"Breach." That's the name of the last episode.
So, we know Monty takes ques from shounen manga right? Bleach likely chief among them?
okay, well the main baddies for the first few volumes are human spirits that weren't sent on to the next world fast enough.
They're chained to something at first, but eventually the chain shrinks and tears out a hole in their chest, making them go "Hollow."
And when that happens they shift from humanoid spirit into a monstrous ethereal form with a unique mask.
Now look at Rwby's baddies.
All monstrous of some sort, all wearing a bone-shaped rune-inscribed mask.
Now let's take this a step further.
Later on in the series, the MC and crew learn that they can surpass the usual power levels by mixing their usual powers (those of the shinigami, death spirits) by finding little cheats to partially go hollow and add to their own power. The ones that do this are called Vizards.
White-fang wears monstrous masks for intimidation, but I think there might be something genuine there, and the way that probably-yang's-mom-racer-x lady appeared, how Neo reacted to her, and how she carted that mask around all make me wonder if she's found some way to go Partially Grim.
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