With the first season of Riot's League of Legends animated series, Arcane, now all out in the open (along with a few stealth game releases), fans are excited to see what comes next. This show obviously proves that Riot and Fortiche (the French Studio behind the animation) have what it takes to bring the infinitely deep well of LoL lore to life while also making it approachable to a wide demographic.And, the really neat thing is, they can do this while also sprinkling tons and tons of little nods and references that only diehard fans of the IP will comprehend. So, let's take a look at some of the most obvious League of Legends-related examples throughout all nine episodes of the series.Disclaimer: Slight spoilers for Arcane below.
8 Cupcake Caitlyn
The first little reference happens within the opening couple of minutes of episode one, and it’s when Vi, Mylo, Powder, and Claggor are parkouring across the rooftops on the way to Jayce’s place for their heist. In particular, they climb over one balcony with a whole plate of deceptively iconic cupcake treats on them. These cupcakes (likely) belong to Caitlyn Kieramman, who is lovingly named “Cupcake” by Vi in Episode 6 (and in LoL).
Of course, this cupcake reference is also toward Caitlyn's W ability in-game, Yordle Trap, which places a bear trap down on the ground with a cupcake in the middle to snag anyone who is entranced by the sugary treat.
Benzo's Store Is Chock-Full Of References
Most viewers likely didn’t notice this on their first viewing, but Benzo’s shop where Vander hangs out and where fans first see Ekko is full of little nods to the LoL MOBA. Most of them, in particular, are references to items in the shop of League of Legends itself or look like things that certain Champions wear. To name a few:
- There’s a hat on a shelf with a face on it that looks an awful lot like Rabadon’s Deathcap.
- There’s a helmet above the door that bears a striking resemblance to Tryndamere’s.
- The item Benzo is inspecting under the magnifying glass is likely a Heart of Gold, an item that used to be in older builds of LoL and was great for generating gold.
There are also some masks that point towards Jhin or any of the Blood Moon skins, but these are the references that have the most direct connections with in-game items/characters.
7 Let The Krugs Go!
When Vi's makeshift heist crew arrive back to the neon lights of Zaun after accidentally blowing up Jayce’s place, there’s a lot to take in. So many lights, sights, and sounds to absorb! But, not long after Vi and crew get off the elevator (dubbed the Howler, because of the sound it makes), they walk past a stand with two specific items in it. One are the Poison Puffcaps that Teemo is most known for in a bin, but just to the right of them is a stone-like turtle/beetle creature in a cage.
These are Krugs, and they’re one of the many creatures on Summoners Rift in the League of Legends MOBA that Junglers should be very familiar with. Funnily enough, in the Imagine Dragon's "Enemy" music video that was released before Arcane, all the kids (including Ekko), can be seen poking at these same Krugs as well.
6 A Couple Of Cheeky Teemo Nods
Speaking of Teemo, there are actually two big references to this mischievous little Yordle in Arcane. One, of course, are the Puffcap Mushrooms that he uses for his Ultimate Ability next to the Krug Cage in the first episode.
But the second reference actually comes much later. When Silco and his cronies invade the Police Chief Marcus' home in order to ask him why Vi is still alive, they make sure to spend time with his daughter to be as threatening as possible. While they're waiting, Silco’s empty-headed goon starts “reading” a children's book. And, if one looks very closely at what he’s reading, they can see it’s a story about Teemo!
5 Zaun’s Grey & Mel Medarda's Past
So "Zaun’s Grey" is what the official lore of League of Legends calls the cloud of chemical smoke over Zaun. This smoke actually has a very interesting backstory, and it involves the Champions both Camille and Janna quite a bit. But, Arcane has made a few changes to the official lore so far, so fans were wondering if the toxic gas and the permanent consequences it has on the citizens of Zaun would be mentioned at all. Well, Jayce mentions it after finding out about Viktor’s condition, citing the Grey as the reason Viktor is terminally ill in the first place.
Also, with that in mind, eagle-eyed fans probably also noticed that the painting Mel was working on during this scene was the Immortal Bastion of Noxus, giving fans some early hints as to her origins.
4 Heimerdinger’s Openness About Being A Yordle Is Surprising
Yordles in Runeterra are a sort of mystical existence. They’re essentially spirits or faeries that don’t really age or die, and have been around since...well...forever. But, because their appearance is so radically unique, they can be seen as enemies to those who live in less open-minded or more ignorant regions of Runeterra. So, Yordles who integrate themselves with society outside of Bandle City usually hide themselves with “Glamour” which makes them appear more human-like (on average).
Sure, this is a concept that Riot constantly forgets about, but it was pretty much an ironclad fact that Heimerdinger kept his Yordle origins mostly secret in Piltover. But, in Arcane they've sort of changed the canon. Heimerdinger is younger than LoL fans would expect, is completely open about being a Yordle, and is even vaulted as one of the most important figures in the city.
3 Jinx’s Hextech Crystal Bomb Is The “Get Excited” Monkey
Anyone who has played Legends of Runeterra, saw Jinx’s original music video, or watched anything really related to the Champion outside of Arcane, has likely seen her little cymbal monkeys. These monkeys are front and center on the “Get Excited” Card in Runeterra, are sort of the crux of the “Get Jinxed” music video, and usually, appear as makeshift bombs Jinx uses in her other appearances. Frankly, they're as synonymous with Jinx as her Fishbones gun or her Flame Chomper grenades, and will almost assuredly be part of her moveset in the eventual release of "Project L".
Well, in Arcane, their debut is a lot...heavier, as the Cymbal Monkey Jinx uses to pop that Hextech Crystal in Silco’s compound has some drastic consequences.
2 The Song Jinx Is Singing To Herself
Speaking of that cymbal monkey, how many people recognized the song Jinx is singing to herself when working on the Hex Crystal stabilizer after raiding Jayce’s lab? Well, for those who were playing the MOBA when Jinx was first released, the song is a bit of a classic. It's called "Get Jinxed" and it was the tune that played when players logged in for a while after Jinx was released, and even had its very own music video.
The character has come a long way since then, now even appearing in games like Fortnite, but the song still absolutely slaps. In fact, there’s a ton of references to this music video in Jinx’s lab, such as the rhino and mechanical horse she has laying about bearing striking resemblance to the carousel horse and live rhino she rides in the music video.
1 That Neat Pentakill Tattoo
And, to cap things off on a musical note, let’s talk about that quick flash of all the ways Zaun has changed in the time Vi has been in prison and Jinx has been working for Silco. After Caitlyn investigates the blimp that Silco’s goons and the Firefly’s fought on, the story focuses on the "new" Zaun for a bit. These quick images show a lot, from people paying for “pure air” to all the ways Shimmer has impacted the city, and finally, it even shows a man getting a full-on back tattoo.
It’s a quick flash, but viewers may recognize this logo as the Pentakill logo, the heavy metal band made up by Riot that features some of the Champions as band members. And, funnily enough, there have even been connections found that link this tattoo artist to the one that’s giving Urgot his tattoos in his splash art, which is a hyper-specific reference.
League of Legends is available for PC and Arcane is available to watch exclusively on Netflix.