
Let’s talk about Ozpin’s conversation with Jinn and clear some things up real quick.
I watched this episode at least three times, and I can say with quite some certainty–Jinn was not being “cheeky”. And Ozpin was asking the right question, in a sense.
Look at it this way. Ozpin was charged by the god of Light to save the world–to reunite the world and bring out the best in the humanity. The only way to do so is to defeat Salem. He is not wrong on that point. He tried to be with her, and that didn’t go so well. The only way to save the world and humanity is to remove Salem from the picture—this is obvious. But what does that mean?
After their battle, Ozpin came to the conclusion that Salem’s death was the only way. That makes total sense.
So, he asked the very simple question: “How do I destroy Salem.” Yes, this is very specific, but there is no emphasis on ANY of these words. It is a matter-of-fact question. He has resigned himself to the fact that this is the only way.
How do I destroy Salem. If you listen, there is a bit of regret at the end of the sentence, but there is no “How do I destroy Salem.” And he doesn’t ask how to defeat her, or how to beat her. Actually, he doesn’t even ask about killing her. Destruction is a very final, complete thing that generally involves the atoms and soul. Killing is less permanent. But no, he just asked about destroying her.
Jinn, calmly and straightforwardly says .“You can’t” She doesn’t emphasize YOU. She emphasizes CAN’T, more with her eyes than her voice. She can NOT be DESTROYED. It isn’t that Oz can’t, that someone else can, or that she can’t be defeated. It is merely that Salem can not be destroyed. We already know this, given her history.
Jinn’s attitude and behavior is more of the kind where she is being firm and final. Her body language says it all–this is the answer and there will be no other. Salem can not be destroyed.
But that is all. Yang and Weiss simplify this by saying she can’t be killed…but that might not be entirely true… Since they have an afterlife, death is not destruction. Destroying her means no after life. So she might be able to be killed… in any case, she can be sealed away. She possibly can be changed. But she can not be destroyed, thanks to the curse of the gods. And we already knew that–the god of Light specifically said that.










