The 8 Most Shocking Moments In Arcane: League of Legends

League of Legends could only share its lore through bite-sized shorts, music videos, or comics before Arcane. Riot was very excited to finally tell a fully-fledged story and share it with the world. Needless to say, they knocked it out of the park, and fans are raining Arcane with praise.

Many fans bring up the stellar animation, the fantastic worldbuilding, or the fact that it’s a videogame adaptation that’s good. However, what elevates Arcane is its gripping story and shocking moments that leave both long-time fans and new audiences glued to their screens.

Silco Gets An Eyeful

This scene communicates two important things to the audience. Firstly, it establishes that Shimmer can be used to treat severe wounds like Silco’s infected eye. It foreshadows the use of Shimmer as a potion later for Vi when she gets injured, or Jinx when she almost dies.

The second is that Silco trusts Jinx so completely that he lets her stab his eye with a super drug that is known to turn people into monsters. It’s also a great way to introduce the strangely trusting relationship between Jinx and Silco.

Jinx Makes a Snack

Even League fans who knew Cait was alive and well in the game wondered just how she could survive this scene with Jinx. The fact that Jinx could make the headstrong and brave Vi shake in fear with words alone is telling of how sinister Jinx has become.

Viewers could feel the venom Jinx has towards Cait and Vi in this short scene. It also gives us a neat Texas Chainsaw Massacre scene in a surprisingly effective horror scene. The macabre familiarity of the Claggor and Mylo dolls is quite an unsettling sight as well.

The Corrupt Hexcore

Despite being one of the brightest minds in Piltover, Viktor’s life is slowly waning. To combat this, he starts experimenting with a corrupted hexcore and things go bad quickly. Viktor’s assistant Sky attempts to save him but it leads to her unexpected death.

As Sky turns into dust in front of his eyes, Viktor realizes how desperate he’s truly become. Viktor never gave Sky the attention she sought from him when she was alive. Now, her death will always be on his mind. This moment also foreshadows Viktor’s eventual fate in the lore really well.

The Fireflies At The Bridge

Ekko, Vi, and Cait are finally close to bringing the arcane ball back to Piltover. However, they are stopped at the bridge by the corrupt enforcers. As tensions rise and weapons are pointed, they all notice a swarm of fireflies surrounding them. Ticking. Uh oh.

The reveal that the fireflies we see throughout the episode were explosives all along was amazing. It’s noticeable enough to be memorable but not blatant enough to seem important. It’s also a brilliant way to showcase Jinx’s unorthodox creativity as a child hasn’t left her, even at the height of her instability.

Deckard’s Ambush

The swiftness of Deckard’s attack is what makes this moment so scary. As important characters, you would have expected some kind of a fight from Bernzo and Grayson, even if they do end up losing. It’s only natural to expect such things from a conventional narrative.

Instead, Bernzo and Grayson get torn apart in seconds, despite being important figures in Zaun and Piltover. The scene establishes that no matter how important a character seems, they are in danger of dying. It’s also the first time that the viewers actually fear for the characters’ lives.

The Factory Raid

Desperate to take action against the enemies at his city’s gates, Jayce takes the fight to Silco. In the ensuing battle, Jayce accidentally murders one of the children working there. The sudden tone shift from a hype action scene to the grim reality of war is done incredibly well.

It’s also a good way to establish that even the most kind-hearted of heroes are capable of horrible mistakes. The decision to give Zaun independence was likely out of guilt for that mistake as much as it was to protect his city.

The Ending

The ending of Arcane is a brilliant bookend to this saga of Jinx’s story. Like the end of episode 3, an explosion completely changes the status quo of the series. Both explosions are caused by an emotionally unstable Jinx. The explosions prevent the peaceful resolution at the last possible second.

Finally, Jinx’s father figure Silco, disappears from Jinx’s life by her own hand, just like Vander. All of these themes are set to Sting’s “What Could Have Been”, a fitting song for such a downer ending. It’s rare to see a total downer ending these days, but Arcane pulled it off magnificently.

Powder Blows Up The Cast

Despite how horrifying this scene is, it’s a beautiful composition of chaos. The melancholy music and Powder’s satisfied expression contrast so harshly against the destruction and death she causes. It’s a grim reminder that she’s just a naive lonely child.

Even worse, a desperate child who didn’t know if she would ever see the people she cared about ever again. Powder’s transformation into Jinx started right here, and the consequences of her actions will haunt her (and audiences) for the rest of the series.

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