I’ve played League of Legends once. I did not enjoy it. It just wasn’t for me. Then, around 3 years ago, my friend talked me into watching Arcane, a show based on LoL, and I was instantly hooked. The story was captivating, the characters were multidimensional, and the writing was amazing, but what really caught my attention was the worldbuilding. Every single location feels lived in. This is the best kind of storytelling. The way that the show immersed you in its world was incredible. Then, it ended on a cliffhanger, and we had to wait years for the continuation of the story. When season 2’s release date was announced, the hype was insane. Then it came out. 

Let’s start with the bad and work our way up. If season 2 had been completely isolated, it would be nearly perfect, but it isn’t. The first season was built on a foundation of low-scale conflict and complex motivations. However, the second season is built on epic set pieces, large-scale conflict, and extreme socialist robo-Jesus fighting against an idealistic capitalist. This is all to say that the pacing has gone from “snail” to “cheetah” between the two seasons. In a way, this increase in scale and speed is logical, but at the same time, it feels like I went from watching Rocky to The Avengers, though the time between the two seasons in the story is around 4 or 5 seconds. 

The characters, however, continue to be incredible, especially considering that the source material is a player vs. player online game. For example, take Jinx. In the game, she could be considered a Harley Quinn ripoff, even down to the same New York accent. In the show, however, she’s a genuinely caring and well-meaning person, and even when she does terrible things, it’s not without reason. For another example, we’ll use VI. In the game, she’s a reformed criminal who joined the police and became a hardcore supporter of police brutality. In the show, she’s motivated by her empathy and connections to others and will do anything for someone she cares about.

Arcane looks like someone took a painting, threw a handful of gears at it, and added a bit of pencil. In other words, this aesthetic is awesome and fresh, having the same quality as the Spider-Verse movies, as if it will always look incredible while its contemporaries will be surpassed by more technologically advanced productions. The art style also serves the story, being able to seamlessly shift from pencil overlays when seeing VI, Caitlyn, and Jayce to the much less subtle crayon of Jinx. In certain sequences, the “painting” quality is cut from the equation, which instantly changes the tone from a beautiful and bombastic tale to something far darker. Fortunately, Arcane does not use AI in any part of the creative process, giving all the credit to their fantastic artists. However, there was a controversy due to an AI extension of promotional material ending up on Netflix. This was taken down after it was brought to Fortiche’s attention. 

While the story often falls back on established tropes, Arcane executes them so well that it constantly surprises you, yet everything works; nothing comes out of left field. Even the Deus Ex Machina moment at the show’s climax makes sense, having been set up since the first season. I really appreciate how Fortiche Productions was able to take loose backstories from video game characters and weave them into an interconnected narrative that actually makes sense. 

Arcane Season 2 takes the strong foundation of the first season and builds heavily upon it. The conclusion is satisfying, the action is amazing, and the art is stunning. No punches are pulled, giving a uniquely emotional and powerful experience. 

That said, the story might not be over. In fact, Arcane may have been just the beginning because Fortiche has partnered with Riot Games yet again for a trailer titled “Welcome to Noxus.” To be fair, the trailer is not actually for another season of Arcane or even a spinoff. It’s for LoL’s first season of 2025, announcing the introduction of Mel, a central character of Arcane, to the game. This is entirely in keeping with how Riot advertises updates to its flagship game, with a popular musician backing a CGI-heavy cinematic trailer with a new song. While Fortiche denies that this particular trailer is a teaser for an Arcane spin-off based in Noxus, fans are suspicious that this may be a display of projects yet to come.