Then what House is Adrien in?
Much as it painsme to give such a by-the-books answer, Iโm going to have to sayHufflepuff - though, perhaps, not for the reasons many people would.I.e., I wouldnโt put Adrien in Hufflepuff simply because heโsnice. Kindness is a choice, not a character trait. People can be niceand not be in Hufflepuff; inversely, a Hufflepuff is fully capable ofbeing selfish, cold, snide, shy, or temperamental, among many othernon-sunshiny character traits. Being a nice, positive and outgoingindividual is neither a prerequisite nor a litmus test forHufflepuffs.
(Sorry about the mini rant, but I have Opinions on Hogwarts Housesorting.)
So first Iโm going to touch on why Iย wouldnโtย putAdrien in Ravenclaw, like OP of theย Adrien is aRavenclawย post. (Iโm quickly going to plug in here that OPisย absolutelyย welcome to their opinion and Iโm notarguing that theyโreย WrongTMย - simply that Iapproach the character differently than they do.) OPโs pointsessentially boil down to:ย โAdrien is a lot smarter than peoplegive him credit for (Ravenclaw), and takes no crap when his lovedones are in the wrong (non-Hufflepuff).โ I absolutely agree thatAdrien is markedly smarter than people give him credit for. Heโsnever shown to be any less than a straight-A student in any subject,not to mention the fact that his continued presence in public schoolis dependent on his high grades, so clearly heโs smart. He somehow manages toย keepย this track record, evenwhile juggling multiple extra curriculars and his superheroactivities - no minor feat. OP also references his puns and play-onwords; you have to have a pretty clever mind to do that as well andconstantly as he does, on the fly.
While Iโll give credit to the point about the puns, Iโm notgoing to sort someone based solely on their sense of humor. As forAdrienโs academia โฆ okay, brace yourself for another mini rant.Intelligent people are not automatically sorted into Ravenclaw,simply because they are intelligent. Just look at Hermione. I thinkthat if she were not originally fromย Harry Potter, manypeople would instantly sort her into Ravenclaw simply for thatreason, despite the fact that she is soย obviouslyย Gryffindor.Likewise, I wouldnโt sort Adrien into Ravenclaw based solely on hisbook smarts. Where are the Ravenclaw aspects inย otherย areasin his life - the instinctual, day-to-day parts of his life insteadof the ones where he intentionally turns his mind toward studying andtaking in information? Adrien rarely tries to outsmart his opponents,usually preferring to take point physically while Ladybug riddles outthe solution (and even his fighting style is forward, flashy andaggressive instead of sly and clever). Adrien is also themostย cluelessย character on the show - and after two years running that cannot just be from inexperience. For example,Marinette is not exactly subtle even when sheโs trying to be, but Adrien still hasnโt even aninkling about her feelings toward him (at least as far as Iโvewatched - Iโm not entirely up to date in season 3). Adrien has noidea that his father is Hawkmoth despite the fact that Gabriel spendsall his time locked away in a mysterious attic, or the fact thatAdrienย sawย the peacock miraculousย in hisfatherโs hidden safe where he was keeping aย book on themiraculousโย (or the fact that Gabriel has a hidden safe tobegin with), or the fact that heโs got butterflies decorating hisentire house, not to mention his fatherโs brand logo. Has Adriengot any clue that his mother is stashed away in the basement? Adrienis also one of the most easily manipulated characters on the show,because he instantly takes everything people say at face value, neverquestioning them because it doesnโtย occurย to histo question. It doesnโt occur to him to wonder about thediscrepancies in his life. He doesnโt evenย noticeย them,because his brain isnโt wired to observe and form connections. Hisbrain isnโt wired to be curious.
His brain isnโt wired like a Ravenclaw.
So, not a Ravenclaw. But why a Hufflepuff? After all, OP madevalid points about how easily Adrien fights his loved ones. Wouldnโtthat indicate a certain lack of Hufflepuff-ness? My answer to thatis: not necessarily.
Hufflepuffs are hardworking, patient, and fair players - alltraits Adrien has in spades. But Hufflepuffโs trulyย definingย trait- loyalty - is the one that really cements me on this particularsorting for Adrien. Itโs true that Adrien pulls no punches whenconfronting his akumatized friends, but itโs equally true thatAdrienโs goal is toย freeย his friends from Hawkmothand restore them to themselves. At the end of the day, he fights soferociouslyย for them, trying to defeat the enemy in orderto retrieve the friend trapped inside. What at first looks like alack of loyalty is instead a bright exampleย ofย saidloyalty. OP also mentioned Adrienโs willingness to confront hisloved ones, like Chloe inย Despair Bear. Confrontingsomeone you care about on a genuine problem in their life is hardly asign of disloyalty - in fact, it would be farย moreย disloyalto stand back and allow toxic behaviors in someoneโs life tocontinue hurting them, simply because confrontation makes one feeluncomfortable. The fact that easy-going, gentle Adrien is willing to stifle his natural instincts to make peace in order to confront his loved ones only highlights his loyalty to them, revealing how far he will go for their good. To again referenceย Despair Bear, Adrienwas speaking in defense of his friends - also people he is loyal to -gave Chloe an entire seasonโs worth of chances before offering hisultimatum, and all throughout the episode stood by her side,believing in her and encouraging her, and coaxing others to believein her as well. This kind of tenacity and loyalty is allย markedlyย Hufflepuffbehavior.
Adrien continues to stay loyal to Chloe, even past the point where he should probably cut ties. He remains her friend despite the often cruel way she treats the other classmates - a fact that would look rather contradictory of Adrienโs character if he werenโt so hopelessly Hufflepuff. He remains her friend despite her habit of constantly harassing him in season 1. Adrien is veryย quick to forgive her and reaffirm their friendship after somewhat minimal effort on Chloeโs part to make amends in Despair Bear, because he wantsย to remain faithful to her, despite everything. He also defends her to Ladybug on multiple occasions, in episodes like Antibugย or Queen Wasp, regardless of Ladybugโs very valid anger at Chloe. Because Adrien doesnโt turn his back on his friends.
Speaking of people Adrien is devoutly devoted to: Ladybug. OP mentioned that Adrienโs habit of constantly sacrificing himself for her is more an indication of logic - since Ladybug is the only one who can cleanse akumas - rather than loyalty. While I agree that this certainly aย part of it, I donโt think thereโs any indication that itโs the soleย reason, or even the primary reason. From a purely cinematic perspective, nearly every episode with Chat sacrificing himself for Ladybugย (Zombizou excluded) plays the scenario as a sacrifice for a friendย instead of as a means to an end, indicating that loyalty is in fact the root cause. But even disregarding his fierce protection of her in battle, his faith in her boarders on irrational. (This faith, this unwavering belief that Ladybug can and will rise above any obstacle, his willingness to do practically anything she asks based on that faith, is a subtler but equally strong fact of loyalty. After all, loyalty isnโt just an action - itโs also an unwavering belief in a person/cause.) In Dark Owl, Adrien was willing to give her his miraculous, which she said she was going to surrender to Hawkmoth, simply because she asked him to. No real objections or questions, simply a blind trust that Ladybug knew what she was doing, and Adrien was willing to risk one of his few freedoms - not to mention letting Hawkmoth win - based solely on that faith. Or how about in Heroโs Day, when Adrien insists with full confidence,ย โYou and me, we can do this,โ when faced with an literal armyย of akumas? Itโs certainly not faith in himselfย that prods him to say that. Adrien No-one-needs-me-as-Chat-Noir, Youโre-replacing-me-with-a-turtle? Agreste, he hasnโt got the highest self esteem on a good day, let alone when virtually the entire city of Paris is hunting them down with very dangerous superpowers. His words here stem entirely from his faith in Ladybug. Another example isย Reverser. In this episode Adrien, scared out of his mind at even a ride in a cab, willingly allows himself to be blindfolded and tied to a kite, then hurls himself off the Eiffelย Tower, even knowing that Ladybug can barely walk three steps without making a mess, trusting her to catch the rope and guide him safely. The ability to trust someone that completely is an unabashedly Hufflepuff trait.
To further examine the topic, what about his feelings for Ladybug? Adrien is a hopeless romantic, and he wantsย to be in a relationship. But no matter how hard he might try - like his attempted date with Kagami - heโs already given his heart to Ladybug and canโt even comprehend the idea of taking it back and trying with someone else. Tikki and Marinette even have a conversation about it in Weredadย - Tikki cautions Marinette and reminds her that Ladybug has rejected Chat Noir so many times, that he might be willing to try with someone new. Marinette simply scoffs at the idea, utterly confident that Chat Noir is devoted fully to Ladybug. And sheโs right. No matter how many times she tells him sheโs in love with someone else, Adrien is simply incapableย of taking back his affection, or to stop trying with her (for better or for worse). In fact, I credit his devotion to Ladybug as the reason heโs so blind to Marinette - Adrien clearly adoresย Marinette, he has nothing but a thousand glowing praises to say about her, and is baffled at the idea that someone as amazing (in his own words) as Marinette might like Chat Noir. Itโs not a lack of affection that keeps him on hisย โjust a friendโ train - itโs the fact that his eyes are so full of Ladybug that he doesnโt even seeย Marinette, not that way.
The final point Iโm going to make (because this post has gotten quite out of hand) is Adrienโs loyalty to Gabriel. While Adrienโs loyalty to his friends and partner is commendable, his relationship with his father a much more unfortunate story: loyalty misplaced. Loyalty blinding him to faults. When Gabriel akumatizes himself into the Collector, that isย a marked indication of his innocence in the Hawkmoth debate โฆ but it doesnโt negate the previous evidences, all of which Adrien is perfectly content to ignore for the sake of maintaining his relationship with his father. Theย lastย thing he wants to believe is that his father is the madman terrorizing the city. So he doesnโt. Even beyond the question of Hawkmoth, however, Adrienโs loyalty to his father is the root of him blaming himself for his fatherโs behavior, while letting Gabriel off scott free. I DONโT say this to blameย Adrien in any way, because Adrien is very much the victim of his fatherโs abuse. Adrien bends over backwards to please and appease his father: his extra curriculars are of Gabrielโs choosing, and Adrien makes sure to excel in each. Even before public school was cause for motivation, Adrien still made high grades to please his father. Adrien models for Gabrielโs company, and seems happy to do so. Adrien works so hardย to be the perfect son. But he gets little to nothing out of it. Gabriel rarely dines with him, never leaves the house to support Adrienโs school activities, photo shoots, or fencing matches, keeps him locked away, isolated in his room like a cage (to the point where imprisonment becomes one of his worst fears). Gabriel tells him that he must schedule appointments with Nathalie for something as simple as a conversation with his father. Gabriel scolds and guilts Adrien for something as innocent as sneaking out to watch a movie that starred his mother (all while hiding his own heinous secrets). Gabriel intentionally manipulates Adrien into believing that Gabrielโs akumatization in The Collectorย is his fault. Gabriel gave him nothing but a single pen for his birthday for three years (or in the original French, completely forgotย about it very often).
In the face of such treatment, many children would be inclined to grow resentful, angry and rebellious, hurting deeply over their abuse. Adrien, however, grows pensive and insecure. His loyalty to Gabriel blinds him, leads him to stalwartly refuseย to acknowledge Gabrielโs treatment of him. Baring two short instances in Simon Says, Adrien never - not once - corrects, accuses,or snaps at Gabriel. The closest he comes is sadly acknowledging that Gabriel once again, wonโt be showing up/ refuses to give him an inch/ etc., and even then Adrein is merely sad instead of accusatory. Adrien leaps at any crumbs of affection Gabriel might deign to toss his way, so blinded by his love and loyalty to this man that it never even occurs to him that he deserves better from his own father. Instead, he willingly shoulders the blame, or makes allowances and excuses, or ignores the situation all together. Because if Gabriel is whatโs wrong with their relationship โฆ then Adrein might have to pull away fro his own good. And that goes against his very nature. Adrien being at fault is infinitely more preferable to him than cutting ties to his father.
So, yes. I believe that Adrien is 100% a Hufflepuff - not for his sweet smile or his compassion or his penchant for optimism, but for his fierce dedication and unwavering trust in those he loves, even those who may not deserve it. Adrien is absolutely a Hufflepuff, and I cannot be convinced otherwise. Although OP did make one very valid point - poor Adrien would look terribleย in yellow. Sorry, Adrien.
jbbartram-illu
blakekathryn
ellievsbear
janainaart
jacobvanloon
gummygunk
yousharknotpass
