Each year, League of Legends traditionally celebrates Valentine's Day with cupid-themed cosmetics, but this year it's put a bit of a spin on things. 2023's Heartbreaker skins feature Caitlyn and Vi - a ship popularised by the animated series Arcane - as close as they've come to a canonical relationship.
Drawing on high school TV tropes, Heartbreaker Caitlyn is the hard-working, butter-wouldn't-melt type, while Vi is the rebellious punk/goth archetype. There's a pretty intentional attempt at chemistry in their joint splash art (at the top of this article), but it's only once you take the skins in-game that the ship steps it up a notch.
When Vi channels her recall animation, she can be seen cracking open a high school locker, before delicately placing a heart-shaped note inside it. When Caitlyn channels her animation, that same locker shows up, and once Caitlyn notices the note, she quickly hides it, before clutching it to her heart.
Oh~ my achy and breaky, very breaky, heart 🎵 Heartache and Heartthrob skins are coming soon to PBE. pic.twitter.com/F9gU8yyRlfJanuary 24, 2023
The duo has long been professional crimefighting partners, but it wasn't until Arcane that CaitVi was firmly established as one of League of Legends' premier ships. While the relationship is never made official in the show, the pair's feelings for one another are made pretty clear - but even these new skins don't really confirm anything.
In the 'official' canon, Caitlyn and Vi are crimefighters in the troubled twin cities of Piltover and Zaun, not high school stereotypes. League of Legends' different skin lines are understood to exist in universes parallel to that central narrative. Caitlyn's other skins, for example, send her to an anime 'battle academy', turn her into a time-travelling hitman, or simply let her enjoy a pool party.
But while this isn't the total confirmation that CaitVi fans have been looking for, it hasn't stopped them from expressing their… enthusiasm for the pairing online. The #CaitVi hashtag has roared to life since the skins were revealed, and some people are struggling to keep their cool.
i’m… so….. they….everyone pls look please see this #caitvi pic.twitter.com/CdCvX9HWZyJanuary 24, 2023
i’m… so….. they….everyone pls look please see this #caitvi pic.twitter.com/CdCvX9HWZyJanuary 24, 2023
i’m… so….. they….everyone pls look please see this #caitvi pic.twitter.com/CdCvX9HWZyJanuary 24, 2023
In less polite news, one League of Legends pro challenged a streamer to an IRL cage match to decide which of them has to quit the game forever.
