Princess Mononoke is widely considered legendary animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki‘s masterpiece. Set during Japan’s Muromachi period, it details a conflict between humans and nature spirits as they fight for the right to live. With its fluid animation, stellar backgrounds, and complex themes, it has been labeled as one of the best animated films of the 20th century – and possibly of all time.
The film has also received praise for its large amount of memorable and multifaceted characters. Unlike other environmental films, where humans tend to be painted as villains, Mononoke shows that both man and nature have good and bad qualities and that the real villains are hatred and a failure to communicate.
10 Nago
The leader of the boar clan in the hills around Irontown, Nago (Makoto Sato/John DiMaggio), attacked the humans when they began harvesting iron from the forest. He was driven off after being shot by Lady Eboshi (Yūko Tanaka/Minnie Driver). The pain and anger he experienced during the journey transformed him into a demon.
Nago is quickly killed when he attacks an innocent village at the beginning of the film, but he leaves quite an impact. He serves as a visual representation of the corrupting power of hate and the importance of finding balance with the natural world instead of fighting it. The design of his demonic form is one of Studio Ghibli’s best, as his body is covered in a mass of writhing worms that seem to come from his blood.
9 Gonza
Wherever Lady Eboshi goes, she is accompanied by her loyal samurai, Gonza (Tsunehiko Kamijô/John DiMaggio). He takes his job seriously, though his temper leads to others in the town not always respecting his authority. When Ashitaka (Yōji Matsuda/Billy Crudup) arrives at Irontown with some of his injured men, Gonza handles the wandering prince with both thanks and skepticism.
Gonza serves as comedic relief: he’s a large, imposing man who often gets belittled and made a fool of by people far below him. While he serves that role well, there are a few noble qualities about him, namely his devotion to protecting Eboshi. He’s willing to charge into danger, be it rampaging gods or Samurai hoards, if it means keeping her safe.
8 Kohroku
An ox driver responsible for transporting food to Irontown, Kohroku’s (Masahiko Nishimura/John DeMita) caravan was attacked by the wolf tribe led by Moro (Akihiro Miwa/Gillian Anderson). He was knocked off a cliff during the attack and survived with his arm and leg broken. Fortunately, Ashitaka finds him and an injured rifleman, returning them to Irontown.
Kohroku is far from heroic, and his fear of harmless spirits and domestic situations is played for laughs. Still, he’s a genuinely kind soul willing to help in what little ways he can, even if it’s just looking after Ashitaka’s weapons. He represents the common people who just want to keep their heads down and survive.
7 Toki
Like all the women of Irontown, Toki (Sumi Shimamoto/Jada Pinkett Smith) worked as a prostitute until Lady Eboshi bought her contract. Now, she acts as the women’s de facto leader, organizing them in producing iron and defending the town when the men are away. She’s married to Kohroku, and though she’s quick to berate him for his failures, she does love him.
Toki has a take-charge attitude, which makes her a natural leader during a crisis. She’s never afraid to speak her mind, even to authoritative people like Gonza, and can leave them speechless with her biting remarks. In battle, she fights as fiercely as any soldier, knowing it’s better to die doing what she loves than to live a life she hates.
6 Okkoto
Having learned of the death of Nago, the elder boar god, Okkoto (Hisaya Morishige/Keith David), rallies his tribe to march on Irontown. Though Moro warns Okkoto that the boars have no chance of winning, he believes it is better to die in battle than be hunted by humans. Sadly, this stubbornness leads him to the same fate as Nago.
Okkoto is among the creepiest beings in Studio Ghibli’s movies, representing the tragic nature of the conflict and the dangers of being unwilling to compromise or change. Though his age has given him wisdom, he cannot see a world where man and nature coexist, leaving war as the only outcome. Though stubborn, Okkoto is a riveting character crucial to the film’s plot.
5 Jigo
While following Nago’s trail, Ashitaka meets Jigo (Kaoru Kobayashi/Billy Bob Thornton), a wandering monk who helps him get food. While he can’t help Ashitaka learn more about his ailment, he does point him toward the domain of the Forest Spirit, one of the best creatures in Studio Ghibli’s canon. Unknown to Ashitaka, Jigo is a trained mercenary skilled in killing gods and under the employment of the Emperor.
Jigo could easily be an irredeemable villain motivated by greed, but his character is so multifaceted that it’s hard to see him as one. He gave Eboshi the means to make her rifles to protect Irontown from raiding samurai and nature spirits and selflessly helped Ashitaka. Jigo’s a neutral party with no qualms about manipulating events to suit his needs, making him an ideal foil for Ashitaka.
4 Moro
An elder wolf god, Moro and her family have dutifully defended the land of the Forest Spirit for hundreds of years. Much of her clan was wiped out in conflict with Irontown, and Lady Eboshi eventually wounds Moro with an iron bullet. Yet, Moro refuses to give up and conserves her energy for one last chance at killing Eboshi.
At first, Moro appears as unchanging as the other nature spirits, and her personality has a fatalist tone of letting things be as they will be. However, she shows more restraint than the boars, facing her incoming death with dignity and refusing to become a demon. Her relationship with her adopted daughter, San (Yuriko Ishida/Claire Danes), is also rather tender and sees her give up her own goals if it means keeping San safe, making her one of the best moms in animation.
3 San
When Moro caught a human couple defiling her territory, they left behind their infant daughter to save themselves. Rather than eat her, Moro raised the child and named her San. The war with Irontown turned the young girl against humanity, who calls her Princess Mononoke.
San is among the best non-Disney princesses in animation. Like the spirit who raised her, San has a narrow view of the conflict. She thinks Eboshi’s death will end humans meddling with nature. Fortunately, her human heritage means she isn’t as rigid as they are and understands humans like Ashitaka are worth saving. By the end of the journey, she learns how to balance these two halves, which promises a brighter future for man and nature alike.
2 Eboshi
As the leader of Irontown, Lady Eboshi works hard to make her community a haven for the downtrodden and rejected. When the nature spirits attacked her town, she made a deal with Jigo for firearms in exchange for killing the Forest Spirit. Rather than storm the forest, Eboshi adopts a practical approach and has her people clear the woods while mining for iron.
Eboshi is easily the most complex character in the movie. While she represents humanity’s ambition and the spirit of progress, she also concerns herself with caring for the sick and freeing prostitutes from their contracts. She doesn’t even hate the spirits but rather sees them as obstacles to the survival of her town.
1 Ashitaka
The last prince of the Emishi people, Ashitaka is forced into exile when inflicted with a demon curse by Nago. He follows the boar god’s trail westward to see the world with eyes unclouded by hate, leading him to the war between Irontown and the forest.
Ashitaka is the audience’s surrogate, viewing the conflict from both sides without picking one. He is a noble soul who sees the value in every life and fights to preserve them. No matter what happens to him, from being shot to facing down ancient gods, he won’t give up until both sides can find a way to live in peace. Princess Mononoke is among the most powerful anti-war films, and Ashitaka is the voice of reason.
