Jinx And Vi's Arcane Relationship Explained
There are over 150 playable champions in the multiplayer online battle arena game "League of Legends," and the creators of "Arcane" (the hit Netflix show set in the "League of Legends" universe) had access to all of them. "Arcane" was made in-house, with longtime Riot Games staffers Christian Linke and Alex Yee acting as showrunners. Speaking to SyFy shortly after the show premiered in November 2021, Yee said that they decided to focus on just a few of the game's champions early on in the process. "From the beginning, we knew we wanted to fill it out and give it a sense of the champions you know and then the entire world in between them," he said. In the end, eight playable champions featured prominently in "Arcane" Season 1, but at heart, it's a tale of two siblings: Vi and Jinx.
As fans of "League of Legends" know, there was no sister in Vi's backstory when she got introduced to the game in 2012. Jinx was added to the champions roster in 2013, complete with a line of dialogue that had players speculating for years: "You think I'm crazy? You should see my sister!" Many players pointed out how much Jinx had in common with Vi, and in 2017, Greg Street (design director at Riot Games) confirmed that they are indeed sisters. The dynamic between Vi and Jinx became the backbone of "Arcane," which expanded on their story significantly. Here's everything you need to know about their tragic relationship.
Vi and Jinx were orphaned at a young age
The fate of Vi and Jinx's parents is murky in "League of Legends" lore, but in "Arcane," their deaths are confirmed in the first moments. The show opens on the aftermath of a battle, with the Bridge of Progress — which connects the technologically advanced utopian metropolis of Piltover with a polluted undercity named Zaun — covered in bloody bodies. Vi and Jinx are from Zaun, and their parents answered the call to arms when the undercity revolted. Sadly, they fell alongside many other Zaunites as the well-trained and heavily-armed Piltover enforcers crushed the uprising before it reached the streets of the shiny city.
The newly orphaned sisters were devastated when they discovered the bodies of their parents, and their palpable grief caught the attention of Vander, a hulk of a man and one of the few Zaunites left standing. He was torn up by guilt when he saw what had become of the girls. It was he who organized the rebellion, and, at that moment, the so-called Hound of the Underground came to realize just how fruitless war against the Pilties had become. Vander downed his weapons and vowed to stop the violence so that more kids didn't end up alone. He became a father figure and a voice of reason to Vi and Jinx (who was still going by the name Powder at this point), taking the sisters in as his own.
A new family
Vi and Powder (Jinx) only had each other following the battle on the Bridge of Progress, but over the next few years, they would become part of a new family. The girls were able to enjoy something like a normal sibling relationship under the care of Vander, who opted to live a quiet life as the owner of the undercity bar, The Last Drop. Well, relatively quiet. He eschewed violence, and, as the de facto leader of Zaun, he did his best to keep the fragile peace with Piltover intact, though his attitude didn't always go down well with Vi. She still hated the topsiders and had no qualms about stealing from them, but one botched robbery would alter Vi's relationship with her sister forever.
Vi and Powder weren't the only kids taken in by Vander. Two orphaned boys named Mylo and Claggor were also under his care, and they became like brothers to the girls. Led by the streetwise Vi, the gang of four broke into a plush Piltover penthouse — and accidentally blew it up. When the owner (Hextech pioneer Jayce Talis) returned mid-robbery, a startled Powder dropped one of the strange blue crystals she found, causing a huge explosion. She ended up losing the loot when they were given chase, which prompted Mylo to call her a jinx. Vi berated him for this but later admitted that Powder just couldn't do certain things — which Powder overheard.
Jinx is born
The people of Piltover wanted justice for the explosion that rocked their city, and Vander knew that they wouldn't stop until they had caught the culprits. He decided to hand himself in so his kids would be off the hook, but before he could face justice topside, he got captured by Silco, a former friend from the undercity. Vander and Silco once fought side-by-side against Piltover but became enemies when Vander brokered a peace that Silco didn't agree with. Silco had wanted Vander out of the way ever since, but Vi wasn't going to sit around and let that happen. She gathered the gang and launched a rescue mission, though, knowing how high the stakes were, she ordered Powder (Jinx) to stay behind.
Powder, still stung from what she had overhead, wanted to prove them all wrong. She had been hanging on to a single crystal from the robbery and, knowing how much damage they could cause, decided to use it against Silco. Sadly, Powder greatly underestimated the power of the crystal. The resulting explosion brought down the cell that Vander was being held in, killing Mylo and Claggor. Vander had to give his own life to get Vi out alive. Realizing what had happened, Vi told her little sister that she was a jinx after all. Grief-stricken, Vi walked away from Powder, abandoning her in the street.
The lost years
Alone in the street, the inconsolable Powder (Jinx) was discovered by Silco. Surprisingly, he did what his former friend did: he took the girl in. She got quite a different upbringing under Silco, however, becoming the loose cannon known all across Zaun as Jinx. She was now loyal to Silco, who raised her to hate the topsiders as much as he did. Silco wanted Zaun to be independent, and he was ready to fight for that cause all over again. Jinx was the deadliest weapon in his arsenal, a crazed killer who had no other family. At least, that's what she believed.
Silco told Jinx that Vi was dead, but in truth, she had been in Stillwater prison for years. She would have likely remained there for the rest of her days had it not been for Caitlyn Kiramman, a topsider on a mission. Caitlyn comes from a rich Piltover family but is keen to prove herself as an enforcer. After Jinx stole a Hextech crystal and left six Piltover enforcers dead, she decided to investigate Silco and his gang herself, which took her to Stillwater. Vi recognized her sister's work at once, and Caitlyn used her contacts to get her released, hoping that she would help with the case. Free at last, Vi began searching for the girl she knew as Powder.
The flare and the Firelights
Jinx found out that Vi was still alive after confronting Sevika, another of Silco's trusted soldiers. Silco, Sevika revealed, chose to keep Vi's return hidden from Jinx, fearing that it might send her off the rails. "Her back in town, it's only a matter of time before you implode, and Silco finally gets the message that you're about as good for our cause as you were for your family — Jinx," said the tied-up Sevika, taunting her captor. Silco would later swear that he thought Vi was dead and that he kept her reemergence a secret for Jinx's sake. "Have you forgotten how she left you? Who found you? Who cared for you, gave you a home?" he said. "I am your family. Everyone else betrays us."
Jinx decided to give Silco the benefit of the doubt, but, having learned from Sevika that Vi was actively looking for her, she lit the flare that her sister once gave her. Vi saw it, and the two sisters were reunited — briefly. Jinx was overcome with paranoia when she spotted Caitlyn (Sevika also told her that Vi had "replaced" her with a Piltie), and when a Zaun gang called the Firelights showed up, all hell broke loose. Vi got captured by the Firelights, and the sisters were separated once again.
A lost cause
The leader of the gang that kidnapped Vi turned out to be none other than Ekko, a childhood friend of hers. He and the Firelights began tailing Vi and Caitlyn after they entered The Lanes looking for intel on Silco, and when the pair unwittingly led them to Jinx, they attacked. Why? Well, Vi knew nothing about the young woman her sister had turned into when Caitlyn released her from Stillwater, but Ekko had been dealing with her for years, watching her change from a sweet young girl into an unhinged menace. Among her many duties was helping Silco smuggle the enhancing and highly addictive drug Shimmer into Piltover, with the Firelights often getting the blame for her antics.
While Ekko was happy to see Vi alive, he had some bad news about the girl they both once knew as Powder: she was gone for good. According to Ekko, only Jinx remained, and she was completely loyal to Silco. For this reason, she was a danger to Zaun, and she had to go. Of course, Vi refused to believe this. She knew that she had gotten through to her sister when they were reunited, if only for a moment. It was enough to convince her that Powder was still in there, somewhere.
Consorting with the enemy
Vi's reunion with her sister would have gone a lot more smoothly if she didn't have Caitlyn with her. When Jinx saw that her sister was consorting with the enemy, she felt like Vi had betrayed her all over again. In truth, it was Vi and Caitlyn who were deceiving each other: Caitlyn's real motive was to retrieve the Hextech gemstone that Jinx stole, though she kept this from Vi. Likewise, Vi purposefully held back the fact that Jinx was her sister. They developed feelings for each other along the way, however, and Jinx just couldn't stand it.
In an attempt to smooth things over between Zaun and Piltover, Vi, Caitlyn, and Ekko opted to return what was stolen. They didn't get the chance, however: Caitlyn was betrayed by the corrupt sheriff, Marcus, who had long been in Silco's pocket. When Vi risked her neck to save Caitlyn, the onlooking Jinx took it as confirmation that her sister had chosen the Piltie over her. Distraught, she detonated a massive swarm of robotic insect-like bombs that she had hovering over the bridge, killing Marcus and wounding Caitlyn and Vi. Ekko managed to hold Jinx off as Caitlyn and Vi retreated to Piltover.
The purple-eyed monster
Jinx's standoff with Ekko had huge ramifications for her relationship with her sister. The leader of the Firelights got the upper hand on the girl he once called a friend, but, for all the lecturing he did about Jinx having taken over for good, he just couldn't deliver that final blow. His hesitation gave Jinx the chance to detonate one of her grenades, injuring them both. When Silco arrived on the scene, his adopted daughter was barely clinging to life. Not knowing where else to turn, he took the severely injured Jinx to see Singed, the creator of Shimmer.
"I believe I can save her, but the process will be... demanding," Singed said upon seeing Jinx's injuries. "Sometimes death is a mercy." Silco insisted that Singed do everything in his power to save her, however, and so he began an experimental Shimmer procedure that would leave Jinx with purple eyes (like she has in "League of Legends") and even more mental scarring. Jinx began hallucinating during the traumatic treatment: she saw her sister, and her new friend was with her. Near-death and in agony, Jinx saw a twisted version of Caitlyn looming over her, appearing to be taking great pleasure in her discomfort. She somehow survived Singed's procedure, and the first thing she did was put her sister's enforcer friend squarely in her crosshairs.
Meet the family
Silco saved Jinx's life when he rushed her to Singed's lab, but she still wasn't sure if she could trust her adoptive dad. When she overheard him mulling over an offer from Piltover (hand her over, and Zaun gets its independence), Jinx decided that a little clear-the-air family get-together was needed, so she kidnapped Silco. Meanwhile, Vi and Caitlyn, having failed to convince the Piltover council to take the threat of Silco seriously, went their separate ways. They were like "oil and water," a dejected Vi told Caitlyn, adding that "it wasn't meant to be." Vi would realize how much she'd come to care for the topsider after her sister kidnapped them both.
After freaking Vi out by making her think that she was about to serve Caitlyn's head on a platter ("Sheesh, I'm not that crazy," she quipped after it turned out to be a cupcake, Vi's nickname for Caitlyn), Jinx got her macabre tea party started. With Silco, Vi, and Caitlyn all tied to chairs at a dinner table, she was finally in control, and she wanted answers. She had set up two empty chairs, one labeled "Powder," the other, "Jinx." She would give up being Jinx and sit in the Powder chair on one condition: Vi had to "get rid" of Caitlyn. Vi refused, offering her sister an alternative instead. Vi told her to forget about Zaun and Piltover and just run away with her, but there would be no running away from what happened next.
Jinx leaves Powder behind for good
Jinx's efforts to make Vi choose between her and Caitlyn were interrupted by Silco, who began to mumble something (he was masked up until this point) after hearing the name Powder. "Her name is Jinx," he yelled at Vi after his adoptive daughter removed said mask. Things quickly descended into a shouting match, with Vi and Silco both attempting to appeal to Jinx. "Everyone betrays us Jinx: Vander, her," Silco said, nodding at Vi. "You're my daughter. I'll never forsake you." Amid his pleading, Caitlyn managed to free herself and grab a gun. She had the drop on Jinx, but Vi implored her not to open fire. Jinx appeared to give up, but the Shimmer procedure left her with increased speed and strength, so she was able to knock Caitlyn out before she could shoot her.
With Caitlyn out cold, Vi and Silco began their final pitches to Jinx. Vi urged her to remember their parents, to remember Mylo and Claggor, and to remember Vander, who looked after her long before Silco did. "Damn it, Powder, wake up! Remember who you are, I know you remember!" Fearing that she was getting through to Jinx, Silco wriggled free and pulled a gun on Vi — and it would be the last thing he did. Instinctively, Jinx saved her sister's life, opening fire on Silco. She regretted her decision immediately, however. With his dying breath, Silco told Jinx that she was "perfect" the way she was.
Jinx starts a war
For a brief moment, it seemed as though Vi and her little sister were going to be able to start over. "Powder, it's okay," Vi said after Jinx killed Silco. "We'll be okay." Jinx didn't agree, however. With his final act, Silco had finally convinced Jinx that his fatherly love for her was genuine, and she was now more determined than ever to carry out his wishes. She was in tears as the man who took her in when her sister abandoned her died comforting her, but as soon as he was gone, Jinx adopted a cold, steely demeanor. Sitting down in the chair labeled "Jinx," she told the frightened Vi: "I thought maybe you could love me like you used to, even though I'm different. But you changed, too. So, here's to the new us."
Jinx took the Hextech gemstone (it was sitting on top of the cupcake she served earlier like a glowing blue cherry) and put it into a huge, shark-shaped rocket launcher that "League of Legends" players will have no doubt recognized as Fishbones, one of many named weapons in her in-game arsenal. Vi was still tied to her chair, and Caitlyn was only just stirring after being knocked out. They could only watch on in horror as Jinx fired a rocket directly at the Piltover council chamber, where Caitlyn's mother and the rest of the council had just approved Zaun's independence.
What's next for Jinx and Vi?
The fate of the Piltover council was left on a cliffhanger in the Season 1 finale. The rocket fired by Jinx looked like it was about to hit Mel Medarda square in the back, though the gold trimming on her outfit seemed to react to the incoming missile, leading fans to speculate that perhaps she was wearing some kind of protective armor that bore the brunt of the blast. Viewers likely have a long wait before Season 2 arrives with answers, but "League of Legends" players have the inside track on where the story could head, especially when it comes to Vi and Jinx's relationship.
According to "League of Legends" lore, Vi begins working with Caitlyn (who gets promoted to the rank of sheriff for her heroics) in Piltover as her right-hand woman. Jinx becomes a constant thorn in her sister's side, wreaking havoc in Piltover and mocking her with unflattering graffiti. At one stage, she even made a total fool out of her by announcing that she was going to rob Piltover's Ecliptic Vaults on a specific date — despite the prior warnings, Vi couldn't stop Jinx from carrying out the heist. Their confrontation that day left the vault in ruins. It seems as though their relationship will deteriorate further before it gets better — if it ever does.