"Arcane" Season Two: Explosive Sonic Storytelling

As of November 9, the Emmy award-winning television series Arcane has made its return to screens, and its soundtrack is bigger and better than ever.

If you're unfamiliar with the Emmy award-winning show, Arcane is an animated series based on the popular online game League of Legends, and follows the origin stories of two of the characters within the game. Made exclusively for Netflix and featuring A-list stars like Hailee Steinfeld (Pitch Perfect 2, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Ella Purnell (Fallout, Maleficent), season one was filled with world building and intense character development.

Undoubtedly the best feature of the show, though, is its soundtrack. Season 1, which released in 2021, featured artists like Bea Miller, Pusha T, and Denzel Curry, and amassed billions of streams and nominations for Top Soundtrack (Billboard Music Awards) and Best Alternative Music Video (MTV VMA's). "Enemy", by alt-rock band Imagine Dragons and JID appeared in the opening credits received over 1.6 billion streams alone.

The wild success of the first season meant the show's creators had big shoes to fill, and they did not disappoint. As it happens, many artists are actually fans of the game itself and were jumping at the chance to get onboard. Among the star-studded lineup: Stray Kids, Ashnikko, D4vd, King Princess, Woodkid, and alt-rock due Twenty One Pilots, who began teasing the collaboration back in September of 2024, posting a photo with the caption "If dangerous ideas didn't excite the imagination, we would never wander astray", a quote from season one of the series.

Photo courtesy of @twentyonepilots on Instagram

The soundtrack serves as a way to connect fans across the globe. According to Rolling Stone, "...the League community, Arcane's audience, is not restricted by languages and are excited to both 'discover something fresh' and hear their favorite band's familiar sound. This global approach has created a soundtrack where everyone, from 'heavy metal fans to K-pop fans,' can find a connection with the show."