ARACNE Artist Calls Out AI Fan Animation as “Soulless” and Urges Fans to Pick Up a Pencil Instead
There’s a growing tension in fandom spaces right now, especially where AI-generated art keeps colliding with hand-crafted animation. That friction hit a boiling point this week when a former production assistant from Arcane publicly criticized an AI-generated fan video that lifted heavily from the Netflix series.
The response struck a chord with artists and fans alike, and it reopened a bigger conversation about what it really means to celebrate the art you love.
The video in question recreates a dramatic fight between Jinx and Ekko against Vander, pulling imagery, audio, and tone directly from Arcane Season 2. It was made using Seedance 2, a so-called multi-modal AI video creation tool designed to stitch together images, video, sound, and text into cinematic clips.
On the surface, it looks slick. Under closer inspection, many saw it as little more than a remix machine feeding on existing work.
That didn’t sit well with Kammelin, who worked as a production assistant on Arcane Season 2 at Fortiche before moving on to a production manager role at Illogic Studios. Taking to X, Kammelin said:
"The result feels soulless and deeply disrespectful to our artists who worked incredibly hard on Arcane.”
They followed up with a message aimed directly at fans who want to show appreciation for the series.
"If you truly want to pay homage to the show, don’t be afraid to pick up a pencil or open a 3D software and create something from scratch, even if it isn’t professional."
As Kammelin pointed out, tools like Seedance 2 require very little artistic input. Feed it an image and audio, often ripped straight from existing media, and the software does the rest. That shortcut strips away the craft, experimentation, and problem-solving that define animation in the first place.
Plenty of fans backed Kammelin up in the replies. One user said: "AI art always feels soulless. Art is art because a human made it. It's what makes it a worthwhile experience."
Another viewer called out the technical sloppiness, noting mismatched shots and dialogue that barely made sense. "As a TikTok fast food - yeah, it's ok, maybe, I guess, but I wouldn't pay for this. Life's too short to waste it on this."
That reaction makes sense given how beloved Arcane is. Based on the League of Legends universe, the series follows sisters Jinx and Vi as they’re torn apart by the escalating conflict between Zaun and Piltover.
The show earned massive praise for its painterly visuals, expressive animation, and the sheer amount of human labor baked into every frame.
This also isn’t the first time Arcane has brushed up against AI controversy. Just before Season 2 dropped on Netflix, an AI-generated poster tied to the show surfaced online. The backlash was swift, and Riot Games quickly responded, stating, "It's disrespectful to the incredible artists who worked on the show."
That sentiment is clearly shared by the people who actually helped make Arcane what it is. Admiration is great. Fan art is awesome. But when the tech does all the work by borrowing directly from the source, it stops feeling like a tribute and starts feeling like a shortcut.
Both seasons of Arcane are streaming now on Netflix, and if the show inspires you creatively, Kammelin wants you to grab a pencil, fire up some software, and make something messy, personal, and human.
The result feels soulless and deeply disrespectful to our artists who worked incredibly hard on Arcane
— Kammelin (@Lordupe) February 9, 2026
If you truly want to pay homage to the show, don’t be afraid to pick up a pencil or open a 3D software and create something from scratch, even if it isn’t professional https://t.co/uUIGH4pLEs