Welcome to the latest list in my series of favorite anime characters according to hair color. This time we have orange hair– or at least, orange-tinted hair. You may notice some of these characters could also be described as having light brown hair or pinkish hair. Still, these are the characters that come to mind when I picture orange hair. As you check out my list, please remember that I did not chose these entries according to popularity or anything like that; they are simply my personal favorites from the anime series I have seen to date.
Also as an FYI, I’m cheating a little bit with the format of my Sunday posts. I usually make a point to have only seven entries in a list on my Sunday Select Sevens. However, I compiled ten characters, and I can’t seem to make myself exclude any of them. That’s why there are the seven usual items followed by three different runners-up. Characters are listed in alphabetical order and are not ranked, since I have trouble with the idea of favorites. The other posts in this blog series can be found at the end of the article. Alright, let’s rant!
1) Ahiru (Duck) Arima (Princess Tutu)
Personality Type: INFP
Ahiru is the Japanese word for duck, which is fitting, because this character is literally a duck. A duck with a human heart. Ahiru, or Duck, is the main character of the shoujo fantasy anime, Princess Tutu. Her story is about how she falls in love with a human prince, uses a magic pendant to appear human, and then works to save her empty prince’s heart in the form of the graceful ballerina, Tutu. I love Ahiru because she’s so cute and sincere. I also admire her selflessness in saving the prince even though they probably can’t be together. Though she’s usually kind and timid, this character also has a surprisingly stubborn streak that will ultimately help her decide her own destiny.
2) Asuka Langely Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Personality Type: ENTJ
Probably the most recognized character on my list, Asuka is a famously feisty mech pilot from Neon Genesis Evangelion. She’s helping humanity fight against the enigmatic invading creatures called Angels– though whether she cares about humanity is questionable. Asuka fights for recognition from others and for keeping up with her own perfectionistic self-image. Because Asuka has so many problems with social behavior stemming from abandonment issues and trauma, I consider her a Borderline anime character. (She has Borderline Personality Disorder, which I also have IRL.) Despite Asuka’s recklessness, aggression toward others, and pettiness, I still feel for her on some level. Even if I can’t always empathize, I at least enjoy psychoanalyzing this character.
3) Emma (The Promised Neverland)
Personality Type: ENFJ
The heroine of the popular mystery/thriller Promised Neverland, Emma is impossible not to love. She’s cute, cheerful, and smart, with an amazing capacity for altruism. Every time I watch this anime, I feel inspired by Emma’s courage, selflessness, and determination to succeed. Although she is keenly intelligent, sometimes her strategies are weak because of interference from her emotions. However, nobody should be saying that Emma’s emotional nature is a weakness. It’s her emotions that spur her on to do amazing things. She’s driven by just anger, intense desire for freedom, and most importantly, powerful love for others.
4) Juri Arisugawa (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
Personality Type: ESTJ
Juri is an important character in the 90s cult classic Revolutionary Girl Utena. Excellent at fencing as a sport, she is also part of system of magical duels for those who fight for the power to revolutionize the world. Juri has kind of a harsh personality sometimes, always telling it like it is, with little grace for incompetence from others. Despite seeming coldly logical at first, this girl is secretly quite emotional and romantic in nature. She’s a lesbian who is in love with her childhood friend Shiori. But Shiori is a mean-spirited girl who does not return her love. Juri’s personal journey is about freeing herself from this toxic person she can’t help but adore.
5) Kagura (Gintama)
Personality Type: ESFP
It’s been a while since I re-watched Gintama, but I remember liking Kagura a lot. She’s a young girl from another planet who joins Gintoki in his business of odd-jobs and helping others. Kagura doesn’t give a shit about what others think of her, but completely does her own thing without regard for traditional femininity. It was also she who found and adopted the giant alien dog Sadaharu. Although Kagura isn’t too bright, and she is rough around the edges, her heart is in the right place. Her comedic antics are always a treat, too.
6) Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket)
Personality Type: ESTP/ISTP
Kyo is a central character in the classic shoujo drama Fruits Basket. He is cursed by a cat spirit so that he transforms into a cat whenever he is hugged by the opposite sex. Cats love Kyo and he can use them for errands or gathering intel. Due to acute trauma, Kyo has behavior problems and doesn’t get along well with others, at least at first. He’s violent, loud, and quick to anger. But as the anime continues, Kyo is influenced by living with the kind-hearted girl Tohru. He begins to slowly up to her and others, bit by bit. Awesome character.
7) Shouyou Hinata (Haikyuu!)
Personality Type: ESFP
Since I only watched one season of Haikyuu and it was some time ago, there’s a lot I don’t remember about Sho. However, I clearly recall loving his energy and ambition. His character design is also very cute. Sho is a volleyball player who is shorter than average. This presents a number of problems early on. Only by working together with the others on his team can Sho find a way to excel at volleyball. It’s really satisfying and inspiring to see him so enthusiastically pursuing his dream.
Runner up #1:
Hakase Shinonome (Nichijou)
Personality Type: ENTP
Hakase is a child genius and inventor from the weird and cute comedy anime, Nichijou. She created a Nana, humanoid robot with a heart. Nana now cares for Hakase, but it can be hard since the child is precocious and spoiled. Despite sometimes feeling annoyed by her childishness, I love this character. She makes me smile.
Runner Up #2:
Natsume (Deca-Dence)
Personality Type: ENFP
The main character of Deca-Dence, Natsume is an ambitious and upbeat girl living in a giant mobile fortress. She dreams of becoming one of the warriors who go outside the fortress to fight monsters. But this is a difficult goal. Natsume is a human, the weakest race, who are usually unfit to be warriors. And even for a human, Natsume is disadvantaged, since she lost an arm when she was young. It was replaced by a clumsy robotic prosthetic arm. Watching Natsume’s journey was interesting for me. I love her determination.
Runner Up #3:
Nishiki Nishio (Tokyo Ghoul)
Personality Type: ESTJ
Nishiki is an attractive supporting character from Tokyo Ghoul. He is one of the “good” Ghouls who work at Anteiku and try not to kill humans when possible. That being said, he’s got a major attitude problem, being aggressive, selfish, and sometimes cruel to others. I can’t empathize with Nishiki, but I find his psychology fascinating, especially because of one detail about his personal life. Nishiki fell in love with a human woman. They even lived together for some time. Clearly, Nishiki is a little more nuanced and interesting than he appears at first.
With that, we’ve covered my seven favorites plus three extra characters with orange(ish) hair. I hope you enjoyed my list. Have a good day everyone! 🙂
Anime Rants 