Haku (Spirited Away)
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is a fictional character in the 2001 Japanese animated movie Spirited Away.
Haku is a white dragon who befriends the protagonist, Sen/Chihiro, and eventually aids in her escape from Yubaba's bath house, although he is Yubaba's apprentice. He is able to turn into a human at will, as well as cast spells of unbinding, invisibility, and binding. Haku is the spirit of the Kohaku river, which a young Chihiro fell into as a child. Since then, the river has been paved over to make room for a mall. In smaller pieces of anime by the author concerning Spirited Away, it has been assumed that Chihiro's mother and father despised the river, for almost killing their daughter.
In Japanese mythology the health of a spirit is connected to the natural feature such as a mountain or stream they inhabit. It can be assumed that the destruction of his river is what drove Haku into Yubaba's servitude, hoping to gain greater power. Chihiro saved him from Yubaba's servitude when she remembered his name (Yubaba keeps people under her control by stealing their names).
Trivia
- In the Japanese language version, Haku's real name is given as Kohakunushi Nigihayami, or Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, instead of the simpler "Kohaku River" given in the English-dub. This minor difference is one of the reasons the English-dub version is criticized by fans.
- Haku can be translated as "white" in Japanese, referring to his white color.
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