Miraculous World: Shanghai - The Legend of Lady Dragon is a Miraculous Ladybug special, set between Season 2 and Season 3, released on April 4th, 2021.
It's vacation break, Adrien and Gabriel travel to Shanghai for business, and having planned on spending her break with Adrien, Marinette also travels to the city in addition to celebrating her Uncle Wang's birthday, but when her bag is stolen with her Ladybug Miraculous and Tikki, she teams up with a local girl named Fei to find it.
Tropes:
- Anti-Hero: Fei doesn't like stealing, but she feels she had no choice if she wants to get the name of her father's killers out of Cash. She still helps people without personal gain though, and her pickpocketing is preceded with her suddenly appearing to help a bunch of different people.
- Artful Dodger: Fei is a street-smart thief and pickpocket. She is the one who steals everything from Marinette and at first only helps Marinette in hopes of getting a large amount of money to her fence, for information to help her get revenge on whoever killed her father. She has a Heel–Face Turn later.
- Artifact of Hope: The Prodigious is a magical necklace that harnesses the powers of the Renlings, beings who embody the virtues of justice, calmness, compassion, confidence, honor, patience, courage and discipline. The necklace allows the user to transform into a different animal that corresponds with each virtue, thus its user must be an Embodiment of Virtue to wield it to its fullest potential.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Fei has her own "AMP Factor" sequence when she's looking for a mark she can steal from.
- Becoming the Mask:
- Marinette is initially only interested in visiting Shanghai because she wants to follow Adrien there, using visiting her family as a means to that end. However, she does become interested in learning about her roots as the special goes on.
- Fei was the one who stole Marinette's belongings, and 'befriends' her as part of a scam to extort more money from her. Marinette's friendship and Oblivious Guilt Slinging triggers a Heel Realization that causes Fei to become her friend for real.
- Bilingual Backfire: Fei argues with Cash about his deal with Marinette right in front of her, which is pretty reasonable since she already knew that Marinette doesn't speak the language. She couldn't possibly know that "plushie" in the room was sentient and an Omniglot.
- Bilingual Bonus: At the end, Marinette tries calling Fei jiějiě, but mispronounces it, causing everyone else to laugh. When Marinette asks what her mispronunciation means, Fei explains that it would be too awkward to tell her. Most likely, Marinette said jījī, which is a slang term for "penis".
- Bowdlerise: YanLuoShi compares himself to Yama "king of the inferno" to avoid saying "hell".
- Brought Down to Normal: Marinette loses her Ladybug Miraculous and gets lost in Shanghai trying to find it.
- Call-Back:
- Uncle Wang from "Kung Food" returns, with Marinette visiting him in his home in Shanghai and Adrien wanting to try his restaurant in the city.
- One of the things stolen from Marinette are her kwagamata, the friendship necklace that Tikki had given her in "Befana".
- Marinette mentions knowing all five of Adrien's names. The fifth one (Athanasius) came up in "Cat Blanc", since that saint's day was the reason for Marinette's signed present.
- The Cameo: Action figures of Majestia, Uncanny Valley, and Eagle are seen at a toy stand. Two previously unseen superheroes who appear to be based in China — one of them named Hou Wang — also have action figures there.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- The replacement earrings that Marinette is gifted by an old shopkeeper lady are used by Fei to sticky-finger swap them with the Ladybug Miraculous when Cash tries to scam Marinette.
- Renren hides behind the same toy stand that Adrien took photos next to. Evidently, it must be really sturdy if it can withstand a giant monster's eye lasers that are strong enough to vaporize people...
- Chekhov's Gunman:
- The helpful shopkeepers that Marinette met later tell Fei where they last saw her when she looks for her to extort her.
- The three boys that take pictures with Adrien chase after Fei pickpocketing Marinette, and try to return Marinette's kwagatama later try to rescue Marinette (and Fei) from Cash's goons.
- Commonality Connection: Fei sympathizes with Marinette once she learns that, like herself, her missing jewelry was given to her by someone who is no longer with her.
- Connected All Along: Cash stole Fei's bracelet from her, which was then purchased by Nathalie for Gabriel. When they get to the Dragon Cave, Cash/King Cash learns that Hawk Moth was his mysterious buyer.
- Continuity Nod:
- The opening of Gabriel's new store in China was first mentioned in "Frightningale".
- The Gorilla listens to calming ASMR while on airplane rides, like when he went with Adrien to New York.
- Adrien and the Gorilla walk past a toy stand selling dolls of Ladybug, Cat Noir, Majestia, Uncanny Valley, Eagle, and two previously unseen superheroes. The Gorilla buys a couple, since he collects the figures.
- Fei also undergoes confidence issues as Renren, believing she isn't worthy enough to be a hero, just like Marinette did in the Origins two-parter.
- Contrived Coincidence: Adrien and Uncle Wang think Marinette visiting Shanghai at the same time as Adrien is a coincidence, when in truth, Marinette is there because she wanted to follow Adrien there.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: YanLuoShi's eyebeams can vaporize people, turning them into a pink mist. The victim doesn't turn to dust until a few seconds after being hit, and as we see with Hawk Moth and Cat Noir, it's enough time for the unlucky victims to scream in pain and horror. Fortunately, this is all undone by Lucky Charm.
- Dark and Troubled Past: As a Doorstop Baby, Fei was adopted by Wu, who ran a school to teach his students to protect a secret cave from those that would want to abuse its power. However, the school was attacked and destroyed by his enemies and Fei lost her bracelet, and now orphaned once again, she has forsaken her father's teachings in search of vengeance against her father's killers, starting with being a thief for black market clients in exchange for information about them.
- Disintegrator Ray: YanLuoShi's Eye Beams can turn people into dust, even empowered ones, as Hawk Moth and Cat Noir experience.
- Doorstop Baby: Fei was mysteriously left at Wu's front door as a baby. Whoever her biological family was and why they left her with Wu is shrouded in enigma.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Marinette would've met with Adrien sooner had she stayed at her uncle's place because Adrien ends up going there to eat, knowing that her uncle runs a restaurant in Shanghai, thus avoiding her getting pickpocketed by Fei.
- Fei confesses to Marinette that she's become everything her father taught her not to be. Marinette assures her that even though they just met, she knows she's a good person who still represents her father's teachings well because she's been nothing but kind and courageous to her, not knowing that Fei is manipulating her. Fortunately, the Oblivious Guilt Slinging ends up reminding Fei of the person she's supposed to be and changes her for the better. She's also long wanted Revenge against her father's killers and fences to Cash to find out who it is...who is actually the one who caused the death of her father the entire time.
- Eat Me: Since YanLuoShi swallowed his akumatized object, to reach it Ladybug hides inside a large vase and has Ladydragon force it into his mouth along with a large amount of water.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Marinette has one when she learns Fei was the one who stole her stuff and gave them to Cash in the first place to scam her.
- Everyone Can See It: Wang Cheng assumes Adrien is Marinette's boyfriend like many other people. Downplayed by Fei, who noticeably puts her chin in her hand to stare at the two when they say they're just friends, but doesn't say anything further.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: Hawk Moth akumatizes Mei Shi, who is already a supernatural creature. Mei Shi vaporizes Hawk Moth the moment Hawk Moth tries to rein him in.
- Eye Beams: YanLuoShi's giant form can fire purple rays from his eyes, which can disintegrate people and cause massive property damage.
- Failed a Spot Check: Marinette bumps into Fei at a crosswalk, who pickpockets her bag. Marinette is too distracted trying to get Adrien's attention from across the street, allowing Fei to easily get close enough to her to steal her phone in her hand, necklace, and even both of her earrings.
- Faustian Rebellion: Hawk Moth empowers Mei Shi to steal back the Prodigious. The newly christened YanLuoShi threatens to attack the city in retaliation, thereby putting Adrien in potential danger, so Hawk Moth warns that he'll remove YanLuoShi's powers if he does. YanLuoShi immediately blasts Hawk Moth so Hawk Moth can't do anything to stop him.
- Feed It a Bomb: In order to get into YanLuoShi's stomach, where he's stored his akuma for safe-keeping, Ladybug conjures a man-sized vase and has Renren shove her down YanLuoShi's throat using her dragon form's hydrokinesis.
- Freudian Slippery Slope: Marinette fumbles through an extended string of slips about seeing Adrien in Shanghai only to quickly cover it by claiming it's about her roots.
- Fun with Foreign Languages: Marinette isn't fluent in Mandarin and struggles at pronouncing words properly, like at the end when she tries to call Fei jiějiě but mispronounces it.
- Godzilla Threshold: Ladybug and Cat Noir struggle to defeat the villain on their own, forcing Fei to use the Prodigious herself.
- Groin Attack: Look closely where Fei in her Ladymonkey form aims her punch right before King Cash tosses her away.
- Hypocrite: Hawk Moth becomes worried that YanLuoShi attacking Shanghai will endanger Adrien, ignoring that his akumas have done this to Paris many times over and he mostly didn't care until Adrien was in the direct line of fire.
- Invisible to Normals: Unlike Kwamis, Renlings can't be seen or heard by anyone but the wearer of the Prodigious.
- It Runs in the Family: One of Marinette’s Chinese ancestors designed dresses for the Beijing Opera, according to Uncle Wang.
- Karmic Jackpot: The three boys who took selfies with Adrien go out of their way to return Marinette's kwagatama necklace to her, tracking her across the city and trying to protect her from Cash's goons and Fei. When they finally manage to return the necklace, Marinette is so grateful she invites them to her uncle's birthday party, where they get the chance to talk to Adrien again and officially meet the now-defrosted Fei (complete with luminescent blushes on their part). The ending shows that they were also invited to the grand opening of Gabriel Agreste's new branch in Shanghai.
- Kid Amid the Chaos: Your niece visits you from abroad and goes missing in the city, she doesn't know the local language and she loses her possessions including her phone to a pickpocket (who also throws out the SIM card), and disaster strikes the city.
- Language Barrier: Due to not being able to speak Mandarin, Marinette is left nearly helpless in finding her way or searching for her stuff after Fei steals her phone. A man gives her a notepad and a pencil, but this still doesn't allow her to elucidate exactly what she wants to all of the Mandarin speakers around her.
- Liar Revealed: Fei nearly admits her deception to Marinette, only for Cash to interrupt and do it for her. Though Marinette is understanding when Fei explains, it provides a decent excuse to run off when she notices an akuma heading for Cash.
- Long Game: Gabriel has been after the Prodigious for fifteen years, waiting for a particular lunar eclipse. This sheds light on his searching Tibet for magical artifacts as well.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Renren have one when Hawk Moth akumatizes Mei Shi, a giant guardian spirit.
- Mistaken for Romance: At the end, Uncle Wang mistakes Adrien for being Marinette's boyfriend. The both of them sheepishly clear up that they're just friends, as usual.
- Moral Myopia: Marinette thinks she has to pay to get her earrings back because it wouldn't be fair to the shopkeeper (Cash) since he must've paid the person who supplied her the earrings a lot of money and thus he would lose profit. Obviously, Marinette has no idea what a scam and extortion is.
- Naïve Newcomer: Marinette runs into every problem in being a tourist. She knows nothing about the local language, goes alone, is distracted in a heavily crowded area so she's easily pickpocketed of everything but her clothes, and is too trusting of strangers.
- Never Say "Die": Fei says that her father "disappeared" when the school burnt down.
- Not So Above It All: Adrien sees his bodyguard buying an Uncanny Valley doll and an Eagle doll at a toy stand. When Adrien notices, the Gorilla pretends he was just standing there and Adrien lightly smiles, amused that his bodyguard has a soft heart.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Marinette does this as Fei is supposedly helping her find her stolen valuables. Already conflicted about her betrayal of her teachings, this convinces Fei to steal back the earrings for Marinette rather than let her buy them back at extortion prices.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Marinette has one when she realizes her stuff has been stolen, including Tikki and her Miraculous.
- Hawk Moth also has one when he realizes YanLuoShi is about to target the city, knowing Adrien is there.
- The trio have one when YanLuoShi shows the power of shooting eyebeams and vaporizes Hawk Moth. For that matter, Hawk Moth has a second one here as well, since the beam gives him just enough time to realize he's screwed before he disintegrates.
- Omniglot:
- Tikki reveals that kwamis know all languages, which makes sense since Miraculouses can be used by anyone in the world.
- Fei is implied to be this, being fluent in French. Her sifu taught it to her because he liked the language and hoped to attract non-Chinese clients to the school.
- Overly Long Name: Marinette mentions that she knows Adrien's first five names. Given that he's from an upper-class French family, it's not too surprising that his actual name is longer than just Adrien Agreste.
- Pet the Dog:
- Adrien has already resigned himself to being stuck in the hotel while he waits for his dad to finish his business. Surprisingly, Gabriel instead encourages him to walk around the city and see the sights until he meets back up with him later that day.
- Gabriel later recognizes Marinette as one of the people Cash is accosting and tosses an Akuma at him then claims he'll grant him far more wealth than the girls could and has him follow him elsewhere. While this IS part of his plan as he needed a minion to help him get the Prodigious, he did seem to deliberately save someone he knew to be one of Adrien's friends by taking control of the situation and getting Cash off her back.
- Polly Wants a Microphone: Bastille, Wang Cheng's parrot, has been in his family since at least Sabine was young and can talk on his own, even assuring him "Gonna be ok, gonna be ok." unprompted while Wang's worried sick about being unable to find Marinette.
- Rent-a-Zilla: Mei Shi's akumatized form, YanLuoShi, is a towering giant, and he soon enough start leaving a trail of destruction across Shanghai's coastline.
- Replaced with Replica: When Cash brings the phone book, Fei switches Marinette's earrings with a pair she got as a gift without anyone noticing. It helps that she's a skilled pickpocket. Cash later notices when he inspects the earrings after Tikki disappears from the claw machine.
- Revenge Is Not Justice: Fei is surprised to be told by Mei Shi that wanting Revenge for her dead adoptive father isn't noble and just which prevents her from transforming into a dragon until she lets go of it.
- Say My Name: Gabriel is surprised to learn Marinette Dupain-Cheng is also in Shanghai, specifically also at the ruins of Wu's school near the entrance to the Dragon Cave. He says her full name to himself in surprise.
- Ship Tease: Marinette's touched look when she finds out Cat Noir is in Shanghai looking for her.
- Stalking Is Funny if It Is Female After Male: Marinette had planned to spend break with Adrien, and when she finds out he's visiting Shanghai at the last minute, she gets upset that it had slipped past her since, as she brags, she knows everything about him...and she decided to fly to Shanghai to follow him.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Fei is able to do this in public, hiding in the crowds and quickly donning disguises.
- Sudden Principled Stand: Hawk Moth is perfectly willing to akumatize Mei Shi and let him wreck Shanghai until he realizes that Adrien, who is also in the city, will be in danger by proxy and orders him to stand down. Unfortunately for him, YanLuoShi decides he takes orders from no one and vaporizes him on the spot.
- Sundial Waypoint: The light of an enchanted eclipse hitting the Prodigious seal in the Dragon Cave will unlock it.
- Technicolor Fire: The fires left behind by YanLuoShi's Eye Beams are glowing pink-purple.
- Total Eclipse of the Plot: The Dragon Cave only opens to make the Prodigious accessible when the Sundial Waypoint hits it during enchanted lunar eclipses.
- Translation Convention: When we get a POV of Tikki of Cash and Fei's argument, we hear them speak French (Or English in the dub) instead of Mandarin.
- Unknowingly Possessing Stolen Goods: Marinette assumes this of a pawn shop owner who has come into possession of her stolen Miraculous and kidnapped Tiki. She does not realize that this man knowingly accepted the stolen goods from the thief.
- The Unreveal: Gabriel says that he meant to carry out his plans in Shanghai fifteen years ago, but whatever happened and why he didn't succeed back then are unrevealed. This implies he had other nefarious plans even before Emilie was put into a coma only around a year ago and caused him to become Hawk Moth to find a way to revive her.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: An accidental one. After Fei pickpockets Marinette, three boys notice her and chase after her to get Marinette's stuff back. Marinette, no longer distracted, mistakes Fei for an innocent girl being harassed by some boys and she tries to help her. Later, she thinks that the boys are harassing her too when they're actually trying to return her kwagatama.
- You Killed My Father: It isn't confirmed until the end, but Cash killed Fei's father in the fire, which she angrily confronts him on.
- Your Makeup Is Running: When Marinette finds Fei crying over her failures, she has mascara running down her face with her tears.
