Who (Or What) Is No Face In Spirited Away?
Part of what makes the work of Hayao Miyazaki stand out so much in the world of animation is the heady, philosophical, and existential ideas that they explore. Perhaps his best-known and most beloved work, "Spirited Away," demonstrates this quality in spades. It's a film with more questions than answers and features some of the strangest characters in his entire catalog.
Oddest of all, though, is the pervasive No Face (Akio Nakamura/Bob Bergen). A wandering spirit who is unable to speak and wears a mask with a perpetual smile on it, the mysterious figure wanders the supernatural bathhouse that Chihiro Ogino (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) finds herself inhabiting throughout "Spirited Away." Still, even after multiple rewatches, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what he is.
While there is no definitive answer for why No Face is in "Spirited Away," there are some key themes and emotions that can be tied to the character. First of all, it's worth noting that No Face is a very lonely and awkward creature. Robbed of the ability to speak, he attempts to communicate through his actions and is commonly misunderstood as a result.
Due to his inability to speak, No Face begins swallowing other characters to use their voices. While this isn't fatal, it is disquieting, especially since No Face doesn't have an intrinsic way of speaking. This makes his speech very odd-sounding, and the fact that his voice is always different makes him even creepier.
No Face's story is among the most tragic of the bathhouse denizens
This may be why No Face is largely ignored by the other workers and patrons who inhabit the bathhouse. Though the wandering spirit may appear as a ghostly figure in "Spirited Away," he also can transform himself. He shows off this ability more than once, and both times, the situation becomes perilous for the characters of the film.
The reason for this is likely that the solitary creature has been holding feelings of sadness and rejection inside of its empty husk since its inception. Notably, No Face seems to transform only when stressed, and he appears to grow in size based on how upset he is.
The way No Face transforms also offers clues to its desires. When he finally loses control, he eats to make himself bigger, as if demanding that the other "Spirited Away" characters finally pay attention to him. Furthermore, it isn't until Chihiro listens to him and takes him outside with her that he begins to regurgitate everything that he devoured.
Between the themes of the character, how he is represented, and how he reacts to kindness or rejection, No Face appears to be a sort of embodiment of loneliness and thus is constantly seeking attention. While this eventually culminates in a disaster that nearly consumes the other bathhouse guests, No Face is clearly capable of good and is mainly just someone in need of friendship and understanding.