"Arcane" season 2 is poised to take us back to Zaun and Piltover when the acclaimed video game adaptation returns to Netflix this November, for what we now know will be the show's final season.
"Arcane", an animated series based on characters and stories from Riot Games' League of Legends franchise, arrived to huge acclaim back in 2021, garnering praise for its incredible mixture of beautiful visuals and complex, compelling characters.
The series chiefly revolves around Vi (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder/Jinx ("Fallout" star Ella Purnell), sisters who find themselves caught on opposite sides of a brewing civil war between Piltover, a utopian city, and Zaun, its seedy counterpart.
We've known that "Arcane" season 2 has been in the works for ages now, and now we're just a couple of months out from the show's return. Here's everything you need to know about "Arcane" season 2 right now...
'Arcane' season 2 release date speculation
Although we've known "Arcane" season 2 will be available in November and we've been treated to a number of clips and trailers, we still don't have a precise "Arcane" season 2 release date, beyond the "November 2024" release window. Surely Netflix will confirm an exact date soon?!
Nothing ever stays dead. #Arcane pic.twitter.com/gEClZ15vZ9June 3, 2024
'Arcane' season 2 plot — where did we leave off?
Be warned, there are spoilers below for "Arcane" season 1!
Netflix's official synopsis for "Arcane" season 2 doesn't give much away about what's to come. It simply reads: "In this final chapter, Jinx's attack on the Council sets the stage for a dire escalation of the conflict between Piltover and Zaun".
So, what little we know about "Arcane" season 2's plot is mostly gleaned from looking back at the first season's ending. And with that, we have to worry about the potential death toll that could rise at the start of the new season. We were left on a devastating cliffhanger finale: Jinx had launched a rocket at the Council, endangering the members who were on the cusp of passing a vote to give Zaun its independence.
The new trailer proves that this decision has become a catalyst for a full-scale conflict between the two cities: Piltover seeks justice what Jinx did. This all happened in the aftermath of Vi, Caitlyn, and Ekko working to bring the Hextech to Piltover. Jinx took it from them, and Silco brought her to Signed. The Council's decision to possibly compromise with Silco was enough, though, to push Vi to leave. And even though Vi was supposed to work with Jayce to destroy Silco's whole base? Well, Jayce pulled out after a child was accidentally hurt.
Jinx winds up in the above situation after feeling betrayed by everyone, pushing her to kidnap Vi, Caitlyn, and Silco (who she winds up taking out).
This sets up Jinx as being in serious trouble, even if the Council is somehow saved. The end of season 1 also saw much of the cast paired off: Viktor with Signed and Ekko with Heimerdinger. Similarly, Vi and Caitlyn are now some sort of team or ... couple?
Thanks to the teaser trailer that was released in January 2024, we know that Singed's lupine monster, Warwick (or at least a monster who looks strikingly similar to him) is due to make an appearance in the new series.
One thing's for sure: it sounds like we shouldn't be too optimistic about where the series takes us. In an interview with TechRadar back in April, star Ella Purnell claimed "Arcane" season 2 might even be more gut-wrenching than the show's first outing.
When asked what fans could expect, Purnell said: "I actually just went back into the studio to complete some ADR [automated dialogue replacement] for the season 2 finale — and I cried. So, I think other people will cry, too. It's devastating, and nobody will feel good after watching it".
Is there an 'Arcane' season 2 trailer?
Yep; tons. Netflix has consistently been dropping fresh clips and sneak peeks at "Arcane" season 2 throughout 2024, but the official trailer has finally arrived. Predictably, it's all about teeing up an epic battle, with both sides of the war gearing up for an epic, action-packed conclusion. Check it out below:
Before the above teaser, we got a new clip in the wake of those season 2 episode leaks. This one shows Jinx hot-footing it away from some thugs. And while it looks like they have her cornered, an unlikely ally comes to her aid.
Before that "Arcane" season 2 trailer, we got a new clip from the show that shows Heimerdinger and Ekko conducting a stealth mission, sneaking their way into the laboratory, while the little guy serves up bizarre code-phrases.
Below you can also see the preview clip that shows one of Singed's experiments (which is almost certainly another League Champion, right?). We've also embedded the recent "Next on Netflix Animation" promo video below. You can see a little bit of "Arcane" season 2 in the video around the 2:35 mark, along with a slew of other upcoming projects, including a new "Wallace & Gromit" movie.
'Arcane' season 2 cast
The "Arcane" season 2 cast will likely feature the same voices we heard in season one, Arcane season 2 cast will probably look pretty similar to the first season cast cast, though Silco's voice actor Jason Spisak may not be around much (save for potential flashbacks?).
We heard three voices in the "Arcane" season 2 announcement video, which means we're pretty confident that the following stars will be back, at the very least.
- Hailee Steinfeld as Vi
- Ella Purnell as Powder aka Jinx
- Katie Leung as Caitlyn
The rest of the likely returning cast is as follows (and we expect Brett Tucker to be added as Singed).
- Kevin Alejandro as Jayce
- Harry Lloyd as Viktor
- Toks Olagundoye as Mel Medarda
- J.B. Blank as Vander
- Reed Shannon as Ekko
- Mick Wingert as Heimerdinger
If and when we hear any new casting announcements, we'll be sure to include their names here, too.
Will "Arcane" season 3 happen?
Sadly, no: animation studio Fortiche has already confirmed that "Arcane" season 2 will be the show's final outing.
It's not all bad news, though, as Fortiche has confirmed that they have 'many stories to tell' in Riot Games' universe (per Variety). Co-creator Christian Linke said in a statement: "Arcane" is just the beginning of our larger storytelling journey and partnership with the wonderful animation studio that is Fortiche.
“From the very beginning, since we started working on this project, we had a very specific ending in mind, which means the story of ‘Arcane’ wraps up with this second season. But ‘Arcane’ is just the first of many stories that we want to tell in Runeterra.”
