Arcane season two’s lesbian romance between Caitlyn and Vi censored in China

Arcane fans have finally been gifted a lesbian romance between Caitlyn and Vi in season two of the Netflix series, but their most impactful scenes have reportedly been censored in China. 

Warning: Arcane season two spoilers ahead

When Arcane premiered in 2021, it appealed to both existing fans of the League of Legends game series and newcomers to the franchise with its stunning animation, deft writing and engaging storytelling.

Over two acclaimed seasons, it has weaved together the story of estranged sisters Vi (Hawkeye’s Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Yellowjackets’ Ella Purnell) against the political and social unrest between progressive city Piltover and its deprived underbelly Zaun.

On Saturday (23 November), the final three episodes of the second and final season of the show aired, bringing a conclusion to Vi and Jinx’s story. It also concluded other key moments, like Viktor and Jayce’s conflict over the use of magical Hextech, Mel’s true identity and Ambessa’s attempt to win control of Piltover.

Viewers, of course, were over the moon when fan favourite ship “CatVi” finally got together in episode eight, with the fact they were intimate in the place they first met – a jail cell, no less – not going unnoticed.

In the final scene of the finale, the fan-favourite couple are seen in an official relationship, and have each other to depend on, following the brutal final battle. 

Cait rests her head on Vi’s shoulder and asks, “Are you still in this fight, Violet?” To this, Vi agrees. “I’m the dirt under your nails, cupcake. Nothing’s going to clean me out.”

However, for fans in China, the ending scene reportedly looked different. One fan on Reddit shared a side-by-side comparison of the scenes, with the Chinese version of the series allegedly turning a poignant moment in their relationship into a conversation at a distance.

Arcane ending looking a little different on China.
byu/Afjor inleagueoflegends

The user alleged that “all of their romance scenes are completely gone too” in China’s version of the series.

PinkNews has contacted a representative of Netflix and Tencent Video for a comment on the matter. 

The government in the country has long censored LGBTQ+ characters and storylines in TV and movies, including a plotline from Friends, as well as the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. It redacted scenes of two men kissing and the word “gay”.

Seasons one and two of Arcane are streaming now on Netflix.