Arcanestunned fans and redefined what animation could achieve on a major streaming platform. Set in theLeague of Legendsuniverse, it landed with jaw-dropping acclaim and a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. TheNetflix animated showearned that mark through bold, emotion-first storytelling rooted in rich lore.
At the center of it isElla Purnell’s best TV character, Jinx. If you didn’t know her beforeArcane, you certainly do now. FromLetterjacketstoFallout, her name is synonymous with genre elevation, and her performance inArcaneis amazing.
Ella Purnell Perfectly Plays Jinx In Netflix’s Arcane
A Voice Performance That Bleeds Emotion
Ella Purnell voices Jinx, a broken, manic, deeply empathetic soul fractured by grief and rage. The role stands tall in animation and earns its place amongthe most iconic characters in modern television. Her Jinx is volatile and childlike, terrifying and tender, sometimes in the same breath.
This is performance at its rawest. Purnell disappears fully into the role, embodying Jinx with a vulnerability and volatility that never feels performative. And whileArcaneboasts a stacked cast and high production values,it’s Purnell who threads the show together emotionally. Without her, the show’s gut-punch final moments wouldn’t hit half as hard.
Jinx defies the usual tropes of villainy. She’s shaped by abandonment, betrayal, and systemic violence. Through Purnell’s voice, every crack in Jinx’s psyche becomes a window into a childhood robbed, a sisterhood broken, and a city in collapse. It’s emotionally exhausting and completely gripping.
Arcane Is Easily One Of The Best Netflix Shows Of All Time
And It Earned Every Frame
Every frame pulses with painterly texture and emotional weight. The show breaks visual ground while also achieving rare narrative clarity. Instead of bloated exposition or worldbuilding for its own sake, it grounds every plot twist in character motivation.
The animation isn’t the only innovation, asArcanebuilds its emotional world with the same care.It wrestles with sisterhood, class warfare, legacy, and loss through relationships that evolve with tension and tenderness—nothing theoretical, everything earned.
There’s action, yes. Butthere’s also heartbreak, jealousy, and the kind of moral gray zonemost live-action prestige dramas still fumble. Critics praised its clarity, ambition, and emotional scope. Few series in the last decade—animated or otherwise—have delivered with this level of precision.
Arcanewas the first streaming series to win an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
Each ofArcane’s two nine-episode seasons strikes a careful balance between sweeping sci-fi concepts and intimate human stories. Piltover feels alive, shaped by layered politics and pulsing with high-stakes ambition. And Zaun’s undercity thrums with unrest and identity, woven into the narrative as inseparably as any lead character. The world-building always stays in service to the people who inhabit it.
How Arcane’s Jinx Compares To Ella Purnell’s Other Roles
Fallout’s Lucy Was Great, But Jinx Is Next-Level.
Ella Purnell’s turn asLucy inFalloutwas a breakout live-action lead that showcased her charisma, comedic timing, and emotional range. But Jinx is a different beast entirely. Whereas Lucy navigates absurdity with poise, Jinx spirals into madness with raw, unresolved trauma.
InArcane, Purnell flexes more muscle; not physically, but emotionally. Jinx requires contradiction.She has to be the most dangerous person in the roomand the most broken. Purnell captures that tightrope perfectly, making Jinx tragic without romanticizing her.
The contrast between Lucy and Jinx also reveals Purnell’s impressive versatility. Where Lucy moves through a world of satire and shifting alliances, Jinx is caught in a memory she can’t escape. Every decision she makes is shaped by a single moment of betrayal and the grief that follows.
100%
97%
93%
92%
Rhiannon Lewis
87%
It’s a kind of grief that feels universal. And that’s what makes Jinx work, becausePurnell taps into that pain with alarming accuracy.
Arcane Is One Of Those Shows Everyone Should Watch At Least Once
Even If You’re Not Familiar With The Game
Here’s the most exciting thing aboutArcane:you don’t need to know a single thing aboutLeague of Legends. You don’t even need to be a fantasy enthusiast forArcaneto work. That’s how good the storytelling is. Hell, evenHenry Cavill had nothing but praise forArcane.
It’s a show about broken people trying to hold onto love. And if you give it one episode, it might just become your favorite show ever. Not to mention the immeasurable season 1 episode 3, “The Base Violence Necessary for Change.”
Every character has a wound, and every plot point has an emotional core. The action is thrilling, sure. But it’s the pauses—the looks, the silences, the final words before betrayal—that leave a mark. This series commits to emotional resonance, leaving a lasting impact that goes far beyond visual spectacle.
Arcaneraised the bar for emotional depth, narrative ambition, and artistic craft.
That rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score speaks volumes. It marked a turning point in how animated fantasy is perceived.Arcaneraised the bar for emotional depth, narrative ambition, and artistic craft. Very few series, animated or otherwise, have left that kind of lasting mark with such confidence.
