Theepic world ofLeague of Legendsis closing out one of its books withArcaneseason 2. The Netflix show serves as an adaptation of the beloved MMO video game franchise, chronicling the stories of Piltover, a utopian city, and its underworld counterpart Zaun, which consists of both those on the poorer side trying to survive in the world, as well as those with seedier intentions. The show primarily focuses on sisters Vi and Jinx as they find themselves on opposing ends of the brewing conflict between the two cities.
Arcaneseason 2, which is being split into three parts, picks up immediately from the cliffhanger season 1 ending, in which Jinx, now fully unhinged, fireda rocket on the Piltover counciljust as they were granting Zaun independence. Season 2’s story will see this fully explode into a civil war between the two cities, with Jinx hailed as a hero in Zaun, while Vi finds herself outcast from them and joining Caitlyn on her task force to try and restore order to the world. Viktor and Jayce, meanwhile, find their studies of Hextech reaching dangerous territory.
8 Things That Need To Happen In Arcane Season 2 Before The Show Ends
After the bombshell announcement that season 2 will be the final outing for Arcane, a number of things must happen before the show concludes.
Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell return to leadthe ensembleArcaneseason 2 castas Vi and Jinx, alongside Kevin Alejandro as Jayce, Katie Leung as Caitlyn, Harry Lloyd as Viktor, Toks Olagundoye, Amirah Vann, Ellen Thomas and Brett Tucker. Simultaneously expanding the world ofLeague of Legendslore without forgetting the emotional core of its story, the show easily matches the very high bar set by its first season.
Ahead of the show’s return,Screen Rantinterviewed co-creator/co-showrunner Christian Linke to discussArcaneseason 2, the decision to bring the show to an end after just two seasons, the epic scale of the Piltover-Zaun war to come, the emotional next chapter of Vi and Jinx’s conflict, and the potential future for the franchise.
EndingArcaneWith Season 2 “Was Pretty Natural” For Linke & His Team
“…this is the story we wanted to tell.”
Screen Rant: Great to see you again, Christian, and I am both excited and sad that we’re talking aboutthe final season ofArcane. I would love to sort of start with that and hear where the thought process was on bringing the show to a close after two seasons.
Christian Linke: Well, honestly, it was pretty natural. We always thought of it as a particular story. It wasn’t just like, “Hey, let’s set up a bunch of characters, and they kind of go where they go.” It was always just like, “No, there’s a story we want to tell.” So I think it was just that, you know, this is the story that we wanted to tell. I think we also just believe in knowing when to end is very important, especially with TV shows. I think, to us, it just made sense creatively.
So, with that said, do you have any thoughts on possibly expanding this show beyond this core cast of characters in the future?
Christian Linke: Absolutely. Arcane is just the first one. We’re working on a bunch of new projects, a bunch of new stories from across the different regions and characters of our IP, and some of them are actually continuations of character stories from Arcane. So, definitely, there are some character stories that we want to continue. So, really, Arcane is the true first. This is the first rite that we had to survive and figure out, “Can we do this?” And now, we can kind of dream bigger, which is really awesome.
ArcaneSeason 1’s 100% RT Score Was “Daunting” For Linke (But Only Briefly)
“…awards-type stuff is just not the best inspiration for creative work.”
So talking about getting through that first rite, then, how did it feel going into season 2’s production with this 100% Rotten Tomatoes score looming over you from season 1?
Christian Linke: It is daunting. It is daunting. You don’t have anything to lose when you make a first season. And then, it’s like, “Oh s–t.” Now, there’s a certain expectation. There’s an interesting statistic I read about at some point that people in music, people who are nominated for a Grammy, end up, in most cases, losing their originality and their boldness, because now they go, “Oh s–t, here’s something that I did that people said succeeded and defined as my best version. I should not lose that. I should just stay the same.” That’s the most dangerous thing you’re able to do to creatives, which I think is why awards-type stuff is just not the best inspiration for creative work. So, I think we really tried to just stick with our [mentality] of like, “F–k it, do the thing that we want to do, trust ourselves, take big swings,” which we did. So, I think that was the most important thing, and I think we knew that.
Vi & Jinx’s Relationship Is “Much More Difficult” In Season 2
“…these new identities that they have for each other…”
So, looking at season 2, obviously one of the big storylines is going to beVi and Jinx, since they really did diverge there at the end of season 1. What can you tell me about how their strive to try and get back with one another continues going into this intra-city war?
Christian Linke: Well, it’s become so much more difficult now. What makes a difference is that now Silco is no more, for the first time, Jinx has to make her own decisions. There’s no one there to tell her who she’s supposed to be, which was a really big change. And for Vi, I think, suddenly feeling like an outsider in the undercity, and seeing also the undercity start to think of Jinx as the true Zaunite, and the person that stands up to the aggression of the topsiders is a difficult thing for Vi to deal with. So, I think there is a bit of these new identities that they have for each other, and also for themselves, that suddenly Vi is really kind of no longer at home in the under city, and Jinx suddenly is like, “Who am I? Who do I want to be when no one tells me what I’m supposed to be?” Which I think we were really, really excited by. So, that’ll be a really big part of it.
In talking about Vi feeling like an outsider, is that where her getting closer with Caitlyn and joining that team comes from?
Christian Linke: It is, but it’s also very difficult for Vi, because Piltover is not her home. She believes in opposing Jinx and these horrible things that she’s done. But it’s difficult, because it doesn’t feel like it’s the place where she really belongs. So, I think those people who know what it’s like to move to a new place, you’re not born there, and thus it always feels a little bit alien. I think that’s also part of what Vi experiences.
Viewers Will See “All Of” The Piltover-Zaun War In Season 2
“…there was just a feeling of responsibility.”
So, with the war itself, how much is that going to be seen throughout the season? Because obviously,Arcaneseason 1 endedright as they were about to grant Zaun independence.
Christian Linke: It’s a big thing. You’ll see all of it.
That’s awesome. Obviously, with animation, there’s no upper limit, per se. But what was it like finding the right scale while still making it feel grounded for this show?
Christian Linke: I would say, with this season, and kind of the climax of it, when we mapped it out first, it just looked impossible. It just looked impossible. Fortiche was like, “We can’t do this. This episode is going to be over an hour long.” And we’re like, “F–k.” We just had to figure out how to somehow clobber this into a shape that is producible, and I’m very, very, very happy with how it turned out. I think there was just a feeling of responsibility. It’s like, “Yeah, you can also kind of get away with something small,” but we just knew that that’s not what would feel right for this kind of storyline, so you just have to go big sometimes.
ArcaneSeason 2 Will Tackle The “Weaponization” Of Hextech
“…Viktor sees the opportunity more…”
I see I’ve got enough time for one question, so I’d love to ask, as well, about Jayce and Viktor’s story, because that one was heading in a very heartbreaking direction in season 1 with Sky’s death and the promise of destroying the Hexcore andavoiding more Hextech. What can you tease about how that story continues this season?
Christian Linke: I mean, for the two of them, it’s really about what this technology that they’ve invented offers society. I think even the end of season 1, there’s Jayce starting to get afraid of the weaponization of Hextech, and of what’s possible, what can be done with Hextech. I think Viktor sees the opportunity more, and sees, also, probably more and more the challenges of the shortcomings of the people meddling with it. So yeah, I don’t want to say too much. But, of course, a big event happened to the end of season 1, where, I’m not going to say what happens, but, it’s a big, pivotal moment, right as we get into season 2 for them.
AboutArcaneSeason 2
In this final chapter, Jinx’s attack on the Council sets the stage for a dire escalation of the conflict between Piltover and Zaun. From Riot Games, Arcane returns this November on Netflix. The animated series, based on the League of Legends game and one of Netflix’s most successful animated series ever, is created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee. Executive producers include Linke, Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck. The Animation Studio is Fortiche Production. Voices include Hailee Steinfeld (Vi), Annie Award winner Ella Purnell (Jinx) and Katie Leung (Caitlyn), Reed Shannon (Ekko), Amirah Vann (Sevika), Mick Wingert (Heimerdinger), Ellen Thomas (Ambessa), and Brett Tucker (Singed) among others to be announced. Fortiche directed and produced the animation, under the direction of the founders Pascal Charrue and Arnaud Delord.
Check out our interviews with theArcaneseason 2 cast and crew from the red carpet premiere!
Arcaneseason 2 Act I is now streaming, with Act II premiering on November 16 and Act III on November 23!
Arcane
Cast
Arcane is an animated series set in the League of Legends universe, debuting in 2021. It explores the conflict between the affluent city of Piltover and the oppressed undercity of Zaun. Central to the story are two sisters whose allegiance to opposing sides of a technological and ideological war strains their bond.
