Studio Ghibli has surprised us several times. For me, Princess Mononoke was love at first sight. The movie is romantic without many scenes of love between the two characters. Its main focus lies in the concept of love for the environment. In a world where this concept is largely forgotten, Princess Mononoke is a movie that needs to be talked about more. This is more than just an ordinary adventure anime about angels and demons clashing and humanity winning. No, this is a story where we see the scum of humanity and where this darkness in them leads. Quotes from Princess Mononoke are especially strong, written with so many emotions that they could move mountains. And us? We are mere mortals.
Princess Mononoke is no story of good and evil. Every character is written with an amount of both, which is why people sometimes almost mistake it for a badly written anime. You see, that is the very beauty of it. There is no good and evil side. On the two sides of the story stand Man and Nature. While Man stirs up nature, selfishly wanting to consume it all, nature sits suffering. Until one day, Man crosses his limits, and nature destroys all it touches.
Despite being an anime with beautiful concept arts filled with scenic beauty, Princess Mononoke does not shy away from touching sensitive issues. It is a bold and strong movie with so much depth that you can drown as you try to read within the lines. The movie is written with the utmost sense of creativity. Here are some of our favorite quotes from Princess Mononoke that brought us steps closer to the characters it portrayed.
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Quotes From Princess Mononoke by San
San, also known as Princess Mononoke, is the protagonist of the movie. She was raised by wolves and thus had a wild personality. San displays strong willpower and a deep love for the forest, to the extent that she would even die to protect it. She was named “San” as she was the third child of Moro, the wolf goddess that brought her up.
1. We will find a way
“You must not give up! We shall find a way! The Forest Spirit is with us. Go on and plant the trees, and someday we will beat them!” – San
Mononoke’s willpower, like any good protagonist, was strong. Giving up was never in her set of plans which makes her quite a role model to look up to.
2. Afraid of Death
“I’m not afraid of death. I’d do anything to get you, humans, out of my forest!” – San
San was courageous, but this courage came from her love for the forest. She would go to limits to protect the forest, which sheltered her when she needed most.
3. Hate all humans
“I hate all of you humans!” – San
You see, humans are wonderful beings with all the braveness in heart and the strengths to pick themselves up. But, when at worst, they can be the very monsters that they created for fantasy. It is not easy to love a human once one crosses to the darker side. The sake goes for humanity.
4. Forgiveness
“Ashitaka, you mean so much to me, but I can’t forgive the humans for what they’ve done.” – San
I love this quote from Princess Mononoke. Sure, Ashitaka must have been a sweetheart. Even in reality, we have good people. But can we embrace all the bad in the world for the little good we see? Forgiveness does not come easy, not for bad people and not for the sake of other good people.
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Quotes From Princess Mononoke by Prince Ashitaka
Prince Ashitaka is the deuteragonist of the Princess Mononoke movie. He is referred to with the title ‘prince’ as he was the prince of Emishi village. He has a determined personality who seeks out peace the most.
5. A dream
“It feels like I must have been asleep for weeks. I had a dream that San was by my side, nursing me.” – Ashitaka
The plot of the movie is filled with several emotions, and love is one of them. You would find several romantic quotes from Princess Mononoke that will make your heart go ‘doki-doki’ in silence. This quote by Ashitaka is a classic example.
6. Hatred and Pain
“First, you steal the boar’s forest from him, then transform him into a Demon. Now you’re making even deadlier weapons. How much more hatred and pain do you think we need?” – Ashitaka
Ashitaka was righteous. He was a prince after all. He goes on about Demons and weapons, unknown to the truths of the forest and that threatened it was man itself.
7. Hate
“To see with eyes unclouded by hate.” – Ashitaka
I feel like this is one of the most beautiful quotes from Princess Mononoke. Sometimes it requires lesser words to deliver the truest emotions, and this here is one of the best examples of the same. Not just hatred, but all strong emotions cloud a person’s judgment. Your eyes would see what the heart craves, and this is why Prince Ashitaka wanted to move beyond his hate and perceive the truth.
8. A heartfelt compliment
“You’re…. beautiful.” – Ashitaka
Ashitaka displays every bit of romantic affection. But, this one is a bit special and a personal favorite. What’s absolutely adorable about this is how Ashitaka says this in an unstable state and loses consciousness right after.
9. He is with us now
“Never. He (the Forest Spirit) is life itself. San, he isn’t dead. He is here with us now, telling us to live.” – Ashitaka
If God exists, he encourages life. Moving on from tragedies and embracing life is the true message we must believe in.
10. Hatred
“Look, everyone! This is what hatred looks like! This is what it does when it gets a hold of you! It’s eating me alive, and very soon now, it will kill me! Fear and anger only make it grow faster!” – Ashitaka
Hate is a strong emotion. The power in it can kill a person inside, as they grow more and more distant from who they really are.
11. Peace
“What I want is for the humans and the forest to live in peace!” – Ashitaka
Ashitaka being a prince, wanted no war. To be honest, it is always a smarter choice to make peace. While war brings destruction, peace brings love.
12. Happy women and happy village
“Well, they say that happy women make a happy village.” – Ashitaka
Happier people do make a happier world.
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Quotes From Princess Mononoke by Moro
Moro is the wolf goddess that adopted San and brought her up. She is very loving and very wise. Moro would often give advice to San. She despised humans as she knew of their impure intentions. In addition to being kind, as a goddess, Moro was also very strong and would do anything to protect the forest.
13. Poor, ugly, beautiful daughter
“Instead of eating her, I raised her as my own. Now my poor, ugly, beautiful daughter is neither human nor wolf.” – Moro
I love this quote from Princess Mononoke by Moro. Her description of San was so contrasting. It’s interesting how Moro took in San when she was abandoned and left to die by her human parents as they faced fear. Moro was more human than most people and a truly amazing mother.
14. You’re awake?
“Ah, you’re awake. I was hoping you’d cry out in your sleep, then I would have bitten your head off to silence you.” – Moro
Moro says this to Ashitaka after he wakes up from fainting. I love the playful threats she often throws towards people.
15. My Daughter
“She is my daughter. One of the wolf tribes.” – Moro.
Yet another thing I love about Moro is how she didn’t just help San survive. She took her in her tribe and made her family. There are so many deep notes in Princess Mononoke that brought several viewers to tears. Once again, we are met with Hayao Miyazaki’s genius.
16. The Forest Spirit
“The Forest Spirit gives life and takes life away. Life and death are his alone.” – Moro
The Forest Spirit was kind, but even his kindness had limits. He was helpless yet ruthless to those who deserved it. While he gives life, once its wrath is unleashed, the Forest Spirit might even suck all life away.
17. Smelling like human
“Ugh! I smell like a human.” – Moro
Moro being completely disgusted by how she smells like humans will never not be funny.
18. Thinking like a human
“Typical. Selfish. You think like a human.” – Moro
Moro despised humans because she had seen the worst in them, the part that came out in fear. You see, people are selfish, and people will never stop being so because that’s just who they are.
19. What is it, San?
“What is it, San? Want me to crunch his face off?” – Moro
It’s funny, not because of what she says but more because she says it right after Ashitaka calls San beautifully and faints.
20. Can you save who you love?
“Ashitaka… Can you save the girl you love?” – Moro
When Moro had lost trust from all humans, I love how she started to see Ashitaka as one she could rely on.
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Quotes From Princess Mononoke by Lady Eboshi
Lady Eboshi is the main antagonist of Princess Mononoke. She is one of the most conflicting characters in anime, which makes her mere existence such a beauty. Lady Eboshi is the mere representation of many positive things. She is strong, inspirational, a believer of women’s rights, and also loved by her followers. However, she is also cruel against the forest and goes to war against the Forest Spirit.
21. To kill a God
“Now watch closely, everyone. I’m going to show you how to kill a god. A god of life and death. The trick is not to fear him.” – Lady Eboshi
Lady Eboshi was not an ordinary woman. She knew what needed to be done and how it shall be done.
22. The Wolf’s head
“Cut off a wolf’s head, and it still has the power to bite.” – Lady Eboshi
This is probably one of the most popular quotes from Princess Mononoke. There’s so much power and wits in Lady Eboshi’s quotes that give us a vague idea of the character’s personality.
23. To keep living
“Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still, you find reasons to keep living.” – Lady Eboshi
Life is as much about bad times as it is about the good. Despite whatever lemons life throws their way, people have found reasons to embrace life and continue living.
24. A little bored
“I’m getting a little bored of this curse of yours, Ashitaka just let me cut the damn thing off.” – Lady Eboshi
Lady Eboshi was sarcastic, and her words were harsh. Sometimes, they were even completely devoid of pity.
25. Get the living home
“They’re dead. Let’s get the living home.” – Lady Eboshi
Despite her occasional harshness, she cared about her subordinates and was looked up to for the same reason.
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Quotes From Princess Mononoke by Jigo
Jigo represents the shrewd nature of humanity. While pretending to be an ally, Jigo proves to be a rather greedy man. He wishes for several things and would lie and deceive to have them come true.
26. Can’t win against fools
“Well, I give up. Can’t win against fools.” – Jigo
This is one of the truest quotes from Princess Mononoke. Fighting with fools would lead to no proper outcome. It would only lead to an insensible circle of life.
27. Wanting everything in life
“Kid, listen, everybody wants to have everything in life,” – Jigo
Jigo’s quotes were always realistic. A common man does not see what’s wrong or right, nor does he care.
28. No one cares
“These days, there are angry ghosts all around us. Dead from wars, sickness, starvation, and nobody cares.” – Jigo
Once again, we face reality. People die every day, but no one so much as cares about these lost lives. That’s something worth thinking about.
29. A curse
“So you say you’re under a curse? Well, so what. So’s the whole damn world.” – Jigo
The words may be bitter, but there’s honesty in them.
30. Your dirty work
“When you’re going to kill a god, let someone else do your dirty work.” – Jigo
This is how the world is. People are shrewd. There are so many things people want to do. But, no one dares to take responsibility.
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Quotes From Princess Mononoke by Osa
Osa is a minor character from Princess Mononoke who is suffering from leprosy. He is very loyal to Lady Eboshi and sees her as his savior.
31. The sufferings of Life
“Life is suffering. It is not easy. The world may be cursed, but still, you find reasons to keep living.” – Osa
Once again, we are back to learning about the darker side of the world we live in.
32. Cure
“The world hates and fears us, but she, she took us in, and washed our rotting flesh and bandaged us.” – Osa
Osa has little role in the story. But within that little role, Osa leaves behind quite an impression.
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Quotes From Princess Mononoke by Hii Sama
Hii-Sama was a shaman in Ashitaka’s village. She was old and wise.
33. If you choose
“You cannot change fate. However, you can rise to meet it, if you so choose.” – Hii Sama
The more you think about it, the more this quote from Princess Mononoke makes sense.
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Studio Ghibli surpassed itself again when it made Princess Mononoke. The movie is such a beautiful blend of intense fantasy. Planning to watch the movie and experience its aesthetics? You can always stream it on Netflix anytime!
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