Haku is freed at the end of Spirited Away when Chihiro helps him remember his true identity: he is the spirit of the Kohaku River. He also survives the injuries and curse he suffers earlier in the story, and the film ends with him and Chihiro parting on hopeful terms.

What happens to him

  • Yubaba uses Haku as a servant and controls him through a curse tied to a stolen seal.
  • He is badly injured while trying to carry out that task, and Chihiro helps him recover by making him vomit up the seal and the curse’s controlling force.
  • Chihiro then remembers his real name and past, which breaks Yubaba’s hold over him.
  • Once he remembers he is the spirit of the Kohaku River, he is free again.

Ending

Haku does not die. The story leaves him alive, restored, and no longer under Yubaba’s control, though the film does not show exactly what his life looks like after the ending.