Ghibli’s top 3 strong characters to empower women

It has been a while since #Metoo and #Kutoo (ongoing movement in Japan against high heels policy in the workplace) movements have helped the women speak up after enduring a male-dominated society and its accompanying gender stereotypes for a long time. But did you know that Studio Ghibli has produced strong female characters all the way back to 1984? Here are my top three picks for strong female characters from the world of Studio Ghibli, including both main and supporting characters.

Nausicaa from “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” (1984)

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Nausicaa is a kind, clever, brave and strong princess, as well as an excellent role model for young girls. While she is a princess of the Valley of the Wind, she explores a poisonous forest, knowing it is dangerous but necessary to bring peace and safety to the world. The best scene to represent her toughness and leadership is when she takes off her mask to show her smile and gives her fellows an order when they are in danger of an air crash, despite knowing that the air is polluted by a toxic forest. A great leader takes risks and knows better ways despite fear and uncertainty.

Lady Eboshi from “Princess Mononoke”(1997)

Lady Eboshi, a female leader who runs the iron town, is known as the original source of a fatal curse that tortures the protagonist Ashitaka throughout the story. Although Lady Eboshi is easily misunderstood to be greedy and merciless, she is the most thoughtful and reliable character whom I wish my boss to be like. This woman has traveled across the country to recruit people who have been rejected by society and provides them with food, a warm house, a welcoming community and education. Although she is portrayed as an antagonist against San, seeing Lady Eboshi as a villain is too simplistic to understand the storyline.

Kiki from “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (1989)

Unlike the two great characters above, who own and control the community they protect, Kiki is a girl-next-door who moves to the seaside town and starts her new life alone at thirteen, in accordance with her village’s tradition of witches in training. Ghibli depicts Kiki as diligent, intelligent, kind-hearted and upbeat, who never gives up when she gets stuck in a slump.

In the middle of the story, she becomes unable to fly: the only skill she can use to make money to live. Even in a hopeless situation, she never quits trying, believing in herself and asking others for advice. I see her strength and resilience in her behavior in that she refuses to abandon her trial and error efforts until she finds the answer. Kiki never fails to cheer and inspire me, and she probably always will.

Selecting only three out of various great characters is quite difficult because there are more female leaders than male leaders in Ghibli’s works. To give some examples, Yubaba from “Spirited Away” is the proprietor of the Bathhouse, and Captain Dora from “Laputa – Castle in the Sky” is a female captain of an air pirate armada. Both are greedy, selfish and arrogant yet reliable enough to have many subordinates. Ghibli is not just a children’s animated production but creates inspiring films with numerous characters who can break down gender stereotypes.