Vi
Once a street-tough criminal from Zaun's unforgiving alleys, Vi is a fiery, impulsive force of nature, with little regard for authority. Raised nearly on her own, she sharpened her survival instincts and developed a sharp, biting sense of humor. Now part of the Wardens of Piltover, she fights to maintain order, using powerful hextech gauntlets that can smash through walls and suspects alike.
Opening
Welcome, lore-lovers, to another deep dive into the stories that shape the world of Arcane and League of Legends! I'm Liandrug, and today we'll explore the powerful journey of Vi--a fighter torn between love for her sister and the streets that shaped her. So sit back, relax, and let's unravel the layers of this character together.
The Chronicle
Vi's childhood memories are faint, and the few she recalls, she wishes she could forget. Running with the sumpsnipe gangs, she quickly mastered using both her wits and fists to stay alive. She became known for her toughness, with a reputation for being able to either brawl or talk her way out of trouble--though she usually preferred the former.
None of the old-timers from Vi's past had any knowledge of her parents. Most assumed they had perished in one of Zaun's frequent industrial mishaps. Some recalled her as a child from Hope House, a dilapidated orphanage carved into the cliffs of Zaun. A deranged sump-scrapper, in his final moments, claimed he had found Vi in a bassinet built for two amid the wreckage of a chem-laboratory. Eventually, Vi abandoned the search for her origins, deciding some mysteries were better left unsolved.
Wilder stories began to swirl around Vi as her reputation grew among the gangs of the undercity. With her unmistakable wild pink hair, Vi was a constant presence on the streets of Zaun--whether she was sprinting from enraged shopkeepers in the glittering boundary markets, swaggering through the vibrant bazaars of the Lanes, or hitching rides up to Piltover on the hexdraulic conveyors. Wherever there was trouble brewing or a scheme to be run, Vi was often right in the middle of it. Despite her troublemaker image, she lived by a code: never steal from those who couldn't afford the loss, and never hurt the innocent.
As she grew older, Vi's youthful escapades turned bolder and more daring. She formed her own gang, and her brash temper often led her into fights, though she was usually the last one standing--her face often bruised, with a split lip to match. Over time, Vi formed a bond with a bar owner on the outskirts of the Lanes, a man who helped her curb her self-destructive impulses. He reinforced her code, teaching her to fight with control and channel her anger more productively.
Even with his influence, Vi's gang ran rampant across Zaun, tolerated by the Chem-Barons only because they occasionally proved useful. Vi earned a reputation as someone who could get things done, no questions asked. Yet, as her criminal life wore on, Vi found herself increasingly disturbed by the destruction she and others were leaving behind.
The breaking point came during a heist at a chemtech facility that had just hit a rich vein. Vi had gathered intel from miners in local bars, learning when the payment for the ore was being delivered. She devised a plan to relieve the mine's owner of his gold but needed more hands for the job. Reluctantly, she involved the Factorywood Fiends in her scheme. Everything went smoothly until the Fiends' leader unleashed a chem-powered mining golem, using its massive Pulverizer Gauntlets to kill the owner. As his men herded the workers into the mine, the leader began demolishing the entrance, overloading the golem in the process. The senseless bloodshed enraged Vi. It had been a perfect job--now these lunatics were wrecking everything!
Grabbing their share of the gold, the Factorywood Fiends fled, leaving the miners trapped below with air running out. Vi, unable to abandon them to their fate, quickly seized the golem's overloading gauntlets before they self-destructed. The gauntlets clamped painfully onto her arms, but she pushed through the agony, smashing through the wreckage to free the miners and save their lives.
With the miners rescued, Vi and her gang made their escape with the remaining gold. The very next day, she tracked down the Factorywood Fiends. Still wearing the gauntlets, Vi delivered a beating to the entire gang that would become legendary in Zaun's underworld. The failed heist marked a turning point for Vi. She vowed never to work with anyone she didn't completely trust. She kept the Pulverizer Gauntlets, modifying them so they no longer burned her when she used them to break into vaults or ambush heavily armed convoys.
Vi vanished from Zaun during a time of great upheaval, as tensions between Zaun and Piltover reached their peak. Rumors spread that she had died in a massive explosion deep in Zaun, while others claimed she had left for distant lands. The truth came out when Old Hungry's Scars--a brutal gang responsible for a spree of murders extending into Piltover--was taken down by the Sheriff of Piltover and her mysterious new ally... Vi. The former Zaunite gang leader was now working for the wardens, wielding upgraded hextech gauntlets. She seemed older, changed, as though her experiences had left a mark on her. The Vi who once relied on her fists first was still present, but she had matured, realizing the old path only led to one inevitable end.
How Vi came to join forces with Caitlyn remains a mystery, and whatever bond ties them together is the subject of much speculation. Given the personal nature of the recent crime wave sweeping through Piltover, many believe it has something to do with a certain blue-haired troublemaker from Zaun.
And that's the story from League of Legends part, but fortunately Arcane came to tell us the rest of the story and we know that in Arcane, Vi's story begins in the depths of Zaun, a city shrouded in shadows beneath the gleaming towers of Piltover. As a child, she grew up alongside her sister, Powder, under the care of Vander, the father figure who sought to keep them safe in a world of crime and violence. Zaun was a dangerous place, teetering on the edge of conflict with the more affluent Piltover, but Vander, once a feared leader in Zaun's rebellion, had chosen to leave that life behind, running a bar and raising Vi, Powder, and two other orphans--Milo and Claggor.
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Vi, fiery and strong-willed even as a child, was fiercely protective of Powder. She embraced Vander's lessons but found it difficult to stay away from trouble. Despite the dangers, Vi often led her group into bold, risky escapades, determined to push back against the harsh realities of their world. She was a fighter at heart, full of conviction, and although her bond with Powder was unbreakable, she struggled to guide her sister, whose talents as a tinkerer were hampered by her insecurities.
In the first significant turn of events, Vi, along with the gang, planned a heist in Piltover, aiming to steal from the wealthier class in hopes of scoring big. The mission went disastrously wrong when Powder, still inexperienced and eager to prove herself, accidentally triggered a catastrophic explosion with one of her makeshift bombs. The explosion drew the attention of Piltover's enforcers, putting Vi and her family on the run and plunging them deeper into the dangerous underworld of Zaun.
The aftermath of the failed heist set in motion a chain of devastating events. The Piltover enforcers intensified their search for the culprits, and tension boiled over between Zaun and Piltover. Vander, caught between his desire for peace and the growing threat of war, was eventually forced into a deadly conflict with Silco, a former ally who sought to ignite rebellion and take control of Zaun. Silco, ambitious and ruthless, wanted to weaponize the dangerous drug known as shimmer, which granted users immense power at a steep cost.
Vi found herself at the heart of this conflict. Her anger flared when she blamed Powder for the explosion, the loss of their friends Milo and Claggor, and the collapse of their family. In a heated moment, she lashed out at her sister, scarring Powder emotionally with harsh words. It was a moment of pain and regret for Vi, but before she could make amends, Piltover enforcers, led by Marcus, captured her, and she was taken away, leaving Powder behind in the hands of Silco.
Vi's imprisonment marked a dark period in her life. As years passed, she was confined in a Piltover prison, haunted by memories of her sister and the lives lost because of that one fateful day. During her time behind bars, Vi's resentment simmered, but so did her resolve. She never forgot Powder or the twisted streets of Zaun. She bided her time, waiting for the moment when she could return and make things right.
Her opportunity came when Caitlyn, an ambitious and determined Piltover enforcer, discovered Vi's connection to the criminal underworld and enlisted her help in uncovering the truth behind a series of violent incidents linked to shimmer. Caitlyn freed Vi from prison, and together they ventured into the chaotic, crime-ridden world of Zaun.
Vi's partnership with Caitlyn was unlikely but forged through necessity. Though initially distrustful of the Piltover elite, Vi came to respect Caitlyn's sense of justice and resolve. The two made a powerful duo, combining Caitlyn's sharp investigative mind with Vi's street-smarts and brute strength. Yet, Vi's true goal was to find her sister.
What Vi discovered upon returning to Zaun was a world she barely recognized. Shimmer had transformed the undercity into a place of addiction and violence, and her sister, Powder, was no longer the child she had left behind. Powder had taken on the name Jinx and was now a volatile, unhinged figure, driven mad by a mix of guilt, rage, and abandonment. Under Silco's twisted mentorship, Jinx had become a deadly force, wreaking havoc on Piltover and Zaun alike.
Vi's reunion with Jinx was filled with heartbreak and conflict. Vi still saw the little sister she had promised to protect, but Jinx had been deeply scarred by the years of betrayal and loneliness. The loss of their friends, compounded by Vi's abandonment, had turned her into someone unpredictable, a danger to everyone around her.
Despite everything, Vi never gave up on Powder. Her mission became twofold: to stop Silco's growing power and his shimmer empire, and to bring her sister back from the brink of madness. But it was a path fraught with danger, not just from Silco's forces, but from Jinx herself, who teetered on the edge between loyalty to her sister and her deep, twisted bond with Silco.
As the tension between Piltover and Zaun escalated, Vi found herself torn between her desire to reconcile with Jinx and the responsibility she felt to stop the violence consuming both cities. The final moments of the season brought this conflict to its peak, with Jinx forced to choose between Vi and Silco. In a tragic twist of fate, Jinx, consumed by her fractured psyche, chose neither. She accidentally killed Silco, yet remained lost in her own torment, firing a devastating rocket at Piltover's Council, signaling the beginning of an all-out war.
Vi, watching helplessly as her sister unleashed chaos, realized that the divide between them might be too great to bridge. The first season ended with Vi standing on the precipice of a new chapter, unsure of how to save Powder--if she could save her at all--while the world around them braced for the coming storm.
Closing Words
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