Full spoilers for Arcane season 1.

Hello everyone, here is more writing about Arcane. Today, delving again into death to follow up on the previous article. I'm not quite satisfied with this one, and wish to move on to the next topics. Rather than shelving it, probably forever, I'm posting it as is because why not. Thus it may come off as disjointed points and unfinished thoughts, and not particularly well structured. Also, sorry I use the exact word death over and over. Enjoy and please share your thoughts.

Introduction

This article follows up on my previous one, the Portrayal of Suicide. Reading it before or after is not necessary but I won't repeat what I already covered in it.

The other post got some decent discussion, thanks! Two major points that were raised are that Jinx did not hold back against Ekko, and that Viktor was really not considering suicide when disarming the grenade. While reconsidering my article again, I wondered why I focused pretty hard on the suicide angle. Obviously it was the chosen topic and it is present in Arcane, however death is a more general idea which is omnipresent in the story. I prefer to focus on subtleties, and suicide felt like another perspective on Jinx. Anyway, I'm not throwing away what I told before, I'm putting another layer on top by focusing on death in a wider way, because I felt I shoved that on the side immediately and perhaps did the discussion a disservice.

Death appears as a recurring motif in Arcane, somewhat in the background compared to ideas like duality and family, yet lurking at every moment: the death of Vi and Powder's parents; Silco's nearly drowning; the deaths of Mylo and Claggor; Vander's sacrifice; the suicide attempts of Jayce and Viktor; the deaths around Jinx; Viktor and Heimerdinger talking about death and legacy; Vi's supposed disappearance; Silco's death; the impending deaths from Jinx's rocket.

There's not that much material, but we could probably start describing the relation of every character to death: how Silco's uses deaths for his agenda; how Vander turned away from fighting after experiencing too much death; how Jinx lives surrounded by death; how Vi distances herself from death and violence to keep moving forward; how Caitlyn is pretty removed from these concerns; how Viktor lives with death on the horizon; how Jayce thinks he knows what he is doing and loses his cool when confronted with death, twice; how Heimerdinger does not even understand it yet warns about the deadly danger of Arcane; how Ekko remembers and wants to avenge those who died.

As always, I'm not really trying to make a point, more formulating a stream of thoughts.

Silco's near-death experience

I somehow completely missed that one in the suicide discussion, but it would fit.

In episode 3, there is a flashback of Silco as he almost dies after fighting with Vander. What's important here is how Silco describes drowning, it's peace, problems fading away, yet it's also the rage to survive. "Have you had enough?" There is a hint of a choice there, letting go or hanging on. Obviously, Silco is getting killed and drowning, not exactly committing suicide, but the fact that in the end he is alone, with death approaching, and that he wonders about staying alive or not, that's quite relevant to suicidal thoughts.

More than just the idea though, it's Silco who first shows the immense influence of one's own death on people. Think about it, one very recurring philosophical idea is that life is meaningful because of death, life has a point because it ends. Look how many stories there are about immortality and legacy, how important funerals are in cultures, how religions are about death and the afterlife, even just how the audience usually considers character deaths needed to keep tension up and to have powerful moments.

Silco learns from death, it changes him profoundly. Facing death, acknowledging it, yet turning away from it, finding rebirth. Again, there's the idea of suicide in there, how the deed is often because of a lack of a life meaning, and how turning away from it gives the renewed opportunity to find meaning. Yet you don't even need to go there, just death itself is powerful enough. A person rarely is the same once they have become acquainted with death, no matter the nature of the encounter.

Fear haunts us all

While talking to Jinx, Silco says these powerful words: "Fear haunts us all". While it's a leap for that specific instance, you could reuse that phrase for death.

Vander fears death because of what it means to those around him, as does Heimerdinger who is simply aware of it for others, rather than afraid. Silco may fear death because it's the only thing that could stop him, as is Viktor who sees it as always looming and holding him down, like his leg does; Vi fears the possible death of her sister; Jinx fears how she causes death and is haunted by it; Mel fears unnecessary deaths brought by conflict, as does Jayce after he had to face that himself.

Yet, Silco uses death and rebirth as a way to liberate himself from fear. He has known and still knows the proximity of death, as he could get killed any day. He understands that, makes himself stronger and more determined thanks to it. He chooses his fate and his identity, and that's what he's trying to convey to Jinx.

Jinx and Vi

There was a post about what death means to Jinx, which is quite relevant.

Jinx has a pretty twisted relation with death. Powder grew up with death all around, between the hard life in the fissures and Vander's revolt where her parents died. Considering the ages of the sisters and their expressions at the bridge scene, I would say that in the moment Vi is a lot more affected than Powder, and it's her that feels revengeful and eager for violence, while Powder instead develops issues with loneliness and self-worth over time, because of the absence of support and family beyond Vi. Her actual relation with death appears later, when she is responsible for the death of Mylo, Claggor and Vander, then as she finds herself alone surrounded by ghosts in her mind, and even more as she evolves to become violent and deadly. And it's fully realized when she kills Silco and unleashes death on Piltover with her rocket.

The parallel in Vi is, in my opinion, harder to delimit. While earlier to be violent and close to death, she never really "kills", instead she beats down her opponents to a pulp. She may actually have killed a few at Silco's hideout or at the Shimmer manufactory, but it's unclear, and not dwelled upon, contrary to deaths caused by Jinx and Jayce. Vi fights with her fists, even the Atlas Gauntlets are first introduced as tools, even if the truth of that is quite debatable, whereas others use knives, explosives, guns, poison, drugs and magic (which was described as very destructive). It's another piece in Vi's character that may be looked into later in the show.

If instead we considers life, it's likely people like Vander and Vi put a lot of value in it, because of their life experiences and the closeness of death. I touched in the suicide post on how that could have resulted in Jinx being both careful and reckless with her life. One point I'll add is how quickly Jayce and Viktor consider suicide, while Jinx, who has all the reasons to, almost comes to it in one extreme instance and after years of hardship.

Viktor and legacy

Legacy is a topic we can evoke with a few characters: Vander, who is the one raising kids and trying to leave a better world behind; Silco, who fights for a dream he could very well never see in his life; Viktor, who worries about failing to achieve a worthwhile legacy; and Heimerdinger, who has the most impressive legacy yet appears also quite immobile instead of striving for better.

Viktor and Heimerdinger, are the one actually talking about legacy in the show. What's interesting about Viktor is that he does not strike you as the person to worry about that. He was a sick and lonely child, disabled with one bad leg, living in the poverty and awful conditions of the undercity. Yet he always has been a brilliant mind, a kind, progressive and idealistic man, humble and hard-working. Often legacy is about glory, about being recognized as a great person for History. For scientists, it's first about progress and helping Humankind along the path, but there is often praise for humility and teamwork.

It speaks of the complexity of Viktor's character and motives, when he managed to rise up from the undercity, learn and gain some status, yet he appears deeply unsatisfied. He has so far lived a good life, had opportunities beside focusing on work all the time, brought improvements to the undercity, became celebrated alongside Jayce, proved the value of anyone with a good mind and mentality beyond any preconception about origin or disability. More than anything, he lived. It's implied that the poison in the undercity, the labor and the unrest make it a quickly fatal environment, but in the end he had access to a decent enough standard of life. In the end, he still fears death, he despises the weakness of his body and his inability to accomplish always more. If he dies now, he wishes his legacy would be remarkable. He values legacy and living just another day, to work just another day, rather than enjoying his life to the fullest.

It's the tragedy of ambition and greed: you always want more and rarely stop to enjoy what you have. The world and society push you to do more, be it from the cries of dying persons, from the awe and praise of crowds, or from the dreams of your parents. Sometimes it's from your own beating heart. Heimerdinger has a great line about that: "It's a sad truth that those who shine brightest often burn fastest".

The way to talk about death

This one is weird, because it's more of a feeling I have, and I could not really find support for it while going through the episode scripts. In Arcane, there is a lot of talk of death, but direct references are not that frequent, exact words even less. Are the deaths of Mylo and Claggor acknowledged explicitly? Benzo's death is. Vander's is, later, by Ekko, and with difficulty. There is also a difference between topside and the undercity, more fuel for duality.

To talk about death you usually go about it in one of two ways: you use euphemisms, focus on life itself, use religious and afterlife concepts, or you give the hard reality, the gory details, the exact words of death. Not one is better than the other, but it can give hints as how each and every one sees the perspective and reality of death.

I honestly can't find really obvious ways in which Arcane's dialogues highlight that, so these will be some obviously hand-picked examples.

Vander says "Your parents would still be alive." and "Who are you willing to lose?". Vi is "gone" then "thought she would never see [Powder] again". Ekko talks about it more directly, yet he is also the pessimistic, and realistic, one about the whole situation, with a more vengeful attitude than Vi.

Meanwhile death is talked about explicitly around Viktor and the topsiders. Viktor talks about his impending death with Heimerdinger, and Jayce describes him as dying to Mel. There are recurring references to his fading health, his eroding body and the proximity of death. Viktor acting in the face of the fear of death makes him responsible for Sky's untimely demise, and then he takes upon himself to give her a funeral.

Viktor, who was ill since childhood, managed to rise in the ranks and to become an accomplished scientist. Now he worries about death and legacy, but also stays aware, for the most part, of the pressing issues in the undercity. Perhaps, there is a hint of a disconnect here but hardships cannot be easily compared.

In topside, deaths are rare and cause strong public reactions. The dead enforcers get a funeral and a gun salute. Sky, who had ended on that side, gets an attempt at a funeral thanks to Viktor. Meanwhile, in the undercity, deaths occur everyday and are quickly dismissed. We can imagine bodies piling up in the streets and being left there.

In topside, there are talks about death and war and destruction, yet most actual deaths are in the undercity, ignored. Death is omnipresent around Vander, Silco, Vi and Jinx, whereas it's a distant thing for Jayce, Heimerdinger and Mel. Jayce, who has a precedent with his mother almost dying, throws up at the sight of bodies on the bridge. He then loses all conviction after his first kill in a war he is starting, while Vi, who is acting tough, speaks of it as just another line on the butcher's bill.

A "funny" one to end: Jinx's prank with what we expect to be Caitlyn's head. Everybody knows we are talking about death, yet we try to keep it under wraps. In reality, it's walking beside you, always.

Conclusion

Just like with the previous talk about suicide, in the end we have to wait for more Arcane to really go deeper on the topic of death. There's potential for a lot of events and of ideas. Between Jinx who makes herself an avatar of death, Vi who still struggles with her convictions, Viktor who hangs on to life, Silco who we could learn more about. Even another character that people enjoy expecting a return. As Jinx says: "Nothing ever stays dead."

Thanks for reading, cheers!