This is a PERFECT Side Character (ft IRL Ekko) | ARCANE (Ekko Analysis)

[@AxleBoost]

I love how this entire video’s TLDR is basically, “Ekko is just built different.”

[@JoaoPedroPT696]

Yes Ekko builds AP while the rest of the Zaunite cast builds AD xD (except Singed and Viktor, but Viktor is still technically in Piltover at this point and Singed didn't had a fight yet)

[@grimlin2020]

@@JoaoPedroPT696 what about Renata

[@marxismleninismkanyeism6440]

@@grimlin2020 renata isnt in the show

[@jdksdj11]

So the best character in Arcane is Twitch (if he is the rat from 1st episode), bcs he builds AP or AD.

[@JoaoPedroPT696]

@@jdksdj11 Twitch will most probably turn out to be Huck, and his crossbow a refitting of Caitlyn's original rifle. The rat from the 1st episode was a misdirection.

[@hiroshiramasendjews9539]

Honestly l never viewed Ekko as a side character. I always thought he was to important to the story to be one.

[@NRG-REC]

He better not be one next season, that's all I know. They get a pass for the first 1 because they needed to keep up the mystery on who the firelight leader was but if ekko is the only champion from zaun we don't get substantial time with despite him being one of the most interesting from that region I'll be pissed.

[@hiroshiramasendjews9539]

@@NRG-REC Yeah. I definitely think Ekko is going to be a main character next season. However lm worried for Jinx's character. Season 1 is basically her character arc completed. I don't know what else they could do with her other than kill her off in the inevitable showdown with Vi. Jinx has accepted who she is now, and now she is the threat that Piltover has been dreading for God knows how long. I know this was supposed to be about Ekko but this is precisely why lm worried for Jinx, because l think that if it isn't Catlyin that's gonna kill her it's Ekko. Long story short l don't see Jinx being a MC anymore, and l think Ekko is gonna take thet place as because the show has set up Jinx as the villain and Ekko as the hero, and we all know what happens to villains in this show. They get killed.

[@mastermelee2543]

@@smuggrog9821 seems legit, its show at the end of the day abotu our favourite champs. I wouldn't want a Shock factor ending we've learned from that. They got the comics going on they all the stories to tell this could and might go on for years which is exiting cus AHhhh aahh after RWBY i need som good writing.

[@tubester358]

@@hiroshiramasendjews9539 Arcane isn't a LoL game adaptation, it's a rich original story featuring those characters that was being built up alongside the game's developing (& retconned) lore. All they did was get through her backstory, they can easily go beyond it in interesting directions. And Jinx wasn't an MC, it's an ensemble cast following several characters, she was just the starting point and prolly one of the most exciting for most of us (her MV is one of the thing that got me interested in LoL/Riot). I think we won't get/need much screen time with Jinx moving forward (especially if she has no friends & flies solo) but she'll probably be around for a while, otherwise it'll just be too depressing, no?

[@americanodude]

I think the term "side character" makes some people think of it in a reductive sense. For example: Walder Frey from ASoIaF/GoT would be considered a "side character" but he causes a drastic change to the world in that story. Ekko fits into a very similar space. He isn't a major focus of the story, gets relatively little screen time, but effects a decent amount of change. "Side character" doesn't have to mean underdeveloped or unimportant, just means they aren't an inherent and focused member of the overall story.

[@SwordTune]

Ekko did get a flashback, his fight was the flashback to when they played as kids. It's just that it's a flashback that's more concerned about informing the present, rather than a flashback that informs us about a character's past.

[@allandsouza3661]

I thought it was more of a foreshadowing of his future powers, as in that flashback he gets shot in the chest but then they end the flashback by him breaking that stop watch and showing time is getting rewinded and in the actual scene he hits her arm before she can take that last shot which actually hit him.

[@riymeep6708]

@@allandsouza3661 I think it acts as both a foreshadowing of his future powers and a flashback of the game they played as kids

[@jaedonklb603]

you could say it was an echo from the past the was influencing his present

[@martyrodriguez1524]

@@allandsouza3661 it seems like both. I think in lore wise himer was the one that helped him make the z drive (the device that let's him rewind time)but not sure . so maybe season 2 hell create it. that case holding the gem before looks like the case of the z drive. The watch and flash back was both foreshadow and probably tribute to his ult but yeah was more him remembering how he lost and how to change the outcome. If you watch his game trailer he rewinds each time he messes up to make a different outcome but theirs a lot of differences between the gang he has now and the one in lore. Like the death of friends have same goggles but lore was killed by noble and arcane killed by accident by jinx. Ekko was one of my favorite characters. Season 2 is gonna reveal why jinx and vi have no relationship anymore and why ekko calls vi a traitor

[@Ahbahl]

I didn't see that as a flashback. I think it's a simulation of how both of them plan the fight in their head. Not only do Jinx and Ekko switch between being kids and adult multiple times inside the "flashback", but the "flashback" fight is exactly the same as the "present" fight, apart from the outcome. Dodge first bullet to the right, jump over next 2 bullets and a fourth bullet after which the fight ends. Not to mention the enforcer corpses and their splattered blood present in the "flashback". I think that scene is supposed to express how those two characters see the fight. To Ekko this is a very real fight. The adult forms and enforcer corpses in the "flashback" represent his view, the very real present. The children forms represent how Jinx sees it. She doesn't want to fight him, but she "has" to. She is rejecting the reality of being about to kill her last childhood friend while telling herself "Its fine, its just a game, just like when we were kids". She is coping.

[@bendystrawz2832]

"Avoidance has a negative connotation." The positive version of this that embodies Ekko would be "Evasion." He's not just avoiding and hiding, he's untouchable while still being present (not hiding away). That's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point.

[@Birbucifer]

He's the rogue of the story

[@txmits507]

evasion can also be negative. you evade the authorities/police/law etc. but you can use it as a skill like the pilot used evasive maneuvers. avoiding is a precautionary measure, evading is an active measure. ekko not engaging the night everyone died was not evasion, it was straight avoidance. present day ekko has both, they use evasion in their missions as they do engage and skillfully exit. they also practice avoidance, they hide the identities and minimize their presence. avoidance has negative connotations because it's often used in terms of people avoiding what they 'need' to do. avoidance itself isn't negative, just like evasion isn't a positive all the time.

[@MystiqMiu]

he understands self-preservation, putting your life mask on first so that you can help others right after

[@Katharsis540]

Weaving thru time like a boxer. Flying like a butterfly but stinging like a bee.

[@brandonzzz9924]

Elusion

[@hurbig]

The thing I find most tragic is that even though Powder and Ekko lost everything that night, they would still have had each other. They were clearly good friends. We don’t know how, but Ekko managed to rise above the trauma and build something great. In my mind, if it hadn’t been for Silco, Powder would have become a Firelight.

[@nichoudha]

Ekko's path is doomed. Jinx let the fire of war. Ekko will have to choose and he'll obviously choose Zaun once Piltover re-ignites war due to Jinx's actions.

[@Regunes]

@@nichoudha I don't think so, he'll stand his ground as much as possible, and will probably resolve things with heimer.

[@997ET]

​@@nichoudhabut that's exactly the point. he doesn't have to choose. he realised that and built something new. from his perspective there is no side to be on. his goal is to thrive, not to win.

[@Darkstormsun9865]

​@@Regunesheimer is kicked out of the council, I don't think they will take his word on an issue such as this.

[@Darkstormsun9865]

​@997ET well piltover is gonna most likely gonna launch an all out war against the underground. He's gonna have to choose or else he can't thrive. With silco dead, ekko is a good leader for it.

[@StFido]

I think a big example of the hero villain trifecta is The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

[@superitgel1]

It's more like the Good, the Bad and the Handsome. And yes Echo is the Handsome/Cool one 😆😆

[@boxpin8967]

@@superitgel1 I think Ekko is the good in their analogy actually. And Vi is bad, then Jinx is ugly. But you’re right about him being cool.

[@waddlesmom]

@@boxpin8967 why do you think vi is the bad one? Genuinely curious

[@zahrulexe]

@@waddlesmom yeah I think Vi should be the Ugly one here right? Ekko wants to help people, and accept that Powder is gone, Jinx is bad, Vi want to be with her sister's again, even suggesting Jinx to leave with her and forget everything around them now.

[@MouseGoat]

Ironic that the "ugly" in Arcane is reversed, to be the beauty, making everyone else be the ugly. Namely the ugly tragedy of fighting.

[@mustard5382]

Something I find interesting about Ekko is that he's technically not an orphan, his parents are just absent since they are always at Zaun's factories, so Ekko grows up largely alone (except for Benzo and Vander's kids). They're never mentioned in Arcane since they aren't important to the story, but it's an interesting detail that might come into play in season 2 if the writers want to look more into his past, since Ekko does care about them even if they don't interact on a regular basis.

[@redroseibarahime8755]

very true! I believe they will bring that up if they want to include Zeri into the Arcane series as she is the one who rescued his parents.

[@maadtee6281]

Well not in the series from what it seems. Seems they died like jinx and vi

[@mkmc94]

We don't know if it true in Arcane lore.

[@Vizible21]

@@maadtee6281 literally nothing in the series states that Ekko's parents died. They could very well be in the background they were not just shown just because they aren't important in the story. Maybe season 2.

[@maadtee6281]

@@Vizible21 still the lore aren't the same pretty sure jayce and viktor hated one another from the beginning and hextech had always existed in LoL Jayce didn't create it.

[@supermonstars]

Typhoon is an actual protagonist, even has a sick name. I understand you debated about including his story, but I'm glad to have heard it.

[@Belete5000]

pepto bismol

[@luciakoilani5995]

I feel the same

[@joserubalcava1811]

I’m actually really grateful that you included Typhoon’s story. There’s so many people I’ve met who legitimately live in such a bubble that they think severe poverty is a myth. To them the darkest thing is not having wifi or calling someone terrible things. But it’s not just the reminder that people are severely fucked over in other places, it’s the hope that Typhoon’s story brings about becoming and changing into someone with love inside them after becoming so numb from atrocities they’ve been exposed to. Just, thank you for giving us that. I hope he’s got an even better life in the future along with those other kids he used to be with.

[@k.5425]

6:36 is there some pre arcane show? What's the title? I heard him saying :..something cinematic.

[@w0ddlee]

@@k.5425 It’s Ekko’s cinematic for when he was first released. It’s called Seconds

[@harpatar]

I agree, and to your point I am one of those people who are ignorant to others poverty. I don’t think me or many other do much to change but I think that just stories like that help even if it is a very tiny amount

[@sweetlyte]

This

[@MC-ns8gb]

I met someone like this and thought they were joking. They acted so naive and sheltered I thought they were fucking with me but they weren't

[@twentysecondcenturywoman]

One thing that I LOVED in arcane was when Cait, Vi, and Ekko were talking about the gem stone and Ekko said “On one condition, I’m the one who gives it to them.” Like he wasn’t even scared, he was fully prepared to face the government head on. I just thought it was so admirable how confident he was.

[@magical571]

it was more so on the line of, i won't give it to an enforcer; if we are giving it back then he would make sure it reached the correct people, and that they knew it was zaun willingly giving it back, and not some enforcer using the chance to rank up. he was only sarting to trust caytlin, he had no reason to just go ahead and give her the stone. he made it clear that he despises eforcers just as much if not more than vi, and at that point he had just re-encoutered vi and just barely knew cait.

[@Rampala]

Can I just say as someone who knew nothing about League before watching this show, I was sure Ekko was dead after the bridge scene and I can't describe how relieved I was when he was still alive. What an excellent character, I can't wait to see what they do with him in season 2.

[@Vyansya]

Same!

[@sealsmarker]

As a League player who doesn't wanna spoil too much: if he appears in s2 then it'll be insanely good what they'll do to him.

[@TylerrTazer]

If you listen closely when the camera zooms out to the bridge you hear a clink, he hit the grenade away with his bat before it exploded :)

[@zacattack8123]

@@TylerrTazer why was jinx so close to death after that then?

[@johntimothyvalenzuela8146]

@@zacattack8123 probably because ekko jumped away, and jinx was just lying there

[@soff_icini]

I feel like Ekko might also be an AU version of Caitlyn: both are trustworthy, stubborn, good to their core and have a common goal of helping people, but while Cait was born privileged, making her more trusting in others and trying to change the system from the inside, Ekko was born in Zaun, so he doesn't trust many people and operates outside the system.

[@arthurboyle7982]

Yep and they're probably gonna have inverse arcs in season 2. With Ekko working with Heimerdinger (someone who was previously a part of said system) and Cait with Vi(someone disconnected from the system).

[@djuno9420]

@@arthurboyle7982 such a cool parallel

[@d4s0n282]

@@djuno9420 fr, never realised that, mannnn its insane how many parrallels they have in the show

[@k.5425]

AU stands for?

[@k.5425]

6:36 is there some pre arcane show? What's the title? I heard him say : .6:..something cinematic.

[@lordstumpy2945]

I love Ekko. He's my favourite character in Arcane by a long shot, in-fact one of my favourite characters in media ever, and you essentially summed up why. Especially with the comparison between him and Jinx, they essentially endured the same trauma but both delt with it differently and that's something I don't see represented often enough and in as much of a believable and understanding way. Edit: Making a bit of an ammendment here, I realized shortly after posting this comment that it was a stretch to say they endured the SAME trauma. I'd argue they experienced the same loss but definitely not the same trauma.

[@MerlinTheCommenter]

He’s by far the best character on the show. He went thru hell but made lemonade from the lemons.

[@soulpark3128]

*Alright, I agree that Ekko is a brilliant character but there's some big differences between Jinx and Ekko background. It's not an accurate comparison.*

[@pucamisc]

The big difference between them is that Powder/Jinx got her family killed directly. She is the reason she lost everything that night. Ekko lost everything because of someone else.

[@ry.0]

The diference: Jinx killed her family absolutely. Ekko no. ... Obvously was qn accident but so hard to process

[@Heatwave9000]

Stop the cap lmao this comment is just gas.

[@Wuffskers]

Something that I realized after rewatching recently is that Ekko exemplifies Viktor's amazing quote "in the pursuit of greatness, we failed to do good". As you point out there are a lot of characters stuck in either the future or the past but in addition to that almost all the characters with authority are singularly focused on "the big picture", Jayce and Viktor are obsessed with progress and talk about helping people but in a very general abstract way, and Viktor realizes what the problem is, Heimerdinger is completely oblivious to the corruption in pilltover or the suffering of the undercity and from his perspective most of these problems seem like they'll resolve themselves in a few decades which is nothing to him, he's primarily concerned with Pilltover as a city, not actually the individuals that make up the city. The rest of the council is even worse because they mainly concern themselves with the city in the same impersonal way as heimerdinger but their priorities are just how they can benefit. Silco also has this problem of being overly ambitious, he's always talking about these grand schemes, his dream is "THE NATION OF ZAUN" he's also a "big picture" person who is striving for greatness and as a result he's let substance abuse run rampant through his city and ruin the lives of those he claims to be fighting for. Ekko on the other hand is not nearly as ambitious as any of the other leadership, he has no grand aspirations, and look at him, he's the only one ACTUALLY doing anything good, the only one actually helping common people right here right now, not with some grand hextech or shimmer based independence plan, but by addressing their needs directly right now.

[@nichoudha]

The substance abuse was purposeful for profit. Silco still needed the backing of the other gangs.

[@pirithekitty]

this comment made me think about ekko becoming like a zaun counselor? smth like that

[@wildfire9280]

@@pirithekitty it seems he’s the Fred Hampton of this world

[@wambokodavid7109]

@@wildfire9280 😂😂😂✌🏿✌🏿

[@LottieGOram]

Ekko also wears the owl mask: owls often symbolise wisdom, cyclical time, fertility or “new births” and are lored as harbingers of death or “endings”… and he uses this mask from the first episode, always peering through it and spying through its lens. He’s literally fated though this coding to bring about change. It’s insane, the level of detail in this show is ✨ immaculate ✨ great video, thank you!!

[@YskarAlbumLuna]

It's the best cinema piece of art ever made imo.

[@d4s0n282]

@@YskarAlbumLuna the best most compact fr, even top tier animes usally take longer for same payoff and I watch a LOT of anime

[@BratzRockAngels]

@@d4s0n282 Same here and I agree. Arcane is one of my favorite shows.

[@dumbassdude8372]

​@@YskarAlbumLunaBetter than all of that year's holywood produced media

[@heywhat6676]

Finally a whole essay on my fave character! I thought it would never happen

[@williampearson6299]

This is a copy paste of every black male video game character. He's not that special. You can't make him evil or a thug because that's stereotyping, he's a poor underclass kid growing up in the streets so he's rebelious and fights for justice or the ones he loves.

[@sliccthedestroyer1881]

@@williampearson6299 i mean if you look at it on the surface level yeah. Plus they haven’t flushed him out that much in season one.

[@cosneanumatei5117]

@@williampearson6299 jinx is the same I'll have you know. Just another traumatised kid going rogue.

[@Zarathustr]

@@williampearson6299 He’s mostly popular from his league kit and overall character inside the lore.

[@Social_Pugatory]

@@williampearson6299 Whoa there 😂 there seems to be a little salt in this comment. It’s going to be ok. It’s a great show and Ekko is a great character and LOL champion.

[@tangerineslice]

Cool detail about the tree that the fireflights have: it's a ginkgo, it's fairly rare from what I know. And more importantly it's leaves turn yellow and when dried they look a bit goldlike even. In France it earned the nicknames of "arbre au quarante écus" : tree of fourty écus (old coins currency). It may very well be intentional knowing how much detail they put in the worldbuilding. The tree is incredibely unusual, it symbolises wealth. Because in their world living healthily IS expensive, it's a privilege. edit: a lot of answers said they weren't rare, my bad I wrote from memory. Maybe there's just less here too. Also they stink. edit 2 : check the replies, very interesting stuff :)

[@schnee1]

That's fascinating! I didn't catch that! Ginkgo trees are also an ancient tree species, so that fits with the theme of the past supporting the present

[@finezyjnafantazja2495]

@@schnee1 Leaves of ginko trees are also an ingredient for some medicines

[@redroseibarahime8755]

@@finezyjnafantazja2495 and they can even feed/nourish you - remember that blonde council member eating ginko nuts? Ginko trees are known to grow slow but very old (about 500 years) and are very resistant to illnesses or slight different climats

[@tangerineslice]

@Yari Vickiraytive Pantoja yeah it's french Fortiche means... it's like something smart, good. Idk how to explain it well but basically something like a good magic trick, you'd say it's Fortiche ^^ (I mean not actually since it's an old word but yeah)

[@ericahertzberg9390]

Yes! And the reason gingkos even exist now are because people protected them. There’s one in a Buddhist temple in I think China that is over a thousand years old. So I found it so fitting that the Firelights’ tree is a gingko and that the writers paid that much detail to it. Ekko is truly my favorite character from the whole show

[@blueriverbane69]

5:14 super small detail, when u mention "no one else talks about defense" in Vi and Sevika's final fight Vander's ghost mentions Vi's weak defense too and she gets her energy shield a minute later

[@AquaticLotus7552]

This kinda shows that Vander has more knowledge of the present than the other characters and Vi gaining a defense technique could represent her starting to live in the present.

[@Deadflower019]

Okay but he was both the first person to mention defense, and the only person to mention it until that scene in the *last* episode.

[@firstnamelastname4216]

There's definitely a theme throughout the show that Vi is hotheaded and reactionary, and I think the whole "doesn't know when to defend" is only a part of that. The first fight with Sevika when she baits Vi and then traps both of her arms with the mechanical arm, she says something like "I see you still haven't learned to be patient". It's something I noticed in a rewatch, pretty much every character is telling Vi to learn to defend rather than just go on the offensive all the time.

[@alecchristiaen4856]

"It's not enough to give people what they need to survive. You have to give them what they need to live." I am super stoked to see Ekko develop a friendship with Heimerdinger. I imagine Heimer's centuries-worth of scientific knowledge focused through the lens of Ekko's hear-and-now perspective being the biggest force for good from season 2 onwards.

[@shadowgamer4306]

I hoped that Ekko would be far more hostile towards Heimerdinger given that Heimerdinger was a part of the Piltover council which was responsible for the entire situation in the undercity to begin with. I mean he acted like that when he was with Caitlyn, so what is stopping him now?

[@wambokodavid7109]

@@shadowgamer4306 catlyn convinced him there are good topsiders

[@shadowgamer4306]

@@wambokodavid7109 There are good topsiders, the problem is that Heimerdinger isn’t one of them from the perspective of an anarchist punk who Ekko is supposed to be.

[@randomman8501]

@@shadowgamer4306I’ve got a few counter arguments against this, though please excuse a lack of sources as it’s more just knowledge I’ve filed away rather than anything entirely concrete. For one, I’ve heard from others that even those of Zaun/Piltover’s Undercity still hold Heimerdinger in high regard, as he is one of the founding members(can’t remember if it’s stated if he’s the only surviving founder but I assume so), and has been called the “Father of Piltover”, hence why many might not have an entirely negative opinion of him- not necessarily a positive opinion, but neutral leaning negative- compared to the open and intense hostility shown towards most citizens of Piltover. Along with that, Ekko would’ve seen that Heimerdinger would’ve been emerging from the undercity alone, and that he was dressed in clothing meant more for hiding and staying out of the way rather than being a renowned chancellor. With all of that combined, I think Ekko would have a positive opinion of Heimerdinger. Additionally, he’s injured when they meet, and given that they do move to Ekko’s home in their next scene, it can be assumed Heimerdinger assisted him with getting back in some way or another. Either that, or he simply just followed Ekko, which is brave in itself and shows Heimerdinger’s willingness to ensure the boy’s safety at the very least. All in all, I don’t think it’s necessarily surprising nor out of character for Ekko to view Heimerdinger in such a way. That characterization of him immediately being hostile matches Hobie from Spiderverse more than anything.

[@Jesus.christ.your.bro.]

⁠@@shadowgamer4306ekko isn’t a anarchist punk he’s a good guy who’s also a genius he doesn’t strive for chaos but a better place for everyone to live and will do anything to get there but will avoid violence if he can hence why they hit and run so everyone can live

[@beardlessdragon]

Nothing in this show will break my heart more than that moment where Ekko is about to punch Jinx out and she just looks up with those sad, broken eyes and he hesitates, seeing Powder in her again. Ugh, I cry every time I see it

[@aspieanarchist5439]

Made especially heartbreaking by the fact that when they fight in "Legends of Runeterra" he still calls her Powder and Jinx just goes "Boo!", dances crazily and crawls on the floor, cackles maniacally and blocks it out, prompting Ekko to say "Man,I miss you so much."

[@feel4chestnuts]

@@aspieanarchist5439 Thats so sad omfg

[@darkelmo2023]

This is such an imersive exploration of Ekko's character, and the story of Typhoon at the end helps to make the character feel real. Also, not gonna lie, Typhoon's story of rehabilitation and journey to find empathy again damn near brought me to tears; and on another completely separate note, it also reminded me why Batman doesn't kill. Anyone he meets night after night could be a Typhoon, someone who has life against them and makes dangerous decisions because of that, yet can still find their humanity and become a problem solver of one's community. Thank you for sharing that story, I'm going to be thinking about this video for a while.

[@redroseibarahime8755]

the amazing thing about Arcane is that all characters can be related to and can be abstractly- depending on the situation- projected onto the real world. The essence is that nothing is trivial and easy- no back and white- no clear right and wrong. This is why this is considered an adult animation. It tackles real world problems - real people problems and psychological disorders resulting from trauma without showcasing them in a "cool light" or making fun of them, which I think is very important. Jinx is simply a tragic character pushed to the edge by various events, her own twisted consciousness (inner voices) and portrayed a such. We feel sorry for her and want her to heal. A lot of people commented that they now understand the people around them better after deep diving into the psychological aspects of Arcane --> a Therapist (Georgia Dow) made a video series out of this explaining some shown behaviours (attachment types) in Arcane and explaining them. The relationships that feel awkward when their interaction is seen at first (e.g. Silco/Jinx) are mostly the result of psychological premises and needs from earlier experiences and people start to understand why it feels so unnatural for us to watch but natural to people having the same concience. I think this is the reason so many people love this show and connect with the characters. There is sth. for almost everybody he can relate to and if they want to learn from.

[@finnhonrinevideography9760]

For real. I started sobbing after Typhoon's story. It really brings new meaning to art imitating life. There are Ekkos, Vis, Jinxs and people who are going through the things these characters go through in the real world. I know as a kid who also had a tough childhood, I was so happy to see a character like Ekko who made something of it. I think it's so beautiful that you thought to pay attention to it and include it.

[@RDawn]

Big same. had to stop playing my game just to listen and really digest.

[@paguindignada6392]

i don't think batman is a good choice in here. he's defnitely NOT a nice guy since all the money and time he spends on "being batman" could easily make a better change if invested in social projects and trying to solve social problems

[@raphasage]

Yeah that was deep AF. As i always say to my kids... "Life is terrible and scary. You are the only one who can make it good. So go and do something to make it better and not just for yourself"

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

The only ONLY criticism I have with season 1 of Arcane... Is that Ekko is not in it enough after the time jump. We need more of him.

[@MrJethroha]

After he breaks time, there should be a whole Episode of him rewinding time a million times like his champion trailer

[@Heatwave9000]

No thanks boring character couldn't even tell if he was a man or woman. He is a side character they aren't meant to be the main focus.

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

Even though they referred to him as a boy over and over in the pilot? What a stupid comment.

[@michaelrichards5340]

@@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343 I mean not only is he mentioned as the boy saviour, he has very masculine features with a pre time skip boy version called Little man lmao that comment was wild

[@スノーハッピー]

@@Heatwave9000 Wat. Are you blind?

[@asainman8012]

He's the sole embodiment of benzo and vander's dream, peace for the young ones and a chance for those that seek redemption.

[@TheRavenfish9]

That's a great point. In a way, he became the real new Vander in the undercity.

[@ZeusKnocksYouOut]

Philosophy behind writing Ekko in Arcane: "If you can't make the most out of any given moment... then you don't deserve a single extra second."

[@abirdkilledmeh]

Philosophy behind the entire show tbh

[@thenitpickchannel9993]

In Ekko's intro, you can see scenes of the Firelights beating a painting of an eye (The Eye of Zaun) as well as beating up Enforcers (Piltover). He declares war on both sides.

[@cryptic_sunflower]

I think we didn’t get an Ekko flashback, because we’d already seen what we needed of his past. We know his relationship with Vi and powder, we saw most of the events that broke him, we already have all the necessary parts to understand him

[@lokismilinguido7262]

I wish they showed us him and jinx when kids, we just saw their relationship in the enemy music video

[@cryptic_sunflower]

@@lokismilinguido7262 I honestly think that was enough, if you read between the lines you can see they were very close friends. Powder was Ekko’s rock, and he had a huge crush on her

[@maurice4046]

OR they're saving 'em for Season 2

[@GhostPandaStorm]

Very true, Crasy. Most of the flashbacks we saw, we never truly met those characters or knew much about them really so it was a little different if that makes sense.

[@targetthetank]

Sorry I am late on the response, but I disagree. We haven't yet seen the person Ekko could not save yet. The person that no matter how many times he rewond time it was not enough to save them. We haven't seen him rewind time endlessly to eat the food his parents brought home for him, as they fell asleep at the table from working so hard and long. We haven't seen him make the Z-Drive that allows him to break time. How he is a tech genius equal to Powder and Jayce, using the exact things they are. This is what put him on the path of the make the most of the moment. This will be extremely powerful if ever it is brought to the screen. This is what makes him different from Vi and Powder, this is what broke him, and these are the necessary parts to understanding him.

[@MAW6591]

One backstory I think we need in season 2 is the history of ekko and jinx during the time skip. They both know who each other was and their interactions suggests something happened. The fact that ekko thought powder was gone and has trust issues. While jinx is so quickly to pull the trigger whenever she sees him and also calling him “boy savior” tells us that something happened between the 2.

[@KoletoHS]

Amanda Overton (one of the writers) said that they will explore their relationship in the future season, so we will definitely see what happened.

[@moony7093]

@@KoletoHS where did she say that???? I wanna see :o

[@KoletoHS]

@@moony7093 Somewhere in the history of thousands of her comments on twitter. Honestly, I'd have to make a big research to find it, because I kinda want it too.

[@inferiorinferno8859]

I've only started playing Wild Rift because of Arcane so I wouldn't know about it, but I've heard from other fans that Ekko had a thing for Powder back in the day or something. Who knows what happened. Perhaps he thought Silco kidnapped her too in the past and tried to save her years ago only for it to go horrible wrong?

[@dae8665]

It can be spectulated that Ekko loves Powder, and when he learned she was still alive he was happy. But after seeing her working for Silco and calling herself Jinx, Ekko probably tried to save her, to bring her to the present and have her stop living in the past. But Ekko sees how broken Jinx is and she's talking to herself, and he can't see any traces of Powder. When Ekko tells Vi that Jinx isn't Powder, you get the feeling that he's TRIED to pull Jinx into the present moment to get her to confront her past and learn to live with it. But she's just so lost in her own trauma that she doesn't have any healthy coping mechanisms with it. Jinx herself seems to avoid Ekko because he shows what she COULD be. That she COULD move on from the past and have a good life. But she doesn't want to give up hope about Vi possibly being out there still. She seems to not hesitate to pull the trigger because it IS Ekko and Ekko almost always dodges the shots. Jinx KNOWS that Ekko is like her, that they are both really good at their own style of fighting. I'm interested in seeing more of their relationship fleshed out tho. Because speculating just isn't the same /:

[@dificulttocure]

Arcane is a show about duality, Arcane characters come in pairs. Some examples are: Vi - Jinx Vander - Silco Heimer - Singed Jayce - Viktor Following this logic, Ekko's pair is Cait. They are both the "rebel trying to do good" type of character, both characters oppose at the same time some part of Piltover and some part of Zaun, and both characters have bigger issues in their own side than in the opposing one (Ekko with Silco, and Cait with Marcus).

[@gringocolombian9919]

Honestly I think Vi’s duality is Caitlyn not Jinx and Jinx is Ekko’s opposite

[@applepie1272]

There's alot to duality too, not just the once you combined Jayce-Silco Vander-Silco Ambessa-Mel Heimer-Jayce Singed-Viktor Singed-Heimer Singed-Jayce (Repeated line bruh) See what im sayin? And thats the thing about Arcane, they connect everything perfectly DISCLAIMER: IM SAYING DUALITY, NOT SOMETHING THEY HAVE IN COMMON, JAYCE AND SINGED PARALLELS AND OPPOSITES IS WHAT MAKES RESEMBLANCE

[@Flame-zn7jp]

I think you’re missing the point here, a lot of these characters have their own opposites in many different portions of themselves. You aren’t gonna have too many clear cut “everything about these characters is purely opposite” when you have complex characters. You’ll have characters be opposing each other in certain aspects and possibly even similar in others. This can be reflected even in real life where you can resonate with people in relationships based on shared values while simultaneously experiencing opposites attract. This is even shown in real life when looking at role models where you’ll find some aspects of people you look up and others you’re already fully developed in or even find distasteful. Characters shouldn’t be made to counter each other they should be made to feel real, and real people have their own quirks and complications unrelated to those surrounding them.

[@prska]

@@applepie1272 you said jayce-silco twice tho, but i see your point

[@frankcayseron8637]

@@applepie1272 you cant just slap two names together because they had a one or two scenes together and say their whole dynamic in show is duality. singed and jayce? really? if not for their negotiations about zaun future there wouldnt be any connections between jayce and silco in the first place. they have nothing in common. jayce and victor are two peas in the same pod except one is from piltover and other from zaun. vi and jinx are sisters had same childhood but dealt with it very differently. duality is not about relationship alone, there is no duality between ambessa and mel, just mother daughter relationship. its simple and singular

[@mrx4022]

Ekko lost basically everything within a day; his father figure, his best friends Mylo and Clagger, and he thought Vi and Powder were dead too. Then he learned that not only is Powder alive, but she works for the man who got Benzo and Vander killed. The Powder he once knew was gone. In his mind, Powder died in the explosion, and all that's left is Jinx. That's why he had Powder painted onto the wall mural. The bridge scene is truly a masterpiece of showing how Ekko and Jinx's trauma affected them. The way the show incorporated Ekko's ability to manipulate time, without actually having him do so was amazing; it showed the deep history that the two shared. In the aftermath of their fight, Jinx looks up at Ekko, scared and injured. In that moment, Ekko saw Powder, not Jinx. His childhood friend, the little blue haired girl he grew up with, was still in there.

[@Gabe_Cross]

Also, let us not forget that Ekko also has all the exaggerated swagger of a black teen. Just a little joke from a past meme. haha Ekko was a great character. I would watch a series focus solely on Ekko.

[@zaynab-to-a]

Very true. I think we can all agree that the best thing Arcane did with Ekko was giving him locs instead of a mohawk.

[@lilblackies]

Hahahahaha, I understood that reference :P

[@oatmeal5672]

@István Benke did you have a stroke writing this? Cause you certainly gave me one trying to comprehend your word vomit.

[@mawinstallation6626]

@István Benke delusional Arcane watcher

[@haxyquinn]

As a worker in a the second biggest slum in Latam I can tell you I've seen many Ekkos and sandly just like an echo they disappear fast. Even in chaos there's a system and those who do not belong have two options assimilate or disappear. Thank you for including his story it was really interesting .

[@MJR-eq1jl]

The effort this man puts in to his videos is just outstanding, let's make him bigger!

[@schnee1]

[@akuma-shin4943]

I think Ekko has so much more depth than Marcus because he's an existing MC in LoL. And Marcus a new Original Arcane character, hence the huge difference between the two. Marcus is a character created as a side character and Ekko is an MC demoted to a side character.

[@tonystonem9614]

And Marcus is kind of basic the kind of character that u see a million times even his backstory and motivations are kinda dull but that's just me tho 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@youtubestudiosucks978]

@@tonystonem9614 you're my favourite fictional character. Too bad you dont exist :p

[@2crisp63]

League has main characters?

[@KenjiAsakura09]

@@2crisp63 Technically, wouldn't we, the players, be the MC of League? lmao jk

[@CloudAbuser]

​@KenjiAsakura09 With the original lore, we were. XD It's why the main map is called "Summoners Rift", the players were canonically these summoners. That got retconned even years before the most recent major lore shake up though.

[@dancingwasp2610]

I just rewatched the scene, and when he starts their game, hes bringing Jinx back to the past, but hes using it to his advantage because he isnt stuck there anymore, he uses his past to strengthen his present

[@magical571]

i saw it less as not being stuck, and more as in cycles repeating across characters; powder belittled ekko as kids when he lost, just how mylo did with her, jet as an adult atm jinx is stronger than vi and mylo is, well, dead. and now ekko is here, winning against jinx (besides him stopping willingly at the end)

[@codychapter6308]

The irl Ekko experience, is the same I went through, the only difference is I left not because of my blood related family, it was to protect one of my pack, I left everything and focused on securing a life for my people outside of what we did. It is really hard to leave that life, it is insane how close the line between madness and sanity is. So to not only hear this story, but Ekko makes me feel somewhat better. Because it makes me remember there are so many of us who have been in that abyss, but yet dragged ourselves out. And I feel it's our job to help others dig there heels in, when you don't know if you have a future, and the scars leave you in the past, it is by digging your heels into the present that life moves forward. For everyone, I hope you have a fantastic day.

[@landmindssoul4636]

Ty for the wisdom

[@Bane520]

Way to boost your own ego

[@biboball6285]

@@Bane520this is such a wild thing to say

[@Bane520]

@@biboball6285 Why?

[@Bane520]

@@HobanProduction How did you not come to that conclusion?

[@heywhat6676]

Typhoon' story was so sad and yet heartwarming too. I'm glad he's doing well in life

[@nancybishop7975]

The characterisation in this show is so good! Even side characters like Ekko are completely fleshed out and not just walking talking cardboard placeholders. Hope to see more of Ekko next season!!!

[@maadtee6281]

His probably going to have mc role in season 2

[@d4s0n282]

@@maadtee6281 one person I cant wait for in season 2 is urgot tho

[@nancybishop7975]

@@d4s0n282 Urgot?

[@d4s0n282]

@@nancybishop7975 yes urgot, pretty sure he is going to pop up really soon

[@kittrelkeller6423]

@@d4s0n282 hopefully we get some Noxus to... need me some Darius and Draven

[@sissin2324]

Thank you for sharing this - not only the nuanced review of ekko's "other" status, but also your appendix about Typhoon. And by way of this - the most fascinating aspects of humanity and human behaviour are explored through science fiction and fantasy. I believe Arcane does the same. While drawing parallels to existing conflicts (current or historical) brings with it controversy, I believe we each owe ourselves some contemplation about where we have seen humans do what Piltover does to Zaun and vice versa (and - develop a curious, empathetic, nuanced and critical view of it). Thanks again for a thought provoking essay.

[@schnee1]

Thanks! I absolutely agree about the function of fantasy/sci fi, easier for people to chew on and think about in fiction form but it's only meaningful because it reflects aspects of reality.

[@cedricschlosser4607]

I think Science fantasy and scyfi give the reader a healthy distance with the setting that facilitate having a sense of perspective on complexe issue. In the real world the everything is connected one way or another including every one of us. So every time somone critizise a topic where you are a small kog in a biger flawded system it might hit a nerver and you get a negative emotional response.

[@joyc.e.7511]

@@cedricschlosser4607 Yeah, I agree. It can be really hard for people to understand systemic issues and how they function in reality because they don't have the perspective to see it. It's often interpreted as a personal attack. While Sci-fi and fantasy give you a place to analyze and see all the pieces moving together that form the issue. And I can say from my own personal experience that certain sci-fi and fantasy stories have helped me understand how societal and political issues operate on a wide-scale that impact individual people.

[@savschannel6393]

Thank you for including a real life story to bring light to one of the messages this story is talking about. These problems exist and something has to be done. It's the reason it's so easy to write a relatable story about them.

[@fire.priestess]

Imo, Ekko is the most morally good character in Arcane- he is the hero. He represents the type of revolutionary/leader that tries to help the most people suffering injustices, effectively. The fact that he actively seeks justice for both Zaun’s treatment at the hand of Piltover & Silco is the proof that he’s the character doing the most for the actual common Zaunites. And especially when you contrast to how Silco & Jinx try to fight for an independent Zaun (aka, excessive violence & corruption) vs Ekko wanting to take the route of justice, peace, AND accountability on Piltover’s part. He’s an amazing, unique character who I hope becomes a main character come next season💚

[@MarcellusMaize]

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. The analytical talent and vibes you give off when watching are so entertaining. Also love the IRL story you included at the end, shit was touching

[@jalcome4201]

6:27 I cant believe how this man nails it every time. On the topic of the "Seconds" Video, i also love a little moment where Ekko is given the chance of rewinding or picking up his weapon, and he goes for the weapon. Man really lives and thinks about the moment

[@LiziLKinks]

What seconds video???

[@imaginewagons8746]

@@LiziLKinks kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKWooaNvodCZrqM

[@AwfuThings]

@@LiziLKinks a video clip about Ekko named "Seconds"

[@JDWalker495]

Ekko quickly became my favorite character in just one episode that’s a record in my book

[@periunus8133]

I appreciate that you shared Typhoon's story. It's important to be reminded that these struggles exist now in real life and I think Ekko as a character also is great for bringing all of this story of Arcane into a cohesive message we can apply to real life.

[@lenanana8]

The amount of layering and detail in the worldbuilding and every aspect of Arcane never ceases to blow my mind. I'm just flabergastered continuously everytime I watch a video essay on Arcane like this or an episode of Arcane again, as I learn or notice something new everytime. What I love most about Ekko is that he gives us a valuable lesson that we should take seriously: we should focus on making life peaceful, just, happy and better for NOW, for the people who are alive NOW. We shouldn't cling to the past (but we shouldn't forget it either), and we shouldn't fixate on futuristic technological advancement so much that we forget about what is important now. By working for the happiness and wellbeing of people in the present, we can ensure that the future is prosperous for our children and their children. If each of us did this as a community and as a society, I think the world would heal and be a better place for everyone.

[@fl4ming_r4ven]

Hey so... I told my dad about the whole Silco vs Vander thing, without bringing up Arcane. (he doesn't like it when I talk about anything that isn't... Real) I told him the basic gist of the arc both characters went through, and my dad told me and I quote, "It's the story of the young men. Old men are more reserved, they have something to lose. (Vander) Young men believe they have nothing to lose, until they don't. Until they become a father, or find someone they care about. Then they change. They become more reserved, more cautious. (Silco)" It just popped into my head when you mentioned how the guy in the irl ekko story changed when he became a father.

[@schnee1]

Very wise words from your dad! I totally agree, and I think this could definitely be why Silco never ended up instigating war until he truly had nothing to lose (ie when he was literally dying)

[@fl4ming_r4ven]

@@schnee1 well, my dad *is* the wisest and smartest guy I know. Man went through 35 years in the US Army. Guy loves history and the old lore of mythology.

[@Lcsmu]

Your dad nailed it.

[@izadarx]

I find it very strange that your Dad won’t talk about anything not “real”

[@fl4ming_r4ven]

@@izadarx he doesn't like not talking about tech or nerd stuff. Fiction annoys him.

[@Zahlenteufel1]

Ekko is the character who best managed to work through his trauma. I wonder if he did it all himself which would be damn impressive or if he had a mentor character during the time skip. I would love for season 2 to focus on Ekko as the hero who takes a third position in the war between Piltover and Zaun which I expect to come.

[@thehelloidiot]

Great vid! Excited to see the Vi/Anti-Vi video. One thing I never see anyone talk about is that Vi is never included as “one of the kids” when people talk about her. An interesting short if you could compile it! Vander says “those kids look up to you” and at the brothel the lady says “I heard about Vander and THE kids” like Vi wasn’t one of those kids. Why not say Vander and YOU kids instead? Just another way to show the pressure and expectation on her shoulders

[@schnee1]

Ooh good catch!

[@gurimisenpai2358]

Cause she didn't get to be a kid. For her, she had to grow up fast. Be it for her Powder or herself.

[@cybercriminal3110]

Vander and you kids? Who talks like that?

[@WitchDoctor87]

The cool thing about Ekko is he chose to live his life changing his community in a positive way. I wanted to point out how popular Boba Fett got and his character wasnt intented to be so interesting. Brilliantly spoken my man.

[@ThePrelude2life]

The "RED / BLUE / GREEN" visualization just blew me away. It all makes sense now!

[@Jay-yp6ft]

Really liked the parallel with typhoon’s story, amazing video once again

[@binte477]

Mhm

[@epic_fail_gamer465]

I really appreciated Ekko's "flashback" (during the fight) because we had already seen his past, and it's fairly straightforward to see how he ended up where he is in the present. What was more important to showcase, are his feelings towards Powder/Jinx. It did a great job of showing them being childhood friends, and it paralleled well with the present; with how he remembers her Powder as she was, and the break between them now as adults. He doesn't hate her necessarily; but she's playing a "game" he can't risk losing.

[@TheCatsMe00w]

Another important aspect of Ekko vs Vi and Jinx is that he turns to the strength of community. Whenever we see him as an adult, he is usually working in a group where they all work with each other's strengths. Even when they were young, Vi and Powder rarely worked together and that's usually where powder's jinx habit came in. They were operating as a group of individuals instead of a whole. Vi almost got it when they went to go get Vander, but powder showed up focused on herself(which fair for little kid). The same thing continued on as adults, despite Vi and Jinx bring seemingly in a group they often acted independently.

[@Hiyori97_]

Ekko is honestly my favorite character in Arcane, and your analysis made me appreciate him even more, great video!

[@DarkValorWolf]

Typhoon's story made me cry, I don't even know why... But I am SO glad you included it, I think I just needed to hear that there's salvation for everyone. Even ruthless gang leaders traumatised as kids can end up right. Thank you.

[@ADHDCoffeedrinker]

I started liking Ekko from the get-go. I had a feeling about he's character, and oh boy was that feeling right. He change is amazing from a sorta energetic and brawly little kid to his intimidating, almost stoic persona as the leader of the firelights post-timeskip. It's another thing that silently says that after Vander died, the Undercity became far less forgiving.

[@cosmicbard6998]

I like how the firelight fighting style has a perfect parallel with Ekko's in League. He is an assassin champion, but he's a lot different than the other assassins, as he's the only one that has both a heal AND a shield, and he probably has the most hit and run playstlye of them all, whereas champions like Nocturne or Katarina will go in and they either rapidly wipe the whole teamfight clean or die trying. As a League player, I feel like the show does on excellent job of portraying the things that make these champions unique while they're fighting. Jinx's sudden rapid movement and calculated long range firing, or Vi's tendency to prefer big leaps and swings over rapid attacks or hit and run combat are just a few examples. Even Heimerdinger's reluctant and defensive playstyle fits with the character shown in Arcane. Or how Viktor gains evolutions to his hexcore when he kills enemies xd

[@flowerbloom5782]

Now I realize why I like ekko so much. He matches my fighting style.

[@_ykarcaneedits_]

Ekko is easily my favorite character Vi coming second, Heck I even made edits of him and seeing a video about him makes me happy I really like him because he isn’t thinking about being the leader or status he is thinking about people thinking about present which is only character that has this

[@saphiabaron1256]

At 13:32 you can see the leaves of the tree. It looks like the fan shaped leaves of a Gingko biloba (maidens hair tree). An unusual and ancient deciduous conifer. If memory serves, then they are meant to be very pollution tolerant which makes a lot of sense in this context. I find it outstanding the amount of hidden details in this.

[@magical571]

no, it's most likely something to do with janna (she is confirmed to be in season 2, and she is known for being an ancient shuriman air goddess (shurima being the ruins right below zaun) clearing the air for zaunites, with her powers depending on the faith placed on her)

[@luciakoilani5995]

I love Ekko so much and was in hysterical tears when he was fighting Jinx. Not only cuz of the beauty of that scene but at the fear and thought that they would kill him off. I was straight up saying I would hate them and wouldn't watch another episode if they did him wrong. And then I saw that his body was missing after the fight and felt better. Also I know he wasn't necessarily focused on this season but I kinda got the feeling that it was because his purpose was more for later on..that they where just introducing him and building him for something greater later.

[@magical571]

yes, season 2 is going to depend A LOT on him (plus the characters that are coming, mostly warwick and janna)

[@coloredsomeone9750]

I enjoyed hearing not only your analysis on ekko but how you viewed him similar to the person you met on real life, it really brings some hard truths that Arcane's setting and narrative give because there are real places that have conditions as bad as the Under cities. Don't stop making content, please enjoy the process as much as I do while hearing it !

[@redroseibarahime8755]

amazing analysis on Ekko ! You really try to deeply understand the character :) As for the green color I would like to add: it is not only an anime trope for "the other" but green generally represents healing and growth (=the tree!). Ekko grew up to be an amazing leader - from a little brother only collecting information to even comforting Vi when she is caged in her burden of responsibility agonizing about not being there for him/them he reassures her that she shouldn't drive herself crazy with that thought. He has great resonsibilities for "his people" now and tries to better their life while ensuring their safety bit by bit. Something Vander and Silco did only in extreme ways. While Vander had no vision and outlook to better the lifes of his people but only tried to ensure the status quo with avoiding another war which led to his people being dissatisfied (Sevika) and still feeling too oppressed by Piltover, Silco provided a vision to better their lifes with the potential nation of Zaun with extreme measures but in the end he made life worse with shimmer and nobody was safe anymore + he decided to put Jinx over his mission of Zaun. Both failed for their people- so far only Ekko succeded in having a (till now) safe place for this people and them being happy (!)- it is a huge acomplishment that people are laughing and being happy there in the Undercity even though they are not rich or have an amazing flourishing city - he doesn't care about power or pride, he just wants the people to lead a healthy and happy life. imo Ekko is a side character on S1 but is set up to be a main with Heimerdinger in S2 and therefore will be the third neutral force in the Piltover/Zaun war and potential Noxus invasion. [BTW I believe that Jinx will be the fourth side of the war- the wild card jepardizing potential outcomes numerous times as she embraced herself as "the jinx" and follows Silco's last conversation "they can all burn" and crying out a violet(!) stream of shimmer representing her to let go of her past as she fires her super mega death rocket at the council] They represent aside from Vi and Caitlyn the topic of Piltover and Zaun working sucessfully together [sth. that Jayce and Victor failed to do]. In the Arcane developer's diary they said that the "real magic" is happening between the characters comming from the opposite sites of the world. So in S2 we will see Vi and Caitlyn (emotion and trauma plot) team up as well as Heimerdinger and Ekko (true synergy of science plot) and they will be able to make a difference in the war/upcoming challenges. You can easily see that at the last scenes of the final - Caitlyn and Vi walking towards a red moon (abstractly seen shaped as a heart with the rocked flying towards the mid - I am surprised nobody pointed that out so far) and Ekko and Heimerdinger equally(!) inpired each other and with ethusiasm discussing ideas/concepts of science/time while the clock is ticking in the foreground of the picture. Here are complete opposites joining forces and the true magic begins to develope^^. Regarding Jinx's line "oh look who it is..the BOY SAVIOR" : Her line is very spiteful and full of jealousy. He is not only her opposite character -the alternative route, but THE ROUTE SHE originally wanted to go down (ep3 "I...I was saving you... I only wanted to help!) ! Seeing him surrounded by loving people (=the firelights- his big family) that acknowledge him and him even getting to stand next to Vi - standing on the opposite site of the bridge with enforcers (!=Caitlyn ; Ekko is supposed to hate enforcers , too-> see his intro beating up enforcers and now seemingly working together with them - Marcus shooting him doesn't count as he is technically Jinx's ally, being bribed by Silco). He has everything she always wanted to have. She hummed the song from the first episode (where she stood together with Vi!) while emotionlessly killing off the enforcers that didn't die by her butterfly bombs in the first place to make sure to kill everyone on that bridge- the place that traumatized her in the first place and now she is becoming a monster herself in order to kill of these monsters (Caitlyn included) --> ep9 "I thought maybe you could love me as you used to... even though I'm different(=monster that kills people + altered body with shimmer)". So now she is separated from her sister that even walks away with - in her POV, another monster that somehow charmed her sister and she tried to shoot(=Caitlyn - her hallucination even goes that far as to darken out Vi and even possibly injuring her in the process) - as Vi is shocked by the monster her sister has become and Ekko is now even blocking the way (in ep 6 he even took away her sister from her forcefully and now she is siding with him against her in her POV !). She feels completely betrayed (+they tried to take the gemstone; sth. Silco said as a lie but comes in her eyes true now "she is not here for you but for the crystal") and can not be convinced otherwise because the voices in her head are preventing her from trusting anybody's words anymore. The damatic change comes when Ekko and Jinx actually start to fight - it shows that Ekko is actually moving on from the past in contrast to Jinx who relys on her memory from the past to beat him and therefore looses the fight - getting beaten to the floor, bloody from his hits and seemingly (in her POV) with no chance of reversing that situation. So she does what she always does - not facing the consequences and taking the easy way out: blowing up in suicide and giving up on hope. Honestly, I think the way Ekko reacted to her: they could have talked it out but this would mean for Jinx to face the past, to take on responsibility for her actions, change her behaviour (of killing people) and accept/face the consequences and finally mourn the people she killed- sth. she never learned to do and which would also be the key to make up with Vi again. Ekko did that very well- he made peace with the past with their memorial place and therefore being able to move on while never forgetting the past - instead this serves as a reminder for himt o stay ont he right track. Powder/Jinx was always shielded from consequences by Vi and Vander and later on by Silco- he even did not blame her for shooting him -instead he reassured her to be perfect the way she is - further preventing her from finally moving on. And if she did face unreversable consequences as family's death she breaks down and runs away instead of facing this reality. She never mourned the death's of her family or Silco because they go on to live in her head (ep9 "I should have known better... nothing ever stays dead") instead and prevent her from moving on from the past. After shooting Silco, she immediatly goes into action of targeting Piltover - not mouring him as well...

[@Real_Genji]

I actually thought that Marcus was very nuanced and a really good character. His character is wrapped up in his personality. You don't need a backstory or anything to understand what he's been through and how his experiences shaped who he is.

[@Ramoreira86]

Spot on.

[@FirefulXD]

and likeable is not a requirement for a character, side or otherwise. maybe he was an unlikable person but i really liked him as a character

[@ravenna6543]

Out of all the characters in the show, all the fleshed out characters that are there the whole time, Ekko is my favorite. There's just something about what he is fighting for, where he comes from, his style, personality, and even his ties to the main characters that make me love the character. Also, time manipulation is gonna be so cool and (hopefully) seeing that in S2 of Arcane is going to be so cool.

[@ymir4898]

Proof that Jinx is the one trapping Ekko in his past. You know how Ekko is all about avoiding and leaving when it’s one of the right choices. There is a scene where he chose to fight when he easily could’ve run. In that ship/boat scene where Sevika and Jinx were protecting the shimmer but the firelights attacked and burnt it all. When Jinx killed most of the Firelight people, Ekko got frustrated and went full force on Jinx (nothing happened though, since Ekko’s side man was there for him). But that was one of the scenes showing how Jinx is Ekko’s; past reminder? Weakness? I’m not sure what to call this, but uh reminder.

[@callmecharlie99]

Trauma and scars take time to heal and people you used to know i.e. Jinx can take you back to that moment. Its a delicate line to walk to live in the present and make peace with your past. It is possible, but people who are perpetually stuck in a shared past have a way of dragging others who have made peace with that same past. With deep introspection and good mental health, it is possible to move past those people, but Ekko is still learning that. Hell, I'm still learning it.

[@lyria261]

The story at the end is so interesting and beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. It's inspiring that someone with such a horrible past managed to become so loving and compassionate again despite everything that happened. No one should live through this

[@sunlioness1]

Ekko's story resonates a lot with me. So talking about real life parallels, here's my own. My country is the only one in history that, although we fought the Axis powers (and got annihilated as a result), after WW2 ended our "Allies" decided that we should be governed by the same traitors who sided with the Germans during the occupation - because Churchill and the Americans were too scared of the "communist threat". This brought a lot political injustice and eventually a military junta; the WW2 freedom fighters and resistance members were hunted down, imprisoned, tortured or sent into exile. In this Cold War madness, my grandfather (after surviving a German work camp) was put with his family in a camp, where my mother was born, only because they suspected he was a communist. He actually wasn't but this experience made my mother a hard core Marxist-Leninist. So I grew up in great financial hardship with my single mother, reading a lot of history and literature, trying to find my political identity in this cruel, often non-sensical world. I tried to give my life meaning by passing from the Communist Youth and anarchist cells, to Antifa/ antiracist and feminist grassroots orgs, but there was always something bothering me. Not that they were doing something wrong, I consider them all my allies fighting the good fight, but something was not sitting well with my personality. And I realised that as person, I don't deal well with "ideological certainty" that either grounds itself to the past or promises a certain kind of future. I can't position myself as anti-anything, I just want to be pro-something. I want to do things in the NOW. I want to live my life well and with integrity now. So instead of going to political meetings, I just made a little "commune" in the block of flats where I live, which is mainly populated by working class people and immigrants. It starts with having coffee with the neighbours, having our kids play together, then sharing a meal. Learning more about them, I could make myself available to them. Sharing my WiFi or lending my car or driving someone to work or the doctor, translating them stuff or help them deal with the authorities because of the language barrier, cook them a meal when they're ill or buy them stuff at the supermarket if they're quarantined, help them with their PC or smartphone if they're older, a neighbour even calls me when her little grandson turns off the TV-SAT and she can't turn it back on, another one who's died recently whenever he needed help to tie his laces or pour food into a plate when he was alone because he had a stroke. I don't have tons of free time but these little things rarely take up much time anyway. And this is now become a real network of people who help each other whenever there's need. And I get to rely on them too, to look after my son when something unexpected comes up or my wallet runs dry a few days earlier than expected. It's not "perfect" or angelic - all of us have quirks or prejudice or irritating personality traits. But it is a beautiful community to raise our kids. And my next project is to plant more trees in my city that has almost no green spaces. So #teamEkko all the way.

[@schnee1]

Wow, thanks for sharing this. I have a feeling I've been to your country and I spent some time learning about the incredible injustice of that time while I was there. Much respect for how your personal journey evolved into something so positive.

[@sunlioness1]

Anyone interested to learn more about the country in question, google the excellent Guardian article "Athens 1944: Britain’s dirty secret"

[@HxH2011DRA]

Greece?

[@sunlioness1]

@@HxH2011DRA Yep :(

[@blorblin]

Respect. I think the pragmatic, non-ideological left should grow. We need to band together and live to fix the present.

[@buraxisgames6153]

Thank you for doing Ekko. I think he is important to the story because he is one of the only people focus on the present and rolling up his sleeves to help and save people now. I view him as the real hero of the people.

[@phunzi]

10:28 In therapy that tactic is referred to as “disengaging”. Ekko *disengages* from the situation.

[@axolotlmaniac45]

that anecdote at the end was really touching, thanks for sharing

[@weartide5174]

I love how thorough and clear your points are executed in this video. It felt like the sensations of when you have so many realizations back to back that even the connections you wouldn’t consider at first make themselves known. Wonderful character and story analysis!

[@VivaLaPluto1518]

Thank you for including typhoons story, the whole video you kept blowing my mind with Ekko stuff and then that story really brought arcane down to this human level-it’s too easy to get lost in the magic and different species and fantasy stuff, it’s easy to lose the kids that started off in the beginning of arcane stealing and going through sewer pipes to get home, the anguish and anger surrounding powder losing their bag of loot and how much that actually affected the relationship between the kids when suddenly you have shimmer monsters, death, and vi’s awesome punching at all times no matter what’s going on, it’s easy to forget how they were made until you brought it down to a human level, no magic, and it gave me goosebumps thinking about it all in that perspective for a moment. Aside from arcane though, typhoon sounds like a cool guy, his roots are really unique and I’m so glad I got to hear his story, that’s pretty inspiring!

[@jeremy1860]

I'd never even heard of that trifecta before. Thanks for giving me one more thing I'm going to be seeing in every movie and TV show from here on out 😊

[@rionhoel8740]

There’s a quote my drama class uses that’s always stuck with me. “There’s no such thing as small characters, only small roles.” And Ekko is direct proof of that.

[@thenewsatinbobcat5575]

Echo and Jinx/Powder are simular but perfect opposites. From their first scenes in episode 4 echo uses crystal bombs that build and contain opponents while Jinx uses explosives that destroy and free opponents (from life) Echo being focused on the present and Jinx on her past. Echo uses tech as transportation and simple pipes as weapons while jinx uses tech as weapons and has no form of transportation. Echoes animal being a firelight bug vs Jinx's being a crow. One brings light or is a sign of life vs one being a symbol of death or of darkness.

[@dragonk6910]

Ahaha this just makes me appreciate Ekko and what he stands for even more, so thank you for the video (and sharing Typhoon's story as well!). I'd loved how Ekko and the Firelights presented this alternate option, I wish there had been more time to explore it. Hopefully in a future season of the show,..? My fingers are crossed. So often in our world it's easy to think of issues as being polarized, black-and-white, this-or-that. People think that without our current justice system, for example, everything would fall to chaos and violence (nevermind the fact that even with this system in place, violence and harm often goes unchecked). But there's so much power in thinking outside of those confines and trying to come up with a totally different solution to such problems. I think that's a strength of everything the Firelights are doing, in-universe as well as from a narrative perspective. We see so much duality, but we're reminded that there are other paths that could be (or could have been) taken.

[@carlosbermudez537]

Truly outstanding commentary. The details you highlighted about Ekko went deep, further exemplifying the brilliance of Arcane. Bravo. Thank you for the Typhoon story, as well.

[@BrisketSurge]

It’s interesting this talk of “others” considering how Viktor and Jayce end up.

[@strangepineapples3375]

asdfghjkl i'm stupid, explain???

[@crim1188]

@@strangepineapples3375 Glorious Evolution my friend

[@strangepineapples3375]

@@crim1188 this is the best response i could have gotten, i feel like i'm an average denizen of piltover that's just inquired about a communist-style propaganda poster for the glorious evolution lmfao

[@CasondraM]

3:17 is kinda my favorite part so far into the video. I love your editing for the simple fact that you speak clearly and quickly while packing in so much information but you still manage to make plenty of time+space for cheeky jokes. I haven't even watched Arcane yet (and my cancelled Netflix ends tomorrow) but I've watched a handful of your videos and each one makes me want to see it more. Keep up the awesome videos because you're doing extremely well, in my opinion!

[@annagroesbeck9673]

Thank you for sharing Typhoon's story. A few years ago I planned on being a writer for my career. That changed and now I'm working on an anthropology degree. I have come to realize that what I learn from one area crosses over to another. The story you shared is an example of this.

[@birdgirlamp8747]

Thank you so much for highlighting Ekko! He’s probably my favorite character from the show, and I’ve been a huge defender of him since watching an analysis video where they argued that he was the weakest element of the show. It’s wonderful to see someone who appreciates and breaks down what he brings to the show thematically with such great details. I always enjoy your Arcane analysis videos, and I’m excited to see more!

[@ExclusiveExcellence]

Bro your videos are actually the best. With each analysis or video I fall more in love with Arcane and your videos.

[@AlishaHerbiederbie]

This is amazing, thank you for succinctly explaining why I love this character so much.

[@I_am_UpsideDown]

Ekko is a brill character... he doesn't need a flashback... he's the future and is the one reminding everyone what they used to believe in... he lives his past ,present and future.

[@niyonmor786]

I teared up hearing typhoon's story often people are forced to become villains to survive and then it gets into this really ugly situation of how to deal with them

[@H1nted]

My man ekko has been the higlight of the show for me, the anti authority, neutral good characters always get me

[@jexendo]

Another brilliant video, the Typhoon story is touching aswell thanks for including it

[@MelodyofTime]

a whole essay on his character is something that i wanted, but didn't know i needed

[@Yuuuuei]

This was such an eye opening video wow. Lots of great points made here. Absolute genius storywriting; Ekko and the firelights are the only ones focused on the present while EVERYONE else is past or future. God i love this series.

[@gabemcwhorter9637]

Love how you flipped between Johny and Daniel for Cobra Kai XD Another great show

[@emilythedragon]

That was a really touching story and it goes to show how tragically real the characters and conflics of Arcane are. I see so often that people have just decided that Jinx is a "murderous terrorist" as if that's all she can be. When the show goes to great length to show her the series of events that led to her becoming that way.

[@strangepineapples3375]

ur content is an arcane hyperfixation GOLDMINE ksdfghjkl thank you for the little bonus story!! it's cool you were able to draw parallels between ekko and typhoon

[@satinabla]

Love your video essays! I figured Ekko was presented in an outstanding way but couldn't out my finger on why it happens to be like this until now

[@theAllycat797]

I'm so glad you included the story about your friend. I am roughly tossed back into the harsh reminder that this as many feelings as we have for the undercity, real life is way worse. :( Thanks for the wonderful video

[@xyike3753]

11:45 i think he is reinterpreting vi's fixation of the past as "if the past didn't happen, this beautiful community within this safe haven wouldnt exist"

[@cryptic_sunflower]

One thing that’s interesting about Ekko is that he created this utopia for the people of zaun, but it’s not a full utopia. Because Ekko literally created it to hide from his problems and fears, he couldn’t take Powder turning crazy, so he created his own hideaway to forget about it

[@GhostEmblem]

I think the mural is evidence he is not trying to run away from it, plus you know all the raids and stuff against silco.

[@NRG-REC]

I don't know if that's fully accurate. He's not hiding from any fears as much as he's trying to atone due to guilt. Ekko built the "utopia" first, jinx came later. He doesn't hide from his problems, he relentlessly tries to solve his and everyone else's at every opportunity because he didn't when he was a child. It's far more likely that he thought powder was dead for years as silco kept her hidden until he felt she was strong enough to be his enforcer on the ground. I believe he built it due to his guilt of not going with vi that night when everyone died(or so he believed) Kinda like Gwen's line from into the spider verse " I couldn't save my best friend, Peter Parker, so now I save everyone else". He felt guilty for letting vi convince him not to go. (I'm guessing on that but it makes sense that's what happened since she at first intended to rescue Vander alone and tried the same thing with mylo and claggor until they convinced her to let them all go to save their father and even then she didn't let powder go because she was the youngest and "weakest" of the group, the most at risk of dying. Ekko falls in that same category for her and combined with the fact that Vander wasn't his father and he was still reeling from benzo's murder he was probably on autopilot and just did what vi said ) We know from his words to vi that not going with her is what he regrets the most. What drives him crazy to think about. He built the utopia to make it up to his fallen friends he felt he failed that day. So others would hopefully not have to suffer the same. Jinx's reappearance is slightly seperate issue. I would be VERY surprised if they don't reveal that ekko reached out to jinx numerous times before he finally accepted that they were enemies. It's the only logical explanation for why he was so convinced she couldn't be changed. That comes from first hand experience. He'd reached out, and she murdered his friends for it, over and over until he became simultaneously bitter and numb and just gave up on her. Once he knew she was alive, he offered her the same home as the firelights but she rejected it because she already had a new home with silco, she'd chosen her side years ago.

[@cryptic_sunflower]

@@NRG-REC honestly you bring up a lot of points I didn’t think about, maybe he isn’t running away after all. Jinx might only have been actively out for like a year or 2

[@NRG-REC]

@@cryptic_sunflower yeah admittedly alot of it is educated guesses from things I've heard arcane writers, and va's say and just from the way the story itself is setup but I think I'm on the right track. A writer teased/hinted at possibly getting more ekko and jinx backstory specifically in s2 so we'll see.

[@cryptic_sunflower]

@@NRG-REC I wouldn’t mind it, but I’m not itching for it

[@vincetacofield50]

Dude this video gave me so many feels. I did not expect it to be this good. Thanks for making it

[@bisharp5068]

By far one of the best scripts I’ve heard in an analysis video. Not just the main ideas and connections, but the clarity and directness is very much appreciated. 🙏

[@johnclemmy7909]

Bruuhhhh, thank you so much for this amazing analysis on ekko, he's one of my favorite character in arcane, if not, my most favorite in the show. His overall character really got me hooked and his theme is just so badass, his cause in the story aligns to me... and damn, your video just added and pretty much completed the reason why I like him. Please keep going on making this amazing kinds of analysis its so gooood.

[@viper2785]

I thought it was interesting classifying Vi and Jinx as misfit and prodigy respectively, how they have come to fill those roles, and how they have swapped roles in a lot of ways based on their current circumstances vs where they fit into the dynamic with their family and Vander.