On June 11, Netflix released the first trailer for the eagerly anticipated second season of Arcane (crowd cheers). The trailer announced that it would mark the finale of the animated series adaptation of Riot’s League of Legends (crowd boos). But wait, it might not be the end of Riot’s adaptations altogether (crowd mumbles, unsure of what to think).
The trailer itself is a stunning look at what fans can expect in the second season, which releases in November. Picking up right after the cliffhanger ending of the first season—which saw Jinx launching a rocket at the Piltover council—the season is going to be a hectic battle between the cities of Piltover and Zaun. To set the stage, we see Caitlyn forming a special task force of enforcers with the mission of going into Zaun and taking down Jinx. Vi (Jinx’s sister and dual protagonist of the show alongside Caitlyn) is on the task force, decked out in an enforcer uniform that signals how much her allegiances have changed.
A climactic confrontation between Jinx and Vi near the end of the trailer has Vi calling her sister Jinx rather than her original name of Powder, further showing that she no longer sees Jinx as redeemable. The dour tone of the trailer is starting to make me even more worried for the show’s finale, which Jinx actor Ella Purnell teased would be “devastating.”
But there is still hope for life after Arcane because while it is indeed the final season of the show, Riot doesn’t seem to be done with adaptations. Anticipating fan outcry, the official Arcane Twitter account posted a message from show co-creator (and Riot Creative Director) Christian Linke directly under the trailer. First off, Linke assures fans that the team has always had a specific ending in mind, so the story of Arcane isn’t being rushed in the finale. Linke then goes on to say that the show is “just the beginning of our larger storytelling journey,” as well as revealing that Riot is currently working on new projects across film and television that will give other League of Legends characters the spotlight. Linke also revealed that Riot’s partnership with Fortiche, the animation studio behind Arcane, is not over.
As for what other characters could possibly get the Arcane treatment, Linke didn’t drop any hints. I personally want a pirate story set in Bilgewater starring Miss Fortune, though I think a project focused on the more magical side of the League of Legends world is also full of potential. But for now, I’ll just wait to watch Arcane’s end.
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