Arcane Season 2 Ending, Explained

Key Takeaways

• Arcane Season 2 finale resolves series-long tensions and ends each character’s story effectively.
• Season 2 covered the mending of Vi and Jinx’s sibling relationship and introduced the Black Rose and Viktor’s powers.
• Arcane kills off many characters in its finale, but hints at their survival.

Riot Games’ first foray into the world of television has come to a close with Arcane wrapping up its second and final season on November 23. The League of Legends adaptation came to a climactic close, resolving series-long tensions and confirming the fate of many main characters.

The first season of Arcane established a visually gorgeous take on League of Legends’ world of Runeterra. Many popular champions appeared in the series and were provided with newly fleshed-out stories that appealed to both game fans and newcomers to the franchise. Arcane introduced many interweaving arcs, with the relationship between Zaun siblings Vi and Jinx taking center stage, alongside the partnership between Jayce and Viktor, who transformed Piltover with their invention of Hextech. The season ended on a cliffhanger as Jinx attacked the Piltover council leaving the fates of many characters unknown for three years.

What Happened in Arcane Season 2?

Arcane Season 2 covered a lot of ground in its nine episodes. The series kicked off its first arc in the wake of Jinx’s attack, which left council members Bolbok, Hoskel, and Cassandra Kiramman dead, and Viktor, Salo, and Shoola injured, meanwhile Jayce and Mel escaped unscathed. This event escalated tensions between Piltover and Zaun, and set Caitlyn on a mission to get revenge on Jinx for the death of her mother. Believing the sister she knew to be dead, Vi joined Caitlyn on her mission, but when it came down to it, she couldn’t bring herself to kill Jinx. Other developments also saw Viktor gain new arcane powers after being revived by the Hexcore and Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger uncovering an anomaly linked to the Hexgates that caused them to disappear.

Arcane’s second Act jumped ahead in time, showing how the Noxians, led by Ambessa, ally with Piltover to impose martial law, under Caitlyn’s command. Jinx became attached to a young girl named Isha, and Vi spiraled out of control and became a pitfighter. The two sisters did end up resolving their issues after learning that Singed’s experimental werewolf, Warwick, was the father they believed to be dead, Vander, and they brought him to Viktor in an attempt to save him. While Viktor’s powers worked on Vander’s mind, they were interrupted by Jayce who returned from the anomaly with a desire to end Hextech. He killed Viktor and in doing so unleashed the werewolf part of Warwick who attacked everyone in the community, causing Isha to valiantly sacrifice herself to put an end to his rampage and save Jinx. This all led to the final act, which saw Piltover and Zaun align themselves against Noxus, who were allied with Viktor in his quest to conform everyone to his plan of glorious evolution.

Arcane Season 2 Ending Explained

Who won the war between Piltover and Noxus?

Arcane Season 2’s final episode featured a vicious battle between Piltover and Noxus and not everyone made it out (including poor Loris). After learning that Maddie is a Noxian traitor, Mel and Caitlyn engage in a brutal fight scene with Ambessa as her two proteges unite to put an end to the warlord’s mission. They eventually got the upper hand on Ambessa and Mel unleashed the Black Rose onto her mother, who put an end to her life. However, Mel then double-crossed the Black Rose and turned her back on their offer of sisterhood.

After returning from an alternate universe with a time-travel machine known as the Z-Drive, Ekko was able to convince Jinx to come to Piltover’s aid. Together they joined the attack and, along with Vi, helped turn the tide of the battle, but as Viktor’s plan began to come to fruition, everyone in the battle on both sides was slowly brainwashed into his cosmic hive mind. Viktor, who at this point had evolved into his League of Legends-accurate cyborg form, even succeeds in subduing Jayce atop the Hexgate, until Ekko comes to the rescue, using his Z-Drive to disrupt Viktor’s magic.

What Happened to Viktor and Jayce?

Thanks to Ekko’s distraction, Jayce has the chance to speak to his old partner, revealing to him that a future version of Viktor told Jayce in the anomaly that he is the only one who can convince him to give up his crusade. Jayce reminds Viktor that the imperfections in humanity that he’s working so hard to eradicate are what make them human. To progress past that would be the end of pursuit. Jayce and Viktor agree to end what they started with Hextech and sacrifice their lives to eradicate the anomaly and restore balance to the arcane. This effectively ends the battle as everyone’s minds are released from Viktor’s grasp.

I thought I could bring an end to the world’s suffering. But when every equation was solved all that remained were fields of dreamless solitude. There is no prize to perfection. Only an end to pursuit.

Did Jinx Die?

Following the end of the battle, Vi and Jinx find themselves balancing on some precarious ledges within the Hexgate tower, where they’d last been engaged in a fight with a brainwashed Warwick. After spending a moment grieving the death of her father, Warwick springs into action and begins attacking Vi. Jinx intervenes to save her sister’s life and shoves Warwick over the edge of the platform. Vi grabs Jinx’s hand and stops her from falling, but Warwick also catches hold of Jinx, leaving them both dangling perilously. Jinx ultimately decides to sacrifice herself, knowing that Vi will never let her go. She plunges to her death with Warwick and sets off a grenade that kills them both. Or at least that’s how it appears.

A couple of scenes at the end of the episode have many thinking that Jinx escaped the explosion. In one scene, Caitlyn is seen looking at schematics of the Hexgates, which show a series of air ducts at the base, providing a possible exit. Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed that a purple streak can be seen amid the explosion, hinting that Jinx may have used her powers to escape through one of the air vents. The final image in Arcane’s second season shows an airship flying over the ocean. A popular theory is that Jinx did survive the attack and leaves Piltover in that airship, which would be a callback to a line her character says in Arcane’s very first episode where she vows to one day fly in one.

Do Caitlyn and Vi End up Together?

In the aftermath of the war, Piltover establishes a new council (one that includes Zaun this time), and Mel leaves to lead the Noxians, taking her mother’s place as the head of the Medardas. Caitlyn and Vi also receive a happy ending after finally culminating their relationship in Episode 8. One of the final scenes shows Caitlyn, with one less eye, comforting Vi over the grief of her sister, where she asks if Vi is still in the fight. “I’m the dirt under your nails, cupcake. Nothing’s gonna clean me out,” she responds as she rests her head on Caitlyn’s shoulder.

Where Arcane Could Go Next

While Arcane Season 2 is the end of the story as fans know it, Riot has been clear about its plans to extend its League of Legends cinematic universe with other series and films. Plenty of champions, including Jinx, Warwick, Heimerdinger, Ambessa, Jayce, and Viktor seemingly met their ends in Arcane’s finale. On the flip side, many other characters have their stories wrapped up, but left open, such as Cait and Vi, and Mel. Arcane co-creator Christian Linke said that future spin-offs in this world may continue some character’s journeys’ meaning any of the surviving champions have a chance of being seen again.

Arcane is available to watch on Netflix.