Miraculous: Each Time Ladybug & Cat Noir Almost Revealed Their ...

Although one of the most popular animated shows of the 21st century, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir has left its fans frustrated on more than one occasion. Protagonists Marinette DuPain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste are madly in love but continuously turn a blind eye to the glaring truth. Miraculous centers around the partnership between the two, as they transform into the heroes Ladybug and Cat Noir to fight various villains.

As with many superhero-based stories, secret identities must remain confidential — even to fellow heroes — to protect loved ones and maintain undercover operations. Throughout Miraculous' run, however, there have been several close-call instances where Ladybug and Cat Noir have almost revealed their identities to each other. In fact, it happened a few times, but they were all eventually retconned. That said, this infuriating scenario leaves viewers screaming at their television screens.

Updated on October 4, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: Since Seasons 4 and 5 have debuted, there have been several more near-misses for Cat Noir and Ladybug to discover each other's identities. Now that Season 6 is slated for release in the final months of 2024, fans have been wondering just how many times these two heroes have almost learned each others' identities. As such, we have updated this article with some more relevant information.

Alya Vlogs About A History Book

Season 1, Episode 3, "The Pharaoh"

"The Pharaoh" is a Season 1 episode where Alya nearly deciphers Marinette's ultimate secret. Ladybug accidentally drops a high school history textbook during a mission, which Alya recognizes and concludes comes from someone who attends their school. As the dutiful creator of the Lady Vlog, Alya posts her findings online, where Adrien also learns that the love of his life might be closer than he thinks.

Thankfully, Ladybug and Pharaoh manage to convince Alya that Ladybug is thousands of years old — throwing her off the scent of her true identity. Marinette also manages to take her history textbook back when Alya was not looking, much to the latter's confusion. Little do Alya or Adrien know how close Ladybug really is. This is also the episode where Tikki mentions that she's not thousands of years old, but far older.

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Cat Noir Almost Ignores Ladybug's Warning

Season 1, Episode 3

With "Lady Wifi" being only the fourth episode of Season 1, Miraculous shocks its viewers by having Cat Noir already come close to discovering Ladybug's true identity. In the episode, Marinette's best friend, Alya Césaire, becomes the supervillain Lady Wifi after Hawk Moth akumatizes her. After cornering Ladybug, Lady Wifi attempts to remove her mask, but it appears to be glued on.

Overall Episode	English Release Date
Episode 3, "Lady Wifi"	January 17, 2016

Cat Noir comes to her rescue, and the duo defeats Lady Wifi, who is "de-evilized" and restored to her civilian persona. When the job is done, Ladybug and Cat Noir run into the hotel lobby, where Ladybug ducks inside a closet. Cat Noir tries to stop her, promising not to tell anyone who she is, but she says that "nobody must know who we really are, not even us." Adrien pauses at the doorknob, considering breaking Ladybug's trust to know who lies beneath the mask but decides against it.

Plagg and Tikki Discover the Duo's Identities

Season 2, Episode 9, "The Dark Owl"

Season 2, Episode 13 of Miraculous sees Mr. Damocles get akumatized into Dark Owl. In the final battle, Dark Owl captures Ladybug and Cat Noir in a large storage container, which he proceeds to fill with whipped cream. He informs them that unless they hand over their Miraculouses, they will drown. Cat Noir is unable to break down the crate's walls and deems their situation hopeless; however, Ladybug instead decides to give up and hand over their Miraculouses, telling Cat Noir they must close their eyes when they de-transform.

Unbeknownst to Cat Noir, Ladybug has concocted a plan to trick Dark Owl. Marinette and Adrien keep their eyes closed but both Tikki and Plagg see each other's Miraculous wielders and realize their identities. However, the Kwami thankfully and silently vow to keep quiet. When Marinette hands Dark Owl fake Miraculouses, this buys them enough time to transform again and escape, but neither she nor Adrien ever takes a peek.

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Marinette's Miraculous Is Taken

Season 2, Episode 5

Another close-call encounter in Season 2 leaves Marinette vulnerable and almost ends with the reveal of her identity and the loss of her Miraculous. Jagged Stone is a famous rock star and a recurring character in the Miraculous Ladybug universe. When his personal assistant Penny gets akumatized into Troublemaker, she causes chaos at the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Troublemaker manages to seize Ladybug and pin her down. She takes an earring, and Ladybug slowly begins to de-transform.

Overall Episode	English Release Date
Episode 31, "Troublemaker"	June 16, 2018

Cat Noir calls on his Cataclysm and then charges toward Troublemaker, who makes herself intangible to avoid the attack. Thankfully, Cat Noir's pounce subsequently makes Troublemaker drop Ladybug's Miraculous. Ladybug grabs the earring and puts it back on before she can fully de-transform. Cat Noir comments on the close call, stating that this was not how he dreamed of sharing their secret identities.

Adrien & Marinette Star As Ladybug & Cat Noir

Season 2, Episode 9

Later in Season 2 of Miraculous, "Frightningale" sees Clara Nightingale become a musical monster when Hawk Moth akumatizes her. Clara wishes to produce a music video honoring the superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir. Marinette and Adrien are both cast as the heroes, much to their dismay. The music video requires costumes (identical to Ladybug and Cat Noir's) to be worn, which puts their secret identities at risk.

Overall Episode	English Release Date
Episode 35, "Frightningale"	May 12, 2018

When Chloé is initially offered the Ladybug role, Marinette is outraged and jealous. She takes the role herself despite the risk it presents. In rehearsals, Marinette and Adrien begin to slowly put the masks on, both worried that someone might recognize their heroic forms. Before having the chance to do so, however, Chloé and her father André storm inside and stop the rehearsal. For once, Chloé saves the day.

Marinette and Adrien Reveal Their Identities on Accident

Season 3, Episode 10

Image Via ZAG

Season 3 of Miraculous introduces an interesting twist to the tale, as this episode begins with Ladybug and Cat Noir waking up in an elevator with no memories of their civilian or superhero lives. Presumably following an instance in which both superpowers (Lucky Charm and Cataclysm) were used, their Miraculouses begin to beep, and they detransform into Marinette and Adrien. At this point, they have no idea who they are, let alone who the other person is.

Overall Episode	English Release Date	IMDb
Episode 62, "Oblivio"	March 19, 2019	9.3

The amnesiac heroes gradually discover themselves again and fight Oblivio, who turns out to be Alya and Nino. Ladybug explains that she must cleanse the city and repair the destruction with her Miraculous Ladybug, which will wipe the memories of each other's true identity. Before that happens, however, Cat Noir asks for permission and the two share an intimate kiss.

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Ms. Mendeleiev Captures Tikki

Season 3, Episode 15, "Kwamibuster"

"Kwamibuster" introduces Ms. Mendeleiev as the titular villain and one of the most interesting characters in Miraculous Ladybug. After witnessing a Kwami in action, Mendeleiev is determined to capture all the Kwamis she can to prove her discovery, not unlike Denzel Crocker's fascination with Timmy Turner's Fairy Godparents in The Fairly OddParents. In the process of this goal, Ladybug is stripped of Tikki, nearly revealing her true identity to Cat Noir.

Fortunately, Marinette dives behind a vent just in time, saving her iconic reveal for another day. This is not the most significant instance of an almost-discovery, but it does possibly have dire ramifications. If Kwamibuster ever successfully captures and delivers both Miraculouses to Hawk Moth like Mendeleiev planned, Ladybug and Cat Noir's secret identities would be known to more people than just each other.

Adrien's Discovery Impacts the Future

Season 3, Episode 22

At the beginning of Season 3 Episode 22, "Cat Blanc," Marinette (as Ladybug) leaves a gift for Adrien, who watches her leave his house. After some thought, he concludes with absolute certainty that Marinette is Ladybug, despite Plagg's objections. Marinette is then met by Bunnyx (adult Alix Kubdel), who informs her that some unknown event has caused a disaster in the future. Hawk Moth is revealed to be Adrien's father, while Cat Noir is revealed to be Adrien. Hawk Moth manipulates Adrien's heartbreak over the loss of his mother and akumatizes him into Cat Blanc.

Overall Episode	English Release Date
Episode 74, "Cat Blanc"	November 11, 2019

After much fighting, Cat Blanc grows impatient and demands Ladybug's Miraculous. When she refuses, he charges a "mega Cataclysm" that, if unleashed, will destroy the fabric of the universe. As a distraction, Ladybug tells Cat Blanc she will give him the Ladybug Miraculous, then leans in to kiss him. Then, she grabs his bell and breaks it to release the Akuma, which she purifies. Ladybug uses her Lucky Charm to mend the destruction and goes back in time with Bunnyx to erase her name from the gift, preventing the Cat Blanc timeline from ever occurring.

Marinette and Adrien Reveal Themselves on Purpose

Season 4, Episode 22, "Ephemeral"

When Cat Noir suddenly becomes hard to reach, Ladybug decides that it might be time to know each other's secret identities. Although she's been against it in the past, she claims that they should know who they are so that they can always be in contact. Cat Noir (who has always wanted to share his identity) happily agrees and reveals that he is Adrien Agreste. Ladybug reacts poorly to this news but eventually decides to show herself, too, and they both fall in love with the full knowledge of who they are.

Overall Episode	English Release Date
Episode 100, "Ephemeral"	November 27, 2021

Ephemeral is the episode fans have always wanted. Marinette and Adrien finally get together, and they happily fight crime together. Unfortunately, their happiness doesn't last since Hawk Moth discovers their identities and obtains both Miraculouses. This forces Viperion to use his Second Chance so that the revelation never happens. Just as in "Cat Blanc," Miraculous once again shows that a world where Ladybug and Cat Noir know each other could have disastrous consequences.

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Luka Briefly Becomes a Liability

Season 5, Episode 13, "Migration"

"Migration" bears witness to what could have happened if Luka stayed in France. After discovering both Ladybug and Cat Noir's secret identities in "Wishmaker," Luka becomes a liability during any truth-seeking Akuma attack, such as when Bob Roth became Gold Record. Luka even lies about knowing the identities of Ladybug and Cat Noir to Marinette, who blithely accepts his statement as fact.

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Gold Record turns people into records where they sing about their deepest secrets. This makes Luka a prime target. Though he avoids becoming a record for most of the episode, he willingly gets hit to create a distraction for Ladybug's plan. Thankfully, Cat Noir Cataclysms the Akuma just before Record-Luka reveals the truth. Had the plan not worked, or if Cat Noir were a moment or two slower, it could have been the end of Marinette and Adrien's secret.