Ella Purnell’s ‘Arcane’ Character Holds the Key to the Second Season

The second season of the animated action-adventure series Arcane will release in November 2024, and there is a major sense of intrigue among fans about whether it will live up to the standards of the debut season.

Arcane is centered around two sisters, Vi and Jinx, who turn into rivals as their fantastical city, Piltover, clashes with the criminal underbelly, Zaun. The characters are based on two powerful characters from Riot Games’ League of Legends. The character of Violet, a.k.a. “Vi,” is played by actor-singer Hailee Steinfeld, while Fallout’s breakout star Ella Purnell portrays Powder/Jinx.

Jinx’s name growing up was Powder, and she was quite reserved and soft-spoken as a child. After her and Vi’s parents fall in the uprising against Piltover, Vander, the leader of the undercity, adopts them as his kids.

As she grows up, Powder’s personality and temperament change, and she adopts the name Jinx. She becomes loud and pompous, creating chaos wherever she goes. She loses her moral compass and starts taking pleasure in killing others, with her superior bomb-making skills aiding her. The family tragedy essentially ends up shaping the choices she makes during her adult life.

Apart from being a bomb expert, Jinx’s abilities include her dexterity with guns. She usually carries pistols or a gatling gun, possessing the skill to shoot with both hands. Despite an initial lack of skill, Jinx grows up to become a more than capable inventor of weapons.

In the season 1 finale, Jinx launches an attack on the Piltover council, and this incident is expected to act as the immediate reason for war between Piltover and Zaun in season 2. This makes the character arguably the most important one in the sophomore season, and Arcane fans will be looking forward to seeing how her character arc pans out.

Set in the League of Legends fictional universe, Arcane season 1 was lauded by both TV critics and the gaming community, with its animation, world building, story, and voice acting getting special mentions. The show has been compared favorably to Game of Thrones, Shadow and Bone, and Castlevania.

Season 2 of the show will be available to stream on Netflix in November 2024.