Is Arcane canon? The answer is complicated

Nicholas James Published 19/03/2023

Arcane was the hit League of Legends animated adaptation on Netflix that released in 2021, and fans have been loving the intricate storyline and action. But is what happens in Arcane canon?

League of Legends canon stands in an awkward place in the current day, and Arcane is a big part of that. With the animated show being by far Riot Games’ most successful effort in telling stories inside Runeterra, one would think its story was canon.

However, as things stand right now, the answer to whether or not Arcane is canon is more complicated than most League of Legends fans might think.

Is Arcane canon?

The simple answer, as unhelpful as it may seem, is that Arcane is sort of canon and sort of not. League of Legends’ main canon universe version of Runeterra exists only within the game itself. This isn’t entirely useful, as League of Legends’ gameplay has nothing to do with the story of the world or its characters.

By its nature as a MOBA, all 140 League of Legends characters have to be in a somewhat static state. All are required to be alive and well enough to do battle on Summoner’s Rift, even though their escapades on the rift themselves aren’t canon at all.

Arcane’s story has several notable differences from the normal canon of League of Legends, though it shares many more similarities. Some of these include Caitlyn’s reasons for joining the Enforcers, the origins of Hextech technology, the state of Piltover and Zaun, and more.

Arcane is currently canon only to itself, though Riot Games seems to be looking for ways to slowly turn the official League of Legends lore into the same as Arcane. Give it a few years and Arcane will likely be the official story, as Riot makes changes like turning the Brackern, once the source of Hextech, into elementalists with Skarner’s rework.

This would open up Arcane’s version of Hextech technology to be the officially supported one, taking another step toward Arcane being 100% official. In short, Arcane isn’t fully canon just yet, but Riot is working on it.

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.

View full profile

Read Also

League of Legends

Caps Hall of Legends skins prices and dates revealed Hannan Mundia Caps is the latest League of Legends player to be inducted into the Hall of Legends, and the LEC player’s dedicated skins have been revealed, including their prices and release dates. The Hall of Legends is Riot Games’ way to honor a handful of the most well-known and celebrated professional players associated with LoL. The first inductee was naturally Faker, while the second was Uzi. The third player is Caps, ...

League of Legends

Five Support Champions To Pick Up in LoL Patch 26.17 Ben Boland The support meta in League of Legends is one of the most highly discussed roles in the game right now. With Riot doubling down on the roaming support playstyle, we will likely see more champions added to the pool around the time of Worlds 2026, which begins on 15 October. At the time of writing this article, the current patch, 26.17, is being tested on the PBE, with the launch ...

League of Legends

These Are Five Top Lane Champions To Pick Up in League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland League of Legends patch 26.17 is just around the corner, and with that patch comes more changes to the role. The days of ADCs in the lane are starting to be a thing of the past, with more bruisers hitting the gym before the launch of 26.17. Many top laners are receiving buffs on the new patch, while powerhouses such as Nasus and Vayne are on the chopping block, making ...

League of Legends

Here Is What To Expect From the League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland It’s less than a week until the release of League of Legends Patch 26.17, and with this patch comes some significant nerfs to popular champions, item adjustments, and targeting roaming supports as mage bottom lanes dominate the meta. While there is plenty to unpack in this week's patch from Riot Games, two champions, Vayne and Xerath, have received the biggest nerfs across the board. Here are some of the biggest ...

League of Legends

Trade on LGD vs Bilibili Gaming at Polymarket — Use Promo Code WINGGPREMAR Ben Boland Bilibili Gaming comes into their best-of-three series against LGD Gaming as the overwhelming favorites, with Polymarket traders giving the MSI finalists an 83% implied probability of winning at the time of writing this article. The prediction market doesn’t give LGD much of a chance at all, and with traders backing BLG heavily, it paints a picture of who is most likely to win this series in the LPL Split 3, ...

League of Legends

Which Teams Should Be Panicking Ahead of LoL Worlds 2026? Ben Boland The 2026 League of Legends World Championship is fast approaching, with the tournament beginning on 15 October. 19 of the best teams that esports has to offer will do battle in North America for a shot at the Summoner's Cup. For teams like Bilibili Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports, their fates are already sealed without stepping foot on the Rift again, but for the rest of the teams, they will ...

League of Legends

Predictions For Gen.G vs Dplus KIA: Best Value Odds at GGBET Ben Boland Two of the more in-form teams in the LCK go head-to-head as Dplus KIA takes on Gen.G on 22 August. Despite the odds leaning more towards a Gen.G win, there are some solid bets to make across the board, not just simply the result. Dplus KIA have shown impressive form throughout the summer and so shouldn’t be discounted in this series. In this preview, we will highlight the best chances to ...