Strongest Characters from Studio Ghibli, Ranked

Studio Ghibli films are known for producing works with lovable and complex characters. Director Hiyao Miyazaki historically said that producing movies with strong female protagonists is one of his biggest priorities. Strength comes in many forms, and Studio Ghibli films showcase a full range of strength.

Physical strength is just as important as emotional strength and the strength to remain committed to morals and values. Characters like Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro and the Forest Spirit of Princess Mononoke are forces of nature which are far stronger than any human can fathom. Protagonists like Nausicaa and Ashitaka choose to do the right thing when weaker characters would fail miserably.

10 Osono Runs Her Bakery No Matter What in Kiki’s Delivery Service

• Kiki’s Delivery Service is based off of a children’s novel written by Eiko Kadono.

When Kiki comes to a new town to start her apprenticeship as a witch in Kiki’s Delivery Service, the first friend she makes is the baker lady, Osono. Osono is a very involved member of her community, watching out for other people and mothers in town, and Kiki helps her return a baby’s pacifier to a shopping mother. Osono is an expecting mother who appears to be in her third trimester, and she takes in Kiki right away, giving her a room in the bakery’s attic.

Running any business is a work-intensive endeavor, and running a bakery means waking up before dawn to fire up the ovens. Osono’s husband, Fukuo, helps her knead endless rolls of bread dough, pop them in and out of the oven, and stock the shelves. Osono does just as much work as her husband, and helps Kiki, regardless of the fact that she’s about to have a baby. Being pregnant is physically equivalent to running a marathon, and it’s amazing that Osono does so much all at once.

9 Dola Is a Fierce Pirate Captain in Castle in the Sky

• Laputa was inspired by the fictional city from Gulliver’s Travels.

Dola starts out as a kind of antagonist in Castle in the Sky, as she, too, has a vested interest in Laputa. Dola is a fierce woman and age doesn’t hold her back from her air pirate duties. Eventually, Dola helps out the kids Sheeta and Pazu. In fact, she is a priceless ally who saves them, along with her air pirate sons.

It would take a lot to take Dola down. She has strength of character, physical strength, determination, and a commanding presence. She runs a tight ship with her piracy, and has excellent leadership skills. She’s the kind of character to inspire and maintain respect.

8 Howl’s a Powerful Wizard Who Resists Political Pressure in Howl’s Moving Castle

• Howl’s Moving Castle is inspired by a fantasy novel written by Diana Wynne Jones.

Howl Pendragon is known for having formidable magical powers and eating the hearts of young women in Howl’s Moving Castle. As it turns out, Howl is quite the soft-hearted coward. He masquerades as several other wizard identities to escape his duties to the crown, who wants his help fighting a useless war.

Howl ducking his responsibilities shows that he has some discernment and hidden strength. There’s no doubt that as silly as he is, Howl is very magically gifted. When Sophie Hatter comes into his life and challenges him, he taps even more into his strength of character. He defies the crown and learns how to be brave and strong enough to embrace his true feelings for Sophie.

7 Ashitaka’s Curse Gives Him Terrifying Strength in Princess Mononoke

• Neil Gaiman adapted the English screenplay of Princess Mononoke.

Ashitaka was already an accomplished warrior and responsible leader at the beginning of Princess Mononoke. He goes up against a terrifying and larger-than-life demon to protect his small Emishi village, with just his bow and arrow and his red elk, Yakul. The boar demon curses Ashitaka, and the blight will eventually consume him.

The boar demon curse is a curse of hatred, and it also gives Ashitaka an otherworldly strength. Just one of Ashitaka’s arrows is enough to lop off his enemy’s limps. Ashitaka does not appreciate the added strength his curse gives him, though. His true strength comes from his spirit, his compassion, and his sense of right and wrong.

6 Sophie Steps Into Her Own Power in Howl’s Moving Castle

• In the book, Sophie has two sisters rather than just one, and she doesn’t expect much of herself, since her other two sisters are so beautiful and accomplished.

Sophie Hatter doesn’t think much of herself in Howl’s Moving Castle. When the Witch of the Waste targets Sophie and curses her, transforming her into an old woman, Sophie had no ability to defend herself. Sophie has a stalwart nature, though; she’s reliable, and she takes no nonsense, even from a handsome wizard with a terrifying reputation, which is rather impressive.

The old age curse frees Sophie in a strange way; she goes out on her own to seek her fortune. It’s more obvious in the book of the same name that the movie is based on that Sophie is a witch whose power manifests through her words and her intention. Sophie calling herself an old woman in the beginning of Howl’s Moving Castle acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sophie taps more and more into her gifts while she’s with Howl and Calcifer in the castle.

5 Moro Defends the Forest Until Her Last Breath in Princess Mononoke

• San was originally written to be a third princess, and in the theatrical release, she is Moro’s third child, after her two wolf sons.

Moro is a wolf goddess who raises her pack of wolf sons and her human daughter to defend the forest with her in Princess Mononoke. She’s much larger than any normal wolf, she can speak with all creatures, and she has two tails almost like a kitsune. As fierce as she is, she’s capable of great compassion–when San’s parents threw their baby at her as a sacrifice, Moro adopted the child and raised her as her own.

Moro is one of the most threatening gods to Lady Eboshi. Her fierceness has a lasting bite, even after her body dies. Moro’s ideals live on beyond her in her children, who respect and revere her. The wolf goddess is determined and wise, accepting her imminent death, which is a feat few can do with grace, and she fights the good fight to the very last.

4 Nausicaa Is a True Believer in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is adapted from a manga of the same name written by film director Hayao Miyazaki.

Drawing a sword in anger is easy, but showing kindness when it’s painful is difficult and infinitely nobler, as Lord Yupa teaches Nausicaa in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Nausicaa lets a fox squirrel bite her to show the creature that she means it no harm, winning its trust. The princess of the Valley of the Wind only embraces that lesson more and more as her story continues.

Nausicaa’s strength lies in her self-control, her critical thought, and above all–her compassion. She shows that a person who masters their emotions masters themselves, and can better serve their world. Nausicaa endures even greater pain to save one small creature–and it’s that action that saves her whole world.

3 Totoro Is a Gentle Giant in My Neighbor Totoro

• Totoro is a species name and the main Totoro in the film is “Oh-Totoro,” meaning “Big Totoro.” The smaller blue and white Totoro are “Chuu-Totoro,” and “Chibi-Totoro,” respectively.

Two small girls move to the countryside with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother in My Neighbor Totoro. The youngest sister, Mei, is very curious. She follows a trail of acorns into a great hollow tree, the resting place of an amazing forest spirit–a huge, gray Totoro.

Totoro is the size of several grizzly bears put together, but he is an incredibly gentle giant. He takes to Mei and Satsuki right away, watching out for them and giving them gifts to cheer them up. When Mei goes missing, Satsuki knows that Totoro will find her right away. Not only is Totoro gargantuan, he is generous, and he has magical gifts that let him fly, summon other creatures with his roar, and grow ancient trees from planted acorns in a single night.

2 Granmamere Is a Great, Elemental Goddess in Ponyo

• Granmamere and the other oceanic scenes and creatures are inspired by Expressionist art. Granmamere swimming in the ocean is inspired by Sir John Everett Millais’ painting, “Ophelia.”

Granmamere appears to be in her early 30s in Ponyo, but she’s really a 600-year-old sea goddess. She’s a guardian of the oceans, and mother to Ponyo and her many sisters. She can transform from a regular human stature

to the size of a blue whale.

Not only is Granmamere powerful, she is wise and patient. She trusts her daughter Ponyo with her wish to be human, and knows the wisdom of consulting with other mothers, as she does with Sosuke’s mom, Lisa. Granmamere has great protective powers, and her presence alone revitalizes humans around her, blessing them with youthful strength. Her powers may be limitless, as her very essence is eternal and magical.

1 The Forest Spirit Is Life Itself in Princess Mononoke

• The Forest God’s design was partly inspired by the Luck Dragon, Falkor, from The Neverending Story.

The Forest Spirit of Princess Mononoke is benevolent, harsh, and strange all at once–as nature often is. The Forest Spirit is a highly coveted being. Lady Eboshi thinks killing the Forest Spirit will help her win her war against the forest and nature itself; the duplicitous monk Jigo thinks its head will win him riches and favor from the Emperor.

Both Jigo and Lady Eboshi’s plans are in vain as the Forest Spirit can never die, not even when its head is separated from its body. Its very lifeblood can curse or heal, in turn. San and Ashitaka learn and are blessed the most from the Forest Spirit as they respect the guardian of life, death, and reincarnation.