3Below: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Netflix’s Tales Of Arcadia

Arcadia is an ordinary little American city until you look below the surface and witness the amazing and terrifying things going on there. There are ferocious trolls living beneath the streets of the city, ready to attack unwary travelers as seen in 2016’s Trollhunters. Here also lives alien royalty hiding in plain sight among humans in 2018’s 3Below. The final part of the trilogy of Tales from Arcadia is titled Wizards, which completes the trilogy of shows and ties everything together.

3Below is the middle part of the trilogy, created by Guillermo del Toro for Netflix. It tells the story of alien royals Aja and Krel Tarron, who flee to Earth following a rebellion by their General Morando on their home planet. Here are 10 facts you need to know about the show.

10 The Trolls & Aliens Are Connected

While Trollhunters is an urban magical fantasy, 3Below is science fiction. But the latter is the continuation of the story that began with the former. And it soon becomes clear that the presence of the trolls in Arcadia is somehow connected with the arrival of the aliens, as proven by a prophecy.

The prophecy regarding Aja and Krel might have some role to play in dealing with the trolls once and for all, something that has only been hinted at so far. Hopefully, Wizards will reveal the full truth behind the prophecy and the part it plays in bringing an end to the trilogy.

9 Aliens In Trollhunters

While we get to know Aja and Krel in 3Below, and the details about their past and what they are doing in Arcadia, we actually got a glimpse of them much earlier. During an episode of Trollhunters named “In Good Hands.”

Here we get to meet the alien siblings when they were in their full human guise. While the viewers were unaware at the time that the two were not from this planet, there were actually several hints as to their foreign nature that makes sense upon re-watching the episode.

8 Crossover Event

For most of the first part of 3Below, the events in the series make only a passing reference to the events of the first part of the trilogy of Tales from Arcadia. It is made clear that 3Below is taking place at the same time as part 3 of  Trollhunters.

It is in the ninth episode of both shows that the main characters crossover to have an adventure together. This event officially established the Arcadiaverse, and we will get to see the full Avengers-style team-up between the heroes from the two shows in the final part of the trilogy.

7 Cinderella Disguises

So Aja and Krel are aliens, and in order to look like humans, they have to use a device from their ship that turns them human for twelve hours at a time. The two can’t take off their disguises on their own, nor can they sustain the illusion for longer than twelve hours.

This means a lot of the times, we get to see a ‘Cinderella running away from the ball at midnight’ scenario play out on the show. This weakness also proves a huge advantage for those wishing to expose the two to the other citizens of Arcadia.

6 Made Of Light

Aja and Krel are aliens known as Akiridions. That means even though they look vaguely humanoid, their physiology is completely different from ours. For one thing, Akiridions are made of hard light, meaning that they are beings of almost pure energy.

That is why it is so difficult to destroy an Akiridion. Their entire bodies can be destroyed and re-built as long as their life cores are intact. It is only if you destroy the cores themselves that you can permanently destroy an Akiridion.

5 MOTHER Helps Out

Aja and Krel are quite resourceful, but they are still young, inexperienced teens who couldn’t last a day on Earth on their own. Luckily, they have the highly advanced AI of their ship, nicknamed MOTHER, helping them out. The AI is responsible for teaching them about their new planet and making sure their cover isn’t blown.

Throughout the series, MOTHER also acts as the unseen force behind many of Aja and Krel’s victories, often providing crucial information or resources that the two need to beat their enemies or get out of a sticky situation.

4 Earth Was Considered Insignificant

Aja and Krel were sent to Earth because it seemed like the last place Morando would look for them. Because Earth is considered a completely backward planet by galactic standards of other, more advanced races.

This is in keeping with most science fiction universes where Earth is almost always depicted as being the least advanced among planets and always at the mercy of other superior beings from more advanced worlds.

3 Their Arrival Was Planned

While it is initially believed that Earth was chosen because it was insignificant, it was later revealed that sending Aja and Krel was part of a plan set in motion many decades ago. Back then, Gaylen’s Core was hidden on Earth by Aja and Krel’s parents, who entrusted the powerful device to the care of Kanjigar the Courageous.

It has since been theorized that this was the main reason why MOTHER was programmed to bring Aja and her brother to Earth in case of an emergency. So they would one day wield the power of the core.

2 The Show Gets Real About Discrimination

This is a show that is as much for adults as it is for children. In fact, some of the issues it deals with need a mature mind to fully grasp. For instance, MOTHER chooses a Latino and a female disguise for Aja and Krel because it identifies those groups as being largely ignored by society so they can move around unseen.

The issue of discrimination is also brought up a few times, with an entire episode dealing with Aja and Krel being accused of living in America illegally and almost getting deported.

1 The End Is Just The Beginning

The series ran for two seasons. But this does not mean that the adventures of Aja and Krel are over. In fact, it is strongly hinted that the biggest threat they have ever faced is yet to come when a talking cat pops up in the last episode to warn them that the planet is about to be destroyed.

This sets up Wizards, the final part of Tales of Arcadia, which will see the Trollhunters teaming up with Aja and Krel to take on a new threat that will take both of their combined efforts to overcome, as the worlds of science fiction and fantasy collide in the peaceful town of Arcadia.