Although none of you know this, because the ‘cast hasn’t been posted yet, Ninja and I had a conversation yesterday about anime hair colors and the personalities typically associated with each color. We also argued about which color, purple or red, is better. Ninja loves purple haired anime men, and I go for the redheads.
So I started taking Quizilla “What Color is Your Anime Hair?” online quizzes like crazy to see the descriptions for each hair color. Did you know that there are literally hundreds of versions of that test? It was not easy, and I got a whole lot of totally wrong or made up personality descriptions. I’ve edited it down to the basic colors and the personality traits I’ve seen them display. I’ll start with the typical “normal” colors and then get into the more bizarre shades. I’ve had to divide the post into two parts because it ended up being a two page word document. I don’t know about all of you guys, but my eyes glaze over if I try to read a page with that much text. I’ll post the second part tomorrow, so stay tuned.
Click here for part 2 of this story.
Black/Brunette: The basic colors. These colors are the default setting for Japanese characters, indicating traditional everyday characters. Usually, if the main character has black or brown hair they are an everyman, someone the typical Japanese person can relate to. These colors indicate a proper and polite character, someone who is honest and straightforward. These characters usually show great physical or moral strength and intense dedication to loved ones. (Tomoyo Cardcaptor Sakura, Yuri Kyo Kara Maoh, Ryu Argentosoma) Note: Ryu was in a horrible accident and now half of his hair is silver, he is also no longer mentally stable and some of his actions could be considered villainous. His personality is literally half black and half silver.
Blonde: As I mentioned black and brown are the default settings for Japanese characters, but as anime becomes more of a global phenomenon blonde has been showing up more and more as well. Unsurprisingly blondes are usually of foreign descent, or if they are Japanese they are a delinquent kogal. There are several blonde archetypes, what’s important to remember is that blondes ALWAYS mean trouble. In general blonde characters are elegant, beautiful and are associated with nobility or aristocratic manners, but have flawed personalities. The two typical blonde types are the airhead and the conniving bitch. The air-headed blonde is playful and ditzy, but clumsy to the extreme. The conniving bitch is vain, scheming and manipulative. Either way they mean trouble. Blonde also means that the character is the focus of chaos and trouble follows him/her. It is possible for a character’s hair to transform to blonde with a great influx of power, usually this is accompanied by a change of eye color. In these cases their personalities are still the same as before. (Vash Trigun, Rosette Chrono Crusade, Chi Chobits, Serena Sailor Moon, All the Sayans DB/DBZ/DBGT)
White/Silver: Ok, here’s a shocker occasionally white hair indicates that the character is old. Yeah, that one surprised me too. On younger characters white or silver hair indicates dignity and skill, usually with hidden spiritual power of immense strength. Spiritual power is traditionally purported to prematurely bleach hair. These characters are very self-controlled and because of emotional difficulties can come off as distant and cold. Although they are incredibly strong these characters avoid fighting. If a character is a white or silver haired bishounen he is typically a villain. White is a stereotypical color for evil in anime and manga. It makes sense to me, blood shows up so much better on white clothing. (Muraki Descendents of Darkness, Sephiroth FF7, Rosiel Angel Sanctuary, Nataku X, Sesshoumaru Inuyasha)
Sorry, I know you're all excited to read about the exotic colors. You're gonna have to wait until tomorrow for that.
So I started taking Quizilla “What Color is Your Anime Hair?” online quizzes like crazy to see the descriptions for each hair color. Did you know that there are literally hundreds of versions of that test? It was not easy, and I got a whole lot of totally wrong or made up personality descriptions. I’ve edited it down to the basic colors and the personality traits I’ve seen them display. I’ll start with the typical “normal” colors and then get into the more bizarre shades. I’ve had to divide the post into two parts because it ended up being a two page word document. I don’t know about all of you guys, but my eyes glaze over if I try to read a page with that much text. I’ll post the second part tomorrow, so stay tuned. Click here for part 2 of this story.
Black/Brunette: The basic colors. These colors are the default setting for Japanese characters, indicating traditional everyday characters. Usually, if the main character has black or brown hair they are an everyman, someone the typical Japanese person can relate to. These colors indicate a proper and polite character, someone who is honest and straightforward. These characters usually show great physical or moral strength and intense dedication to loved ones. (Tomoyo Cardcaptor Sakura, Yuri Kyo Kara Maoh, Ryu Argentosoma) Note: Ryu was in a horrible accident and now half of his hair is silver, he is also no longer mentally stable and some of his actions could be considered villainous. His personality is literally half black and half silver.Blonde: As I mentioned black and brown are the default settings for Japanese characters, but as anime becomes more of a global phenomenon blonde has been showing up more and more as well. Unsurprisingly blondes are usually of foreign descent, or if they are Japanese they are a delinquent kogal. There are several blonde archetypes, what’s important to remember is that blondes ALWAYS mean trouble. In general blonde characters are elegant, beautiful and are associated with nobility or aristocratic manners, but have flawed personalities. The two typical blonde types are the airhead and the conniving bitch. The air-headed blonde is playful and ditzy, but clumsy to the extreme. The conniving bitch is vain, scheming and manipulative. Either way they mean trouble. Blonde also means that the character is the focus of chaos and trouble follows him/her. It is possible for a character’s hair to transform to blonde with a great influx of power, usually this is accompanied by a change of eye color. In these cases their personalities are still the same as before. (Vash Trigun, Rosette Chrono Crusade, Chi Chobits, Serena Sailor Moon, All the Sayans DB/DBZ/DBGT)White/Silver: Ok, here’s a shocker occasionally white hair indicates that the character is old. Yeah, that one surprised me too. On younger characters white or silver hair indicates dignity and skill, usually with hidden spiritual power of immense strength. Spiritual power is traditionally purported to prematurely bleach hair. These characters are very self-controlled and because of emotional difficulties can come off as distant and cold. Although they are incredibly strong these characters avoid fighting. If a character is a white or silver haired bishounen he is typically a villain. White is a stereotypical color for evil in anime and manga. It makes sense to me, blood shows up so much better on white clothing. (Muraki Descendents of Darkness, Sephiroth FF7, Rosiel Angel Sanctuary, Nataku X, Sesshoumaru Inuyasha)Sorry, I know you're all excited to read about the exotic colors. You're gonna have to wait until tomorrow for that.
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