Vi the Parentified Child | Arcane Analysis

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As a Parentified Child, Vi has had to look after her little sister Powder as well as her own survival. It's not impossible for a parent to raise a resilient child under stressful conditions, but how can we expect that responsibility from another child? Hear me out. Let’s explore this unfair reality by discussing Vi, the Parentified Child.
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League of Legends: Arcane - Enemy | EPIC ORCHESTRAL VERSION (Imagine Dragons Cover)
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My videos are designed for educating and providing a space for people to reflect on their own life experiences. My videos are not designed to offer professional advice or replace a therapeutic intervention. If you find yourself struggling with any psychological, mental health, or emotional issues, contact a mental health professional directly for a psychological consultation. You deserve to take care of yourselves, my people :)
00:00 Introduction
02:11 Parentification
04:27 Instrumental Parentification
06:00 Emotional Parentification
07:28 When does it happen?
09:22 Intense Anger
11:16 Issues with Intimacy
12:30 The Tragedy of Vi and Jinx
18:27 Intent vs Impact

[@vigotdatcake]

Vi is probably one of my favorite characters of all time. She is just so damn realistic in how she reacts to trauma and shitty situations. I think it's also why I adore her with Caitlyn: finally she has someone who is trying to look out for her and give her the gentle touch and care she so desperately needs.

[@FreekUnique]

So glad to see someone talking about this! People don't give Vi enough credit, especially for how she handled the post explosion scene. She recognized her loss of temper for what it was pretty quickly and had the maturity to realize she needed a minute alone to process her emotions so she could come back to the situation with a clearer head. It really adds to the tragedy that she was so severely punished for reining her anger in, sealing the belief that healthy boundaries and coping mechanisms are bad for both Vi and Jinx.

[@draxxlie8311]

UNDERRATED COMMENT

[@mysteryace2129]

Uh no she left her sister next to their dead adoptive father because she couldn't stand the sight of Powder. There is no evidence that she would've went back for her if Silico didn't show up as she only cared about going back when she saw Powder in potential danger. She should've never left her sister in the first place. Especially shouldn't have physically hurting her knowing that she is a little girl.

[@venusries]

@@mysteryace2129 did u really watch the show? bc vi tried to go n get powder when sees silco with her. she was planning to save powder if marcus wouldnt have kidnapped her lol. vi even tells cait that she tought her sister was dead. actually u can see that after she hits powder and notice the mistake she have made, she leave for a few seconds just to calm herself down so what's your point? ur not making sense rn

[@venusries]

@@mysteryace2129 and after all, if powder was just a kid, so was vi. its so weird of u to try to blame vi when arcane is abt choices and their consequences. plus: vi during the episodes was trying her best to save powder, to know more abt the situation and try to deal with her own consequences. vi only made one mistake and now is the villain for (surprise) being just a kid and not a mom? you dont need to blame and try to find the bad guy bc vi and jinx r both victims.

[@mysteryace2129]

@mariabonfim4453 Again Vi apologists keep bringing up past actions where that isn't my gripe on this character at all. My issue is what she did recently when faced with a decision to confront her sister on that bridge but instead she leaves with Cait. Thus abandoning her sister once again so her little sister and "little brother" Echo can fight to the death. Which is a terrible decision that made her in the wrong for creating Jinx as she abandoned Powder not once but twice. I bring up Moments in the past to support how flaky she really is in not being devoted to save her sister despite what she says as there is more evidence of her causing more harm to Powder than good actually. Show no Tell type of approach.

[@riverbanzachamploo9725]

I was the parentified child. Even though I can relate to both her and Jinx, Vi is my favorite. A lot of people don't understand just how hard it is to adult pressures on you when you're just a kid. Nobody sees your struggles because due to the fact you had to suppression your own needs for others. When you make a mistake, big or small you get it much more trouble because you carry a much bigger burden. Everyone forgets you're just a kid too.

[@sanderp9768]

Vi's character always hit close home...

[@siandream4495]

Yeah now imagine going through all of that and then have those same parents kick you of the house because you werent enough of a caretaker or a therapist.

[@corriescoral2239]

i empathize vi's actions even if it's not the best thing to do as a person but holding all those adult responsibilities when you're still a child is going to impact your life forever. people always ask me why am i so mature at my age, which isn't making me happy about it. because i never really had happy nor good childhood moments. my parent left me when i was a child, and it felt like everything got pushed to me, dealing with younger siblings, i may not be the best eldest child to them either. temper issue is the worst part of it. i got so caught up with the situation sometimes that i forget about my surrounding's feelings, ended up being violent with people. i'm still doing my best to maintain my emotions: accepting how i feel, avoid starting conflict, giving myself space to calm down. vi is my comfort character and i wish to see more of her characteristic in the show or analyze about her from season one scenes.

[@czar6203]

It’s so tragic yet it’s the sole reason this series are so beautiful. The villain is also relatable to the point that we couldn’t hate these characters no matter how evil they seemed.

[@Agent_Volkat]

Great video! What was placed upon Vi was unfair, but under the circumstances, inevitable. I empathize with her character so much. While I wasn't fully parentified, I was in a position that I had to grow up sooner than normal. It frustrates me to no end when some people criticize Vi so harshly to the point of hating her for her actions toward Powder after the explosion. Every time I come across that criticism all I can think is "you're damning a literal child!!" I can remember doing and saying things at that age that I came to regret as an adult. Things I felt shame or embarrassment over. I have learned that instead of succumbing to my anger over those things as I once did, I must remind myself that, YES, I was a child then. Arcane's character development is incredible especially when representing emotions so well. It's eye opening.

[@ChampionAnalysis]

Feel like anyone criticizing Vi harshly is doing the exact same thing adults do to these children; seeing her as an adult when she's not. I think Arcane's writing is just that good at depicting a parentified child that audience members who aren't aware of this concept will react similarly if they met this child

[@Dislsnevdufk]

I love this girl very much. I think she is the best character. I am very sorry that all this happened to her... 🥺❤️ beloved Vi

[@km9833]

This was a really educational video. I think this is probably my favourite vi analysis video. Vi is my fav character so appreciate this deep dive into her psychology, most people just label her as anger issues when it goes so much deeper than that so I'm glad you addressed it. Great video dude!

[@taylorparis7228]

Too many fans forget that Vi was a child too, and she also suffered❤️ I will always defend her. Hopefully s2 explores her struggles more as they did with Jinx in s1.

[@dollblossom_]

i never realised that emotional parentification was valid, and i thought it was normal until more recently. i thought everyones mom asked then to rub / hit their back for a massage constantly and i thought everyones mom constantly vented to them. i knew i grew up fast, and i know now im not as mature anymore - but i thought it was normal. when i was little i tried very hard to help my mom with her emotions but it was very taxing on me. i ended up developing depression and anxiety and mild paranoia after hearing all of her own paranoia anxiety etc., and i was extremely angry once i hit 12 or 13. i wasnt a delinquent, but if i did someone 'wrong' she would tell me to give her my phone and i... didnt care. at that point my dad was talking about putting me and my sister into foster care, so i was giving up on the desire to be normal, so that phone i begged for i was very willing to throw to the side

[@trancydipizza619]

bro u described my whole life

[@dollblossom_]

@@trancydipizza619 dw bro i got you 🖐😌

[@trancydipizza619]

@@dollblossom_ we got each other 🤝

[@dollblossom_]

@@trancydipizza619 ong 🤝

[@r.babylon2885]

You too, huh? That's weird. The video, how many people experienced this. You describing my life. Holy shit.

[@Shatterpath]

Thank you so much for this! So many fans are so hard on Vi because Jinx in their woobie. But both of them suffered and need healing so badly.

[@ChampionAnalysis]

Thanks for sticking around for so long while I sorted out my personal life. Making a video on Vi felt a little nostalgic for me cause I did start this channel by making League of Legends content. Felt right at home with this one :) Hope you enjoy. By the way, I've been streaming some games in between my uploads! Stop by the streaming channel kzbin.info/door/AXJepMCZ16xXiJNvsMHE_g :D

[@r.babylon2885]

Well, I wasn't expecting for this to hit me on such a personal level.

[@lollmao4867]

THANK U IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT SOMEONE MADE AN ANALYSIS FOR VIIIIII I'VE BEEN SEARCHING EVERYWHERE

[@C08107.]

Vi is by far my faverouite character. And it really hurts me that she not only felt like she had to be the parent from auch a young age but she was also critisised for literally one moment of weakness after almost her whole family was killed! She tried so hard and did so well for so long and she deserves so much love and care. I really hope that in season 2 she can begin to accept that what happened to Powder was not her fault.

[@kingcasual-casual-gaming-5366]

very informative video. Not much of a psychologist myself, so I cannot desect the scenes as good as you did, yet somethings are just what makes us humane. Feeling anger and sorrow for loss and feeling releaved, knowing that things are still there where we left (like Jinx still being in Zaun). But I personally cannot blame Vi for leashing out on Powder when she realised that she actually done it, after vaguely anticipating that the bomb might be Powders. She told her that she has to stay at home, while willingly disregarding her appeal, is something that needs to be "punished". While Powders psychology has some major issues in itself, that doesnt excuse to ignore Vis order as her "parent". From my pov.

[@jeneunoia1850]

oh thats why my older brother relate to her

[@mileslugo6430]

I think it's important to ask why Vander didn't use Milo or Claggor to take care of the others? Claggor is certainly a steadfast tank. And while Milo isn't suited for caretaking I believe he's clever. No, I think even before Vander got to his first wards of Violet and Powder, Vi had already taken up the role of caretaker in the case of her sister's and junkie parents.

[@annop5686]

This is one of those videos that I watch and I don't understand how come it doesn't get more likes. Very well done and well explained. Hopefully it will become more recognized.

[@solezeta1314]

I'm glad someone brought this up! It's so common how older siblings, even when they're still just kids and can't handle stuff as well as grownups do, are forced into this adult role that gives a lot of pressure and requires a lot of mental maturity, simply because they're the older sibling. I always had a problem with that concept tbh. Kids shouldn't have to grow up so fast, let them have their childhood. Still, I can understand it. What I can't understand is how they can be so mad at that person for messing up. If you're giving that position to a kid, mistakes are to be expected. Vi honestly did the best with what she was given. Her outburst in episode 3 is extreme but understandable. In one night, she witnessed the brutal deaths of many Enforcers, then lost her adoptive family and nearly got killed. It would be unrealistic if her patience didn't have limits. And frankly, her walking away after that, even if it negatively affected Powder's view of her, was her most emotionally mature response. She realized she could not control her emotions at the moment, so she left before doing something even worse and tried to cool off so she and Powder could discuss it later more calmly. Unfortunately, that never happened. While I agree that she is partly responsible for how she and Powder grow apart, my heart still breaks for her cuz I can just see she's really trying her best.

[@jaccomics4868]

Great video, man! I’m trying to be a comic writer and your videos help remind me to write my character with more depth and care. Keep up the good work!

[@mythlover20]

Amazing work as always. Welcome back. I hope things are getting better for you. :)

[@ashlazdanovich8396]

When I was 12, maybe younger, I, being the youngest of three with a fairly big, not too big gaps between us, was tasked with taking care of my niece who was 3-4 years old. I wasn’t prepared and had to quickly learn how to take care of them. It was difficult and I didn’t know what I was doing. But I know I did my best. So in this sense, I kinda relate to Vi having to take care of a younger sibling even though it’s not the same thing. But that experience has helped me understand Vi and her struggles through the series. So I appreciate that.

[@austinbeck3424]

More please good to see you back by the way

[@m.h4997]

Incredible video as usual welcome back homie

[@fiodoor]

Amazing video! I really love Vi and that explains a bit more why she is so relatable ^^'

[@guardian5252]

Love your content

[@ancientandmodern]

Honestly I felt this, but my circumstances were different, from being a 14yr old kid looking after a 16yr old sister with mental health issues already established up until the age of adulthood. Parents were around but they didn't want parental responsibilities so they choose to abandon us and we were forced to become adults as young teenagers. Vi's story is so relatable even if the sibling I was caring for is older, the same still happens today. Now in my late 30s and still looking after the older sister. The sense of responsibility never leaves and many people don't understand that.

[@Goku49]

Question for the positions are switched series. How would they get the sin devil triggers?

[@janleslielvaas3211]

My favorite fc is Vi and my favorite mc is Victor.

[@ChampionAnalysis]

It's incredible how they managed to turn Viktor into someone so likeable compared to the in-game lore

[@runemaster8656]

Thank you.

[@guardian5252]

Make the next episode about jinx

[@orange2694]

man you got me scared for a moment, thought you quit or smth. and my edits went to waste phew

[@amongusdoge4561]

Yo someone needs to summarize this and dumb it down a little, I'm a dunce💀

[@runemaster8656]

Vi was forced to be a parent as a child, and her anger and trouble with intimacy is a result of that.

[@mgh7634]

I'll be honest, I think the whole idea of parentification as some kind of negative thing is ridiculous. Through much of human history, it was practiced and expected of children to help their parents. And not just because 'society' said so-- nature itself conditioned us to do so because families couldn't survive the harsh world otherwise. When dad's too sick with a flu that may very well kill him, the son pushes the plow. Or the field doesn't get farmed and the family starves. And when the father is healthy, the son still helps so he can balance the work and learn how to be a farmer in turn. What you people hunting for mental disorders to neatly fit yourselves and others into call emotional damage, I call being a contributing member of the family. Sure, it's one thing for a child to take the place of a neglectful parent who wants to sit around all day drinking beer while their child is forced to fend for themselves and their siblings. But all your examples, like an older siblings taking care of their younger, or working a job, or doing adult choirs, that's not some unhealthy thing. That's learning how to be an adult and a responsible human being. And you want to know something? People who do that grow up to be valuable members of society. They care for their neighbors, their community, and families; and one day when they become actual parents, they'll care to do the job of parenting rather than throwing an iPad in their child's hand so they don't have to do the work of actually raising them. Because they learned early the importance of putting the needs of others first. And no matter how anyone tries to twist that into something bad, it's a noble thing. Oh sure, maybe they won't be as happy as someone who had their parent do everything for them and only gave them light responsibilities, but it's an important lesson to learn if you don't want your children to end up as spoiled, selfish pieces of shit. It's what keeps societies together and prevents people from atomizing into their own petty self-interests when they should be working together. And its sort of the point of adolescence, learning how to be an adult before you finally are released on your own. Obviously, anything can be taken to an extreme, to a point where it's damaging to someone. But you know what also can damage a kid? Making them go to school every day, but we still do that. Why? Because the benefits outweigh the potential harm. It's no less different here. I know this is a bit of an aside as you're talking about Vi and Arcane and her experiences, but right off the bat, I just found your explanation really irksome. I mean your 'extremes' are just normal and have been for the majority of human natural, biological, and psychological history, and as a species, we evolved to be capable of handling that. To make it sound like some unnatural thing to have your child actually take on responsibility just because in the last 100 years we've lived cushier lives is frankly absurd, and again, just sounds like people trying to invent emotional damage they don't actually have so they can wallow and feel validation in self-pity.

[@juniper1350]

yeah… i can tell you’ve completely misunderstood what parentification is lmao

[@CR-uu3pi]

Made one of Caitlyn 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹pleeeeas