7 Disturbing Studio Ghibli Fan Theories About Your Favorite Anime Films

Unlike some theories on this list, this one doesn’t require a stretch of the imagination. During the Edo period, bath houses like the one in Spirited Away were frequented by men who wanted to be “taken care of” by the young women who worked there. And who ran these establishments? Older women who called themselves Yubaba. Other evidence that supports this theory is how Yubaba coerces Chihiro to change her name and forsake her identity, much in the way some prostitutes are forced to. Finally, No-Face’s actions take on a more sinister tone in light of this theory, as his numerous offerings of gold and gifts can be read as No-Face trying to “purchase” Chihiro.

If you thought Totoro was just a cuddly forest spirit, think again. One popular theory reasons that Totoro is actually a god or angel of death. The theory posits that Totoro is a god of death who can only be seen by those close to death. Fans theorize that Mei and Satsuki can see Totoro because Mei actually drowned in the pond and, overcome by guilt and grief, Satsuki killed herself shortly after.

The theory has its roots in the Sayama Incident of 1963, when 16-year-old Yoshie Nakata went missing one day on her way home from school. Her older sister frantically searched for her but to no avail. A few days later, Yoshie was found dead and her sister committed suicide shortly after. Many of the details of the case are eerily present in My Neighbor Totoro. For example, the incident occurred in May, and both Satsuki and Mei are named after the month of May (Satsuki means May in Japanese). Also, some evidence within the film suggests that it takes place in Sayama Hills.

If that weren’t enough, towards the end of the film, when the cat bus is listing destinations, the destination just before “Mei” reads “Path to Graveyard.” That doesn’t feel like the type of detail a filmmaker would carelessly throw in there.

If your fond memories of My Neighbor Totoro are in danger of being crushed, don't worry. After this theory gained widespread attention, Ghibli issued a statement saying, “There’s absolutely no truth or configuration that Totoro is the God of Death or that Mei is dead in My Neighbor Totoro.”

This theory makes Grave of the Fireflies, one of the most depressing films of all time, even more depressing. It posits that Seita is in purgatory and is stuck in an infinite loop, forced to relive the events that lead up to his and his sister’s deaths. Why would Seita be in purgatory? Some fans of the film believe that Seita is to blame for his sister’s death and that reliving all of the moments and choices that lead to Setsuko’s death is his punishment. Of course, while many fans think Seita could have made better choices, they don’t think he’s responsible - they blame the war.

Some fans have theorized that the pelt San wears in Princess Mononoke is actually the skin of one of Mora’s cubs. When Moro tells Ashitaka about how she came to adopt San, she says that she killed San’s parents because they were defiling the forest. One theory posits that they were defiling the forest by attacking and murdering one of Moro’s cubs. If that were the case, it would make perfect sense for Moro to give her pup’s pelt to her new daughter. The pelt made San look more wolf-like and, in a way, she was replacing the child Moro had lost at the hands of San’s parents.

This was a long-running theory amongst many Mononoke fans, though many caught on sooner than others. The theory refers to the scene in Princess Mononoke when Ashitaka visits the social outcasts in Irontown. He’s told that they are suffering from “gyobyo,” which translates to incurable disease in English. For years, fans wondered what disease the townsmen were suffering from. Many guessed leprosy, and in 2016, at the International Leprosy/Hansen's Disease History Symposium, Miyazaki confirmed that the disease was indeed leprosy.

According to fan theories, Ghibli really likes gods of death. This theory gives the Ghibli retelling of a little mermaid a sinister twist. It argues that everyone died during the tsunami and Ponyo is an angel-like figure who can travel between the world of the living and the dead. When we see the people in Sosuke’s village in their boats, all heading in one direction, it could be referencing the Sanzu River, or the River of Three Crossings- a river the dead must cross to reach the afterlife. There’s also a moment in the film when Ponyo and Sosuke go through a tunnel. Some fans believe this tunnel is a portal to the afterlife.

In most fiction, tunnels represent something more than a tunnel and this is especially so in Ghibli films. The tunnel Chihiro passes through in Spirited Away can be seen as a literal portal between her world and that of the bath house, but it can also represent her transition into adulthood. At the entrance of the tunnel Ponyo and Sosuke pass through stands a statue of Ksitigarbha, the patron deity of deceased children. While it’s a minor detail, the placement of this specific statue seems particularly significant.