| No-Face | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Binomen | N/A | ||
| Original | 顔無し | ||
| Romanization | Kaonashi | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Amorphous | ||
| Average height | Human-sized (but can become larger by consuming food in large quantities) | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Unknown | ||
| Sapience | Sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | Variable | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Spirit Realm | ||
| Diet | Carnivorous or omnivorous | ||
| Locomotion | Floating | ||
| Status | DD | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Spirited Away | ||
| Created by | Hayao Miyazaki | ||
| Performed by | Akio Nakamura | ||
A No-Face is a strange, potentially-dangerous spirit which can conjure objects in great quantity and typically tries to approach people by offering them things that they might want or need. It's also known for trying to blend in by assuming physical and behavioral characteristics from those around it, and especially from those that it has consumed. Like many supernatural creatures, the No-Face cannot enter a place without being invited.
Biology[]
The No-Face's natural appearance is that of a semi-translucent, shadowy, human-sized black spirit, wearing what appears to be a theatrical white mask. The mask isn't its actual face, though, as its real mouth is hidden on its chest. It can create limbs such as arms and legs and may also render itself completely invisible, even to fellow yōkai.
History[]
A No-Face was seen wondering around Yubaba's Bathhouse for some time, but didn't make any attempt to enter, as it hadn't been invited. It was spotted by Chihiro Ogino on a rainy night, just outside the door. Chihiro took pity upon the spirit and invited it to come in if it wished, leaving the door open. After the No-Face entered, it tried to find Chihiro again, seemingly drawn in by her kindness.
When the No-Face found Chihiro, it promptly offered her a handful of bath tokens, but was surprised and disappointed that she declined, as she didn't need them at the moment. Later, the No-Face lured Aogaeru by offering him a handful of gold and them swallowed him, after which the No-Face started to mutate into a form more similar to Aogaeru's; notably by developing frog-like legs and a voice similar to that of it's victim.
Assimilating whatever it could from its environment, the No-Face started being treated as a revered customer by the Bathhouse employees, who followed it around at all times and sung songs about its generosity as it constantly showered them in gold.
As the Bathhouse was a place of excesses, the No-Face too started to consume enormous quantities of food and grew much larger than before, but was still trying to locate Chihiro. When she came across it the second time, it offered her gold and was again taken aback by the fact that she declined the offer. After witnessing the increasingly-desperate No-Face devouring two other yōkai, the Bathhouse employees became scared of it and started to flee from it.
Eventually, the No-Face locked itself in a room and demanded to see Chihiro. She once again took pity on it and offered it the medicine that she had got from the River Spirit, which caused the No-Face to vomit everything it had eaten (including the still-unscathed Aogaeru and the other two employees) and turn back to its original, uncorrupted and silent form.
Once Chihiro left the Bathhouse to find Zeniba, she allowed the No-Face to accompany her in the train journey. Once in the company of Zeniba, the No-Face developed a much kinder and more helpful persona, learned to knit, and eventually opted to stay behind as the friendly old witch's apprentice, waving goodbye to Chihiro and her friends as they headed back to the Bathhouse.
Appearances[]
- Spirited Away (2001)