A fantastical epic that explores the backstories of champions and League of Legends mainstays Jinx (Ella Purnell) and Vi (Hailee Steinfeld), ARCANE is more than just an adaptation of the popular Riot Games multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. It comes from Netflix, Riot Games, and animation studio Fortiche Production and gives a glimpse into the origin stories of some fan favorite characters from all across Runeterra, while expanding the LoL universe in ways never experienced before.
The story focuses primarily on sisters Jinx and Vi and the events in Piltover and Zaun that have torn them apart, but there are many other League champions who make appearances throughout ARCANE’s two seasons. You’ll want to get to know them all as you journey your way across the continent with the release of Season Two. Here’s your guide to all the champions you’ll meet in ARCANE.
Jinx, who’s known in her early years as Powder (Mia Sinclair Jenness), is a firecracker of a champion whose next move no one can predict. We meet this blue-haired girl at the very beginning of the series, inseparable from her older sister Vi. Powder goes through hell to later become the character we know as Jinx — a loose cannon who’s looking for a purpose, with a mischievous grin and an arsenal of killer weapons. Watching her transform and determine who she wants to be once and for all is a major part of the series.
Vi, aka Violet, is Powder’s older sister and protector. Though nowhere near as volatile as Jinx, Vi is impulsive and headstrong — a champion who will take on even the most menacing of opponents. (She’s more likely to solve problems with her fists than talk them out). A series of bittersweet reunions between the sisters over ARCANE’s two seasons opens the door to a few different outcomes: Can Vi and Jinx become the family they each need again, or are they doomed to fight on opposing sides of this war?
Caitlyn (Katie Leung), whose family is one of the Great Houses of Piltover, is a champion with fierce loyalty to her home. But her unfaltering pursuit of justice becomes complicated at times by her relationship with Vi, her partner in crime who refers to her as “Cupcake.” Caitlyn is dangerously intelligent and works to trap those who break the law by outwitting them, and will have to decide if protecting Piltover is more important than preserving the humanity of those she cares about.
When we first meet Ekko (Reed Shannon), he’s referred to as “Little Man,” but the young boy from Zaun grows up to become the leader of a rebel street gang — called the Firelights — who want to take back their city from Silco (Jason Spisak). Ekko is a prodigy and inventor as well.
The inventor turned politician Jayce Talis (Kevin Alejandro) is a champion with the potential to redefine the entire world — and more than once. With his brilliant development of Hextech and his ambition to bring it to ordinary people, Jayce is also burdened with maintaining the delicate balance of tending to his inventions and governing Piltover and Zaun in a way that benefits both cities. In ARCANE, we get to see Jayce wield his Hextech-powered hammer alongside Vi — a powerful duo that shakes up the dynamic between Piltover and Zaun.
In League of Legends, Singed (Brett Tucker) is depicted as a mad chemist armed with potions and weapons, who’s ready to ruin anyone’s day. While he’s still the mysterious, masked scientist in ARCANE, the series also tells his story with perhaps a little more nuance. If at times Singed is lacking in empathy, he’s also motivated by a fierce love for his daughter. In the series, Singed still has his signature sinister look, but he’s a far cry from the dark, villainous, masked champion many know him as in the game. Plus, his whole life is dedicated to chemical research, and he’ll do anything to further his scientific advances.
This yordle scientist is small but mighty, and he wears many hats. Heimerdinger (Mick Wingert) is the founder of Piltover, and has managed to create some of its most innovative technologies, as well as a host of different weapons and tools citizens find useful. Just like Jayce, who follows in his footsteps, he’s an ultratalented inventor who’s just a bit neurotic — and for good reason. Having lived more than 300 years, Heimerdinger has seen a lot, and he knows better than anyone the dangers of working with and creating arcane technology. We see the tiny champion visiting Jayce and Viktor (Harry Lloyd) throughout the first season, and taking an interest in a new prodigy in Season Two. For anyone who mains Heimerdinger in League, he’s a welcome sight in ARCANE.
The young, wild-eyed idealist Viktor is at his most innocent in ARCANE’s first season, where we see him working with Jayce to make progress on his Hextech invention. Knowing that Viktor doesn’t have much time left, Jayce fuses him with the Hexcore to save his life, which puts Viktor on a different, grimmer path. In League, Viktor is a much more terrifying presence, with a considerable number of augments.
Also from Noxus is Ambessa Medarda (Ellen Thomas), Mel’s estranged mother, who firmly believes in the Noxian warrior tradition. Ambessa first appears in Season One and seeks to advise Jayce in matters of war, but she also has an agenda of her own. The Matriarch of War joined League on Nov. 6 as a powerful champion for more advanced players — and there’s no limit to how far she’ll go to achieve her ends.
Acts I and II of ARCANE Season Two are streaming now, with the third act arriving on Nov. 23.
