When it comes to superheroes, especially when the material including superheroes is aimed at a younger audience, there is a tendency to think of those fictional characters as role models. After all, they fight for the greater good, and they’re committed to trying to do the right thing. Even in a series like Miraculous: The Tales Of Ladybug and Cat Noir, those trusted to be superheroes or those who help them out might not always be the best of role models.
While some of the Miraculous characters learn from their mistakes and grow, making them great examples for the audience, others don’t, and they make the same mistakes over and over. Those characters wouldn’t make for the best role models for the audience.
10 GOOD ROLE MODEL: Alya Is Wise Beyond Her Years
Though Alya is the same age as most of the main characters in Miraculous, she’s the one most of them come to for advice. Alya is there to help Marinette every time Marinette makes a mistake or embarrasses herself. She’s always there to support Marinette or to push her when she needs a little help.
While Alya does give bad advice once in a while, she learns from those mistakes and apologizes after the fact. She’s also someone who never betrays someone else’s trust. She can keep a surprise party a secret just as well as she can someone’s Miraculous superhero identity. She’s also persistent when it comes to her interest and honest about her emotions with her friends. Alya is definitely someone the audience can look up to — no matter their age.
9 NOT: Sabrina Doesn’t Stand Up For Herself
Miraculous’s Sabrina might be an incredibly sweet person under normal circumstances, but she’s also easily influenced by those around her. In particular, she’s easily influenced by Chloe — always doing what the other girl tells her to do, no matter how reprehensible it might be.
Sabrina does things like do Chloe’s homework for her, lie to teachers for her, and will participate in treating others badly just because Chloe does. While there’s nothing wrong with having similar interests to your friends or doing activities they want to do to support them, Sabrina demonstrates to the Miraculous audience what happens when someone doesn’t stand up for themselves. Sabrina is taken advantage of on a regular basis.
8 GOOD ROLE MODEL: Kagami Knows Who She Is
Some members of the Miraculous audience might be put off by Kagami because she’s not as open with her emotions as other characters in the series. Just because she’s more reserved, however, doesn’t mean she’s dishonest with her emotions. In fact, Kagami is always up front with those around her.
Kagami also makes for a great role model because she knows who she is. While some might write off her commitment to fencing as a way to please her mother, Kagami genuinely likes competing in the sport. She enjoys the challenge of going up against those better than her and either beating them or learning from the experience. Kagami certainly feels a sense of duty to her mother, but as Ladybug goes on, she also works up to being honest with her mother when her heart isn’t in something.
7 NOT: Lila Is Incredibly Manipulative
Lila is the perfect Miraculous Ladybug example of how not to act. While Lila thinks she has the answer to getting everything she wants in manipulating people around her to her advantage, it never works out. Lila simply demonstrates how mean-spirited she is.
Lila allows her jealousy and her need for attention to get in the way of her attempts to make real friends. Instead of being honest, Lila constantly lies to impress people, then manipulates them into doing what she wants to do until her lies are exposed. Once they are, she goes out of her way to make others miserable. None of that is a good approach to living life.
6 GOOD ROLE MODEL: Luka Is All About Honest Communication
If any character in Ladybug is a poster child for honesty, it’s Luka. While everyone else is busy hiding who they have a crush on or hesitant to tell their friends when they’re upset, Luka is always honest.
When Luka has feelings for Marinette, but knows she has a crush on someone else, he’s honest with her. It’s not to try to make her uncomfortable, but rather because he wants her to know that she’s appreciated. He never pushes her into a relationship and when they do attempt one and it doesn’t work out, he actively wants to maintain their friendship, working to keep the lines of communication open.
5 NOT: Chloe Still Has A Lot To Learn
Underneath the teenage girl who’s used to getting her way, Chloe Bourgeois has a good heart. She wants to help Ladybug save the day, and she’s more than willing to protect Sabrina when her friend is in danger. Chloe, however, is also someone who often takes the more selfish route to getting what she wants.
This includes stealing Marinette’s designs or trying to get classmates she doesn’t like excluded from activities. Chloe’s selfish tendencies are what make her someone who probably shouldn’t be a role model to Miraculous audiences until she learns how to share and put others first.
4 GOOD ROLE MODEL: Adrien Tries To Do The Right Thing
Miraculous’s Adrien might like to have fun with his friends — and he might go behind his father’s back once in a while to do just that — but ultimately, Adrien always wants to do the right thing. That’s what leads him into role model territory.
While Adrien is more than willing to do the activities he wants to do, he’s also always ready to make a point to include all of his classmates. Even when he knows that Chloe or Lila are approaching things from a selfish standpoint, he doesn’t call them out and embarrass them in front of everyone. Instead, he talks to them privately.
3 NOT: Gabriel Allows His Grief To Poison Him
Gabriel is dealt a low blow when his wife becomes gravely ill (likely due to the damaged peacock Miraculous). While no one would fault him for grieving her, Gabriel takes things to extremes. He cannot move on with his life and becomes obsessed with using the ladybug and cat Miraculouses to grant him one wish.
Unfortunately, that would create a catastrophic event. He also goes about trying to get the Miraculouses by putting Paris in danger on a regular basis. While Ladybug is able to put things back when she and Cat Noir save the day, if Gabriel, as Hawk Moth, were to win the fight, the damage wouldn’t necessarily be undone.
2 GOOD ROLE MODEL: Marinette Learns From Her Mistakes
The hero of Miraculous Ladybug does have a few selfish tendencies. Marinette often makes decisions based on her crush on Adrien, which is a fault she’s slowly begun to overcome over the course of the series. That’s one mistake that Marinette tries to learn from.
That’s why Marinette is a great role model. She is constantly making mistakes while trying to save the day and live her normal life. Though she’s got a creative mind that allows her to make some genius plans, that doesn’t mean they always work. As she learns from the times where her decisions lead to poor outcomes, she grows.
1 NOT: Felix Is A Thief
Felix doesn’t appear often in Miraculous Ladybug. As Adrien’s cousin, he only shows up when the Agreste family has a function going on. Felix tends to bring trouble with him.
Felix often gives into his jealousy of Adrien, not realizing that Adrien feels confined by the strict rules in place by his father. Felix acts out by stealing things from Adrien and Gabriel, sometimes even stealing Adrien’s place among his friends. That’s not exactly a great way to win attention and that’s what makes him a poor role model for Ladybug fans.
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