Arcane is a popular animated series loosely based on a popular video game called League of Legends, which was released in the early 2000s. With its first season’s release in 2021 and season two’s release in 2024, Arcane quickly became one of the most streamed shows on Netflix, earning widespread acclaim from critics and fans.
Arcane began its production back in 2014 when it was introduced by executive producer Christian Linke and writer Alex Yee. Inspired by the game, Linke and Yee wanted to create a television series based on League of Legends, and they pushed their ideas through and worked on the series alongside Riot games for six years. Arcane is an enjoyable watch for both players and non-players with no prior knowledge about the game, as it’s a deeply interesting series portraying themes of war, loyalty and betrayal.
League of Legends, like Arcane, was also based on a pre-existing game called Defense of the Ancients, a Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos mod. With the popularity of Warcraft’s game mod, League of Legends developer Marc Merrill wanted to create a new stand-alone game within the same genre as World of Warcraft. Although Arcane is based off of League, Arcane has taken the League of Legends world and completely re-imagined it into its only separate entity.
Arcane has taken the lore from the game to help push the story further, but some plot lines did change in this game based series. For example, Hextech, who is the heart that helps the city of Piltover thrive and is a crucial plot point within the show, has been given a different origin of discovery in the show. In the game lore, Hextech was discovered by Clan Ferros, one of Piltover’s most wealthy families. In the show, however, Hextech was discovered by one of the main protagonists, Powder, who later becomes main villain Jinx in season one.
Powder, determined to save her friends, deploys a handmade bomb that contains a blue orb which is later known as Hextech. When things go south Vi, her older sister, blames Powder for the incident and calls her a Jinx. This sets the stage for Silco, another major antagonist, to mold Powder into the villain now known as Jinx.
The event is a major plot point for the show, but it also subsequently writes some characters out of the story. When the story of Hextech’s discovery changes, it shifts the role of the legend Camille who is a part of the family Clan Ferros. Clan Ferros has a vast reputation being one of the wealthiest families in Piltover, in game the family can be traced to the discovery and eventual use of Hextech. Now that the discovery and molder of Hextech has changed the dominance of the renowned family might also change. For Jinx’s story– which was for the majority a mystery in the game– Arcane reveals that Legends Vi and Jinx are siblings, which explains Jinx’s obsession with Vi in the game. Jinx’s story in the show also gives reasoning to her insanities in the game, showing that she endured mental trauma and manipulation.
Vi, one of the main protagonists, also has some changes in her story. In the game, Vi was the leader of a small Zaunite gang, who one day ventures to pull off a daring heist. After the betrayal from some of her teammates, the heist goes terribly wrong, giving the backstory on why Vi disappears for several years and later becomes an enforcer. Enforcers are the protectors of both Piltover and Zaun, Piltover being the progressive city and Zaun being the undercity lying in the canyons below Pilover. Because of the changes in Vi’s backstory, her character and personal struggles have also changed, contrasting from her hardened character established in League.
When the mission fails because of Powder, Vi is taken prisoner by the enforcers. When Vi was released years later, she sets out to find her sister, only to find out she had turned into Jinx and is working for Silco, a Zaunite leader. This causes yet another rift between the two sisters, which inevitably turns Vi into an enforcer for the purpose of taking out Jinx.
There are a multitude of plot changes throughout the story of Arcane, but this doesn’t make it a terrible show. The changes only create depth for the characters whose backgrounds weren’t entirely known. For example, Jinx’s change allows for a deeper understanding of her character, as well as why she is the way she’s portrayed in the game. The inclusion of Vander as a father figure is also a catalyst for the show, adding depth to Warwick’s character, who is another champion in League of Legends.
Arcane is a deeply interesting story, and by adding life to the League of Legends champions, the show creates a world that all can enjoy. Arcane creates a realistic yet mystical world that anyone can get lost in, while still keeping aspects from League of Legends. Though the changes may seem large to some, Arcane does a good job of integrating the old plots to the new one.
