Alright friends! We’ve done a few ranking articles on this blog so far, so I won’t preamble for too long. RWBY is one of my all-time favorite shows, and it’s got nine whole seasons. What better way to have some fun discussing the show than to rank the seasons (known as volumes, technically) in order of my least-to-most favorite. Also, because I can’t ever miss a chance to rave about the soundtrack in RWBY, I’ll include a link to my favorite instrumental track from each volume too!
Let’s get into it!
9) Volume One
These were such simpler times, weren’t they? And, honestly, that’s sort of where the problem lies. Everything in Volume One is just a bit too simple.
It’s easily the least impressive volume visually speaking, and the majority of the actors are clearly still finding their footing in their roles. The plot is pretty formulaic, and most of the story beats are basic. A fair few jokes don’t land like I presume they were supposed to, and just the entire bullying story arc takes entirely too much time to get through for too little payoff and entertainment value.
Still, Weiss has some exceptional character development, the soundtrack is as amazing as always, and the final Torchwick fight is a series highlight (gunchucks for the win).
Favorite Instrumental Track: BLACK AND WHITE (Ironically, despite this volume ranking lowest, this is actually my favorite instrumental track in the series)
8) Volume Four
I had to argue with myself for a while whether I’d put this volume or Volume One onto the bottom spot on this list. It’s a close race, but I eventually elected to give a bit more kudos to this volume instead.
Let’s get the negatives out of the way. This volume can drag. It’s essentially one big set-up season, and it shows. There’s a palpable lack of stakes or driving momentum, which is critically disappointing given how much oomph the previous volume left off with. A few set pieces don’t work for me (like the opening golem ghost fight, or the battle with the sea serpent), and the gross skeleton-horse hybrid Grimm that serves as this volume’s final boss doesn’t live up to its own hype.
But, I give it the nod over Volume One regardless. It’s got some expected benefits, like visually looking better and the actors turning in better performances. But it’s also got some well-done character arcs like Yang tackling her PTSD, learning more about Blake and Weiss’ family, and the showdown with Qrow and Tyrian. Raven’s singular scene is also one of the best in the season. This volume also brought with it ‘Home‘, my favorite vocal track, so that’s a nice bonus too!
Favorite Instrumental Track: NO SAFE HAVEN PART ONE
7) Volume Three
There’s nothing that can top the feeling of watching Volume Three for the first time. It’s truly an amazing, jaw-dropping, unforgettable experience. However, with re-watches, this groundbreaking moment in RWBY‘s history becomes a little less sparkling.
I think it mostly comes down to feeling confused in its storytelling. Half the volume is a tournament for funsies, and the other half is a life-or-death all-out city-wide struggle. That’s intentional, of course, but it hurts on the re-watch to lose that consistent story thread, and have some arcs and beats dropped once Cinder makes her move. It also dampens my excitement for the tournament bits, because they end up feeling superfluous when clearly the volume wants you to care most about the crazy finale, and doesn’t even properly conclude the tournament (unlike, say, Fairy Tail, which had its big tournament end before bringing in the craziness).
Still, like any volume of RWBY, there’s a whole lot to love here. This season introduces Qrow and Winter (two utterly phenomenal characters), and is just bursting at the seams with great fight scenes (this season probably has the highest number of excellent fight scenes in a given volume). The moment everything goes to heck is, as I stated, unforgettable, and there’s a real sense of engrossing scale in the final hour that makes it hard to take your eyes from the screen. Also, I can’t neglect to mention how this volume took the internet by storm, and rightfully so.
Favorite Instrumental Track: S.S.S.N. VS N.D.G.O.
6) Volume Nine
This might be a bit of a controversial pick given that this volume wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea (pun-slightly-intended, if you know you know). However, I found its focus on emotional beats and characterization to be a real treat, even if the first half is a bit bumpy.
Let’s get that first half out of the way…it’s not great. There’s bright spots to be sure (usually whenever Ruby is getting focus, and there’s some truly funny comedic bits), but the majority of the first half just feels unfocused. A lot of random stuff happens (as befitting the Alice in Wonderland inspiration to this season), but it never amounts to much more than visually entertaining filler. It’s also really hard to get a grasp on what the plot is, or what our heroines are exactly trying to do.
But then the second half hits you, and you wonder why you ever doubted the showrunners. One, after another, after another, you just get hit with an incredible scene and then more incredible scenes. And readers of this blog should know I like my stories dark, so when Volume Nine finally reveals why it’s the only season to get hit with a content warning? Yeah, it’s awesome. And yet, the whole season is still deeply hopeful in a way that I haven’t seen much entertainment media explore before. It’s touchingly optimistic stuff…
…and by golly, if RWBY is truly done (due to creator company RoosterTeeth being shut down) it’s not the worst ending to go out on.
Favorite Instrumental Track: I AM A HUNTRESS
5) Volume Five
Another hugely controversial pick, given that this volume often sits at the very bottom of most people’s ranking of the volumes! And yet, I simply cannot bring myself to see that viewpoint. I think this volume is pretty great, warts and all!
Sticking with the format, I’ll address the negatives first. The chief complaint people level at this volume is the White Fang storyline. It is, admittedly, an extremely basic and un-nuanced anti-racism storyline, which can feel a bit rote and childish. The battles in this volume also tend to get made fun of, and I will again concede that outside of three specific clashes (Yang versus bandits, Blake and Sun versus Ilia, and Cinder versus Raven), that complaint is valid. The fights feel off.
And yet, I can’t bring myself to ignore the highs of this volume just because of a simplistic side-storyline and lackluster fights. There’s just so much good here, like our heroines finally reuniting after two volumes apart, dramatic confrontations at the end of the volume, or finally getting some world-building answers out of Ozpin. Characters really shine in this volume too, like Ilia and Oscar, and none shine brighter than the stars of this season, Yang and Raven. Their story is core to the volume’s plot and themes, and it’s awesome.
Favorite Instrumental Track: I’M HER DAUGHTER AFTER ALL
4) Volume Two
The complete joyful essence of early-RWBY at its pinnacle. Volume Two will always hold a special place in my heart as the volume that helped me, a few of my friends, and countless people across the globe become diehard fans of this show. It’s not as earthshattering as the next three picks, but it’s just pure, inoffensive fun.
Are there negatives? I suppose there’s a few. The second act, which focuses around the school dance, can drag a little, and it’s certainly the weakest part of the season. Even still, it’s entertaining enough, including some nice character beats with Jaune and Pyrrha, and a fun musical number. I’m also not a huge fan of how the Grimm are portrayed as simple mooks during the crazy ending battle, when they are otherwise meant to be taken as genuine threats.
Honestly, that’s about it. Everything else with this season is great, perfectly balancing the low-stakes charm of early-era RWBY with a bunch of great scenes that still hold up today. The nighttime city mission that culminates in the Torchwick robot fight is great, Blake and Yang getting their chance to shine with character development is great, Doctor Oobleck breaking the girls’ motivations down to their base level in well-written one-on-one conversations is great, and everything about the train showdown is amazing. My favorite volume in this show’s first act, for sure!
Favorite Instrumental Track: NO BRAKES
3) Volume Six
This might be weird of me to say, given that it’s only coming in at #3 in my list, but Volume Six is arguably the best overall volume of the entire show from a logical and emotional standpoint. It’s basically perfect, and in ways that even my next two picks aren’t. It’s the safe-pick award-winner of the RWBY universe, and I truly do mean that as a compliment.
Starting from this point, I really don’t have any negatives to address in these volumes, and especially not with this one. I actually really don’t think that there is anything this volume does wrong. I’ll even pause to address a side note here, which is that (for some unfathomable reason), RWBY has always been the heavily-attacked target of online criticism. More than any show I’ve ever seen, RWBY attracts hate-watchers and negativity-mongers more than anything else, and even they didn’t have anything bad to say about Volume Six while it was premiering!
Obviously, the visuals and audio quality just keep improving with every volume, and that’s still true here. A lot of this volume, though, feels like it addresses fan and critic concerns with previous volumes, and at a level of exceptionalism that blows my mind. Burning questions about character motivations and the world get answered, fight scenes are the best they’ve been since the OG seasons, long-running arcs get wrapped up (like everything with Adam), Ruby herself has the most agency and development she’s had since early seasons, and there’s a clear and solidly constructed storyline through the season with a definitive beginning, middle, and end, which couldn’t be said for volumes Four and Five. It’s very good!
Favorite Instrumental Track: PROTECTING EACH OTHER
2) Volume Eight
As it should now be obvious what my #1 pick is going to be, it should come as no surprise to see the part two to that volume’s part one rank at #2. It lacks a little of the perfection of its preceding half, but Volume Eight is one crazy whirlwind ride that refuses to let up from the word ‘go‘. You will not be the same person you were coming out the other side of this one!
I will take a moment to concede here that the break-neck pace of this volume might not be for everyone. It’s also unquestionably a dark volume. A lot of people are depressed throughout, a lot of cherished things are destroyed or lost, and a lot of characters die. It can get a little oppressive, to be honest. But, for all who know me, I thrive off of that darkness in storytelling. I truly crave seeing characters be knocked low, because the inner childlike optimist inside my heart is that much more enthralled and inspired when the heroes still keep fighting and persevere regardless!
So, yeah, the tone of this volume really jives with me! From the understated and well-written character arguments in the early half, to the much-appreciated comedic relief bits involving sneaking into Atlas, to the steady deconstruction of the elite Ace Ops team, to the unsettling horror vibes of the freakish Hound, to surprising character twists and reveals (like Emerald’s heel-turn), to everyone contributing in some meaningful way, to the soul-shattering heart-stopping final minutes. I love it all!
Favorite Instrumental Track: THE FINAL WORD PART TWO
1) Volume Seven
My favorite volume in the entirety of RWBY, and it isn’t even close. From my first unforgettable watch to my 87th (*ridiculous high number chosen for comedic effect*), Volume Seven is just amazing. All across the board it does the impossible and just keeps topping itself, episode after episode and scene after scene. It’s a real tour-de-force of writing and web animation, and I don’t think I could ever get tired of it.
I hardly know where to start when it comes to praising this volume. I could start with the pacing, which excellently carries us along from the slow-paced introduction, to joining a new team and going on missions, to confronting a sabotage conspiracy, to politicking with unsavory individuals, to tackling one of the most incredible and pulse-pounding moral dilemmas I’ve ever seen in media before (even if it means forever shattering certain relationships). And then it all caps off with a breakneck ending that leads directly into Volume Eight.
But that’s just the pacing that’s worthy of praise! How about the characters themselves, who are in top form across the board? Volume Seven introduces a whole boatload of new faces, and yet each one is impactful and well-executed (some standouts being Clover, Harriet, and Robin). How about those fight scenes? This volume has some of the best in the entire show, by far. Or how about the soundtrack, which excels on both the instrumental and vocal fronts? This volume has the biggest collection of amazing vocal tracks, in my opinion.
And, of course, it’s the core story of the season that I love the most, especially that last hour. Everything is so perfectly written, all the plot beats are firing on all cylinders, and it’s just perfect. Easily the best 60 minutes of RWBY content you could ever watch, and it keeps me on the edge of my seat every time, even when I already know what’s about to happen!
Favorite Instrumental Track: AND I REFUSE TO STARVE
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 