Miraculous: Tale of Ladybug & Cat Noir is, thematically, largely part of the magical girl genre, but it heavily features aspects of romance as well -- particularly when it comes to the lead characters, Marinette and Adrien. However, Miraculous Ladybug fans have taken the initiative to support canon relationships as well as speculate on their own non-canon pairings.
Shipping (derived from the word "relationship") is the desire by fans for two or more fictional characters to be in a romantic relationship. And Miraculous Ladybug has its fair share of ships. Here are some of the most popular ones, both canon and non-canon.
The Love Square (Marichat, Ladrien, Adrienette & Ladynoir)
As the central characters, Marinette and Adrien naturally take the spotlight for romantic focus. Miraculous fans have created a quadruple prospective romance for each of Marinette and Adrien's counterpart interactions, known as the "love square." It consists of four ships: Marichat (Marinette & Cat Noir), Ladrien (Ladybug & Adrien), Adrienette (Adrien & Marinette) and Ladynoir (Ladybug & Cat Noir), all of which revolve around the separate romantic inclinations of Marinette and Adrien's civilian and superhero identities.
By far the most popular ship of the foursome is Marichat, which many viewers believe to be Marinette and Adrien being "themselves" around each other. Marinette never truly shows her personality as an all-work and no-play Ladybug, but her walls come crumbling down as vulnerable, clumsy Marinette. By contrast, Adrien has a harsh home life, but as Cat Noir, he feels more confident and untouchable. Ladrien is a close second, because both Ladybug and Adrien are openly attracted to each other throughout the series, hence the frustration surrounding the secret identities.
The 'DjWifi' Ship (Alya & Nino)
DjWifi is a clever mash-up of names relating to Nino's hobby as a DJ and Alya's first akumatization into the supervillain Lady Wifi. Ever since the Season 1 episode "Animan," it is evident that Alya and Nino -- after much avoidance -- started a romantic relationship. They are first portrayed as friends, but quickly became more as the series progressed.
In the episode "Anansi," Ladybug lends Nino the Turtle Miraculous, so he can rescue Alya. When he does so, Alya comments on Nino's heroics; while he tries to deny it as a means to hide his new superhero identity, Alya whispers into his ear: "I know perfectly well what you're like." Since then, Rena Rouge (Alya) and Carapace (Nino) have been inseparable -- in and out of costume.
The 'Plikki' Ship (Plagg & Tikki)
Plikki is the combination of Tikki and Plagg, who are Marinette and Adrien's Kwamis. They inhabit the Miraculous jewelry entrusted to Adrien and Marinette, and enable the Parisian teenagers to transform into Ladybug and Cat Noir, respectively. While Tikki and Plagg have opposite personalities, the classic saying "opposites attract" applies here. Plagg affectionately refers to Tikki as "Sugarcube," a pet name based on her "sweet" nature. Plagg is known to tease and rile up Tikki, which often ends in heated arguments -- but Tikki has grown more tolerable of Plagg's immaturity and cares deeply about his safety and well-being.
In the episode "Gang of Secrets," Tikki revealed that Kwamis don't fall in love, but Plagg certainly shows signs of affection toward Tikki that borders on romantic. Tikki entertains the notion to some extent, which could be a strategy to hide her emotions, but a relationship is realistic -- particularly because that fondness is also reciprocated between their owners, Marinette and Adrien.
The 'Julerose' Ship (Juleka & Rose)
A combination of Juleka and Rose, Miraculous' Julerose ship is also popular, particularly among LGBTQ+ fans. Juleka and Rose are rarely seen apart, partaking in activities together and commonly making both eye contact and physical contact.
In the episode "Startrain," Rose rests her head on Juleka's lap as they sit together on the train to London. In Miraculous World: New York, United Heroez, at the party on the roof, Jessica (Sparrow) starts playing a romantic song and the two dance together tightly in the background. Miraculous creator Thomas Astruc confirmed on Twitter that Julerose is canon.
The 'Lukadrien' Ship (Luka & Adrien)
Lukadrien is the ship between Luka Couffaine and Adrien Agreste, believed by some fans to have begun in the episode "Captain Hardrock," when Luka welcomed Adrien to his band as a guest member for the music festival.
Fans of Lukadrien have rivaled with Adrienette, while others have imagined a lesser-known love triangle between Marinette, Adrien and Luka known as Lukadrinette. When it comes to Adrienette or Lukadrinette, some believe Adrien views Luka as a love rival for Marinette's affections, once he begins to develop feelings for her alone.
The 'Kagaminette' Ship (Marinette & Kagami)
Kagaminette, also known as Marigami, is the femslash ship between Marinette and Kagami. Similar to Adrien and Luka (Lukadrien), both of them having a crush on Adrien had caused Marinette and Kagami to see each other as love rivals for his affection. The ship is believed by its proponents to have begun in the episode "Riposte," when Kagami became awestruck at the sight of Ladybug.
The Kagaminette ship continued to grow in popularity after Kagami gave Marinette some tough love advice. They finally became friends though, as well as fellow Miraculous holder allies. During a Miraculous panel, Cristina Vee (English voice of Marinette) and Faye Mata (English voice of Kagami) both said they ship Marigami/Kagaminette. Mata even mentioned that this ship is her personal favorite.
