I just finished watching Kubo and the Two Strings — and don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely beautiful. The animation, the music, the emotion, the mythology — it’s one of the most visually and emotionally compelling animated films I’ve seen.
But I need to be honest: the ending deeply bothered me.
Let’s be real here: The Moon King is the root of all the tragedy in this story. He tried to steal Kubo’s eyes, destroyed his own daughter for loving a mortal, manipulated his other daughters into becoming assassins, and was indirectly responsible for the death of Kubo’s father and mother. He shattered his family. He burned everything.
And in the end… he loses his memory. The villagers, unknowingly, lie to him — tell him he’s always been kind, good, noble. They basically gaslight him into believing he’s someone else entirely.
Meanwhile, Kubo is alone. His parents are gone. His only family left is the man who ruined his entire life — and that man gets to live on, apparently innocent, surrounded by people who praise a version of him that never existed.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean suppression. And kindness without justice is incomplete.
I get what the film was trying to say — that violence didn’t work, that maybe kindness could lead to healing. But kindness without memory? Without accountability? That’s not healing — that’s amnesia. That’s ignorance.
What bothered me most is that Kubo knows who the Moon King really was. He carries all that pain. But he’s forced to just… let it go. There’s no reckoning. No moment of justice. The very person who destroyed everything lives on with a clean slate, while those who were good and loving are gone forever.
Why is it that the only person who survives the story is the one who caused all the harm?
And honestly, what if he starts to remember? What if, like Kubo’s father, he begins to recall the past? There’s no reason to assume he wouldn’t go back to being who he was. And even if he doesn’t — that’s not justice. That’s a soft reset the story didn’t earn.
This isn’t me hating on the movie. I loved so much of it. But the ending? It felt off. It felt like the wrong person got to live, and the right people didn’t. That’s not a satisfying ending. That’s a morally confusing one.
Would love to hear how others felt about this.
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