Kiki's Delivery Service/Characters

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Characters from Kiki's Delivery Service include:

Main Characters

Kiki

A thirteen year old witch who, in accordance with tradition, must live in a town for a year, on her own, when she turns thirteen.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Blush Sticker: Kiki has them throughout the film.
• Cute Clumsy Girl: She's quite clumsy when she first starts the delivery service, but slowly gets better.
• Cute Witch: A rather mild version of it, given how Hayao Miyazaki has repeatedly denounced otaku culture (though Kiki's still cute). The Cute Witch aspect is the only thing Ghibli takes from the Magic Girl archetype. There's no rival, there's no romance (except between cats), there's no Fanservice, and there's no Magic Wand.
• Daddy's Girl: Although she also takes after her mother.
• Determinator: Kiki, especially in the climax of the film. She gets a borrowed broom to lift off simply by focusing hard and telling it to fly.
• GASP: Kiki does this once she realises she is about to be late for Tombo's party. The clock in Madame's house runs about ten minutes slow, and when she is informed of this, she GASPs and rushes to deliver the baked pie and to go the party.
• Hair Decorations: The preposterously large red bow Kiki wears, visible in almost every shot that she's in.
• I Am Not Pretty: She says this when Ursula wants to paint a portrait of her.
• Little Miss Snarker: She occasionally replies to Jiji's snarky comments.
• Plucky Girl: Kiki's a poster child for this trope. She's a Miyazaki heroine, after all. It takes true talent to leave your parents by thirteen and settle into a brand new life.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: At the hotel, the man behind the desk asks Kiki for identification after the latter says she is a witch. Kiki leaves immediately after.
• Shrinking Violet: Kiki when she believes that Tombo's friends don't like her. Later on, she grows out of it.
• They Should Have Sent a Poet: As Kiki swoops into the main setting.
• Tsundere: Kiki is type B. She only seems to lapse into Tsuntsun mode when Tombo is pestering her, yet when he invites her to a party, she instantly wants to go. Jiji lampshades this mood swing ("I thought you didn't like him!")
• Victoria's Secret Compartment: Yes, in a kid's film. Kiki keeps things down the front of her dress while flying her broom.

Tombo

The first person Kiki meets in Koriko who is her age. Tombo is a huge fan of aviation, and is a member of a flying club and builds flying machines.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Adorkable: Tombo.
• Cool Bike: Not a motorbike per say, and Tombo's one isn't shiny or fancy, but does your bike have a propeller attached to the front and can fly?
• Dogged Nice Guy: Tombo combines this with Extroverted Nerd. It takes a while, but eventually Kiki warms up to him.
• Extroverted Nerd: He tries to befriend Kiki, due to her ability to fly. He initially fails, with Kiki exclaiming that it's rude to talk to a woman before you're properly introduced, but eventually they become good friends. Oh, and please, please don't bring up the word "airplane" around him. He'll obsess over it.
• Implied Love Interest: He is implied to like Kiki, even though their relationship in the film never goes beyond friendship. Being an early Miyazaki film, No Hugging, No Kissing is all over the place.
• Nerd Glasses: Visible in almost every shot.
• Nice Guy: He even saved Kiki from getting a ticket when she first lands in the big scary town of Koriko.
• Stalker with a Crush: Tombo comes across this way to Kiki intially, so she avoids him as much as possible. She later realizes that she has misjudged him and becomes his friend. Turns out, he really likes flying and anything that flies, including witches!

Adults

Osono

A person who runs the bakery Kiki stays at, and provides for her.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Happily Married: To her silent husband, whose name is never given in the film.
• Nice Girl: Towards Kiki, offering her a place to stay, as well as good in exchange for occasionally looking after the shop.
• Parental Substitute: Kiki's parents are several hundred kilometers away in a town which is very much not Koriko, and Kiki must learn to survive on her own. That being said, she can still receive help, and one person who gives help is Osono. Osono helps Kiki with daily matters, giving her advice, and telling her what to do.
• Shipper on Deck: She asks Kiki to deliver something to a man named "Koppori". That "man" turned out to be Tombo. Kiki did not appreciate this when she finds out what's really happening, even though she opens up to Tombo as a result of this incident.

Kiki: Osono, how could you do this to me?

Ursula

A painter who lives in a reclusive shelter. Kiki meets her on her first delivery job.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Big Sister Mentor: She teaches Kiki how to find passion in what she does, taking her out to camp at her secluded log cabin. She never gets strict with Kiki, and they stay up late telling stories.
• The Hermit: She lives in a secluded log cabin away from civilization.
• Nice Girl: Towards Kiki, and really anyone she meets. In fact, if a female character appears in the film, and isn't Madame's granddaughter, chances are they fit this trope.
• Reclusive Artist: In universe example with Ursula, who lives in a cabin in the woods.

Kokiri

Kiki's mother, playing a minor role in the beginning and end of the film. When the audience first sees her, she is brewing potions.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Good Parents: Towards Kiki. Yes, the tradition of sending thirteen year olds far away to live on their own isn't the most responsible thing to do, however she is shown to be very supportive in the short time that she is on screen.
• My Beloved Smother: She's understandable concerned about Kiki leaving town for a full year to begin her training. She offers her own broom, crafted with more experience, to Kiki.
• No Name Given: She is only named in the original source material, and her name isn't mentioned in the film.

Okino

Kiki's clumsy father, who was planning to take her on a camping trip before she decides to leave.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Bumbling Dad: Kiki's father is a lovable version. When Kiki announces that she is leaving, he trips over a string and makes carefully packed bags on top of his car tumble down.
• Good Parents: Just like Kiki's mum.
• Nerd Glasses: His glasses are a subtle part to his character design, however they are distinguished via their thick, chunky plastic frames. The team at Ghibli even added reflections to them!

Madame

A nice old lady who Kiki meets. She asks Kiki to deliver a cake to her granddaughter.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Cool Old Lady
• Nice Girl

Animals

Jiji

All witches have black cats as companions. Jiji is the companion for Kiki!

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Animal Talk: Jiji can talk to Kiki, but also to other cats, and birds.
• Cats Are Magic: Jiji, for all intents and purposes, serves as Kiki's Familar. He's her companion on her broomstick, and helps her along her journey while staying at the new town, although the audience never sees he or Kiki cast any spells.
• Cats Are Snarkers: His sarcasm is turned up in the 1998 Disney dub, as opposed to him in the original Japanese track. When Disney revisited the dub and released a more faithful version, some of this sarcasm is toned down.
• Cats Hate Water
• Deadpan Snarker: Kiki can occasionally shoot back, too.
• Non-Human Sidekick: For Kiki.
• Talking Animal: Jiji, though the movie implies that Jiji actually can't talk, it's just that Kiki can understand and talk to him. Made more obvious when she loses this power later in the movie.

Lily

A white cat Jiji meets in Koriko.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

• Love Interest: For Jiji.

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