This story offers plenty of narrative foils, with a particular focus on two individuals in particular.
Adrien
- Chat Noir serves as one for himself when his memories get temporarily wiped away by Oblivio. Despite initially assuming that he and Ladybug might be partners in the romantic sense based off the pictures on his phone, when Marinette concludes from her own cell's photos that she already has a boyfriend, he realizes that he may just have a crush. Rather than getting jealous or prioritizing his feelings over hers, he accepts the situation, and confesses just to get the feelings off his chest, fully expecting to be rejected. This contrasts sharply with his regular behavior, and is treated with far more sympathy.
- For all that he claims to love Ladybug, Adrien/Chat refuses to listen to anything she says that doesn't jive with what he wants to hear. Luka's relationship with Marinette, meanwhile, is founded upon open communication. While there are times that Luka hesitates to tell her something, this is generally because he doesn't want to burden her with his problems... as opposed to Adrien's attempts to make her put his feelings above her own.
- There's also how both boys deal with the matter of Lila. The moment Lila meets Luka, she attempts to force her way into his space and hang off of him in much the same way she does Adrien, only to get completely shut down, as he shuts down her efforts and her excuses. By contrast, despite his discomfort with her clingy behavior, Adrien actively makes excuses for her, much to Lila's own surprise.
- While both Alya and Adrien start off as incredibly stubborn, refusing to admit they played any part in creating the problems they face, Alya gradually develops a Sympathetic P.O.V. and edges towards a gradual self-realization while he digs in his heels and refuses to budge. One particularly strong parallel is drawn in I Owe You Every Joy of Love versus Don't Step Over My Head through how each responds to Hawkmoth exploiting their Moment of Weakness. Alya finds the strength to reject akumatization through her Heroic Resolve not to let Ladybug down, whereas Adrien immediately gives in, hoping to 'fix everything' through force.
- In many ways, he shows himself to be just as selfish and self-absorbed as both Chloé and his own father, with his It's All About Me attitude and attempts to strong-arm others into doing whatever he wants. He may be an Extreme Doormat, especially when it comes to dealing with both of them, but anyone who doesn't hold some measure of power over him gets treated with disrespect under a candy coating of 'friendly advice'.
- Many of Adrien's tactics are also quite similar to Lila's. His friendliness and desire for everyone to get along is less of an act, but he still keeps Playing the Victim Card to the hilt, trying to guilt-trip and shame others into complying with how he feels things should be.
- His cousin Felix is a smarmy Smug Smiler who's Not Here To Make Friends, bulldozing his way through life with the confidence of somebody who feels entitled to whatever he wants. Felix's family is much more permissive than the restrictive and controlling Gabriel, allowing him to get away with far more, and he sees Adrien as a spineless Extreme Doormat who needs to learn how to stand up for himself. Ironically enough, his efforts to force Adrien to become more like him have worked to some extent: Adrien displays a similarly self-centered and cocksure attitude as Chat Noir, and is similarly convinced that he knows how to fix the problems of others. As evidenced by his passive-aggressive efforts to 'fix' Marinette's strained relationships by pressuring her to apologize to Alya and himself.
Alya
- The Hour Glass is Drifting Away highlights Nino and Alya's contrasting personalities. While Alya is confident, driven and forceful in her pursuit of whatever she wants, Nino tends to stay quiet and keep the peace by compromising, even when he doesn't necessarily want to. This made him an Accomplice by Inaction to her Manipulative Editing: he didn't approve, but didn't do anything to stop her, either. He also listens to what Ladybug has to say, accepting her criticisms and his punishment, whereas Alya refuses to admit any fault and accuses her of overreacting. Nino also recognizes that Ladybug is giving them a chance to redeem themselves, while Alya's refusal to listen leads her to assume she's been permanently benched.
- All the Laughs We Had in the Past draws a firm parallel between her and Chloé. Chloé briefly reacts to Marinette's Armor-Piercing Question about whether Ladybug would approve of her actions with horror, only to brush her off in much the same way that Alya dismissed Ladybug's warnings about her conduct on the Ladyblog. Meanwhile, Alya has a Jerkass Realization that sticks.
- Much like Alya, being called out on her actions doesn't have quite the same impact as a more serious set of consequences. Only then does Chloé have a proper moment of self-realization that helps kickstart her own Character Development, however slow and subtle it might be.
- Felix effectively steps into the role Alya held the year before when he arrives, being a New Transfer Student who's very interested in learning everyone's secrets. He looks down upon her and the Ladyblog for her mistakes, yet follows a very similar path of stamping on and ignoring the feelings of others much like she did in his pursuit of the truth.
Others
- Marinette and Master Fu share a tendency to blame themselves for the actions of others. When Marinette figures this out, it strengthens her resolve to set things right and help him heal.
