Riot Games has teamed up with Netflix to release its first-ever animated series, and through it, creates an intimate understanding of League of Legends champions and newcomers to the series alike. It proved itself to become a top-streaming show among League of Legends fans and Netflix subscribers alike, generating a rave-worthy reputation in the wake of its streaming platform release. Arcane can be highly praised for its animation, screenwriting, and its core narrative. Atop that, the series deserves recognition for its complex characters.
Arcane gives way to a diverse case of characters that populate the realms of the developing League of Legends universe on-screen. Compelling plot lines and commanding character arcs drive the storytelling of Arcane forward. These are some of the best characters that the series has to offer from its first season.
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Vander
Image via DoteSports
Vander is one of the most recently introduced characters into the League of Legends canon. He serves as a father figure who makes it his responsibility to care for Vi and Powder after the two are orphaned. Owner of The Last Drop, a bar that is home to questionable business amid the Undercity, Vander, who protects his people, dedicates himself to the goodwill of his adopted daughters and to those who visit the Last Drop. His sense of selflessness and the intention of doing what he believes is truly just is what creates such an easily lovable magnetism around the character. His tenderheartedness and bravery are so rich and incredibly genuine. There is a natural sense of ease and comfort that radiates from him in the most effortless sense.
League of Legends fans have speculated that Vander’s death doesn’t equate to him being eliminated from the series altogether. Rumors are quick to suspect that Vander will make his way back into Arcane through its second season, which Netflix and Riot games swiftly confirmed was renewed. After his self-sacrifice in mid-season episodes, fans began to pitch their predictions that Vander would return as Warwick: a werewolf-like creature with a metallic heartbeat.
Viktor
Image via Esports.gg
The driven, hard-working, and borderline obsessed research assistant from Piltover is as likable as he is pitied. His thirst for power and knowledge pushes him towards the brink of physical collapse and mental anguish. The exhausted-yet-relentless depiction of Viktor brings him to assist Jayce Talis in his journey of pioneering the Hextech, a scientific breakthrough brought about by defying the Dean of the Academy. Through his relationship with Talis, more of Viktor come to light: his motivations, his curiosities, and how he has the intention of serving the people of Piltover through Hextech.
Ultimately, Viktor turns to Singed, a mad scientist that he was influenced by in his youth, for help. The regression of Viktor’s behavior does not symbolize any weakness, and his seeking of Singed adds dimension to his background. Like other characters, flashbacks are used to support Viktor’s decision-making process, who is determined to find the answers that he strives to discover as his health continues to wane. His personal strength, though his will may falter, contributes to the admiration of the character. In the face of his personal doubts, he carries on - even if his means may be ethically gray.
Professor Cecil B. Heimerdinger
Image via Game News 24
Heimerdinger is Arcane’s designated voice of reason. He offers up his advice to Talis, Viktor, or later on as the series progresses, Ekko. While there is stagnancy in his character arc, and there isn’t the most dramatic transformation in Heimerdinger’s personality from his introduction on, his insight remains invaluable. Skittish at times, as it’s basically expected that Heimerdinger is naturally anxious, he tries to instill faith in his pupils even though they may stray towards deviance. His ability to seek out the good in others, despite the risks that come about in consequence, strengthens the authenticity of his well-meaning outlook on Piltover, if not the Arcane universe. His contributions to the series may not be as bold, but this intelligent, adorable creature is as sharp as he is delightful.
Vi
Image via Engadget
Arcane elevates Vi from her original character angle that those who play League of Legends are most familiar with. Instead of being a roughened cop who’s most known for punching her way through situations, layers of context to her violent coping mechanisms and jaded personality are defended. Her tragedy is instrumental to her worldview, though her attitude is simple a facade on the surface. Through her younger years, Vi presented herself as a tenacious leader and strong-willed fighter. Her spirit remains to be unbroken, and her ferocity allows her to fight for her beliefs.
Her hardened exterior doesn’t consume her, and when she later meets her estranged sister Powder (Jinx) in her adult years, is desperate to be forgiven for her actions. Her sorrow and guilt build upon the complexities that make Vi such a versatile character, and the regret of her past bubbles to the surface, demonstrating that she still hasn’t found herself moving on after abandoning her sister. Her growth comes from facing the present while reflecting on her past, learning from her mistakes, and aiming to right her wrongdoings.
Jinx
Image via GINX Esports TV
The “Harley Quinn” archetype is challenged by Netlfix and Riot Games through Arcane as Jinx’s trauma is put on full display. It openly defends her pyromaniacal behavior and delves deeper into the effects of her mental illness. There is the understanding, if not rationalizing with League of Legends fans, of the extent that Jinx is driven to. Instead of automatically her assuming the role of a villain, Arcane dissects every pivotal moment that has influenced her into becoming misunderstood amongst the chaos she causes. The transition from her former identity of Powder into her becoming of Jinx is vastly elaborated on, and her unsettling demise is so rawly human that the intricacies around who she is are hard to ignore. Her unpredictability is undeniably compelling, and her multifaceted relationships with others on-screen are each unique in their own way.
