Ashitaka — that was the name of the young prince of the Emishi village, the one that had always lived in harmony with nature and whose location was practically unknown to anyone except the villagers themselves. Ashitaka never wanted to leave his beloved village, but circumstances forced him to do so. After a long journey, the prince reached a town called Irontown, governed by Lady Eboshi.

Ashitaka was surprised and admired this woman, who had created a community of people who had no place in society: prostitutes and outcasts. In Ashitaka's view, she was a very compassionate, kind, and strong woman, since she cared for such people. But there was one problem: apparently, Lady Eboshi cared too much for her residents, forgetting what she was giving people in return.

Now Ashitaka, together with his faithful friend — the red elk — was traveling through Irontown, delving deeper into the lives of its inhabitants, though at such a late hour few people were out on the streets. Ashitaka did not intend to stay long in this town: he needed to find the Forest Spirit to heal from the boar's curse.

"It's nice here, isn't it, Yakul?" Ashitaka said quietly, so as not to disturb anyone, looking at his friend, who merely snorted in response — that was his typical reply.

Suddenly, the Emishi prince froze, noticing a figure gliding through the deserted places, one that differed from the other residents of Irontown. This figure was clad in animal skin covering their entire body. "Perhaps this is their way of protecting themselves from the cold?" Ashitaka thought, not quite determining the gender of this person, who also wore a bright mask on their face.

Ashitaka frowned and, exchanging a glance with Yakul, decided to follow the figure. What if this was Princess Mononoke? That girl Lady Eboshi had spoken of — her name seemed to be San. She was raised among spirits and was on nature's side, as Ashitaka understood it.

"Or maybe it's someone else?" the young man thought again. Could San have an accomplice? Or perhaps one of Irontown's residents decided to dress like that? To find out, Ashitaka approached the figure together with Yakul and, stopping in front of them, waved with a smile:

"Hello, I'm Ashitaka... And you are?"