Fans Pick Nausicaä from “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” as Favorite Female Ghibli Character

From Oct. 19–25, Anime!Anime! held a reader poll themed on works by Studio Ghibli. The poll was divided by male and female on favorite Ghibli movie and favorite character, and below are the results. A total of 569 readers answered the poll, with the gender ratio at about 50/50. About half of respondents were also teenagers to early 20-somethings. The results this time take a look at the top 10 favorite female characters.

■ Brave Girls Control the Top Rankings - Nausicaä from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Ranked No. 1

At No. 1 is the main character of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaä. The fact that Nausicaä ranked first among both males and females shows her high popularity with both genders. She is a character depicted in the movie as being strong yet kind, but is also depicted in the manga with different charms. However, in the strict sense, the top-notch production Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind can’t be called a Studio Ghibli movie, though it did play a role in the studio’s foundation. Kushana also ranked in the top 10 in the poll.

At No. 2 is San from Princess Mononoke. San came in at No. 2 among females and No. 4 among males. She’s a strong female just like Nausicaä, and this may account for her popularity. At No. 3 is Princess Sheeta from Castle in the Sky. Shizuku Tsukishima from Whisper of the Heart came in at No. 4, ranking eighth among females and second among males.

All in all, strong, brave female characters dominated the top of the ranking, but even characters like Princess Sheeta and Sophie who are strong but still protected by a male character ranked in too. It wasn’t just main characters either, even supporting characters made it into the top 10 including Lin from Spirited Away and Kushana from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

[Favorite Ghibli Character (Female) Ranking]
1. Nausicaä - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
2. San - Princess Mononoke
3. Princess Sheeta - Castle in the Sky
4. Shizuku Tsukishima - Whisper of the Heart
5. Sophie - Howl’s Moving Castle
6. Kiki - Kiki’s Delivery Service
7. Haru Yoshioka - The Cat Returns
8. Chihiro Ogino - Spirited Away
9. Lin - Spirited Away
10. Kushana - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

(Poll Period: Oct. 19 (Mon.) – Oct. 25 (Sun.), 2015)

Source: animeanime