The Boy and the Beast (2015) Analysis: Chico’s True Identity and the Grandmaster’s True Intentions – “Reincarnation” as the Key to Two Mysteries

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, The Boy and the Beast(Official) is a story that depicts family issues through the themes of “father and son” and “parent and child.” Ren (Kyuta), a boy who wanders from the back alleys of Shibuya into the beast world of “Jutengai,” meets the rough-and-tumble beast Kumatetsu. While clashing with each other, they build a bond like that of a “true parent and child.”

Within this profound story that resonates with many, I believe there are a few “mysterious points” that might make you tilt your head in wonder.

For example:

I believe these are valid questions. In this article, I will delve deep into these two major mysteries, using the keyword “reincarnation” as the axis of my analysis.

*This article is an analysis intended for those who have already watched The Boy and the Beast and know the general story. If you have forgotten the synopsis or ending, or wish to review the story again, please refer to the following article first.

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “映画「バケモノの子」の考察：チコの正体と宗師の真意 – 2つの謎をつなぐ「転生」という鍵”.

【Chico’s True Identity】 Nausicaä’s “Teto,” or “Mother’s Reincarnation”?

First, let’s consider the true identity of the mysterious creature “Chico,” which many viewers likely wondered, “What was that in the end?” Although Chico is not directly involved in the main plot in a major way, it always stays by Kyuta’s side, soothing the audience’s hearts with its adorable appearance.

Chico’s Role as a “Breather”

The “family issues” dealt with in this film can be quite serious at times. In that context, it can be said that Chico functions as a kind of “breather.” We can find a similarity to the role of the fox-squirrel “Teto” in the Studio Ghibli work Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. It serves as a breath of fresh air within a serious story.

Fundamentally, this explanation is sufficient, but looking back at the depiction of “Chico,” it feels like there is more to it than just that.

Hypothesis 1: “Chico = Mother’s Reincarnation” Explains Narrative Questions

To understand the inexplicable points of the existence called “Chico,” I would like to propose the hypothesis that “Chico is the reincarnation of Ren’s (Kyuta’s) deceased mother.” This hypothesis might sound a bit far-fetched, but it provides persuasive answers to the following questions in the story.

If we stand on this “Mother’s Reincarnation” theory, we can also advance our analysis of the inhabitants of the beast world. The reason they possess lives and emotions almost identical to humans despite being in beast form might be because they themselves “reincarnated as existences stripped of ‘darkness’ from humans.”

Beasts do not possess the “darkness of the heart” that humans have; they are, in a sense, existences in a “pure” state. I believe it is possible to consider that they are represented in the form of beasts as a symbol of that purity.

【The Grandmaster’s Intentions】 Why Was He Lenient with Kumatetsu?

Next, let’s consider another major mystery of The Boy and the Beast: the true intentions of the Grandmaster. Why did the Grandmaster seem to want to make Kumatetsu, who lacked dignity, the next Grandmaster? I will analyze the reason.

A Natural Interpretation: “Because He Had No Secrets”

The reason that can be read straightforwardly from the context of the story is, “Iozen had a secret, but Kumatetsu had none.”

Iozen is depicted as a man of character and an ideal father figure with two sons. On the other hand, Kumatetsu is rough, lacks dignity, and has only one disciple, Kyuta. However, in the eyes of the Grandmaster, Iozen was hiding a grave secret: “he had adopted a human child (Ichirohiko).”

In contrast, while Kumatetsu lacks dignity, he is straightforward and has no lies (secrets). The Grandmaster likely thought, “It is not so much that his lack of dignity is a problem, but rather that if he acquires dignity, there will be no problem,” and valued Kumatetsu’s candor. This would be the most natural interpretation.

Hypothesis 2: “Grandmaster = Father from a Past Life” Explains the Father’s Feelings for His Child

However, if we assume the previously established hypothesis of “Chico = Mother’s Reincarnation,” we can add another interpretation here.

That is the hypothesis that “the Grandmaster and Kumatetsu are also reincarnated forms of humans, and before reincarnating, they were in a ‘father and son’ relationship.”

If we stand on this theory, the reason why the Grandmaster was inexplicably lenient towards Kumatetsu can be explained. They basically have no memories of their past lives. However, the fundamental emotions such as unconditional love and the bond of a father thinking of his child remained, and perhaps that influenced the Grandmaster’s actions in the world after reincarnation.

However, just because they are parent and child doesn’t mean he needs to be lenient, nor does he necessarily have to make him the Grandmaster. I think we need to think a little further to fully understand the Grandmaster’s actions based on “they were parent and child before reincarnation.” I believe the hint lies in the fact that the Grandmaster decided to become the “God of Decision.”

The Background of the Grandmaster Becoming the “God of Decision”

What Was the “Decision He Couldn’t Make” in His Past Life?

In the middle of the story, Kumatetsu and Kyuta visit various Grandmasters to ask “what strength is.” The various answers obtained there were, in fact, likely what each Grandmaster was “seeking.”

If so, the fact that the Grandmaster of Jutengai chose to become the “God of Decision” means that “decision” was the power he sought, and he recognized that he himself had accomplished a significant decision. His “decision” in the film was holding the tournament and judging that Kumatetsu was in a state to win against Iozen.

But why did the Grandmaster place such importance on “decision”?

We can imagine that it is because, before reincarnating as a beast, as a human, he “could not make an important decision.” And that decision presumably concerned his “son” (= Kumatetsu in his past life).

Contrast with Ren’s Father

In this context, there is another father who made an important “decision” in this film. That is Ren’s (Kyuta’s) father in the real world. He reunited with his son Ren, from whom he had once been separated, and “decided” to live with him again.

Perhaps the Grandmaster, in his past life, was unable to make a decision like the one Ren’s father made (= the decision to live with his son). Because he failed to make that decision, he couldn’t realize a life with Kumatetsu (in his past life). That feeling of shame, or perhaps regret, made the Grandmaster obsessed with the power of “decision,” leading him to the judgment to become the “God of Decision.”

And it can be thought that the reason the Grandmaster gave advice for Kumatetsu’s growth and watched over him was to accomplish as a beast “what he could not do for his son before reincarnating.”

Conclusion: Deciphering the Themes of “The Boy and the Beast” on the Wings of Imagination

In this article, I have analyzed the mysteries of The Boy and the Beast, specifically “Chico’s true identity” and “the Grandmaster’s true intentions.”

The analysis unfolded here is based on scant “circumstantial evidence” and “usefulness in narrative structure,” and I cannot deny that it involves spreading the wings of imagination a bit too wide.

However, by standing on the viewpoints of “Chico = Mother’s reincarnation” and “Grandmaster and Kumatetsu = Father and Son reincarnation,” the existence of Chico, which was a mysterious part of the story of “The Boy and the Beast,” and the mystery of the Grandmaster’s attitude toward Kumatetsu connect in a single line.

Thinking this way, perhaps we can appreciate this film more deeply as a multilayered story of “father and son,” depicting not only the “present” father-son relationship of Ren and Kumatetsu, but also the “past (pre-reincarnation)” father-son relationship of the Grandmaster and Kumatetsu, and the “future” father-son relationship of Ren and his biological father.