Netflix’s Arcane: Vi and Caitlyn’s sapphic romance censored in China

The second season of Arcane has been censored in China due to its LGBTQIA+ content.

On 9 November, the animated series’ highly anticipated final season made its way to Netflix.

The show – which is based on Riot Games’ League of Legends game – tells the origin story of sisters Vi ( Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx, aka Powder (Ella Purnell), who find themselves on opposite sides of a brewing war between utopian city Piltover and the suppressed underground city of Zaun.

The synopsis adds: “Once inseparable, they’re now on completely different life paths. The politicians governing Zaun aren’t concerned with the well-being of its people, and at the heart of this conflict is a powerful magical technology that threatens to change the trajectory of the entire world.”

Since its release, the final chapter of Arcane has received universal acclaim, with critics and viewers lauding the second season for its stunning animation, action sequences, and immersive storylines.

In addition to the aforementioned feats, the new batch of episodes has been praised for featuring Vi and Caitlyn’s sapphic romance – including their passionate sex scene in episode eight.

However, only some viewers were treated to season two’s unapologetic LGBTQIA+ representation.

After the last three episodes dropped on 25 November, eagle-eyed fans noticed that scenes depicting Vi and Caitlyn’s romance were either heavily censored or cut altogether.

One moment that garnered considerable attention came from the final scene of the series – which featured the two characters resting their heads on each other’s shoulders.

THE LAST SCENE??? THIS SHOULD BE A CRIME https://t.co/D1Pq1WicxI pic.twitter.com/317gcs2idG

— nattie • arcane spoilers (@mafuenat) November 25, 2024

The heartwarming act doesn’t occur in the China release, with Vi and Caitlyn never sharing the screen.

Of course, it didn’t take long for fans to flock to social media to express their disappointment over the censorship.

One X/Twitter user wrote: “Can you believe they really censored a scene where they’re just putting their heads on each other’s shoulder?? How insane that is? That’s why lgbtq+ representation is important. Look why we STILL have to fight for our rights.”

Another fan echoed similar sentiments, tweeting: “GIRLS CANT EVEN LEAN THEIR HEADS ON ANOTHER GIRLS SHOULDER china when I catch u china.”

A third viewer added: “Can’t even laugh about how silly this looks because it’s so sad that we still have censorship like this.”

This isn’t the first time that China has censored LGBTQ+ representation in media.

In 2021, the country’s top three streaming platforms – iQiyi, Tencent Video and Alibaba’s Youku – took out a segment celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community from the Friends reunion.

Films like Alien: Covenant and Bohemian Rhapsody have also faced censorship in China, with the majority of their queer content getting chopped.

Lastly, in 2018, Chinese broadcaster Mango TV cut Ireland’s performance from the Eurovision semi-finals due to the inclusion of two same-sex dancers.

Arcane: League of Legends season two is now streaming on Netflix.

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