Is Ekko the Firelight leader in Arcane?

POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING

Ekko, League of Legends’ iconic Zaunite time traveler, seemed to be conspicuously missing from Arcane’s second act. Ekko has a lot of ground to cover in terms of his story arc to get him to where League of Legends fans are familiar, especially since his face didn’t see a single second of screen time in the show’s second act.

Thanks to a variety of hints found in Arcane, fans are already speculating that Riot Games is hiding Ekko in plain sight as the owl mask-wearing vigilante who leads the Firelights.

Arcane’s second act is already sending fan theories running wild through the internet. A large time skip took place between acts one and two, and a new faction has been introduced: the vigilantes known as the Firelights. The first time they appear is in episode four when they ambush one of Silco’s shipments of Shimmer through the Hexgates. The Firelights bear animal masks and ride on green-tinted hoverboards presumably powered by Chemtech. The leader, featured in the opening trailer and throughout promotional material, wears an owl-inspired mask and fights with an improvised baton.

What happened to Ekko in Arcane Act 2?

The Firelights leader has a precise and nimble style of movement that displays confidence and projects years of combat experience. Throughout their appearances, they’re cool and composed in the heat of battle and seems to be one of the few Firelights members who don’t get caught up in the chaos of combat.

At the end of the first act, Ekko is the only named member of Vi and Jinx’s crew left unaccounted for. Already loyal to Vander and Benzo, it’s unlikely that a young Ekko would take kindly to Silco’s sudden surge to power in Zaun.

In the third episode, the Firelights ambush Jinx and Vi during their reunion. Through the fight, the Firelights secure the Hextech gemstone that Jinx stole. At the same time, another Firelight member is prevented from harming Vi. Eagle-eyed fans noticed the Firelights have an hourglass-like pattern on their clothing that resembles a Z. While this is likely a reference to Zaun, it may also preface Ekko’s signature time travel device, which he refers to as the “Z-Drive.”

Between his frequent use of a stopwatch, an acrobatic combat style, and his hate for both Piltover and Silco’s new hold on the Lanes, this mysterious leader is certainly shaping up to be revealed as Ekko. After abducting Vi at the end of the sixth episode, we could very well be seeing Ekko unmask himself in the third act.