Why Does Yubaba Steal Names in “Spirited Away”?

Last time, I wrote a lengthy post about why Chihiro knew her parents weren’t among the pigs at the end of “Spirited Away(Studio Ghibli Official)“.

Spirited Away: Why Did Chihiro Know Her Parents Weren't Among the Pigs? - With the Mystery of the Emetic Dumpling -This is an in-depth analysis of the central mystery in Studio Ghibli...

This time, I’d like to think about “Why does Yubaba steal names?“. What is that all about?

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “「千と千尋の神隠し」で湯婆婆が名前を奪うのは何故なのか？“

The Misconception about Yubaba in “Spirited Away” and the Pros and Cons of Nicknames

Yubaba Doesn’t Actually Steal Names

We need to consider why Yubaba steals names, but is she really stealing them in the first place?

A scary-looking witch makes the characters of Chihiro’s written name float up, leaving only the character “Sen” (千), which makes it seem as if her name was stolen. However, if you think about it normally, that scene is likely not about stealing her name, but rather a scene where she is given the nickname “Sen”.

So why can we only think of it as “stealing”? It’s because we’ve seen the phrase “A 10-year-old girl who had her name stolen and was forced to work in a mysterious town” in commercials and theatrical trailers.

In other words, our perception is being manipulated by information from outside the movie.

To reiterate, since she says, “From today, you are Sen,” I think we should consider what Yubaba did as giving her the name “Sen,” that is, a “nickname.”

Historically, the phenomenon of “a superior calling a subordinate by a nickname” is an expression of “affection.” From that perspective, that scene could be seen as “a good scene where, one way or another, Chihiro is accepted as a member of the organization.”

The Pros and Cons of Nicknames

Now, even if that scene was “a good scene where Chihiro is accepted as a member of the organization,” whether it’s okay to give a nickname is a separate issue.

The nickname Hayao Miyazaki gave to Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who directed “Arrietty” and “When Marnie Was There” at Studio Ghibli, and “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” and “Modest Heroes” at Studio Ponoc, is “Maro (麻呂).”

Certainly, when you see Director Yonebayashi on screen, “Maro” seems to fit, he doesn’t seem like the type of person to overthink such a nickname, and he even seems like someone who might surprisingly like being called “Maro” (though this is just an impression).

But what about it? The nickname “Maro” is by no means a term of respect.

It’s something that only Hayao Miyazaki, the absolute authority in the organization of Studio Ghibli, is allowed to do.

A nickname determines a person’s position, regardless of their own will.

“Maro” is one example, but to take a more extreme case, suppose someone was told, “You look like a dog, so you’re ‘Pochi’!” Of course, including their colleagues, that person would become very “loved by those around them.” However, we don’t know if the person themselves is happy with an inhuman nickname like “Pochi.”

A contradiction arises here. In effect, giving a nickname is the same as stealing a name, and it could potentially even define that person’s humanity by that nickname.

So, in the end, why is there a scene where Yubaba steals Chihiro’s name, or rather, gives her a nickname?

A Slight Reflection and a Message to Animators

The reason for that scene’s existence might ultimately be because “it’s something Hayao Miyazaki himself does.”

I don’t know the first thing about the inner workings of Studio Ghibli, but I can’t imagine a situation where you could refuse a nickname given by Hayao Miyazaki. And I can’t imagine that Director Miyazaki is unaware of that situation.

But, in such a case, Director Miyazaki might think something like, “If you don’t like it, you should quit Ghibli and work somewhere else! In fact, that’s how you should live!“

An animator must live by their skills!

That’s probably what it comes down to.

However, it may not be that he is without a sense of self-reflection.

In the beginning of the movie, after Chihiro somehow gets a job from Yubaba, Haku tells her, “Yubaba steals names to control people.”

That line could also be seen as a slight reflection, as if to say, “I know that’s what people think of me.”

Thinking about it this way, “the image of Chihiro, who, despite being given the nickname Sen, never forgets her own name, Chihiro, continues to live earnestly, and is finally freed from Yubaba’s curse,” might have been a message from Director Hayao Miyazaki to his animators. In other words,

That’s likely the message.

I’ve written whatever I pleased without knowing anything about the animation industry, Ghibli, or Director Miyazaki, but it doesn’t seem like I’m too far off the mark.

The images used in this article are from “Studio Ghibli Works Still Images“.