In Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro, the family’s youngest daughter is Mei Kusakabe.
Mei is four years old and the younger sister of Satsuki. After moving to the countryside with their father, the sisters discover woodland spirits, including the enormous Totoro. Mei’s curiosity leads her to explore the nearby forest, and her disappearance becomes the emotional crisis of the film’s final section.
Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed My Neighbor Totoro, which was released in Japan in 1988 as a double feature with Grave of the Fireflies. The film’s gentle treatment of childhood, rural landscapes, and imaginative play made Totoro one of Studio Ghibli’s most recognizable characters.
Mei is sometimes confused with Satsuki because both sisters are central to the story. Satsuki is the older sister, while Mei is the younger child who first encounters Totoro. Their surname, Kusakabe, is shared by the whole family.