Plot
In Muromachi period Japan, an Emishi village is attacked by a demon (祟り神, tatari-gami?). The last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, defends the village, but is cursed by the demon in the battle. The curse gives him superhuman strength, but will eventually kill him. The demon is revealed to be a boar god, Nago, corrupted by an iron ball lodged in his body.
The village oracle tells Ashitaka that he may find a cure in the western lands Nago came from. On the journey to the west, Ashitaka meets Jiko-bō, a wandering monk, who tells Ashitaka that he might find help from the Deer God (シシ神, Shishi-gami?, called the "Forest Spirit" in the English dub), a Kirin-like creature by day and a giant Daidarabotchi by night.
Nearby, the people of Tataraba (たたら場?, "Iron Town" in the English dub), led by Lady Eboshi, are attacked by a wolf clan led by the wolf-god Moro. Riding one of the wolves is San, a human girl. The next day, Ashitaka discovers two injured Tataraba men, and sees San and the wolf clan; he greets them, but they ignore him and leave. He carries the injured through the forest, where he encounters many kodama (木魂?), and glimpses the Deer God.
In Tataraba, Ashitaka learns Eboshi has built the town by clear-cutting forests to reclaim ironsand and produce iron, leading to conflict with the forest gods. The town is a refuge for social outcasts, including former brothel workers and lepers, whom Eboshi employs to manufacture firearms to defend against the gods. Ashitaka realises Eboshi is responsible for turning the boar into the demon. Eboshi explains that San, whom she calls Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫, Mononoke-hime?), was raised by the wolves as one of their own, and hates humans.
San infiltrates Tataraba to kill Eboshi, but Ashitaka intervenes, knocking them both unconscious. As he leaves the town carrying San, he is shot by a villager and falls unconscious. San awakens and is about to kill the weakened Ashitaka, but hesitates when he tells her she is beautiful. She takes him to the forest, and decides to trust him after the Deer God saves his life.
The wolf clan, joined by the boars led by the boar-god Okkoto-nushi, plan to attack Tataraba to save the forest. Eboshi prepares for battle and sets out to kill the Deer God. Jiko-bō, revealed to be a mercenary, intends to give the head of the Deer God to the Emperor of Japan in return for protection from local daimyos. According to legend, the severed head of Deer God will grant immortality.
In the battle, Okkoto-nushi is corrupted by a gunshot wound. Disguising themselves in the boars' skins, Jiko-bō and his men trick the rampaging Okkoto-nushi into leading them to the Deer God. San desperately tries to stop him, but is swept up in the corruption consuming his body until Ashitaka and Moro rescue her. Eboshi beheads the Deer God during its transformation into the Daidarabotchi. Corruption pours from its body, poisoning the forest. Ashitaka and San return the head from Jiko-bō to the Deer God. Restored, the Deer God falls into the lake, healing the land, Ashitaka and San.
Though Ashitaka means much to San, she still hates humans for their actions and decides to remain in the forest. Ashitaka chooses to help rebuild the town, but tells San he will visit her in the forest. In gratitude to Ashitaka's efforts to save the people of Tataraba, Eboshi vows to rebuild a better town. The film ends with a kodama appearing in the rejuvenated forest.
Read more about this topic: Princess Mononoke
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