Those with Death Flags

So, as we have heard from pretty much every producer and writer on the RWBY team that the series will get progressively dark, and what's darker than character's dying? So here are a few of the characters who I believe may not be there to see the end.

Firstly, there is Ozpin. He is the loveable headmaster of the magic school who signifies hope. If you've seen Harry Potter, you know why he's going. Cinder's master plan will probably end up with this beloved Character meeting his end, and thus plunging Beacon, and all of Vale into chaos. In addition, he even has Qrow to replace him as I have said before. Another issue is that if he goes, Glynda may end up meeting the same fate. Not all is bad though as it has been hinted that Ozpin's physical body may not be all there is to him, and death may not be enough to fully beat him. He could see RWBY, JNPR and SSSN running around, directed by a holographic Ozpin ;) and even if Cinder's plan is to remove, he doesn't necessarily have to die, he just has to be replaced by someone like Ironwood. In any case, I can see him being removed from his position at some point...

Next is Yang. Out of all of team RWBY, she is currently the most likely to go. Each of them could end up dying. Weiss may sacrifice herself after completing her character arc and becoming a true hero, Blake could turn evil and need to be killed, or die to defeat the White Fang, and Ruby could sacrifice herself to remove all evil from the world in a very Madoka Magica way. However, Yang would be the most fitting to die. She is Ruby's emotional shield and idol. She is also closer to Ruby than anyone else. Her search for Raven is almost her only reason for helping move the plot, and once that question is answered, she may not be needed anymore. Her death would be the driving force for the rest of the characters to defeat whoever the main villain is at that time. The chance of any of the RWBY characters being killed off is slim though as RWBY has received the same "keep making if you keep watching treatment" as Red vs Blue, and Yang's death would have to occur in one of the first seven volumes (as that was the number initially planned), meaning the rest of the seasons would be rather hollow. Yang would have to die very close to the end, or be replaced very shortly after her demise. So if you see another character who has a name beginning with "Y" and becomes almost a sister character for Ruby, be prepared.

Third, there is Qrow. If my initial plan for Ozpin comes true, then this guy should be safe, but if not, then he may not be so lucky. Qrow is similar to Yang in terms of being an idol to Ruby. He is the mentor/uncle character that has basically been written into a story only to be killed since Star Wars. It even is written in the correct stages of having a story that the main character's mentor should either pass away or be incapacitated in order to allow said main character to shine. A worrying amount points towards Qrow not surviving unfortunately. I think it is safe to say that either Ozpin or Qrow will be going before the end, but once one of them has been knocked out of the game, you can be much less worried about the other.

Fourth and Fifth are Mercury and Emerald. With these two, it is unlikely that both are going to die, but if one of them were to, it wouldn't be surprised. The reason I feel that one of these might not make it isn't down to them being evil, but the fact that they could easily change sides. Often in this kind of scenario, the villain will demonstrate their ruthlessness by killing the traitor, and Cinder could very well be this kind of villain. The more likely to die is Emerald, as she is also the one with a character arc set up that could nicely lead her to joining Ruby and the good guys. She just probably won't be able to do much more after having made this change.

As this has been quite an unpleasant theory, I think that I should also say which characters I think are completely safe from death. Any JNPR fans, don't worry, there haven't been any plot devices that suggest that these four are going to be killed any time soon. The same goes for Sun and Neptune.