Arcane Season 1 Recap: Everything You Need to Know Before Next Season

Arcane Season 1 was released in 2021 and instantly became an all-time hit anime series. To be honest, for me, the nine-episode series set the standard for every anime series to come. Set in the popular League of Legends universe, Arcane has captivated fanatics with its storytelling, animation, and cinematography. I have never felt more connected to another animated character than I did with Vi and Power (Jinx). The TV show was filled with several mind-blowing twists and turns, so it's hard to remember them all. Now that we are heading towards the release of Arcane Season 2, we have discussed the Arcane Season 1 recap so that you do not face any problem while catching up with the new episodes.

The act that started it all

Following a failed uprising against Piltover, Vander meets two sisters, Vi and Power, who lost their parents in the battle. He began to feel that the poor girls were orphans because of him. So even though he can't bring back their parents, he takes the girls with him to raise them as his own. He also decides to abandon the life he has led so far to start a new life that will not experience any violence.

Of course, the underground city of Zaun and Piltover were never the best of friends, but it was only because of Powder's actions that things became even worse. Powder, Vi, Claggor and Mylo head to the wealthy town of Piltover to commit petty theft. They break into an apartment and are fascinated by what is happening there. Later, the series allows us to learn that the apartment belonged to Jayce, the one who invented Hextech. As Powder and the boys start filling their bags with normal stuff, Powder finds Jayce's crystal and keeps it in her pocket. Vi hears the footsteps of law enforcement, so she grabs Powder's hand and heads for the back door. While running, the crystal slipped out of Powder's pocket, creating an explosion.

Breaking into the apartment of an influential family will never be easy. Even though it was a botched heist, Piltover City law enforcement began approaching the Zaunites for leads. They also meet Vander at a bar and question him about the culprits. Vander reacted as if he was unaware of such a thing. However, Grayson and Marcus tell him that they will definitely come back repeatedly until the case is solved.

The explosion caused by Powder and Vi somehow became the reason for Jayce's imprisonment. He was accused of playing with magic and pushing Piltover into danger. Although some council members were against Jayce, some, including Mel, supported his ambition. Eventually, Jayce, with Viktor's help, conducted the experiments and succeeded after several failures.

In the Act 1 finale, Silco kidnaps Vander in revenge. However, before he can harm Vander, Vi, Mylo and Claggor arrive and help their adoptive father out of hiding. Due to Powder's rash decision-making, Vander, Mylo, and Claggor lose their lives. Vi's anger and Powder's guilt send them both on different paths, with Powder siding with Silco.

Vi and powderThe different paths of

A few years later, we see Piltover becoming the most dynamic city thanks to technological advancements – all thanks to Jayce and Viktor. Powder, on the other hand, now displays the title of “Jinx”. She caused a lot of trouble in Piltover and took first place on the Enforcers' most wanted list.

Caitlyn, who is close to Jayce, takes matters into her own hands and frees Vi from prison. She knows that only Vi can stop Jinx and end her terrorism. Eventually, Vi and Jinx met, but their meeting didn't end on a good note. Jinx has gone too far and even though she wants Vi's love, she can't help but hate herself and compare herself to her older sister.

On the other hand, Viktor asks for Hex's help to heal his leg, which doesn't work well. The Hex begins to manipulate Viktor, and we might see him turn to a darker side. Silco considers Jinx his daughter, so in a way he now understands why Vander stopped fighting Piltover – he wanted his daughters to be safe, too. However, there is too much hatred in Jinx's heart and nothing can stop it.

Things are now becoming more political as the Council is divided over what to do with the Underworld. While most members want to cut the Piltover Underworld, Jayce wants to take a different route. Jayce had a change of heart after accidentally killing a child in his act of anger. He knows that the people of Zaun live off their remains and he cannot take away their right to live a good life. In the midst of all this, Heimerdinger questions the irresponsible use of Hex, and well, this constant questioning gets him kicked off the Council.

The ultimate act of terrorism

Even with Caitlyn's help, Vi couldn't stop Jinx; instead, Jinx began to become jealous of Caitlyn for getting closer to Vi. The grown-up Ekko has an incredible confrontation with Jinx – she almost died in this fight, but Singed brings her back to life thanks to her experiments.

In fact, after these experiences, Jinx becomes more powerful and loses the last ounce of humanity that was in her. Vi defeats Sevika with the help of Jayce's gadgets; however, before she can enjoy her victory against the person who plotted against Vander, Jinx kidnaps her. Along with her, Jinx also kidnaps Silco and Caitlyn. We all know why she kidnaps Caitlyn, but Silco goes after Jinx because he lied to her about Vi. Apparently, he hid the fact that Vi was behind bars, leading Jinx to believe that her sister had abandoned her.

However, in the final act, Jinx asks Vi to kill Caitlyn if she wants her younger sister back. Vi obviously couldn't do that; instead, she asked Jinx to remember their time together and tap into her good side. However, Jinx's mind is all messed up, and in an act of frustration, she blindly fires her machine gun across the room – Caitlyn and Vi survive, but Silco gets shot. Taking his last breath, Silco tells Jinx that he always considered her his daughter.

At this point, Jinx has lost all sense of good. She stands up and aims her Bazooka towards the Council Chamber, where the Council votes to help and sport Zaun. Unaware that she is destroying Zaun's last chance at peace, Jinx draws her Ultimate. The finale doesn't show the aftermath of the explosion, but it's safe to say that Jinx killed some crucial people and started a war between Zaun and Piltover. It's possible that Mel is dead too, and perhaps that's why Mel's mother, Medarda, leads the Piltover army towards Zaun in the second season.