About Arcane
Arcane, titled on screen Arcane: League of Legends, is an animated steampunk action-adventure series created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee. It was made by Fortiche, an animation studio based in Paris, under the supervision of Riot Games, the American company behind League of Legends, and Netflix distributed it, with China's Tencent Video premiering it at the same time; the voice cast performs in English. First announced at League of Legends' tenth-anniversary celebration in 2019, it ran for two seasons of nine episodes, the first in November 2021 and the second and last in November 2024, each released as three weekly 'acts' of three episodes. It is set in the world of League of Legends, but reviewers stressed that you do not need to know the game to follow it.
The story moves between Piltover, a wealthy city that prides itself on progress, and the oppressed, polluted undercity across the river from it, Zaun. Sisters Vi and Powder lose their parents in a failed uprising and are raised by Vander, the undercity's leader. A robbery in Piltover goes badly wrong, and by the end of the first act Vi is in prison and Powder has been taken in by the crime lord Silco, who raises her as Jinx. Meanwhile the young scientist Jayce Talis and his partner Viktor, a Zaunite, turn magic into Hextech, a technology that makes Piltover prosper while Zaun is left out of the gains. Season 2 deals with the fallout of Jinx's attack on Piltover's council: martial law, an occupation of Zaun, the ambitions of the Noxian general Ambessa Medarda and a magic that neither city understands.
Critics praised the animation above all, a blend of 2D and 3D that Fortiche had refined over years of music videos and cinematics for Riot, along with the writing, the world-building, the soundtrack and the voice cast, though the second season's pacing divided opinion. Within a week of its premiere it topped Netflix's Top 10 chart in 52 countries. It won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for both seasons, the first Netflix series to win that award, swept the Annie Awards with nine wins in 2022, and is often named among the best video game adaptations ever made.
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What the Arcane Quiz Tests
Our Arcane quiz covers both seasons of the Netflix series, all 18 episodes. It uses nothing from League of Legends lore that the show itself does not use, and nothing from the tie-in novel. Easy levels cover the basics: who made it and where it streamed, its two cities, the sisters and their names, the people who raised them, Hextech, Shimmer, the Firelights and the opening theme. The middle levels follow the story in order, from Jayce's expulsion and Progress Day through Vi's release from Stillwater and the end of season 1 to the first half of season 2: Isha, the Black Rose, martial law and Vi's time in the fighting pits. The hard levels hold season 2's biggest reveals, among them the creature Singed made, the parallel world, the spy in Caitlyn's strike team and the hooded mage, plus a line from one of Jinx's visions and the song that plays during a dance in season 2.
Key Characters
Vi and Jinx are the heart of Arcane. Vi, short for Violet, is the protective older sister and a born fighter who spends years in prison after the night their family falls apart; Jinx, born Powder, is the younger one, a gifted inventor whose bombs rarely worked when she was a child and who grows up as the adopted daughter of Silco, the crime lord who wants Zaun free of Piltover and who loves her as his own. Caitlyn Kiramman, a Piltover enforcer from a wealthy family, frees Vi to help her investigate and slowly falls for her. Jayce Talis and Viktor are the scientists whose friendship drives the other half of the story: Jayce, the idealist from Piltover who wins a seat on its council, and Viktor, the quiet genius from Zaun who wants Hextech to change people's lives. Around them are Ekko, the sisters' childhood friend and leader of the Firelights; Vander, the man who raised the girls; Heimerdinger, one of Piltover's founders and the scientists' mentor; Mel Medarda, the councillor who backs Jayce, and her mother Ambessa, a formidable Noxian general; and Sevika, Silco's tough right hand.
Available Quizzes
Arcane Trivia
50 hand-crafted questions across 5 categories. 10 levels of increasing difficulty.
Which Arcane Character Are You?
Answer 10 questions to discover which Arcane character matches your personality!
Random Mix
Questions from all 75 anime including Arcane. The ultimate challenge.
Characters
Vi
Jinx
Caitlyn Kiramman
Viktor
Ekko
Arcane Fun Facts
- Imagine Dragons and JID, who perform the opening theme 'Enemy', also appear in season 1 as the band and the rapper playing at Vander's bar, The Last Drop, and the violinist Ray Chen appears as the soloist at an orchestra concert.
- In China, where Tencent Video premiered the series alongside Netflix, it had a different opening theme: 'Lonely Warrior', sung by Eason Chan.
- For the premiere on 6 November 2021, Riot streamed the first episode on Twitch and let some content creators co-stream the first three episodes, a first for a Netflix series. On Twitch, 1.8 million people watched the premiere at the same time.
- Riot's chief executive said the first season took six years to develop, and over that time Fortiche grew from around 15 people to around 300.
- Fortiche's partnership with Riot goes back to 2013, when the studio made 'Get Jinxed', the animated music video that introduced Jinx to League of Legends players.
- Ella Purnell won an Annie Award for her performance as Jinx in 'When These Walls Come Tumbling Down', the same episode that won Arcane its first Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
Arcane Quiz — Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Arcane are there?
Eighteen, in two seasons of nine. Each season was released in three acts of three episodes, one act a week: season 1 on 6, 13 and 20 November 2021, and season 2 on 9, 16 and 23 November 2024. Episodes run from about 39 to 50 minutes.
Is Arcane finished?
Yes. It was announced in June 2024 that the second season would be the last, and the final episode came out on 23 November 2024. Spin-off series about characters from other parts of the League of Legends world are in development, and a prequel novel about Ambessa, Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf by C. L. Clark, was published in February 2025.
What order should I watch Arcane in?
Simply in release order: season 1 (Acts 1 to 3), then season 2 (Acts 1 to 3). There are no films or specials to fit in between, and you do not need to have played League of Legends first.
Where can I watch Arcane?
Arcane is a Netflix series, and at launch it also premiered in China on Tencent Video. GKIDS holds the home video rights: season 1 came out as a digital copy in September 2024 and on 4K Blu-ray in October 2024, and season 2 was announced for 4K Blu-ray in 2025. Availability differs by country and changes over time, so check your local services.
Do I need to play League of Legends to understand Arcane?
No. The series is set in the game's world and uses some of its characters, but it tells its own story from the beginning, and reviewers from outlets such as The Verge and Common Sense Media made a point of saying that newcomers can follow it without knowing the game.
What is Arcane about?
Two sisters from the undercity of Zaun, Vi and Powder, are torn apart as children and end up on opposite sides of a growing conflict with Piltover, the rich city across the river. As Powder becomes Jinx under the crime lord Silco, the scientists Jayce and Viktor invent Hextech, a technology built on magic that transforms Piltover and raises the stakes for everyone. It is a story about family, inequality and the cost of progress, told across two seasons.
