Kiki

Lore & Background

Kiki's magic is tied closely to her emotional state. After becoming depressed, she discovers she can no longer understand Jiji and has also lost her flying ability, forcing her to suspend her delivery business. The painter Ursula determines that Kiki's crisis is a form of artist's block and advises her to find a new purpose so she can regain her powers. According to Miyazaki himself, Jiji is meant to represent the immature side of Kiki, and her inability to talk to Jiji represents her newfound maturity at the end of the movie. Kiki regains her flying power when she rushes to rescue Tombo, who is clinging to the rope of a runaway airship, and manages to save him after the airship crashes into the city's clock tower.

In Their Own Story

Kiki arrives in Koriko and accidentally flies through traffic, causing disruptions. She is approached by a policeman, but a boy named Tombo helps her escape. She finds the Gutiokipanja bakery, owned by Osono and her husband Fukuo, who are expecting a child. Osono invites her to live in a room above the bakery, and Kiki opens her delivery business. Her first delivery is a small stuffed toy of a black cat as a birthday gift for Osono's neighbor's nephew Ket. Along the way, she is caught in the wind and ends up in a forest filled with crows, which attack her, causing her to lose the toy. Jiji pretends to be the toy for Ket until Kiki can retrieve the real one from the log cabin of a young painter named Ursula. Later, Tombo gives her an invitation to visit his aviation club, but she gets busy with deliveries and gets caught in a thunderstorm, deciding not to go. She falls ill, but Osono cares for her until she recovers. Osono secretly arranges for Kiki to see Tombo again by assigning her a delivery addressed to him. Kiki apologizes for missing the party, and Tombo takes her for a test ride on the flying machine he is working on, fashioned from a bicycle. Kiki warms up to him but is once again disgusted by Tombo's friends. Kiki becomes depressed and discovers she can no longer understand Jiji and has lost her flying ability. Ursula visits and invites Kiki to her cabin, where she advises her to find a new purpose. While visiting a former customer's house, Kiki witnesses an airship accident on television. Tombo is seen trying to help tie the dirigible to the ground, but a gust of wind pushes the aircraft away with him clinging to the rope. Kiki rushes to the scene, asks to borrow a broom from a local shop-owner, regains her flying power, and rescues Tombo after the airship crashes into the city's clock tower. With her confidence restored, she resumes her delivery service and writes a letter home saying that she and Jiji are happy.

Reader's Guide

Kiki embodies the specific ache of leaving home for the first time, evolving from a headstrong girl into a young woman who understands that resilience is built on community as much as self-reliance. While her broomstick enables her trade, it is her personality—stubborn yet deeply empathetic—that drives her arc. She navigates complex relationships with locals and fellow artists, finding that her identity isn't found in isolation but through connection. Her journey includes humbling failures, such as the temporary loss of her flying ability and her inability to understand Jiji, which force her to confront her limitations. Ultimately, Kiki's recovery is not just about regaining flight, but rediscovering the pure joy of helping others. These experiences cement her growth: magic serves as a reflection of one's spirit, thriving on kindness rather than forced ambition.

Did You Know?

• Kiki's Delivery Service was the first Studio Ghibli film to be successful on initial release, grossing a total of ¥4.3 billion ($31 million).
• The film is based on Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel Kiki's Delivery Service, but Miyazaki significantly altered the story, adding new scenes to emphasize the theme of independence and growing up.
• Miyazaki and his team traveled to locations such as Visby, Sweden, to research the landscape for the film's setting, as the novel is based on a fictional northern European country.
• An English dub was produced by Streamline Pictures for Japan Airlines international flights in 1989, and later The Walt Disney Studios produced an English dub in 1997.
• According to Miyazaki, the film portrays the gulf between independence and reliance among teenage Japanese girls.