When Arcane premiered on Netflix in 2021, it quickly earned the acclaim of critics and audiences alike. The adaptation of League of Legends by Riot Games appealed to fans of the original title and those with little knowledge of the game. Arcane captivated viewers with its unique animation style, steampunk atmosphere, complex moral dilemmas and charismatic characters.
The creation of Arcane consumed an enormous amount of time and money (a rumoured budget of $250 million), but the effect was spectacular. Now that the second season has ended, it’s time to ask about the show’s future – will we get more of Vi and Jinx, their friends and enemies?
While Netflix and Riot Games are currently rather hush-hush on the details, they revealed that viewers will have a chance to visit Runeterra (the world where Arcane is set) once again. Here’s everything we know about the follow-ups to the animated series.
Spoilers for Arcane season 2 follow.
Arcane season 2 ending explained
In the second season of Arcane, the creators developed the story of two sisters and rival cities by adding magical anomalies, parallel dimensions and new enemies.
In the final episode, the residents of Zaun and Piltover faced an army, led by Ambessa Medarda allied with Viktor, who had become a supernatural entity capable of controlling other beings. As it turned out, there was a traitor in the ranks of the defenders – Maddie, Cait’s former lover, sabotaged her friends’ efforts and helped Ambessa capture the city. However, Mel sprang into action with her magical powers and defeated her mother. The clash ended with the deaths of Maddie and Ambessa and the mutilation of Cait, who lost an eye. Several supporting characters, such as Vi’s friend Loris, also died in the battle.
Although Mel used arcane magic, she ultimately rejected membership in the Black Rose mages’ order, considering its mysterious shapeshifting matron to be just as dangerous as Ambessa. The last time we see Mel, she lifted her mother’s scratched war mask, most likely deciding to take on the leadership of House Medarda.
As Mel and Cait battled Ambessa, Ekko used his time-reversing device to disable Viktor, whose idea of improving humanity involved merging their consciousnesses into one mind. Eventually, Viktor and Jayce were pulled into an unknown dimension filled with wild runes.
Netflix
Vi and Jinx also took part in the battle, with the former arriving in her hot air balloon. However, the younger sister was attacked by Vander, fully transformed by Singed into Warwick, a werewolf-like creature. At the end of the battle, Vi found herself and the monster in Hexgate on a destroyed platform. Jinx, trying to save her sister, fell with the Warwick seemingly to her death, setting off a grenade at the last moment.
However, there’s a theory that Jinx may have survived the explosion. In the last scenes of the series, we saw Cait looking through the Kirammans’ archives. She checks the plans of the Hexgate and finds drawings of air ducts and cooling systems. She smiles slightly, and in the next shot, we see a hot airship flying away – recall how, in Arcane’s first season, Jinx fantasised about going on a journey in such a vehicle. There’s a chance that she jumped into one of the ducts and decided to start a new life away from Zaun and Piltover.
As for Vi, it looks like she built a relationship with Cait and decided to stay in Piltover as an Enforcer.
Will there be Arcane season 3?
No. Marc Merrill, Riot co-founder and CPO made a firm statement, claiming that the story was always intended to conclude in two seasons.
The confusion is because internally there was a budget conversation about “approving 5 seasons” – which simply means we were setting aside a bunch of money for lots of development and is completely irrelevant to the Arcane creative. The creative and making something great is what the priority should always be for Riot and our teams.
Disappointing as it might be, it doesn’t mean that Netflix is leaving the League of Legends universe for good. Critically and audience-acclaimed Arcane proves that there is a lot of potential in Runeterra and its extraordinary inhabitants. According to the latest news, Netflix and Riot are planning three new shows set in the famous regions of Runeterra: Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia, respectively.
Riot Games
As Marc Merrill said:
We have also always envisioned telling more stories and continuing to expand the universe. (…) Just because that is our intent, doesn’t mean it’s easy or that we can pump these things out like a factory – just like making games that are worthy of players time / love is really hard, so too is telling great stories and making incredible shows / films (especially when we are building it from scratch for the first time).
According to Christian Linke, the Arcane co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer, the first of the sequels has been in development for a year now. However, it doesn’t mean it will appear anytime soon – note that Arcane’s second season came three years after the season 1 release. The creators proved that they value quality over quantity, so they will most likely take their time with their work.
What could the plot of Arcane’s sequels be about?
Since Netflix and Riot Games plan to set their sequel series in Noxus, Ionia and Demacia, they will most likely leave behind the story of Vi and Jinx and focus on new stories.
The first show may take viewers to Noxus, the homeland country of Mel and Ambessa Medarda. The final scenes of Arcane season 2 suggested this, showing red-sail ships leaving Piltover and heading back through the ocean. They were accompanied by a three-eyed Raven, which was also a major hint for League of Legends fans.
Netflix
In the game lore, the bird called Raum is one of the antagonists and a servant to Jericho Swain – the famous ruler of Noxus. The country’s inhabitants are known for their admiration for strength, militarism and violence, which affected the creation of a mighty empire.
Noxus was also a country from which Black Rose originated in League of Legends. The mysterious organisation was a group of mages led by a sorcerer called LeBlanc (aka The Pale Woman). According to lore, long ago she made a pact with a vampirish fiend, Vladimir and helped the Noxian barbarian tribes get rid of an evil necromantic warlord. She contributed to creating the empire with the Black Rose, secretly pulling the strings and influencing the politics and rulers.
Introduced in the second season of Arcane, the Black Rose sought revenge on Ambessa due to her transgression against the order. While the details remained vague, we learnt that mages were interested in Medarda’s offspring, supposedly gifted with powerful magical abilities. Ambessa let the Black Rose kill her son, Keno, to save Mel, the true bearer of the arcane power. After being captured by the Black Rose, Mel discovered her skills and got an invitation from a shapeshifting woman (who, most likely, is LeBlanc herself) to join the order.
However, after defeating her mother, Mel declined the Black Rose membership, potentially risking revenge from the organisation. Therefore, it’s likely that in a series set in Noxus, we will see Mel as a matron of House Medarda once again battling with the sinister mages.
Netflix
The two other series remain more of a mystery. Ionia is a peaceful country spread across many islands, where magic exists naturally. At one point in history, Ionia was, however, endangered by the expansionist Noxus empire. The violent conflict caused inhabitants to rethink their approach to the world.
Demacia, on the other hand, is a strong kingdom built on justice, honour, and duty. It was set by refugees from the cruel Rune Wars and grew self-sufficient and somewhat isolationist. According to League of Legends lore, in recent times, Demacia has been in turmoil due to succession troubles, and it seems that the country’s golden days may be over.
Who might appear in Arcane’s sequels?
The upcoming animated series from the League of Legends universe will tell entirely different stories. However, they may feature some familiar faces from Arcane. The creators can, in theory, bring back any of the champions who didn’t get killed in Arcane’s finale, but some are more likely than others.
In the series set in Noxus, Mel Medarda may come back as a leader of House Medarda and a powerful sorcerer. Jinx may also return as a fan favourite considering there are hints she may be alive and has left her city, but we don’t know this for certain.
According to Christian Linke, Viktor will also make a comeback since he’s now an extraordinary, non-human being. Another character who may appear in the future series is Heimerdinger – apparently, he wasn’t killed while helping Ekko get to his timeline.
Netflix
The sequels could also feature Teemo (a yordle devoted to exploring Runeterra), Janna (a wind spirit and a protector of Zaun), Orianna (Singed’s daughter turned into a techmaturgical golem), Jhin (a serial killer), and Ziggs (a bombs-loving yordle). References to these characters have already appeared in Arcane.
As mentioned, if the Black Rose plot reappears in the sequel, we may see the sorcerer LeBlanc and her ally Vladimir. We also expect the appearance of Jericho Swain, the ruler of Noxus, and Jarvan IV, the heir to Demacia’s throne.
Linke confirmed that sequels will feature Renata Glasc, the infamous Chem-Baroness who built a criminal empire in Zaun. Urgot, a Noxian headsman sent to the Zaun’s prison by Jericho Swain, may also appear in future series.
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Author: Weronika de Oliveira, Entertainment Writer, Tech Advisor
Weronika is an Entertainment Writer at Tech Advisor, where she covers topics related to TV shows, streaming, and movies. With an MA degree in Film Studies, her areas of expertise range from classical and postmodern cinema to contemporary films, series, and pop culture.