Haku, once called Nigihayami Kohakunushi, is a displaced river spirit tasked with guiding and safeguarding Chihiro. His human guise presents as a twelve-year-old boy with dark, subtly green-tinted hair, sharp emerald eyes, and traditional garments: a white tunic, indigo hakama, and a pale violet sash. As a dragon, he transforms into an elongated serpent with pearlescent scales, a flowing mane blending teal and mint hues, and the power of flight. Once the guardian deity of the Kohaku River, his existence fractured when humans filled his waterside domain with urban sprawl, erasing his river and plunging him into the spirit realm. Forced into servitude under the witch Yubaba, he endures control through a pulsating parasite embedded in his flesh—a shackle enforcing obedience and masking his true identity. Yet he retains mastery of arcane arts: bending objects with his mind, weaving illusions, and cloaking his presence to aid Chihiro covertly. His bond with Chihiro stems from a forgotten childhood incident where he rescued her from his own river’s currents. Reunited in Yubaba’s realm, he becomes her strategist, securing her a job at the bathhouse and shielding her from predatory spirits. Their alliance pivots when Chihiro extracts Yubaba’s curse from his body and later reminds him of his true name, severing the witch’s hold. This reciprocal salvation—physical rescue countered by spiritual restoration—forges their alliance, rooted in kinship rather than romance. Haku’s demeanor shifts between Yubaba-enforced ruthlessness and glimpses of tenderness, as seen when he risks retribution to aid Chihiro or apologizes to Zeniba after stealing her seal under duress. Regaining his name not only frees him from subjugation but reawakens his connection to the natural world, symbolized by his vanished river. His plight mirrors environmental degradation—the drained Kohaku represents humanity’s disregard for nature, while his forgotten identity echoes society’s eroded reverence for sacred spaces. Water manipulation and dragonflight underscore his origins as a nature deity, even in exile. Though his story ends with an open vow to reunite with Chihiro, his arc culminates in reclaiming agency from exploitation, embodying resilience against erasure. By bridging human empathy and spirit-world mysteries, he becomes a testament to memory’s power and the indivisible link between identity and place.