Top 5 Anime Gingers that Made me Consider Dying my Hair

Hello, one and all. It’s been a while since I’ve done a fun little Top 5 character post. I actually really have fun writing these.

This week, I have a ton of disclaimers. First, like the title says, these are “top” only in the sense that it made me think I should try to rock a carrot top. Not because they are the best characters or anything. Although they could be. These are not mutually exclusive!

Second, when I say ginger, I mean it. So no auburn, no flaming red, magenta or pinkish. We are talking only the finest gingers or you know, orange. I guess I could have said orange…

5. Chuuya Nakahara – Bungo Stray Dogs

Who doesn’t want to be a stylish bad boy who also happens to be some type of god of destruction? No one here, that’s for sure. I’m the only one here. I want to be that!

Here it is. Chuuya is both physically short and short-tempered and despite not exactly being human, still one of the most relatable members of the Port Mafia. And often, he’s just a lot of fun. Season 3 gave us the character’s complete backstory and if I wasn’t already pretty into Chuuya, I would have become a fan then.

I loved his more relaxed look, with the grey hoodie and the moto jacket. I’m pretty sure I’ve worn that exact outfit a number of times. I never realized how good it would look with orange hair though…

4. Chiyo Sakura – Grils’ Monthly Nozaki-kun

First I love Girl’s Monthly Nozaki-kun, and second I really love Chiyo. I remember thinking that you have to be completely obtuse not to give in to a girl as cute as Chiyo. And then I remember thinking, could I pull that hair off?

I have to admit, I think the bows play a big role in pulling the look together. And you would figure that red bows might clash a bit with ginger hair. Or at least be too monotone but no, it actually works perfectly. I also like the general styling and length of Chiyo’s hair. It seems wearable. But it wouldn’t be anywhere near as interesting with brown or blonde hair, now would it?

3. Shouyou Hinata – Haikyuu!

A lot of us have at least wanted to cosplay as Hinata at some point. A loose volleyball uniform is a very comfortable and breezy cosplay for those stuff conventions! And although Hinata might be 90% enthusiasm and energy, the remaining 10% is definitely that bright orange mop-top.

I know that throughout season 1, one of the easiest ways to really tell what was going on on the court when the camera was far away, was to follow that mess of orange hair around. Not that the producers thought of that when they were putting the show together or anything.

And I figured, if it can make Hinata stand out and be all confident, maybe it would work for me too! Then of course there was Nishinoya’s hairstyle to consider.

2. Asuka Langley – Neon Genesis Evangelion

When you think fiery redhead, Asuka is always one of the first to come to my mind. I would lie if I said I wasn’t a little in awe of the character. It should be said that I was considerably younger when I saw NGE for the first time.

Sure, my personality and general demeanour made me way more suited to be a Rei. And I did probably gravitate towards that character more. But I wanted to look like Asuka. She was the fun one.

There’s no denying that Asuka’s character design has become iconic for anime fans all over the world. There’s also no denying that her haircut and style are rather similar to Chiyo’s… Same length, similar shade, red hair accessories. I guess I have a type!

Honorable Mentions

Just figured I would throw a few quick ones in

Chise Hatori – The Ancient Magus’ Bride

The Ancient Magus’ Bride is a beautiful show. It’s just so lush and lovely to look at. So it’s no surprise that the character designs would stick with me as well. Chise has lovely light ginger hair and huge teal eyes to complement it. My eyes are closer to grey but I thought I could still pull it off!

Ed – Cowboy Bebop

I guess I should say Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV. Sure, most ladies I see cosplaying Bebop characters go for Fay Valentine and sure a lot of men I know had a huge crush on her. But if you ask me, Ed is where it’s at. Ed was a fairly unique character that really grew on me. When you cosplay Ed, you get to be smart, comfortably dressed and have fabulous orange hair. Plus you can just hang out with Ein the whole time. Talk about winning.

1. Himura Kenshin – Rourouni Kenshin

There is something both amusing and unforgettable about an ancient rogue samurai with a shock of bushy red hair. The very concept of it always thrilled me for some reason. And to this day, most people think of that ginger hair whenever the character is mentioned.

I have to say, I’m kinda disappointed that the live-action movies gave the character some very reasonable-looking brown hair with subtle auburn highlights instead of an obnoxiously bright orange wig. That would have made my day. Oh well.

Aside from the simple fact that Kenshin’s hair is iconic to the character, he belongs on top of this list because I actually did dye my hair ginger at the time. And to tell you the truth, I rather liked it. It suited me surprisingly well and the only reason I changed it is that I got bored.

Maybe I should go ginger again… And is it just me or are most of these characters particularly short? Are anime gingers disproportionately shorties? Conspiracy theory!

There you have it, a bunch of characters that made me want to dye my hair ginger. You know, everything I write a post on anime hair colours, I get the urge to change mine. It’s very dangerous for the health of my hair. It’s so wonderfully healthy right now, I really shouldn’t ruin it again. Of course, since it’s so healthy it means it could probably take a bleaching or two…