The first season of Riot Games’ animated series Arcane finished airing on Nov. 20. In the show, the stories of several League of Legends champions come together to create a perfect symphony, bringing the first season to a tense finale. The success of both League and Arcane helped set the stage for more narratives to be explored in the future, especially with the show’s second season under production.
League of Legends players will already be acquainted with the champions from the show, but fans who watched the other acts of the season should also see some familiar faces throughout act three.
However, the champions’ character development in the final act is truly magical. Fans familiar with the lore can also appreciate the nitty-gritty of the series and make connections between Arcane and League, improving the experience.
Here are all the champions who appeared in the series and their development throughout Arcane.
Jayce
Jayce has become a monumental figure after the first two acts. He became the de facto head of the Council, with his innovations and knowledge of Hextech at the forefront of Piltover. However, the character has some tough moral and strategic choices to make in act three, such as curing Viktor’s illness through the Hexcore and the weight that comes with the crown of Piltover.
In act three, Mel and her mother push Jayce towards weaponizing Hextech. He forged his iconic Hammer to defend Piltover against the threat from the undercity, with Silco in the background.
He teams up with Vi, aiming to take down Silco’s empire and end his Shimmer manufacturing plants to undermine Silco’s control over the citizens of Zaun. While dealing with chemtank guards, Jayce accidentally kills a bystander with a shot from his hammer. The incident devastated him.
The leader decided to break the cycle of violence and find a peaceful resolution to the problem, even if it meant giving in to Silco’s demands. He met with Silco and brokers an agreement with the kingpin. The show ends with him persuading the Council on a peaceful resolution—before a rocket interrupts the meeting.
Heimerdinger
Heimerdinger, the genius scientist yordle, has been one of the founding fathers of Piltover. Jayce banished him from the Academy in act two in a heart-wrenching end to the season. However, the yordle has not rested, and he appears briefly in the last two episodes.
Heimerdinger travels to the undercity with a cloak, finally getting a closer look at the people he governed for years. He feels the suffering of the people there, making for a touching moment in the series.
Later, after the fight between Ekko and Jinx, Heimerdinger stumbles upon Ekko’s hoverboard and talks about its flawed design. Ekko explains it was made for the thicker air of Zaun. A conversation between the two reveals Ekko was injured in the fight, and the leader brought Heimerdinger to the Firelight Hideout. The Revered Inventor was surprised with Ekko’s stronghold and ingenuity.
In the end, we also see Heimerdinger discussing plans with Ekko, which could tie into season two of Arcane. The two could work together in the future, with Heimerdinger helping Ekko build the famous Z-Drive.
Ekko
Surprise! Ekko is the leader of the Firelights, and he is protecting some of the people from the undercity in his base after Vander’s death. The rise of Shimmer in Zaun has left its inhabitants almost begging in the streets, and Ekko’s aiming to stop Silco’s plans.
In act three, Ekko brings Vi and Caitlyn safely back to his compound. He informs Vi about Jinx’s intentions and says The Loose Cannon is working with Silco willingly. Caitlyn and Vi devise a plan: taking the Hextech Gemstone to the Council to avoid major retribution over Zaun. Ekko agrees with the plan and escorts them to the bridge, but Jinx intercepts them. Ekko gets away alive but injured after an intense battle.
Later, he meets with Heimerdinger and brings the yordle to the Firelight hideout.
Caitlyn
Caitlyn had her share of character development in the second act, drawing closer to Vi and diving deep into the undercity. She hunts down Silco and learns vital information about the condition of the people in Zaun, which is partially due to the prevalence of Shimmer.
During act three, Caitlyn gets the Hextech Gemstone, asking Ekko if she can present it to the Council—and, more importantly, to her old friend Jayce. After getting the Gemstone, she goes back to the Kiramman residence alongside Vi, and the two discover the crystal is missing. Even then, the two present their case to the Council and ask them to take down Silco.
Vi
Vi and Caitlyn had similar character arcs in the third act. Like Caitlyn, she gets abducted by Ekko at the end of episode six. Unlike the enforcer, however, Vi doesn’t feel scared since she knows Ekko is behind the mask. She talks about the conditions of the undercity that have worsened after Vander’s death and agrees to appeal to the Council with Caitlyn.
She backs out as she was crossing the bridge into Piltover to go find her sister. She rushes back for Caitlyn after she hears the commotion between the duo and the enforcers, angering Jinx in the process.
After the Council decides not to help them, Vi breaks her relation with Caitlyn and seeks justice in her ways. She briefly joins with Jayce, who gives her the iconic Hextech Gauntlets she wears during the game. Vi suggests that taking down Silco’s Shimmer manufacturing plants would be the easiest way to weaken his grip in Zaun, and the two fight together to take down one of Silco’s sites. Vi sees Jayce shoot the little boy as well.
After her temporary alliance with Jayce, she fights with Sevika, but Jinx captures her after the skirmish ends.
Jinx
Jinx has arguably seen the most significant character development in Arcane. Her journey from an innocent Powder to the cynical Jinx has been at the forefront of the series. The show does a brilliant job of showcasing the character’s inner conflicts, and the Jinx would steal the show in her scenes during the final act of Arcane.
In the first episode of act three, Jinx attacks the blockade on the bridge and kills Marcus. She duels with Ekko, which ends in a defeat. She lobs a grenade as a last-ditch effort. Ekko escapes, but the blast wounds her gravely. Silco rescues Jinx and takes her to Singed, who used Shimmer as a last resource to save Jinx.
After the incident, Jinx kidnaps Vi, Caitlyn, and Silco as the most crucial point of her arc to becoming Jinx once and for all. She asks Vi to kill Caitlyn if she wanted Powder back. Vi couldn’t do it, and both Silco and Vi try to persuade Jinx. The voices in Jinx’s head were deafening, and the Loose Cannon fired her minigun at Silco, seemingly by accident, killing him. That moment, she sits on a chair labeled Jinx, embracing her new persona once and for all.
After her loss, she uses the Hextech Crystal to power her Super Mega Death Rocket and shoots a projectile directly at the Council in Piltover, who were voting in favor of Jayce’s deal with Silco. The series cuts right before the missile hits, making for a tremendous setup for the next season.
Viktor
Viktor started transforming in the show, but he hasn’t reached his League form yet. Viktor was getting desperate to use the Hexcore as a cure, but he couldn’t figure out the mystery behind it. Whatever organic matter he used would eventually wither, making his cure seem far-fetched.
The answer ultimately came from Viktor’s old acquaintance, Singed, who suggested Shimmer as a means to stabilize the tech. Viktor injected Shimmer into his body and got positive results at first. During another round of his “treatment” with Shimmer and Hexcore, Sky, one of his lab partners, burst into the room, intent on seeing him and mentioning how she admired Viktor.
She believed Viktor was being harmed by the Hexcore and tried to save him, but without Shimmer in her system, she ended up being vaporized by the artifact’s power. Viktor had to live with his guilt, which grew after he discovered the extent of her admiration. He almost jumped off his secret spot in Zaun, but Jayce saved him. He still hasn’t reached his League form, however, meaning there could be more on the horizon for him in season two.
Singed
Singed is still an enigmatic character in Arcane, and he has minimal conversations with other characters. Viewers caught a glimpse of him when he talked to Viktor about the Hexcore, and the Mad Chemist brought up Heimerdinger. They worked together a long time ago in Piltover. There are still loose ends with Singed’s storyline, and Riot could explore them in the future with Arcane.
Honorable mentions: Warwick and Orianna
While everyone thought that Warwick was Vander, the character didn’t mysteriously come back from the dead. Don’t take off your detective hats just yet, though. At the end of the series, there was a scene where Singed appeared from the point of view of some creature hanging with claws. This creature is likely Warwick. If players change their point of view, they can spot the incident happening in a splash art of League of Legends‘ lore story of Singed.
Moreover, the Lady of Clockwork, Orianna, could also be spotted in the same scene where Singed is looking at the picture of a girl who closely resembles the champion. Based on that, she might make an appearance in Arcane‘s season two.
The first season of Arcane is available to stream on Netflix.
