The greatest protagonist in Ghiblis oeuvre, without question, is Chihiro of Spirited Away. She succeeds in exemplifying practically every key trait of a Ghibli lead figure while exceeding every other example by some distance. Spirited Away bundles many of Miyazakis themes into one surreal, Alice In Wonderland-like narrative, and Chihiro is the creators Alice, stumbling through a world that she doesnt understand while trying to maintain a Chihiro is headstrong like Kiki, innocent like Ponyo, heroic like Ashitaka, occasionally selfish like Howl, and friendly to everyone like Nausicaä. She begins by believing she can be independent and get on without her parents, but soon learns (through the metaphor of losing her name) that her background and family are crucial to her development. It is testament to her character that she continues to retain belief despite the fact that her parents have been turned into pigs, and it is equally impressive that Miyazaki is capable of building such a strange and compelling story and cast of characters around a character that is, effectively a child. Without question, Chihiro is a child. She may be a central character, she may be heroic, but the film is filled with emotional scenes that resonate with the experiences of childhood. She is an utterly believable ten year old girl who acts in the exact way that any child would in such a scary scenario. That is what makes her so fascinating as a character, and that is what makes Ghibli such a standout studio: the fusion of innocence and experience, and the absolute honesty that drives every one of their creations.