Every LoL Champion in Arcane Ranked by Significance

Image: Netflix, Riot Games via HGG

Human Made

Summer has been an avid gamer ever since she was a young girl. She graduated from the University of California Davis in 2019, and completed an inte... Read more

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Arcane is an animated series on Netflix that takes champions from the immensely popular League of Legends MOBA and delves deep into their origins. Vi and Jinx are established as the main characters, however there are several other League of Legends Champions in Arcane that define the rivaling cities of Piltover and Zaun, and play a major role in Vi and Jinx’s storylines. In this article, we’ll be looking at all the League of Legends Champions appear as Arcane characters, touching on their backstories, their importance, and their order of appearance in the show.

Whether you’re new to Arcane, or have binge-watched the first season, get ready to explore the Champions behind the show that brought League of Legends lore to life like never before.

Arcane League of Legends Characters, Ranked Most to Least Important

There are eight League of Legends Champions in Arcane. More Champions will be revealed in Season 2, which is scheduled to be released sometime this year. Some of the Champions that might make an appearance in Season 2 include Darius, Blitzcrank, Urgot, Zeri, and Warwick.

Below, I will detail each Champion’s significance, a bit of their backstory (no spoilers), and their order of appearance in the show.

1/9

Vi

Vi from Arcane — Image: Netflix, Riot Games via HGG

Vi is introduced in the very first episode, but as a teenager. She is the older sister of Powder, who is Jinx as a child before she is adopted by Silco. Vi and Powder are adopted by Vander after their parents are killed in a battle against Piltover enforcers.

Vander adopted two other children named Claggor and Mylo, who are also shown in the first episode. Vi is the clever, hotheaded, and fearless leader of Vander’s children, and acts as their protector when Vander is away.

Vi is captured and imprisoned for several years after the events in the first episode, and builds up her strength during that time. After Caitlyn asks her for her help, she is released from prison and quickly starts to form a close bond with her. Later on in the show, Jayce allows her to use his Hextech gauntlets, which make her the powerful Champion that she is in League of Legends.

2/9

Jinx

Jinx, also known as Powder, is also introduced in the first episode. She is the younger sister of Vi, and has a knack for inventions. Like Vi, she is impulsive, reckless, and fearless. As a child, she struggles with severe trauma and anxiety, which only becomes worse after the life changing events in episode one. She is separated from Vi, and is adopted by Silco, Zaun’s underground mastermind.

While Vi is growing up in prison, Jinx grows up to be a wild and deadly criminal. She carries out Silco’s orders, and terrorizes Zaun and Piltover in the process. She devastates her enemies with her own dangerous weapons, and wreaks havoc with her iconic gun, Fishbones.

Jinx is an extremely troubled and scarred character throughout the show, and constantly battles with her inner self. She ultimately must decide to be Powder, the young girl who Vi knew and loved, or Jinx, the maniacal criminal that Silco created.

3/9

Jayce

If Vi and Jinx are the main characters, then Jayce is right behind them. His storyline acts as a backdrop for the main plot. In the first episode, Vi, Jinx, Claggor, and Mylo are caught stealing from Jayce’s home. Jinx manages to steal Jayce’s magic crystals, which were part of his Hextech research. He is later brought to the Piltover council for experimenting with magic.

Later on in the show, though, Jayce’s research is embraced and backed by those who want to see what magic can do for the future progress of Piltover. Jayce and Viktor together invent different creations with the Hextech gemstones that make life for people in Piltover better, such as the Hextech Gates.

Jayce goes from being on the brink of suicide to being a renowned scientist, diplomatic leader, and warrior. Towards the end of the season, he finally gets to wield his famous Hextech hammer in an epic battle.

4/9

Heimerdinger

Heimerdinger is an extremely wise, brilliant, and acclaimed yordle scientist in Piltover. His groundbreaking ideas and inventions have greatly impacted everyday life in Piltover. He acts as a very influential mentor figure to Jayce.

This famous yordle scientist is 307 years old in the first episode of Arcane. In the second and third episodes, he is around 313 years old. He has an incredible amount of experience under his belt. He has seen how magic can revolutionize the lives it touches, and corrupt and destroy them at the same time.

Although he is impressed with Jayce’s Hextech research, he also thinks that it is very dangerous. He urges Jayce to give his Hextech technology more time in the laboratory before unleashing its full power on Piltover. However, Jayce and the other council members end up removing him from the council because of his unwillingness to push Hextech technology forward.

Heimerdinger then travels to Zaun and realizes just how fallen the undercity really is, and sparks up a very interesting and valuable relationship with Ekko. I have a feeling that Heimerdinger and Ekko’s partnership will play a major role in Season 2.

5/9

Caitlyn

If Vi is the main character, then Caitlyn’s appearance in the show was inevitable. In League of Legends lore, they have an unshakeable bond, but they are also very different. While Vi tends to be very impulsive, headstrong, and rash, Caitlyn is extremely calculated, calm, and level-headed. Together, they balance each other out and make a formidable team. Arcane depicts this relationship very well, but hints at more of a romantic spark between them.

We see Caitlyn take the stage in episode four, “Happy Progress Day!”. Caitlyn, who is famously known in League of Legends as the Sheriff of Piltover, has not yet taken on this role in Arcane. Instead she is an enforcer, and has her heart and mind set on making a difference in Piltover. Her relationship with Vi opens her eyes to the overwhelming poverty and twisted darkness in Zaun. She quickly gets involved with the intense war between Zaun and Piltover.

Caitlyn has a close bond with Jayce, and is one of the first people to support his Hextech technology. Caitlyn’s esteemed family ends up supporting Jayce’s endeavors, which gives Jayce’s technology the early recognition and acceptance it needs.

6/9

Viktor

Viktor is the character in Arcane that keeps Jayce’s Hextech dreams alive the most. He is also a character that, as League of Legends players know, will go under an extreme transformation process.

He first makes his appearance in episode two, and almost immediately becomes Jayce’s right hand man. Like Jayce, he is an extremely intelligent scientist, and risks it all to help Jayce further his research. When Jayce is at his lowest point, Viktor saves him and gives him the hope he needs to keep pursuing Hextech technology despite the council’s disapproval.

Viktor suffers from a debilitating terminal illness that only gets worse throughout the show. For him, Hextech is the only chance he has at surviving; however, it won’t come without a cost. Viktor’s transformation into a ruthless cyborg is inevitable, and will eventually tear Viktor and Jayce apart in Season 2.

7/9

Ekko

Ekko grew up with Vi and Jinx in Zaun. He grew close to them, especially Jinx, during childhood, and also became a gifted inventor. He comes on stage in episode one, but really hits his stride as a major character in Act 2.

In Act 2, he becomes the leader of the Firelights, an undercity street gang that pushes back against Silco’s regime. He also decides to help Vi and Caitlyn in their quest to defeat Silco and dissolve his Shimmer operation.

In League of Legends, Ekko is famously known as “The Boy Who Shattered Time.” Although we don’t get to see Ekko’s full potential in Season 1, Ekko shows off his time-reversing power in an epic battle against Jinx in episode eight. With Heimerdinger now by his side, it’s clear that we will be seeing much more of Ekko’s time-shattering abilities in Season 2.

8/9

Singed

Singed is an integral character in Arcane that also resides in Zaun. He makes his first appearance in the first episode, but doesn’t get very much screen time until Act 3. Although his appearance in Arcane doesn’t look quite like his original design in League of Legends, he is very much the “Mad Chemist” in Arcane that League of Legends fans know and love.

Once a highly esteemed alchemist in Piltover, he now works for Silco in Zaun. His controversial and immoral experiments forced him into exile; but in Zaun, he has the freedom to conduct these experiments without fear of punishment.

Singed is mainly responsible for creating the infamous purple Shimmer drug that corrupts Zaun and fuels Silco’s regime. He plays a vital role in Viktor’s backstory, and ultimately saves Jinx from certain death towards the end of the season. Although he is mainly a background character in the first two acts, we can expect to see much more of him and his twisted experiments in Season 2.

9/9

Ryze

In episode two, we get a very short glimpse of Ryze, the Rune Mage. Ryze is an extremely powerful sorcerer in Runeterra. He is on a quest to collect the world’s most powerful magical artifacts so that their power doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

In League of Legends, his ultimate ability allows him to transport him and team members to another location. In Arcane, he uses his League of Legends ultimate to transport Jayce and his mother out of a blizzard and back to safety in Piltover.

Ryze’s heroic actions spark Jayce’s passion for Hextech technology, and inspire him to use it for good. Even though we don’t see much of Ryze in Season 1, I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a comeback at some point in Season 2.

Join the High Ground

Each Champion in Arcane has a pivotal role to play in the epic fight between Piltover and Zaun, and Vi and Jinx. Season 2 will bring even more rich character development, and exciting Champions to the scene. Which Champion is your favorite in Season 1, and which Champions do you hope to see in Season 2? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter.

Happy gaming!

Every LoL Champion in Arcane Ranked by Significance

Arcane League of Legends Characters, Ranked Most to Least Important

Vi