close watch on him (something his sisters didn't need to learn because they were able to get distance between them and their father) 2) Whitley resents and probably hates his sisters for not being there for him when he received the brunt of their father's "love", he most likely feels abandoned by Winter and Weiss because when they ran away they didn't think about the effects it would have on how much attention Whitley would receive from their father. It wouldn't surprise me if Whitley later on not only betrays Jacque but also betrays his sisters in some way.
He attac
He defend
But most importantly
He get treated like crap
We should also take into consideration their battle proficiency, Winter seems to have been a prodigy at her summoning so she broke free easily. Weiss needed time to work on her summons, but once she did she broke free as well. Whitley has so far shown no ability for combat whatsoever so it might be difficult for him to break the chains that bind him.
I think Whitley's memories of his father would not be positive ones, being younger a majority of his memories would be of how his sisters were treated and he decided young that he better be a perfect child even to the point of burning out because he understands the consequences. He has nobody close in age to talk to like Winter and Weiss, no allies, nothing. Perhaps he looks forward to being able to be free someday or maybe he's so thoroughly terrified of his father he would not dare to pursue his own dreams.
Thank you! I always felt that I was the only one who wanted to give Whitley a chance and not just hate him.
He's going to be the one who restores the Scnee name back to it's former glory, with the help of his older sisters to guide him of course. Or the three of them and their mother will lead a coup or an uprising against their father. Shutting him out from the business and returning it to its former glory.
I agree with you, however he's done it a few times. When they first met he was relatively supportive. When she was punished he didn't just watch, but later offered to get her something when he went to the town. And more than that, I saw his 'supportive of dad' actions as him trying to goad her into getting out of there. The more I watched their actions, the more I thought that he saw Weiss as a beacon of hope.... if she could get out from their father's grasp, than he didn't have to be like their father either.
Whitley is love... Whitley is life
Yup I think he is scared and try to pleases his father and we all know how he control Weiss and Winter(before) so it's not different from Whitley. When Weiss was running away I was hoping for the sisters would come back for him or one of them OR just kick the father out. Weiss or Winter can run the family again or just let Whitley run it since both Weiss and Winter want to be huntresses.
Thank you! I've always been curious and open to him, only to find out the fandom hates him
After today's episode this theory seems more likely to be right then before.
For whitley, I didn't like him at first due to the attitude. But I never saw that frame you pointed out. That one frame completely changed my view. There's something more to him. You see it in a fair few characters who want to please their idols. And even though I think he knows it's wrong for the violence, I think he doesn't have an idea on how to fix it. That's my idea
Whitley looks concerned at the door to Weiss's room as his father emerges because he doesn't want his father to take umbrage at being spied on and be punished for it.
Izzy LaCrosse I agree with you
Add to everything mentioned in the video, there's also the fact that as far as we know so far, Whitley does not posses the Schnee semblance to control glyphs, Weiss and Winter have that connection with each other which makes them bond together outside of not wanting to be controlled by their father. Whitley most likely at one point wanted to feel the same level of independence and freedom that Weiss and Winter display now but was not given the same opportunities, and most likely feels betrayed by it. By not inheriting the family semblance, which would probably give him means of being separated from his dad, and practically being left behind by his sisters, he was trapped, had no means to escape, and had no one he could turn to. With all that in mind I changed my perspective of Whitley and started feeling sorry for him, even though this is all speculation on my part, I feel that if he was given the same opportunity to control glyphs like his sisters do, he could have escaped the egotistical control of their father.
I personally don't hate Whitley, in fact I look forward to more character development. I guess its because I can kind of relate. When a parent is that controlling and often times scary, you do your best to survive.
The only crime Whitley is committing is staying ignorant of the world, but he can't stay that way forever and he will get sick of his dad eventually, for all we know he doesn't even want the company and is only happy to inherit it because his dad wants him to be the heir.
Anyway awesome video!
I feel like the siblings have neglected each other to some degree while growing up, maybe due to their cold upbringing. We have Winter leaving for the military, leaving her siblings to fend for themselves essentially, and from what I understand, I presume that's when Weiss became the heiress and was even more of a punching bag given the White Fang attacks. The pressure of being the next heiress probably didn't add either. And maybe from that came a bit of a resentment for Whitley, who was either too young to be handling the responsibilities she had or was somehow favored more by their father, I don't know. There's also the option of Weiss, maybe spending most of her childhood being presented at fancy parties or asked to perform that more often than not, she wanted to just hole up in her room and rest instead of paying attention to her brother. But regardless, assuming there was some petty resentment involved, she's closer to Winter because of her protection from their father, that's why she barely mentions Whitley.
You were right, dude! RWBY Volume 7, Chapter 8 proved your theory right!
He called and I love it.
@@annlewis7279 do you think the writers will go with an arc about forgiveness with weiss and winter?.. honestly i doubt it man lol.
_[Beginning 10 seconds of video]_ "wouldn't classify Jacques as a bad person"
*Me:* _Watches Volume 6 Episode 11_
*Also Me:* That's where you're wrong, kiddo.
That moment when you realize torchwick(dunno how to spell his name) applies better mascara than u ever will
My takeaway was that Whitley was jealous of his sisters abilities since he did not inherit any