Chihiro is a 10-year-old girl reluctantly moving to a new home in the country with her parents. She possesses sharp intuition and a natural wariness toward the abandoned theme park her family discovers in the woods. When her parents succumb to gluttony and transform into pigs, she is left entirely isolated in the spirit world. She must quickly overcome her fear and learn to survive in order to save her mother and father.

Haku is a mysterious boy capable of using magic who resides in the spirit world. He possesses specific knowledge of the bathhouse rules and immediately takes it upon himself to protect Chihiro from the spirits. He provides her with spirit food to keep her body from fading away and gives her precise instructions on how to secure a job for her survival.

Yubaba is the powerful witch who operates the massive red bathhouse for spirits. She sets traps with enchanted food to catch unwary humans, turning them into pigs to feed her guests or transforming them into animals if they refuse to work. She utilizes magical spies to maintain absolute control over her territory.

Chihiro's father is a confident, somewhat reckless man who ignores his daughter's warnings about the strange theme park. He relies on his cash and credit cards to solve problems, assuming modern conveniences protect him from consequences. His lack of self-control leads him to gorge on unowned food, resulting in his transformation into a squealing pig.

Chihiro's mother is a modern, well-to-do woman driven by status and consumerism. She dismisses traditional Shinto shrines with condescension and shows little patience for her daughter's anxiety about moving. She willingly follows her husband into the abandoned park and shares in his gluttonous feast.

Kamaji operates the boiler room at the base of the massive bathhouse structure. He is the specific person Haku instructs Chihiro to find so she can demand employment, acting as her only hope for survival in the spirit world.

No-Face is a mysterious, hovering spirit clad in black with a white, slightly grinning mask. He is driven by an intense need to consume everything in his path and silently observes Chihiro from afar as she crosses the bridge.

Rumi is Chihiro's best friend from her old town. She gives Chihiro a bouquet of pink flowers and a farewell note, representing the comfortable life and interpersonal connections Chihiro is reluctant to leave behind.

A large bird with the head of a human witch that patrols the skies. It acts as a flying spy searching for intruders near the bathhouse, specifically hunting for Chihiro at Yubaba's command.

A tiny green frog that works at the bathhouse. It spots Chihiro on the bridge and loudly questions Haku about his whereabouts before being temporarily frozen by magic.