Arcane is a show full of great characters who receive tons of development as the series progresses. These champions in League of Legends whose stories were once short snippets on a website or comic series now get full-blown episodes focused on their exploits.
However, the standout character of Arcane, without a doubt, is Jinx. Her character arc in this show is the most crucial part of the series. From Easter Eggs for long-time fans to subtle lore original to the series, there are a ton of details about Jinx you may not have noticed.
Her Thought Grafitti Is Just The Word “Vi”
With how fast these scribbles go by, the viewer might not even notice these random chicken scratchings as letters. However, a quick pause reveals that Jinx’s mind is haunted by her sister constantly.
Although years have passed since they separated, Jinx still hasn’t moved on from the events of that fateful night. The thought of her sister is always at the back of her mind, and it’s even worse when the thoughts decide to take center stage.
Her Pink Color Motifs Are Because of Vi
Arcane excels in visual storytelling, and that extends to the color palette they use for the raging episodes that Jinx has. Much like how the scratchings are Vi, the color pink permeates every facet of Jinx’s mind.
There’s a case to be made that the pink is Shimmer, but having conflicting feelings about your sister leaving you certainly wouldn’t help things. In any case, her thoughts are always “splattered” by pink, signifying how much Vi permeates her every waking thought.
Jinx’s Insane Speed Is Because of Shimmer
It’s easy to call the speed boost after a takedown that Jinx gets in League of Legends as a gameplay-only feature. Arcane goes out of their way to explain how she got that ability of hers.
Singed saves Jinx’s life by injecting her with a massive amount of Shimmer. Her speed manifests itself in highly dangerous situations, such as when Cait was pointing a gun at her. It’s a great way to incorporate more elements from the game into Jinx’s character without alienating new viewers.
Jinx’s Crow Motif
Crows are a constant motif around Jinx as early as Act 2. She kills a crow while visiting their old hideout, has crow feathers strewn around her lab, the Jinx chair is crowned with crow feathers, and she gets symbolized as a crow during her fight with Ekko.
Crows are an omen of bad luck in many beliefs, and that fits incredibly with a tragic girl named Jinx. The fact that she shot one despite her affinity for them also represents the self-hatred that she lets fester inside of her.
Jinx Named Her Gun After Herself
As established, Jinx still loves her sister very much, even at the height of her emotional instability. Her gun’s name, Pow-Pow, just so happens to be the same nickname that Vi uses for Powder when they were both kids.
Giving a gun that she blindly fires in a rage a nickname her sister uses for her is indicative of how she perceives herself. Although Jinx is a weapons genius, she still names her weapons juvenile names, just like she did as a kid.
Jinx Hates Pity
Ever since she was Powder, Jinx always hated being pitied. Her futile attempts to help with bombs were all just a way to prove that she could be useful. It’s also part of why she’s so distressed when she gets left behind during Vander’s rescue.
In adulthood, Jinx uses people’s pity to her advantage constantly. She uses a recording of a girl shouting for help to bait the Enforcers into her trap and explode them. Another time is when she gets knocked down by Ekko. Jinx stares at him with sad eyes before smiling and blowing the both of them up. It’s quite clear what she thinks of pity once you’ve noticed that.
Jinx Is Codependent
Despite her loneliness, Jinx latches onto people far more than she realizes. Every time Silco or Vi does anything that upsets her, she reacts with violent tantrums. Still, she subconsciously considers them both her anchors.
However, it’s Silco who catches onto that better than Vi. Where Vi pushes Powder away after her accidental murder of her family, Silco immediately forgives Jinx for killing him, and even calls her “perfect”. Although Jinx’s relationship with Silco is twisted, it can’t be denied that they did care for each other.
Jinx is Ekko’s Mirror
Jinx and Ekko might be on different sides, but their stories are eerily similar. Both of them are gadgeteer geniuses who lost their father figures because of Silco’s plans. However, they are complete mirrors in lifestyles and philosophy.
Ekko lives at the very bottom of Zaun, where so much life and fauna is present. Ekko also surrounds himself with people who join in his fight to make Zaun a peaceful place. In contrast, Jinx is a complete loner, living at the very top of Zaun surrounded by weapons and scrap. Jinx doesn’t care about the politics between Zaun and Piltover, only her whims.
Jinx’s Explosions Progress The Plot
Every single time Jinx blows something up, the story progresses. Act 1 is kicked off by her messing around with hexcores. Act 1 also ends with her disrupting Silco’s plan, maiming Singed and Sevika, and killing most of her family, right as they were about to escape.
Act 2 starts with Jinx blowing up a tower to steal yet another hexcore, which kickstarts the war between Zaun and Piltover. Finally, Jinx blows up the council from the very same factory where she accidentally destroyed her chance at a good life. Right as the council was about to give Zaun its independence, she didn’t even know they were going to. Impeccable timing.
Jinx’s Eyes Are a Sign Of Her Mental State
A thing many old-time fans might have noticed is that Arcane’s Jinx does not have her iconic pink eyes from the start. Her eyes are blue for most of the first two acts of Arcane. However, her eyes do become pink in certain moments when she is undergoing severe stress.
The most striking example is when Jinx shoots down the Firefly who she thought was her sister Vi. For a moment, her eyes reflect the vivid pink of the flames around her, foreshadowing her eventual transformation. The Shimmer surgery from Singed coincides with Jinx finally shedding the final shreds of her Powder persona. Now her eyes are a permanent shade of violent pink.