Hayao Miyazaki’s latest work, much like Spirited Away, draws viewers into a world where imagination knows no limits. This setting is deeply influenced by the director’s personal experiences, creative vision, and lifelong interests.
A year after his mother lost her life in an air raid over Tokyo, 12-year-old Mahito moves with his father, Shoichi, to the countryside. There, they join Natsuko—Mahito’s aunt, who is now also his stepmother. Adapting to this new reality proves difficult for the young boy.
A tower filled with mystery and magic (Photo: The Boy and The Heron/Studio Ghibli)Before long, a strange grey heron approaches Mahito, delivering a peculiar message. The master of a mysterious tower hidden within the garden of their vast estate has “requested” Mahito’s presence. This tower is linked to his great-uncle, who vanished into it many years ago.
When the heron hints that Mahito’s mother might still be alive and Natsuko also mysteriously disappears in the same direction, the boy does not hesitate to step into the unknown. Now, let’s examine the conclusion of The Boy and The Heron and the deeper meaning behind Miyazaki’s storytelling.
Understanding the Ending of The Boy and The Heron
Rather than ignoring the Grey Heron’s summons, Mahito chooses to enter the enigmatic tower. At its entrance, an inscription reads, “fecemi la divina potestate” (“I was made by divine power”), a reference to the Gate of Hell in Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy.
However, this does not necessarily suggest that Mahito is entering a place of torment. Instead, it is one of many literary allusions scattered throughout the film, including nods to Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz.
As the story plays out, it is revealed that the tower came into existence when a meteorite struck the garden. This celestial event, which took place before the Meiji Revolution, caused part of the estate’s pond to dry up.
Mahito’s great-uncle, thrilled by the meteorite’s mysterious energy, constructed the tower around it, both to conceal and safeguard it. Over time, his obsession with its power grew, leading to his eventual disappearance into the alternate dimension he created inside the tower.
Now, Mahito ventures into this very world, uncertain of what awaits him. Though his initial steps are uneasy, he is soon pulled into a surreal reality teetering on the brink of collapse—an island whose very existence is under threat from an unknown force.
Throughout his journey, Mahito receives guidance from the Grey Heron, who, in reality, is a small man hidden within the bird’s body. He is aided by Kiriko, a skilled sailor later revealed to be a younger version of one of the elderly maids from his home.
He also finds an unexpected ally in the mysterious Lady Himi, who repeatedly comes to his rescue as he searches for answers.
The Shocking Truth About Himi
As events progress, Mahito comes to realize that Himi is his mother—only in her teenage form. Years earlier, while she lived in the countryside, she too was drawn into this alternate world. She eventually returned after a year, but to those around her, no time had passed, and she remained unchanged.
The film reveals the time she was missing, during which she met her future son and learned about her eventual death. Her special abilities seem to be linked to fire, possibly because fire played a role in her demise in reality.
This revelation also confirms that time functions differently within the tower. Multiple doors lead to various points in history, and perhaps even alternate realities, all interconnected through this dreamlike island. At one point, Mahito catches a brief view of his father back in the real world, seen through Door 132.
Shoichi is consumed by worry, desperately searching for his missing son. However, Mahito knows he cannot return just yet—at least not without Natsuko. His journey must continue, leading him deeper into the tower, where he must finally face his great-uncle.
Mahito Confronts His Great-Uncle and a Difficult Choice
Through a sea of chattering parakeets controlled by the Parakeet King, Mahito eventually reaches the powerful figure behind the scenes. His great-uncle, referring to him as his “descendant,” finally reveals his true intentions—he wishes to pass the responsibility of ruling over this world to Mahito.
The heron’s call to adventure (Photo: The Boy and The Heron/Studio Ghibli)His own time as its master is ending, and he requires someone from his bloodline to take over. Handing Mahito a pile of building blocks that represent the unstable world around them, he urges him to “build your tower free of malice.”
But Mahito refuses. The boy has no interest in staying in this fabricated reality; he desires to live in the real world. As the situation escalates, the Parakeet King intervenes, frantic to save his bird-like followers. He attempts to rearrange the tower of blocks, but his efforts only worsen the instability, hastening the world’s collapse.
Mahito, Himi, Natsuko, and the Heron rush towards the transportation doors. Himi chooses to return to her rightful time, despite Mahito warning her about the fate that awaits her during the war.
The others successfully return to their world, and as they step out of the collapsing dimension, the parakeets also transform, becoming ordinary birds in the human world. Reunited with his father, Mahito finally comes to terms with his grief and accepts the new family he has with his stepmother.
A New Chapter Begins
Time skips forward by two years, showing Soichi, Natsuko, and their newborn baby calling for Mahito, who is taking a final moment to reflect in his bedroom. Now that they are moving back to Tokyo, he stands at the threshold of yet another change in his life.
