Riot Games and League of Legends have already teased a replacement for Arcane that could make Netflix’s acclaimed fantasy epic look tame in comparison. Almost as soon as Arcane introduced television viewers to the world of League of Legends, it became known as one of the most complex and massive fantasy shows on television. By the time Arcane season 2 ended in 2024, it had cemented itself as a fantasy masterpiece.
There were a lot of reasons Arcane became known as a masterpiece, from the stunning animation to the massive cast of interesting and tragic characters. One of the biggest advantages the show had, however, was its brutality. Arcane never pulled a single punch. Everything about its world and politics, the hardships its characters faced, and especially the fight scenes, felt wild and electrified with energy. Even its scope felt huge and untamed as it went from deeply personal stories about Jinx and Vi to monumental and world-defining faceoffs between Piltover and Zaun.
Arcane was such a beloved series that many fans believe it will be impossible to replace now that it’s over. No other current fantasy show is as brutal as Arcane once was, and none of them can match the sheer energy it brought. The creators of League of Legends and Arcane, however, may have already teased an upcoming fantasy show that’s so brutal and massive in scope that it ends up not just matching Arcane but actually making it feel tame in comparison.
Even before Arcane ended, Riot Games had already teased that more shows set in the universe of League of Legends were on the way. These upcoming Arcane sequels were reported to take place in new areas of Runeterra, with the first of the three series reportedly taking place in Noxus. Arcane itself also heavily teased a show set in Noxus, as Mel Medarda’s mother, Ambessa, led a Noxian invasion of Piltover in season 2, and Mel returned to her homeland at the end of the season.
Along with Mel and Ambessa being Noxian themselves, Arcane season 2 also had a few other nods to the empire. The six-eyed raven seen in the Arcane finale, for example, was a nod to League of Legends champion Swain, a Noxian general who uses his demonic powers to control ravens. That raven in Arcane was given quite a bit of attention and even picked up a piece of Hextech, which seems like an overt reference to an upcoming Noxus-based show.
Outside of Arcane itself, Riot Games and Fortiche, the animation studio behind the show, have also made real-world teases to Noxus. An announcement music video for a season of League of Legends showcased several Noxian Champions, including Darius and Leblanc, while also featuring Mel with her golden mage markings, all in the animation style of Arcane (via Riot). While not a trailer for a show, it is interesting that Fortiche made animation models of so many Noxian characters for a simple music video.
Based on all these teases and hints, both in the real world and in Arcane, it overwhelmingly seems like the next animated League of Legends show will take place in Noxus. If that proves true, the Noxus show would have more than enough potential to make Arcane feel absolutely small and tame in comparison. Everything there was to love about Arcane, from the complicated politics, intricate magic system, and heart-pounding action, would be turned up to 11 in Noxus.
Noxus’ Brutal Society & Dangerous Champions Would Make Arcane Feel Tame
The setting of a Noxus-based League of Legends show alone would be enough to make Arcane seem tame. Piltover was riddled with crime, political instability, and groundbreaking fusions of technology and magic, but it was still a relatively normal society. Noxus, on the other hand, is Runeterra’s version of a warrior-state akin to Ancient Sparta. Noxus is known for being brutal, invading foreign lands without remorse or mercy, and forcing others to bend to its will.
Any story set in Noxus would have to be just as brutal and merciless as the nation itself. The “Welcome to Noxus” music video showcased it well: this is a country where might makes right, whether its physical strength or subterfuge and stealth. In Piltover, Silco and Jinx’s terrorism seemed intense, but even their violence would pale in comparison to what happens regularly in Noxus.
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The Noxian characters in Arcane also highlight just how much more brutal the sequel series could be. Ambessa was a single Noxian general, and she alone was enough to force Piltover and Zaun to band together and drive her back. A show set in the beating heart of Noxus would have multiple characters as strong or stronger than Ambessa, and all of them would be just as brutal as well.
Mel also briefly encountered members of the Black Rose, a shadowy organization that plays an important role in Noxus. Mel barely survived that encounter even with her magical abilities, and that was only a taste of what they were capable of. A show set in Noxus would certainly have to include the full might of the Black Rose, and that group would be much more powerful, deadly, and secretive than any of Arcane‘s antagonists. With any luck, Noxus could completely blow Arcane out of the water.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2024
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Christian Linke
- Directors
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Barth Maunoury, Marietta Ren, Christelle Abgrall
- Writers
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Amanda Overton, Nick Luddington, Mollie Bickley St. John, Ben St. John, Giovanna Sarquis, Henry G.M. Jones