Ladybug, call me Ladybug.
"Stoneheart, I am Hawk Moth. I give you the power to seek revenge on those who have wronged you."
—Hawk Moth
The origins of Ladybug and Cat Noir are revealed.
Tropes:
- All There in the Manual: Master Fu's name appears in a lot of promotional material, but isn't mentioned in the episode.
- As You Know: Before he transforms, Hawk Moth asks Nooroo for one last refresher on the power of the Butterfly Miraculous, which is used to explain its abilities to the audience—and to clarify that it's only as evil as the person using it.
- Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: Marinette asks if Tikki is a giant bug, mouse, or a bugmouse.
- Character Development: Of the retroactive variety. The episode establishes that Marinette was far less confident prior to becoming Ladybug, as demonstrated when she lets Chloé bully her out of her usual seat instead of standing up for herself.
- The Chooser of the One: With the exception of Hawk Moth's brooch, Master Fu has all the Miraculous and decides who to give them to.
- *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": Master Fu tries to transform and go after whoever is misusing the Butterfly Miraculous himself, but gets a cramp mid-pose. He reluctantly abandons the idea after that, deciding to recruit some help instead.
- Crash-Into Hello: How Cat Noir and Ladybug first met.
- Dare to Be Badass: Plagg practically challenges Adrien to wield the Cat Miraculous and become Cat Noir.
- Darker and Edgier: One of the darkest episodes in the first season. There is implied death of thousands, near-death experiences, and when the situation finally starts looking up, it's only a short reprieve before things go From Bad to Worse.
- Disaster Dominoes: While eating breakfast, Marinette sets down a box of cereal, causing a Rube Goldberg-like chain of events to spill everything on the table.
- Do Not Spoil This Ending: When the episode was released early in Korea, Thomas Astruc himself suggested that people shouldn't watch it, but if they do they should avoid spoiling it to anyone. The Miraculous Ladybug Wiki actually went as far as to lock the episode's page to keep people from editing it.
- Epic Fail: For his first use of Cataclysm, Cat Noir tests it out against the goal post on the field, destroying it. Not having been educated on the finer points of his powers because he was too eager, he then attempts to use his power on Stoneheart, finding out too late that he only gets one use.
- First Day of School Episode: The first day of the new school year at the collège. Adrien and Alya are New Transfer Students, while Marinette is not looking forward to another year of being tormented by Chloé.
- Foreshadowing: If having the same voice and picture of Mrs. Agreste wasn't enough, the untransformed Hawk Moth's silhouette bears a striking resemblance to Gabriel's character model.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: It goes by quickly, but a shot of the Miraculous box after Master Fu has delivered Tikki and Plagg shows that a blue Miraculous (revealed in later episodes as the Peacock Miraculous) is missing.
- Wayzz is sleeping in a Matchbox from Le Chat Noir
, one of the very first cabaret in Paris. - Close attention to the locket Hawk Moth is looking at reveals that it is the Butterfly Miraculous.
- Wayzz is sleeping in a Matchbox from Le Chat Noir
- Good Powers, Bad People: Nooroo explains that the Butterfly Miraculous is supposed to create heroes. This doesn't stop Hawk Moth from using its power to create supervillains instead.
- How Do I Shot Web?: Marinette and Adrien's first attempts at using their powers are tentative at best. Ladybug is more dragged along by her own yo-yo that really using it for the usual Building Swing. Likewise, Cat Noir testing out his Cataclysm on a goalpost happens to be a bad idea, as he hasn't realized yet it's a one-use power for each transformation.
- Instant Expert: Subverted with Cat Noir. He initially shows much more confidence with his powers than Ladybug; however, due to his over-eagerness, he goes into battle without knowing important details, such as Cataclysm being single-use and his transformation having a time limit.
- Is It Something You Eat?: In his very first appearance, Plagg asks this and tries to bite just about everything shiny in Adrien's room.
- The Lost Lenore: It's hinted that Hawk Moth wants the power of the Miraculous to revive his lost loved one, as shown by a locket he keeps with a picture of a woman inside.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: The Greek vase style drawing shows a creature which is this even by mythological standards. The snake hair is from the Medusa, the stinger tail is from a manticore, the wings are probably from the Sphinx. The human face can be either from the Sphinx or a manticore, while the leonine body can be from the same as well as the Chimaera. None of the four were ever recorded to use tridents.
- Obfuscating Disability: Master Fu is far more spry than he acts when testing Marinette and Cat Noir.
- Odd Name Out: This is the only episode of Season 1 and the first in the series not named after the Monster of the Week.
- Origins Episode: For Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Hawk Moth to an extent.
- Picky Eater: Plagg dismisses all fancy food that Adrien brought him as uneatable.
- Really 700 Years Old: Master Fu claims to be 186, though how he achieved such longevity is not explained. It is implied, however, that it has something to do with his Miraculous, as his Kwami is a turtle like creature, which are symbols of longevity. The Powers That Be have stated it's due to his lifestyle, not anything to do with being a Miraculous holder.
- Secret Test of Character: Master Fu pretends to be feeble in front of Marinette and Adrien, both of whom rush to his aid unprompted. This convinces him that they deserve the power of the Miraculous.
- Shout-Out:
- Hawk Moth's line "I am your master now, and you must obey me." sounds like "I am the Master, and you will obey me."
- After Ladybug and Cat Noir first battle Stoneheart, Alya declares that it was "Uncanny! Amazing! Spectacular!". She also asks whether Ladybug was bitten by a radioactive bug.
- Majestia, Alya's favorite comic-book hero, looks like a cross between Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel.
- The Unreveal:
- It looks like Master Fu is going to transform using his Miraculous, but *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!" ensues and he decides to recruit someone younger to help.
- Hawk Moth appears for the first time sans costume, but is framed in shadow to avoid directly giving away his identity. However, he carries a locket with a picture of a woman, who later appears in a family photo with Adrien and Gabriel suggesting a connection.
- Villains Act, Heroes React: Lampshaded by Hawk Moth as he points out that the only way to make the superheroes of the Ladybug and the Cat Miraculouses appear, is by unleashing supervillains with the Butterfly Miraculous.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The episode begins on the first day of the school year, an indeterminate amount of time before the everyday adventures seen in the present-day episodes.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Tikki uses this approach to convince Marinette to accept the mantle of Ladybug.Marinette: This is all going too fast, Tikki... I... won't be able to pull this off!
Tikki: Trust yourself, Marinette. Just say "Spots on".
