Hayao Miyazaki Answers Who No Face Is

After over two decades of questioning who No Face is, Spirited Away fans finally got Hayao Miyazaki‘s answer.

SoraNews24 reports that the filmmaker and Studio Ghibli co-founder shared his answer via the social media account of Kinyo Roadshow, the primetime Friday night slot for movies on Nippon TV, which is also the station that acquired Studio Ghibli in October 2023. Miyazaki’s explanation was revealed while Kinyo Roadshow live tweeted some lesser-known facts about Spirited Away as it aired the film as its first TV event of 2024:

“Who exactly is No Face? Director Hayao Miyazaki says, ‘There are many people like No Face in our midst…it’s the type of person who wants to latch on to others but doesn’t have a sense of themselves. They are everywhere.’ No Face exists without a sense of self and changes depending on the things and people it encounters.”

In 2023, the stage adaptation of Spirited Away hit US theaters during Ghibli Fest 2023.

カオナシとは一体何者なのでしょうか😳。宮﨑駿監督いわく「カオナシなんて周りにいっぱいいますよ。(中略）ああいう誰かとくっつきたいけど自分がないっていう人、どこにでもいると思いますけどね」とのこと。自分を持たず、出会うもの、人によって変化するのがカオナシという存在なのです😌 pic.twitter.com/UX6LEVawAA

— アンク＠金曜ロードショー公式 (@kinro_ntv) January 5, 2024