Arcane, Season 1

NZ release: 06 November 2021

Violence, offensive language, sexual themes & content that may disturb Rated on: 06 November 2021

arcane

What’s it about?

This animated series tells the origin story of two iconic League of Legends champions, who just so happen to be sisters.

The facts

  • Directed by Pascal Carrue and Arnaud Delord
  • Stars Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell
  • English language
  • Runtime: 9 episodes, approximately 40 minutes each
  • Based on the game League of Legends
  • Season two releases 9 November 2024, which will be the final season

Why did it get this rating?

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Violence

Many people are killed, mainly off screen, and there is some blood but no gore. There is fighting with lots of punching, kicking, stamping and slamming and weapons like guns, blades, and explosives are used.

A cat is killed during an experiment. This happens off screen, but the blood splatter is quite graphic.

Two children die in one episode. A girl’s head is cut off and you see a pool of blood on the ground. The other dies after a long fall, and you see him die while lying on the ground.

A character is blasted into a wall after a bomb goes off and blood is briefly shown.

Offensive language

Offensive language includes f*ck, sh*t, p*ss and a*s.

Sexual themes

There's a brief shot of two characters having sex, no nudity is shown. In the background, two characters are shown that are suggested to be prostitutes.

Suicide themes

Two of the main characters contemplate suicide – one after his life’s work is destroyed and the other after killing a young woman. Both characters are interrupted before they’re able to action their thoughts.

Helplines:

Suicide themes could be upsetting for some viewers. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

Further information

Recent featured decisions

11 December 2025

Violence

After solving Zootopia’s biggest case, rookie duo Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are thrown into a new mystery when Gary De’Snake slithers into town and turns the city on its head. To get to the truth, they’ll have to go undercover in surprising corners of Zootopia, and their partnership will be pushed further than ever.

Read more

14 November 2025

Graphic violence, horror

Eight months after Starcourt, the friends are split across Hawkins, California, and Russia as they face Vecna, a psychic killer from the Upside Down, uncover Eleven’s dark past, and fight to stop a catastrophic tear between worlds.

Read more