Princess Mononoke

In ancient times, the land

lay covered in forests,

where, from ages long past,

dwelt the spirits of the gods.

Back then, man and beast

lived in harmony,

but as time went by, most

of the great forests were destroyed.

Those that remained were guarded

by gigantic beasts...

who owed their allegiance

to the Great Forest Spirit,

for those were the days

of gods and demons.

Yakul! Come on, boy.

- Girls!

- Ashitaka!

There's something strange going on.

You have to hurry.

The wise woman wants everybody back

to the village at once.

- We just came from Ji-san.

- Did he see something?

Yes, in the forest.

Something's wrong.

- The birds have gone.

- The animals too.

I'll go to the watchtower

and check with Ji-san.

You three hurry back home

and be quick about it.

All right.

Be careful!

Huh?

Something's there.

- Ji-san, did you see it too?

- I did. It isn't human.

The wise woman's calling everybody

back to the village.

There. Look.

- It's some kind of demon!

- A demon?

Run, Yakul! Run!

It's headed for the village.

I've got to stop it.

Prince Ashitaka, wait!

Be careful!

That thing is cursed!

Don't let it touch you!

Here, Yakul!

Calm your fury, o mighty lord!

Whatever you may be, god or demon,

please leave us in peace!

- The monster!

- Come on!

Go back! Please!

Leave our village alone!

Stop! Please! Stop!

Get up!

- Run!

- Come on! Hurry!

- He killed it!

- Ashitaka!

- Fetch the wise woman!

- Don't put the fire out yet.

Ashitaka!

Are you all right?

- Kaya, don't touch it. This wound is evil.

- The prince has been hurt.

- Where is the wise woman?

- Here she comes!

You must keep away from him, all of you.

Everyone, stay back.

- What shall we do?

- Take this and pour it over his wound, child, slowly.

All right.

O nameless god

of rage and hate,

I bow before you.

A mound will be raised and funeral rites

performed on this ground where you have fallen.

Pass on in peace

and bear us no hatred.

Disgusting little creatures,

soon all of you

will feel my hate...

and suffer

as I have suffered.

I'm afraid this is very bad.

The stones tell me the boar god

came from far to the west.

He had some kind of poison inside him,

driving him mad,

a poisonous hatred that consumed

his heart and flesh...

and turned him

into a demon monster.

- Prince Ashitaka?

- Yes?

Show everyone

your right arm.

What's it mean?

My prince, are you

prepared to learn...

what fate the stones

have foretold you?

Yes, I was prepared the very

moment that I let my arrow fly.

Mmm.

The infection will spread throughout

your whole body, bone and flesh alike.

It will cause you great pain

and then kill you.

Is there no way

we can stop it?

The prince got that wound by defending

our village and saving our lives!

Do we just sit here

and watch him die?

You cannot alter

your fate, my prince.

However, you can rise

to meet it, if you choose.

Look at this.

This iron ball was found

in the boar's body.

This is what hurt him so.

It shattered his bones and

burned its way deep inside him.

This is what turned him

into a demon.

There is evil at work in the land

to the west, Prince Ashitaka.

It's your fate to go there and see what

you can see with eyes unclouded by hate.

You may find a way

to lift the curse.

- You understand?

- Yes.

We are the last

of the Emishi.

It's 500 years since the Emperor

destroyed our tribe...

and drove the remnants

of our people to the east.

Some managed to survive here

for all these years,

but the blood of our tribe has grown

thinner and weaker with each generation.

Now our last prince must cut his

hair and leave us, never to return?

Sometimes I think the gods

are laughing at us.

Our laws forbid us from watching you go,

Ashitaka.

Whatever comes to pass now,

you are dead to us forever.

Farewell.

- Ashitaka!

- Kaya, what are you doing here? You know it's forbidden.

Do you think

I care about that?

I came to give you this so you won't

forget your little sister.

Your crystal dagger.

Kaya, I can't take this.

Please, keep it with you,

brother, to protect you.

You must take it with you. Please, I want

you to have it, so you won't... forget.

Kaya, you know I could

never forget you.

A battle?

No. A massacre.

Where are you going?

Come back here, you coward!

They're unarmed! Move in!

Look! Up there, on the hill!

- It's a warrior!

- Good! His head is mine!

You! Stop!

- My arm! What's happening to me?

- Stop him!

Hurry! Stop him

before he gets away!

Let me pass!

I'm warning you!

A demon.

The mark is

getting bigger.

- Who's that?

- I've never seen him.

Are you selling soup

or donkey piss?

Mommy! Look!

There he is now.

I wouldn't get too close to him.

- Will this be enough?

- Hey! What are you trying to pull?

This isn't money.

Give me back my rice, you little thief.

- Excuse me, but might I inspect that?

- Go ahead.

Mmm? My God!

But this is a lump of pure gold,

you silly woman!

However, if it's money you want, I'll pay for

the rice and take this nugget off your hands.

What do ya say?

My good people, is there a money changer

who could tell us how much this is worth?

No? All right.

Now, I'm just a monk, but I'd

say three bags of rice at least.

That's right, maybe even more. Hey,

wait a minute. Where are you going?

Where are you going?

Give me my gold!

Hey! You can't

just rush off now.

We've only just met.

We have got your rice,

and everything's fine.

You're a man of few words.

I understand.

Don't you even think of thanking me.

It was my pleasure.

In fact, I should be

thanking you, really.

You see, I was caught in that battle.

I saw what you did to those samurai.

You fight like a demon.

Where'd you learn to fight like that?

I see you noticed

we're being followed.

That's what we get for waving that

gold nugget around.

They'll wait till we're asleep,

then slit our throats.

What to you say we give 'em a little

demonstration of how fast we can run, huh?

So the demon monster turned out to be

a giant boar.

I followed its trail westward through

the mountains...

to where the samurai were attacking

those villagers.

- But then-

- You lost it. That's life.

See this place here?

When I came here last, a few years back,

this was a lovely little village.

But then there must have been

a flood or a landslide or a fire.

The only sure thing

is that everybody's dead.

These days, there are

angry ghosts all around us,

dead from wars,

sickness, starvation.

And nobody cares.

So you say you're under a curse?

So what? So's the whole damn world.

Mmm! Ahh!

I was wrong to fight in that village.

Two men are dead because of me.

Samurai thugs.

You win some,you lose some.

Hand me your bowl. My point is,

everybody dies. Some now, some later.

From brothel girl

to Emperor.

I've heard them say that the Emperor

has promised...

an entire hill of gold to anyone

who can help him live forever.

Beautiful bowl.

I've seen one other like it.

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