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The Alcoholics: Parallels in the Lives of Qrow and Oz

Like Sakura Wars, RWBY is a story that depends on the strength of the characters' emotional bonds. One of the strongest emotional bonds is between Qrow and Ozpin, two characters whose lives parallel each other at an earlier stage.

The bond between them is referenced in the first episode when Ozpin fondly remarks to Ruby that her fighting style reminds him of "a dusty old crow". "That's my uncle!" Ruby proudly exclaims. It's mentioned again in the first episode of the third season when Ruby says that the more she gets to know Ozpin, "the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow". And when Qrow finally appears two episodes later, it's to drunkenly defend Ozpin's honor from Ironwood's insult.

I've written of how the Qrow/Winter brawl is a clash between loyal partisans in "Snowbirds of a Feather", but the partisanship doesn't end there or with them.

When Glynda defended Qrow's drinking my eyebrows hit the ceiling. They spent three seasons building Glynda up as someone with OCD tendencies and zero tolerance for shenanigans, and now this? There was one and only one thing that could make our no-nonsense neat freak back a sloppy drunk who just made a mess of her courtyard -- guilt. She felt responsible for driving Qrow to drink. Right then I knew he'd been going on meatgrinder missions with insufficient resources and little to no backup for people who both cared for him and felt they had no choice. It was a revelation that changed the whole texture of the show, and pointed out just how deeply loyal Qrow was to Ozpin.

These examples indicate Qrow's feelings for Ozpin, but what of Ozpin's feelings for Qrow? Ozpin doesn't leap to Qrow's defense or even verbally acknowledge his actions, and seems more exasperated by his antics than anything else. The signs that he also feels a strong bond to Qrow are more subtle and appear later.

Ozpin introduces Qrow to Pyrrha as "a trusted colleague". He certainly is, being, as we later find out, the one person entrusted with finding and shepherding his next incarnation. But more than that, Qrow is the only person in six volumes who we have ever seen Ozpin look to for approval. When Pyrrha came to Ozpin's office, Ozpin waited until Qrow signaled that he approved of her before telling her about the Maidens. And when faced with growing condemnation over his secrecy, Ozpin held firm until Qrow lashed out at him. It was Qrow's accusations over how Oz had hurt Qrow personally that finally drove Oz into isolation.

For the record, I'm on board for unrequited Cloqwork but nothing more. I doubt the twins had good role models for non-abusive authority figures growing up. "The strong live, the weak die" is a mantra for predatory opportunists, not for people whose moral codes contain strongly defined boundaries around what authority figures can and can't do. Yet Qrow has learned how to be a non-abusive authority figure by the time we meet him; and he must have learned it at Beacon, from Oz, his teachers, and his classmates. I can't see Oz risking someone he clearly had plans for early on not learning such an important lesson as that by modeling a relationship that pushed the boundaries at a time when in all likelihood Qrow barely had any boundaries to begin with. But regardless of whether there is any sexual or requited romantic connection, there is clearly a very strong emotional bond that both men value a great deal.

Qrow is Ozpin's eyes in the field, a job literally encapsulated in their symbols. Ozpin's symbol is two clockwork gears, Qrow's symbol, which he must have registered while attending Beacon, is a winged gear in the shape of an eye, with his twin having the mirror image, which can interlock. It's not exactly subtle.

However, I believe Ozpin considers Qrow not merely a valuable asset, but a reflection of his earlierer self. Both Qrow and Ozma are protectors at heart, and despite the fates they have suffered, this fact goes to the core of their identities. Both men suffer from a carefully concealed depression and a degree of self-loathing. Qrow feels cursed by his Semblance and separated from his loved ones. Ozma 4.0 felt cursed by his mission and separated from his loved ones. And both men dealt with their problems by retreating into alcoholism. They even use the same hip flask, which isn't the only one in the show (Ironwood uses a concha-style flask), so it's not just a case of the animators being lazy.

Because of this resonance Ozpin feels a deep empathy for Qrow. I believe this empathy caused him to see Qrow not just as a potential asset, but as someone he could save from going down the same self-destructive path that he had gone down. And to give credit where credit is due, Qrow admits that Ozpin did save Qrow to a huge extent, by giving his life purpose and meaning and a time when he needed those things. Judging by Ozpin's reaction when Qrow's support of him was withdrawn, this good deed meant a great deal to Ozpin as well.

While their breakup is still fresh and painful, both mutual growth and an eventual reconciliation would fit the show's theme of 'Keep Moving Forward". So far we've only seen young people demonstrate the ability to grow and change, but for the theme to truly be universal we need to see it demonstrated by our older characters as well.

This last parallel is only a hunch at this point, but I suspect there is a final way in which the two men are alike. I suspect that in both men their depression is interfering with their Semblances. There is a widely-held fan belief that Qrow's Semblance isn't bad luck, but luck that reflects his self-image. Logically, if he gets his self-image problems worked out, his luck should improve exponentially -- hopefully before his next round with Tyrian. But what if Oz has the same problem? What if it's not the case that his magic has been "dwindling" so much as his growing depression has been blocking his ability to tap into his magic? In the real world, this is what happens with depression and creativity. The more severely depressed you are, the less able you are to tap into your creativity. It would make sense for magic to work in a similar manner. Thus, if Ozpin gets his own inner turmoil worked out, it might unleash the full potential of his magic -- just in time for the finale.

Maybe, maybe not. But we can dream.