Kuzco's class is going on a field trip to the ancient city of Michu Pachu, which has a legend in which its emperor was transformed into a friendless and insane anteater. As Kuzco is forced to confront his greatest fear and Yzma concocts a plan to drive him away from the class trip, the skeletal ghost of the anteater stalks them all...
Tropes:
- An Aesop: There's nothing wrong with being afraid, everyone feels fear.
- Artistic License – Biology: Contrary to what the episode would have you believe, anteaters don't have teeth. Much less fangs.
- Bait-and-Switch: When begging Kuzco not to expose his masquerade as the skeleton anteater, the creepy old man brings up that he has a family to provide for, "a creepy seventy-year-old son".
- Face Your Fears: Kuzco confronts the Skeleton Anteater when it has his friends cornered.
- Laser-Guided Karma: For bullying Kuzco to go to the ruins of Michu Pachu and then lying that he left (which would've unfairly failed him), Kavo is arranged to be scared off by the Skeleton Anteater.
- Saying Too Much: While trying to scare Kuzco away by pretending to be a ghost, Kronk explains to him that this way, he'll fail his class and Yzma will become empress. Yzma even tells him that was "Too Much Information".
- "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: The Skeleton Anteater is really the creepy old man from earlier who told the story. He dresses as the monster in order to keep a living as the local story-teller.
- Security Blanket: Kuzco and Malina each have a plush toy that they often bring to keep themselves comfortable during trips. Malina's plush toy is a pink rabbit named Floopy while Kuzco's is a brown monkey named Wompy.
- Shadow Archetype: Nobody knows better than Kuzco that if it hadn't been for his friendship with Pacha, he might've end up like the Emperor of Michu Pachu and resigned himself to be a friendless Forced Transformation victim. It's the one fear he comes to develop in the episode.
- "What Do They Fear?" Episode: Malina shares that she's afraid of sleeping in the dark. Kuzco himself is afraid of the Skeleton Anteater because it embodies his fear of being alone and friendless.
- You Are Not Alone: Malina reassures Kuzco that he won't become friendless like the Skeleton Anteater, because he does have friends and they love him.
