Lazy Riot Employees – Arcane Vi vs. Vi in LoL Lore

Vi is one of the main characters in Arcane, but is her background lore from the game the same as it is in the Netflix series? Or was Riot just a bit lazy when creating her?

Arcane vi
Do these fists look like they can lie? | © Netflix

Arcane is keeping mum surrounding Vi's mysterious background story. Who are her parents? Because let's be real, we're all wondering whether her and Jinx are blood-related sisters or just two kids that found one another along the way.

Who is Vi in League of Legends Lore?

Vi is a young girl without parents. At some point and time, she was fished out of the river in Zaun by a harbor worker. Since then, she grew up polishing her fists and smashing them into anyone who got in her way.

Vi's story also takes place in the undercity of Piltover, where she is a troublemaker as well, much like in Arcane. In her League of Legends lore, she also has a mentor who owns a small pub – could this be Vander?

But these small similarities, are they enough for us to believe that Arcane was 100% canon? No, not at all.

What Relationship do Vi and Jinx have in LoL Lore?

Vi and Jinx are sisters? Well, in their champion lore it doesn't say so outright. Instead, the only indication we receive that this could be true is at the end of Vi's lore, where it says she partnered up with Caitlyn in order to find out more about a 'certain blue-haired hellion from Zaun'.

Also, Vi's lore surrounding Caitlyn is also awfully vague. The writers sure made it easy for themselves by stating that 'no one yet knows the exact reason why or how Vi came to be working alongside Caitlyn'. So why even bother writing lore when you don't get the full story?

Where did Vi Get Her Fists From in LoL Lore?

Vi received her gloves from the Piltover police, according to League of Legends lore. At this point, Hextech had been researched enough and deemed safe, which is how they created the prototype of her fighting gloves.

She had a rudimentary version of gloves before, powered by chemtech, but she set those aside for the better and stronger Hextech-powered gloves. At least that's what the League of Legends lore states.

Are Vi's Lore in Arcane and League of Legends the Same?

So, while some nitty-gritty details have been changed, or completely ignored like how Vi actually got her gloves or just how big Vander's small pub really was. None of the changed details in Arcane changed Vi's lore too much that it felt contrived, fake and unbelievable for the few who love League of Legends lore.

Vi's whole background lore stays vague, even in Arcane. We don't know who she was before the attempted uprising where her parents died. The authors have kept it this way to keep some of the suspense, most likely surrounding Vi.

Sabrina Ahn

Sabrina Ahn is the League of Legends and Riftfeed Lead. During her time at Concordia University in 2014 she fell in love with LoL and is playing it since – how she hasn't lost her sanity is still unclear....