Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle is a film beloved by fans around the world. The characters certainly account for some of the delights of the film, from Calcifer to Turnip-Head, each character adds their own charm to the story.
Not every character is the most lovable though, but even the Witch of the Waste has depth and facets the are explored gradually throughout the film. Studio Ghibli's movies are charming and relatable because just about every character, even the villains, are well-developed as people more than just their roles in the plot.
Honey: Sophie's Mother
Sophie's Mother, Honey Hatter, is not present in the film for long, but even when she betrays Sophie to Madam Suliman it's difficult to truly hate her. On the carriage ride returning to her husband, Honey clearly regrets having had to betray her step-daughter.
When compared to either of her daughters, Honey appears to be extremely frivolous and a little bit childish. Despite these faults, she does truly care for Sophie and her sisters. This is displayed when she comes to Sophie at the hat shop after Howl purchases it. She is forced by Madam Suliman to visit, but she truly missed Sophie and expresses genuine concern about her sudden disappearance.
Madam Suliman
As the primary antagonist of the film, Madam Suliman is not the most likable character throughout the story. However, she isn't as dislikeable as she could be. Still, Madam Suliman does quite a few things that put the protagonists in danger.
Her pursuit of rogue witches seems cruel and heartless in its execution, but the reasoning behind it is hard to argue with. When witches like the Witch of the Waste fall into the same category as Howl, Madam Suliman's desire to neutralize these characters becomes almost reasonable. Her most redeeming moment, however, occurs at the end of the film when she takes it into her own hands to call off the war.
Lettie
Lettie isn't in the film for long, but the few minutes that she appears onscreen are enough for her to leave a lasting impression. She is a kind and loving sister who worries about Sophie's well-being.
When Sophie visits Lettie at her job at the bakery, it is very obvious that not only is she a hard worker, much like her sister, but she is well-liked. Her regular customers know her by name and all her coworkers are friendly and helpful to her. She instantly worries about Sophie's safety when it comes to Howl, but she also genuinely wants Sophie to find her own way to be happy.
Witch of the Waste
The Witch of the Waste is the cause for Sophie's curse and yet both Sophie and the audience gradually begin to feel pity for her. There's a good reason that Madam Suliman considers her to be in the same category as Howl.
Consumed by a demon of greed, the Witch of the Waste becomes obsessed with physically possessing what is inaccessible to her, Howl's heart. Despite her flaws, once the Witch of the Waste is stripped of her magic, she becomes a mostly harmless old lady. She isn't the most likable character in the film, but she has some funny moments, and it's hard not to feel sorry for her.
Markl
Howl's young apprentice, Markl, is a sweet kid with a funny personality. When Markl first meets Sophie he's guarded and mostly worried about what Master Howl might think, but he warms up to her presence soon enough.
Before Sophie came into his life, Markl was the one doing the day-to-day work that kept Howl living comfortably. The responsible child was in charge of making sure Howl's clients received their spells and he was going to the market to get food for their meals. One of the best Markl moments is when Sophie threatens to clean his room telling him to hide anything he doesn't want her to see and he runs upstairs in a panic.
Heen
Heen is a lovable traitor to Madam Suliman. When Sophie meets Heen she mistakes him for Howl in disguise when he's leading her through the witch trap to meet Madam Suliman in safety.
The strange magical dog is an endearing presence in the movie from then on. The most important moment where Heen's true colors show, is in the climax of the story. When Sophie is afraid that Howl and Calcifer are dying because she threw water on Howl's heart, Heen doesn't let her give up. Her ring leads her into Howl's past and Heen leads her in and out of the portal to safety.
Calcifer
This fire demon is often the star of the film. With his funny lines and fiery personality, nobody can dislike Calcifer despite his deal with Howl and the usage of his heart.
Calcifer is a very sassy character and he spices up every scene he's in. He can also be very endearing as well. When Sophie tells him that she likes his spark, he blushes and gets all fired up to help out Howl. Despite Calcifer's slight resentment at being treated like a servant, he genuinely cares for Howl even beyond his indebtedness.
Turnip-Head
Turnip-Head the scarecrow is a genuinely kind soul. After Sophie helps him out of the bush that he's gotten himself stuck in, he shows up again and again to lend her a hand, or a pole.
This lovely scarecrow wants nothing but happiness for everyone he meets. He helps Sophie into Howl's castle, returns her shawl to her, helps dry laundry, removes the flying machine from the castle, and in the end sacrifices his pole to save all of their lives. Turnip-Head is by far one of the purest, most lovable characters in the film.
Howl
Handsome Howl is beloved in spite of his very obvious flaws. He's a charismatic gentleman who falls in love with Sophie's hard-working and fearless personality.
Howl has a penchant for the ladies and is a little too vain for his own good. His melodramatic response to his hair changing color is rather silly and over the top. However, Howl is inarguably a good man. He comes to Sophie's rescue when she's being harassed by the soldiers and all he wants for the world around him is peace. His tendency towards childishness only makes him more endearing.
Sophie
Sophie is the hero of the film without a doubt. Her steadiness in the face of danger is very admirable. When Sophie is cursed to be an old woman, she is shocked but once she gets over that, she takes the change in stride.
Any trouble that comes Sophie's way she just accepts them for what they are and tackles them to the best of her abilities. Sophie doesn't appreciate her own strengths, but she's true to herself just the same. When Sophie's upset, she cries and when she recovers herself, she gets done what needs to be done. Few things are more admirable.