Special Things about No Face in Spirited Away

Spirited Away is considered as one of the top five Studio Ghibli films. Coming through any ups and downs, the film still ranks in the highest position in the soul of Japanese and even fans all over the world. 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.

 

After a long time released, Spirited Away still ranks as the most valuable and high-quality anime in the anime industry. It also builds up the mutual perspectives between adults and children. Furthermore, Ghibli Studio has successfully created the image of No-Face as the famous and popular symbol from Japan. Here are some interesting information about this character. Check it out now!

 

10. HE LEAVES FOOTPRINTS

If viewers pay attention, they’ll notice that No-Face leaves footprints when he walks. The questions are expected to answer about the spirit wishes to be seen in the first place, and why he might be able to leave tangible evidence of his own existence when he’s also so see-through that other spirits don’t even notice his presence.

 

9. HIS NAME IS KAONASHI

For those who don’t know the Japanese, No-Face is just only known as “No-Face,” but actually his name is actually Kaonashi. The name in Japanese means, “Faceless.” Kaonashi shows the creature as he wears a mask for a face, but he has no face of his own, but he also consumes the faces around him, developing new attitudes and opinions based on those he encounters as well as eats. No-Face isn’t just faceless, his body is faded, too. 

8. HE WAS INSPIRED BY BABETTE’S FEAST

When asked about the gluttony demonstrated by No-Face in Spirited Away, the writer said that he’d been inspired by Babette’s Feast. “It is a very beautiful favorite movie. Even in that movie, the characters eat a lot,” Miyazaki said.

 

No-Face isn’t alone. Several characters have trouble controlling their appetites. Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs after they are unable to stop consuming spirit food in a restaurant, and Yubaba’s baby Bō is so chubby, too. 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

No-Face’s mask is a beautiful piece of Japanese art. His mask also features a small mouth that changes with his emotions. The mask mouth doesn’t belong to the monster, though. Instead, the mouth of him is really dangerous so he can eat up the bathhouse! 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

Viewers may notice that he quickly takes on the physical characteristics of those he swallows, even developing frog-like legs that he moves on. He also exhibits the personalities of his “prey,” first developing his gluttonous attitude after swallowing Aogaeru, the blue kimono-wearing frog. Once he’s swallowed Aogaeru, he can also talk, and speaks in the frog’s voice.

 

It’s clear that No-Face is a lonely guy and wants to get attraction from others, and he believes that  he’ll be able to gain some attention, particularly from Sen by causing the mass troubles!

5. HE’S NOT AS GREEDY AS HE SEEMS

No-Face seems like a real greedy jerk. The truth, however, is that he’s an adaptable spirit that changes based on those around him. Naive to the ways of the bathhouse, he first displays a kind heart when Sen allows him entrance into the establishment, helping her receive bath tokens when the foreman refuses to give her any.

 

4. HE HAS NO ACTUAL FORM

Miyazaki reminded us that Japanese spirits do not have a form, so each spirit, including No-Face, is really just a representation of that god or spirit in a more solid 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

 

Of course No-Face is a bit different from a typical Noppera-bō, since he seeks human approval from Chihiro rather than her fear. It’s another situation of Miyazaki when translating an urban legend into an animation product that’s child-friendly yet still disturbing.

 

2. HE’S THE SUBJECT OF MANY FAN THEORIES

Fans love to investigate their favorite characters and their backstories, and No-Face has no exception. Some fans realize that No-Face is another human who is trapped in the Spirit World. Perhaps he wasn’t as brave as usual when Yubaba took away his name and tended to keep him out of freedom his whole life. His transparency, together with the see-through nature of Chihiro when she first enters the Spirit World and the transparency of the passengers on the train, all is the hint for us to believe that they all support this theory. 

 

1. BOB BERGEN VOICED HIM

No-Face is believed to have no voices, just the scream and movement sounds. When dubbing in English, Bob Bergen is known as the voice of the spirit. Bergen is best known for his Looney Tunes voices, which he made the characters like Tweety Bird, Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian and Speedy Gonzalez come alive, but he’s also voiced characters in Fraggle Rock, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Robot Chicken, and other animated products. 

 

Do you think No-Face is the most interesting character in Spirited Away ? Leave your comments to share your ideas and even discuss all things about Spirited Away and all things about anime here with us!

 

Cre: https://screenrant.com/spirited-away-facts-fans-dont-know-no-face/

        https://ghibli.fandom.com/wiki/No-Face

        https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/No-Face_(Spirited_Away)