Girls with Strong Wills
Many of Hayao Miyazaki’s films feature girl protagonists with strong wills and the ability to act. This is unusual in commercial animation and is one element making his work distinctive. Women, particularly girls, play central roles in many of his films: Nausicaä in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Sheeta in Castle in the Sky, Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service, San in Princess Mononoke, Chihiro in Spirited Away, and Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle, an elderly woman before becoming young again.
These protagonists are not simply people to be protected. They act of their own will and drive the story forward. Miyazaki said in an interview, “I want to make films that boys will find entertaining even when the protagonist is a girl,” showing his pursuit of universal human drama beyond gender boundaries.
Journeys of Growth Through Trials
The stories of Miyazaki’s girl protagonists often center on growth. Kiki’s Delivery Service, released in 1989, portrays 13-year-old witch Kiki leaving home and struggling to become independent in an unfamiliar town. Initially confident, she experiences setbacks in a new environment and the trial of losing her magical powers. Ultimately, however, she rediscovers her individuality and abilities and takes a step toward true independence.
Similarly, in Spirited Away, released in 2001, the initially dependent Chihiro grows through trials in another world and ultimately gains the courage and wisdom to rescue her parents. Nausicaä also develops from simply a princess of the Valley of the Wind into a savior of a wider world as her story progresses. These journeys sometimes include suffering and loss, and Miyazaki portrays the girls’ inner growth without sugarcoating it.
Self-Discovery Through Bonds with Others
Encounters and relationships always play important roles in the growth of Miyazaki’s girl protagonists. Kiki grows through interactions with people such as baker Osono, painter Ursula, and the boy Tombo. Chihiro also discovers her strength through relationships with diverse characters such as Haku, Kamaji, Lin, and No-Face. In Princess Mononoke, the meeting of Ashitaka, raised in human society, and San, raised by wolves, changes both their worldviews. Miyazaki carefully portrays his protagonists’ discovery of themselves through these relationships. Such interactions are complex, sometimes involving misunderstandings and conflicts rather than simple distinctions between good and evil, and that realism resonates with viewers.
Family-like bonds beyond blood relationships are also an important theme in Miyazaki’s work, with diverse forms of family depicted, including the bond between sisters Satsuki and Mei and their father in My Neighbor Totoro, and the relationships among bathhouse coworkers in Spirited Away.
Messages for Contemporary Society
The coming-of-age stories of Miyazaki’s girl protagonists contain social messages beyond entertainment. Many move forward courageously despite difficulties and fear, sometimes standing up to protect those weaker than themselves. Their example offers strong encouragement to children living in contemporary society.
Their growth is also consistently portrayed through connections with nature and bonds with others, offering a counterpoint to weakened human relationships and separation from nature in modern life. Miyazaki’s girls are more than strong heroines: they are relatable people with complex inner lives, including weakness and uncertainty, who still try to move forward. That may be why they capture hearts across generations and borders.
His latest film, The Boy and the Heron, released in 2023, has a boy protagonist but likewise portrays growth through confronting grief over losing someone important, demonstrating Miyazaki’s consistent interest in coming-of-age stories. The girl protagonists he depicts will continue to give many viewers courage and hope.
