* CompleteMonster: The evil [[AnIcePerson Ice Devil Grunwald]] is known for his lust for power and cruelty. When Hols was just a newborn, Grunwald arrived at his village and proceeded to destroy it by turning the people against once another and then destroying every human until none were left, save Hols's father and his infant son, who fled. In the present, Grunwald continues to terrorize a village by trying to starve them out and when Hols kills his pet pike that was preventing the village from fishing, Grunwald decides to get serious. Using his "sister" Hilda, whom he himself had orphaned, Grunwald tries to bait Hols and preys on Hilda's mind so Horus will be killed by the girl he cares about most. After this, Grunwald simply attempts to kill everyone in the village in a final assault.
* GirlShowGhetto: Though Hilda is arguably the central character of the film, she is rarely, if ever, seen in any marketing material.
* [[GenreTurningPoint Medium Turning Point]]
* NightmareFuel: A few scenes, but especially the "Forest of Delusion" sequence.
* VindicatedByHistory: And HOW. It had an horrifyingly TroubledProduction, suffered lots of ExecutiveMeddling and bombed as a result. Now it's considered as one of the most classic anime movies ever.