Top 10 Things You Missed In Arcane

Benzo’s shop is a treasure trove of “League” Easter Eggs. One of the most exciting is hanging right over the door. When Vander enters, you can see the helmet of “League” Champion Tryndamere, The Barbarian King. Or at least, one that’s very similar! Meanwhile, Benzo is examining the Heart of Gold, a gold-generating item retired from the game in 2012. On a shelf sits another in-game item, Rabaddon's Deathcap - showing that Benzo is running quite the shop! When Ekko spies on his conversation, you can spot an Eye of the Oasis, alongside three masks. The one on the left looks a bit like Jhin’s, the middle like the item Liandry’s Anguish, and the one on the right like a Blood Moon Mask.

The little details in “Arcane” extend beyond just “League” Easter Eggs. They’re also carefully worked into the plot. For example, the bloodstained coin that Marcus contemplates in Act 2 is the same one that Silco tosses him in Act 1. The mutated Shimmer addict who helps, then sells out Vi and Caitlyn is Huck, the merchant that Vander helped in the first episode. But one of the most emotive motifs is the music box that Jinx prepares for Vi in the season finale. A wide-eyed Powder found this in Jayce’s workshop. It represents her childhood self, and the sparklers she puts in it as Jinx reflect the wonder of that lost time.

“Arcane” is packed with details that foreshadow the future of its characters. Among the most obvious are the Atlas Gauntlets and the Hex Claw, the latter of which resembles Viktor’s robotic arm in “League”. Another is the way Powder is said to “jinx” missions in Act I. But there are much subtler clues too. In episode three, for example, Powder has drawn two wings on her wooden box of toys and gizmos. They’re actually a reference to Jinx’s Star Guardian skin in “League”. There’s also another foreshadowing in her drawings in this scene, but we’ll get to that a little later ...

To butter Councilman Hoskel up in episode two, Mel gives him a gift - a puzzle designed for children. Appealing to his vanity, she tells him that it will require a keen mind to solve. What some viewers might have missed is that Hoskel is STILL struggling with this puzzle years later! According to Vi, Jinx was around 7 years old in Act 1. She’s well into her teens in the second act, so it seems to have been roughly ten years since Hoskel received the puzzle! Maybe Mel should have given him one for babies?

The logo for Riot Games’ virtual heavy metal band first pops up in episode one, when Jinx is running from one of Deckard’s crewmembers. It’s been graffitied on the wall, beneath a mushroom that recalls “League” Champion Teemo. It makes a more notable appearance in episode four, again in Zaun. The Undercity has changed since Silco took over, and you can see what look to be Chem Barons indulging in the luxury of pure air. On their right, there’s a sign saying “Herald Palace” with the head of the game’s Rift Herald emblazoned above it. There’s also a hulking figure getting the Pentakill logo tattooed on his back. Now that’s a fan.

Jinx’s signature weapons in “League” are her minigun, named Pow-Pow, and her rocket launcher, Fishbones. We see her cutting loose with the minigun on several occasions, notably when defending Silco’s Shimmer shipment from the Firelights, and when fighting them again alongside Vi. Act 3 culminates in her using Fishbones to fire at Piltover. This weapon was actually foreshadowed a few times in Act I. We glimpse it in Powder’s drawings in episode 3. And it looks like she has a pillow with a similar design in the very first episode! Seems like she’s been dreaming about building the weapon for a while.

This was truly a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. After Powder dumps their loot in episode one, the dejected crew enter a dilapidated building. Inside is an elevator that brings them down to the Undercity. However, eagle-eyed viewers will have noted something curious about the paintings on the wall in the entryway. One of them is in fact a portrait of “League” Champion Cho’Gath - specifically the Voidborn beast’s skin ‘Gentleman Cho’Gath’, released in 2010. You really have to be watching closely to catch it. It’s details like this that show production company Fortiche’s dedication to fans and to building the world of “Arcane”.

In episode seven, it’s revealed that the Firelights’ mysterious leader is Ekko. There were a few early hints that had fans suspicious. One was the red scarf, which matches the “League” Champion’s. The other was his preoccupation with his pocketwatch. In “League”, Ekko is able to manipulate time using his invention the Z-Drive (which actually resembles the container which he uses to store the Hextech Gemstone). His watch features even more in his fight against Jinx in episode 7. In fact, this whole sequence, in which he flashes back to their play fights as kids, nods to his temporal powers.

Obviously, you couldn’t have ‘missed’ Claggor’s goggles. They’re right there on his head. But what not all viewers would have realized is that these goggles, or very similar ones, are actually part of Vi’s character design in “League of Legends”. Curiously, she doesn’t don them in “Arcane”, at least not in season one. However, we do see them again in Jinx’s hideout, where dolls of Mylo and Claggor keep her company. It’s a poignant reminder of the tragic twist that broke her mind and transformed her into Jinx. Who knows, maybe Vi will retrieve these goggles in the future.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

The Girl Jinx Killed Is Being Painted Into the Firelight Mural
There’s Also a Plushie That Looks Like Teemo!

Teemo in a Children's Book
The Yordle Appears in an Illustration

Jinx Listens to “Get Jinxed” in Her Hideout
The Song Was Released to Promote the “League” Champion in 2013

Kindred Masks in an Undercity Brothel
A Nod to Another “League” Champion

Turbo Chemtanks on Shimmer Factory Guards
Shoutout to ElGrunch for Pointing This One Out to Us!

Gragas on Shimmer Barrels
The Brewmaster Is Painted on the Side

A Nod to Nautilus
The Diving Equipment & Painting Could Allude to the Titan of the Depths

Even if you didn’t catch this moment, you might have still heard about it from friends or fans online. But it was such an exciting little detail we had to include it, and even gave it our top spot! In “League” lore, Singed created the Champion Warwick through excruciating experiments. And in an extremely brief shot from the season one finale, we seem to see Warwick’s body and claws in the Mad Chemist’s lab! Warwick was once a human, who “put down his blade ” to “live a better life”. After his transformation, his only memory was of blood and a little girl screaming a name. This sounds a LOT like someone we know ... We’ll hopefully find out in season two!