Ame

**Ame** is the titular tritagonist of the movie *"Wolf Children"*. He is the son of Hana and the Wolfman, and the younger brother of Yuki.

## Information

Ame is the son of Hana and the Wolfman, and the younger brother of Yuki. He is born to the couple during a rainy day, inspiring his name. Like his father, Ame can choose to switch between the form of a human and a wolf, leading to a turbulent life. Although his father dies soon after his birth, his childhood is filled with a lot of love and care thanks to his mother, who eventually moves out to the countryside so both of her children can explore both their human and wolf sides and one day choose their own destiny.

As a toddler, Ame is introverted and shy, preferring to stay near his mother instead of exploring the outside world. As this sets a stark contrast to his sister, he often gets teased by Yuki, as she considers him to be weak. Even when he becomes older, he does not find any interest in going to school and fit in like Yuki does. As a tween, he becomes more outgoing and passionate about his trips to the forest. While he at first believes everyone to hate wolves and to consider them a menace, he eventually discovers the beauty of the mountains behind the family's farm house, leading to his decision to become the new protector of the forest and to live out his life as a wolf.

## Appearance

In his young wolf forms, Ame's fur is colored in a light cream shade, while his hair remains the usual dark blue on the top of his head. His ears match the blue of his hair, with the tip of his left ear appearing in an even darker shade. As an adult wolf, his fur has taken on a light gray and his now paler blue hair has grown out to cover his head area, spine, and tail like a mane, while his underbelly remains the same. Compared to his younger version, his wolf features have developed significantly, making him indistinguishable from a regular wolf. The bridge of his nose is dark blue in both of the later stages, though his nose starts out as a saturated blue as a puppy and progressively darkens during his maturing years. No change occurs on his underbelly, which remains white during his entire life.

## Relationships

#### Yuki

Ame and Yuki share a typical sibling dynamic, in which they sometimes get along greatly and sometimes bicker endlessly. As a child, Yuki accuses her younger brother of being too weak for a werewolf and wants him to be tougher, though Ame has no interest in learning how to become a wolf even when Yuki encourages him. When Ame is later exposed to bullying while attending school, Yuki steps in to protect him, though seems disappointed by the fact that he could not fight for himself. Their relationship turns sour during their tween years when Yuki tries to force Ame to go back to school despite him leaning towards a life as a wolf, as his sister prefers to be viewed as a human. Although Ame originally wanted to take Yuki along to show her all the new tricks he had learned, she does not appreciate the kind offer. The two end up in an aggressive fight where he attacks her viciously. While they appear to talk to each other again after the fight, it remains unclear if they have ever forgiven each other for lashing out before Ame left for the mountains.

## Trivia

* Ame's name is Japanese for "Rain", as he was named after the rainfall on the day of his birth.
* The Japanese voice actor for the younger Ame was only 7 years old when he spoke his role.
* The Japanese voice actor for the older Ame was only 15 years old when he spoke his role.

## References

1. ↑ International Movie Data Base - Wolf Children Trivia