Princess Mononoke is extremely intense and was not intended for children. Unfortunately, it does get watched by viewers much younger than its target demographic.
- The very first scene features Nago, a giant boar that is covered by crawling worms and destroying everything in his path. As he dies, we get a close up of his face, as his flesh is melting from his bones. And then there's Okkoto, who is eventually to suffer the very same fate.
- The Tatari-gami, the creatures turned into worm/tentacle monsters by hate, look as toxic as they are. Touch one, and your features melt into squirming black glop.
- Ashitaka attempts to disarm a Ronin who is about to kill a peasant by shooting his sword out of his hands, only for his cursed arm to "aid" him by imparting supernatural strength. The arrow-head's impact with the marauder's hilt rips his arms off. Some viewers consider that violence realistic enough to stop watching altogether.
- And even though it's somewhat Played for Laughs (very, very, very Dark Laughs, mind you), the shot of a man's arms getting pulled from their tendons and waving around still attached to the sword that is now pinned to a tree is rather unsettling to watch.
- The introduction scene for the wolf tribe. A wolf the size of a barn suddenly jumps between the oxen and quite literally starts plowing them off the path, throwing dozens of animals and people down the ravine. And then Eboshi and her soldiers let hell loose with their guns and fire lances.
- In the end of it, Lady Eboshi calmly orders the remaining people to get moving and declares everyone missing dead. Not out of callousness, mind you - she wants to get those still alive back home before the wolves will strike again, knowing they might not get through a second encounter.
- When Lady Eboshi tells Ashitaka that her guns wounded Nago, kickstarting the plot of the film in the first place. Ashitaka's anger makes his cursed arm bulge to dearly double in size before snapping out like a serpent and attempting to kill her on the spot. Ashitaka has to use his other arm just to keep his sword sheathed, visibly struggling to do so. And remember, his curse makes him strong enough to tear apart human bodies as easy as tissue paper. Lady Eboshi's calm assessment of the matter is worse, as it implies that if he lets the curse act out he will simply keep killing until everyone in Irontown is gone.Lady Eboshi: Does that right hand of yours wish to kill me now, Ashitaka?Ashitaka:If it would end the curse I would let it tear you apart. But even that would not end the killing, would it?Lady Eboshi: No it wouldn't. It would have to kill all of us to be at peace.
- YMMV but the Kodamas for some. Yes, the creepy little spirits with ghostly white bodies and huge void eyes.
- The fight between San and Eboshi. San fights like a wild cornered animal, especially as the Iron Town folk close in on her while Eboshi tries to slash at her with a bloodthirsty grin.
- San herself can be a little bit unnerving. A good example of this is when she is attacking Iron Town and causes a man to fall to his death and when she's threatening to stab a severely injured Ashitaka with his own sword through the throat.
- The first time we see the apes, they're all black with glowing red eyes.
- The second time we see the ape tribe, they confront San and her brothers, demanding they give them Ashitaka so they can eat him, all delivered in a Creepy Monotone. San herself even says that eating Ashitaka will just turn the apes into something even worse than humans.
- The apes' appearance can be even worse for people who have seen the Thai film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, which features a man who has come back from the dead in a terrifying non-human form with an uncanny resemblance to the apes' first appearance in this film.
- Ashitaka gets shot and an iron ball the size of a plum rips right through him, leaving a bloody, gaping hole in his chest... and he's trying to go on as if nothing has happened, but it's obvious that every moment is agony. Yep, this film earned its PG-13 rating all right.
- There is also the tremendous amount of blood not just dripping, but freely flowing from his wound. It creates a deep, slippery puddle when he tries to lift the massive town gate all by himself. And his curse just won't let him die.
- The prince eventually falls unconscious from the back of Yakul due to the blood-loss. One of the wolves escorting them instantly runs toward him and starts to maul his entire head.
- The Forest God is a not-a-deer, with a stretchy neck and a flat pseudo-human face. And then it turns into a cross between the night sky and Godzilla.
- One battle scene also has the Iron Town riflemen shooting a volley at a charging Daimyo's army. As the smoke is clearing you can hear a guy screaming: "MY AAAAAAAAAAAARM!!" If you look real close, you can see the guy staring in horror at the ragged stump where his arm used to be.
- Another man is missing his foot. In fact, most of the survivors of the blasts of hot lead are in pieces. War Is Hell, indeed.
- Lady Eboshi picking Asano's commanders off one-by-one to further disrupt the ranks. The new rifle hits with enough stopping-power to go through a heavy shield, then pierce armour and knocks the guy out of the saddle, killing him on the spot. Hopefully, because he would be minced otherwise.
- Moro has a few scenes where she is just terrifying. For one thing, she's a wolf the size of an elephant who is smart enough to talk then there's her laugh and her face she makes as she's laughing. A Wolf Goddess is not someone to trifle with.
- Every time the boars attack. An unstoppable wave of animals trampling down everything and never stopping, no matter how many of them get killed or if there are any obstacles in their path.
- The battle between Eboshi's forces and Okkoto's tribe. Particularly the shot where a mine detonates and sends the boars flying into the air while they're screaming in agony and people being gore-flung off cliffs.
- The empty-eyed boar "ghosts".
- They don't run. They slither at inhuman speeds.
- Jigo's huntsmen and many of his warrior monks disguise themselves as said boars in order to trick Okkoto. Something about their movement and lack of eyes. The image of them nuzzling up to Okkoto's side so they can inject him with poison is absolutely horrifying. It's even worse: The disguises only works because they know Okkoto is almost blind from advanced age. They fool his keen sense of smell by wearing the flayed skins of his slaughtered people. Also doubles as a massive Tear Jerker.
- Red, worm-like tendrils growing on Okkoto's skin, covering his entire body, and turning him into a mindless demon boar. San getting entangled in them and calling desperately for help makes it even worse.
- Okkoto moaning that his flesh burns just before red tendrils erupt from his skin.
- San crying out: "I don't want to be a demon!" as she's drawn into the sea of demonic tendrils.
- Special consideration for the part where TENDRILS BURST OUT OF HER HAND!
- Ashitaka fighting against the four riders chasing after him is just scary due to his absolute lack of sympathy while ripping them into pieces and inflicting horrible wounds. He doesn't even blink when he catches an arrow fired toward him and instantly fires it back, killing his attacker. Moment later he shouts a warning to two approaching attackers and when it doesn't work, simply beheads one of his pursuers with another arrow. It's not cool at all - it's downright horrifying how easy the butchery goes for him and how cold he is during it. The music only makes it worse.
- The reason he is so apathetic about the kills? He's enraged that they hurt Yakul, and his rage strengthens the curse and allows him to do these horrific acts. His "warning" to the two oncoming warriors isn't as much of a warning as it is a furious threat.
- The enormous mound of boar carcasses at the site of the battle is a gruesome sight, since the boars were given just enough characterization to make them more than an 'animal stampede'.
- Eboshi's second gunshot make the Forest God's neck explode and the body turns into a massive writhing mass of black slime that goes on a rampage in search of its head. Which is kicking around in the metal box it has been put into.
- Her initial shot to its head is also unnerving. We're told that the bullets slowly kill the spirits and turn them into demons, and with the way the deer reacts to the head shot for the first few seconds before it's revealed to be a No-Sell are enough to make the audience think the same would happen to the God.
- The hands of the blobs of death that bring about instant death while looking for the head of the Forest Spirit, reaching into the forest and killing everything they touch.
- As the Forest Spirit searches for its head, everything it touches dies. The forest is filled with dark blobs killing stuff and the air is thick with kodama raining from the dead trees. The cries and moans of the kodama aren't just sound effects, they're actually part of the music playing in the background
. - Moro's decapitated head slithering across the ground in a last-ditch attempt to get revenge on the woman that shot her.
- Iron Town evacuates in the wake of the murderous blob that was once the Nightwalker. Toki desperately calls other townsfolk to follow her, only for them to pick the wrong turn and getting swamped by the killing goo, moving like a tide over them.
- Further emphasized in following scenes, showing what was once a thriving community of hundreds now numbering barely a few dozen.
- With absolutely no guarantee it's going to work, Ashitaka and San open the container holding the head of the Forest Spirit and offer it to the headless Nightwalker to finally stop its rampage. The blood of the Forest Spirit drips all over them and quickly covers their bodies in the huge patches of The Corruption, with San gasping, visibly panicked. And then one of the tendrils of the Nightwalker drops on them, swallowing them whole, while for the past 15 minutes it was killing anything it even touched. Fade to White combined with complete silence makes it all more terrifying.
