Summary

• The ending of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke is marked by a violent battle that leaves both the forest and Irontown destroyed.
• Lady Eboshi, the leader of Irontown, undergoes a transformation and vows to rebuild Irontown without exploiting nature.
• The ending of Princess Mononoke showcases the possibility of collaboration between humans and nature, offering a hopeful and meaningful resolution.

Studio Ghibli’s feature film from Hayao Miyazaki, Princess Mononoke explores the irreconcilability of a forest’s animals and spirits’ needs with the nearby Irontown human inhabitants’ wishes. Glimpses of the conflict can be seen throughout Princess Mononoke through the eyes of the banished Emishi prince Ashitaka, who understands the desires and needs of both sides and repeatedly tries to help them find common ground.

With the two sides refusing to abandon the hate they harbor for each other and wanting to exploit every possible chance to attack the opponent, Princess Mononoke unsurprisingly ends in a violent and gruesome battle. Total destruction of both the forest and Irontown’s inhabitants almost happens multiple times. But while Princess Mononoke’s mythological character, the forest spirit, essentially destroys everything in its reach, most living beings are saved. With the events unfurling during Princess Mononoke’s ending hinting at a specific meaning, the movie's conclusion may warrant further explanation.

Why Irontown Is Rebuilt At The End Of Princess Mononoke

Irontown is a source of contention between the animal-like gods of the forest and the humans who inhabit it in Princess Mononoke, as the wealth of Irontown is made by exploiting the mountain and its ores. Lady Eboshi’s willingness to see her town succeed makes it difficult for Ashitaka to see the good in her. Still, he comes to as he realizes that, although she's misguided, Lady Eboshi is only trying to provide for her subjects. She even wishes to help the most marginalized among them, as she frees women from brothels and employees them in weapon-making. She does the same for townspeople affected by leprosy.

The nightwalker’s destruction of Irontown as he looks for the head Jigo stole is one of his many acts of destruction, motivated by his need to be reunited with his head before he can die in peace. However, given that Ashitaka and San manage to give him back his head, his death still causes moss to grow over the ruins of everything he destroyed. The rebuilding of Irontown is led by a more nature-conscious Lady Eboshi, and it signals change and the possibility of a new collaboration between humanity and nature. This is something they never had a chance to experience before because of Irontown’s continuous exploitation of the forest.

Can Lady Eboshi Be Trusted In Her Vow?

Throughout Princess Mononoke, Lady Eboshi is depicted as a determined leader, one set on destroying the forest spirits because they oppose Irontown’s exploitation of its resources. However, she also cares deeply for her subjects. While she refuses to abandon her hate even after Ashitaka takes a bullet to protect San and what she stands for, she can't do the same once it becomes evident that Ashitaka and San’s actions saved her and Irontown. Indeed, seeing how their actions effectively bring peace makes her see the error of her ways. Eboshi can't continue destroying nature after everything that happened, and her vow at the ending of Princess Mononoke emphasizes this.

The Irony Of Lady Eboshi Losing Her Arm

Moro and San work hard to kill Lady Eboshi, even prior to the events of Princess Mononoke. Moro biting off Lady Eboshi’s arm grants her meager satisfaction before she dies, as Moro sees Eboshi as a villain. However, Moro’s actions might play a part in making Lady Eboshi promise not to rebuild Irontown by exploiting the surrounding nature, as Moro’s attack reminds Lady Eboshi of her mortality. Many townspeople throughout Princess Mononoke refer to Lady Eboshi as someone willing to defy the gods, but Moro depriving her of her arm reminds her of her humanity.

Lady Eboshi losing her arm also has an ironic meaning in the Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke. Once she realizes that Ashitaka’s curse pushed him to kill her, Lady Eboshi jokes about cutting off his arm in a bid to rid him of the curse. This drastic solution stems from her unwillingness to listen to Ashitaka, who wants her and San to cooperate instead of hating each other. Lady Eboshi loses her right arm because of her steadfast belief in industrialization over nature, which makes the loss a result of her refusal to hear Ashitaka out. Ultimately, she loses exactly what she wants to take from Ashitaka.

Why Ashitaka & San Go Their Separate Ways

Although hesitant to it her feelings for Ashitaka, San eventually tells him how much he means to her at the ending of Princess Mononoke. Still, even those feelings aren't enough to forgive humans for their relentless abuse of nature and what she views as them murdering the Great Forest Spirit. Ashitaka and San can't live together, even if they choose to live rather than die for their beliefs in the end. Their allegiances are to different factions. Despite being a human, San is brought up by Moro, thus placing her on the side of animals, spirit, and nature.

By contrast, Ashitaka is always willing to give humanity a chance, even if everybody views him as a stranger. Even when Ashitaka recognizes that Lady Eboshi and the people of Irontown are making a mistake in choosing hate and destruction over cooperation with animals and spirits, he still tries to help them make the right choice. Ashitaka and San living together would have betrayed their journeys in Princess Mononoke, as the ending leads them to accept their differences and meet each other in the middle. They decide to work toward a common goal but to do so separately, each helping their own side.

The Real Meaning Of Princess Mononoke's Ending

Princess Mononoke’s ending may seem hopeless because everything is destroyed, but it isn’t. While the Great Forest Spirit, Moro, and Okkoto are dead, everybody else lives. Additionally, Lady Eboshi swears to rebuild Irontown without exploiting the surrounding nature, having finally understood that what she did was wrong. San and Ashitaka are safe, and Ashitaka’s curse seemingly disappears. Instead of hating humans, San settles on not forgiving them and decides against killing Lady Eboshi.

The final moments of Princess Mononoke also show the Kodama populating the mountains, even after the forest’s destruction. In the end, by destroying everything, the Great Forest Spirit gives humans and animals another chance to do things the right way. This begins another cycle rather than bringing forth destruction. Just as Ashitaka tells San, the spirit can't really die because he is life itself. Even if the forest isn't his anymore, the spirit still makes sure to destroy all enmity among the different sides, simultaneously creating a new habitat that proves healthy. This makes Princess Mononoke’s ending a hopeful one and places it among Studio Ghibli's best movies.