Haku

Nigihayami Kohakunushi (ニギハヤミ コハクヌシ  Nigihayami Kohakunushi, lit. "god of the swift amber river"), referred throughout most of the film by his nickname Haku (ハク, haku), is the deuteragonist in the Japanese animated film Spirited Away.

Profile and Appearance
Haku is Yubaba's apprentice and second-in-command at the Bathhouse. He seems to be a bit older than Chihiro, about 12 years old, although since he is the spirit of the Kohaku River, he is truly as old as his river is, which, in the Japanese version, is still flowing underneath the apartments now built over it. He has a lean build, sharp grey-green eyes, a bob Japanese hairstyle of dark hair which is a darker shade of his eye color, and thin eyebrows. Fans of the movie even argue if his hair is black or green because of the similarity of his hair and eye color, as well as the fact that his mane when in dragon form is green. He wears a white kimono with puffy, light blue Japanese trousers known as "monpe", along with a purple sash around his waist. As a River Spirit, he has the ability to transform into a beautiful, silver dragon, which is an animal commonly associated with rivers and water in Japanese culture and mythology. His dragon form is that of a typical Eastern dragon, with a long, serpentine body, deer-like antlers, flowing whiskers, and a lupine face. In this form, he has smooth, silver scales with an aqua mane. He can fly and seems to have the ability to change between his human and dragon form at will.

Abilities
As a river spirit, Haku possessed supernatural powers that are primarily associated with the element of water. Examples of powers he was shown to possess are:
 * Spell Casting: Haku had the ability to cast spells, allowing him to alter reality to various effects - he used a spell to enable Chihiro to regain the use of her legs while she was still adjusting to being in the spirit world.
 * Telekinesis: Haku had the ability to move objects with his mind, which he channeled through his hands - while he was trying to escort Chihiro to safety, he opened doors at a distance merely by gesturing at them with his hands.
 * Cloaking (Limited): Haku had the ability to hide the presence of oneself or others, preventing others from detecting or discovering one's location. However, this ability was shown to be limited - when Chihiro took a breath out of sheer shock at seeing Aogaeru, Haku's cloaking over her was broken, enabling Aogaeru to identify her as a human through her scent.
 * Force-Field Imprisonment: Haku had the ability to bind, or imprison, or stop objects and individuals by using forcefields - when Aogaeru tried to attack Chihiro when she was exposed as a human, Haku stopped him by imprisoning him in a forcefield.
 * Flight: Haku had the ability to defy gravity and propel himself through the air at tremendous speeds and heights.
 * Memory Implantation: Haku had the ability to implant memories in others' minds, which he used to guide Chihiro to secure a job at Yubaba's bathhouse.
 * Supernatural Cooking: Haku had the ability to cook anything with supernatural or magical properties - during his and Chihiro's second encounter, he fed her a pill that enabled her to take corporeal form in the spirit world, and much later on, he gave her rice cakes that enabled her to regain both her physical and mental strength, and to retain her optimism.
 * Asian Dragon Physiology: Due to his being a Japanese river spirit, Haku had the ability to take on the form of an Asian dragon, and was shown to be able to fly in this state.
 * Arcane Knowledge: Due to his status as a river spirit, as well as being Yubaba's apprentice, Haku possessed an extensive knowledge of magic and the spirit world, which he regularly used to keep Chihiro out of trouble and, ultimately, free her and her parents from the spirit world.

Quotes

 * "You shouldn't be here."
 * "Get out of here now!"
 * "It's almost night."
 * "They're lighting the lamps."
 * "Leave before it gets dark."
 * "Don't be afraid."
 * "In the name of the wind and water within thee, unbind her."
 * "Get up."
 * "I'm back from my mission."
 * "Three days of our food and her smell will go away."
 * "It's about my mission, right?"
 * "Wait a minute."
 * "You haven't noticed that something precious to you has been replaced."
 * "Yeah, I remember being in darkness."

Trivia

 * The name "Haku" means "white" (白)
 * Haku is the only character in the film able to turn into a dragon at will.
 * As he once served as Yubaba's apprentice, he likely has similar magical skills as she does.
 * The river he resided in was filled in with apartment buildings, according to Chihiro.
 * It is unknown if Haku can still turn into a dragon after regaining his lost name and memories.