Year: 2021
Runtime: 104 min
Language: English
Directors: Andrew L. Schmidt, Francisco Ruiz-Velasco, Johane Matte
Arcadia faces a new threat when trolls, extraterrestrial warriors, and wizards unexpectedly appear, disrupting the town’s peace. Heroes from Trollhunters, 3Below, and Wizards must join forces to confront the escalating conflict. They embark on a perilous quest to prevent the Arcane Order from seizing control of the magic connecting all realms, battling for the fate of Arcadia and beyond.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
In a realm caught in the crossfire of a war between humanity and magic, people unite with peace-loving trolls to oppose their malevolent brethren. The legendary wizard, Merlin, crafts an extraordinarily powerful artifact known as the Trollhunter amulet. Centuries later, the trolls reside in the underground city of Arcadia Oaks. Tragedy strikes when Kanjigar, a brave troll hunter, meets his demise at the hands of an evil troll, leaving the amulet to fall into the possession of James. As a result, James is destined to become the first human Troll Hunter. Over their adventures, James and his companions have thwarted both Arcadia and the planet from peril countless times.
However, trouble brews as James becomes separated from the amulet, which is ultimately destroyed by the Arcane Order. Enter Nari, a former member of this Order, who shifts allegiance and reveals their sinister pursuit: the Genesis seals. Following the events of Wizards, master wizard Hisirdoux “Douxie” Casperan and Nari confront their enemies, Belloc and Skrael, aboard a subway train. In an explosive battle, they team up with the heroic James “Jim” Lake Jr. and his love interest, Claire Nunez. During the fight, Jim suffers injuries, and in a chaotic twist, his best friend Tobias “Toby” Domzalski inadvertently compromises the train’s brakes, complicating the efforts of Prince Krel Taron, AAARRRGGHH!!!, Steve Palchuck, and Stuart, who are engaged in a desperate race against time.
As the conflict intensifies, the Arcane Order captures Nari. Little do they know that Douxie had successfully swapped minds with her moments before her abduction. Jim finds himself recovering in the beautifully revamped Camelot while grappling with news that his mother, Barbara, is now engaged to his former instructor, Walter Strickler. Soon, the group is joined by Queen Aja Tarron and a more seasoned Eli Pepperjack, as Steven faces an unexpected twist after kissing Aja for the seventh time—he unknowingly becomes pregnant. Meanwhile, Blinky Galadrigal reveals a chilling plan by the Arcane Order to awaken the mythical Titans. Their ambitious scheme is to converge at the heart of Arcadia Oaks, the nexus of the universe, to obliterate the current world and start anew—an endeavor they cannot accomplish without Nari.
As the Order realizes that they cannot initiate the awakening of the Titans in Nari’s presence, they revert Douxie and Nari to their original bodies. Before being captured, Nari warns Jim: “Trollhunter make the ninth configuration, Krohnisfere will make right.” With Aja’s help, Jim repairs his amulet, and the heroes rush to thwart the Order’s ritual meant to break the Genesis Seals.
In a heroic attempt, Jim and his friends race to the site where the ritual is taking place but discover that the amulet isn’t functioning as it should. Their mission ultimately fails, with the members of the Arcane Order piloting their Titans ready to converge upon Arcadia Oaks over the span of the next 18 hours. Recognizing the urgency, Jim deduces that Merlin created the amulet, which can only be fueled by his own magic. With the destruction of Merlin’s staff, he realizes that the only remaining power source is Excalibur.
Dividing their forces, Claire, Blinky, and Douxie’s familiar Archie head to the Hong Kong Trollmarket in search of the Krohnisfere, while Krel leads a team to reclaim Excalibur. Meanwhile, others attempt to halt Skrael and a brainwashed Nari. In the fierce confrontations that follow, Strickler and the changeling Nomura tragically lose their lives during the battle, while Claire’s team successfully retrieves the Krohnisfere but suffers the loss of Archie.
Reunited, the heroes take bold steps to restore Nari’s free will, liberating her from her Titan’s influence. In a moment of prophetic wisdom, Nari tells Jim, “Time unfolds differently, like a flower. Only the Trollhunter will know”, before using her Titan to engage and ultimately defeat Skrael, sacrificing herself in the process.
As the tension escalates with Belloc’s titan advancing, Blinky uncovers a crucial detail: the Titans must combine with a Heartstone. This union will trigger a cataclysmic rebirth of the world through fire. The heroes rush ahead of Belloc, and Jim comprehends that he symbolizes the ninth configuration, empowering him to extract Excalibur from the stone. However, as he faces Belloc alone, Jim confronts a profound realization—that his amulet never defined his heroism; he always embodied it.
With a renewed amulet that merges Akiridion technology with Excalibur’s magic, Jim dons armor steeped in new power. In a sudden flash of insight, Toby remembers an anti-magic radiation generator, which consequently gives Jim the opportunity to strike down Belloc. In a heartbreaking twist, Jim discovers Toby severely wounded beneath debris. In his dying moments, Toby expresses gratitude, leaving Jim and the remaining heroes heartbroken.
Channeling Nari’s wisdom, Jim opts to wield the Krohnisfere to travel back in time, aiming to amend the heart-wrenching events that led to the loss of friends during their encounters with trolls and titans alike. He shares a poignant farewell and embarks on a journey back to the moment he first encountered the mystical amulet, setting in motion a series of changes to the timeline that could preserve the lives of those he cherishes.
Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 18:23
Still wondering what the ending of Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
*The ending of “Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans” reveals that Jim, with the help of the Krohnisfere Time Stone, is able to go back in time to a point before he found the Trollhunter Amulet. This gives him an opportunity to change the course of events and save his friends, Toby and Nari, and to ensure a different, hopefully better, outcome. In this new timeline, Jim successfully meets a living Toby and makes different choices, such as convincing Strickler to meet his mother and advising Toby to take a different route home. These decisions alter the future, leading to Toby finding the Trollhunter Amulet in the canal and becoming the next Trollhunter himself, setting up the possibility of a new hero rising. Meanwhile, Jim chooses to stay in his original life, away from the hero’s journey, perhaps content with his peaceful, everyday life.
The film emphasizes the idea that heroism isn’t just about magical powers but also about making difficult choices and accepting responsibility. Jim’s use of the Time Stone signifies his willingness to shoulder the burden of changing fate for the better, even if it means risking everything. The final scenes, where Toby becomes the new Trollhunter and Jim steps back from the hero’s path, underline the theme that heroism is about the decisions we make and the hope for a better future. Ultimately, the story leaves open the chance for new adventures, with Toby poised to become the next hero and Jim finding peace in a life free from magic and danger.*
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:58
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