Spoiler Warning: This post includes heavy spoilers for Arcane Season 2, now out on Netflix.
Ever since its premiere, Arcane has always revolved around Hextech even while being the story of two sisters. The animated show started with Jayce receiving a Hexgem from a mage who saved his and his mother’s life. This event set the innovator on the path to build Hextech and transform the world with his creations.
However, we all know how that went with his partner Viktor turning into a messiah, using Hextech to turn people into puppets, and eventually wanting to unite everyone with Arcane. However, having seen the future that lay ahead, Jayce decided to stop his partner in his maniacal pursuit.
Now, if you have just finished watching the Arcane Season 2 finale, you must be wondering about Jayce’s death in the series. Well, we break down everything in this guide, so keep reading.
Is Jayce Dead in Arcane Season 2?
To give you a short and unfortunate answer, yes, Jayce dies in the ending of Arcane Season 2. The innovator and scientist, in a valiant attempt to save his home — Piltover, decides to sacrifice his own life along with his partner, Viktor, in Season 2 Act 3.
When Jayce was caught in the Arcane anomaly with Ekko and Heimerdinger, he was transported to a future where Piltover was a barren wasteland. While his other two companions were dancing and singing, Jayce was fighting to survive and discover the reason for the demise of his people and his home. During this time, he also kept seeing the same mage who saved his life in the past lurking in the shadows.
Ultimately, Jayce manages to climb to the top of the Hex Gate tower to find a figure similar to him on his knees with the Hextech hammer in his hand. It is also in this moment that he discovers the truth behind the mage’s identity, and it’s none other than Viktor.
Jayce and Viktor’s Sacrifice to Save Piltover
Viktor reveals to Jayce that he simply wanted to put an end to the world’s suffering, but he couldn’t achieve his dream. It always resulted in destruction and solitude. Finally, he confesses that it was only Jayce who could help him see the light at the end of the tunnel. Viktor can, at last, see how he had running after perfection with the power of Arcane at his disposal.
Once he learns what the future looks like and what might come of his actions, Viktor asks Jayce to leave his side. However, as Jayce mentioned before, all he wanted was “his partner back.” So, the innovator stuck by Viktor’s side in the Arcane realm and remarks, “We finish this together” while handing over the Hexgem the mage gave to him when he was young.
In this act, both Jayce and Viktor stick together as partners at the end, putting their heads against each other in companionship one last time as they wither away along with the Arcane. So yeah, in the ending of the Arcane TV series, Jayce sacrifices his life along with Viktor to save Piltover from the bleak future we saw in Jayce’s journey during the anomaly.
