On Oct. 22nd, Rooster Teeth released the first episode for the new season of RWBY. When last we saw RWBY, Beacon Academy was destroyed due to Cinder and her group taking over the academy. We then get introduced to what looks to be the main villain for the new season. Meanwhile, Yang couldn’t handle things and lost an arm, while Blake and Weiss left the group. Now, Ruby is travelling with Jean’s group, filling in the role that Pia once had.

Disclaimer – Possible spoilers for RWBY – Season 4, Episode 1

In the season four opener, we are reunited with the villain as seen in the end of season 3 as well as some new faces. The beginning sets up the plot that will unfold over the course of the next few episodes, which is really exciting. They did a good job of introducing people without getting into too much detail yet, so as to make us confused about what we are watching. Cinder is still playing an important role, but as we saw at the end of season 3, she isn’t the biggest enemy.

After that, the show progresses to show us our heroine and what’s left of JNPR. They get into a fight, which takes up a good portion of the episode and showcases the new group we were left with at the end of the 3rd season. We get to see the humor that we expect from RWBY, including Nora and Ren with their usual banter that we know and love. The action is also amazing, showcasing new abilities for some characters and their equipment as well as a grimm that they hadn’t fought yet.

I definitely enjoyed the animation and banter between characters, showcasing the new dynamic for the team as they try to decide their team name. I don’t know if the joke was in relation to forums, where fans of the show argued over what the new team should be called, but I felt like that was the reason for doing so and it worked out. I definitely laughed a lot and sorely missed the show.

After the fight scene, we finally get some closure for Jean after what happened in season 3. The way that the season handles it is both bittersweet and happy as well. I definitely cried a little since it dredged up past memories, but the writing was well done for a return to the world of RWBY.

The end of the show brings us to Weiss, whose fans got to see new artwork from earlier this year. Unfortunately, there is very little time spent on her character. Hopefully, more of her story will be shown in the next episode. Among others who didn’t get enough air time, the other members of RWBY don’t show up in the episode. It would be nice to see the return of the other two characters, especially since Yang and Blake’s incident at the end of the 3rd season. My guess is that they didn’t want to show Yang because she won’t be handy for the team anymore unless something else happens. Blake, on the other hand, had the tragic event happen in front of her, so I’m sure that what is in store for the audience in relation to both characters will answer the questions we are asking and add more depth to their stories as we see them deal with their own struggles.

Collegian writer Kevin Avis can be reached at blogs@collegian.com or on Twitter @kevinavis_626. Leave a comment!!