Episode 52
- Hawkmoth - Tales of Gabriel the Butterfly
Scarlet Moth answers to the heroes' challenge with one of his own, but the heroes aren't intimidated, and Chat Noir tells the others what their target is: Hawkmoth himself. As the five heroes charge, Scarlet Moth sends the Akumatized villains against them, commanding them to crush the heroes, while Guitar Villain and Frightingale sing from atop the Eiffel Tower.
However, the heroes are wise to them: not only are all of them more experienced than they were the first time they fought them all, they also know where their weak points are. Fox Trot and Chat Noir hold off the Mime and Riposte, while Vesperia destroys Pharaoh's pendant and Koki Marina hits Princess Fragrance's pistol, allowing Ladybug to cleanse both butterflies while commenting on how weak the Akumas are now. As she does, Chat Noir uses Riposte's sword to destroy the Mime's hat and then has Koki Marina break the sword... as the heroes keep freeing people from Scarlet Moth's grasp.
But Hawkmoth has an ace in the hole, as he orders Dark Cupid to shoot the people that were just freed - meaning that the work the heroes just did was all for nothing. Meanwhile, Mayor Bourgeois declares that Paris will stand together and resist Scarlet Moth — and he will supervise from his helicopter. All while Audrey urges him to move. As he arrives to the heliport, he asks about Chloé and Zoé, but he's interrupted by an Akumatized Chloé, who proceeds to attack them to force them into Scarlet Moth's army.
Ladybug summons a Lucky Charm in the form of a tennis racket, and tells everyone to keep an eye for Dark Cupid. But when Fox Trot gets distracted by an Akuma, Dark Cupid aims at him and shoots — and Koki Marina jumps to take the bullet (even though, as Ladybug points out, she could have blocked it with her shield). When Fox Trot asks if she's alright, Koki Marina angrily tackles him after being affected by Dark Cupid's arrow. Ladybug tells Fox Trot to kiss Koki Marina — that's how Chat Noir cured her, after all! But Koki Marina is just as outraged by the suggestion as Marigold was, and Fox Trot feels terribly uncomfortable over the whole situation.
Vesperia tells Ladybug to focus on the plan while she keeps the butterflies off Fox Trot and Koki Marina, but she gets interrupted by the arrival of the Akumatized versions of André, Audrey, and the family butler, who proclaim that they're acting in the name of Queen Wasp — Chloé's newest Akumatized form, who tells them to fight for her amusement. Vesperia isn't surprised that this is happening.
Meanwhile, Koki Marina throws Fox Trot off, and a butterfly lands on her, transforming her into the Akuma Bombshell. All while another butterfly flies towards Fox Trot. Vesperia is the next to fall, paralyzed by Despair Bear's command; as a butterfly infests her comb, Ladybug notes that her debut has been short-lived. Surrounded by opponents, Chat Noir declares that now would be a good time for her to put her Lucky Charm plan into action — but she needs everyone to make it work. Thankfully, when Chat Noir observes how cataclysmic their current circumstances are, that inspires her to suggest he Cataclysm the ground beneath their feet for a swift escape route... one that leaves Scarlet Moth wondering if the two of them just blew themselves up.
While Queen Wasp boasts that her wasps will make quick work of the pair, Scarlet Moth reminds her that water proved to be her downfall last time, and they've retreated into the sewers. Deeming her his "special weapon", he encourages her to let the others have some fun, sending Animan to track them down. (Privately, Catalyst muses that Gabriel isn't willing to indulge his own son half as much as he's coddling Chloé.)
Down in said sewers, Marinette and Adrien detransform so their Kwamis can eat and replenish their strength. Marinette wonders how Hawkmoth was able to akumatize so many people at once; Tikki notes that this seems far too smart for their adversary, and that he must have had help. Despite having lost three teammates, Adrien encourages Marinette, declaring "You and me against the world, my lady."
Their respite is short, as Animan is able to track them down through the sewers in spite of the hideous smell. However, this time the heroes are ready, and, after giving their Kwami food with Aqua potion, they jump into the water, powering up as they fall. Within the water, the only Akumas they have to fight are Animan and Syren, and the heroes quickly destroy their Akumatized objects to free them... although neither M. Cesaire nor Ondine are happy with being deep in sewer water.
Ladybug then unleashes a massive wave of purified butterflies, giving everyone who witnesses the white-winged swarm hope that their heroes are still out there, fighting the good fight. Scarlet Moth furiously declares that "I'M GOING TO STOMP YOU BRATS INTO THE DUST." As they flee their pursuers, Chat Noir questions the wisdom of taunting their adversary, while Ladybug orders him to focus on running. They come across an improvised barrier and leap over it, leaving the akumas to question why they stopped in their tracks.
Said barrier is then revealed to have been built by a resistance force made up of various Parisians. Nora rallies those around her, boldly shouting that "We can be heroes for one day! Let's save our city!" As Darkblade orders his knights to charge, Gina and Marlena encourage Ladybug and Chat Noir to keep going, saying that they'll slow the horde down. While grateful for their help, Chat Noir privately notes that he doesn't feel entirely comfortable leaving "squishy civilians" to fight akumas by themselves, even if the members of the scarlet horde are weaker than they were originally.
Bombshell and her foxy companion find themselves being dragged through the windows of an apartment complex, while Stormy Weather gets pelted with trash. Nathaniel notes that he wishes they could do more than distract them; although Marc suggests seeing whether True Love's Kiss could work, Nathaniel retorts that "I'm not kissing anyone other than you." Meanwhile, Juleka and Prince Ali exchange a meaningful look and nod...
Next thing Princess Fragrance knows, she's being wrapped up in a line of party flags that were hung up for the Heroes' Day parade. As she berates the pair for manhandling a princess, Juleka and Ali flank her, kissing both of her cheeks at once. Rose promptly reverts back to normal, blushing heavily as she realizes just how her partners saved her.
Meanwhile, Horrificator roars at Chris, Manon, Ella and Etta — but rather than being scared, they gush over how cool the giant red monster looks. Since Horrificator is fueled by fear, this causes her to start shrinking, which the kids deem equally cool, comparing her to a "cute, weird puppy". The next thing Mylène knows, she's back to herself again, staring up at the kids in confusion as they celebrate their apparent victory.
Tossing a sheet over Timebreaker, Lila and Sabrina bind her hands behind her with a jump rope. She defiantly declares that she'll tag them if it's the last thing she does, but is cut off by both girls embracing her, tearfully apologizing for not realizing how she'd needed their help. They were so used to seeing her as strong and supportive that they didn't pick up on how scared she was until it was too late, and now they just want to save her the way she saved them. Shedding a few tears of her own, Timebreaker sarcastically calls them gross... and as the cleansed butterfly flies away, Alix asks if they can untie her now.
Stoneheart gets tripped in front of Mylène, who notes this isn't the first time she's doing this - and kisses him, quickly reverting him back to normal. Meanwhile, Luka keeps Riposte's attention on him, successfully distracting her and dodging her wild strikes, allowing Rose, Juleka, Mylène, and Ivan to glomp her together, which breaks her Akumatization.
Angry that he's losing too many Akumas, Scarlet Moth demands Dark Cupid to use his powers again on the liberated people, but he gets distracted when Ondine calls him. Stunned to see his girlfriend safe, Dark Cupid apologizes for not being there to protect her, but she replies he's got nothing to apologize for, and asks him to go back to being her boyfriend - and Kim rids himself of Scarlet Moth's influence, much to the villain's anger.
Meanwhile, Ladybug and Chat Noir come across Gamer and Glaciator. As Chat Noir questions how they're going to get around the giant pair, Ladybug spots Max's mother, Claudie, alongside Markov — she's ordering her son to get out of that mech suit and stop terrorizing Paris right now! Glaciator demands that he get rid of her, only to get zapped by Gamer before he gets out of the suit, apologizing to his mother and deakumatizing as she draws him into a hug. Frustrated by all these setbacks, Scarlet Moth storms off the stage while informing Queen Wasp that it's her turn now, while she cheers with delight.
Victory is not certain yet, though, and Fu pulls out his last gun: the Rabbit Miraculous, which he uses to gather the team. Meanwhile, Ladybug destroys Queen Wasp's baton to keep her from summoning more wasps. The Akuma responds to Ladybug's demands for Scarlet Moth by saying the latter didn't want to dirty his hands... although Ladybug guesses that the villain just left the battle like a coward.
Ladybug summons Lucky Charm, which takes the form of a jewelry box. Chat Noir and Ladybug declare it is a sign that soon Hawkmoth's Miraculous will end in the box. Queen Wasp states her certainty that it means the heroes will return "her" Miraculous to her, but Ladybug replies by telling her that she can still do the right thing and help the heroes stop Hawkmoth. Mid-speech, though, Ladybug sees Scarlet Moth in the reflection of the box cap — he's attempting to attack while they're distracted! Yelling at Chat Noir to look out, they counterattack and quickly disarm him; Chat Noir Cataclysms his staff, forcing him to revert back to Hawkmoth.
Back at the blockade, the effects of this are immediately obvious, as all of the mass akumatization victims who hadn't already been cured revert back to normal, disoriented and confused. But not everybody has been restored — not completely, anyway. Mayor André, Audrey and their butler are no longer in their Akumatized forms, but are simply standing around with blank, yellow-tinged eyes, while Vesperia desperately asks "What's going on?!"
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Achievements in Ignorance: Manon, Chris and the twins have no idea that their excited reactions to Horrificator are No Selling her fear-driven powers. They just think that she looks cool, even when she's shrinking, and end up freeing her.
- All for Nothing: The heroes' efforts to liberate their friends from Scarlet Moth's grasp are for naught because he has Dark Cupid use his power to transform them again the first time. When Scarlet Moth tries again, Ondine shows up and gets Dark Cupid back to normal.
- Almighty Mom: Max's mother successfully frees him from Akumatization by ordering him to get out of the mech and stop terrorizing Paris.
- Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption: Ladybug is trying to convince Chloé to do the right thing when she notices Hawkmoth approaching her.Ladybug: It's never too late to be kind. So, join us against... Hawkmoth?!
- Big "NO!": Scarlet Moth shouts two of these in rapid succession when Ladybug and Chat Noir disarm him and destroy his polearm, forcing him to revert back to Hawkmoth and releasing all of the mass akumatization victims from his control.
- Blank White Eyes: Both Otis and Ondine sport these when they're de-akumatized underwater in the sewers.
- Bring It: Scarlet Moth responds to the heroes' declaration of this at the start of the previous episode with one of his own.
- Call-Back:
- Several characters recall how Chat Noir was able to free Marigold from Dark Cupid's powers with a kiss. Ultimately, Juleka and Prince Ali team up to save Rose in this fashion.
- The heroes use the Aqua potion to fight in the water, which first happens in "Syren", which is one of the Akumas they fight here.
- Horrificator is weakened if people aren't scared of her. When the kids respond positively to the sight of her, she starts shrinking and is freed.
- Before Mylène kisses Stoneheart to deakumatize him, she notes it is like the first time, referencing how she did the same in "Origins Part 2".
- Cliffhanger: Part 17 shows that defeating Scarlet Moth hasn't released Mayor André, Audrey or the family butler from Queen Wasp's control, with Vesperia frantically asking what's going on. Lampshaded in the tags:Caption: you have no idea how badly I wanted this page to land on a Friday for Maximum Over The Weekend Cliffhanger effect TT^TTnote
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: Each independent Akuma was a dangerous opponent on its own. Now that they are an army, they are surprisingly easy to bring down, to the point Ladybug asks if they are made of paper maché.Caption: These things break if you blow on them!
- Continuity Nod: Just before powering up, Marinette tells Adrien not to forget his snorkel, referring to how they defeated Queen Wasp.
- Dirty Coward: Discussed; when Queen Wasp claims that Scarlet Moth left because he couldn't be bothered facing the heroes himself, Ladybug casually calls him a "f%#$ing coward", while the hiding villain grits his teeth in silent rage.
- Dull Surprise: Vesperia isn't even surprised to see that Chloé got Akumatized and had their parents and butler in the same situation.
- From Bad to Worse: Having Dark Cupid on his side enables Scarlet Moth to bring anyone freed from his influence back under his sway, as well as turn Koki Marina and Fox Trot into more brainwashed minions. Then Despair Bear, Malediktator and Style Queen show up and convert Vesperia as well.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: When standing her ground against Gamer and Glaciator, Claudie drops one of these:Claudie: Max Kanté, you get out of that mech suit and stop terrorizing Paris right now!
Gamer: Aw, Maman! - The Glomp: Rose, Juleka, Mylène, and Ivan give one to Riposte in order to break her out of Akumatization.
- Godzilla Threshold: Master Fu uses the Rabbit Miraculous to secure victory for the heroes.
- Hope Bringer: Ladybug uses the de-akumatization of M. Cesaire and Ondine to purify hundreds of butterflies, allowing Parisians to regain their hope that the heroes are still fighting to stop Scarlet Moth.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: The mayor claims all of Paris will resist together - before claiming he will "supervise" from his helicopter.
- Large Ham: Scarlet Moth Akumatizes Frightingale and Guitar Villain just to make them sing a rap dedicated to him.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When Scarlet Moth yells a Big "NO!" after Chat Noir destroys his staff, Chat Noir asks why he's so surprised, since the heroes beat him every week.
- Logical Weakness:
- Since Hawkmoth's akumas latch on to the negative emotions of their target, all the civilians have to do is deprive them of such negative emotions, and they return to normal.
- Horrificator feeds off of fear, so being confronted with several kids who aren't scared causes her to shrink.
- Nausea Fuel: In-Universe. Poor M. Cesaire and Ondine wake up from being Akumatized and submerged in sewer water, and neither likes the experience.
- The Power of Friendship: Lila and Sabrina demonstrate that Eros isn't the only form of love that can purify akumas when they save Alix from being Timebreaker.
- Precision F-Strike: Ladybug gets one when she calls Scarlet Moth out for being a "f%#$ing coward".
- Say My Name: Ondine gets Dark Cupid's attention by repeatedly calling out to Kim, who responds with a tearful "Ondine?"
- Spanner in the Works: Scarlet Moth nearly manages to catch Ladybug and Chat Noir on the back - but gets stymied by Ladybug accidentally seeing him through the reflection on the jewelry box she has in hand.
- Stupid Sacrifice: Koki Marina decides to jump to take Dark Cupid's arrow from Fox Trot rather than do the obvious and use her shield.
- Talking the Monster to Death:
- Lila and Sabrina do this with Timebreaker, getting through her and causing her to deakumatize herself without the heroes' intervention.
- Similarly, Ondine convinces Dark Cupid to free himself from Scarlet Moth's control by telling him he's got nothing to apologize for, and asking to go back to being her boyfriend.
- Tears of Remorse: Dark Cupid sheds these while apologizing to Ondine for how he wasn't there to protect her from being reakumatized. Ondine, meanwhile, sheds Tears of Joy when he's freed from Scarlet Moth's influence.
- This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: Scarlet Moth sent Animan and Syren to lead a platoon of akumas into the sewers after Ladybug and Chat Noir, as Animan is capable of tracking their scent (despite the stench, somehow). Those two are also the only ones capable of fighting the heroes underwater.
- True Love's Kiss: When Koki Marina gets hit by Dark Cupid's arrow, Ladybug suggests Fox Trot try curing her with a kiss. Later, Marc broaches the possibility of this working as well, though Nathaniel retorts that he doesn't want to kiss anybody other than Marc. Juleka and Ali successfully pull this off with Princess Fragrance/Rose, and Mylène does the same with Stoneheart/Ivan.
- Villain Song: Scarlet Moth forces Frightingale and Guitar Villain to perform one while flanking him.
- Villainous Breakdown: Scarlet Moth first shows signs of this when Ladybug unleashes a wave of white, purified butterflies to signal to the citizens of Paris that their heroes are still fighting, as he furiously swears that he's "going to stomp you brats into the dust." He gets even angrier when Ondine manages to free Kim from his influence, screaming and cursing. When Max's mother frees him as well, he gives up and gives full reign to Queen Wasp.
