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Spirited Away is one of Hayao Miyazaki's most popular works, with many fans agreeing that it remains their favorite even today. The movie portrays the adventures of a ten-year-old girl named Chihiro who gets trapped in the spirit world after she enters it unknowingly during the day with her parents. Chihiro's parents turn into pigs after they eat the food that belongs to the spirit guests, and Chihiro almost turns invisible until Haku saves her.
Chihiro is determined to save her parents and leave the spirit world together, but she has to work for Yubaba in the bathhouse in order to achieve her goal. She encounters different characters while working there, and one of them is No Face or Kaonashi, which means 'faceless' in Japanese.
While each character in Spirited Away holds its importance, No Face seems to be particularly peculiar and intriguing considering how he hardly has any dialog and yet plays an important role in the movie.
Spirited Away's No Face is a favorite topic of discussion among fans everywhere
In Spirited Away, an eerie theme plays in the background every time No Face appears. He is first seen on the bridge when Chihiro and Haku are crossing it while trying to hide the former's human identity. At the time, No Face just seems like an ordinary spirit passing by, though he is the only one who notices Chihiro and Haku crossing the bridge.
He is seen on the bridge again as Chihiro crosses it to meet Haku and see her parents in the morning. Chihiro respectfully bows to him and proceeds to go her own way. For a moment, it seems like No Face is the guard of the bathhouse, but that is not the case.
In the evening, when Chihiro goes to drain some water outside, she notices No Face standing in the rain and asks him if he isn't getting soaked. Assuming that he is a guest, she leaves the door open for him.
Lin and she are given the task of cleaning the filthiest tub in the bathhouse. The foreman refuses to provide Chihiro with a bath token even though the tub needs a herbal bath. When she places her request to the foreman again, she sees No Face appear next to him. No Face helps her get a bath token, so she thanks him and returns to work.
Examining No Face's perspective
No Face from Spirited Away most likely represents loneliness and the longing to get noticed. In his first few appearances, despite the eerie background music, he seems like a gentle spirit who does not speak much and only observes his surroundings.
He is touched by Chihiro's politeness when she bows to him on the bridge and her kindness in letting him into the bathhouse. Feeling happy and recognized when Chihiro thanks him for the bath tokens, he decides to please her further, hoping to become her friend. When Chihiro politely refuses, he is disappointed, and disappears while dropping the tokens on the floor.
Later, when he sees the other residents of the bathhouse praise Chihiro for helping the famous river spirit and bringing a fortune to the place, he assumes that Chihiro may want gold more than bath tokens. He also assumes that Chihiro may want to be his friend if he impersonates the characters and personalities of those in the environment.
So that night, after swallowing Aogaeru and stealing his voice and personality, No Face becomes a famous guest in the bathhouse. He is able to create gold, which he generously gives to those who serve him. Since Aogaeru was a greedy creature, No Face also adopts the trait and keeps demanding more food in exchange for gold. He thinks that his fame may reach Chihiro this way.
Later, when Chihiro refuses his gold, No Face is taken aback and turns his anger and frustration on the workers by swallowing two of them. He keeps demanding to see Chihiro. When he finally sees her, Chihiro asks him if he has nowhere to go, and he tells her that he is lonely. This is when the audience understands his loneliness and why he turned into a monster.
Chihiro feeds him the herbal cake that the river spirit gave her which removes all the ugly things inside No Face. He pukes out all that he ate in the bathhouse, including the workers, and runs after Chihiro. She keeps calling out to him and urging him to follow her until they find themselves outside the bathhouse. She tells Lin that the bathhouse made No Face crazy and that he will be fine if he remains outside.
As it happens, Chihiro is right. No Face returns to his gentle and quiet self, and follows Chihiro around. She allows him to accompany her to Swamp Bottom and tells him to behave himself, an order which he gladly obeys. The audience of Spirited Away witness his well-natured personality even at Zeniba's place.
The fluctuations in No Face's character in Spirited Away shows how a person can change their behavior and nature based on their surroundings and state of mind. Since he desperately wanted to be friends with Chihiro and end his loneliness, he went to the extent of imbibing a negative personality just to impress her. However, he didn't realize that he was doing something wrong, which shows an obsessive tendency.
No Face, in his normal state, manages to impress Zeniba, and she asks him to stay at her place and be her helper, a request he gladly accepts. He is just like a lonely child who will do anything to please the person who is kind to them. No Face from Spirited Away may just be a spirit, but he strongly represents human nature.
Fans love coming up with new theories when it comes to No Face from Spirited Away, but they almost always have a similar conclusion.
