This list contains spoilers for The Legend of Vox Machina, season 3, episode 1 “A Deadly Bargain”, to episode 9, “Thordak.” All episodes are streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Each character in The Legend of Vox Machina is complex and nuanced. Grog, Keyleth, Scanlan, Pike, Vax’ildan, Percy, and Vex’halia all explore their own arcs throughout the show and integrate their storylines with each others’. As they build out their character arcs, they are also helped and hindered by their allies and adversaries.
Some characters’ arcs have a slower development throughout all three seasons, and others have a rapid development only to slow down during season 3. Each character’s story gets told loosely according to the campaign and is a high contributor to whether their arc is static, dynamic, or somewhere in between.
10 Anna Ripley Is Only Focused on Revenge
Her Arc Lacks Originality
Throughout The Legend of Vox Machina, Vox Machina have several run-ins with Dr. Anna Ripley. During the first season, her loyalty wavers between their friend and their enemy based on what is most opportunistic for her. This involves siding with both Vox Machina and their adversaries, the Briarwoods. Had Ripley continued to align her loyalties based on what was most opportunistic, her character arc would have remained tumultuous and kept audiences guessing when she would next appear in the show. However, Ripley’s character arc turned into that of a typified villain as the show continued.
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Vox Machina meets Ripley again during season 3. Ripley has made a deal with Orthax, the demon previously possessing Percy during season 1. Each encounter between Ripley and Vox Machina shows Ripley’s upward quest for power; in season 1, it was revealed that she had replicated the blueprints for Percy’s firearm. Ripley’s arc during season 3 is a plain quest for domination through realm-wide firearm distribution. In The Legend of Vox Machina, season 3, episode 7, “Cloak and Dagger”, Ripley’s motivations are revealed by her backstory. As a child, Ripley’s father was murdered by mages, and she vowed to make sure everyone had a way to defend themselves. Ripley’s vow for vengeance is a trope-like villain origin story that doesn’t aid the staticity of her arc in The Legend of Vox Machina.
9 All Raishan Wants Is Revenge
She Isn’t the Only Villain Seeking Vengeance
Raishan spends most of her arc in The Legend of Vox Machina as a semi-dynamic character. As a dragon, Raishan is solidly considered an antagonist for her aid to Thordak and in the Chroma Conclave. Keyleth takes special issue with Raishan because of her involvement in massacring many of the Ashari people. Keyleth’s distrust of Raishan only grows when Raishan, at the end of The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 12, “The Hope Devourer”, puts out an entire Whitestone council to gain an audience with Vox Machina.
Raishan’s backstory introduction adds no variation to her character arc, either. Thordak, when he was first banished, asked Raishan to free him; Raishan did in exchange for Thordak’s promise that he would cure her disease, but he never followed through. Raishan and Ripley are also similar in their opportunism, which makes them both similar to each other and not very individually compelling. The minuscule between Raishan and Ripley is that as of The Legend of Vox Machina, season 3, episode 9, “Thordak”, Raishan’s full character arc is not completely revealed.
8 Scanlan Shorthalt’s Focus Is Only Familial
His Daughter Is All He Has
Scanlan begins The Legend of Vox Machina as a carefree eternal bachelor without much regard for others unless he actively pursues them. Scanlan spends much of his arc during the first season of The Legend of Vox Machina learning to care about his teammates. He redeems himself from their disdain when he outsmarts a sphinx using song during The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 3, “The Sunken Tomb.”
Scanlan’s relationship with Pike develops specifically as they journey together to heal a weakened Grog in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 7, “The Fey Realm.”It is the first time audiences see Scanlan struggle emotionally with caring for another. This is a struggle that only grows when Scanlan discovers his daughter, Kaylie, in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 11, “The Belly of the Beast.” Scanlan’s journey to connect with Kaylie continues through season 3 and segregates his arc from the rest of Vox Machina’s, making it intriguing but not quite as compelling in the greater scheme of the team’s character arcs.
7 Grog Strongjaw Conquered His Fears and His Family
He Has Nothing Left To Fight
Grog spends much of the first season of The Legend of Vox Machina without much development. Grog cares highly for his teammates, especially for his teammate Pike, whom he affectionately calls ‘buddies.’ It is only when Grog picks up Craven Edge in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 1, episode 12, “The Darkness Within” that he begins his struggle with power and the true definition of strength.
Throughout season 2 of The Legend of Vox Machina, Grog’s mettle is tested as he fights the thrall of Craven Edge. When Craven Edge causes Grog to stab Pike in The Legend of Vox Machina,season 2, episode 6, “Into Rimecleft”, Grog must decide whether the sword’s power is worth more than the blood of his friends. Ultimately, Grog’s decision to choose Vox Machina robs him of his strength. His journey to simultaneously discover the true source of his strength and defeat his tyrannical uncle in his weakened state becomes the most alluring part of his character arc.
6 Kima and Allura Have Issues to Figure Out
They’re Still Learning About Each Other
What makes Kima and Allura compelling is the nature of their relationship. Kima and Allura are rarely alluded to in season 1 and only come into focus during season 2, notably during The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 5, “Pass Through Fire.” Audiences get to see Kima and Allura first as individual characters before The Legend of Vox Machina fully cements their relationship. That individualization strengthens Kima and Allura’s character arcs individually and together.
During The Legend of Vox Machina, season 3, episode 4, “Hell to Pay”, Kima and Allura were first revealed to be constantly at odds. Kima had a tendency to jump into battle without regards to her health. Allura resented that she was always saving Kima or trying to keep her from leaping into danger. During Vox Machina’s mission to Draconia, Kima’s tendencies led to her going missing and Allura acting irrationally to find her. The juxtapositions of Kima and Allura’s personalities in context of each other contrasts with the problems Vox Machina’s relationships face. The consistency of Kima and Allura’s relationship is relieving and compelling, as audiences won’t have to wait for them to reconcile before wondering what happens next.
5 Keyleth of the Air Ashari Is Experienced, but Still Learning
The Rest of Her Aramenté Is Still Waiting
When first introduced in The Legend of Vox Machina, Keyleth isn’t positioned with a well-done character arc. Keyleth is very much defined as a coward running from her Aramenté, as it was responsible for her mother’s disappearance. Even as the season progresses, Keyleth is still less defined by her willingness to face her trials and more instead by her first forays into romance and her budding attraction to Vax.
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While Keyleth’s tragic attraction to Vax plays a part in strengthening her character arc, it is largely helped by The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 5, “Pass Through Fire.” Realizing the trials of her Aramenté are inevitably part of Keyleth’s destiny and going through the trial for fire shapes her into a more confident character who is less afraid to assert her opinions. Keyleth is also more willing to forge her own path if others don’t agree with her. What makes Keyleth’s character arc appealing is that it is still evolving. For example, her assertions about Raishan’s intentions clash with the rest of Vox Machina’s and her relationship with Vax grows more complicated; it shows there is still a lot of opportunity for her to grow and change.
4 Vex’halia Vassar Has Had Her Life Shaped by Loss
Loss Has Shaped Her Life’s Journey
Vex’s character arc is intriguing from the beginning of The Legend of Vox Machina, with her ability to sense dragons being linked to the loss of her mother and her intense sibling relationship with her twin brother, Vax. Throughout The Legend of Vox Machina, Vex remains a dynamic character, with her connection to Vax being severed by the Raven Queen in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 4, “Those Who Walk Away”, her unresolved family trauma coming to light in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 8, “The Echo Tree”, and Vex’s reception of Fenthras’ Bow in the same episode. Vex’s relationship with Percy adds more intrigue to her character arc because it simultaneously explores Vex’s continuing issues from her childhood and the difficulties of navigating a relationship with a teammate.
The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 8, “The Echo Tree” first blatantly explores her relationship with Percy when he gives her a noble title from the house of Whitestone. Vex continues to navigate her relationship with Percy throughout season 3, trying to balance a physical relationship with him (as shown in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 3, episode 3, “Vexations”) and her need to remain emotionally unattached. How Vex will succeed seems complex and richly layered with the many components of her arc that are already present.
But She May Abandon Her God
Pike’s character arc begins almost immediately when she loses her connection to the Everlight and must embark on a quest to regain both her powers and holy connection. What makes Pike’s arc interesting is that when she goes on her quest to reconnect with the Everlight, her conflict is not easily resolved: in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 1, episode 8, “A Silver Tongue”, Pike must consider what it means to be a follower of the Everlight in her own way, rather than follow a textbook example.
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In The Legend of Vox Machina, season 3, episode 5, “The Frigid Wastes”, Pike’s relationship with the Everlight is tested again. While Pike does succeed in her card game against Zerxus, freeing Vox Machina and allowing the team to escape from hell, it is still possible that the doubt he inspired about the good intentions of the Everlight will fester in Pike, causing her to leave the Everlight’s service in the future. Given that much of Pike’s power and her role within Vox Machina is tied to the Everlight, it is intriguing to see how her arc will progress should she choose to leave.
2 Percy de Rolo Will Always Have His Demons
His Demons Are Both External and Internal
Percy’s arc shows itself in waves. His battle to free himself of his literal and figurative demons throughout season 1 make him a riveting and compelling character to watch, as his family life and past troubles are not only his problems, but that of Vox Machina’s as well. Watching Percy reunite with Cassandra and understand how to exist for the first time without the presence of a demon residing inside of him is just as compelling, as audiences are essentially meeting a new character for the first time.
When Percy’s past resurfaces in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 3, episode 2, “Prisoners of Ank’harel”, in the form of Dr. Anna Ripley, Percy struggles externally to defeat Ripley again and internally with needing to take responsibility for her reappearance. Examining Percy’s character from the angles of vengeance and guilt show him to be a complex character with many faces. Another struggle Percy faces on top of that is his relationship with Vex, where he, unlike Vex, wants to be in a committed relationship despite its dangers.
1 Vax’Ildan Vassar Is the Loyal Servant of the Raven Queen
His Visions Are Calamitous
Vax’s character arc is defined by tragedy multiple times over, which makes him one of the most interesting characters on The Legend of Vox Machina. The loss of Vax’s mother ties into his bond with Vex, a major component in why Vax chooses to trade his life for Vex’s in The Legend of Vox Machina, season 2, episode 4, “Those Who Walk Away.” This puts Vax into the service of the Raven Queen and makes him liable to be taken away at any given moment.
Vax’s servitude to the Raven Queen means that he is cursed with visions of Vox Machina’s fate and that of the end of the world. Each of Vax’s visions affects his interactions with Vox Machina because he does not disclose his visions to them until they are live. Vax’s actions leading up to the realization of the vision make his character arc fluid and mysterious, especially in the context of his relationship with Keyleth, who, despite their reciprocated attraction, he withdraws from because he fears hurting her. The ways death and tragedy have influenced Vax’s character arc are truly what gives him the best character arc in The Legend of Vox Machina.
After saving the realm from evil and destruction at the hands of the most terrifying power couple in Exandria, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again-this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma Conclave.
- Release Date
- January 28, 2022
- Cast
- Laura Bailey , marisha ray , Ashley Johnson , Taliesin Jaffe , Liam O’Brien , travis willingham , Matthew Mercer , Sam Riegel
- Seasons
- 2
- Franchise
- Creator
- Story By
- Sam Riegel
- Writers
- Sam Riegel
- Number of Episodes
- Network
- Amazon Prime Video
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
- Directors
- Sam Riegel , Brandon Auman
- Showrunner
- Brandon Auman
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