RWBY: Ice Queendom has concluded, bringing things full circle from Volume 1 to the beginning of Volume 2 from the original. So, what exactly happened, and are there implications for the future? Here's the ending of RWBY: Ice Queendom explained.
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Do the Characters Remember Their Ordeal?
Weiss's nightmare, which was momentarily shared by Ruby and later by Blake, was ridden with symbolism about her psyche, some of which were understandable, while other elements were difficult to uncover.
But how much do the characters really remember?
The last RWBY: Ice Queendom episode indicates that the characters do have some memories of fighting in the nightmare realm, but the specifics are fading.
Weiss is embarrassed when forced to remember, as she understands that the person she was in her Grimm-infected dream wasn't really her.
This reaction indicates that she does retain a certain degree of remembrance.
For the most part, the adventure in the ice queendom of Weiss's hidden resentments will no longer affect the characters' waking life.
Though what happened there helped them develop a better understanding of themselves and their teammates.
Related: The Differences in RWBY: Ice Queendom vs. the Original Series
Will Weiss and Blake Remain Friends?
Throughout RWBY: Ice Queendom, Blake and Weiss had a rocky relationship.
Weiss came to Beacon from a life of privilege as the daughter of a wealthy family, and she must now do a lot of work to see where her family was prejudiced or cruel.
Blake enrolled in an attempt to leave her past as a member of the terrorist group White Fang behind her, and fight for equality in a different way.
In the original Rooster Teeth animated show, Weiss and Blake became friends rather quickly after their initial ideological differences.
The Rooster Teeth show eventually takes a dark turn, after which all team members have significant disagreements and occasionally choose different paths, but they are never truly hostile or disrespectful to each other again.
As RWBY: Ice Queendom wasn't made to change or reboot the canon, we expect the takeaway to be the same.
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Will RWBY: Ice Queendom Affect the Original?
RWBY: Ice Queendom features an adventure that could theoretically have happened between RWBY Volume 1 and 2.
Whether or not this happened doesn't affect anything in a tangible way, as it all unfolded in a dream realm.
With that being said, RWBY is an ongoing story with RWBY Volume 9 coming soon.
Some of the concepts of RWBY: Ice Queendom, especially the idea of a Grimm infection that traps the victim into a nightmare, could potentially be revisited in future RWBY stories.
Shion, an Ice Queendom-only character could also potentially return, though this is just a theory right now.
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