In the Muromachi period of Japan, a young Emishi prince named Ashitaka kills a gigantic demon to protect his village, but the act curses his arm with a dark, supernatural force that will eventually kill him. This demon, once the boar god Nago, had been corrupted by an iron ball embedded in its body, a symbol of the encroaching human world. Ashitaka is exiled from his home, forced to journey west to find the source of Nago's hatred and cure his curse. As he travels, the curse grants him supernatural strength, a double-edged sword that allows him to survive but also threatens to consume his humanity. He encounters a monk named Jigo, who advises him to seek answers in the nearby mountains from the Forest Spirit, a deer-like god of life and death that transforms into the giant Nightwalker at sunset. Guided by tiny kodama spirits, Ashitaka passes through the forest of the gods, where he catches a glimpse of the Forest Spirit, setting the stage for a conflict that will span the natural and human worlds.
The Iron Town And The Wolf Princess
Ashitaka arrives at Irontown, a settlement that has deforested the surrounding area to mine iron, leading to conflicts with the animal gods of the forest. The town shelters former prostitutes and people with leprosy, who work to manufacture firearms, creating a unique society that challenges traditional views of femininity and social hierarchy. Lady Eboshi, the town's leader, admits to shooting Nago, instilling the hatred that corrupted him, and reveals her plan to kill the Forest Spirit, hoping to eradicate the gods and enable Irontown to prosper. Though Ashitaka's cursed arm tries attacking Eboshi, he resists its influence, showing his determination to find a peaceful resolution. The wolves attack, led by the wolf goddess Moro and her adopted human daughter, San, whom the townspeople call 'Princess Mononoke'. San infiltrates Irontown and duels Eboshi, but Ashitaka subdues them both, only to be shot by a townsperson. Strengthened by the curse, he takes San out of the town before collapsing, beginning a complex relationship between the cursed prince and the wolf princess.The Forest Spirit And The Nightwalker
San brings Ashitaka to the Forest Spirit, who heals his wound but leaves the curse intact, a decision that will have profound consequences for the story. The next day, a boar clan, led by the blind god Okkoto, declares their intention to attack Irontown, preferring to die in battle rather than allow their kind to diminish. Ashitaka recovers and implores Moro to let San escape with him, but is banished from the forest instead. The boars assault Irontown's forces but are annihilated by their weaponry, highlighting the brutal reality of the conflict. San and the mortally wounded Okkoto retreat to the forest, unknowingly followed by Eboshi and Jigo, who use the blood of the fallen boars to deceive Okkoto into leading them to the Forest Spirit. San tries stopping him, but his pain transforms him into a demon, engulfing her. With Moro's remaining strength, she and Ashitaka free San, and the Forest Spirit grants peaceful deaths to Okkoto and Moro. As it transforms into the Nightwalker, Eboshi beheads it, causing its body to explode into a dark, chaotic fluid that expands in search of its head, killing everything it touches, including the forest, and briefly reanimates Moro's head, which bites off Eboshi's arm.