Arcane Season 2 has reached its end, with the final three episodes of the League of Legends series landing on Netflix, leading to one major question: does Jinx die?
The zealous Zaunite formerly known as Powder has been at the heart of Arcane from the very beginning, alongside her relationship with sister Vi.
After the devastating fight in Season 1, Jinx and Vi went down very different paths – and we’ve been gunning for their reunion ever since.
The question remains: does this happen in the Arcane Season 2 finale, and does Jinx survive? Warning: major spoilers ahead!
Does Jinx die?
Jinx seemingly dies in the Arcane Season 2 finale, although there’s a strong theory that she survives (more on this in a bit). But Jinx redeems herself before then, eventually sacrificing her own life to save Vi.
Prior to this heart-wrenching moment, Ambessa enlists Singed/Dr. Reveck to revive Viktor and use his abilities in her battle.
Viktor ends up transforming into his League of Legends self, The Machine Herald, ultimately becoming an augmented version of the character who is hellbent on “evolving” everyone into one hive mind (and destroying humanity in the process).
Jayce wants to prevent this from happening, and so together with Vi, Mel, and Caitlyn, they round up troops to defend the Hexgate, an act that brings Piltover and Zaun together.
Outside the Piltover tower, a battle unfolds, with Ambessa and her army gaining the upper hand, thanks in part to Maddie, who betrays her former lover Cait in favor of the Noxian warlord.
As Maddie goes to shoot, Mel uses her Black Rose abilities to protect Caitlyn. Ambessa orders her army to charge at her daughter, but before they make their move, they hear something approaching.
It’s Jinx and Ekko, swooping in to save the day! And Jinx doesn’t just show up – she makes an unforgettable entrance aboard a steampunk-style helicopter. As it flies in, we realize it’s no ordinary vehicle: it’s the iconic lair she’s been living on this whole time.
As she shoots at Ambessa’s army and sets off a series of colorful explosions, Ekko and his team of Firelights fly through on their hoverboards, taking out the bad guys.
There’s an issue, though. In Arcane Season 2 Episode 8, Singed’s experiments and Viktor’s powers bring Warwick back, only he’s had all Vander’s memories eradicated.
Now he’s evolved into an even more terrifying beast, and in the finale, he makes it onto Jinx’s ship. Vi goes to save her sister, only for the vessel to crash into the top of Piltover tower.
While all of this is going on, Jayce and Viktor come together to put a stop to Hextech for good in order to save humanity – and this means sacrificing themselves.
When this happens, everyone who had been floating as a result of the evolution falls to the ground, leaving Jinx, Vi, and Warwick in a precarious position.
Jinx is on a secure metal pipe but Vi and Warwick are on a platform just below, and the screws holding the structure are coming loose.
When Vi wakes up, she looks at Warwick laying there unconscious and, for a moment, sees Vander in him. Jinx, seeing that they’re on the verge of falling, tries to tell Vi, “You can’t save him” – but it’s no use.
Warwick wakes up and attacks Vi, causing their platform to shake. Here’s where Jinx redeems herself once more: she jumps into Warwick to push him off the ledge and save Vi.
Vi uses her gauntlet to grab Jinx, but Warwick’s got his claws wrapped around her. Knowing there’s only one way out, Jinx removes the Hextech crystal from Vi’s iron fist and plunges to her death.
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As Vi screams, Jinx looks up and gives her sister a final smile before setting off a monkey bomb – just like the one that kickstarted this chain of events.
Hidden detail raises doubt about Jinx’s death
While Jinx’s death is implied, the final Arcane Season 2 scene suggests she might have survived the fall. Firstly, we don’t actually see Jinx dead – she simply disappears into the smoke caused by the explosion.
The scene then cuts forward in time to show Caitlyn and Vi, who are finally together. While Vi sits in front of the fireplace, Cait is busy looking at a blueprint for the Hexgate where Jinx fell into.
She zooms in on the air ducts while holding on to a fragment of the monkey bomb and smiles, suggesting Jinx might have escaped through one of these systems.
Another clue is the final shot, as we see an airship flying through the sky before a brief flash of Jinx’s iconic hallucinations. The airship looks similar to the one Powder saw in Season 1 and said, “One day, I’m gonna ride one of those things.”
Taking to Reddit, an Arcane fan wrote, “Just realized Jinx is not dead, three hints about this: A pink light flashes out of the explosion [and] Caitlyn smiles when she looks at the Clock Tower model, after seeing the air ducts or ventilation where Jinx could flash into!”
They added, “The air balloon at the end is the same one Powder said she wanted to ride someday in Season 1. I saw this mentioned in a YouTube comment, but it made sense because I also remember something similar to that.
“If that is true, the end title card right after this scene would make more sense, because it’s in Jinx’s font style, hinting that she might have left Piltover for another destination. Maybe we’ll see her again next season.”
Another said, “Anyone else think that Caitlyn researching the air ducts below the tower where Jinx blew herself and Warwick/Vander up with the remains of a Jinx explosive in her hand is interesting?
“Feels like the writers are implying Jinx somehow survived and made it out alive? Maybe Jinx still believes she’s a ‘Jinx’ to everyone around her and wants everyone to believe she’s dead to kind of save her loved ones from herself…”
“During the explosion, a shimmer light appeared and disappeared so she probably escaped with her shimmer super speed. And Jinx probably took Silco’s advice and ‘walked away’ on that ship she said she wanted to ride in Season 1,” added a third.
“Plus Caitlyn is smiling when she notices the air ducts as you mentioned. Jinx is definitely alive.” And a fourth agreed, “I think so too. After what Silco said to her in the cell I think Jinx just wants to leave everything behind and live peacefully.”
Arcane co-creator teases Jinx might not be dead after all
Arcane’s co-creator, Christian Linke, addressed Jinx’s fate in an interview with Tech Radar. While Linke didn’t explicitly say Jinx is still alive, he also didn’t confirm that she did in fact meet her end in the finale of Arcane.
“I can neither confirm or deny [the Jinx is alive]. I will say this: her whole story is about turning from the little, bumbling sister into someone who is able to take responsibility and do what a big sister needs to do. Isha is really that example for Jinx,” began Linke.
She is starting to understand what it’s like to be responsible, and to be able to grow and be stronger…Jinx has a moment where she has grown and she’s capable of stepping in, and it’s a big decision that’s important for her. So, that’s I guess, where I’ll leave it.”
Will Jinx return in the future?
As for the hopes of Jinx turning up in another TV show, it’s not impossible if she did survive. But Riot Games have made it clear Arcane was supposed to be a closed story, and one of many in their planned League of Legends cinematic universe.
Season 2 is the last, meaning we won’t be getting Arcane Season 3. Instead, the next LoL series will focus on new characters and settings.
Perhaps by leaving these hints about Jinx’s fate, the creators are simply letting us imagine the possibilities and giving a bit of hope that Jinx’s arc continues outside of the show.
Arcane Season 2 is streaming on Netflix now. You can read more about the “Juliette” dedication, the show’s most traumatizing scene, and our ranking of the most powerful Arcane characters.
