Ekko, the Boy Savior, lived up to his name as he saved the nation of Piltover and Zaun and changed the course of history with his newly invented Z-Drive. Arcane fans might not have been familiar with this time-traveling device before Season 2 Act 3, but League of Legends fans have been waiting for this moment for ages. Their longing has finally paid off as Arcane Season 2 showcased how Ekko invented the Zero-Drive aka Z-Drive in the final act. Keep reading to learn more about this new device and how Ekko eventually developed it in the TV series.
Spoiler Warning: This post includes heavy spoilers for Arcane Season 2, now out on Netflix.
The Arcane anomaly teleported Ekko and Heimerdinger to a parallel dimension where Hex Gates never came into existence. With no way back home, the scientific minds devised a plan to get home with some help from Powder; not Jinx. During their desperate attempt to return home, Ekko stated that he experimented with inversions on Jayce’s acceleration rune and ended up creating a time loop. But the catch is that he can only go back in time and not forward.
I was playing with inversions on Jayce’s acceleration rune – Ekko
Surprised by the fact they can reverse time, Ekko pushed the limits to see how long he could go back in time. But the sight of Heimerdinger popping his eye out to death made Ekko realize four seconds is the limit. It’s the same as his “Zero-Drive Resonance” ability, which works for four seconds in League of Legends. That is exactly how he developed the Z-Drive in the story with Heimerdinger and Powder’s help but in an alternate timeline.
The official description of Ekko on the LoL website perfectly summarizes his character and his usage of Z-Drive, as you can see here:
Ekko manipulates time to twist any situation to his advantage. Using his own invention, the Zero Drive, he explores the branching possibilities of reality to craft the perfect moment. Though he revels in this freedom, when there’s a threat to his friends he’ll do anything to defend them.
League of Legends gamers have always wanted to see how Ekko ended up becoming a time traveler with his Z-drive, and they can now rejoice. Ekko’s Zero Drive was indeed a crucial invention as all the other possible timelines met their end with the touch of Arcane.
However, Ekko became the savior by playing with time to set this world free from the grip of Arcane. He went past the limit and then smartly used the Z-Drive to defeat Viktor in the TV show. That said, do you find the backstory of Z-Drive’s invention to be satisfying as a League fan? Let us know in the comments below.
