We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Ekko in Arcane explained

In this character guide we explore who Ekko is in Arcane, his LoL roots, his backstory, voice actor, and everything else in the Netflix series explained.

Reed Shannon as Ekko in Arcane

Who is Ekko in Arcane? The LoL character made the leap to the small screen in Netflix’s high-energy adaptation, so let’s dig into all the details of his backstory, videogame character, and voice actor.

Arcane took several League of Legends champions and repurposed them to deliver one of the best Netflix series of recent years, and young Ekko is by far and away one of the coolest Arcane characters.

He has a gritty backstory, complicated relationships with Jinx and Vi, and awesome integration into the show’s world. So, here’s Ekko in Arcane explained and information on who voices him in the Arcane cast.

Who is Ekko in Arcane?

Ekko, nicknamed ‘Little Man’, is an Arcane character from the Undercity. He’s an inventor, a childhood friend of Jinx and Vi, and the leader of the Firelights.

Ekko is one of Arcane’s main characters, and his place in present time in the story is with the Firelights, a group who fight against Silco’s influence while seeking equality with Piltover. Ekko mourns the losses Zaunites have suffered but believes Jinx has been lost and that action has to be taken to protect his people.

He uses a hoverboard and mask when out on missions, able to zoom around the skies and cause disruption anonymously. He has a soft spot for Vi and becomes familiar with Heimerdinger due to his inventions.

Reed Shannon as Ekko in Arcane

Ekko’s backstory in Arcane explained

Ekko grew up in the lanes, an impoverished area of the Undercity, with Powder and Vi. When his mentor was killed by Enforcers and Silco took control of Zaun, he turned to building a community with the Firelights.

We aren’t shown Ekko’s parents in Arcane, but he is a part of Jinx and Vi’s world from early childhood and was around when things with Vander took a left turn when Silco kidnapped him. Left unmoored after Vi and Powder are taken and Vander dies, Ekko founded a community of like-minded people and began to build the Firelights, hiding in a lush part of the city and causing problems for corrupted Enforcers as well as Silco.

YouTube Thumbnail

Ekko in League of Legends explained

Ekko is a playable character in League of Legends who can manipulate time with his invention, the Zero-Drive.

His official LoL backstory reads, “A prodigy from the rough streets of Zaun, Ekko manipulates time to twist any situation to his advantage. Using his own invention, the Zero Drive, he explores the branching possibilities of reality to craft the perfect moment. Though he revels in this freedom, when there’s a threat to his friends he’ll do anything to defend them. To outsiders, Ekko seems to achieve the impossible the first time, every time.”

In the series, the character is a bit different and doesn’t have the same abilities, like all the adapted Legends. This is one of the reasons the answer to ‘can you watch Arcane without playing League of Legends‘ is refreshingly simple.

YouTube Thumbnail

Who is the Ekko Arcane voice actor?

Actor and music artist Reed Shannon voices Ekko in the Arcane cast.

Shannon’s biggest other credit at the time of writing is Amazon Prime‘s teen series The Wilds, but he has a music career too. You can check out one of his songs in the video above.

Reed Shannon as Ekko in Arcane

How old is Ekko in Arcane?

Ekko is approximately 13 years old before the time jump in Arcane, and around 19 years old after the skip.

This puts him at a similar age to how old Jinx is, which makes total sense given they’re framed as peers while Vi is visibly older.

We love this show as much as you do, so feel free to check out our other deep dives on what we know about the Arcane season 2 release date, Jinx explained, Vi explained, the 10 League of Legends characters who could appear in Arcane season 2, and how did Jinx and Vi’s parents die in Arcane. We also have a fun news story about how Henry Cavill loved Arcane.

For something else, we’ve also got lists of everything new on Netflix and the new movies coming soon, and the best TV series of all time, hand-picked by our team.