Studio Ghibli Founder Says Major Anime Character ‘Wasn’t Chosen for Her Voice’

For millions of Studio Ghibli fans, San, the fierce wolf princess from Princess Mononoke, is an iconic character brought to life by the voice of Yuriko Ishida. However, according to a new reveal, Ishida did not land the role due to her vocal performance.

The revelation was made by Studio Ghibli co-founder and producer Toshio Suzuki during a recent stage greeting in Tokyo celebrating the upcoming 4K digital remaster of Princess Mononoke. Per Oricon, Suzuki explained that Ishida’s casting had less to do with her voice and more to do with the voice actor being Hayao Miyazaki’s type. “You played Okiyo in Isao Takahata’s Pom Poko, right? When you greeted us back then, I caught a glimpse of Hayao Miyazaki’s face. I’ll never forget it, his upper lip was twitching. She wasn’t chosen for her voice, but because she was Miyazaki’s type,” the producer said.

San’s Voice Actor From Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke Was Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Type’

Ishida herself was surprised at being cast as San in Princess Mononoke, revealing that she was shocked when Suzuki decided to drop in at her agency. “I never imagined I’d receive an offer,” Ishida noted. While she may have had the director’s approval, Ishida admitted she struggled significantly with Miyazaki’s famously strict direction during the recording sessions. “I was completely in ‘after-school detention’ mode,” she laughed, recalling that she often had to stay behind after other actors had finished. Ishida then went on to give an example of the difficult direction she received for the scene where San confronts a wounded Ashitaka. She especially struggled to deliver the line, “Are you going to die?” as Miyazaki had instructed her to say it as casually as if she was saying, “Aren’t you wearing any pants?” This attempt to strip the line of melodrama and replace it with San’s blunt, non-human perspective “was a very difficult request,” according to Ishida.

Despite the struggles, Ishida managed to immortalize San with her performance. Princess Mononoke remains one of Studio Ghibli’s most successful and defining films, cementing its legacy with an unflinching portrayal of the conflict between nature and humanity. The film’s mature themes of hatred, compassion and the search for co-existence made it a critical and commercial powerhouse in Japan. Released on July 12, 1997, the film drew 14.2 million viewers and earned 19. 3 billion yen at the box office, with a 2020 re-release boosting those totals to 15 million viewers and 20.18 billion yen. Interestingly, Princess Mononoke, which is currently the ninth highest-grossing film in Japan, was also the movie that made Studio Ghibli almost go bankrupt.

The masterpiece is now gearing up for screenings nationwide in Japan in IMAX theaters starting Oct. 24. The new IMAX release is part of a celebration of Studio Ghibli’s history, with the special 4K remaster produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the studio. North American fans also had a recent chance to see the restoration on the big screen, as GKIDS held special screenings of the 4K version in the United States and Canada in late March 2025. The movie is also available to stream on HBO Max, following a deal the streamer struck with GKIDS earlier this year.