Fujimoto

"''”Try to remember me kindly... if you will. Take care of Ponyo.”"

- Fujimoto to Sosuke

Fujimoto (フジモト, Fujimoto) is a character in the film, Ponyo. He is a researcher and father to Ponyo and her sisters and mate to Granmamare. He commands an underwater boat called the "Basking Shark" and resides in an underwater harbor.

Appearance
Fujimoto is slender and appears to be 40-years old, but he may have lived much longer. He claims he was once human, which implies he underwent some changes in order to become the wizard he is now. This may be a clue as to why he has strange, bird-like markings on his cheekbones and around his eyes.

He has long red hair like Granmamare and his daughters, with turquoise, almost green, eyes. He wears a very strange cerulean and white-striped suit with a magenta cravat. On his ears are golden, round earrings.

Near the end, he wears a similar white-striped suit, although this time the cerulean stripes are a salmon red, and the cravat is yellow.

Throughout the movie he wears a dark magenta coat with a gold clasp at the front. It’s long sleeves have holes right where the inside of Fujimoto’s elbow would be, and his arms are often through the holes.

When upon land, he uses a contraption he explains is a humidifier, to wet the ground with pure sea water as he is walking along it. This may imply he cannot go on land comfortably without it, or may have a risk of death without it. Also, when seen by humans, he is described as appearing very strange and perhaps shady, or to be avoided. This is only assumed, as he means no harm to humans although he seems to dislike them, especially with the waste they throw into the ocean.

Personality
Fujimoto is placed into the role of antagonist, but he is only ever acting in what he believes is best for Ponyo. However, he is strict to his daughter Ponyo, and it may come across as him trying to control his daughter rather than keep her safe. For Lisa he is kind of a creep, who mistakes him for spraying pesticide, which is actually the purest ocean water so he can survive on land.

In his core he is a good guy, who cares about his daughters. He is just over-pessimistic. He hates humans, because humans pollute the environment, and more specifically the sea. So he uses magic to purify the sea from the humans’ waste. For that purpose he creates potions and elixirs, which if mixed correctly he pours into a well in one of the rooms in his underwater harbour. Because of humanity's destructive behavior, he becomes over-pessimistic. His wife, Granmamare adds more optimism to his mind.

The seniors get to know him better as the story progresses. For them, Fujimoto is a nice guy with strange behaviours, and one claims that he wouldn’t allow anyone to be harmed.

Abilities
Since he is was once human, he can't breathe underwater.

Magic Power
He learned to use magic to live longer and to purify the sea. He works on his elixirs since 1907. His daughter Ponyo has more magic power than him due to her not being born human like Fujimoto was. He is, however, able to create bubbles of air, or water, as seen when he is underwater himself, and when he transported Ponyo back to his underwater harbour.

Summoning
He can summon Sea Monsters. He uses the monsters mostly to scout the water, and he used them to rescue Ponyo from Sosuke.

Relationships

 * Ponyo, his eldest daughter. He appears to have a somewhat difficult relationship with her, being a bit strict after she disobeys him - causing her to run away. However he cares deeply for Ponyo, and eventually allows her to remain human.
 * Ponyo's Sisters, his younger daughters. Unlike Ponyo, they are passive, and listen to their father, staying in their ship and bubble. But they become rebellious when Fujimoto is trying to get his daughter back from Sosuke for the third time.
 * Granmamare, the Goddess of Mercy, and his wife. He appears to be intimidated by her power and status, but loves her nonetheless. It’s implied that he understands why she cannot always be there to help take care of his daughters, but understands she loves them and him very much. The story goes, he first met his wife on the submarine Nautilus. He was the only Asian on it. It was love on the first sight
 * Sōsuke, the boy who Ponyo fell in love with. Fujimoto doesn’t hold any ill will towards the boy, but he may blame him for taking his daughter away. However he has no mean to harm Sosuke.
 * Lisa, Sosuke’s mother. He doesn’t appear to hold any resentment for her, as shown when he tried to just talk to her to get Ponyo back for the first time.
 * Toki, one of the old ladies. She is the only senior not to leave with Fujimoto, and he’s been seen getting annoyed at her not understanding what will happen if Ponyo keeps upsetting the balance of nature.
 * Yoshie, one of the old ladies. She asks if Fujimoto will allow harm to come to Ponyo or Sosuke, to which he responds with that he would never, but he hopes that Ponyo will stay sleeping.

Trivia

 * His daughters have more magic power than him, which may be because their mother is a goddess, and they were not born human. In addition they are rebellious, and while Ponyo showed signs early in the movie, Ponyo’s Sisters showed this nature later on in the film.
 * His wife leaves him alone often, because she travels on the sea around the world. Her duty as a goddess is to protect the sea, a similar job to Fujimoto’s.
 * It is unclear as to why Fujimoto became a wizard in the first place, but a reason could very well be that when he was human he wanted to protect the sea, and could not do it as a human. However this is only speculation.
 * He appears to be quite smart, although he may have a short temper.
 * He messes with his hair whenever he gets stressed or annoyed.

Quotes
''“What? This is not weed killer! This is the purest ocean water, and it keeps me from drying out on land!” -To Lisa, during his first attempt to get Ponyo back.''

''“It’s not your fault. I exposed you to the magic and you’re too young to understand. I have to keep the sea in balance it’s a big responsibility.” -To Ponyo, while trying to get her to eat''

''“Human? Ugh, what do you know of humans, Brunhilde, they spoil the sea! They treat their home like their empty black souls.” -To Ponyo, after she claimed she wanted to be human''

“If even one living creature got in here...” -To himself, while looking around the room with the elixir well

“It’s been a long time, my love.” -To Granmamare, after meeting her once more after an undetermined amount of time

"It's good to meet you Sōsuke. We've all been waiting for you, the old ladies, your mother..." -To Sōsuke, meeting him for the first time in person.

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Fujimoto 崖の上のポニョ