Key Takeaways
- Arcane hints at potential League of Legends spin-offs with Season 2 easter eggs.
- A six-eyed raven in Arcane’s finale suggests the involvement of Swain in future series.
- Noxus may be the focus of the next Arcane series, based on clues in season 2 and comments from the showrunner.
Arcane’s second season recently came to a close, bringing to an end almost a decade of work that went into the League of Legends adaptation by Riot and its animation partner Fortiche. While many champions’ stories were brought to a close in Arcane, the series finale provided some clues as to where a potential spin-off set in the same world could go.
Arcane adapted just a few characters from the 140-strong roster in League of Legends. The story between siblings Vi and Jinx, and the partnership between scientists Jayce and Viktor, are some of the stories that took center stage in Arcane, but the series also brought to life original champions, like Ambessa and her daughter Mel, and adapted elements from the larger world of Runeterra, including the Black Rose. Most of these storylines were wrapped up in Arcane’s final episode, but the creatives also included some easter eggs that fans of League of Legends will no doubt be familiar with.
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Arcane Season 2 Hints At a Major League of Legends Character
Arcane Season 2’s final episode predominantly dealt with the Noxus vs Piltover war and saw all the main characters get involved to put an end to Viktor’s attempts to make everyone a part of his glorious evolution. The battle was vicious, but eventually, Ekko managed to use his Z-Drive to disrupt Viktor’s arcane powers and give Jayce enough time to talk sense into his friend. After Jayce reminded Viktor that perfection is not the answer, the pair agreed to put an end to Hextech together, sacrificing their lives in the process. This put an end to the hold that Viktor’s powers had on the citizens of Piltover and allowed them to progress forward, this time in cooperation with the citizens of Zaun.
Meanwhile, Mel stepped up, following Ambessa’s death, to lead the Noxians, who are accompanied in the final scene by a very peculiar six-eyed raven. The same raven is also seen in a second shot at the end of Arcane, picking through the rubble atop Piltover’s Hexgate to find something blue and glowing inside, likely the remains of a Hextech crystal. Fans of League of Legends will know that this particular raven is often associated with the character of Swain, hinting that he could be a big part of wherever Riot goes with Arcane in the future.
Who is Swain?
Swain is the General of Noxus Who Wields Demonic Powers
Swain has lived a couple of lives in League of Legends, with the character undergoing a significant redesign a few years ago. As the character stands in League of Legends now, he is known as the Grand General and leader of Noxus. Swain was crippled in the Ionian wars but managed to seize power with demonic aid and now fights to stop the coming darkness that only he can visualize. In League of Legends, the six-eyed raven is often linked to Raum, the demon of secrets who is the source of Swain’s powers and often assists the General in surveilling his enemies.
Swain was also once known to be an ally-turned-enemy of the Black Rose, which is another element that was set up in Arcane’s finale. While the Black Rose was somewhat explored in Arcane’s second season, there are still plenty of questions left unanswered about the secretive group. Swain’s involvement could be a way to explore the group further in an Arcane spin-off.
Will The Next League of Legends Series Go to Noxus?
The inclusion of Swain’s raven in Arcane Season 2 is just another piece of the mounting evidence that the next Arcane series will be one set in Noxus. For starters, Noxus is one of the only other nations heavily involved in Arcane’s story beyond Piltover and Zaun. With viewers already somewhat familiar with and invested in the story of Noxus, it would be logical for Riot to set its next story there. Mel is also seen leading Ambessa’s armies, presumably back to Noxus, in the series finale and is set to come to Arcane as a playable champion next year, so Riot’s investment in the region of Noxus seems clear.
Arcane’s Showrunner Confirms Noxus Is A Focus For Riot’s Next Series
The idea of a Noxus-set show also lends itself to recent comments made by Arcane’s co-creator Christian Linke, who confirmed that Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia are three areas crucial to the expansion of the world of Arcane. The showrunner also confirmed the next Arcane spin-off has been in development for about a year. With all the attention that is being paid to Noxus both in Arcane and in League of Legends of late, it makes sense this could be leading toward a Noxus-focused spin-off series being the first Arcane sequel.
Arcane: League of Legends is streaming on Netflix.
Arcane is an animated series developed by Alex Yee and Christian Linke that follows a the story of Piltover and Zaun, two pivotal locations in the League of Legends universe. The first season follows the stories of Jynx and Vi, as well as Jayce and Viktor.
- Release Date
- November 6, 2021
- Cast
- Hailee Steinfeld , Ella Purnell , Kevin Alejandro , Katie Leung , jason spisak , Toks Olagundoye , Harry Lloyd , JB Blanc , Reed Shannon , Mick Wingert
- Seasons
- 2
- Writers
- Christian Linke , Alex Yee
- Franchise(s)
- League of Legends
- Directors
- Pascal Charrue , Arnaud Delord
- Showrunner
- Christian Linke , Alex Yee
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