'Arcane': Everything To Know About Riot's Upcoming Animated Series

The world of “League of Legends” is a vast and wondrous universe that has already gone beyond just being the setting for a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. Riot has been actively breathing life into Runeterra through hyper-detailed lore, beautiful cinematics, and soon, an entire animated series set in just a small part of their gigantic fantasy setting.

“Arcane” will be Riot’s first foray into entertainment media outside of games and music. This ambitious project has spent years in production, and in just a few more days, Netflix subscribers will finally be able to watch it.

The sheer scope of the “League of Legends” lore may have some viewers confused as to who the characters in “Arcane” are or what exactly is happening. Here’s every important bit of information that viewers need to know before they watch the show.

The Setting

“Arcane” is set in the interlinked cities of Piltover and Zaun in the vast continent of Runeterra. Piltover, known as the City of Progress, is a thriving, technologically-advanced metropolis that houses Runeterra’s brightest minds, while Zaun is a seedy undercity plagued with sickness, pollution and corruption.

The two cities are almost always at odds with each other, with political turmoil constantly brewing between them.

“Arcane’s” story revolves around a number of characters, most of whom are playable characters in “League of Legends.” Thankfully, most of the show will be limited to Zaun and Piltover only, so viewers won’t have to worry about Runeterra’s other regions and factions.

The Characters

The show will tell the origin stories of the Zaunite sisters Vi and Jinx as they struggle to survive in the grim city’s underbelly. “Arcane” will hopefully shed some light on the background of each character, answering some of the most important questions regarding their in-game lore entries, such as how they got separated and how their familiar bond turned into animosity.

“Arcane” will also explore the backstories of Jayce, one of Piltover’s best scientists, and Viktor, a Zaunite researcher obsessed with augmenting the human body with Hextech machinery. The show will likely show the origin stories of these characters as well, giving fans a clearer picture of how they evolved into the characters they are known to be in “League of Legends.”

Caitlyn, Piltover’s chief law enforcer, will also make an appearance in the series but to an unknown extent.

Since “Arcane’s” story serves as an introduction to Piltover, Zaun and the characters stuck in the middle of the conflict between the two cities, viewers can expect to be properly introduced to the world of Runeterra once the show premieres Saturday.