Vi and Jinx arguably have one of the most complex relationships in “League of Legends.” Some might say that they’re two sides of the same coin. Both come from the Zaun, lived through the worst of it, and came out fighting. Yet, there’s clearly more to their story than that. There has always been an odd sort of tension between these two, leaving room for fans to theorize what was happening between them.
With the release of Netflix’s series, “Arcane,” fans suddenly had a lot more information to work with, as the show was not afraid to canonize many theories floating around the internet. More than that, it brought with it many surprises. Some of these revelations were a long time coming to players, while those new to the franchise may find themselves a bit overwhelmed by everything happening on screen. Are you interested in learning more about the relationship between Jinx and Vi? Then, keep on reading to learn more about this chaotic pair.
You should see my sister!
As with many characters in “League of Legends,” Jinx’s character has more than one comeback or quip. One line in particular caught the attention of fans: “You think I’m crazy?! You should see my sister.”
This raised a few crucial questions. Who is her sister? Is she already in the game, or will she be introduced later? Riot Games was perfectly content to leave fans hanging in the wind for years. It was until 2017 that Riot Games confirmed the identity of her sister.
During an interview, the design director Greg Street let it slip that Vi was the mystery sibling fans had been looking for. Though he did later try to take that statement back a bit – likely to help with the dramatic reveal within “Arcane.”
Understandably, the announcement took the fandom by force. Vi’s backstory is older than Jinx’s character for the most part, so there are a lot of gaps that need to be covered. Thankfully, there’s a Netflix series intent on doing exactly that.
Fan theories galore
Before it was officially announced that Vi and Jinx were sisters, fans were desperate to uncover the truth. Many hints led fans to suspect that Vi was the secret sister. While there were other contenders, the simple truth is that Vi was always the most logical conclusion for the mystery sister.
Fans couldn’t help but notice all of the similarities they have in common. They’re both from Zaun, have bright hair colors, and are temperamental and impulsive. Additionally, a little hint is dropped that Vi also has a sister. Granted, Vi can’t comment on this fact, thanks to her memory loss.
If we were to take this theory a step further, it would be easy to imagine how Jinx would react to being forgotten (regardless of the intention behind such an act). Given Jinx’s abandonment issues, how poorly she would handle this situation is pretty clear.
Vi’s memory loss
According to “League of Legends” lore, Vi had no memory of what happened to her parents for a long time. All she knew was that she wound up in an orphanage with a bassinet. (She would later end up in the care of Vander). Fans knew that Vi was desperate to learn more about her family on some level but that so far, nobody she had asked had any answers for her. Apparently, she was asking the wrong people.
“Arcane” fully fleshes out what happened to her family, with Hailee Steinfeld lending her voice to Vi’s character. Or rather, families, as while Vi was unlucky enough to face much loss in her life, she has been fortunate enough to have so many found families.
It’s worth noting that while Vi may not have her memory of the past, one surviving relative of hers remembers everything. Knowing how chaotic her character is, it must have been difficult for Jinx; she likely believed that Vi forgot about her on purpose.
Suddenly, some of that tension between the two characters makes more sense. Jinx and Vi already have a turbulent relationship during “Arcane,” and that’s with Vi knowing full well who she is.
Pretty-in-Pink
In the game and the show, Jinx has always been quick to act on her feelings. One of her favorite pastimes is playing pranks – especially if they can poke a bit of fun at her estranged sister. Think about it for a minute; everything from her name to her introduction makes it pretty clear what her main goal is in life.
Jinx famously made herself a target of Vi’s aggression when she left a less-than-flattering image of Vi within a highly secure vault. This event followed a series of incidents, including a brazen warning that she would be raiding those very vaults. Once again, it’s clear that Jinx was trying to get a rise out of Vi.
To take her pranking a step further, Jinx developed a particular knack for coming up with infuriating nicknames for Vi. One of these nicknames references her hair color, though we strongly doubt anyone on the streets had the guts to call Vi that name. At least not while she was in earshot.
Antagoniaztion within the games
Before it was made official, players believed that Vi was the secret for various reasons, mainly because of how Jinx treated Vi. It seemed like Jinx had a bone to pick with Vi in particular. However, she was always willing to have fun when the option was made available.
Players of “League of Legends” have noticed how much Jinx attempts to antagonize Vi and how it reads like something a little sister would do (albeit in a warped manner). Perhaps Jinx saw this form of interaction as a way of bonding with her sister.
Here’s where things get interesting. Jinx is seen antagonizing Vi – and nobody else on the English-speaking servers. Her sole target is her sister. Meanwhile, Jinx is perfectly willing to mess with other champions on the other servers as they cross her path.
Given these facts and Jinx’s behavior, it feels safe to assume that Vi will always be a natural target for Jinx. However, she enjoys having fun and wouldn’t say no to messing around with another fighter.
Orphaned at a young age
Players who loved Vi’s character have long wondered what happened to her family. It was no secret that she didn’t know what her past contained. Nor was it a secret that she wanted to find out. Interestingly, it seemed like other characters were willing to hide this information from her, likely to protect her or Jinx. Up until the show’s release, all fans could assume was that Vi and Jinx were orphans.
Fans of the show “Arcane” now know that Vi and Jinx were orphaned at a young age. It was a traumatic event for the young girls, especially as at least one of them saw her parents’ bodies.
Jinx is younger than Vi by about five years, which explains why they handled this trauma so differently. This also explains why Vi had stronger memories of her first family. At least during the time of “Arcane.” An ironic twist, given the state of things in “League of Legends.”
Raised by Vander
When the girls lost their parents, Vander took them both in and raised them as his own. He was, in many ways, their second father. The girls were not the only orphans he took under his wing, showing how much his character changed over the course of just a few short years.
There’s no doubt that Vander loved all four children very much. He would choose to protect them from every horrible thing in their world. However, that isn’t possible, not in their world. Yet there’s also no denying that one of the children took after him the most. Thus, he formed a strong bond with one child in particular.
Vi is the child in question. She instantly took after Vander’s way of thinking, fighting, and leading. In many ways, Vi is Vander’s successor. This gave Vi the sense of purpose and belonging she so desperately craved. Thus, Vi became the leader of the four children Vander stepped up to protect.
Is Vander Warwick?
Eagle-eyed fans have noticed a few hints within “Arcane” that may portray a different future for Vander. If correct, this means that Vander isn’t dead but will later walk the streets as Warwick. In “League of Legends,” Warwick is a monster born of Zaun. Fans believe that Singed may have had something to do with Vander’s potential transformation into Warwick. In short, Vander could have become one of his experiments.
That’s not the main point we’re trying to make here, believe it or not. The real concern is how Vi and Jinx would react to seeing their second father figure again. Or how he might respond to seeing them.
Is there enough of Vander in there to remember his girls? Will the girls even recognize him? If this theory proves true, there’s a genuine reason to be concerned about the trauma heading their way. No matter what happens, the odds are not good that it will be a happy family reunion.
A History of Trauma
There’s a lot that “Arcane” got right when portraying these characters and their trauma. Jinx and Vi have lived through the same events but reacted differently to that trauma. Both lived through losing their parents and becoming orphans in Zaun. And later, they both lost another family. Yet, they ended up in very different walks of life.
Vi took it upon herself to step up and help protect and train Jinx or Powder. Meanwhile, Powder always seemed to have issues she needed to work through. In an ideal world, she would have had the help she needed. Yet another thing that Zaun failed to provide these children.
Since neither child got the support they needed, they found different coping mechanisms. Powder became Jinx, casting aside her childhood to favor a persona she felt she had more control over.
While Vi will ultimately become the Piltover Enforcer, in a way, this is how she sought to take control over her life. All while holding onto the hope that she could make a difference in the world. In other words, one sister seeks to put the world back together while the other hopes to blow apart.
A need to belong
Both sisters felt a need to belong to something – a family, a close group of friends, anything. Vi created her own gang of sorts, emulating the tactics of Vander. Viewers saw this in action during “Arcane,” as she led the other kids on a dangerous mission. One that certainly was not their first.
Conversely, Jinx/Powder wanted to join that group but never fit in. Mylo and Claggor never really went out of their way to make Powder feel like a valued member of the group. In truth, Mylo frequently attempted to do the opposite. His words risked the bond between Powder and Vi on more than one occasion. Likely, Powder internalized much of what he said, whether or not she admitted it.
Powder’s desperation to find a place she belonged culminated following the death of Vander. She was cast out and alone. At this point, Powder likely would have attempted to bond with the first person who gave her any attention. As a direct result, viewers saw Powder rapidly form an attachment to Silco.
Vi’s need to protect and shield Powder
Since they were children, Vi has showcased a fierce need to protect and shield her sister. As children, she would defend Powder to the group. We saw this in various ways, from telling off Mylo to encouraging Powder to come with them.
This dynamic may have changed as they grew up, but it is still at its core. Throughout the first season of “Arcane,” multiple characters take Vi aside and tell her that Powder is gone, and only Jinx remains. This includes at least one reliable source, as Ekko watched Powder grow into the woman known as Jinx.
Yet Vi kept holding onto that hope that she could save her sister. She ignored multiple warnings and kept pushing forward with that hope. Once again, Vi fell back on the need to protect Powder from the world, so much so that she forgot to consider what Jinx could do to the world.
A warped love/hate relationship
When Jinx was a young girl, still going by Powder, she idolized her sister. She overlooked the traits that would have made her stand out in their gang (speed, agility, aim, etc.) and instead strived to mimic her sister. More than that, Powder saw Vi as a symbol of all that is safe and good in the world. This obsession was so strong and fragile that it only took one traumatic incident to flip it towards hate.
Between obsession and hate, there was a feeling of abandonment. This is a stage that Jinx sat in for years, right up until she realized that Vi was alive. She likely believed that Vi would never have willingly left her until that point.
Just like Vi kept trying to save Jinx during the first season of “Arcane,” Jinx was trying to find a way to bond with her sister. When her attempts at bonding didn’t succeed, her fragile control over her feelings snapped.
This leads to her willingness to mess with Vi at every opportunity during “League of Legends.” Even here, her attacks are never meant to kill Vi. They’re more to force Vi’s attention in a specific direction: towards Jinx.
Setting up future rivalries
There was a time in “League of Legends” history when Vi just up and disappeared. When Vi did return, it was alongside the sheriff of Piltover. This fact, combined with the finale of “Arcane” season one, sets the siblings up for a harsh rivalry.
On one side, we have Vi, now the Piltover Enforcer. She’s trying to help make Zaun a safer place and doing it the only way she knows how. Conversely, we have Jinx, a chaotic firebug obsessed with explosives.
In light of that, it is easy to see how their rivalry will endure for years. And all this is without adding all the trauma and hurt that boils over from “Arcane.” Throw in Jinx’s actions at the end of season one, and suddenly Vi can’t keep pretending her younger sister is little more than a mischief-maker. This fight has officially taken lives, and Vi no longer has the luxury of taking things lightly.
Caitlyn’s role in their Dysfunction
We cannot ignore Caitlyn’s role when discussing the relationship between Jinx and Vi. Caitlyn and Vi have long been “League of Legends” partners, especially as both have the city’s best interests in mind.
Many fans have been thrilled to see this newer version of Vi and Caitlyn’s relationship in “Arcane.” However, there’s no disputing that Caitlyn’s presence has been a catalyst for drama between the iconic siblings. Vi looks at Caitlyn and sees another woman who understands her compulsion to improve things. When Jinx looks at Caitlyn, she sees a woman attempting to take her role by her sister’s side.
It’s impossible to know if the two sisters would have found a way to communicate once they found each other again. We know that Caitlyn’s presence immediately set Jinx off, putting any potential sibling bonding on the wrong foot. In other words, Vi was more difficult than ever to get through to Jinx. None of this is Caitlyn’s fault, of course. However, it does leave fans wondering what could have happened if the sisters had made more time to talk.
Liz Wyatt 
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