| “ | Disgusting little creatures. Soon all of you will feel my hate... and suffer as I have suffered. | „ |
| ~ Nago's last words. |
Nago is one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside the Emperor) of Studio Ghibli's 10th full-length animated feature film, Princess Mononoke.
He was a forest god and the leader of the Boar Clan in the Cedar Forest, who led his people against the humans from Iron Town, who hoped to take over their territory. However, after being exposed to iron bullets, he was rendered a vengeful demon and went on a hateful rampage against all humans. He was eventually killed attacking Emishi Village by Prince Ashitaka.
He was voiced by Makoto Sato in Japanese and John DiMaggio in English (who also voiced Bender Bending Rodríguez, Joey Mousepad, and Igner in Futurama, General Grevious in Star Wars, Dr. Drakken in Kim Possible, Arthur in Ralph Breaks the Internet, Fung in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Nitro Zeus in Transformers: The Last Knight, and the Joker in Batman: Under the Red Hood).
Biography[]
Nago led the Boar Clan for centuries and prevented human inhabitation in the Cedar Forest. Whenever humans attempted to set up settlements, he would have his people destroy their construction, forcing them to stay out of the woods. This was effective before the arrival of Lady Eboshi, who brought iron bullets. Nago was shot during the ensuing battle, and the iron infected him, corrupting him using his fear and hate, and turning him into a monster.
Now a demon, Nago rampaged across the countryside, destroying any human who crossed his path. He eventually arrived in Emishi Village, where he battled Prince Ashitaka. He was able to infect the young warrior with a terminal curse on his arm but was killed anyway by arrows fired at his left eye and skull. He died cursing the humans around him, who begged forgiveness.
Appearance[]
As a spirit, Nago was a massive red boar with green eyes. After becoming a demon, his eyes turned red, and his skin began to rot. He became covered in worm-like creatures, who formed limbs for him and gave him a spider-like appearance.
Personality[]
| “ | I was just thinking about the boar god. I was thinking how he must have died filled with hate. | „ |
| ~ Ashitaka on Nago. |
Like many Boars, Nago was a proud creature, who deeply valued courage. Above all things, he cared for his people and spent his whole life fighting to ensure they had a place in the world. Over time, he began to despise humans for taking take over the territories of the Boars. Although his goals initially were merely to protect his people at any cost, upon being shot, his hate and rage was twisted. He became nothing more than a mindless, destructive monster, who sought the destruction of any human he came across.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Throughout the film, Ashitaka's arm is occasionally shown moving with a will of its own, particularly seeking to kill Lady Eboshi. This implies that Nago lived on inside of Ashitaka, and was only allowed to die when the Forest Spirit cured the arm.
External Links[]
- Nago on the Ghibli Wiki