Who is Lila Rossi?
There has been a lot of speculation about who Lila Rossi truly is. Even her true name is a mystery as she has multiple different identities. With the recent season, it appears we may have our answer: she is Tomoe Tsurugi’s daughter and Kagami’s half-sister. Now, a lot of people do believe that Tomoe is merely one of Lila’s many fake mothers, and that we aren’t meant to interpret it literally when she refers to Tomoe as “mother” and Kagami as “sister”, but I disagree. Because this is a show for kids and must be understood by them, so I don’t think we are supposed to overthink this. But also, because there is a lot of evidence that supports this to be the truth within the show itself, and it would explain a lot about Lila’s motivation and potentially, goals. Let’s review together from her first appearance to the current season, all the hints and how it might connect to her ultimate goal.
In her first appearance in the episode Volpina in season 1, Lila showed a particular interest in the fox miraculous and decided to claim she was a descendant of a fox superhero upon seeing a fox holder in the miraculous book. The fox is an animal often associated with Japanese mythology, notably the kitsune. Even the drawing in the book seems heavily inspired by Asian culture. Lila might have been drawn to this miraculous for that reason, because she herself is partially Japanese. Of course, being a descendant of a fox superhero was a lie, but lies are more believable when it’s mixed with the truth. So instead, the truth might have been that she was of Japanese descent.
Speaking of Lila being half-Japanese, I know this is also something heavily contested, so I’ll address it now: yes, I do believe it is possible that Lila is wasian. Yes, she does look white, but I think that has to do with the show’s artstyle. After all, Marinette is also wasian and she is often mistaken for white. That’d just make Lila very white-passing. I think Lila being wasian too would be interesting for that reason, because of how she mirrors Marinette’s character. Now that they are nemesis and archenemies, this is an interesting similarity they’d both share. But I digress. I just believe that disagreeing that Lila might be Tomoe’s daughter simply because she doesn’t look Japanese is faulty reasoning.
Another hint is in season 3, episode “Oni Chan”. This is the first time we see Lila interact with Kagami. When Lila was snooping around in Adrien’s room, she found a picture of him with his fencing team, including Kagami. As soon as she noticed Kagami in the picture, Lila immediately looked displeased. It’d be easy to just assume she was being jealous to see Adrien with another girl, but it is also possible she was simply upset to see her half-sister, whom she’d feel resentful of for being their mother’s favorite daughter. It could also be both, as in, she’s upset to see her half-sister, whom she resents, with the boy she is interested in.
Then Lila casually mentioned that she used to live in Japan for a few years. It could be a lie, but also, as seen in this episode, Lila can mix a bit of truth in her lies, so it is possible that she was telling the truth here. If she is indeed Tomoe’s daughter, she might have lived in Japan at some point, or just visited the country.
Speaking of Adrien, I think the fact Kagami might be her half-sister could recontextualize her interest in him. Tomoe always intended for Kagami to end up with Adrien, since they are both sentibeings and Tomoe doesn’t trust regular boys to be with her daughter. So perhaps Lila knew that her mother wanted Kagami to be with Adrien, so she took it upon herself to “steal” him away from her half-sister as retribution for being their mother’s favorite daughter, out of jealousy. I also think Lila’s interest in Adrien was a way to get closer to Gabriel, whom it does seem Lila knew was Hawk Moth for a while. In both cases, Adrien is a means to an end, more than sincere romantic feelings towards him.
Lila did manage to get closer to Kagami in season 5, manipulating her into thinking she views her as her best friend. There is a scene where Kagami mentions the Diamond Ball, where all rich families gather. Lila is quick to assume she should be invited, as if she is also part of a rich family. Which could make sense if she is Tomoe’s daughter and this is a gathering for rich people to showcase their children, whom they view as “diamonds”. When Kagami mentions she can’t be invited because, unlike her, who is a “precious stone”, Lila is “just a stone”. Lila seemed upset at that remark, and it might be because it is a reminder that she was abandoned by their mother, and never acknowledged as her “diamond” the way Kagami was. Of course, the excuse Lila gave to justify being invited was because of the Alliance Ring, but I think it’s possible that this is just a cover and her true reason was because she is part of the Tsurugi family and she wanted to be acknowledged as Tomoe’s daughter by being allowed to the ball. There is also a moment in the same season where Lila told Kagami that she is “like a sister” to her, which does seem like foreshadowing given what we learned in season 6.
Regarding Lila’s relationship to Tomoe, I think she was an illegitimate child Tomoe had with a man who betrayed her in some way, explaining her disdain for men in general. Lila being conceived out of wedlock or from a bad relationship could be a reason why Tomoe abandoned her, and Lila being adopted (or living with a foster family). Lila might have managed to trace back her origin and find out Tomoe is her biological mother and felt bitter about being abandoned by her, especially since Tomoe has another daughter. To know that she had been denied a life in a wealthy and affluent family could have led Lila to seek out that kind of prestigious life through other means, by making up lies to make herself look better and “important”. Lila does have many mothers, and it is possible she managed to convince them she is their daughter specifically by finding mothers who put up a child for adoption. She could have found these women specifically while looking for her birth mother, and decided to use them to satisfy her own needs. This is supported by how she spoke to one of her fake mothers, when they talk about how they managed to “find each other”.
Other clues that Lila has family issues is that a few times when she was alone, we see her look distressed or upset over family matters. Once it was about one of her fake mothers (or perhaps Ms Rossi is her actual, adoptive mother) not having time for her and Lila did look sad about it, which Max noticed. But Lila was quick to invent a lie. This wasn’t done to manipulate Max specifically, since she looked sad before she noticed Max’s presence.
Another time was when she overheard André vent about his family issue when spying on him and Gabriel, where she looked genuinely upset about what they were saying. If the show took the time to highlight her reaction to hearing them, then it’s safe to assume it is important to her character. It might be related to Lila’s unknown father, whom she might also have resentment for. Maybe she didn’t like how André was dismissive of his own daughter, because it reminded her of her own father not being around. Lila might resent her birth father for being the reason why her mother abandoned her. Interestingly, Lila doesn’t seem to be collecting fake fathers the way she does with fake mothers. Perhaps because she wished Tomoe had accepted her as her daughter, while she doesn’t feel that way for her biological father.
Then we reached season 6, where Lila explicitly referred to Tomoe as her mother. I know some people think Tomoe is just one of Lila’s fake mothers, but I don’t believe it. I don’t think Tomoe could be fooled into thinking she has an unknown daughter and let Lila get this close to her if she wasn’t actually her child. With all her resources, there is no way Tomoe can’t verify if Lila is indeed her daughter. Some people suggested that Lila was calling Tomoe “mother” ironically, which I also disagree with, because she also called Kagami her “favorite” daughter, implying that Tomoe does have more than one daughter.
There is also a scene in The Dirtifier where Chrysalis makes a comment about how it’s hard when “your mother doesn’t love you” when akumatizing the twins.
Then later in the episode, Lila referred to Kagami as her sister, which to me is a confirmation that they were indeed related. At this point, I find it hard to deny that they are indeed mother and daughter. Given this episode heavily focused on Tomoe and Kagami’s mother/daughter relationship this does seem like it is related to how Lila feels about Tomoe. Especially since the episode ends with Lila going to see Tomoe, then she requested to be trained instead of Kagami, since the latter has now decided to stop obeying her mother.
Also, there are a few instances of the creator himself, Thomas Astruc, reacting to the theory of Tomoe, Kagami and Lila being related. And if you know anything about his presence on Twitter, is that he is usually quick to shut down theories that aren't true. So that leads me to believe it is true.
Some people also pointed out that Lila's wig did look like Tomoe's hair when she was younger, so perhaps it was an intentional choice on her part in order to look more like her mother. Something she claimed she does.
In conclusion, Lila being Tomoe’s illegitimate daughter could explain most of Lila’s actions and behaviors in the series, as well as give us a clue to what her goal is. Ever since her first appearance in the show, Lila is someone who tries to make herself more important through her lies, constantly claiming to know celebrities and affluent people to boost her own social status. She also tried to get closer to Adrien and later Gabriel, trying to actually get close to rich and affluent people, through her lies and manipulation, in order to climb the social ladder. This could easily be explained by Lila feeling like she had been denied that kind of affluent life, feeling like this should have been her birthright as the first-born daughter of Tomoe. She is trying to be part of the elite because she considers she should have had that kind of life. Most of her actions throughout the show was a way for her to get acknowledged as someone who belongs with the upper class. She tried to be in a relationship with Adrien, then later managed to be his “partner” in the Alliance Ring, she also befriended Chloe and gained her as an ally in many of her schemes. And when Gabriel humiliated her by cutting ties with her, Lila sought retribution against him and managed to get his miraculous once he died, becoming the new butterfly holder. This is a new way for her to gain power, and possibly be acknowledged by Tomoe as well as get revenge on Ladybug and Marinette. I believe this is all about Lila’s bruised ego, and wanting to get what she feels she is owed: Tomoe finally acknowledging her as her daughter and as part of her family. And defeating Ladybug, someone who opposes Tomoe’s interest and also humiliated Lila in the past, is two birds one stone for Lila. Hopefully the finale will answer some of our questions regarding Lila and confirm that she is indeed Tomoe’s daughter.
Please, feel free to let me know your thoughts! I’m also planning to write a Lila analysis soon, where I will go into more details about her personality and potential backstory!
