For three years, Arcane viewers have become used to the hit series’ intro song, “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons and JID. Like any good opening, the song quickly implanted itself in their hearts, and whether through the visuals or just being a pretty good listen in its own right, it’s one of the handful of songs from the pop-rock band many would openly cop to liking. With the show now over, Riot’s gone and released the full version of the tune that started it all.
The “Enemy” that plays in Arcane’s opening isn’t entirely the same as the official track that released on digital platforms in 2021. Where the latter is unashamedly pop and like just about any other Imagine Dragons song, the show’s version has more of what can only really be called a “League of Legends energy.” The orginal’s drums and plucky bass strings are replaced with an orchestral strings and trumpets, plus a ticking clock underneath JID’s verse. It all works in making this feel like a proper Arcane song rather than a song that happens to be featured in the show. (And if not that, then a track that would open Riot’s now-annual Worlds championship.)
Ever since their 2011 single “Radioactive” gained popularity, Imagine Dragons has been a punching bag of the pop music space. Their music really was basically everywhere, from car commercials to movie trailers and CW shows. Eventually, this led them to Riot Games, and they made “Warriors” to promote League‘s first-ever Worlds championship in 2014. According to Arcane co-creator Christian Linke last year, the team actively courted artists they were interested when it came time to build Arcane’s season one soundtrack. Back then, record labels were initially uneasy about associating their artists with a cartoon from a studio no one heard of based on a game also considered niche. But as he tells it, Imagine Dragons was one of several artists who fought with their record to be included, and it paid off: Linke said “Enemy” was a “massive” streaming hit, and the band performed “Enemy” at the 2021 Game Awards. It defines both the show and the band, and there’s a decent chance some Arcane fans were turned onto it through that song and that specific performance.
By getting into bed with Riot a decade ago, Imagine Dragons set the stage for Riot and its larger transmedia ventures with League. Several artists entered Arcane by doing Worlds songs: Pvris did 2021’s “Burn It All Down,” and its remix featured Denzel Curry, which resulted in both subsequently joining the season one soundtrack. That trend didn’t continue for the show’s sophomore outing, but the reborn Linkin Park’s recent “Heavy is the Crown” pulls double duty as a season two needle drop and the song for Worlds 2024. More substantially, Alexander “Mako” Seaver first featured in 2017’s “Legends Never Die” and 2018’s “Rise” before making his debut as a composer for the series. Alongside Alexander Temple, the two made a soundtrack that drives the show’s biggest moments and which fans can’t stop listening to—which likely wouldn’t have existed if the Nickelback of the 2010s hadn’t been the first major band Riot collaborated with for its musical endeavors.
None of this is to say you should suddenly bow down at the altar of Imagine Dragons; even as someone who went through a phase with them in the 2010s, I’ve pulled back from listening to them. (Their music is perfectly fine and good to have on as background noise.) Unless you’re already deep in the Arcane paint, this new rendition of “Enemy” isn’t going to be life-changing, but it does bring the band and its relationship with Riot’s flagship game full circle. Only question now is, what band’s leading the charge for whatever the next show is?
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