Arcane's censorship in China destroys its fundamental queer romance

One of the reasons I thought Arcane would never truly commit to the queer romance between Caitlyn and Vi is because League of Legends is extremely popular in China. Riot's long-running MOBA has been a staple in internet cafes and teen bedrooms since its debut, a free-to-play phenomenon in the nation that millions of people play every single day.

It's also a country whose government isn't particularly progressive towards LGBTQ+ people, with queer moments in films, television and video games often censored when released there. Many forms of substantive representation will not be able to overcome these cuts. That's not possible in the modern era, and that's obvious in Arcane Season 2. Caitlyn and Vi's love story is neutered to a frankly hilarious degree.

The arcane isn't the same without Caitlyn and Vi's sapphic love story

Blockbuster films like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Avengers: Endgame, or Lightyear have strange characters and moments that largely take place in the background, and these small moments of representation seem designed to be removed from the experience without consequence. This is the kind of quirk that companies want to incorporate. Not to represent LGBTQ+ people in a positive light, but to take advantage of a demographic where money can be made.

There were also reports about Inside Out 2 that Pixar would make a concerted effort to make characters like Riley seem “less gay” in fear of a bad reaction. He wanted to make more money, even if it meant sidelining queer people.

Arcane is different. The first season was accused of queerbaiting for leaving so much of Caitlyn and Vi's romantic potential in the subtext. They didn't kiss or confess their feelings, but anyone with an ounce of critical thinking watched the two interact and knew there was something more between them. The dialogue, body language and pace of their relationship was exactly what you would expect from two lesbians falling hard in love.

They also have a breakup scene in the rain where Vi compares them to oil and water. Like, can it be any more obvious? When season two arrived, Fortiche and Riot continued this love story, unless you're watching it in China. Then the reality is a little different.

How Arcane's quirk is censored in China

The relationship between Caitlyn and Vi is a key part of their respective arcs, and when you take that away, what exactly they're fighting for and everything they go through is undermined. Caitlyn vows to bring Jinx to justice after her mother's death, convincing Vi to stand by her as a colleague despite it going against everything she believes.

Vi is so lost and alone after everything she's been through that she makes all the right choices for the wrong reasons. In the third episode, Caitlyn and Vi kiss and become increasingly immersed in a romance that, at that moment, will drive them further into desperation. Except in China, where the scene ends awkwardly and little is accomplished or established.

Everything that follows, including the confrontation with Jinx and Caitlyn's betrayal of Vi in the final moments, consequently lacks substance. It's as if these characters decide to do things for no reason, as they simply wouldn't make sense without that romantic context. The same goes for the sex scene in episode eight, which is skipped entirely once Vi and Caitlyn meet in the cell.

Only the smallest details are discussed in the dialogue to move the narrative forward without ever suggesting that these two are romantically involved. As a result, it makes the show that much worse, all because of censorship that is no doubt silencing queer fans in China who would otherwise be thrilled to see themselves represented. They are not foolish.

The most jarring scene, however, is the final one, in which Vi and Caitlyn live together after Jinx's death (or escape) during the final battle. In its original form, it features Caitlyn entering a living room to join Vi by the fireplace, sweetly asking her partner if he's “still in this fight” only for Vi to affectionately lean on Caitlyn's shoulder as both women savor the touch of the other.

It's a soft and definitive moment for Arcane. A climactic note in which two of its most conflicted characters promise to move forward, as they now do with each other. Hope is not lost, even if future battles may be difficult.

In China it looks like a horror movie where Caitlyn and Vi live with ghosts.

The entire ending can hardly be cut, so to address a scene with two canon lesbians, he decides to have them both sit down instead, but then erases one from existence as the camera cuts between different shots, creating the impression that they are both alone , sitting in different rooms and not even conversing with each other. It's bizarre and talks about how a story featuring prevalent queer themes falls apart when censors try to erase them.

I can't get over Caitlyn resting her head against a nonexistent shoulder. It will haunt my dreams forever. And I haven't even mentioned the scene with Maddie where Caitlyn appears to be talking to herself in bed instead of another character. It's all so strange…

Arcane's strange story deserves to be told

Last week I met with story editor, co-writer, and co-producer Amanda Overton to talk about Caitlyn and Vi's relationship in Arcane, and to my surprise, having them meet was always the plan. This makes the censorship even more egregious as Riot and Netflix didn't write this story to deliberately queer audiences with promises of representation, but let it reach the finish line only to neuter it regardless. Making more money in territories that don't want LGBTQ+ people to have a voice in the media shows that, deep down, we are considered expendable.

Suppressing the voices of queer people clearly takes precedence over telling a coherent story or doing justice to character arcs, even if Chinese audiences are probably smart enough to read between the lines and discover the true intentions on their own terms. It's probably not the only country to do this with Arcane, or other animated shows like The Owl House and She-Ra where queer characters or themes are so central to their existence that removing them sucks the life out of all the stories. you mean to tell.

LGBTQ+ people exist all over the world, and no matter how they are supported by their home countries, they are doing everything in their power to live their lives to the fullest and try to be happy. Arcane may be just a TV show, but it's one of the biggest of the year and supports a sapphic couple at its center. This is important. In China and other countries, all of this has been taken away due to sheer fanaticism. Things are improving, but we still have a long way to go.