Akuma

An akuma is a black lepidopteran creature responsible for transforming people into supervillains. An army of akumas is created and led by Hawk Moth, while Ladybug and Cat Noir are tasked with capturing and purifying them.^[1]

Appearance

Before it is turned into an akuma by Hawk Moth, the butterfly is pure white and bluish. In "Party Crasher", the butterfly in its chrysalis form is the same color when it is purified by Ladybug or Hawk Moth and before being turned into an akuma pure white.

However, once the butterfly becomes an akuma, it turns black with translucent purple highlights.

In "Catalyst (Heroes' Day - Part 1)", when infused with extra power by Scarlet Moth, akumas are crimson with bright red edges and white markings.

Creation and abilities

Users of the Butterfly Miraculous don't have an endless supply of akumas, so when they start to run out, the users can grow their own over time. Hawk Moth creates an akuma by charging a butterfly with energy.

The purpose of an akuma is to possess an important object of a person, forming a telepathic connection between the person and Hawk Moth.

Once the deal is made, the akuma in the object releases a black and purple substance that transforms the person into a supervillain. They can squeeze through impossibly small spaces, even being able to move through the seal of a windowpane.

On occasions, an akuma will be attracted to the persons whose emotions resonate the strongest,^[2], ignoring the ones with stronger resistence^[3] An akuma won't corrupt someone if they recover from their negative emotions.^[4] If the person has a powerful resistence, they can avoid the akuma's possesion even when they are already in contact with Hawk Moth.^[5]

When multiple akumas are in existence, they can be controlled by Hawk Moth, to the point of forming a giant swarm shaped like his head, which he can speak through.

If an akuma is removed from one's object but goes uncaptured and unpurified, it will duplicate itself exponentially before returning to Hawk Moth and entering his cane. The copies of the akuma will subsequently fly around and indiscriminately seek out other people. Any person that make contact with the akuma clones will turn into exact physical copies of the original host's villain form and be petrified in this state. Should the akuma's former host manage to regain the intense emotions that transformed them to begin with, the original akuma will leave the cane and return to corrupt them once again, and the aforementioned duplicates will awaken and be under their full control, becoming a massive clone army.

First seen during "Catalyst (Heroes' Day - Part 1)", when the akumas are infused with extra power, they can transform anyone that still has intense emotion will be akumatized into a scarlet version of the previous (or new) akumatized villains. Those powered-up scarlet akumas don't need for the victim to accept the power given as they can force them into Scarlet Moth's control.

Fate

In "Catalyst (Heroes' Day - Part 1)", it is shown that Hawk Moth can revert the akuma into a normal butterfly when he remove someone's powers without Ladybug destroying an object or purifying the akuma.

If the akuma is released without being purified, it will multiply and infect other people. But when it is defeated and purified, its duplicates will vanish, regressing the original victim and the other people affected back to normal.

The akuma leaves the object it inhabits after it is destroyed. From there, Ladybug can catch it with her yo-yo in order to "de-evilize" it by removing the energy from it. Afterward, once the akuma reverts back to being a normal butterfly, she releases it, and the butterfly is free, possibly returning to the countryside rather than to Hawk Moth's lair.^[6]

Sightings

Episodes

Comics and books

Other

Trivia

• In Japanese, "akuma" (悪魔) means "demon" or "devil".
• In most Asian lore, butterflies symbolize change. However, they are a sign of bad luck when in large numbers.
  • In some animistic beliefs, the sight of butterflies or moths approaching or entering one's house means that an unexpected guest or intruder will arrive in the near future.
• Akumas aren't evil by nature. The black color just means they're charged with power.^[7]
• The word "evilize" was created by Thomas Astruc. ^[8]
• In "Party Crasher", it is shown that akumas are produced by butterfly farming from Hawk Moth’s repository.
  • As of this episode an akuma is yet to be seen in its larvae stage and it is also unknown what they eat when in that stage. Since they grow into white butterflies it could be possible that they start out as white caterpillars.
• Akumas are similar to kwamis, both being able to inhabit an object and transform a person into a super-being.
• Whilst under Hawk Moth's power, they are similar in appearance and function to the Jigokuchō from Bleach.
• "Mayura" is the first episode in which a regular (black and purple) akuma does not make an appearance.

Gallery

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References