Lisa

Lisa
Japanese name	Risa (Risa)
Species	Human
Age	25 years
Gender	Female
First Appearance	Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Role	Supporting character
Voice actor (Japanese)	Tomoko Yamaguchi
Voice actor (Disney)	Tina Fey

Lisa (リサ , Risa) is a character in the film, Ponyo. She is the mother of Sōsuke and wife of Kōichi. She works at the Elderly Home, which stands next to Himawari Nursery School.

Personality

Lisa is bright, cheerful, and attentive. She exhibits high emotional intelligence, and is shown to be quick thinking and competent in high-stress situations. Due to the scattered nature of their community, Lisa communicates clearly and directly with her son Sōsuke, treating him like an equal. As such, we see that Sōsuke is fluent in Morse code, and knows how to operate their home's signal lamp to message passing sailors, like his Father Koichi.

Lisa is often frazzled and overworked from taking care of Sōsuke by herself and working at the Senior Center. And despite her recklessly efficient driving, she always seems to be late to work. The hectic nature of their daily life makes Lisa and Sōsuke excellent partners, and the two often improvise meals and travel on the fly. Though Lisa is easily annoyed by how often her husband Kōichi goes out to sea, Sōsuke is always there to cheer her up.

Throughout the film, it's shown that Lisa and Sōsuke share an intimate bond, and lean on each other for emotional support. Lisa takes exceptional care of Sōsuke, making special meals for him, and Ponyo when she stays the night, and is always cognizant of how Sōsuke is feeling. Lisa also has great trust in her son, as shown when she gives him command of the house's signal lamp when she has to check on the Senior Center during the storm.

Overall, Lisa understands that greater forces are at work in the story, and is shown to have a deep understanding of people and nature. Lisa is immediately able to tell that Ponyo is good, and further, Lisa is even able to connect with Ponyo's mother, the Sea Goddess Granmamare, receiving her blessing to raise Ponyo as a human.

Appearance

Lisa is around 25 years old. Her outfit usually consists of an indigo blue shirt, beige jeans and carnation pink slippers. She has walnut brown hair and fair skin.

Lisa's Car

Lisa's car has a register number of 333.

Trivia

• "Lisa" is her name in both the English and Japanese dub, and while it is believed her name is of Western origin, it is actually just a convenience of transcription that her name can be read as both "Lisa," a Western name, and "Risa," a Japanese name. 

Quotes

"You'll do the right thing. I know it. You're only five, but you're very smart. Sometimes we take a leap. Be brave. You can do it while you can."

—Lisa