If you have ever seen a Studio Ghibli film, you might notice that almost all the protagonists are women. However, this is no coincidence as Hayao Miyazaki, a co-founder of Studio Ghibli, stated in an interview, “Many of my movies have strong female leads- brave, self-sufficient girls that don’t think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart. They’ll need a friend or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.”
Studio Ghibli is by far one of the most feminist film companies, therefore, here’s a list of my favorite heroines from the franchise.
- Fio from “Porco Rosso”
-
Fio is a teenage aircraft engineer who helps Porco fix his seaplane. In addition, she saves his life by reminding fellow seaplane pilots about their honor.
- Sheeta from “Castle in the Sky”
-
The rightful princess of Laputa, Sheeta, uses a crystal necklace to give her powers. However, she is hunted down by numerous people because of this and must save her home before it is ruined by others.
- Chihiro from “Spirited Away”
-
At the beginning of the film, she seems like a little girl anxious about change. However, when the worst happens, she powers through and remains strong to save herself and her parents.
- Kiki from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”
-
Kiki, like many other girls on this list, is very strong-willed. She left her parents and comfort zone to train as a witch in the city.
- San from “Princess Mononoke”
-
Probably one of the most bad-ass characters on this list, San is literally a warrior princess raised by wolves. However, in this film, she struggles to embrace her own humanity.
- Ponyo from “Ponyo”
-
Definitely one of the younger protagonists, Ponyo is a playful and headstrong little girl determined to become human rather than being a fish. I find this movie really powerful as it makes a statement that age cannot stop you from achieving your goals.
- Sophie from “Howl’s Moving Castle”
-
Sophie was cursed by the Witch of the Waste to become an old woman. Previously, she seemed very insecure, but throughout the film, she realizes to care less what people think of her.
- Nausicaa from “Nausicaa of the Valley Wind”
-
One of the first of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, I consider her the blueprint to all of his characters. In this film, she is a princess living in the apocalypse.
- Haru from “The Cat Returns”
-
After saving Prince Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom, Haru goes to this feline universe. In which, she is kidnapped and almost forced to marry the prince.
- Satsuki from “My Neighbor Tortoro”
-
Probably one of my favorite and most relatable characters is Satsuki, the older sister to Mei. In this film, the two sisters go on adventures with Totoro, a creature only the children can see. While she may get a little irritated and snappy with her sister, you can still see she cares.
While many of these movies also have male protagonists, Studio Ghibli does not force romance in their films like other movies for little girls do. Many of these heroines can be considered extremely strong role models, and I highly recommend each of these films. In addition, all of these films can be found on HBO Max.