In this blog post, I will analyze director Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film ‘Princess Mononoke’ through the lens of the heroic myth’s narrative structure—separation, initiation, and return—and examine the theme of coexistence between humans and nature, as well as the significance of the film’s ending, through the conflict between Ashitaka, the mountain, and Eboshi.

My Connection to Animation and Why I Chose ‘Princess Mononoke’

I ended up writing this film analysis report to substitute for my midterm exam. If I hadn’t had this opportunity, as an utterly ordinary person who mindlessly and stoically endures the indiscriminate barrage of mass media, I would have spent the rest of my life viewing the topic of film analysis as something as distant and alien as a story from another world. However, when it actually came time to select a specific film to analyze, no title immediately sprang to mind. Of course, this may be partly due to my own indifference—I’m not the kind of person who can’t contain my intense love for movies and wanders here and there in search of good films to quench my thirst for cinema. But even when I looked back at the old films that had been shown each month, I don’t think there was a single one that had moved me enough to want to analyze it or that I had watched while deep in thought. So, I decided to start from scratch. The films we watched in the first class and the small subcategories within them—which I’d classified into various branches—began to slowly stir things up in my mind. Then, animation—which had been tucked away at the very edge of my film classifications—suddenly popped into my head. I knew right away: this was it.
In fact, I really love animation. To tell that story, I have to go back to my middle school days. Back then, I was the kind of student who was the epitome of “model student” from head to toe—so neat it was almost boring, with no hobbies other than studying. In short, I was the very definition of a stickler for the rules, the kind of person who wouldn’t do anything a teacher told me not to do, even when the teacher wasn’t around. Then, I ended up sitting next to a kid who was known as one of the school’s “top bullies.” Fortunately, for some reason I couldn’t quite fathom, he treated me with a surprising amount of respect. Far from bullying me, he hung out with me and opened my eyes to a whole new world I hadn’t even known existed. It was during this process of discovering that new world that I first fell in love with comics. Even during my senior year of high school—a time I’d later say I’d never want to go back to—I never stopped living and breathing comics. Thanks to this passion, I came to prefer anime-dedicated channels like Tooniverse over regular TV programs, and even while studying abroad, I scoured DVD stores here and there, collecting anime regardless of when they were produced. Putting my language studies on the back burner, I endured the lonely days of my time abroad by watching anime in their original languages. Furthermore, while the influence of a native Japanese teacher I met during high school conversation classes may have played a role, I became increasingly immersed in the thematic depth and artistic quality of Japanese animation. I was particularly moved by the themes in Hayao Miyazaki’s works—which seem to awaken us to something we’ve lost—to the point where I own all of his major films on DVD. Therefore, through this analysis of ‘Princess Mononoke’, I want to uncover exactly what the theme he sought to convey—which had previously felt as elusive as chasing clouds—truly is. Furthermore, I aim to unravel the narrative structure that runs throughout the entire work so that I can delve even deeper into his animation.

The Plot of ‘Princess Mononoke’

The setting of ‘Princess Mononoke’ dates back to Japan hundreds of years ago. The Emishi clan has been living in hiding on the northern frontier ever since their defeat in a battle against the Yamato court long ago. One day, a Tatari-gami (god of calamity) suddenly appears in the forest near a peaceful village. Filled with hatred and resentment toward humans, the Tatari-gami charges toward the village, and Ashitaka, the Emishi clan’s heir apparent, has no choice but to shoot an arrow at the god of calamity to protect the village. Although he ultimately defeats the god of calamity, a mark of death is imprinted on Ashitaka’s right arm, and he is cursed with a fatal curse. Ashitaka hears from Hisa, the village shaman, that ominous events are unfolding in the west. Having resolved to accept his fate—which leads to death—he decides to set out for the west. As Ashitaka leaves the village, Kaya, who has long harbored feelings for him, gives him a pendant made of obsidian. She tells him she will always think of him. On his way west, Ashitaka meets a man named Jikobo. When Ashitaka explains why he is heading west, Jikobo tells him a story about the Forest of Shishigami (the Deer God) at the western edge. After hearing about the Forest of Shishigami, where giant beast gods dwell, Ashitaka sets off for that place.
Meanwhile, in the valley, Princess Mononoke and the wild dog god Moro appear before Eboshi—the leader of the Tatara-ba (an iron-smithing village)—and her party as they are transporting rice, and begin their attack. In the chaos, several people fall down the valley, and Moro, who was charging toward Eboshi, is also shot by Eboshi’s gun and falls into the valley. Ashitaka, who happened to be passing through the valley at that moment, rescues Koroku and his group, who had been swept downstream by the current. Not far away, he discovers San tending to Moro’s wounds. He tries to speak to her, but receives only a cold response; San soon vanishes. Later, guided by the Kodama (tree spirits), Ashitaka and Koroku’s group make their way out of the forest and arrive at Tatara Village. San, the Princess Mononoke, denies her humanity. However, her fateful encounter with Ashitaka begins to gradually shake her resolve. While staying in Tatara-ba, Ashitaka learns that the Tatari-gami, who had cursed him with death, is actually the boar god who was shot by Eboshi. He also hears of Eboshi’s plan to drive the gods out of the forest and build a village where humans can live comfortably. Ultimately, realizing that his fate has been altered by the actions of humans, Ashitaka attempts to leave the village with a heavy heart. Just then, San—who is out to kill Eboshi—appears at Tatara Bay. A life-or-death battle ensues between San and Eboshi, and while trying to intervene, Ashitaka is shot and wounded as he leads San out of the village.
Having barely escaped Tatara-ba, Ashitaka and San ride Yakuru—a deer-like creature that Ashitaka rides—toward the Forest of Shishigami. However, Ashitaka’s injuries worsen, and he falls from Yakuru. San holds a knife to Ashitaka’s throat, angry that he has interfered with her mission. But in the end, she carries him—now unconscious—to the place where the Shishigami appears. Soon, the Shishigami appears before the dying Ashitaka. The Shishigami, who governs the life and death of all living things, saves Ashitaka’s life. Some time later, when Ashitaka regains consciousness, San brings him food. Since Ashitaka’s body has not yet fully recovered and he cannot eat properly, San feeds him from her own mouth. A single tear rolls down Ashitaka’s cheek. To San, Ashitaka is no longer an enemy. Ashitaka stays with San until his injuries have fully healed. Realizing that the final battle between humans and the gods is drawing near, Ashitaka asks Moro, the wild dog god, if there is a way for humans and the gods to coexist, but receives only a cold response. When Ashitaka belatedly learns that San has already left, he asks Moro’s child to deliver a pendant to San and leaves the forest. Upon receiving the pendant, Moro urges San to leave with Ashitaka. However, San charges toward the humans alongside the gods.
Emerging from the forest, Ashitaka witnesses the Tatara Village under attack by samurai. After Toki asks him to request reinforcements from Eboshi, Ashitaka turns back toward the forest. Upon returning to the forest, he finds the air thick with the stench of blood and the ground littered with the corpses of the gods. There, Ashitaka rescues Moro’s child, and upon learning that Eboshi is pursuing San, he races off with Moro’s child to save her. Meanwhile, to save the dying Okkotonushi, San and her companions head toward the Shishigami’s lair. Eboshi follows in their wake, and eventually, they all arrive at the place where Shishigami appears. Unable to control his heart, consumed by rage and hatred, Okotonushi gradually transforms into a Tatari-gami. Even San, who tries to stop him, is absorbed by Okotonushi and trapped within the body of the god of calamity. Ashitaka and Moro desperately try to save San, but they are overwhelmed and struggle to hold their ground. Just then, Shishigami appears and takes Okotonushi’s life. As a result, San is freed from her fate of becoming a Tatari-gami, but in the process, Moro—who was like a mother to San—also meets her end.
Bathed in moonlight, Shishigami transforms into his nocturnal form, Didarabotchi. Eboshi aims her gun at him. Ashitaka throws his sword to stop him, but it is already too late. Shishigami’s head falls to the ground, and Jikobo’s group flees with Shishigami’s head tucked into a container they had prepared in advance. A terrifying, life-sucking power spreads from Shishigami’s headless body, and every living thing touched by this power of death begins to perish. As the forest and its creatures vanish, San resents Ashitaka for trying to save the wounded Eboshi. Ashitaka emphasizes that he and Eboshi are both human and pleads with San for help. San and Ashitaka help Eboshi’s group escape the forest and then head back into the woods to return Shishigami’s head. Shishigami, chasing Jikobo’s gang in search of his head, threatens Tatara-ba and the villagers, taking the lives of everything in his path. Ashitaka and San finally retrieve Shishigami’s head from Jikobo and return it to him. Upon regaining his head, Shishigami collapses, using the power of life to revive the forest he had destroyed. Thanks to Shishigami’s sacrifice, life begins to sprout anew in the forest. Freed from the curse of death, Ashitaka urges San to live among humans. However, San, unable to forgive humans, ultimately chooses the forest. Ashitaka promises to live in Tatara-ba and visit her there.

“Princess Mononoke” Viewed Through the Narrative Structure of Heroic Mythology

When evaluating the animated film ‘Princess Mononoke’, many people have understood and interpreted its content by linking it to the destruction of nature and issues of human survival caused by modern industrial civilization. Some have focused their evaluation on the visuals and music, while others have examined the film’s historical setting—the Muromachi period—to understand the story’s narrative structure within the historical context of shifting perceptions regarding nature as a sacred realm. However, the focus of this analysis lies in the narrative structure. Therefore, I will examine, in my own way, how the hero’s myth—which existed in ancient myths and folktales—is incorporated into modern animation.
First, let’s consider the structure of the hero’s myth by dividing it into three broad stages: “Departure—Initiation—Return.” At the beginning of the film, Ashitaka is cursed with death for killing a Tatari-gami. He then leaves the village and begins a journey westward, where the conflict between the mountains and Eboshi unfolds. This can be described as the stage in which he is separated from his daily life and sets out on a new adventure. Furthermore, the opening scene, which depicts mountains shrouded in thick fog, seems to foreshadow that Ashitaka’s adventure and fate will not be smooth sailing. The encounter with Jikobo at the start of the adventure serves to open a new chapter in Ashitaka’s journey. Jikobo tells Ashitaka about the existence of the Shishigami and the forest where it lives, and guides Ashitaka to set the Shishigami’s forest as his destination. Here, Jikobo plays the role of providing Ashitaka with information regarding the direction of his journey. However, despite appearing as a monk, Jikobo is a greedy and scheming figure who, upon seeing the gold Ashitaka possesses, offers him a favor and joins in on humanity’s desire to gain immortality by using the Shishigami’s head. The fact that Jikobo—whose character is worlds apart from Ashitaka’s—is the one providing him with information can be seen as foreshadowing the trials Ashitaka will face later on.
On his way to the Shishigami Forest, Ashitaka encounters Eboshi’s party, who are transporting rice; Moro, the wild dog spirit attacking them; and San. Viewed in the context of the entire film, this scene is significant because it introduces the key characters whose conflicts and tensions will drive the story forward. However, in terms of narrative progression, it is difficult to view this section as the immediate beginning of Ashitaka’s adventure. Rather, this scene should be seen as serving to pique the audience’s curiosity about why the girl riding the wild dog god is attacking Eboshi’s party, and to draw the audience deeper into the film by presenting a part of the conflict early on. I believe the true beginning of the adventure is the moment Ashitaka enters Tatara-ba. There, Ashitaka learns what Eboshi and the villagers are doing and what they are working toward. In the process, he realizes that the curse etched on his right arm is not simply a calamity inflicted by the gods, but stems from the gods’ wrath and hatred caused by human actions. Furthermore, as he hears the story of the Mountain—whom he briefly encountered in the valley before arriving at the village—the conflict between the Mountain and Eboshi begins to unfold in earnest. At this point, the audience also learns the reason behind the earlier battle and begins to take an interest in what stance Ashitaka will take and what role he will play amid their conflict. As this now-exposed conflict and tension are woven into Ashitaka’s adventure, the purpose of his journey—which he had in mind when he left the village—begins to shift. What began as a simple journey to lift his curse transforms into an adventure that deeply entangles him in the conflict between humans and nature. Therefore, this section can be considered the true beginning of Ashitaka’s adventure.

The Conflict Between Eboshi and the Mountain, and Ashitaka’s Choice of Coexistence

Eboshi wants to drive out all the gods living in the mountain. Her goal is to create a more livable environment for humans. I believe Eboshi symbolizes the archetype of humans living in the modern era, which is becoming increasingly industrialized and civilized. Industrial civilization is a stage of civilization that has begun to utilize and transform nature far more actively and aggressively than the agrarian civilizations that preceded it. It is an era of people who believe that actively exploiting nature will bring greater prosperity and convenience than living in harmony with it. Therefore, from Eboshi’s perspective—rooted in this way of thinking—the mountain spirits such as Shishigami, Moro, Okotonushi, and Kodama are significant obstacles to her plan to utilize and destroy the forest to build a village. Eboshi accepts the task of removing these obstacles as an unavoidable destiny for the advancement of civilization and devotes all her energy to this end. On the other hand, Princess Mononoke seeks to stop the humans who are destroying the mountain and protect the mountain spirits out of hatred and loathing for them. What is interesting here, however, is that the one trying to protect the mountain spirits is not only the spirits themselves but also “San,” a human girl. San was abandoned in the forest as a child and raised by Moro; she is a wounded girl who considers herself a wild dog and detests the scent of humans. Considering the film’s overall narrative, it is somewhat ironic that a young, vulnerable girl—who has been hurt by humans—is the one who ultimately makes humans aware of their faults and mistakes. And perhaps precisely because of this, she leaves an even stronger impression. Her desperate determination to protect the precious beings who healed her wounds—a desperate strength that can only be mustered by someone who has nowhere left to run and nowhere left to retreat. San exudes this poignant yet intense presence.
As time passes, the conflict between Eboshi and San—who have completely different goals—becomes increasingly intense. Throughout this, Ashitaka maintains a stance of coexistence, unwilling to see either side destroyed, and rescues San as she is under attack in Tatara-ba. This incident leads Ashitaka to enter the Forest of the Shishigami and meet the Shishigami, while San encounters a human who is not her enemy for the first time. Ashitaka’s journey from Tatara Bay to the Forest of the Shishigami provides him with an opportunity to gain a balanced understanding of the perspectives and positions of both humans and nature. However, even in this advantageous situation where he can understand both sides, there is almost nothing Ashitaka can actually do. All he can do is suggest the possibility of coexistence. That may, in fact, be the attitude needed to solve the problems we face today. Yet, in the film, Ashitaka’s flexible stance—standing at the center of a conflict that has escalated to extremes—is hardly likely to be readily accepted. Ultimately, the escalating conflict erupts into a massive battle between the boar gods and the humans. In the midst of this, Okotonushi, the leader of the boar gods, begins to transform into a Tatari-gami. This serves as the catalyst for Eboshi, Jikobo, and others—those consumed by human desire—to summon Shishigami, the god who governs life and death.
When Shishigami appears and takes the life of Okotonushi—who was in the process of transforming into a Tatari-gami—the battle seems to come to an end. However, an even more serious problem arises: Eboshi aims a gun loaded with powerful gunpowder at Shishigami and attempts to kill him. Ashitaka throws his sword to block the shot, but it is already too late.
Shishigami’s head is severed, and the cunning Jikobo, believing it will be a valuable treasure, places the head into a pre-prepared container and flees swiftly. Having lost its head, Shishigami becomes a terrifying entity that strips life from everything to which it once granted it, and sets out in search of its own head. Faced with the power of death spreading and engulfing the forest, humans are powerless to do anything. Even those who had joined the plot to seize Shishigami’s head are helplessly scrambling to flee. Jikobo, too, is chased by Shishigami—who is destroying everything in his path while searching for his head—and eventually drops the container holding it. With no time to retrieve it, he has no choice but to run for his life. Just then, San and Ashitaka pull Shishigami’s head out of the container and return it to the rampaging Shishigami.
I find this scene to hold particular significance. The image of Ashitaka and San raising Shishigami’s head high together seems to challenge the notion, common in film narratives, that a single, unparalleled hero solves all problems. At the same time, it appears to convey the message that the problems they face can only be resolved through coexistence—a concept Ashitaka has repeatedly emphasized to Eboshi and San’s gods. In ancient myths and folktales, heroes typically defeat enemies with special abilities and save a world in crisis. However, in this film, Ashitaka does not achieve victory by crushing one side. Though San has not completely abandoned her hatred toward humans, she lends her strength to Ashitaka as they work together to return the Shishigami’s head. What is important here is not the overwhelming power of any single individual, but the fact that two people, who had stood on opposing sides, act together. I believe this is the moment when the possibility of coexistence—which Ashitaka has long advocated—finally manifests as concrete action. The Shishigami, having regained its head, collapses after unleashing a force akin to a massive storm, and in the process, sweeps away both the forest it had destroyed and the village of Tatara-ba, which humans had built by destroying the mountain. However, after the storm subsides, the Kodama—the tree spirits that had vanished—return, and life begins to sprout anew in the forest. And at the very center of this new beginning stand Ashitaka and San. Ashitaka and San, too, belong to a generation that has directly experienced the consequences of human-centered selfishness, as exemplified by Jikobo and Eboshi. Yet they still have the potential to avoid repeating the mistakes of those who came before them. They represent the next generation—one that can begin anew, coexisting with nature even as they live as humans.

Why does the hero’s return end in a parting?

Watching the scene where Ashitaka and San stand side by side, gazing at the mountain as it turns green once more, the audience likely anticipated a so-called bright and happy future—one in which San, together with Ashitaka, overcomes her hatred of humans and lives in the human world. However, the director pays no heed to such audience expectations. He sets up a parting in which San returns to the forest where the wild dog gods who raised her have lived, while Ashitaka remains in Tatara-ba, the village that humans will rebuild. This corresponds to the final stage of the hero’s myth—the “return”—which we set out to analyze at the beginning. Yet, for a hero’s return, it is undeniably a bit anticlimactic. This is because, from ancient folk tales to modern Hollywood movies, heroes always receive a reward for their adventures in the final scene—whether it’s winning the heart of a beautiful woman or becoming immensely wealthy. Viewed in this light, Ashitaka’s ending is quite harsh. To think he must ultimately part ways with the very person to whom he entrusted his precious obsidian pendant—the one he believed would protect him. Some might even feel a considerable sense of disappointment at the director’s cold detachment, wondering if this isn’t a cruel betrayal of the hero.
However, looking back at the film’s overall narrative, it becomes clear that the director is trying to convey a very important message to us. Specifically, when it comes to the relationship between nature and humanity, it is still too early to settle for a completely happy ending. If the film had ended with San returning to the human world with Ashitaka to live happily ever after, the audience would have been able to leave the theater feeling much more at ease. However, it is questionable whether that would have represented a true resolution to the conflict between humans and nature that the film relentlessly raised. I believe that San’s return to the forest, still harboring resentment toward humans, symbolizes nature—whose wounds inflicted by humans have not yet healed. Although San has come to accept Ashitaka as an individual, this does not mean she has forgiven humanity as a whole. The forest San sought to protect has lost countless lives, and the traces of destruction left by humans cannot be easily erased. Just because trees are growing again in the forest and life is sprouting anew does not mean that the wounds and hatred accumulated over time will vanish in an instant. That is why the ending—in which San returns to the forest and Ashitaka remains in Tatara-ba—carries a meaning that goes beyond a simple parting. Ashitaka does not force San to come with him into the human world. Nor does the Mountain abandon the forest she sought to protect, out of her feelings for Ashitaka. While the two remain in different worlds, they leave open the possibility of meeting again in the future. This aligns with the meaning of coexistence that Ashitaka has advocated throughout the film. Coexistence does not necessarily mean that different beings must merge into one. It can mean finding a way to live together while understanding one another and preserving each other’s perspectives and ways of life.
In that sense, Ashitaka’s return is far removed from the spectacular rewards or perfect victories commonly found in traditional heroic myths. However, he is left with the insights gained through his adventure and the challenges he must now face. The Tatara Village to which Ashitaka returns will not be the same as it was before. This is because the people there—who had destroyed nature in pursuit of human prosperity alone—have now directly experienced the consequences of their actions. Now, they are left with both the possibility and the responsibility to find a new way of life without repeating the mistakes of the past. Though San has not completely shaken off her hatred for humans, she has at least seen another possibility through Ashitaka. For San, who was abandoned by humans and grew up hating them, this is by no means a small change. Ultimately, perhaps the director wanted to convey, through the parting of Ashitaka and San, that the conflict between humans and nature is not an issue that can be resolved so simply.
In the reality we live in, the destruction of nature and human survival are not issues where we can easily choose one over the other. Humans must utilize nature to survive, but we must not turn a blind eye to the harm nature suffers in the process. Conversely, we cannot deny human survival itself simply for the sake of protecting nature. The coexistence that Ashitaka so earnestly called for may be precisely the attitude we must seek amid this complex reality. The character Ashitaka portrays in ‘Princess Mononoke’ differs from that of a hero who defeats enemies by force and claims victory. He does not completely reject either humanity or nature; instead, he constantly seeks the possibility of understanding and coexistence between two worlds that threaten to destroy one another. However, despite these efforts, not all problems are resolved. The forest comes back to life, but it cannot be exactly as it was before, and both Ashitaka and San return to their respective worlds while holding onto their feelings for one another. Nevertheless, I do not believe this ending is simply sad or despairing. Rather, precisely because not all problems have been resolved, the possibility of change in the future feels all the more meaningful.
If San, who harbors resentment toward humans in her heart, symbolizes the unhealed wounds of nature, then Ashitaka symbolizes the human who must strive to understand and heal those wounds. Ultimately, what the director wanted to convey is that only when we—having gained some insight—mature into people with warm hearts capable of protecting and cherishing what is precious to us and coexisting with one another can those wounds finally heal.
Just as Ashitaka promised he would definitely return to see the mountain again.