YMMV / RWBY Thoughts

• Ensemble Dark Horse: Out of all of the characters that were featured in the series, Raven Branwen's videos ended up getting incredibly positive reception from viewers, owed to both her voice acting and her being more nuanced in her thoughts than the canon character presented herself. To the point where many people, including the series creator, rally for her return in the base show primarily to see more Raven Thoughts videos. And when Raven did return, she Lampshaded this status in all its glory.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Following Ironwood's Face–Heel Turn late in Volume 7, many of the jokes surrounding him have become significantly less funny.
    • What Weiss REALLY Thinks of Jacques has Fun with Subtitles for "Wealthy Atlesian Speak", one of which having Ironwood drop a Shout-Out to Star Wars, in reference to the two seats he holds in the Atlas Council. He would make the exact same reference again in What Ironwood REALLY Thinks of Oscar when he announces his plans to declare martial law.
    Ironwood (Thoughts): For all intents and purposes, I AM the council!
  • The same video had another gag subtitle with Ironwood "hoping" Jacques won't die before he returns, and in What Ironwood REALLY Thinks of Jacques, Ironwood warns Jacques against landing in military zones again while internally threatening to shoot him. In Volume 8, Ironwood actually DOES shoot him in response to asking to be freed from his cell.
  • Befitting the Bad Luck Charm himself, Qrow's videos have been subjected to this more than once.
    • One of his lines in What Qrow REALLY Thinks of Raven had him boast about his canon voice actor, who lost the role due to controversy. This was lampshaded in the video, What Qrow and Raven Think of Each Other, released after the controversy began.
    • An example that became this for the writer, Aerwrek. What Qrow REALLY Thinks of Clover was released the SAME DAY Volume 7 Chapter 12 aired for RT First members, where Clover was killed by being impaled In the Back by Qrow's own weapon due to a mistake he made, leaving him to cry out in grief. Due to having written the video long beforehand, however, Aerwrek wrote in two lines that he later stated in the comments that he greatly regretted writing:
    Qrow (Thoughts): (Reacting to Forest's death) Whoa, that guy was a pretty significant character. We'd better watch our backs if they're willing to bump HIM off.
    Qrow (Thoughts): (Reacting to Ruby and Jaune's horrified reactions to Forest's death) It's cute that you kids are still shaken up about death.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • What Raven REALLY Thinks of Qrow:
    • It's very likely Raven would rather spend a week trapped with the biggest idiots in the bandit tribe than admit outright that she does care about her daughter, and her intentions are undercut by her personal flaws, but she's clearly a believer of the saying "actions speak louder than words" according to her thoughts (and flashbacks to the times she appeared to her daughter in her bird form) about Yang.
    Raven (Thoughts): (after a montage of her cameo appearances) Ah, yes, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. But don't EVER claim that I didn't care.
  • What Weiss REALLY Thinks of Yang:
    • Throughout the video, Weiss' internal reactions to Yang's angst indicate how far she Took a Level in Kindness, from warning and fussing to Ruby that the latter had inadvertently hit a Trauma Button, to the lampshading of how much she's defrosted enough to show that she'll be there for Blake and Yang.
    Weiss (Thoughts): (with exasperation, empathy and hidden affection in her voice) You're going to make me say it, aren't you?
  • What Ironwood REALLY Thinks of Watts:
    • In a very brief line during the pistol-less fight, Ironwood shows a level of appreciation towards Pietro when Watts calls the latter a "fat imbecile."
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • In one of Oscar's Volume 5 videos, Ozpin called Salem "Someone who took a break up very, very badly." Come Volume 6, well... Oscar himself said it best:
  Oscar (Thoughts): Holy crap, we called that years ago!
  • The entire premise of this series becomes this come Volume 8, when Ren's Semblance evolves to be able to read into the thoughts of others. This gets even funnier when one recalls that he is voiced by the series creator, Aerwrek. This gets Lampshaded in a later video, where he names this new power after the series as a joke.
• He Really Can Act:
  • Emme as Raven Branwen was already one of the better received performances in the show, but it reached a head in "What Raven REALLY Thinks of Yang 2", where she utterly nailed Raven's regret for her ineptitude at parenting Yang.
  Raven (Thoughts): I suppose a good mother... I suppose, Summer... would say, "Hey, don't worry about that, baby. Mom's got this!" (voice breaking) I can't atone for a lifetime of abandonment. But... just let me do this one thing for you. Please... (in tears) Damn it... I... I'm sorry I can't just say that...
  • Some Asian's performance as Ironwood has also been highly praised, especially during his in-character Badass Boast to Watts.
  • Likewise, Watt's voice actor, Kristoffer Grimm, has received mountains of praise for his vocal performance during the character's fight with the General. It helps that as many viewers pointed out, his voice as Watts is a dead-ringer for his real one.
• Moment of Awesome:
  • What Ironwood REALLY Thinks of Watts:
    • Ironwood's Badass Boast, as mentioned above and quoted below:
  Ironwood (Thoughts): That's the difference between you and me, Watts. Atlas was just a means to an end for you. As soon as you saw a better deal, you took it. You wouldn't so much as give a second thought for her. But I, I'm willing to give whatever it takes to defend Atlas. Take my arm. Take my leg. Take my heart. I don't care!
  • What Oscar REALLY Thinks of Getting Shot:
    • Oscar's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Ironwood, while obviously not spoken, accurately backs up the emotional reasons not to abandon Mantle and delineates exactly what scenario that the flaws in Ironwood's plan could easily lead to for the whole world. It also highlights just how much of Ozpin's essence is rubbing off on Oscar, as the latter lampshades in surprise.