10 No Face Facts Most Spirited Away Fans Don't Know | ScreenRant
Spirited Away is easily one of the top five Studio Ghibli films. It's a fantastic coming-of-age blend of fantasy and adventure, with just enough peril to make it on the edgier side for kids and tweens without sliding it into more scary Princess Mononoke territory. The Japanese animated film, which was inspired by writer and director Hayao Miyazaki's friend's 10-year-old daughters, has one of the most intriguing characters in the Miyazaki universe: the spirit No-Face.
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When Chihiro Ogino first sees No-Face in Spirited Away, he is a transparent spirit whom no one else seems to notice. Once she is dubbed Sen and made a bathhouse worker by the witch Yubaba, she invites No-Face in and he transforms from a quiet, seemingly shy character to a glutinous beast. There's much more to this monster than meets the eye, though, and some fans may have missed the most interesting facts about the "monster."
*Updated on March 23, 2020 by Richard Keller: Nearly two decades after its release, Spirited Away remains a prime example of high-quality anime. It bridges the entertainment gap between adults and children. In addition, it created a mascot of sorts for Studio Ghibli in the form of No-Face. Here are a few more pieces of information about this character.
14 *FACE IS AN ANTI-VILLAIN
The second main character of this film is not a hero. Nor is No-Face a villain. The spirit is somewhere in-between. Consider the apparition with an enormous appetite an anti-villain. Or, as similar non-corporeal beings are designated, an anti-hero.
Consider the actions of No-Face. The white-masked being doesn't simply eat bad spirits. It also devours others so it won't be lonely. Furthermore, it befriended Chihiro in a strange sort of way. The main time No-Face becomes evil is when it eats a dark spirit. Think of the X-Men's Rogue absorbing the power of Green Goblin.
13 *NO-FACE IS NON-BINARY
Since the spirit's introduction, No-Face has been referred to as a "he" when mentioned. However, upon further viewings, it's determined the spirit has no gender.
This makes sense. The white mask-like face has no discernable marks to determine its gender. Its voracious appetite isn't any different than a man or woman at a Las Vegas buffet. In the end, No-Face is simply a spirit looking for answers.
12 *NO-FACE INSPIRED A STAR WARS VILLAIN
Fans of Star Wars outside of the movies are probably familiar with Darth Nihilus. Especially if they played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. Well, this Dark Lord was inspired by No-Face.
Actually, the resemblance is uncanny. Nihilus is adorned in the same black, featureless garb as No-Face to make him seem like a ghost. While there are design changes in his mask, it still retains the emptiness. The main difference is in the two characters' emotions. We can't tell No-Face's while we definitely know how much hatred Nihilus has.
11 *NO-FACE IS A PLUSH TOY (AMONG OTHER THINGS)
Since the character's introduction at the start of the 21st century, No-Face has become the face, no pun intended, of Ghibli Studios. Thus, it's not a surprise the character is featured in numerous products.
For instance, consumers can purchase the anti-villain as a plush toy, a music box, or a car window sticker. There are several pieces of apparel that feature No-Face's emotionless mask and a set of translucent figures that mimic its non-human appearance.
10 HE LEAVES FOOTPRINTS
Given that the entire film is a blending of Chihiro's human world and the magic of the spirit world, it's interesting that there are footprints at all. Perhaps they exist to prove that No-Face was not a figment of Chihiros imagination.
9 HIS NAME IS KAONASHI
No-Face isn't just faceless, but nearly body-less, too. His long, black body is tube-like and almost appears hollow, as it it, too, could be filled with the ides and opinions of others.
8 HE WAS INSPIRED BY BABETTE'S FEAST
No-Face isn't alone in his greed, either. Several characters have trouble controlling their appetites. Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs out of their own greed after they are unable to stop consuming spirit food in a restaurant, and Yubaba's baby Bō is also greedy. His own aunt, Yubaba's sister Zeniba, calls him "a bit of a porker" when she meets him.
7 HIS MASK HIDES A BIGGER MOUTH
Thankfully, the spirit's teeth, which seem to be made up of only molars, don't do any catastrophic grinding, leaving our cast of swallowed characters not only whole but also able to escape once he's regurgitated each of them.
6 HE EATS OTHERS, GAINS THEIR PERSONALITY TRAITS
It's clear that No-Face is a very lonely spirit and wants to connect with others, and by eating and acting like a bathhouse employee he believes that he'll be able to gain some attention, particularly from Sen.
5 HE'S NOT AS GREEDY AS HE SEEMS
As No-Face explores the bathhouse and learns the ways of the rest of the staff and guests, however, he develops a hunger for materialistic things, and the more people he swallows the more he seems to take on more human-like characteristics. Once Sen "cures" him with the magic emetic dumpling, her gift from the River Spirit, he becomes a friendly spirit again.
4 HE HAS NO ACTUAL FORM
This makes a lot of sense in terms of not only the Shinto kami, which are not separate from nature but within it, but also in what works for a children's movie. Miyazaki wanted Spirited Away to be a movie tweens could love so it needed some really compelling characters.
3 HE IS A NOPPERA-BO
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Of course No-Face is a bit different than a typical Noppera-bō, since he seeks human approval from Chihiro rather than her fear. It's another example of Miyazaki translating an urban legend in an animated feature that's child-friendly yet still disturbing.
2 HE'S THE SUBJECT OF MANY FAN THEORIES
Several theories, such as N0-Face representing the horrors of child slavery in Japan, have not been denied by Miyazaki, and he has even made statements that sound as if he did intend for the film to stand as an allegory for something darker.
1 BOB BERGEN VOICED HIM
In the Japanese version of the film, known as Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away, Japanese actor Akio Nakamura is the voice of No-Face.