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This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
| NOTE: This article regards the Arcane TV Series version of Vi. For her video game counterpart, see here. |
| “ | We’ve all had bad days. But we learn. And we stick together. | „ |
| ~ Vi to her sister Powder |
| “ | We tried. Okay? It wasn’t enough. Topside and bottom. Oil and water. That’s all there is. | „ |
| ~ Vi to Cailtyn about how Zaun and Piltover (and by extension the two of them) were never meant to be. |
| “ | You’ve always been a part of this. You just never had to look it in the eye. One dead kid? There’s hundreds more where he came from, thanks to Silco and thanks to people like you who stuck their heads in the dirt! | „ |
| ~ Vi to Jayce Talis about the ignorance of the Piltover elite. |
| “ | What are you waiting for? He's your dad too. | „ |
| ~ Vi to Jinx, after being reunited with Vander/Warwick, finally reconciling with her sister. |
Violet, better known as Vi, is one of the two main protagonists (alongside her younger sister Jinx) of Netflix's 2021 animated series Arcane, based on the popular 2009 online video game League of Legends.
She is Powder/Jinx's older sister, Vander's adopted daughter, and Caitlyn Kiramann's girlfriend. She is initially a young girl raised under Vander, who leads a group of thieves in the Undercity. Years later, she is broken out of prison to help take down the crime lord Silco, while looking for her sister, unaware that she has become Silco's loyal adoptive daughter.
She is voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, who also portrays Megan Walsh in Barely Lethal, Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Charlie Watson in Bumblebee, Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, and Mattie Ross in True Grit.
Biography[]
Vi was born in the Undercity, the other side of Piltover where the lower class dwelled. She lived with her parents and her younger sister Powder. When they were younger, the two would play a game where they would each pretend to be bigger and bigger monsters. When Powder got too scared, Vi would pretend to chase her monsters away, claiming "No monster is gonna get you while I'm here."
At some point, Vi's parents took part in a revolution against the topside of Piltover, and lost their lives in the progress. When Vi and Powder went to the bridge at the end of the battle, they found their parents corpses, and begin crying. Vander, the leader of the failed revolution, opted to adopt the two girls, taking them under his wing. The event left Vi with a furious hatred of the upper class.
Years later, Vi, under a tip from her friend Ekko, led Powder, alongside Vander's other children Mylo and Claggor, to rob a Piltover scientist named Jayce Talis. During the robbery, Powder found a group of magical crystals in Jayce's apartment, and accidentally dropped one of them, causing a massive explosion. The four children ran across the city, managing to escape the enforcers, only to be confronted by an Undercity denizen named Deckard, who attempted to steal their loot. During the fight, while Vi, Mylo and Claggor held their own, Powder ran away, and threw their loot in the sea in an effort to escape, causing Mylo to chastise her. Upon returning home, Vander expressed disappointment with the group, specifically Vi. He explains to her that Vi, as the leader, is looked up to by the rest, and that she has to be more thoughtful. Vi attempts to comfort Powder, who feels guilty, telling her that everyone has bad days, and that one day, the city will respect them.
The next day, the group hides out in an arcade to escape detection from the enforcers. However, they are discovered and are forced to escape. During this, Vi founds out from Ekko that Vander has made a deal with the Enforcers, which enrages her. She confronts him directly, telling him that she is willing to fight for Powder to have more than what she grew up having. He explains the reasoning for his revolution, and says that the cost for the revolution will be too high, as nobody wins in war. Touched by his words, Vi chooses to turn herself in to the enforcers, meeting at Benzo's shop. However, Vander arrives, and locks Vi up, choosing to sacrifice himself instead.
However, Vander's old friend Silco arrives and kills both the head enforcer Grayson, as well as Vander's friend Benzo. Vi eventually escapes, and returns to her friends, where she enlists Mylo and Claggor's help to rescue Vander. However, Vi, not wanting to lose her sister, tells Powder to stay at home, as she is not ready. She also dons Vander's former mining gloves. Upon arriving at Silco's hideout, he reveals it was a trap, and sends his henchmen after the children. Vi manages to fend off most of them but is defeated by a Shimmer-powered Deckard. As Mylo attempts to break Vander's restraints, and Claggor attempts to find a way out, Powder chooses to follow the group anyway, and detonates a monkey bomb filled with the crystals. The resulting explosion decimates the buildings, and heavily injures Silco's henchmen Sevika and Singed, but also kills Mylo and Claggor. Vander awakes, and upon seeing an injured Vi, opts to attack Silco and his henchmen. During the fight, Silco stabs Vander in the back and tosses him into a pit of Shimmer vials. As Deckard is about to kill Vi, Vander takes the shimmer, turning into a raging beast, and rescues Vi, his last words being to take care of Powder. However, Powder arrives seconds later, and reveals she caused the explosion. Vi, full of rage, punches Powder, and calls her a "jinx". Immediately realizing her mistake, Vi storms off in an effort to cool down, only to incapacitated by Marcus, a Piltover enforcer who works for Silco. Unbeknownst to Silco however, Marcus opts to put Vi in Stillwater Prison instead of killing her, where she spends the next several years.
One day, one of Silco's former henchmen is sent to prison, where Vi brutally beats him, leaving him unable to move his jaw. Caitlyn Kiramman arrives at the prison hoping to question the prisoner, only to discover what happened, causing her to go to Vi for questioning. Vi is initially apathetic to Caitlyn, mocking her for being completely naive to the true struggles of the Undercity, but when Caitlyn reveals evidence of the attack on the Hexcrystals, Vi recognizes her sister's drawings, and offers to help Caitlyn should she be freed from prison. Though initally hesitant, Caitlyn accepts, and falsifies an order from Jayce Talis to let Vi be freed. Upon returning to the Undercity, Vi leaves Caitlyn behind and knocks out two individuals to steal their clothes to blend in. They then go to meet a cook named Jericho, who gives Vi information that leads the two to a brothel. Once there, Vi accuses Caitlyn of assuming people will just give her information and tells her that she needs to make people think she has what they want. She then tells her she's hot, and pretends that Caitlyn is a prostitute there. She then goes to the head of the brothel, Babette, who explains that Silco has taken over, and that she doesn't know where Powder is. She then gives Vi information on the location of Sevika, Silcos right hand. Vi leaves Caitlyn behind to go after Sevika, and immediately attacks her. Vi ultimately manages to beat Sevika, despite the latter's mechanical arm, and demands information on Powder. Sevika then reveals that Powder is know Silco's adopted daughter who goes by "Jinx", shocking Vi, and allowing Sevika to stab her. As Sevika is about to kill her, Caitlyn arrives and damages Sevika's mechanical arm, saving Vi.
The two run away from Silco's henchmen, ultimately ending up in Vi's childhood home in the lower slums of the Undercity, which is now occupied by broke Shimmer-addicts. Vi then has hallucinations of her sister and says she shouldn't have left Powder. Caitlyn manages to get access to a vial of Shimmer and heals Vi from her wound. Upon awakening, Vi reveals her true goal to find her sister, and that their parents were murdered by enforcers. However, Silco, who was informed by one of the addicts, arrives, accompanied by Shimmer addicts. He proclaims that he has freed Vi's sister, and that Jinx is more of a prize than Vi was, causing Vi to proclaim that she will save her sister from him after destroying his empire, before punching the structurally unsound center of the building, allowing her and Caitlyn to escape. During the chase, however, she notices the flare she gave Powder the night of Vander's death and goes to the building. Upon encountering her sister, she apologizes for her actions and embraces her, which a tearful Jinx does as well. Once Caitlyn arrives, however, Jinx suffers an emotional breakdown, recognizing Caitlyn from her robbery, and accuses Vi of only coming for the stone. However, the Firelights arrive and attack the three, during which Vi realizes how insane Powder has become. She and Caitlyn are knocked out by the Firelights, and taken to their headquarters.
Once there, the leader of the Firelights unmasks himself as Ekko, who accuses Vi of working for Silco. However, Vi breaks from her cuffs and embraces Ekko, who lets her go and reveals their headquarters. He specifically shows a mural showing all those who were lost and attempts to convince Vi that Powder is gone and is now Jinx, which Vi protests against. Once Caitlyn arrives, she and Ekko have an argument, during which Caitlyn reveals the true purpose of the gemstone and attempts to convince Ekko to bring it to the Piltover council, to which he agrees on the condition that he gives it to them. When all three arrive on the bridge connecting the two cities, Vi reveals that she is staying to confront Powder, and says goodbye to Ekko and Caitlyn, unaware of Powder watching from above. However, when Marcus, now Sheriff, shoots Ekko, Vi races back, causing Jinx to call her a liar and unleash a swarm of robotic butterflies that kill Marcus and his enforcers, and injure Caitlyn's leg. Vi attempts to carry Caitlyn to safety, but is confronted by Jinx, who attacks the two. They are saved by Ekko, who hands the cannister supposedly containing the gemstone to them before facing Jinx.
However, it turns out Jinx already stole the gemstone, leaving Vi and Caitlyn with seemingly nothing to the council. The two arrive at Cait's house, where they are confronted by her parents. There, Caitlyn's mother, a member of the council, offers to let them address the council. When Caitlyn tells Vi, Vi expresses her failure to protect her sister, and tells her a story about when they were kids, about how she pretended to chase her monsters away, but failed when it came to a real monster. At the council, the two explain that Jinx stole the gemstone, and that Silco is behind everything. Despite this, the council refuses to act, save for Jayce, which frustrates Vi, causing her to leave angrily. When Caitlyn attempts to convince her to come back, Vi asserts that this how things have always been, and that the two of them are akin to "Oil and Water". Vi then leaves Caitlyn, but goes straight to Jayce, the only person Caitlyn trusted and who wanted to use force. She convinces him to attack Silco's Shimmer factories, which will lead his people to turn on him. She also discovers Jayce's Atlas Gauntlets, which she likens to those of Vander's, and dons them. The two then attack one of the Shimmer factories, where they are confronted by Chemtanks, people shrouded in Mecha suits enhanced by Shimmer. While the two manage to effortlessly defeat the Chemtanks, Jayce inadvertently kills a child during the fight, convincing him that the cost of war between the two cites is too great.
While Jayce attempts to broker peace with Silco, Vi returns to the Last Drop, Vander's old bar which is now run by Silco. There, she is confronted by Sevika, who has upgraded her mechanical arm, putting her on much more even ground with Vi. Though Sevika manages to seemingly defeat Vi initially, Vi is convinced by a vision of Vander to defeat her and manages to sever her mechanical arm and beat her. However, after the fight, a Shimmer-infused Jinx knocks her out, taking her to Silco's old lair, alongside Silco and Caitlyn. When Vi awakens, Jinx begins monologuing about how despite Silco's beliefs that it was him, it was Vi's words of discouragement that turned Powder into Jinx, and that it was Vi's voice that encouraged her to pick herself back up. Vi replies that the only thing that kept her going in prison was the thought of getting back to her, causing Jinx to question their sisterhood. Jinx then reveals a dinner table, with Silco and Caitlyn bound and gagged, and offers to become Powder again if Vi executes Caitlyn. Vi refuses, having fallen in love with Caitlyn, but promises to take Jinx away and leave Piltover behind, which Silco protests as Jinx has changed massively from the little girl she was when Vi abandoned her. Caitlyn then breaks free from her restraints with a broken glass, and aims Jinx's minigun at her, despite Vi's protests. Jinx puts down her gun, but uses her shimmer abilities to attack Caitlyn at superhuman speed, knocking her unconscious and seizing her minigun. Vi attempts to make Powder remember who she is by yelling the names of her family members, causing Jinx to suffer a traumatic breakdown. Silco, wanting to help his daughter, attempts to use Jinx's gun to shoot Vi, which prompts Jinx to frantically shoot her gun, mortally wounding Silco. Jinx attempts to apologize to Silco, only for him to state he never would've betrayed her, and that she's perfect. Vi attempts to comfort Powder, only for her to choose the mantle of Jinx, claiming that Vi and her can't love each other anymore, causing her to fire her rocket Fishbones at the council. Caitlyn frees Vi, but the two exit the place to only find themselves too late.
In the aftermath of the explosion, which leads to the death of Caitlyn's mother, Caitlyn and Vi settle into a mass depression, and the latter decides to stay in the former's house, much to the chagrin of Caitlyn's father Tobias. When it is announced that enforcers will invade the lanes in search of Jinx, Caitlyn attempts to convince Vi to join the enforcers and help her hunt down Jinx, which Vi refuses, not wanting to be part of the same group that killed her parents. Vi angerly leaves Caitlyn's house and comes across a man named Loris. The two spend the night drinking on the streets of Piltover, where Vi lets loose her frustrations on Caitlyn trying to convince her to join the "peanut patrol". The next morning, Maddie Nolan, a junior officer of the Enforcers, meets Vi, and compliments her by telling how far Caitlyn was willing to go for her, and how she complimented Vi. This encourages Vi to go to the memorial of all the dead council members with Loris. However, the memorial is attacked by the Chem-Baron Renni and her crew, though all are ultimately killed by Ambessa Medarda and Noxian forces. Caitlyn, infuriated with the event, convinces tbe council to lead a strike force into Zaun to hunt down Jinx and any other Silco-loyalists, consisting of her, Vi, Maddie, Loris, and a fish man.
Personality[]
| “ | No, not my sister. Vi was strong because she was afraid. Her fear of losing us is what made her fight so hard. | „ |
| ~ A Alternative Powder about what makes Vi who she is. |
Vi showcases, above all else, a headstrong personality. From the day her parents were murdered, she had a seething hatred of Topside, and was extremely hateful towards members of the society, save for Caitlyn, whom she was initially reluctant to help. She is extremely prone to rage, immediately attacking Sevika as revenge for Vander's death. She tends more often than not to be on the offensive, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goals, completely numb to the tragedies that befall the Undercity. This is even reflected in her fighting style, as she is repeatedly chastised for refusing to block. She is very rarely willing to engage in diplomatic solutions, instead relying on violence to solve her problems.
Despite this, Vi is shown to be very loving towards those she is close to, such as Vander and Powder. Despite being angry at him for his secret deal with the enforcers, Vi ultimately comes to believe Vander is right about war, and turns herself in. She also attempts to be extremely supportive of her sister, and only holds her back when she is too afraid. Although she became angry and shouted at her little sister after the latter indirectly caused the death of their adopted brothers, this was only the result of the pain and grief accumulated with Vander's death, Vi would even come back to her sister if Marcus hadn't stopped her. After the time skip, Vi becomes dead set on reuniting with her sister by any means necessary, and continues to believe that there is good in her sister, despite all evidence to the contrary.
While a strong person, she suffers from fear of isolation due to her childhood traumas; this is a factor in why she so desperately tries to save her sister, Powder, even though evidence indicates she had become Jinx, with the sister she knew being gone (the main reasons are Vi's compassion and guilt, but loneliness is another nonetheless). Her sense of solitude also causes her to rush into connections with new people, despite her sceptical nature, as she fell deeply in love with Caitlyn even though they had only just met, and their backgrounds being vastly different and personalities being exceptionally incompatible; her desire for a connection even caused Vi to eventually ignore her own logic about why a relationship with Caitlyn couldn't work.
Following Jinx's attack on the Council Tower, Vi came to accept that Powder was gone for good and that only Jinx remained, who she was determined to stop at all costs. When she confronted Jinx again, she berated her for sullying the memory of who she once was before engaging her in a merciless fight. While she was initially hesitant to finish her off, Vi was about to do so until Isha stepped between them. Vi could not bring herself to harm a child and was further disturbed by Isha's affection for Jinx. She also would not let Caitlyn attempt to take Jinx down while Isha was around. As a result, Vi confronted Caitlyn for acting more like Jinx, leading the two to part on bad terms.
With her failure to stop Jinx and Caitlyn turning her back on her, Vi fell into a downward spiral, taking to fighting arenas and drinking more and more, causing her to suffer excruciatingly. When Jinx came to see her, Vi was still bitter towards her but listened to her when she revealed Vander's survival. During the search for Vander who was now the savage Warwick, Vi and Jinx were still bickering, blaming each other for their misfortunes and provoking each other to the point of coming to blows. After Vi instinctively hit Isha who bit her while defending Jinx, she slowly began to see Jinx differently due to how she cared for Isha as a brotherly figure. When she confronted Warwick, Vi was initially afraid of him and tried to take him down, but with Jinx begging her to stop fighting, Vi was able to see Vander inside the monster and stop the hostility, allowing her to reconnect with Vander. It was also at this point that she accepted Jinx as her sister again and the two cuddled in tears. Vi also ends up becoming another brotherly figure to Isha, with the two no longer having any animosity towards each other.
Abilities[]
- Experienced Brawler: Due to her harsh childhood in Zaun, Vi became a fighter at a very young age, probably trained by Vander. As a teenager, she could seriously hurt other teenagers her age. As an adult, Vi's close combat skills have reached their peak, allowing her to be a match for Sevika. Her fighting style is similar to boxing.
- Optimal Physical Condition: Even as a teenager, Vi was already in high physical condition for someone her age, giving her above-average endurance, resilience and strength that only continued into adulthood.
Quotes[]
| “ | Powder: Vi, it worked! Vi: What? Powder: Did you see me? My monkey bomb finally worked! Vi: You did this? Why? Why did you do this? Powder: I didn't- I was saving you. (looks at Claggor's dead body) I only wanted to help. I only wanted to help. I only wanted to help. I only wanted to- Vi: I told you to stay away. Powder: Please, please, please- Vi: I told you to STAY AWAY (hits Powder) Powder: Why did you leave me? Vi: Because you're a Jinx! Do you hear me? Mylo was right! |
„ |
| ~ Vi's last interaction with Powder before being sent to Stillwater |
| “ | Vi: Powder? Jinx: Vi? Vi: Oh, Powder! I'm so sorry, Powder. I...I tried to come back. I promise, I did. But I... I got arrested. Jinx: Marcus? Vi: I don't know. I... It doesn't matter. I just... I never thought I'd see you again. Jinx: Are you real? Vi: Yes, of course. It's me, Vi, your sister. I'm here. I'm right here. Jinx: Things changed when you left. I changed. Vi: I know, Pow-pow, I know. You did what you had to do to survive. Me too. It's okay. What matters is we're together. |
„ |
| ~ Vi reunites with her sister after so many years. |
| “ | Do you wanna make Silco pay for what he's done? | „ |
| ~ Vi to Jayce |
| “ | So, we got a deal, pretty boy? | „ |
| ~ Vi making a deal with Jayce. |
| “ | Jinx: Are we... still sisters? Vi: Nothing is ever going to change that. |
„ |
| ~ Vi to Jinx. |
| “ | Vi: When will you admit that this is just one of your fantasies? Or do you not want the kid to know how delusional you are? Jinx: [To Isha] She wasn't always like this. She actually used to be pretty cool, before I kicked her butt. Vi: See what I mean? Delusional. Jinx: Wish I was just seeing things when you decided to throw in with the Piltie goons who murdered Mom and Dad. Vi: At least they never had to see the psycho their daughter turned into. Jinx: Which one? Wake up, sis. I'm a hero. I busted half of Zaun out of Stillwater while you were passed out in the bottom of a mug. Now can it and keep walking, before I kick your ass again. Vi: You wouldn't last one second without all your ugly gadgets and chickenshit tricks. Jinx: Ha! What about those overdesigned bitch-mittens you didn't even build yourself? Vi: [Vi drops her metal gloves] You think I need these to... [Jinx suddenly slaps Vi in the face] ? Jinx: There. One second. [Vi gets angry, pulls Jinx's braid and the two start to fight.] Vi: Last chance to surrender. Jinx: Go right ahead, fat hands. |
„ |
| ~ Jinx and Vi arguing, both over mutual blame and their disappointment in each other, leading them to fight childishly. |
Gallery[]
Promotionals[]
Screenshots[]
Trivia[]
- In League of Legends, Vi's sibling relationship with Jinx was never truly confirmed until the release of Arcane but was mostly implied by fans as a whole due to their interactions in the game.
- Compared to her Video Game counterpart, Vi is much more independent, not working or acting on the orders of others. She also cares very little for Piltover and is more empathetic towards Zaun.
- She can be considered the main anti hero of Arcane due to her tendency to create problems and also in her role in creating Jinx.
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 Heroes
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Kingdom of Demacia House Crownguard House Laurent Dauntless Vanguard Deities Others Piltover and Zaun Enforcers Firelights Zaun Others Ionia Shadow Order Navori Vastaya Others The Freljord Winter's Claw Others Noxus Mages Others Others Bilgewater Mount Targon Solari Lunari Celestials Shadow Isles Others Icathia The Void Ixtal Bandle City | ||