It feels wrong to have to say goodbye to Arcane so soon. The Netflix series wasted no time securing its place as the best video game adaptation — and the best animated series — on television. Its success came as a surprise to diehard fans of League of Legends, the team-based battle game that Arcane serves as a prequel to. Though the franchise has long had blockbuster appeal, with an influence that’s bled into multiple mediums, attempts to flesh out the sprawling world of Runeterra never seemed necessary. League of Legends isn’t exactly character-driven: though its “champions” each come with a brief, obligatory backstory, they felt more like pieces on a board than flesh-and-blood heroes.
That effectively changed with Arcane. Its nine-episode first season was the ideal companion to League: its status as a prequel allowed anyone to tap in, even those unfamiliar with in-game lore. But it also had the freedom to take the avatars of the game and craft rich, tragic backstories where none previously existed. There were plenty of other reasons to tune in — thanks to its tight, competent writing to its gorgeous animation, Arcane became an instant classic. In an age of total uncertainty where television is concerned, Arcane could easily be a multi-season success. But Riot knew just how far it wanted to take this story, even if it meant pulling the rug out from under fans.
