WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTENT CONTAINS SPOILERS!
For something that is constantly described as a kids’ show, the animated series “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” heavily features the complex concept of parental trauma as a central theme. I would like to analyze several of its main and supporting characters who have experienced this dynamic in depth.
Let’s start with one of the main characters, Adrien Agreste.
His mother died not long before the events of the show even took place. Adrien suffers from severe isolation and emotional manipulation from his father, Gabriel Agreste, who becomes the main antagonist, Hawk Moth and later Monarch, due to his own misguided grief over his dead wife.
Gabriel secretly keeps her body stored in a basement lair while obsessively trying to bring her back. He controls nearly every aspect of Adrien’s life, restricting his social interactions and forcing him into an unwanted modeling career.
Many fans consider this a form of emotional abuse and even child labor. Eventually, Gabriel obtains the magical jewels from the superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir, never realizing that Cat Noir is actually his own son’s alter ego.
He ultimately makes a wish to reunite with his wife by sacrificing his own life. This leaves Adrien as an orphan, currently under the care of Gabriel’s assistant, Nathalie, who has served as a primary parental figure to him throughout the series.
Similarly, Adrien’s close friend and ex-girlfriend, Kagami Tsurugi, has a very strict and controlling relationship with her mother, Tomoe Tsurugi. Tomoe expects nothing but perfection and obedience from her daughter, often treating her almost like a puppet rather than a person. She is never satisfied.
Kagami’s father is never mentioned either, though Tomoe once tells Gabriel that men have disappointed her her entire life, which may hint at a complicated past involving Kagami’s biological father.
Tomoe is not the only controlling mother in the show. A newer season six character, Sublime, also faces immense pressure from her mother, who pushes her relentlessly in her athletic career and demands that she always be the best and win.
Then there’s Adrien’s cousin, Felix Fathom. Although his father, Colt Fathom, is deceased and never appears on screen, it is revealed that Felix was verbally and physically abused by him. Colt controlled Felix’s life and was implied to have deeply despised his son, even attempting to kill him at one point.
Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien’s childhood friend and current classmate, is another key recurring character whose story is often misunderstood. Many fans believe her character development was later stripped away, which remains a controversial topic within the fandom.
Chloé’s troubled behavior stems largely from her negligent and verbally abusive mother, Audrey Bourgeois, a fashion mogul who prioritizes her career and fame over her daughter.
Meanwhile, André Bourgeois, Chloé’s father and the mayor of Paris, is overly indulgent and enables Chloé’s bad behavior instead of offering discipline or guidance. This contributes to her development as a bully with low self-esteem and an inferiority complex.
In later seasons, when André disowns Chloé, she ends up in the hands of her negligent mother yet again. Chloé is raised as a spoiled child, only to ultimately be abandoned by both parents in different ways.
Audrey herself is also portrayed as morally questionable, as she is implied to have cheated on her husband multiple times. She gives birth to Zoé Lee with another man just a year after Chloé was born, and it is later revealed that she had another child before Chloé was born, Noé, whom the half-sisters do not even know about yet.
Juleka and Luka Couffaine also grew up without their father present in their lives, and their mother, Anarka Couffaine, refuses to reveal anything about him.
In the season four episode “Truth,” Luka gets akumatized and demands answers from his mother, only to discover that his biological father is none other than his idol, rockstar Jagged Stone.
Although they reconcile later in the episode, future episodes show that Juleka sometimes feels that Jagged favors Luka due to their shared musical interests, leaving her feeling somewhat neglected.
These siblings are not the only ones who experience abandonment. Mylène Haprèle’s mother is also stated to have left the family when she was young, leaving her in the sole care of her father, Fred Haprèle, for several years.
There are several other examples present among Adrien’s classmates.
Nathaniel Kurtzberg struggles with parents who are implied to be homophobic and unsupportive of his relationship with his classmate, Marc Anciel.
Meanwhile, Ivan Bruel’s father, Raúl Bruel, is a notorious criminal who pressures Ivan to follow in his footsteps and commit crimes against his will.
After watching the show more closely, I started noticing these patterns even more. These are present especially in the recent season six, where many episodes focus on characters’ backstories or their complicated relationships with their parents.
Although “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” is often marketed toward younger audiences, the show repeatedly explores themes such as grief, abandonment, pressure, and emotional neglect.
These storylines reveal that behind the colorful costumes and superhero battles, many characters are dealing with deeply complicated family dynamics that shape who they become.
Have you watched the show before? If so, what are your thoughts on the family dynamics? Let us know by messaging @HerCampusSJSU on Instagram!