Zeniba

Zeniba (銭婆, zeniiba) is a supporting character of the Japanese animated film Spirited Away. Unlike her twin sister Yubaba, Zeniba lives a fairly simple life in a small cottage far away from The Bathhouse.

Appearance
Zeniba is Yubaba's twin sister and, as such, is almost completely identical to her. She has an inhumanly large figure and a large mound of discolored hair combed into a bun-like style. To tell of her age Zeniba has a great amount of wrinkles on her personage. She has dark brown eyes accentuated with purple eye shadow as well as a very prominent crooked nose. She also wears golden earrings identical to those of her twin sister's and is seen, on one occasion, wearing glasses to help herself create a handmade hairband for Chihiro, hinting that she may be farsighted.

Despite her seemingly living a very modest life in a small cottage in the countryside, Zeniba wears countless jeweled rings on her fingers, possibly hinting at hidden wealth or fortune.

Personality
When first introduced as Yubaba's rival, Zeniba seemed no kinder than her sister, threatening Chihiro by saying she placed a death curse on Haku as punishment for stealing her precious seal, an item she is willing to go to immoral ends to retrieve. She is also said to be "terrifying" by Kamajii when he warns Chihiro not to get close to her.

However, when Chihiro visits her cottage Zeniba reveals herself to be a very kind and hospitable individual, insisting that Chihiro refer to her as "granny" and making it apparent that she is the complete polar opposite of her twin sister. She quickly lays out tea and biscuits for Chihiro and teaches No-Face how to use a sewing machine. When Haku arrives Zeniba quickly forgives him for stealing her seal and in turn requests that he takes good care of Chihiro.

History
She is introduced midway through the film when she sends numerous shikigami after Haku, who stole her precious golden seal. She then magically commands one of the shikigami to plaster itself on Chihiro's back secretly, following her to Yubaba's penthouse. When Boh starts to cry, Zeniba reveals herself as a projection and places spells on Boh, Yubaba's Bird and the Three Heads, switching their identities and transforming them into animals. She then places a sealing curse on Chihiro, warning her not to speak of the happenings in the room to others or her mouth would split apart. She then tells Chihiro that Haku will die from a curse and is dissipated when Haku destroys her projection shikigami. She splits in half and magically fades, stating that she had been "too careless".

Zeniba is then seen welcoming Chihiro, Boh, Yubaba's Bird and No-Face into her little cottage home far from The Bathhouse. She is initially surprised that her curse was broken by Chihiro and Haku's love for each other, but laughs soon after when Chihiro tells her that the "slug" she put in Haku's stomach was stepped on and killed. Zeniba then reveals that the slug was not hers, but her sister's doing. She then lays out tea and biscuits for everyone, instructing them on sewing and crafts. She later gifts to Chihiro the finished purple hairband, stating that it encompassed everyone's feelings. Haku arrives just in time and Zeniba forgives him for stealing her seal. In return, she tells Haku to take care of Chihiro. She sees Boh and Yubaba's Bird off as well, receiving a kiss on the nose from her nephew. She also requests that No-Face stay with her to learn good ways as opposed to staying in the "morally unclean" environment of the bathhouse. Reassuring Chihiro of her own safety, Zeniba bids farewell and fades into the distance as Chihiro leaves on Haku's back.

Trivia

 * Zeniba has the same voice actor in both the Japanese and English versions as her twin sister Yubaba.