One of Netflix’s most popular animated series from Studio Fortiche/Riot Games has returned for its second and final season, delivering even more excitement! Arcane season 2 needed to match the high standard of the first season, and it delivered a spectacular finale. This series transforms my favorite (and often frustrating) video game, League of Legends, into a new and creative experience.
As I said with Arcane season 1, I’m glad that more people, even those who haven’t played the game, can enjoy the rich lore of the game. This global phenomenon has changed the game of animation immensely. Arcane season 2 completely lived up to the expectations, as a beautifully-crafted follow-up to its first season. This review will discuss key spoilers related to the season’s major achievements and mistakes, but not all spoilers will be included.
Act I
Act I, episode one, “Heavy is the Crown,” continues directly from where Arcane season 1 Act III left off, despite a three-year gap between seasons. Somehow, this Act immediately set the tone for the rest of this season with its elevated music video storytelling. For viewers who prefer stories told through visuals and music instead of dialogue, there will be stunning artwork to enjoy.
Fortiche went above and beyond blending so many different art styles and colour palettes, as seen in the death of Caitlyn’s mom, Cassandra Kirammen versus the cyberpunk, comic book style in the intro montage of episode three, “Finally Got the Name Right.” What makes Arcane unique is how the character designs are consistent whenever there is dialogue or there are close-ups.
Fortiche isn’t just showcasing various art techniques; they’re also altering the scene visuals while maintaining the established character designs, allowing the audience to connect with them over the two seasons. The main female characters in the series—Vi, Jinx, and Caitlyn—each have their moment to shine in their unique emotional styles. Arcane season 2 combines orchestral music with pop-dance beats, matching the intense action scenes and poignant moments.
Act II
Arcane Season 2, Act II, episode four, “Paint the Town Blue,” closely mirrors Act I, episode three, featuring a comic book-style montage combined with a grunge pop art aesthetic. This resembles more of Jinx’s style of her graffiti and colour palette, which makes sense to match Jinx’s clothing and hairstyle too.
Overall, episode four was partly a diss track from Jinx to Vi and Caitlyn—along with the other Enforcers. The episode focused on Jinx and her new younger sister figure, Isha, highlighting their bond with a bittersweet moment when they share a secret handshake. This could be seen as a huge f— you to Vi, even if she doesn’t realize it, but the audience does. Arguably though, Isha is the reason Jinx becomes more grounded and starts to see reason in working alongside her sister.
Not to be forgotten, Ambessa Medarda continues to show off her Noxian might! Ambessa’s pursuit of Jinx, similar to Caitlyn’s, resembles the cat-and-mouse chase in Catch Me If You Can, featuring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. The clothing choices for Ambessa throughout this series are an important identifier of her personality traits and status. Every outfit exudes an air of elite glamour, seamlessly incorporating a militaristic war general element into the design. This reflects her character, as she constantly strives for status, indicating her high social standing. This perfectly aligns with her portrayal of Julius Caesar in the intro theme of Arcane season 2.
One of the most important aspects of Act II is Warwick is introduced. The innovative way in which Warwick tracks Singed’s blood adds a compelling layer to the narrative, effectively illustrating Singed’s influence over Warwick. Warwick’s introduction in episode four resembles the horror-like reveal of Godzilla in Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla film. The intense rock music matched Warwick’s powerful blood scent ability, like in League of Legends, while the many shades of red were striking.
A key scene in season 2, Act II, is the flashback in episode five, “Blisters and Bedrock,” which reveals how Vander and Silco teamed up to make Zaun an independent nation. Surprisingly, it was a trio who began this coalition with a woman named Felicia. It turns out that she was Vi and Jinx’s mother, and seemed to be the glue of their rebel group. It was like watching Jujutsu Kaisen season 2’s Hidden Inventory/Premature Death The story follows a trio of friends whose heartfelt friendship is altered forever by unforeseen events.
Act III
The season and series come to a dramatic, epic end with this final act for Arcane. Arcane season 2 Act III starts optimistically, focusing on Ekko’s journey after being pulled into the Anomaly with Jayce and Heimerdinger. Episode 7, “Pretend Like It’s the First Time,” offers a wholesome storyline for Ekko, who experiences a reality where everyone survived from the first episode and Hextech never existed. Heimerdinger explains the Anomaly and this reality in a way that is similar to how Miles Morales is an anomaly in the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse films.
This episode provides a vibrant world to explore, highlighting Ekko and Powder with the most screen time we’ve seen for them. Heimerdinger helps Ekko build a time machine so they can return to their reality. Within this reality, I did not expect to hear Heimerdinger’s voice actor singing, nor did I expect it to be the only banjo/country song of the series.
On the flip side, Jayce experiences a separate reality where the Anomaly created by Hextech has consumed Piltover, Zaun and all of Runeterra. Episodes eight, “Killing is a Cycle,” and nine, “The Dirt Under Your Nails,” clarify the payoff of Jayce’s journey. Every Jayce and Viktor scene in these last few episodes is both heartwarming and bittersweet. At the end of the day, Jayce just wants his friend Viktor back—willing to give up discovering Hextech altogether.
It’s exciting to see Viktor become more like his League of Legends character, both in appearance and voice, as he merges with the Anomaly. The fight between Jayce and Viktor, in an Ultron-looking robotic suit, was menacing. When they meet in Viktor’s soul within the Anomaly, the nebula and cosmic designs beautifully depict the spirit realm.
“What John Wick means to stunt people and stunt fans, Arcane means a lot to animators and animation geeks.”
The final battle for Piltover/Zaun against Ambessa, her Noxian army and the help of the Anomalized Viktor is very bombastic and felt like a war scene out of a Lord of the Rings film—or even something similar to the final battle at the Northern Water Tribe from Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1. The most interesting part of this episode for me is how it addressed self-harm and suicide.
Ekko returns to the main world and finds Jinx about to blow herself up. She realizes she should end the cycle of misfortune around her by killing herself. Ekko now has the Z-Drive, a time machine that allows him to rewind time by up to four seconds. It is kind of similar to the dagger in Prince of Persia. Ekko tries to stop Jinx from hurting herself, revealing a heartbreaking moment that illustrates how people behave when they are deeply depressed.
Arcane Season 2 & What’s Next For The Series
What John Wick means to stunt people and stunt fans, Arcane means a lot to animators and animation geeks. While the series is not as accessible to all ages and tastes, the storytelling and technical achievements Fortiche extracts from the world of League of Legends are unparalleled.
Arcane season 2 and the series overall effectively addressed various social issues while prominently featuring BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ representation. This was possible because it was designed as a teen/adult animated series, not a kids’ show. Arcane stayed true to its story and world-building, despite using a familiar intellectual property. The integration of both new and familiar characters created a seamless and captivating harmony.
In conclusion, the final song of the Arcane series, “Come Play,” featuring Stray Kids, Young Miko, and Tom Morello, carries a powerful irony. It is like Riot Games and Fortiche are saying go play one of the League of Legends games now, without being forceful. The Arcane music albums for both seasons made this production seem like a musical, where the music could carry itself in a way Hamilton fans can enjoy endlessly listening to the music without seeing the play.
Without giving much away for the epic finale, it was the perfect song representing the essence of the video game. Players must collaborate with four teammates to defeat opponents and destroy the enemy base to win a match. Riot Games and Fortiche demonstrate their storytelling skills while honoring the video game. Though I may not have mentioned every reference or key storyline, the care and dedication in the two seasons of Arcane is impressive. I trust that the teases from this series will surely influence where the next League of Legends-based series will go next.
Runeterra is massive, and the history is massive. I recommend reading League of Legends: Realms of Runeterra to better understand the world of Runeterra and anticipate future stories. With over 168 champions (characters) in League of Legends and an open ending for Arcane season 2, the human imagination is the limit to the leagues of stories that can be told on Netflix.
