Does new LoL champion Renata actually appear in Arcane?

Nicholas James Published 04/02/2022

Was Renata a part of hit League of Legends animated series Arcane?

League of Legends’ latest support Renata is from Zaun and uses a purple Chemtech substance. The animated adaptation of League of Legends, Arcane, has some elements with striking similarities to aspects of the newest champion. Is Renata somehow related to Arcane, or is it a coincidence?

There are many connections between Arcane and Renata

Renata has a few aspects that fans have wondered about connecting her to the animated adaptation but Arcane is in a strange place when it comes to the official canon. Arcane has not yet been declared canonical in the League of Legends universe and Riot seems reticent to combine the two just yet. Elements like Shimmer have yet to be fully welcomed into the LoL universe.

While Renata may have a purple-substance-powered prosthetic arm, there’s no connection between her and Silco henchwoman Sevika who had a similar weapon. According to developer comments on Reddit, the purple substance Renata uses is refined Chemtech. Apparently, it takes on a purple hue when refined, but is not actually Shimmer. This leads to obvious confusion with fans who don’t get the differentiation between these very similar-looking thematic elements.

Renata shouldn’t be expected to show up in Arcane and even mixing together the two timelines wouldn’t line up well. Arcane has enough loose ends to tie up without adding a brand new Chem-Baroness and her mind control perfume in its second installment. With Riot’s reluctance to double down on Arcane’s storytelling for the main canon, Renata will remain separate for now.

Why isn’t Arcane canon?

Arcane isn’t fully recognized as canon due to its long time in development and how much League of Legends’ lore has changed during that time.

With a six-year-long pipeline from inception to release, Riot wouldn’t be able to hold up other elements in order to fit in with a still-evolving storyline. At the same time, knowledge of the details of Arcane wouldn’t have been available for every writer working on the new champion or narrative teams.

It’s possible Renata sees an appearance in a third season or beyond, but she’d be younger than her depiction in the game in a way similar to Caitlyn, Vi, and the others shown in Arcane.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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