I usually tell people: Raven is Yang's mother, but calling their relationship "mother and daughter" is just the starting point. Raven deserted Yang's immediate family to lead the Branwen tribe, and for years that absence defined Yang. When Raven returns in the story, it's not a warm
homecoming; it's awkward, tense, and full of unmet expectations. Raven's priorities are freedom and survival, and she expects Yang to be able to accept those hard truths like she does.
From a character perspective, Raven pushes buttons in Yang the way very few other characters do. She's cold, direct, and unafraid to test Yang physically and emotionally — sometimes to the point of hurting her. Yang reacts with a mix of anger, longing, and attempts at understanding, which makes their scenes hit home. Raven tries to recruit Yang into a life that rejects the attachments Yang has formed with her friends, and Yang repeatedly chooses her found family instead.
I like this relationship because it avoids easy redemption or melodrama: it's messy and realistic. The tension between freedom and responsibility, between leaving and staying, gives both characters depth, and it keeps me rewatching their scenes to pick up on the small, human moments in between the fights.