Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir's titular characters routinely use their superpowers to save Paris -- but the way their powers work isn't as obvious as it might seem. Unlike more conventional superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir's abilities are more akin to that of magical girls, with each hero having a magic item (a Miraculous) and a mascot character (known as a Kwami) who allows them to transform into their superpowered state. Likewise, each Kwami shares a different power with its holder, allowing them to access a multitude of abilities if they wear more than one at once -- though it isn't recommended for anyone to have that much power.
While powerful, a young Miraculous holder can only use their ability once before it drains their Kwami of their energy -- giving them five minutes to beat the bad guy before reverting back to their civilian form. Fortunately, until the perfect moment to use their power arrives, their superpowered form comes with base powers of super-strength, innate skill with their magic weapon and enough durability to withstand most attacks. They can gain further passive abilities by feeding their Kwami a power-up, which can allow them to do things like breathe underwater or fight in space. But there's even more to the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses than that.
Ladybug's Lucky Charm Is a Creative Powerhouse
The Ladybug Miraculous hosts Tikki, the Kwami of creation, the power she shares with Marinette when they become Ladybug. Ladybug has two main abilities: Lucky Charm and Miraculous Ladybug. Lucky Charm allows Ladybug to use her yo-yo to summon a random object that is exactly what she needs to solve whatever problem faces her -- except it's not usually obvious as to what that solution is.
It can be as out there as a spoon (which was then turned into a hook, and attached to a fishing pole) to as symbolic as a teapot (telling her that she needed to go get help), but it's always the right tool for the job. The item's absolutely useless without a little creativity, which, fortunately, the designer-hopeful Marinette has in spades.
Miraculous Ladybug on the other hand, is like a giant "reset" button for the universe, undoing any and all damage caused during battle. This ability is unique in that it doesn't start the countdown to de-powering, instead, it can be used as often as Ladybug wants -- which she usually uses once an episode at the end to reset the status quo. It transforms the object created by Lucky Charm into a cloud of magical ladybugs that dart around the city repairing buildings, healing injuries and even restoring timelines. Miraculous Ladybug is the main reason why Ladybug and Cat Noir are seen as heroes and not vigilantes with a penchant for property damage.
Cat Noir's Cataclysm Is More Than Just Another Cat Pun
On the simpler side is the Kwami of destruction, Plagg. This laid-back cat only gives Adrien one power -- but it's a doozy. While Ladybug's creation power calls for quick and out-of-the-box thinking, Plagg's power, Cataclysm, calls for compassion, wisdom and mercy to use it effectively. Cataclysm is the ability to destroy anything and anyone with just a touch. While it's not complete destruction -- the object usually just lies in ruins -- it is incredibly dangerous and has the potential to kill.
So it makes sense that, of the two abilities, it requires more caution. Unlike Ladybug's objects, Cataclysm is something that physically cannot fall into the wrong hands, as activating it binds the destructive power to Cat Noir's right hand (meaning he can still use his staff while wielding it), and simultaneously making it impossible for anyone to take his ring without getting zapped). Cataclysm has massive power -- but because of the blast radius, it has to be used at just the right moment to avoid creating a real disaster.
Also not helping things is the fact that once activated, the power takes effect as soon as it touches anything, whether Cat Noir meant to or not. This means villains can get Cat Noir to touch an object that is harmless to them, thereby neutralizing him for the remainder of his five minute countdown. Fortunately for Cat Noir as well as Paris, anything he does can be undone by Ladybug's restorative powers, and since de-evilizing villains requires breaking the object that holds the Akuma, this hero of destruction is a vital part of Paris's supervillain fighting duo.
