Analyzing the Bumbleby vs Adam Fight. By Lyric The Cat. "Analyzing the choreography, narrative and symbolic weight"
After having unsuccessfully attempted to flee from her past, Blake, following months of reflection and with the support of those close to her, finally had the opportunity to confront the main source of her fears, sorrows, and even regrets at the end of Volume 5.
However, unlike that time when she enjoyed support as well as tactical superiority, here she is forced to face Adam in a completely spontaneous and solitary manner, so her initial reaction is understandable.
Even so, true to its growth, it eventually seeks to stand firm instead of fleeing or letting itself be trampled by him, which can be noticed not only in its attitude and in the fact that it was able to put up a better fight than in Beacon, but also in other small details,
"Let go of the past adam"
"just forget it all? is that what you did to me?"
Like the most limited use of his Shadow Clones as the fight progresses or due to the breaking and subsequent repair of his weapon which, if we get very poetic, could symbolize how in this fight Blake finally managed to break Adam's influence over her and rebuild herself
Unfortunately, here Adam also demonstrates the skills that led him to be such an influential figure in the first place: Adam is a strong and skilled fighter (I mean, he literally spent this entire part fighting with his eyes blindfolded)
But what really makes him so dangerous is his ability to get inside people's heads, the way he is capable of discerning and taking advantage of their most personal fears, sorrows, and resentments in order to manipulate them and gain power through them or over them.
We see how Adam gaslights Blake in his short.....by putting her against her own father. the tactics of a gaslighter.
First, it appears right at the most inconvenient and unexpected moment and magnifies itself as a larger and more threatening presence to make Blake feel small and vulnerable.
Then, when it is obvious that he can no longer use his old connection as a foothold, he mocks and appeals to Blake's fear of not being able to face her problems on her own, taking advantage of her momentary slip to attack and force her to confront him head-on once more.
And once it succeeds, it takes advantage to appeal to her old feelings of fear, insecurity, and self-loathing, unbalancing her to disarm her and finally try to make her feel guilty again in order to completely immobilize her,
Showing her the scar that represents the inhuman abuses he endured and that turned him into the unstable and hate-filled person he is, which he had previously only shown her in a moment of vulnerability and trust, while reproaching her for having left him alone, with nothing.
Just like during their reunion in Beacon, Adam was able to subdue Blake not only because he was stronger, but because he knew how to take advantage of the moment and the control he had managed to generate over her through the abuses he had inflicted for so long.
It is a fact that Adam never believed in justice; he only sought a way to gain control so that he could unleash his hatred against those who harmed him* and, at the same time, never again feel vulnerable.
He was able to create and maintain an image of a reliable, charismatic, and capable leader, someone they could follow and admire, while appealing to the very fears and resentments of his own people so that they would follow him unconditionally.
Remember how Adam promised Cinder that even though she got a lot of his followers killed? they would follow him unconditionally, and he promised her that he would follow her.
But once a solid control is established—or, on the contrary, he feels he's losing it—he lets his true nature come out: A person blinded by hatred and the thirst for personal satisfaction.
Both times in Volume 5. First him killing Sienna. Then him ordering the death of Blake's family. Third him lashing out at his subordinates while he was surrounded.
Driven by a thirst for revenge and his selfishness, he tracked down Blake, waited until she was far from everyone to attack her, establishing physical dominance through the fight, and when the opportunity arose, took advantage to exploit her personal conflicts.
He believed he could truly keep exploiting others to fulfill his sadistic desires, blindly believing he had subdued them, and it is precisely here, where we are exemplified in a metaphorical and literal way, his greatest mistake: He is cunning, but also shortsighted.
Once he has obtained sufficient power and security, he begins to become overconfident and overlook possibilities, which cost him his victory in Haven and here, by underestimating the determination of his former companion and the strength of his other bonds.
where he underestimated Yang arriving...and throwing her motorcycle at him. RIP, Bumblebee....your sacrifice was for the greater good of all lesbians, bisexuals, and catgirls.
The Yang vs. Adam scenes, especially the moment where she manages to catch his sword, are brilliant and layered with depth. Strategically speaking, this fight showcases both Adam's downfall and Yang's growth, both on a personal level:
Adam, consumed by unrestrained rage, fought impulsively, abusing his semblance at every opportunity to finish off his opponents, unaware that he was only progressively weakening himself and leaving himself in a vulnerable position, which Yang knew how to exploit.
Unlike the temperamental and impulsive girl who used to abuse her semblance every chance she got, here she fought with control and precision, waiting to use her semblance at the indicated moment in order to be able to withstand her opponent's attack and leave him disabled.
His energy wave attack, contrary to what Eruption Fang claimed, was NOT as powerful as his other attacks, because he kept using up aura and his semblance at every opportunity, plus Yang defended herself with a state-of-the-art arm that she herself modified!
Representing her growth as a fighter and her personal overcoming by being able to face and resist the threat that tormented her for so long. But moreover, here is reflected the similarity and contrast of their appearances, which connects directly with her development:
from the girl who had not even passed her first year getting taken down….to a girl with several years of experience being able to stand up to him.
Adam let the pain and fear consume him until he became a ticking time bomb that targeted those who had hurt him first, using that same pain as both a pretext and a form—both figurative and literal—of taking advantage of others and causing harm.
But Yang, instead, learned to fight against them, resolved to confront them and use them as a foundation to become stronger and thus protect those she loves, as she did with Ruby and now with Blake, thereby managing to overcome her traumas and avoid becoming that which she hates the most.
While Adam treated his connections with others as a means to an end or as a one-sided way to console himself, Yang sees them as a motivation to reflect, strive, and grow both physically and personally.
And that's why, for all these reasons, it seems to me that they made the right decision by saving this showdown for this point in the story, since as we all know, part of this fight is made up of discarded animations that Monty made to be used in Volume 3.
As is also well known, one of Monty's main values was to keep pushing forward despite the adversities, that being his personal motto and, in fact, he intended for RWBY to convey that very same sentiment, just like his favorite animes
But also, she detailed how she wanted RWBY to be a story of growth and how the personalities of her voice actors influenced the characters. Citing Barbara (Yang)*** as an example,
Mentioning how he considered inspiring the way she could be vulnerable and still be strong at the same time, which clearly influenced Yang's arc during these volumes and is exemplified again during this fight.
So in a certain way, seeing how the last glimpses of his work were brought and reintegrated at a moment that seeks to convey precisely those ideals so meaningful to him feels like an indirect homage to his person and like he still continues to influence others.
Something that many don't understand when they say that Blake and Yang reconciled in a simplistic or rushed way given the rift that existed between them is that said rift wasn't directly related from one to the other, but rather stemmed from their own separate traumas
Yang's resentment toward Blake for running away stems directly from her feelings of frustration, sadness, and confusion over Raven's abandonment, a burden that she was finally able to confront and find closure for in V5. In truth, she knows perfectly well that Blake is not like Raven,
We know firsthand that Blake possesses a great sense of responsibility and how much she detested the idea of fleeing. She could never have left them without a compelling reason or without considering the consequences, something that is shown to them in their meeting at the end of the volume 5
Blake's flight stemmed from her internal self-loathing for believing that she was a toxic being who harmed everyone around her and that, because of this, she had to face her problems alone; but thanks to Sun's support, her parents, and her reconciliation with Ilia, she finally understood that it wasn't so.
THAT was the whole reason Sun was with Blake during volume 4 and 5….to help her recover and return to the fight…IT WAS NOT for the sake of Blacksun.
And yet, they didn't fully reconcile right away or off-screen, as shown during V6, where some division still exists. Blake still feels bad for having left them and tries to prove her commitment every time the opportunity arises, and from Yang's reaction in Ep 1,
It's not the first time this has happened.
But as Miles and Kerry explained in the comments, Blake doesn't always grasp the nuances of her relationships, as we saw with Ilia and here, where, trying once again to reaffirm her commitment, she ended up saying something inappropriate to Yang.
about how she'd "protect yang" which made yang feel vulnerable, and after what happened with Adam, yang didn't like that idea.
By telling her that she would protect her without her realizing it, she reignited Yang's fear of being inadequate, of not being able to fend for herself again and not being able to protect her loved ones.
Something she finally understood upon witnessing her interaction with Adam.
"She's not protecting me, and I'm not protecting her"…"we're protecting each other"
the RWDE community tried to claim it made no sense, but…..when you step back and pay attention to what was going on from volume 4- volume 6? It was about Yang and Blake being able to trust each other and being willing to have each other's backs.
When she said “She’s not protecting me,” she wasn’t just reaffirming her firmness and strength in the face of him, but also trying to take the burden off Yang of having to protect her as well.
By saying “I’m not even protecting her” she is showing Yang that she doesn’t consider her weak or helpless after her loss, but rather sees her as a capable, strong, and complete fighter.
Two opposite poles, two halves that complement each other to fight against adversities and close this dark chapter of their lives once and for all. Because while maybe Adam can face them separately, now and together, they are infinitely stronger. Finally, regarding the outcome of this fight, which is equally very interesting and also carries a great emotional and symbolic weight, starting from the exact moment when Adam is defeated.
The fact that Yang is the one who stabs him with the broken hilt of Blake's sword from behind may reflect two things:
Adam's mistake in overestimating the control he had formed over Blake, as well as the bonds she had formed away from him.
Adam believed that with his actions he had invalidated the possibility that Yang could stand up to him, but first and foremost, the fact that Blake had forged such a strong bond with someone as to be willing to entrust her with a shared fight against him.
That simple “Oh” he says upon being impaled has much more impact when you have the full context: Adam was never aware of the magnitude of his actions or his mistakes, but here, in the most extreme way possible, he is forced to acknowledge his errors during the battle.
The understanding of a mistake, which gradually grows until reaching the awareness of how his actions throughout his entire life have led him to this point.
That it is Yang who wields the weapon's most lethal end reflects how Blake truly never wanted to harm Adam, much less go to such extremes.
This was already noticeable from the battle in Haven, where instead of sending someone to pursue and capture him anyway, she allowed him to leave, thinking that it would be enough to strip him of his control over the White Fang to leave him powerless.
Right at the start of this battle, she told Adam to leave the past behind, something that he ignored the first and second time that alternative was proposed to him, because he no longer has anything to lose and once again, his desire for revenge is the only thing that drives him.
And just after finishing him off, Blake collapses to the ground wrapped in tears. Because beyond the weight and impact that taking a life carries in itself, in the end, Adam was once someone very important and dear to her.
The same song that closes this Volume makes it clear that his death is not something to celebrate, and the CRWBY did a great job reflecting that in his final moments: It's a tense, shocking, and uncomfortable moment for the characters, without music, cheers, or signs of peace or pride. Now that part is incredibly important, because if you watched any of the "critic channels" on youtube, they were calling it "cold-blooded murder" and some lesbophobic statements, of course.
Why aren't they cold-blooded killers like him, but rather two teenagers who were pushed to the brink in self-defense in a spontaneous moment, who did everything possible to avoid it: Yang chose to throw Adam's sword off the cliff instead of using it against him, Something that RWBY Rewrites constantly ignore because they're so in love with Adam that they want him forever infecting Blake.
But in him, in an impulsive act, he tried to take Blake's, so both of them stepped forward and delivered a decisive blow to stop him once and for all, and thus, with no more violence than necessary, they watch paralyzed as he advances and finally falls, before reacting with horror and sorrow.
Because this was not a triumphant victory of the heroes over the villains, but a tragic and raw moment that represents, without any kind of beauty, what hatred, unbridled violence, and mistreatment can cause.
And it's good to see how the weight of this moment didn't disappear from one second to the next, but instead became a traumatic fact that would motivate Blake and Yang to take a risk in the next volume, the consequences of which will directly impact the development of the ending.
And finally, as a last demonstration of the influence Adam once had over her, Blake tells Yang almost pleadingly that she will keep her promise, that she will never leave her, reflecting the guilt she feels for not having been able to save Adam from himself.
To which Yang, now knowing the suffering she went through and with her mind clear after everything that happened, reassures her by reaffirming her certainty that they will always be there for each other.
In conclusion: This fight is especially noteworthy not for its choreography, which is also great, but for all the narrative weight it carries and executes very well, with good use of nonverbal language that ultimately helps give it more narrative and emotional value.
Their first encounter with Adam in the V3 separated them and destroyed them from the outside and from the inside, so as to lead them to reconstruct themselves and grow as people, and in that way, their final encounter reaffirms their evolution and brings them back together in a deeper form.
