Arcane, first released in late 2021, is set in the universe of League of Legends. League of Legends is a multiplayer online game, most known for its battle arena game play. Its developers, Riot Games, went on in recent years to make an animated series based on the characters.

Arcane introduces all main characters’ backstory before showing the viewer its main plot. How the sisters, Vi and Powder, came to be under the guidance of their adopted father when their parents died during the war between the city of Piltover and Zahn, the city’s Underground. How they ultimately were separated after their adoptive father was left to defend himself for keeping the peace. Vi, emotionally scarred after the event, abandons her sister and gets imprisoned by an enforcer. Powder was left at the hands of Silco, the Underground’s ruler, to raise her. In the same episodes, the viewer is also introduced to Jayce and Viktor, two highly regarded students studying and testing ways to make Piltover thrive. At the end of their research, after being constantly discouraged for their idea being too dangerous, they are able to create an advanced form of technology mixed with magic called Hextech, and change the way Piltover ran. 

After a time-skip in the show, we are introduced to Jayce and Viktor again. Their Hextech deemed Piltover ‘The City of Progress’, and became the city’s brightest scholars. With the idea to use Hextech in ways to benefit Piltover even more. Their idea was shot down once again after it was deemed too dangerous. The duo must think of a way to use Hextech without it being too dangerous in the public’s eye. Jinx, formerly known as Powder, is now working for Silco. Throughout the series, Jinx is trapped and haunted by her past. Silco uses this to his advantage to keep Jinx in his control. Vi, as far we know, is still in prison. The show spends the rest of the two three episode arcs to develop each character’s stories as they take their path to a possible second war between Piltover and Zahn. 

In the end, Arcane is a must watch. Its character development, plot, and major twists keep you on edge. Its stunning graphics and interesting dialogue keep you enticed with the characters. And although people have some vendetta against Imagine Dragons, they did a great job composing the music for the show. Producers already plan for season two of the show, and already have recorded voiceover audio for it. Fans will have to see if the second season will add more characters from the original game. 

The series, as far as research shows, notes major differences between itself and the game. It’s important to note that viewers don’t need to play the game to watch the show. The creators made sure that Arcane’s plot requires no previous knowledge of League of Legends to watch. So, if you were setting aside the show to learn more about it, forget it and just press play.