Disclaimer: This article contains opinions of Arcane fans and an analysis of those opinions.
Could Arcane have wrapped up without leaving us yearning for a Season 3? Fans on Reddit seem to be raving regarding whether it needs one more season (and potentially even an entirely new spinoff series) to wrap everything up adequately. Some people thought that more minor changes and time for Arcane's second season could have answered all questions and made the characters' stories better.
A post on Reddit says that three additional episodes could have solved pacing problems and explained important storylines, especially for characters like Vi and Jinx. At the same time, other fans think the show found a good balance.
It had a strong story while allowing fans to guess what might happen next. They liked that the episodes were shorter but mentioned that even a little extra time—10 to 20 minutes per episode—could have pleased those wanting more detail.
Let's look at how the makers of Arcane could have made a different finale for this series that, according to co-creator Christian Linke, has no plans for Season 3.
How could three extra episodes help solve all that was wrong with Arcane?
Fans are discussing how Arcane's second season could have ended its story without having to have a third. User u/SeaworthinessOk2646 suggested three more episodes but spaced out within the current season.
It would have given more time to develop relationships, such as the tension between Vi and Jinx, if one episode were added in Act II and two in Act III. The most touching moment of Act III is when Vi realizes how her actions unintentionally hurt her sister Powder, now Jinx.
The show quietly shows Vi’s choice to let go of her sister, shown in scenes like Jinx finding the grenade in her head and the eerie humming in the background.
“She’s not going to chase Jinx even though she thinks she may be alive,” wrote u/SeaworthinessOk2646.
This means that if there had been more time, these moments would have connected even more with the viewers.
Animation challenges and Arcane’s three-act structure
The show's creators, Fortiche Productions, are known for their meticulous approach to animation, and the humongous budget that came with it. Redditor waits5 revealed that there were initial plans to make the finale over an hour long, but production constraints made it impossible.
“I wish they had given the show another year to add 90 more minutes across the episodes,” they commented.
This shows the difficulties of making a very detailed animated series like Arcane. Another issue is Netflix's strict rule of releasing three episodes at a time.
While fans like u/Rasaiel appreciate the internal three-act story arcs, others argue it limits storytelling flexibility.
“As fans, I don’t think we’d care if Act III was five episodes. Maybe Netflix cares, but it just seems artificial,” one user commented.
Allowing some flexibility, such as having a fourth or fifth episode in the final act, could have helped fix some plot holes and made the characters more interesting.
The importance of Ekko's Z-Drive discovery
A big moment within the second season was when Ekko's Z-Drive was invented. That connects to his abilities within the game League of Legends. According to GamesRadar, Ekko created the Z-Drive during Act III, proving what people had long thought about his power to control time.
This had League of Legends fans getting ready to unpack more background stories. But this connection is primarily thematic rather than a direct adaptation of the game mechanics. Other of the fans, though, think that this subplot distracted viewers from other vital storylines.
For instance, stories about Jayce and Heimerdinger would have benefited, if the time spent on the development of Ekko's Z-Drive was allocated to those.
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Arcane is exclusively available on Netflix.
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