The twin sisters Yubaba and Zeniba teach Chihiro that good and evil both exist in the world, and often exist within the same person. While Yubaba represents evil and can be quite scary, she also honors her word and is scrupulously honest in her business dealings.

Is Yubaba good or evil?

While Yubaba is terrifying, she's not your archetypal villain. She's actually more of a morally gray antagonist. Miyazaki is famously known to not believe in pure good or pure evil, with all of his characters being a mix of both aspects.

Who is the real villain in Spirited Away?

Yubaba is the main featured antagonist in Spirited Away, but she's not the darkest evil in the movie. If anything, she's more of a by-product of the true villain, who is faceless. Spirited Away is inspired heavily by animism, which is the belief that every being and object has a spirit.

What does Yubaba do to Chihiro?

Yubaba tries frightening Chihiro away, but Chihiro persists and is eventually given a working contract. As Chihiro signs the contract with her name (千尋), Yubaba takes away the second kanji of her name, renaming her Sen (千).

Why does Yubaba give Chihiro a job?

During her interview with Chihiro, she uses various methods to intimidate Chihiro into speaking about those who have helped her and is quite annoyed that the latter repeatedly asks for a job, forcing Yubaba to make good on an oath to give anyone a job who asks for one.

Spirited Away Analysis | Yubaba Scene Explained (indepth examination)

Why is Haku stuck working for Yubaba?

Haku was originally the spirit of the Kohaku River and knows Chihiro because he once saved her from drowning. When the river was destroyed and filled in with apartments, he no longer had a home and went to the spirit world, where he became Yubaba's apprentice.

Why does Yubaba want the seal?

To break the oath, two names have to agree to do so. It explains why Yubaba steals the names from employees, so they lose the power to break the contract. That is also why Yubaba attempts to steal the seal stamp from Zeniba, as the seal performs the power of Zeniba's name on her behalf.

Does Yubaba love her baby?

Yubaba trusts no one and assumes that everyone is as sly and greedy as she is, but she adores her baby, Boh, beyond all reason. She literally almost smothers him with love, filling his room with pillows, keeping him safe from the world by keeping him away from it.

Who is more powerful Zeniba or Yubaba?

Zeniba is the only one with power equal to Yubaba's, and she's an important key to the conclusion. She explains the other characters' previous lives to Sen, who then confides to Zeniba that her real name is Chihiro.

Why does Yubaba have a giant baby?

Yubaba has a giant baby because everyone has a grating weakness they find difficult to manage. Whatever Zeniba's seal represents, Yubaba wants it because she's greedy and grasping for power.

Why does Yubaba steal names?

Yubaba Controls Her Workers By Taking Their Names In Spirited Away. Yubaba, the owner of the bathhouse, rules over her business with an iron fist. In order to keep her employees under her control and not take the chance of them returning home, Yubaba takes their names.

Are Haku and Chihiro in love?

There is evidence in the film that can lead people to believe Chihiro and Haku can be a couple, However, there are some who disagree that they had any sort of romantic element. On SparkNotes, it states the interaction between Chihiro and Haku is simply like a brother and sister relationship.

Did No-Face love Chihiro?

No-Face becomes obsessed with Chihiro, and wants to see her and her only. He becomes extremely volatile after being fed the River Spirit's emetic dumpling by Chihiro, and while fleeing from the obviously now-hostile spirit, Chihiro calls out to him twice to follow her.

Why did Yubaba put a slug into Haku?

Zeniba explains that Yubaba put the slug in Haku to control him, and that Sen has already healed Haku with her love. Haku arrives in his dragon form, and Sen climbs on his back so he can fly her, the Boh-mouse, and the Yubaba-fly back to the bathhouse.

Why do Zeniba and Yubaba look the same?

Other relatives. Zeniba is a character in Spirited Away, and the identical twin sister of Yubaba. Despite the fact that she and her sister are entirely identical in appearance, they are polar opposites in personalities. She, unlike her sister, is very hospitable and lives in a house at Swamp Bottom.

What is Yubaba age?

Yubaba and Zenibaba are the same person

According to Ghibli, there is no setting regarding her age, only that she is an “old woman”. However, since she knows that the Kohaku River has disappeared, we can assume that she is over 100 years old.

Why is Yubaba so evil?

As the main antagonist of the film, Yubaba is extremely overbearing, intimidating and authoritarian. Like many other workers of her infamous bathhouse, Yubaba obsesses greedily over gold and is shown to be willing to view gold as a priority over her own family (especially Zeniba, whom she expresses hatred for).

Why does Yubaba fly?

Flight. Flight usually has ominous purposes in Spirited Away. Yubaba turns into a bird to keep a close watch on her dominion, and when she flies, she resembles a military plane. Haku flies primarily to carry out secret missions for Yubaba.

Why does Yubaba take names?

By taking part of your name, Yubaba takes part of your very identity and reinforces her control over you. This was part of the huge reveal with Haku at the end of the film, the part that made me cry. Thankfully, or not, 'Sen to Chihiro' is enough for Japanese speakers to understand exactly what you mean.

Why is Spirited Away so sad?

It's this mystery at the center of Spirited Away that makes Chihiro's silence to the question “Where have you been” so emotional. The “you” in question is paralyzingly emotional because Chihiro left herself behind long ago, amidst the hard work and trials of the bathhouse — she left the Chihiro she knew behind.

How did Haku end up with Yubaba?

Haku was originally the spirit of the Kohaku River and knows Chihiro because he once saved her from drowning. When the river was destroyed and filled in with apartments, he no longer had a home and went to the spirit world, where he became Yubaba's apprentice.

Why did No Face turn evil?

No-Face is a dark spirit who resembles a black humanoid being with a white mask. He devours other spirits and can absorb their emotions into his own soul, causing him to take on their attitudes, especially negative ones, which lead to his transformation into a villain (until his redemption).

What kind of spirit is Yubaba?

Yubaba–the villain in Spirited Away–is said to have been inspired by Yamauba or Onibaba, which is a yokai that usually appears in Japanese folklore. Yamauba is a type of kijo (female demon) or a mountain witch who was originally a human but became corrupted and turned into a yokai (Japanese ghost or spirit).

Is Chihiro really Kamaji's granddaughter?

She soon spots Chihiro and yells at her, stating she is the human everyone is looking for. Kamaji then lies, telling her Chihiro is his granddaughter, and asks Lin if she can take her to see Yubaba to get a job. Lin immediately demurs, saying she is not going to risk her life.

Why did Yubaba turn Chihiro's parents into pigs?

Her mother and father are turned into pigs after they eat food that was not for them. In order to survive and turn her parents back into humans, she must work for Yubaba, the witch who controls the town.