Although League of Legends itself and the stories written for the game are still the primary sources of lore, Arcane is written to fit neatly inside the League of Legends universe and contribute to it a little, unlike other video game adaptations which often take major creative liberties. There are only three out of nine episodes of Arcane available at the time of this writing, but so far, Arcane is already rich with story threads consistent with League of Legends’ established story and character backgrounds. From Jinx and Vi’s complicated relationship to the dawn of hextech to the tensions between Piltover and Zaun, Arcane is a strikingly faithful representation of League of Legends.
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Arcane’s Ties to League of Legends Lore
Arcane’s most obvious relationship with League of Legends is through its characters. League of Legends features a staggering 157 playable champions, but Arcane chooses a select few to focus on. Jinx and Vi are at the center of the show. For many years, fans have firmly believed that Jinx and Vi are estranged sisters; Arcane not only confirms that, but it explores their childhood and relationship in greater depths than ever before. Alongside Jinx and Vi, a secondary plot stars the young Jayce and Viktor as they invent Piltover’s signature hextech technology, despite Heimerdinger’s protests. Further characters like Caitlyn and Ekko have appeared in Arcane too, and they’ll certainly affect Arcane’s plot based on their known impact on League of Legends’ story.
Arcane doesn’t just retell the backstories of League of Legends characters, though. It also ties into the LoL universe by depicting two of the game’s most famous locations: Piltover and Zaun. These twin cities are closely tied and famous for their technological advancements, but they’re not perfectly unified. Both suffer from corruption, inequality, and oppression in various forms. Arcane offers a fantastic opportunity to explore this part of the League of Legends world. As a MOBA with a handful of fixed maps, LoL can’t often take players to uncharted locations like Piltover and Zaun, so Arcane is an excellent opportunity to point the LoL universe’s camera in a new direction for a change.
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Arcane is Just Getting Started
It’s amazing how much LoL storytelling Arcane has already touched in with only three episodes released, but there’s almost certainly more on the horizon. Singed has been spotted working in the villainous Zaunite Chem-baron Silco’s labs, and the strength serum that Singed and Silco have produced could lead to Dr. Mundo making an appearance in Arcane. What’s more, the presence of Singed could mean that his mutant creation Warwick will appear in Arcane. Vander’s backstory suggests that he could become Warwick in future episodes, adding new tragic depths to Jinx and Vi’s adoptive father. In its opening act, Arcane has really only scratched the surface of Piltover and Zaun’s established presence in League of Legends.
For now, Arcane clearly takes a lot from League of Legends, but it’s hard to say how Arcane might affect League of Legends in turn. While the show isn’t meant to rewrite League of Legends’ story, it could still establish new characters and concepts that make their way into the game. For instance, Riot Games teased a Zaunite champion in the September 2021 Champion Roadmap. That champion could be Silco, a character original to Arcane, considering the champion’s focus on manipulation and wealth. For now, though, fans will have to settle for Arcane making the most out of the LoL universe. If the rest of Arcane is as good as its first act, then hopefully League of Legends gets more TV shows like Arcane sometime soon.
League of Legends is available now for PC.
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