Arcane was released in 2021 to widespread acclaim, with praise directed at its animation, story, worldbuilding, action sequences, characters, emotional weight, sound, and voice acting. Some have noted the series’ appeal both to casual viewers who have never played League of Legends and to long-time fans of the game.

It also set the record as Netflix’s highest-rated series within a week of its premiere, ranked first on the Netflix Top 10 Chart in 52 countries, and ranked second on the chart in the United States. Several critics and publications considered it one of the best video game adaptations ever made.

Following the debut of Season 2, Christian Linke, the creator of Netflix’s Arcane, says he drew inspiration from the U.S. two-party political system and how they struggle to communicate with each other.

Arcane is set in the wealthy city of Piltover and the poorer, underground city of Zaun, where people survive on the scraps of Piltover’s wealth under a harsh police force. The story centers on attempts to bridge the divide or find peace between the two cities but ends up in full-scale conflict, which Season 2 will explore.

At the Los Angeles premiere of the second season, Linke confirmed the series took some cues from real-life issues, saying, “If you’re asking if we were inspired by two sides of a country that can’t even talk to each other anymore, yes.”

He added that this divide has only grown with recent elections, saying, “When we started, it was like, ‘Yeah, there’s a struggle to coexist.’ But now, with the election coming up, it’s only gotten worse. So, in some ways, the show reflects real life.”

Writer Amanda Overton also noted how they were inspired by current issues, saying, “We’ve felt this growing wealth gap in our own lives, and we thought we could explore it in a creative, engaging way.”

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