Is Ryze the Mysterious Mage That Saved Jayce in Arcane?
Yes, all evidence suggests the mysterious, blue-skinned mage that saves a young Jayce in episode 2 of Arcane is Ryze, the Rune Mage himself from League of Legends. While his cameo appearance goes unnamed in the show, both lore and scenes hint strongly at the ancient spellcaster‘s identity.
As a long-time League player and fan of Riot‘s cinematics, I was thrilled to see this potential nod to Ryze in the hit Netflix series. In this article, I‘ll analyze in-depth why Arcane‘s mage matches up with Ryze and how his intervention shapes wider connections between the show and Runeterra.
Who is Ryze in League of Legends?
Ryze stands as one of the most ancient and powerful mortal champions in League‘s expansive universe. Specifically, Ryze is a battle mage who has mastered the art of arcane spellweaving and acquired immense magical energy over his exceptionally long lifetime.
According to Ryze‘s Universe profile, key details on his character include:
- Obsessed with tracking down and protecting scattered World Runes (fragments of raw creative magic)
- Originally learned magic from a sorcerer master named Tyrus in ancient Helia
- Wields a grimoire to channel extremely powerful arcane blasts
- Has unique Realm Warp ability to open teleportation portals
- Distinct bald head with flowing blue skin and robes
With such vast magic sensibilities from ages of learning, Ryze roams across the lands seeking World Runes before malignant forces can exploit them. This endless quest has made Ryze notably reclusive and secretive.
Evidence That Ryze is Arcane‘s Mage
When the mage rescues young Jayce during a deadly blizzard in episode 2, I immediately noticed similarities to League‘s Rune Mage based on his appearance and demonstrated powers.
Appearance
The mage is bald, with flowing blue skin, garbed in mystical robes of blue, purple and gold hues. This perfectly matches Ryze‘s distinct looks.
Powers
To swiftly transport Jayce and his mother across the landscape to safety before frostbite sets in, the mage conjures a magical portal – stepping through winter storms in an instant. This spatial manipulation imitates Ryze‘s trademark Realm Warp teleportation directly.
Reason for Being There
Ryze endlessly searches for World Runes across the most remote and dangerous corners of Runeterra. With Ryze known to roam from desert tombs to tundra wastes, it fits with his MO to investigate an isolated blizzard area where one could be concealed.
With the mage‘s visual likeness to Ryze, warped teleport feats, and location suiting Ryze‘s endless World Rune quests, I as a LoL devotee have zero doubt that was Runeterra‘s Blue Mage himself portrayed in Arcane!
Layering Ryze‘s Lore Reveals Deeper Connections
On rewatching episode 2, I appreciated how subtly Ryze‘s insertion adds further context and meaning. Beyond enhancing that dramatic scene, his cameo suggests wider League lore overlaps and a deeper history for Jayce still unrevealed in Arcane.
We know Ryze has been traversing Runeterra gathering artifacts since ancient eras. As an immortal time mage of unfathomable power, he would absolutely have been roaming these lands during Arcane‘s era as well. This sets up rich potential for more backstory intersections between champions.
And by saving Jayce as a vulnerable youth, Ryze has bestowed an important future favor: perhaps Jayce will assist the mage locate a World Rune someday? It plants seeds for their two stories intermingling again. I foresee Jayce called at some crucial point to repay this debt either willingly…or otherwise!
As both an avid gamer and Arcane watcher, these lingering lore and narrative strings left me thrilled to ponder where they may lead when Arcane continues!
Ryze‘s Immense Power in League of Legends
While barely shown wielding any spells in Arcane, League players know well from gameplay how phenomenally mighty Ryze ranks among mages. The fact young Jayce survives that blizzard is testament to Ryze safeguarding them with enchantments.
Some key statistics that demonstrate Ryze‘s immense late-game power in LoL include:
| Stat | Amount |
|---|---|
| Magic Damage Output | Highest in game (scaling with mana) |
| Total Mana Pool | Most mana of any champion |
| Win Rate in Elite Tiers | 55% win rate in Challenger tier |
| Pick/Ban Rate | 78.9% pick/ban in pro play |
With damage scaling exponentially, Ryze far outpaces other late-game casters. And his Realm Warp makes Ryze a coveted asset for coordinated teamplay. These metrics show how Arcane‘s sequence showcases just a fraction of this battle mage‘s true capabilities!
Other Hints at League Easter Eggs
Beyond Ryze‘s appearance, a few more possible League nods stood out to me among Arcane‘s rich worldbuilding. For one, some fans speculate the hulking chemtech mutant "Vander" could become Warwick in later seasons based on abilities shown and Singed‘s experiments.
Additionally, when Jayce is announced as a "Defender of Tomorrow" in episode 3, the way his hammer levitates before him is strikingly similar to his LoL taunt animation!
These are just a few of the fun potential allusions I spotted that suggest Riot aims to embed ties between its hit shows and established Runeterran lore for us avid fans.
Conclusion: All Signs Point to Ryze
In closing, while never concretely named as Ryze in dialogue, all evidence displayed screams that Arcane‘s mysterious rune mage is League‘s canon Ryze – from visuals to powers paralleling abilities to possible plot seeds planted for the future.
Seeing this legendary champion hinted at already has me wholly invested for season two‘s upcoming new chapters set in Zaun and Piltover! We can expect a tremendous mix of fresh storytelling combined with exciting champion cameos as Arcane‘s epic expands.
And who knows, perhaps young Jayce‘s fateful debt to his blue savior will come due…
