If you binged both seasons of Arcane and found yourself crying over Vi and Jinx’s messy sibling dynamic, you’ve almost certainly wondered how does arcane relate to league of legends, the hit multiplayer online battle arena from Riot Games. I’ve been playing LoL on and off since 2017, and when the first season of Arcane dropped back in 2021, I saw dozens of my non-gaming friends flood my DMs asking if the show’s characters, locations, and brutal conflicts actually exist in the game. This guide breaks down every core connection between the two, what’s changed between the show and original game lore, and how you can explore more of this universe if you want to.
Shared Characters That Explain How Does Arcane Relate to League of Legends
Every major character you followed across Arcane’s two seasons is a playable champion in League of Legends, though their in-game versions reflect their full, completed lore, not just the younger versions we see in the show’s timeline. Vi and Jinx are the most obvious and iconic links between the two properties – their lifelong rivalry is a core part of both the show and the game’s established backstory, and their in-game abilities even directly reference key moments from the show. For example, the massive hextech gauntlets Vi inherits from Vander in season 1 are her primary weapon in LoL, and Jinx’s signature rocket launcher Fishbones is the exact same weapon she uses to blow up the Piltover council at the end of season 1.
Plenty of supporting characters from the show are also playable in the game, too. Caitlyn, the sharp-shooting Piltover enforcer who works with Vi, is the official sheriff of Piltover in LoL lore. Ekko, the leader of the Firelights, uses the same time-manipulation technology he builds in season 2 for his in-game abilities. Even Ambessa Medarda, Mel’s ruthless Noxian mother, was added as a playable champion shortly after she appeared in Arcane season 2, as part of Riot’s push to align the game’s lore more closely with the show. It’s important to note that not every character’s arc in the show matches their original in-game lore, and that’s an intentional choice from Riot. The studio adjusted small parts of LoL’s existing 10+ year old lore to fit the show’s emotional narrative, and they’ve been updating the game’s character bios over time to fix any inconsistencies.
Arcane’s Timeline and Regional Lore Ties to League of Legends
A lot of new fans assume Arcane is a straight prequel to LoL, and that’s mostly accurate, but it’s not a one-to-one adaptation of existing lore. The show takes place roughly 10 years before the current timeline of League of Legends, so all the characters you see in the show are younger, less experienced, and still figuring out their place in the world. For example, in Arcane, Ekko is a scrappy teen running the Firelights to protect Zaun’s most vulnerable residents, but in the game’s current timeline, he’s an adult who has fully mastered his Zero Drive time-manipulation device, and he works closely with other Zaunite champions to fight for his home.
The core conflict between Piltover and Zaun is another huge, long-standing connection between the show and the game. Long before Arcane was ever announced, Piltover was established as the wealthy, progressive “City of Progress” perched on cliffs above Zaun, the polluted, neglected undercity choked by chemical runoff from Piltover’s factories. The tension between the two cities has been the backdrop for dozens of champion storylines in LoL for over a decade, and Arcane just expanded on that existing worldbuilding to make it accessible for people who have never played the game. Riot even used Arcane to fill in huge gaps in the existing lore: before the show, fans only had small, vague snippets of how Vi and Jinx became enemies, or how Jayce and Viktor invented hextech. The show turned those small notes into a fully realized, emotional story that even long-time LoL fans found surprising and moving.
Arcane Easter Eggs You Can Find in League of Legends
After the first season of Arcane broke streaming records and won multiple Emmy awards, Riot added dozens of Arcane-themed content to LoL to reward both long-time fans and new players who joined the game specifically for the show. Most of these Easter eggs are small, but they add a fun layer of connection for anyone who loves both the show and the game:
I remember playing a match as Vi just a few days after season 1 dropped, and when I killed an enemy Jinx, my character had a special, quiet voice line that said “sorry, Powder.” I actually paused for a second because it hit just as hard as the show’s most emotional scenes. If you’re a new player who joined after watching Arcane, hunting for these Easter eggs is a low-pressure way to get familiar with the game’s champions without feeling overwhelmed by the 160+ roster.
Tips for Playing League of Legends If You’re an Arcane Fan First
You don’t have to play LoL to enjoy Arcane, and there’s no pressure to pick up the game if you’re only here for the show. But if you are curious about the game after falling in love with the characters, there are a few simple tips that will make your first few hours a lot more fun. First, start with the characters you already know and love from the show. You don’t have to learn all 160+ champions right away, and starting with a character you have an emotional connection to will make the learning curve feel a lot less frustrating. Stick to Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, or Ekko first if you’re a new player – their abilities are relatively straightforward to learn, and you’ll already understand their motivations, which makes playing them feel more rewarding.
You also don’t need to memorize every bit of LoL lore to enjoy the game. A lot of new players worry they’ll be lost if they don’t know every character’s backstory, but the gameplay is completely separate from the lore for casual matches. You can just pick Jinx because you love her chaotic energy in the show, jump into a casual match, and have fun without knowing anything about Noxus or Ionia or any of the game’s other regions. If you do want more Arcane content outside of the show and LoL, Riot has a bunch of other smaller games that tie directly to Arcane’s plot, including Hextech Mayhem, a rhythm game starring Jinx, and Legends of Runeterra, a card game that has full story expansions that pick up right where Arcane season 2 left off.
At the end of the day, how does arcane relate to league of legends is simpler than a lot of new fans make it out to be. It’s a genuine love letter to the game’s lore and characters, written by people who have worked on LoL for years, and it’s designed to be accessible for both long-time players and people who have never touched a video game in their life. Whether you’re here to rewatch your favorite Arcane scenes and hunt for hidden lore references in the game, or you’re ready to jump into a LoL match as Vi and beat up a few enemies with your hextech gauntlets, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this universe. Just don’t be surprised if you end up crying over Jinx’s in-game lore bio the same way you cried during the show’s finale.