Arcane Season 2 is somehow already better than the first

Arcane Season 2 is one of 2024's most hotly anticipated TV shows, and based on what I've seen the League of Legends spinoff just leveled up.

It’s been three years since we saw Jinx’s Super Mega Death Rocket hurtle towards Piltover’s council chambers, where Jayce, Mel, and their peers had gathered to initiate peace with the blossoming Republic of Zaun. It’s been three years since we watched Caitlyn and Vi struggle to come to terms with their affection for one another despite their societal differences, and Vi’s persistent hope that, somehow, Powder could be redeemed. And, of course, it’s been three years since Jinx murdered Silco in a fit of rage, destabilizing the Undercity and, by proxy, the entire Arcane universe. We’ve all been waiting to see what comes next, but, for me, there’s been some serious trepidation: how can Riot and Fortiche make a second – and final – season that rivals the first? I’ve been concerned, I won’t lie, especially in the wake of such a turbulent year for League of Legends and Riot as a whole. Thankfully, after watching the first six episodes, my concerns have been abated: Arcane Season 2 may just outdo its predecessor.

Please note that there are major plot spoilers from here on in: read at your own risk.

Our tale begins in the dusty ruins of the council chambers. It’s chaos: smog hangs in the air as smoke belches from raging fires. Jayce’s eyes flicker upwards to a disoriented Mel. They rise, clad in white and stained with dirt, grime, and ash – the eerie, toothy smile painted on Jinx’s rocket leering at them from the background. Three council members are dead: the odd, Steampunk-style creature Bolbok, the ever-arrogant Hoskel, and Cassandra Kiramman, Caitlyn’s mother. Shoola emerges from the debris, her ticking golden necklace stuttering back and forth. Enforcers struggle to pull Salo from beneath the rubble, his legs shattered. League of Legends Arcane Season 2 begins with a statement of intent: it’s taking no prisoners.

As Ambessa coordinates the ensuing rescue, Jayce notices the body of Viktor, his partner in crime, trapped beneath some boulders. He scoops him into his arms like a brother, charging straight for their laboratory where the Hexcore sits twisting, spiking, and vibrating. Viktor is dead, but purple light begins to ooze from his body, connecting him to this ominous ball of cosmic energy. As Jayce raises the Hexcore above his fallen friend, it assimilates into Viktor’s body in a flash of white light. The scene fades to black, and Imagine Dragons’ oh-so-familiar Enemy begins to play. We don’t know what the repercussions of that choice are, but it’s hardly a secret that it’s likely to end badly.

The titles give way to an image of Cassandra Kiramman’s coffin, with violet flower petals surrounding her. As the camera pans out, the scene changes, focused on a colored version of Caitlyn framed by sketchy, stationary backgrounds illuminated in a ghostly monochrome hue. The funeral plays out around her; pallid Enforcers lay her mother’s gold and white coffin to rest while a fully colored Vi stares at the wreckage her sister caused. But Caitlyn doesn’t cry; she watches as they take the coffin away in stoic, emotional silence. The color returns around her, and we see her mother’s seat at the council chambers, shattered and broken – a reminder of Jinx’s crimes.

While the first episode’s action is, of course, fast-paced and enthralling, this specific scene struck a chord with me. Perhaps it’s because, as I write this, I’m also grieving, and understand the feeling of the world standing still around me; the feeling of motion and chatter becoming static and fuzzy. It’s a singular, two-minute scene in a series defined by its emotion, just as this is a single instance in my 28 years of living, but it resonated so heavily that I’d be remiss to ignore it. In this single moment, Arcane Season 2 set itself above its predecessor for me; in some ways, I think it maybe even helped me grieve.

But this isn’t the only time Fortiche mixes up Arcane’s animation style. Episodes often begin with unique visuals, with Episode 3 (Finally Got the Name Right) kicking off with an action sequence that flits between comicbook-style art and traditional brown, sketched vellum. There are more of these as the season progresses (I’m not going to spoil them, don’t worry), but they give Season 2 a unique flair that builds on Season 1’s iconic style.

These sequences are soundtracked by banger after banger; quite honestly, there hasn’t been a bad track in Arcane Season 2 so far. Compared to the first season, however, it feels more experimental – there’s traditional choral music, then hardcore, grungy rap. Where Enemy somewhat defined Season 1, I can’t quite choose my favorite of Season 2.

In terms of storytelling, this season has leveled up, too – something I thought was genuinely impossible. As the story progresses, poster character Ambessa quickly presents herself as the series’ primary antagonist, but where Jinx is overtly chaotic, Ambessa silently pulls the strings. While she saves the day at a memorial event for Piltover’s fallen councilors, you can’t help but get the sense that she’s more of a foe than a friend. Perhaps that’s Mel’s constant warnings, but something seems a little peculiar about our newfound savior – Noxxians aren’t exactly known for their charity, after all.

But something’s plaguing our mother-daughter duo: a mysterious collective whose hallmark appears to be a magical black rose. Avid fans of the game’s lore will know exactly who this points to (especially given the original ‘related champions’ section of Ambessa’s League of Legends bio page), and if said person does indeed show up to cause chaos, I will genuinely scream.

But in the meantime, Ambessa continues to tighten her grasp on Piltover. The attack at the memorial funeral prompts Caitlyn to form a strike team, which she leads into Zaun to snuff out Jinx and restore order. Her plan revolves around a series of vents – designed by her family – that filter out the noxious Undercity fumes and make the air breathable for its inhabitants. As she flicks through an electronic vellum filled with schematics, a piano version of the 2024 League of Legends Worlds song, Heavy is the Crown, laments quietly in the background. But as everything comes together, it slowly transitions into Linkin Park’s version with some added orchestra. She stands before the remaining council members and promises to find Jinx and bring her to justice, mirroring the game’s internal age-old saga of sheriff vs criminal. It’s a powerful scene, brought to life by some musical majesty, and I think I rewatched it three or four times before finally moving on.

But there’s a distinct lack of Jinx in Arcane Season 2’s early episodes. Retreating to the solace of her workshop with her new urchin friend Isha, our blue-haired bombshell is relatively quiet in Act 1. Instead, the newly resurrected Viktor establishes himself as the Undercity’s pariah, laced with eerie, honeycomb-like Hexcore that appears to cleanse people of their ailments. Jayce, now reunited with his former teacher Heimerdinger and the tech-savvy Ekko, takes a deep dive into the heart of the Undercity, where the main Hextech vault is located. To their surprise, however, the Hextech has mutated into a Hexcore, now known as The Anomaly, and it’s volatile.

Where Jinx and Silco are lovably roguish villains in Arcane Season 1, the second season has higher stakes. The conflict isn’t black and white: Piltover isn’t the bad guy, and neither is Zaun; Ambessa is outwardly hostile, but what’s happening with Viktor? Myriad threats lurk in the background, coveting Jayce and Viktor’s Hextech technology. Where Season 1 is the perfect introduction to the world of League of Legends, Season 2 showcases the scale and dangers of Runeterra. There are even passing mentions of Janna, one of my favorite support champions, and it’s those little touches that, for me, put Season 2 ahead of its predecessor.

But, of course, there’s the action you’ve all been waiting for. A lifeless rock carving of Janna oversees the big, concluding battle between Jinx and Vi, gazing disapprovingly at the defilement of her sanctum. At the same time, The Anomaly begins to interact with Caitlyn and Vi’s Hextech weapons, sending colorful, neon sparks spilling across the screen as the fight progresses. The darkness is juxtaposed perfectly with the Hexcore’s corrupt magic, and as the fight ends and Janna’s mural is struck down, a vicious gust of wind tears through the chamber; yet another reminder that Runeterra is a vast, living world. As one conflict is resolved, another begins, and those eerie snippets of Singed’s lab and the wolf-like monstrosity he’s working on hint at what comes next.

And that’s what Arcane Season 2 does so well. I worried that we’d simply see nine episodes of Jinx and Vi going back and forth. Instead, there’s a healthy number of interweaving strands and machinations that pave the way for some seriously exciting twists and turns. Is Viktor the bad guy, or Ambessa? What is the Black Rose doing in Piltover, and will [redacted] make an appearance? Are those fan theories about Vander being involved in Singed’s experiments correct? Act 1 leaves you on a cliffhanger where the possibilities feel endless. After three hours on the couch staring at my TV in awe, all I can say is that I want more.