what are your thoughts on hazel?

Hazel has always been the oddest of Salem’s followers, mostly because he doesn’t seem fully aligned with her cause until Volume 8, Episode 7. Tyrian is clearly insane, Cinder is power-hungry, and Watts is... just bitter against Atlas, I guess. But Hazel has always been more about being anti-Ozpin. Initially, I thought that if Hazel could permanently take down Ozpin, he might stop working for Salem altogether. However, Volume 8, Episode 7 sheds new light on his motives when Hazel mentions Salem’s plan to create a new kingdom. I assume he believes this will be a world where Grimm are no longer an issue, ensuring that what happened to his sister never happens to anyone else again.

Before this, his actions always felt hypocritical—his sister dies to Grimm, yet he joins the person commanding them. The only way to justify this is if Hazel views Grimm as mindless animals while holding Ozpin accountable for essentially throwing his sister into the lion’s den. The idea that Salem doesn’t control every Grimm worldwide at all times might also help Hazel rationalize his choices.

Personally, I think Volume 8, Episode 7 provides a semi-justifiable reason for why Hazel’s vengeance is aimed at Ozpin. He spent hours repeatedly beating Salem to death until he physically couldn’t continue, which suggests he understands how futile it is to truly defeat her. From what we see later in the season, Salem regenerates from head destruction in about 10 seconds, and it takes hours for her to recover from full-body obliteration. This implies that Hazel destroyed her body multiple times and waited for it to regenerate, only to try again. This endless cycle of rage and futility could explain why his anger shifted so intensely toward Ozpin—because Ozpin is someone he can kill, in a sense.