Arcadia Oaks

This article contains canon information corresponding to the Tales of Arcadia franchise. That means all information in this article is true and has appeared/been validated officially on-screen.

“We all have grown up with a series or television show that tells the story of kids or characters that can be in any town; a town that resembles [our] own. It was important to bring those characteristics to Arcadia and the world of [Tales of Arcadia]. i think for any kid it's really appealing to imagine that there's a fantastical world underneath the town they live in. It was a concept we got from '80s movies like E.T. the Extra-Terrestial and The Goonies. It was important to give that notion that in any town, there could be this world such as Trollmarket right underneath [our] feet.”

―Rodrigo Blaas, Executive Producer

Arcadia Oaks
Type	Town
Status	Unknown
Level	Ground
Location	California, Earth
Inhabitants	Humans Trolls Aliens Wizards Changelings Goblins AAARRRGGHH!!! Aja Tarron (formerly) Barbara Lake Bertha Flanagan (briefly) † Claire Nuñez (formerly) Coach Lawrence Coranda Tarron (briefly) † Darci Scott Dictatious Galadrigal Douxie Draal (formerly) † Eli Pepperjack (formerly) Enrique Nuñez Fialkov Tarron (briefly) † Gladys Groe † Gnome Chompsky James Lake Sr. (formerly) Javier Nuñez Jerry Jim Lake Jr. (formerly) Karl Uhl Krel Tarron Lenora Janeth Logan Louis Scott Mario Muelas Mary Wang Mr. Johnson Nancy Domzalski Nomura (formerly) NotEnrique Ophelia Nuñez Otto Scaarbach † Phil Seamus Johnson Steve Palchuk Stuart Toby Domzalski Varvatos Vex (formerly) Walter Strickler Zadra (formerly)

Arcadia Oaks, California (or simply Arcadia) is a suburban town which, unbeknownst to most of the humans who reside in the community, is a hot-spot for supernatural activities (such as trolls living underground, aliens taking refuge from other planets, and wizards blended within plain sight).

It is the main setting in the Tales of Arcadia trilogy/franchise.

History

Background

Located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, Arcadia is bordered by six other communities: Pasadena, Sierra Madre, El Monte, San Marino, Monrovia, and Temple City.

Trolls

After the Battle of Killahead Bridge, the surviving trolls hid in a boat called the Mayflower and carried some gnomes along for companionship and nourishment. Once they arrived in the New World (which would be called North America), they arrived at New Jersey and kept walking until they finally found a new heartstone underneath what would be called Arcadia, thus creating Heartstone Trollmarket.

For centuries, Arcadia was (unknowingly to the humans) being protected by a Trollhunter named Kanjigar the Courageous. Hundreds of years ago, Kanjigar, along with Vendel, the elder of Trollmarket, met up with the rulers of the planet Akiridion-5, King Fialkov and Queen Coranda, the original monarchies of House Tarron. They brought with them Gaylen's Core, which holds the power to destroy the entire universe, and it has become too dangerous for it to be hidden on their planet. As it is also his sworn duty to protect the universe (magical, extraterrestrial, and mortal alike), Kanjigar has been given the charge to protect Gaylen's Core from the wrong hands.

In the present, a boy named Jim Lake Jr. has been chosen to be the first human Trollhunter, after Kanjigar sacrificed himself to protect the Amulet of Daylight. Thus, he becomes Arcadia's newest guardian and protector, along with his best friend, Toby Domzalski, his girlfriend, Claire Nuñez, and his mentors, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!!. They also form themselves as Team Trollhunters, a de facto group of heroes who protect and fight for the human and troll worlds.

Once, before Claire joined their cause, they've dealt with Bular, Gunmar's ruthless son who plotted to release his father from the Darklands. Jim managed to defeat him in the canals (the same place where Bular killed Jim's predecessor, Kanjigar) and gathered the Killahead Bridge. However, Claire's brother, Enrique, has been kidnapped and taken to the Darklands while being replaced by a changeling nicknamed NotEnrique, who ultimately yet reluctantly joined the Trollhunters' cause.

Jim is then had to deal with Strickler, who plans on taking over his entire community with the aid of a deadly assassin named Angor Rot to rid the Trollhunter from his world domination. Jim managed to defeat Angor, but AAARRRGGHH!!! has sacrificed his life to protect Toby. After the death of his friend, Jim decides to enter the Darklands himself. While he found Enrique and returned him to the human world, Jim is sadly captured by the Gumm-Gumms and taken to Gunmar's captivity. Meanwhile, Blinky, Toby, and Claire steal Killahead from the hubristic Troll Tribunal (with a little help from Vendel) and infiltrate the Janus Order underneath Arcadia to find an antidote to resurrect AAARRRGGHH!!!. The Trollhunters made a trade with the Order, giving them Vendel's staff for the ingredients for the antidote.

With AAARRRGGHH!!! back from the dead, Kanjigar's spirit aids the Trollhunters in their quest to rescue Jim from Gunmar. While they did manage to bring Jim back, they have also unintentionally released Gunmar as well. Afterwards, Arcadia is then attacked by Blood Goblins and a Gruesome, which shows signs that Gunmar has indeed been released from the Darklands. The Troll Tribunal (against their common sense) decide to blame Jim for entering the Darklands and releasing Gunmar, but have failed to noticed that they've allowed the treacherous Queen Usurna to influence their judgement. Jim survives the Deep, but have lost Vendel, who has been assassinated by Usurna to prevent him from clearing Jim's name.

Jim suggests they try to find Gunmar in the Janus Order's base, only to find it completely in ruins and filled with skeletons of the changelings. Jim then faces "Gunmar", but it was actually Otto Scaarbach possessed by Gunmar. Jim then realizes that it was a trap: Gunmar has snuck into Heartstone Trollmarket. After Gunmar the Black takes over Trollmarket, Claire helps the surviving trolls escape by creating a massive portal and teleports them out of the now corrupted Trollmarket (unknowing corrupting herself in the process).

In the aftermath of Gunmar's takeover and Usurna's betrayal, many of the surviving trolls were forced to hide in the shadows of Arcadia. To protect Arcadia's homes from nightly Gumm-Gumm attacks, Jim, Toby, and Claire post Councilwoman Nuñez's signs as a Gumm-Gumm deterrent.

After Gunmar releases an evil witch named Morgana, she creates a fiendish, dark ritual called the Eternal Night to help Gunmar and his forces invade Arcadia without fear of the sun, beginning the Eternal Night War. The entire community becomes aware of the troll world, and are forced to take refuge as the Trollhunters and their closest allies battle against the Gumm-Gumms. After the defeats of Gunmar and Morgana, Merlin regains his magic and subsides the Eternal Night before it reached a global scale.

In the aftermath, the Heartstone within Trollmarket lost all of its power thanks to Morgana, thus the trolls (minus AAARRRGGHH!!! and Stricklander) are forced to leave Arcadia and search for a new heartstone in Hoboken, New Jersey. Before he leaves with them, Jim appoints Toby as the town's new protector while he and Claire are gone.

Aliens

Hundreds of years ago before Arcadia even existed, King Fialkov and Queen Coranda arrive on Earth to find a new hiding place for Gaylen's Core, as it was too dangerous to be kept on their home planet, Akiridion-5, especially after the Zeron Brotherhood tried to steal it for an unknown benefactor. They meet up with Kanjigar the Courageous and Vendel, who take charge of protecting Gaylen's Core from the wrong hands within Heartstone Trollmarket. According to their ancient texts, there is a prophecy which foretold that their kinds would one day meet in time of need.

Many unknown aliens arrived on Earth through unconfirmed means, but some were captured by the military and sent to Area 49-B, where they are researched and dissected (regardless of why they landed on Earth to begin with). About 30 years ago, a Durian alien named Stuart crash landed and was captured by a military hazmat team. Later, he escaped and disguised himself as a human man.

In the present, after Akiridion-5 was taken over by General Morando, two royal Akiridion children, Aja and Krel Tarron, along with their bodyguard, Varvatos Vex, and their dog, Luug, fled for their lives and landed in Arcadia. They disguise themselves as a human family and try to fix their Mothership, as well as learn how to blend in with the humans and avoid alien bounty hunters.

During the events of the Eternal Night War, the aliens also participated into executing most of the Gumm-Gumms. However, after hearing a distress signal from the Mothership, the Tarrons and their allies race to confront Zeron Alpha and the first Omen, which reprograms the Mothership into leaving Earth with the royal life cores of King Fialkov and Queen Coranda. Varvatos manages to ground the Mothership, but was eventually captured by Alpha. Meanwhile, Aja and Krel confront Omen to save their parents' life cores, as well as inspiring Akiridion-5 to never surrender to Morando. After Omen is destroyed, the Mothership is damaged beyond repair.

Two weeks following the war, the residence of Arcadia are now aware of its supernatural activities (minus the aliens), and everyone agrees to keep their town's activities a secret from the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, the world is once again in danger when Aja and Krel learn that Morando is heading for Earth. Since the Akiridion resistance has lost most of their pilots, Krel creates an intergalactic game called "Dogfight", which is linked with the Parking Drones. The people of Arcadia play Dogfight while unknowingly attacking Morando's ship, until Go-Go Sushi 2: Wasabi Revenge becomes available and every ceases playing. Luckily, Eli uses the last Parking Drone to cause critical damage to Morando's ship, forcing him to dock back to Akiridion-5.

A electrothermal bounty-hunter by the name of Tronos Madu then attacks Arcadia, searching for the royal children. Before he could leave with them, he was suddenly cornered by Colonel Kubritz and her men. Taking Tronos captive, he tells her the identity of the Tarrons, the very same aliens who infiltrated her base for an osmic circuit. Believing that they share a common enemy, they make themselves a deal.

Staging a phony quarantine on Arcadia Oaks High during summer school, Kubritz (along with Tronos) blocks off the exits and capture the Tarron siblings, with an attempt at dissecting them and using their weapons for herself. After escaping Kubritz's captivity with help from Toby and Steve, Aja and Krel make a run from Tronos, who corners them. However, before he could cease them, Kubritz double-crosses him and knocks him out so she could capture the Tarrons herself. Luckily, Coach Lawrence and the students confront Kubritz and threaten to expose her xenophobic nature on a viral video.

Several days later, Arcadia is then alerted by the authorities that an asteroid is about to make impact with the town, while destroying the entire country's sea boards in the process. Luckily, after convincing Tronos to see the error of his ways, Kubritz and the Akiridions use a laser cannon to destroy the asteroid. However, it is later discovered to be a ruse to distract the Tarrons from knowing about Morando's arrival on Earth with an army of Omens, with the former allied with Kubritz and intends on finding Gaylen's Core on Earth to make himself a god and reshape the universe as his own image.

When Aja goes on a wild goose chase with Luug (who swallowed a wormhole generator and is now teleporting all over Arcadia), she discovers that Morando is on Earth. Just then, Morando and Kubritz ambush the Mothership in an attempt to find the location of Gaylen's Core, as well as kidnapping Aja and Krel's allies. While Varvatos (along with Toby, Steve, Eli, AAARRRGGHH!!!, Momblank, and Dadblank) escape Kubritz's captivity and venture back to Arcadia, Aja and Krel enter their parent's memories in the Totality and discover that they've hidden Gaylen's Core in Heartstone Trollmarket. Unfortunately, Morando also learns the location and escapes with the information.

Kubritz informs Morando of certain events involving strange creatures that lived underneath the town, dubbing it "The Underneath". While Toby and AAARRRGGHH!!! lead the trio to Trollmarket to retrieve the core, Morando races for the core, narrowly escaping with it before the Tarrons. While the Tarrons prepare for the fight of their lives, a reformed Costas comes and warns them that Kubritz is planning on attacking the entire town to draw them out (at least to keep them from attacking Morando while he's going through an integration process, which would take several hours).

Kubritz then attacks with her new armor and Omen Blanks, placing Arcadia under her own martial law and threatening the lives of the innocent civilians. While Aja and Krel race to Area 49-B, Varvatos and the others stay behind to help aid Arcadia in the midst of Kubritz's takeover. Kubritz rounds up people who know Aja and Krel and demands to know where they were. They stand up for the Tarrons, saying that they are more human than Kubritz will ever be, but Kubritz's insanity has reach a boiling point. Luckily, Varvatos arrives in time to help everyone get to safety.

Unfortunately, Morando has completed his integration with Gaylen's Core, becoming a giant, monstrous god-like alien and makes his way to Arcadia to finish House Tarron once and for all. Even with some help from the Akiridion fleet, Morando has become far too powerful. Aja and Krel then lead Morando to the planetarium, where Varvatos, Stuart, and Zadra were waiting for them with Seklos' Cannon. The regenerated Fialkov and Coranda sacrifice themselves to power the cannon to stop Morando's reign of terror, all while saying goodbye to their children. Aja and Krel use the cannon and kill Morando once and for all.

In the aftermath of Morando's reign, Aja reveals to the people of Arcadia the world of aliens. While the Akiridions say their goodbyes, Krel decides to stay in Arcadia for a while longer, declaring it as his new home and that all of his friends are there. Momblank and Dadblank then decide to stay with Krel and watch over him. Using the wormhole, the Akiridions (along with Eli, who volunteers to be the first Earth ambassador) return to Akiridion-5 while Aja and Varvatos say goodbye to Krel and hope to see him again soon.

Wizards

TBA...

Description

“In designing Arcadia, we wanted to recreate the classically sweet and innocent Americana feel, drawing from photos of small towns in the '50s and Norman Rockwell. We wanted the audience to feel safe and comfortable in the town so that seeing a bloodthirsty troll in the middle of the street would be that much more unnerving.”

―Rustam Hasanov, Art Director

“Our original idea was to evoke the vibe of the classic '80s American movies: a city stylized by utilizing stark contrasts of light to control the character and mood of the show.”

―Alfonso Blaas, Art Director

Arcadia Oaks appears to be a classic moderate community. Although a standard town, it was shown many times that it also has a neighboring city that has a few skyscrapers, though no character has ever been seen visiting this city. The town is also surrounded by large hills in the background.

Arcadia also has a canal surrounding the city and a forest (where most supernatural creatures reside during the night).

Points of Interest

“It's as if Rodrigo sat down and built a town that he himself would want to live in, from the town square in the middle with the little park, to the movie theater right next door. I feel like one of the things that grounds the show and helps keep it relatable to kids is the fact that most of it takes place in Arcadia. We always have to come back to reality in order to help ground the mythology in what Jim [and our other heroes] are actually going through.”

―Elaine Bogan, Director

“Arcadia is meant to be 'Any Town, USA.' A good amount of the design concepts actually come from real-life neighboring cities.”

―Chad Hammes, Executive Producer

Known Locations

Arcadia Oaks Academy Although never seen, Arcadia Oaks Academy is another school in which is the rival school of Arcadia Oaks High. This is where Douxie is mentioned to be attending. Arcadia Oaks Canals The canals are located underneath Arcadia's bridges and surrounds the entire town. Underneath a bridge in the canals is a secret entrance to Heartstone Trollmarket. Arcadia Oaks High Arcadia Oaks High is a public high school which teens in the district attend. Arcadia Oaks Memorial Hospital The is the hospital where Barbara Lake works as a full-time doctor. Arcadia Oaks Police Station A police station were the Arcadia Law Enforcement arrest those who disrespect or break the law. This is where Louis Scott works as a detective. Arcadia Square The Square is located at the center of town, where it's circled by malls, restaurants, and has a park at the center. There is also a pagoda where senior citizens often visit to play chess. Arcadia often holds its yearly "Battle of the Bands" event around this area. Benoit's French Bistro The French Bistro is one of Arcadia Oaks's finest restaurants. This is where Douxie works as a part-time waiter. Delancey Street An area where minor shopping centers, such as Stuart Electronics, Bella's, Alex, Elvira, Xang, and Sergio are located. Jim and Toby used this route once to try and escape from Bular. Dentist Office Dr. Muelas's dental/orthodonic clinic, with Toby as his number one patient. GDT Arcane Books GDT Arcane Books is a book shop, located right next to Zimoc Records at Arcadia Square. This is where Douxie also works as an employee. House Tarron Mothership After escaping a coup on Akiridion-5, led by General Morando, Aja, Krel, and Varvatos Vex (along with their alien dog, Luug) crash land in Arcadia to hide from Morando's bounty hunters. They disguise their mothership as an ordinary suburban house from the 50s and disguised themselves as humans to bend in. Museum of Arcadia The museum is where they put Renaissance Era exhibits on display. This area was used by Bular to hide the Killahead Bridge and use it to free Gunmar, until the Trollhunters foiled their plan and took the Bridge to Trollmarket. This is one of the places where the students of Arcadia Oaks High visit during a field trip. Nomura originally worked here as the curator. Omni-Reach Travel/The Janus Order The Janus Order had a secretive base that is located underneath an ordinary abandoned travel agency called Omni-Reach Travels. It is where Changelings often meet, led by Otto Scaarbach, and serve Gunmar after his return. However, Gunmar later kills all of the members of the base, including Otto (who he used to lure the Trollhunters out of Trollmarket). The Trollhunters later returned to the base in Part Three to retrieve a femur of a Changeling for Merlin's elixir potion. Sam's Sam's is a local diner where the residence usually hangout for a quick meal. Stuart Electronics It is an electronics shop, owned by Durian alien, Stuart. It is located on Delancey Street. The Domzalski Residence The home of Nancy and Toby Domzalski. The Forest The forest is located at the side of town, where most teens campout and throw bonfire parties. Mostly during the night, it is also where most of the conflicting supernatural events often occur. It has a cliffside that shows a great view of Arcadia Oaks and a beautiful sunset. Lake Arcadia Oaks A lake within the forest. It is where River Trolls reside. Arcadia Oaks Dam It is a dam connected to the canals and the lake. The Lake house The home of Barbara and Jim Lake Jr. It is also formerly home to James Lake Sr. The Nuñez Estate The home of Javier, Ophelia, Claire, and Enrique Nuñez. It is also home to NotEnrique while he posed as Enrique. The Palchuk Residence The home of Mrs. Palchuk-Lawrence, Steve Palchuk, and later Coach Lawrence. The Pepperjack Residence The home of Eli Pepperjack and his mother. The Planetarium A planetary exhibit museum where Arcadia Oaks High students visit during a field trip and where they hold their annual science fairs. It's located on a hill at the edge of Arcadia and has a clear view of town. Zimoc Records It is a music store located next to GDT Arcane Books at Arcadia Square.

Extra Locations

Main article: Minor Characters, Locations, and Objects

• Alex: Presumably an arcade or video store, located on Delancey Street.
• Bella's: Presumably a shopping center near the movie theater, located near Delancey Street.
• Elvira: Presumably an unknown themed restaurant, located on Delancey Street near Alex and Xang.
• Magellans Antique Mall: An antique shop located next to GDT Arcane Books.
• Presto Cleaners: Presumably a laundry/toiletry shop, located on Delancey Street near Omni-Reach Travel.
• Serigo: Presumably a workout space, located on Delancey Street.
• Xang: Presumably a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, located on Delancey Street.

Appearances

Appearances in the Trilogy
Trollhunters Every episode of Trollhunters (except "Something Rotten This Way Comes" and "Mistrial and Error") 3Below Every episode of 3Below Wizards TBA

Trivia

• Arcadia Oaks appears to be located somewhere in Southern California.
  • In Trollhunters, when Blinky tells the history of trolls in "Gnome Your Enemy", the flashback shows the trolls settling down in south California. In "Where Is My Mind?", Blinky tells AAARRRGGHH!!! that they aren't far from the world's largest thermometer, which is located in Baker, California.
  • In 3Below, during the beginning of "Flying the Coop" with Halcon on the moon, she aims her targeting system towards California to overhear the Zeron Brotherhood's conversation about Aja and Krel's whereabouts.
  • Also, there is an actual town in California called Arcadia.
• According to Eli in "The Arcadian Job", Area 49-B is located 300 miles away from Arcadia.

Gallery

Arcadia Oaks-pedia has a collection of images and media related to Arcadia Oaks which can be found at Arcadia Oaks/Gallery.