Spirited Away is one of the best Studio Ghibli films. The film is a beautiful coming-of-age story that combines fantasy and adventure with just enough danger to keep it from becoming too scary for Princess Mononoke. Read more Facts About No Face here!
Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese director, was inspired to make the animated film by his friend, a 10-year-old girl. The film features No-Face, one of the fascinating characters in Miyazaki.
Chihiro Ogino’s first encounter with No-Face is in Spirited Away. He is a transparent spirit that no one seems to notice. After being renamed Sen by Yubaba and made a bathhouse worker, No-Face transforms from a shy, quiet character into a savage beast. Fans may not have realized the fascinating facts about this “monster,” There is more to it than meets the eyes.
Richard Keller updated this page on March 27, 2020: Spirited Away is still a great example of high-quality anime, nearly two decades after its release. It bridges the entertainment gap between children and adults. Studio Ghibli also created No-Face, a mascot. Here are some additional details about this character.
14 FACE IS AN ANTI-VILLAIN
This film’s second main character is not a hero. No-Face is not a villain. The spirit lies somewhere in between. The spirit is an anti-villain if it appears as an apparition with a vast appetite: an anti-hero, or as other non-corporeal beings are called, a nemesis.
Take into account the actions of No Face. The white-masked creature doesn’t just eat evil spirits. It will also eat other people, so it doesn’t feel lonely. It also unusually befriended Chihiro. No-Face is most hurtful when it eats dark spirits. Imagine the X-Men’s Rogue absorbing Green Goblin’s power.
13 NON-BINARY – NO-FACE
No-Face was first introduced as a spirit. He has always been called a “he” whenever he is mentioned. It was later discovered that the spirit does not have a gender.
This is logical. It is a white, mask-like face that can’t be identified by gender. It has a voracious appetite that is no different from a Las Vegas buffet guest. No-Face, in the end, is just a spirit searching for answers.
12 NO-FACE INSPIRED STAR WARS VILLAIN
Star Wars fans who have not seen the films are likely to be familiar with Darth Nihilus. Mainly if they have played Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, No-Face created this Dark Lord.
The resemblance between the two is quite striking. To make Nihilus appear ghostly, he is dressed in the same black, featureless costume as No-Face. Although there have been designing changes to his mask, the emptiness of his face is still present. The difference lies in the characters’ emotions. While we can’t tell No Face’s emotions, we know how much Nihilus hates.
11 NO-FACE IS A PLUSH toy (among other things)
No-Face has been the face of Ghibli Studios since its introduction at the beginning of the 21st Century. It’s no surprise that the character appears in many products.
The anti-villain can be purchased as a plush doll, a music box, or a car windshield sticker. Many pieces of clothing feature No-Face’s emotionless mask, as well as a set of translucent figures that imitate its non-human appearance.
10 HE LEAVES FOOTPRINTS
No-Face’s footprints are visible when he walks. If viewers pay attention, they will notice this. This raises questions about whether the spirit wants to be seen at all.
Also, read Lady Tsunade Death Facts!
It’s pretty interesting to see footprints in the film, considering it is a blend of Chihiros spirit world and his human world. They may be there to prove that No Face was not just a fantasy of Chihiro.
9 HIS NAME ISN’T KAONASHI
Japanese is not the preferred language for No-Face. However, it is commonly referred to as “No Face” in Japan. In Japanese, however, Kaonashi is the spirit’s name. The term means “Faceless.” Kaonashi’s description of the creature is very accurate. He wears a mask as his face and has no face. However, he absorbs the faces around him, creating new attitudes and opinions from the people he meets.
No-Face doesn’t have a face; it is almost entirely bodyless. His black, tube-like body almost looks hollow as it could also be filled with the opinions and ide of others.
8 HE WAS INSPIRED BABETTE’S FEAST
The writer explained No-Face’s gluttony in Spirited Away when he was asked about it. He said that Babette’s Feast inspired him. It is a beautiful movie. Miyazaki stated that even in the movie, characters eat a lot.
No-Face doesn’t have it all. Many characters struggle to control their appetites. Chihiro’s parents become pigs from their greed when they can’t stop eating spirit food at a restaurant. Yubaba’s baby Bo also becomes greedy. Yubaba’s sister Zeniba calls him “a bit too porker” upon meeting him.
7 HIS MASK HAS A BETTER MOUTH
No-Face’s mask, which is made of Japanese art and features beautiful violet and grey colors, is stunning. The show features a small mouth, which changes according to his emotions. However, the mask’s mouth is not his. It hides a more dangerous set of chompers, which are useful when Yubaba decides to eat workers in Yubaba’s bathroom.
The spirit’s teeth, primarily molars, don’t seem to do any severe grinding. This leaves our cast of swallowed characters intact and can escape after he has regurgitated them all.
6 HE EATS OTHERS, GAINS THEIR PERSONALITY TRAITS
No-Face’s physical appearance can be seen by those who pay attention to him. He even develops frog-like legs and moves faster. After swallowing Aogaeru (the blue-kimono-wearing frog), he developed a gluttonous personality. After he has ingested Aogaeru, he can talk and speak in the voice of the frog.
No-Face is a lonely soul and hopes to make connections with others. He believes that by acting and eating like a bathhouse worker, he will be able to gain some attention from Sen.
5 HE IS NOT AS GREEDY HE SEEMS
No-Face seems like a greedy jerk, eating every edible thing in his path and asking for everything in the Studio Ghibli bathhouse. He is a flexible spirit that adapts to the needs of others. He is naive about the bathhouse, and Sen lets him help her get bath tokens.
No-Face discovers the secrets of the bathhouse, learning from the other guests. However, he begins to crave worldly things, and the more people that he eats, the more human-like he appears to become. Sen, who received her magic emetic dumpling from the River Spirit to “cure” No-Face, makes him a friend again.
4 HE HAS AN ACTUAL FORM
Miyazaki reminded us in an interview that Japanese spirits don’t have a form. Therefore, even No-Face, each spirit is just a representation or a more potent form of the god or spirit. “Japanese gods don’t have an actual condition. They can be found in rocks, pillars, or trees. He explained that they required a form to enter the bathhouse.
This is an excellent idea regarding the Shinto kami, which are not separated from nature but within it. It also makes sense for what works well for children’s movies. Spirited Away was a movie that tweens would love, so it needed compelling characters.
3 HE IS A NOPPERABO
The Copper-bo, or faceless ghost, is a mythological creature in Japanese yokai stories. They often appear as human-like creatures and, while they don’t pose any danger to humans, they can be pretty frightening. They trick their victims into believing they are a trusted friend. Then, they make their face disappear and replace it with blank skin.
No-Face is not like a Noppera-bo because he seeks approval from Chihiro and not her fear. This animated film is another example of Miyazaki translating urban legends into an animation that’s both child-friendly and still disturbing.
2 HE IS THE SUBJECT OF MAIN FAN THEORIES
Spirited Away Anime Director Hayao Miyazaki
Fans love to speculate on their favorite characters’ backstories, and No-Face is no exception. Many fans believe that No-Face could be another human trapped in the Spirit World. Maybe he wasn’t as brave when Yubaba took his name. He was never able to win his freedom. People use his transparency to back up the theory and the transparent nature of Chihiro and the passengers on the train.
Miyazaki has not denied several theories, including N0-Face, which he believes represents the horrors of Japanese child slavery. He even makes statements that make it sound like he intended for the film as an allegory for something more sinister.
1 BOB BERGEN VOICED HE
Although No-Face’s speaking voice is not his best, he can make sounds and has lines just like other characters. Bob Bergen, the voice of Spirited Away in English, is the character’s spirit. Bergen is most well-known for his Looney Tunes voice, making characters such as Tweety Bird Porky Pig, and Marvin the Martian come to life. But he has also voiced characters in Fraggle rock, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Robot Chicken, and Robot Chicken.
The voice of No Face is Japanese actor Akio Nagura in the Japanese version, Sen and Chihiro Spiriting Away.
