This video too years off my life LOL. I'll add captions later, rendering took a lot longer than I thought so I just wanted to make sure I got the video up today as promised! Also I guess I should mention, what I meant by Cinder leaving Salem's faction was that now she's deciding to rebel against her and do her own thing. Even though she is still technically with her, ya know?| Aight have a good day!

I truly think Cinder will be the last antagonist, and she’ll get all the power she’s ever wanted. But at that point would have betrayed and used everyone and she’ll have a whole army against her. Especially since Remnant wouldn’t want another “Salem”. And that will be her defeat and downfall.

I always loved Cidner I'm glad she's getting some justice

The best way I can explain how I feel about Cinder in Volume 8 is how she almost became the Tomura Shigaraki of Rwby. A villain that grows and evolves almost like a main character of the villain's side.

At least someone appreciates Cinder

Cinder has been many things in her life thus far: A orphan, a maid (child slave), a apprentice, a murderer, a servant, a saviour, a maiden, a saboteur, a (Grimm)hybrid, a monster, and an outcast. Though thinking about it now, brings me back to volume 5 episode 5, Blake's talk with Sun about what one word would embody certain people made me think about what word would describe Cinder. The one constant common theme in Cinder's backstory, character arc, and life in general thus far as well I would say is "Betrayal".

I think you kinda missed the point with rhodes never just taking Cinder from the hotel. Him constantly popping in and out of her life is one of the big reason's Cinder became who she is, because that simple action was synonomous with power and freedom to Cinder. He could choose when to come and go, and even afford to take charity cases like Cinder at his leisure because he had power. Power allowed him to have the freedom Cinder so desperately desired. But it was that same nonchalant attitude that kept Rhodes lessons from sticking with Cinder, because it built up a gradual feeling or resentment toward him, which led to Cinder taking out her family in retaliation. It also helps complete the twisted cinderella allusion. After all in the version most of us are familiar with(disney) prince charming didn't really do much to stop Cinderella's abuse until the end of the story. To me Cinder's backstory is rooster teeth asking what it would actually look like for someone to half to endure all that abuse with their only hope being that someone else will someday save them.

Cinder is definitely my favourite villain in the series

17:38 imagine Adam actually saying that, not just metaphorically but literally?

The parallels between Salem and Cinder's backstory that you pointed out absolutely blew my mind and definitely fed the fire to my Cinder = Final Villain theory. This video was so well-made!

I think Cinder will eventually betray Salem since Salem was torturing her just like her adoptive mother once had, and Cinder ended up killing her abusive family. Salem only cares about her own interests not Cinder's; Cinder cares about her own power, but Salem did not want her going after the Maidens. Eventually, Cinder will decide she had enough of being a slave, and turn against her. Cinder lying about the use of the final question is only the beginning of her rebellion. She may even be the one to bring Salem's demise in the end, though it wouldn't be with humanity's best interests at heart, only her own.

And now RWBY is officialy over and we'll never see if cinder grows more

I was honestly surprised by how good this was and it’s given me a new light to cinder and another reason why I love rwby

I've always loved cinder she's one of my fav's alongside
Raven
And
Winter

6:07-6:11 put a crown on your pfp, you just earned it king

37:02 Too be fair the only reason that neo agreed to work with cinder was to get revenge on Ruby and after she got it there would be no more reason for her to stay with cinder. So she would be just a loose end plus she didn’t want watts and neo to potentially reveal to Salem that she killed Ruby on purpose after having been giving specific orders to keep her alive and that she used the final question of the lamp. Still I found this analysis video of cinder really well made and fun I just wanted to share my own thoughts on the matter.

Also, i'd like to raise a counterpoint to you in regards to Cinders regression, you noted how Cinder was upset, maybe even a little angry when she saw that Emerald had betrayed her, and how much of a hypocrite that made her... I'm given the self-imposed unfortunate task of defending Cinders honor of all things but I would like you to consider something in regards to the parallel between Cinder/Salem, where Cinder doesn't value her pawns enough, Salem ironically values them too much, maybe not in the sense that she cares about them, but in what she entrusts to them and how integral they become to her plans, something Oscar/Ozpin was able to exploit as a weakness that i'd say paid off in spades given how significantly diminished Salems presence became in episode 9 onward, Cinder may have taken Salems advice of "not underestimating the usefulness of others" advice she'd already known but had to "relearn" since volume 3, but if anything i'd say from a antagonist standpoint Cinder PERFECTED Salems advice, not underestimating the usefulness of others, but not becoming reliant on it either.

Complete headcanon, but maybe Cinder was going to let Neo and Watts live on, until she'd seen Emerald had betrayed her and had a realization leaving loose ends like them untangled might come back to bite her later, she was already on thin ice with Salem anyway, Neo was already blackmailing her, and I doubt someone with such a high opinion of themselves like Watts would just take an attempt on their life in stride, so cutting them loose i'd say was the smart play.

10:00 My headcanon is that Ozpin died from rubble falling on top of him from their battle collapsing the tunnels, and Cinder was the only one who was able to escape.

As a fellow Cinder stan, I fully suport this vidoe!!!!

I'm going to be brutally honest.... I think a lot of us preferred deep in our hearts for Neo to fall with team RWBY into the void, than for her to be stuck with Cinder for more volumes. As if spending 3 years/volumes with Cinder, had not been enough punishment for Neo. Arguably a fate worse than death.