Upon the release of Arcane season 2’s trailer, many were shocked to see it billed as the final season. Since then, Arcane‘s creators have outlined that they only ever pictured it as a two-season story and that they did not wish to continue storylines with these characters simply for the sake of it. Although this means that the arcs of some of A rcane‘s cast of characters will be concluded, there have been assurances that the show is only the first step into a wider world of League of Legends-based TV shows, making Arcane season 2 all the more exciting.
Arcane Season 2 Is The End Of The Story But Not The End Of The Franchise
Vi & Jinx’s Story May Be Over, But There Are More League Of Legends Characters To Choose From
Concerning Arcane‘s future after season 2, the show’s creators have outlined exactly what this will look like. It has been known for some time that the story of Vi and Jinx will be concluded in Arcane season 2, explaining why the upcoming Netflix installment is being marketed as the show’s final season. However, the world of League of Legends is expansive, and the characters the original video game possesses that could be adapted, like Vi and Jinx, are numerous. This explains why Arcane is being treated as a gateway to future stories in this universe.
Speaking exclusively with Screen Rant, Arcane‘s co-creator Christian Linke gave some insight into what this may mean. While Linke remained silent on the specific story details of Arcane season 2, he outlined what the plan is regarding future League of Legends shows:
“Arcane is just the first one. We’re working on a bunch of new projects, a bunch of new stories from across the different regions and characters of our IP, and some of them are actually continuations of character stories from Arcane . So, definitely, there are some character stories that we want to continue. So, really, Arcane is the true first. This is the first rite that we had to survive and figure out, “Can we do this?” And now, we can kind of dream bigger…”
As evident by Linke’s comments, Arcane is just the first stepping stone to a larger League of Legends animated universe. While the secrecy behind which characters from the League of Legends IP will be adapted going forward remains, Linke proves that the possibilities for this franchise going forward are all but endless. The stories of some characters may end in Arcane season 2, but others are just beginning, and the connections made to known League of Legends lore make the future of the franchise overly intriguing.
Arcane’s Take On League Of Legends’ Universe Was Too Good Not To Continue
Arcane’s Quality Makes Linke’s Comments Way More Exciting
Perhaps the biggest reason as to why Linke’s comments build so much hype is the sheer quality of which Arcane was produced. The show’s first season received rave reviews from fans and critics alike, proving its take on the League of Legends universe to be one with overwhelmingly good character and story potential. Considering League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena with few story elements outside of the lore crafted as supplemental material, Arcane proved how great stories set within this world could be in the animated medium by this group of creators.
Arcane Season 1’s Reception
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
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IMDb Overall Rating
Average IMDb Episode Rating
100%
9/10
9/10
The primary reason for Arcane‘s excellent reception was how well the creators adapted League of Legends lore. Many of the story elements, characters, and locations have been mentioned in supplementary League of Legends stories, yet Arcane molded them into an incredible story of love, loss, family, class divides, and violence, all while adding in the titular magical elements. Combine this with some of the most beautiful animation ever put on screen, fantastic voice acting, and a wider world begging to be explored, and it becomes clear why Arcane‘s universe is too epic not to continue.
What Other League Of Legends Stories Can Be Told After Arcane Season 2
Many Characters Could Be Left Open For Stories Post-Arcane
After Arcane season 2, there are many League of Legends stories that could be told. The League of Legends characters in Arcane are aplenty, and there will undoubtedly be more introduced in season 2. That said, Linke’s comments might have already revealed what potential stories could come after Arcane. Linke mentioned that some of the characters already found in Arcane are being positioned for future stories, with one candidate being the Noxian warlord, Ambessa Medarda. After her daughter Mel’s apparent death in season 1’s ending, Ambessa will have a bigger role in Arcane season 2.
As such, Ambessa could be the gateway to future stories set in the kingdom of Noxus. Noxus is a brutal empire in the world of League of Legends, as proven by Ambessa’s cold, calculated nature in season 1. If Ambessa survives the events of Arcane season 2, she could spearhead an exploration of her home country in future shows, centered around League of Legends characters like Darius, Draven, Swain, Riven, and Katarina, to name only a handful.
Vi and Jinx will be two characters from Arcane that are unlikely to appear in future projects as their story is integral to the show, and will likely end with it.
Other possible spin-offs could be linked to the character of Jayce. Although Jayce’s fate is uncertain as of Arcane season 1’s ending, a flashback to his early life saw him saved by a wizard who many have theorized is the League of Legends character of Ryze. This could allow for a more magical, fantastical show to be constructed around League of Legends characters like Ryze, differentiating future projects from the more grounded, class-war-based story of Arcane.
Evidently, there are several routes a continuation of Arcane could take that have been set up in the show itself. Beyond that, the possibilities are near endless. League of Legends has over 150 champions, each with their own comprehensive backstory that could fit into the world of Arcane. With this in mind, the true excitement caused by Linke’s comments becomes clear, as Arcane‘s ending will prove to be the true beginning of an expanded franchise set within the brilliant world that has been created.
