Wolf Children (2012) : Full Synopsis & Explaining the Story to the End (Spoilers)

Wolf Children(Official) is an animated feature film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, released on July 21, 2012. It is Hosoda’s original work following Summer Wars, and he also co-wrote the screenplay (with Satoko Okudera) for the first time.

This film tells the 13-year story of a mother and her children, depicting the siblings Yuki and Ame—born to a human, Hana, and a “Wolfman”—as they eventually choose their own paths in life.

This article provides a thorough, chronological synopsis of Wolf Children. It includes a spoiler-free summary for those “who haven’t seen it yet” and a detailed plot summary (with spoilers) covering the story to its conclusion for those “who have finished watching it.” A story explanation is also provided.

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “「おおかみこどもの雨と雪」のあらすじ(ネタバレあり)-結末までのストーリーを解説-”.

Wolf Children Basic Information

Film Overview

Main Characters and Voice Cast List

Character Map

Wolf Children Synopsis (Spoiler-Free)

The story begins when the protagonist, Hana, is a university student. Attending a national university on the outskirts of Tokyo, Hana is a student diligently making ends meet with scholarships and part-time jobs. One day, in class, she meets “He,” who has a distinctly different aura from the other students.

He attended class without a textbook, and Hana’s offer to “share her textbook” brought them closer. Eventually, he reveals his secret to Hana: he is a “Wolfman,” a descendant of the Japanese wolf. Even after learning this truth, Hana’s feelings for him do not change, and the two become a couple.

They begin living together in Hana’s apartment, and soon they have two “wolf children.” Their sister, Yuki, is born on a snowy day, and their brother, Ame, is born on a rainy day. However, shortly after Ame’s birth, tragedy strikes the family. “He” goes out hunting for the family and never returns.

After his death, Hana resolves to raise the two children on her own. However, raising children who turn into wolves when emotional proves too difficult in the city. Spurred by the watchful eyes of neighbors and visits from child services, Hana decides to move away from the public eye to an old house deep in the mountains, allowing her children to choose whether to live as “humans” or “wolves.”

*From this point on, a detailed synopsis (spoilers) including the story’s conclusion will be explained.

Wolf Children Full Synopsis to the Ending (Spoilers Ahead)

The story begins as a “story told by my mother,” narrated from the perspective of the grown-up daughter, Yuki.

Part 1: Encounter, Separation, and the Birth of Two Children

The protagonist, Hana, attends a national university on the outskirts of Tokyo, a diligent student juggling scholarships and part-time jobs to cover her living expenses. One early summer day, Hana’s eyes are drawn to the back of a man in her classroom. Wearing a T-shirt with a stretched-out collar and taking notes without a textbook, “He” was clearly different from the other students.

When Hana spoke to “He” as he left the classroom without submitting an attendance card, he revealed he wasn’t a student at the university. Although he responded coldly, “I won’t come again if I’m a bother,” Hana persisted, suggesting they “share her textbook,” and the two quickly grew closer.

On Christmas Eve, “He” confesses to Hana that he is a “Wolfman” and shows her his half-beast form. According to him, transforming on a full moon or attacking people was just a fairy tale; he was a descendant of the extinct Japanese wolf, the last survivor of a mixed bloodline. He had lived his life hiding his identity until he met Hana.

Hana’s feelings remained unchanged even after learning his secret, and that night, they united. They began living together in Hana’s apartment, and soon Hana became pregnant. However, unable to rely on a doctor for the child of a Wolfman, they decided on a home birth in their apartment. The baby girl born was named Yuki, and her brother, born the following spring, was named Ame.

But their happy days did not last. One rainy day, “He” was found dead in a river in his wolf form. It is presumed to be an accident while hunting birds for his family, but the true circumstances of his death remain unclear.

Part 2: Moving from the City to the Countryside and a New Life

After his death, Hana is left to raise the “wolf children,” Ame and Yuki, single-handedly. Unable to rely on anyone, Hana continued to raise them while desperately studying parenting and information about wolves on her own.

However, the children would transform into wolves when their emotions ran high. Facing eviction from their apartment due to their night crying and receiving visits from child services, Hana felt she had reached the limit of raising them in the city and decided to move to the countryside.

The place they moved to was an old, dilapidated house deep in the mountains, with few neighbors. The building was almost in ruins, but it was an ideal environment for Hana, where Ame and Yuki could run around freely in their wolf forms.

But their savings dwindled steadily. Hana decided to become self-sufficient and tried growing vegetables, but she failed no matter how many times she tried. The one who couldn’t bear to watch this was Nirasaki, a 90-year-old man living nearby. In his gruff way, he strictly guided Hana, starting from how to prepare the soil for the fields.

Thanks to Nirasaki, other people also began to help Hana, and she even got to know women her own age. In this way, Hana and her children gradually settled into rural life.

Part 3: Growth and Two Paths (Yuki’s Story)

One winter, while the family of three was playing in the mountains, Ame fell into a river while trying to hunt a bird. He was rescued by Yuki, but from that day on, the timid Ame began to change gradually.

When spring came, Yuki insisted she wanted to “go to elementary school.” Hana worried about her secret being exposed but eventually gave in to Yuki’s persuasion and allowed her to enroll.

Yuki started school, but she was bewildered by the differences in interests between herself and the other girls—she would wrap a rat snake around her arm or collect small animal bones. Prompted by a new dress Hana knitted for her, Yuki began to strive to behave as a “human” rather than a “wolf,” and she managed to get along with her friends.

When Yuki was in the 4th grade, a boy named Souhei Fujii transferred to her school. Souhei asked Yuki, “Do you have a dog?” He had smelled the “scent of a beast” on her. Shocked that her secret might be exposed, Yuki avoided Souhei, but he, taking offense, cornered her.

Panicking, Yuki partially transformed and injured Souhei’s ear, causing it to bleed heavily. The incident escalated into a problem involving their parents, but Souhei, strangely, muttered “a wolf did it” to his own mother who was blaming Hana, thus protecting Yuki.

This incident caused Yuki to stop going to school, but Souhei, feeling “it was his fault,” continued to deliver worksheets and school lunches to Yuki’s house every day (though Yuki never met him). One morning, as Yuki decided to return to school and opened the front door, Souhei was standing there. They reconciled on the spot and headed to school together.

Part 4: Growth and Two Paths (Ame’s Story)

While Yuki adapted to school, Ame, who enrolled the following year, struggled to fit in even by the 3rd grade, attending school sporadically. Ame’s interest was not in school, but in the “mountain.”

Around that time, Hana had also started a part-time job as a nature observation assistant at the “Shinkawa Nature Observation Forest.” This was sparked by Ame’s interest in the timber wolf kept there. The wolf in the cage seemed very lonely in Ame’s eyes.

Ame began skipping school to go into the mountains, eventually learning about the mountain from a being he called “Teacher.” This “Teacher” was an old fox who ruled over the surrounding mountains.

The night the “Teacher’s” existence was revealed to the family, Ame told Yuki about the mountain, but a fierce fight broke out between Yuki, who insisted, “I am human,” and Ame, who insisted, “I am a wolf.” Ame, who had once been so frail, had grown strong enough to overwhelm Yuki in the fight.

Conclusion: Their Respective Choices and a Mother’s Resolve

In the summer of Yuki’s 6th-grade year, the mountains are hit by heavy rain. The “Teacher” fox had injured its leg, and the situation required someone to take over its role. Ame intended to take on that duty but stayed home in response to Hana’s plea, “Don’t go to the mountain anymore.”

However, on the day a massive storm hit again, Ame resolved to take the “Teacher’s” place and headed into the stormy mountain. Hana chased after him into the mountain to find him, but she slipped, fell, and lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, at school, Yuki and Souhei were waiting alone for their parents. In the school at night, Souhei confessed that he felt alienated at home due to his mother’s remarriage and pregnancy. And then Yuki, in turn, confessed that she was a “wolf child.” But Souhei showed no surprise, saying, “I’ve known all along,” and they promised to keep the secret.

Hana, who had fainted in the mountain, was found by Ame and carried back to the village. Regaining consciousness, Hana desperately called out to Ame as he tried to return to the mountain, but he did not stop. As Ame’s howl echoed into the dawn sky, Hana accepted her son’s departure, calling out, “Live a full life!”

After that, Yuki left home to move to the town to attend junior high school. Ame is said to have taken over the “Teacher’s” role, ruling the surrounding mountains. And Hana still lives quietly in that mountain house, thinking of her two children.

Wolf Children Story Explanation (Spoilers)

The synopsis of this film is not merely a “story of a mother and child.” It is a story about two children who waver between two identities, “human” and “wolf,” and finally choose their own “way of life.” This section explains the ending and the meaning embedded within it.

The Siblings Who Choose Their Respective Paths as “Human” and “Wolf”

Yuki, who was active and had strong “wolf” instincts as a child, and Ame, who was introverted and feared being a “wolf.” However, as they grow, their identities reverse.

• Yuki (Older Sister): “Wolf” → “Human”
  Yuki, who was an active wild child, encounters “human society” at elementary school. Through her interactions with others (Souhei), she comes to desire to live as a “human.”
• Ame (Younger Brother): “Human” → “Wolf”
  Ame, who was introverted, fails to fit into the “human society” of school and finds his place in “nature (the mountain).” Through his encounter with the fox “Teacher,” his wild (wolf) instincts awaken.

The contrast between these two adds depth to the story.

Ame’s Decision on the Stormy Night to “Live in the Mountains”

The storm that arrives at the story’s climax is a device for the two to make their final decisions. Ame decides to succeed the “Teacher” (the fox) who injured his leg and live as the master of the mountain.

At this time, Ame is still only 10 years old. However, his form is already that of an adolescent wolf, indicating that his instincts have surpassed his human growth. Even as his mother, Hana, desperately tries to stop him, Ame leaves for the mountain. This symbolizes a child leaving their parent’s protection to live in their own world.

Yuki’s Choice of a Future as a “Human”

On the same stormy night, Yuki, who remained at school, connects with her classmate Souhei, the only one who knows her secret (of being a wolf child). Yuki had suffered from the past trauma of injuring Souhei with her “wolf” power (partial transformation), but when Souhei accepts it and promises to “keep the secret,” Yuki gains the confidence to live in “human society.”

Ultimately, Yuki chooses to leave home and live in the town to attend junior high school. This is an act of independence as a “human,” contrasting with Ame.

The Final Words and Tears of Hana, the Mother Who Watched Over Everything

Both her children have chosen their own paths and are leaving her. What remains for the mother, Hana, is a strong sense of loss, and at the same time, a sense of accomplishment for having raised her children.

The scene where Hana shouts, “Live a full life!” at Ame (the wolf) as he leaves for the mountain. This signifies the “goal of parenting”: respecting a child’s choice and pushing them forward. The tears she sheds at the end are not just of sadness, but also of relief, having completed her 13-year struggle.

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That concludes the synopsis and explanation for Wolf Children. The following article provides a deeper analysis of Wolf Children. Please feel free to read it when you have time.