At the start of every year, Riot Games puts out a movie-style cinematic video showcasingLeague of Legendschampions in epic battles to hype fans up for the upcoming season. 2025 is no different, but with even more excitement for the creators of the hit League TV show Arcane, Fortiche Production, creating the latest five-minute-long cinematic titled “Welcome to Noxus.”
After the conclusion of Arcane in November, Riot Games and Fortiche disclosed that future TV shows in the League of Legends Universe were in the worksfocusing on different areasof Runeterra, League lore’s main continent, specifically mentioning Noxus, Demacia, and the Freljord as potential next destinations.
Now with the latest cinematic, both Arcane and League of Legends fans have expressed their excitement, calling the video a teaser for a future League of Legends TV show. While this video is far from a confirmation of any future projects, Fortiche has teased six champions in the video for fans.
6LeBlanc, The Deceiver
By far the coolest appearance of the Welcome to Noxus cinematic was LeBlanc, one of the big-time leaders of theBlack Rose. For anyone not too familiar, the Black Rose are an ancient secret organization that has controlled Noxus for many years from the shadows.
Even Arcane fans are very familiar with the shadow group, which is also known for meddling in the affairs of other major regions like Piltover from Arcane. This is the first appearance of LeBlanc from Fortiche after building her up as a powerful evil force in Runeterra through Arcane.
LeBlanc shows up in a post-title screen scene in an empty ballroom discussing what the Black Rose will do next. What’s really exciting about this discussion is when LeBlanc states “Piltover was a lesson,” directly referencing the ending events of Arcane, essentially linking once more the stories told in Arcane and the game League of Legends itself.
LeBlanc and the Black Rose in general will play a pivotal role in the future of League long-form content and whatever Riot has planned for the next season focusing on Noxus.
5Katarina, The Sinister Blade
Another champion who impressed a lot of fans during her time in the spotlight is Katarina, known as a master assassin from Noxus. Katarina is seen battling in a Noxian fighting pit, wearing a mask to hide her identity, but is still unmistakable thanks to her iconic dark red hair and jagged daggers. Many fans were impressed with how Fortiche showcased some of her moves from League of Legends the game, including her specialty “Shunpo” dash to dodge attacks effortlessly.
Katarina doesn’t carry as much hype as LeBlanc does for fans of Arcane, but it was cool to see her skillset from the game brought to life in Fortiche’s animation style. Even her deceptive nature is on display, as Katarina, in her fight, takes out the wealthy masked Noxian running the fighting pit while in battle with another formidable foe.
4Trundle, The Freljordian Troll King
The one champion not local to Noxus that pops up in the latest League of Legends cinematic is Trundle, a troll from the high mountains of the bitter-coldFreljord. Trundle even sports his specialty weapon, an icy club known as Boneshiver. Trundle also aptly displays his playstyle from the game in his heavyweight fight with another champion, which will be mentioned later on.
Trundle hasn’t ever gotten a platform as big as a cinematic before this iteration, but his spat with Noxus does make sense from a lore standpoint.
With Noxius hellbent on rapid expansion and violent takeovers, it isn’t shocking that their trek would take them to the mountains of Freljord, land that King Trundle would protect with his life. His battle does a sensational job showing one of the thousands of fights Noxus troops are bringing to many parts of Runeterra.
3Elise, The Spider Queen
Elise makes her own appearance in the Welcome to Noxus cinematic sporting her illustrious spider legs and silhouette figure as she fights fellow LoL champion Katarina in the Noxian fighting pits. Elise, in League of Legends lore, is a key player in the Black Rose after gaining powerful spider-like abilities from thespider-god Vilemawforcing her into an endless cycle of consuming mortals provided by the Black Rose to survive.
Elise also gets to show off her unique fighting style in the battle with Katarina. At points, Elise uses her spiderlings and sticky webs to try and subdue Katarina, both key parts of Elise’s kit from thegame itself. It will be interesting to see what role Elise plays in the future season and potential Arcane-spinoff shows, knowing in LoL lore she plays a pivotal role within the Black Rose.
2Vladimir, The Crimson Reaper
The other half of the post-title card scene, or the “Black Rose Meetup,” was Vladimir sporting a new look compared to his designs from League of Legends the game. Vladimir, another prominent leader in the Black Rose, discusses the next moves with LeBlanc for the organization, advising caution with their next steps, trying to reason with LeBlanc before something sinister takes place. Vladimir even mentions knowing Mel, from Arcane, showing up on the shores of Noxus when stating, “Perhaps we should focus on the opportunity that’s washed up on our shores.”
Vladimir is one of the oldest people in Noxian history. Centuries ago, he practiced ancient Darkin blood magic, which granted him regulative immortality. Hisbiographydescribes how his mortal mind cannot comprehend all the lifetimes he’s lived, yet he still lives on.Even with the facelift from Fortiche, Vladimir is an integral part of Noxus and the Black Rose and should be another big bad for any Noxus-based long-form series coming in the future.
1Darius, The Hand of Noxus
Last but certainly not least is one of the most well-known Noxians, Darius, the poor orphan boy who rose to the highest ranks within the Noxian army. Darius is the opponent of the aforementioned Trundle, seen sporting a sleeker look with his symbolic battle axe for most of the battle. Darius, in true Noxian fashion, displays no fear in his battle with Trundle despite losing his axe and armor at points, eventually coming out victorious once he braves the Permafrost on his weapon to strike a winning blow.
Darius has had his time in manyLeague cinematic videos, and you can’t really feature Noxus without having Darius. He’s the poster boy for the Noxian way of life, that anyone can become all-powerful through fearsome, unyielding strength above all. As stated with previous entires in this list, if Fortiche and Riot Games take fans to Noxus with their next TV project, Darius will certainly make an appearance spearheading an army of Noxus.
That concludes the long list of awesome League of Legends champions to make important appearances in Riot Games and Fortiche’s latest LoL cinematic video “Welcome to Noxus” that you can read all about below.
Riot Games Drops New Cinematic Video ‘Welcome to Noxus’ Ahead of New Season
The annual League of Legends cinematic is here, created by Fortiche the animators behind Arcane, showcasing a Noxus-themed year ahead for players.
