Following the release of Arcane back in Nov. 2021, fans of the League of Legends universe noticed some discrepancies between the plot of the show and existing lore—including factors like absent characters, changes to backstories, and rock band Imagine Dragons.
During a conversation sparked by the “Champs, Lore & More” dev update from Oct. 13, Riot Games has confirmed Arcane is canon in the League universe, and the repercussions are far-reaching.
League fans discussed a variety of inconsistencies in an Oct. 14 Reddit thread where one community member pointed out with this newfound knowledge that American band Imagine Dragons has more canonical lore than one of the game’s own champions, Shaco.
One user is curious to know how Heimerdinger goes from being anti-Hextech to a mad Yordle screaming “Ah, that sweet smell of science!” before slamming down a line of turrets. Another reply sympathizes with the scientist, believing it reasonable that he went insane after attempting a stint in politics.
After a controversy where Seraphine’s lore contradicted one of Skarner’s key traits, he’s being sidelined once more. In the show, Viktor and Jayce discover Hextech crystals—but this commenter hasn’t forgotten that the Crystal Vanguard is the one truly responsible for them and wants everyone’s favorite Scorpion recognized for his efforts.
When it comes to Ekko’s lore, his personality and Arcane design are quite different from his portrayal in League, with a commenter quipping the moody teen needs to put some “joy of life back in his skull.”
With the massive revelation that Imagine Dragons is now canon, a Twitter user who has met the band in person claims they too must be canon in Runeterra.
As more of the Runeterra universe is brought to life in Riot’s multimedia conglomerate of indie games, comics, stories, and shows, it’s inevitable for there to be some discrepancies that are in the queue to be amended. With an MMO around the corner, ideally, it’ll all be coherent by then. Here’s hoping.
There’s certainly room for more characters to be brought in for Arcane season two which is speculated to release during 2024. Until then, we’re sure the League community will keep a sharp eye out for more lore discrepancies—regardless of whether Riot plans to fix them or not.
