OOC :: Application
Character
Name: Haku (Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi).
Fandom: Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi).
Gender: Male.
Age:
Time Period: Towards the middle of the movie, when Haku is dying from the curse Yubaba put on Zeniba’s golden seal.
Wing Color: Silver-white.
History: Once, a long, long time ago, Haku was a river spirit; for centuries, he guarded and protected a river called Kohakugawa. Sadly, the river was destroyed when humans filled it in to build apartments.
Since his home was now destroyed, Haku had nowhere to go, and so he wandered aimlessly for many long years until chance and circumstances lead him to the spirit world. Once there, he made his way to a bathhouse run by a witch named Yubaba. After a brief conversation, she and Haku came to an agreement: he would enter her service in exchange for her teaching him what she knew about sorcery.
He signed Yubaba’s contract, which gave her control over his real name. She gave him a new name, “Haku”, and almost immediately, he began to change, forgetting who he was. The only thing that he remembered was the image of a pink shoe, being in the water, and the name Chihiro. Why those things were important, he wasn’t entirely sure.
Because he had signed Yubaba’s contract, giving up his memories and his name, she had absolute control over him. She made him carry out various tasks for her, usually involving stealing or other wrong actions. Over time, the people in the bathhouse decided that Haku was nothing more than a greedy, cold-hearted person, but in reality, the only reason he was that way was because he had made that arrangement with Yubaba. His true nature was not cold and greedy at all; instead, he was kind and good, something that was seen when he tried protecting an unfamiliar young girl who had accidentally strayed into the spirit world.
He didn’t realize the whole extent of his relationship with Chihiro, but he did know her name and that she did not belong in the spirit world. So after he found her hiding outside the bathhouse, and after learning that she couldn’t escape because she couldn’t cross the river, he decided to help her. Chihiro told Haku that her parents had turned into pigs (they had greedily eaten food belonging to spirits), and that she couldn’t leave without them.
Haku then took her to Yubaba’s bathhouse, so that she could try getting a job, and thus have a reason to remain in the spirit world long enough to rescue her parents. Once Haku had seen Chihiro safely to Yubaba’s bathhouse, he took his leave of her for a short period of time, returning after she’d signed the contract and given up her name in exchange for her new one, which was Sen.
After this, Haku had a talk with “Sen”, telling her that her real name was Chihiro, and to never forget that. Then, after returning her clothes to her, he took her to visit her parents where they were being kept; this proved too much for Chihiro, who started crying, but Haku was there to comfort her and make her feel better. Shortly after this, Haku was sent off by Yubaba on another mission; he went to Yubaba’s twin sister Zeniba’s house in his dragon form, and stole her very valuable gold seal. He swallowed the seal to hide it, but almost immediately became gravely ill. There was a curse on the seal, but he still managed to escape Zeniba’s house, although he was pursued by a flock of her paper birds. As he was flying, the birds attacked him, leaving behind deep lacerations, and the curse that had been placed on the seal also left behind severe internal wounds.
Haku somehow managed to keep flying, heading straight to where Chihiro was in the bathhouse; although she was taken by surprise, she managed to protect Haku from the paper birds. But since he was in his dragon form at this time, his animalistic tendencies and unwillingness to accept her help caused him to reject her protection, and he flew away, to where Yubaba lived, at the top of the bathhouse.
Once she saw Haku, she knew immediately he was dying, and ordered her subjects to get rid of him once she was out of the way. But Chihiro had caught up with Haku by this time, and interfered again, managing through sheer stubbornness and determination to protect her friend from Yubaba’s henchmen and the image of Zeniba that had followed her to Haku by resting on her back in the form of a paper bird. The projection of Zeniba did not appreciate Chihiro’s intervention, and so she turned to attack her as well. But Haku was not going to allow that, so he slashed the paper bird in two pieces, temporarily ridding them of Zeniba’s presence.
But by this time, Haku was in no condition to still be flying, so even though he tried to escape with Chihiro, the two of them ended up falling down a trash chute, and they ended up in Kamajii’s boiler room. He finally lost consciousness, transforming back into his human form, badly weakened by the curse that was on the stolen seal. In desperation, Chihiro forced down his throat the herbal medicine she had received, which caused him to vomit up the seal and a black slug. At first, Chihiro and Kamajii thought the slug was planted by Zeniba, but they eventually learned that it had come from Yubaba. With some urging from Kamajii, Chihiro squashed the slug, which broke the control Yubaba had over Haku.
Even though the power Yubaba had over him had been broken, Haku was still in serious condition because of the cursed seal; he remained unconscious while Chihiro and Kamajii discussed their options. Eventually, Chihiro left the boiler room and the bathhouse in order to return the stolen seal to Zeniba and apologize for Haku who had stolen it.
While she was gone, Haku slowly regained consciousness, and immediately went to see Yubaba. He told her that her son (the overlarge baby called Boh) had gone with Chihiro to Swamp Bottom where Zeniba lived, and then made a bargain with her: he would bring Boh back in exchange for the freedom of Chihiro and her parents. Yubaba agreed, but she added one condition: Haku had to let her give Chihiro one final test. If she did not pass, she would not receive her freedom. Haku agreed, and the bargain was completed.
Returning to his dragon form, Haku flew to Swamp Bottom to find Chihiro. Once there, after a bit of conversation, Zeniba agreed to forgive Haku for the theft of her seal, as long as he promised to look after Chihiro. Of course, he promised to do so, which was good enough for Zeniba. The two of them then flew back to the bathhouse.
Along the way, Chihiro mentioned something she’d found out to Haku; she told him that when she was younger, she lost her shoe in a river, and went to find it, nearly drowning in the process. She would have died then if not for the intervention of a river spirit who caught her and brought her back to shore. She told Haku that the river she had fallen into was called the Kohakugawa, and that she thought the spirit who had saved her was Haku himself.
Her words proved to be true, as Haku recalled his real name (Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi) and who he had once been. He thanked Chihiro for her help in recovering his name and his memories, and the two of them completed the journey back to the bathhouse.
Once they’d returned, Chihiro successfully completed Yubaba’s test, thus becoming free from the contract she’d signed. She learned that her parents had been turned back from pigs and were already back in the human world waiting for her. Haku led Chihiro to the barrier between the two worlds, where they said goodbye, and promised each other that they would meet again. Chihiro did not look back once as she walked away, following the warning Haku had given her, and soon returned to her parents and the human world.
It isn’t seen in the film, only mentioned, but it can be gathered from what he says in the movie that because he now knows his name and his past, Haku can finally be free of Yubaba’s contract. But since the Kohakugawa in the human world has been destroyed, he has no home to go to, and thus has to stay in the spirit world, even though he means to keep the promise he made to Chihiro.
Personality: As was previously mentioned, Haku appears to be somewhere between twelve and fourteen years old, but the way he acts suggests that he is actually much older. Because he is a river spirit, and had been one for centuries, he is a great deal more formal and reserved than is normal for someone of his appearance.
He is not the type to indulge in frivolous activities, nor is he the type to laugh easily and be relaxed. In canon, he is shown as being very serious about his goals and his assignments, and this carries over into his every day life. When he has been asked or ordered to do something, he will not allow anything to get in the way of completing his tasks. He views adults as being on an equal level with himself; he also does not immediately respect them or listen to them unless they’ve given him a very good reason to do so.
If someone wants to earn his respect and trust, they need to be courageous, brave, independent, resourceful, and compassionate. Anyone else, especially those who are greedy, cruel, and lazy, will earn his uttermost disdain. With that being said, Haku has a bit of a soft spot for children. As shown in how he treated Chihiro, Haku can be very nice and caring with them, and very protective.
So to summarize, Haku puts great emphasis on formality, politeness, tradition, and dignity. Because he speaks in a very formal manner, he sometimes seems unapproachable and cold, but beneath that exterior, he has a very warm and caring spirit. When he is in his dragon form, he is less reserved and borderline wild. Making him see reason when in this form is difficult, particularly when he feels like he is being coerced.
Strengths: On a physical level, Haku isn’t particularly strong. He seems to rely more on magic than on sheer brute force. For example, the spells that he knows are useful for healing (restoring one’s health and healing injuries both minor and serious) and for defensive tactics (creating illusions that serve as distractions). When he is in his dragon form, however, he relies more on his physical strength. But he uses his ability to transform as more of a defensive option than an offensive one.
Mentally, Haku is tough in the sense that he does not have very many attachments that can be used to take advantage of him (with the exception of one, which will be mentioned as a weakness). He is fairly unconcerned with what people think about him, and because of that, is not vulnerable to judgments and ridicule.
Haku is a very emotionally stable individual. He is not prone to emotional outbursts, and is able to remain calm and rational in most situations. The only exception to this is when he has turned into a dragon; then, he tends to be stubborn and a little unpredictable.
Weaknesses: Again, Haku is not the strongest person ever. In canon, he is not shown engaging in physical fights (hand-to-hand and the like), simply because his magical abilities exceed his ability to fight on a physical level.
Mentally, there isn’t a lot to say about Haku’s weaknesses. However, in one sense, I think he’s a little vulnerable to power of suggestion. He signed the contract with Yubaba, giving up his name and his memories, and doing whatever she asks of him, in spite of any disagreement he might have. And, as was noted by Kamajii, after he signed the contract, his physical appearance changed, and his skin took on a pallid appearance and his eyes became steely. That was probably because of Yubaba’s sorcery, but regardless of the cause, that does suggest a bit of mental vulnerability.
On an emotional level, the one main weakness that could be used to take advantage of Haku is his compassionate nature and his love for children. In canon, the majority of what Haku did was to protect Chihiro regardless of what might happen to him because of it.