Ambessa Medarda is a lion-hearted woman who is always ready to go to extreme lengths to protect her family. Yet, she somehow wasn’t able to save her son, Kino Medarda, back in her home – Noxus. Not many details were shared about him in season 1. Thus, Kino continued to remain a mystery in the Arcane TV series by Netflix. However, Arcane Season 2 Act 2 has finally shed some light on his character. So, let’s look at who Kino really is and what is his role in the animated series.
Spoiler Warning: This post includes heavy spoilers for Arcane Season 2, now out on Netflix.
Who Is Kino Medarda in Arcane?
In case you are unaware, it is already established that Kino Medarda is the son of Ambessa Medarda in season 1. That makes him the brother of Mel, the renowned councilor and Jayce’s love interest in the series. He was known a part of the Noxian Empire where the Medarda family hails from.
Kino was said to be a person who leaned towards diplomatic solutions rather than resorting to violence, which is his mother Ambessa’s intention and solution for true peace. Ambessa mentioned to her daughter, Mel that Kino was murdered during a war and that is the reason why she wanted to weaponize Hextech. We didn’t learn anything else about him in the first season, hence, we patiently waited for Season 2 to uncover more details about Ambessa’s son.
In the ending of Arcane season 2 Act 1, Mel was kidnapped by the Black Rose organization. She was seen trapped inside a chamber, referred to as an Oculorum in the show, equipped with a puzzle that might be the way out.
Inside this chamber, she was surprised to find a trapped man, which then turned out to be her brother Kino Medarda. However, her mother mentioned that her son is no more. So, how come he is alive?
Who Actually Killed Kino Medarda in Arcane?
Well, the answer is revealed in Arcane Season 2 episode 5, titled Blisters and Bedrock, where Mel finds out that the guy isn’t her brother but someone who is impersonating him. As she bashes his skull into the wall, Mel once again gets captured inside a domain of thorns.
It became crystal clear from this moment that it was LeBlanc who was the one impersonating his brother. Indeed, the Black Rose was responsible for the murder of Kino as Ambessa had claimed in Act 1.
The organization had high hopes for Kino and thought he was the illegitimate child of Ambessa but that wasn’t the case. Hence, he was killed by Black Rose in the end. This confirmed to the members of the organization that his sister Mel was the one they wanted; that’s the reason they captured her.
However, in Episode 5, we also see Mel break free from the thorny chains with a hidden power. So, at the time of writing, it remains to be seen if she has escaped from the grasp of the Black Rose, and if yes, is she back in Piltover? What is your best guess? Let us know in the comments below.
