Arcane: Studio Fortiche Shares How Classic Anime Inspired the Hit

Arcane has earned its place as one of the best original animated series in Netflix’s roster by creating a riveting story in the realm of the video game, League of Legends. Set to release its second season this November, it should come as no surprise that the studio response for the animated show, Fortiche, is more than willing to chat prior to Jinx and Vi’s return. In chatting with Crunchyroll, one of Fortiche’s founders took the opportunity to break down several influences that helped make Arcane the smash success that it has become. 

During the recent interview, Fortiche co-founder Pascal Charrue, noted that Arcane was inspired by stories including 20th Century Boys, Paprika, Perfect Blue, Monster, and many more, “At Fortiche, we draw a lot of inspiration from the anime world because it offers unparalleled narrative and visual richness. With characters like Jinx, it’s natural to think of masters like Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue). Kon explores complex themes such as paranoia and identity loss, and he creates animated films that are aimed at adult audiences, which aligns perfectly with Fortiche’s ambitions. We are also influenced by mangaka like Naoki Urasawa (Yawara!, Monster, 20th Century Boys), who treats his secondary characters with the same depth and importance as his main characters. This is reflected in our own approach, where every character, even the secondary ones, receives meticulous attention to enrich the overall universe of our stories.”

Arcane’s Non-Anime Influences

Charrue then expanded on the inspirations for Arcane, noting that anime and manga weren’t the only avenues that Fortiche pulled influence from, “Our inspiration isn’t limited to animation. We’re also influenced by live-action movies from Hollywood and Asian action films. Directors like John Woo have left a mark on our storytelling and action sequences, known for their intense, choreographed action scenes and emotional depth. The interplay between these Eastern and Western influences, as well as live-action cinema, allows us to create animations that are visually stunning and narratively rich, resonating with a global audience.”

In this same interview, the Fortiche co-founder revealed a desire to adapt the beloved manga series, Vagabond, into an anime. Written and drawn by Slam Dunk creator Takehiko Inoue, the series has long been considered one that seems like it would be impossible to make into a television series. When it comes to Arcane’s future, Fortiche might have confirmed that season two will be its last but the studio has already confirmed that spin-offs are a definite possibility in the future. 

Via Crunchyroll