Red Haired anime characters, While sometimes the choice of a character’s hair color is purely aesthetic, it often means something about the character itself. You can often tell what kind of character they will be just by looking at their hair color, and no character is more true than redheads.
Red is fire. It is a raw, pure, and powerful energy that remains untamed. Once it starts, it is difficult to contain and control. This is the way of the redhead. While red hair can often be used to denote foreign characters as well, it often speaks more of their personality. The red-haired characters are passionate and wild. They have a temperament that is combined with an outgoing personality. However, due to their fiery temperament, they are also hardy and motivated to live at all costs. Of course, red is seen as a very sensual color, making redheads often some of the most flirtatious and tempting characters in a series.
1. Yu Yu Hakusho’s Kurama
Kurama is a man with two personalities, one intellectual and analytical by nature and the other ruthless and cruel. While her hair color may change when she changes between the two, her redhead shape makes sense with the change. He is unpredictable in nature at times and undoubtedly very powerful as a fighter.
2. Kurisu from Steins; Gate
There is a debate as to whether Kurisu is actually a redhead, but this confusion actually quite fits her character. She shows quite a mature and no-nonsense personality but is prone to bouts of sarcasm, irritation, and jealousy that are best suited to her reddish hair. It is this mix of red and brown hair characteristics that certainly makes her such a unique character.
3. Rider from Fate/Zero
There really should be more fire-bearded characters in the anime, but sadly Fate / Zero’s Rider is one of the few notable examples. He is loud, conceited, and, above all, very strong, as a redhead must be. In battle, he is like an unshakable force and one that should never be taken lightly. While he is less unpredictable than other redheaded characters, his red hair should denote his strength of body and character.
4. Erza from Fairy Tail
Erza is a character who possesses various powerful weapons and armor. This means that, as his red hair suggests, he will not fall without a fight. While her typical demeanor is quieter compared to other wild redheads, her true fire certainly shows in battle.
5. Yukihira from Food Wars!
If there is a word to describe Yukihira, that word would be arrogant. He enters the best cooking school in Japan believing he knows everything but soon realizes that there is still something he can learn. Despite this, that arrogant attitude doesn’t go away, and when you start learning your own cooking style, you have the skills to back it up. Driven and never willing to back down from a challenge, his red hair suits him well.
6. Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Asuka is probably one of the most notable redheads in anime. She spends much of her time being mean to those around her and feels driven to become more powerful due to her competitive nature and a small mountain of insecurities. However, while Asuka is shown as the typical redheaded and hotheaded tsundere character, Evangelion flips the trope near the end by completely destroying the resistance he had once displayed.
7. Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter
Hisoka is not only known as a red-haired antihero but also a villain. He is, in all his ways, as unpredictable as his red hair might suggest. He wishes to fight powerful opponents and as such has rescued heroes on occasion just so they can develop their potential for him to kill later. Silly, crazy, and unpredictable, he himself looks a lot like a llama.
8. Kyoko from Madoka Magika
Ah, Kyoko is a stereotype for a red-haired character. She is quite a violent tsundere with her feelings and seems to only care about the battle. You can of course see her show a softer side towards the people she cares about while maintaining a determined and energetic nature in battle.
9. Kenshin by Rurouni Kenshin
Kenshin is unique among redheads. In his past as Battosai, his red hair certainly fitted him as one of Japan’s most feared murderers. However, when you promise never to kill again, the hair doesn’t seem so appropriate. However, when he goes into battle, while still non-lethal, you still see the same wild and passionate nature of the man that he used to be. Perhaps it is an interesting metaphor for how fire is difficult to control, but not impossible.
10. Rias from High School DxD
While extremely passionate and affectionate as a person, like a true redhead and a devil, Rias is also prone to moments of red-hot rage. Of course, she is also prone to the moments of deviance and seduction that are also associated with redheads.
11. Taiga from Kuroko’s Basketball
Taiga’s red hair represents not only her attitude but also her overseas birth as an American. He has what could be called a tough guy attitude, but despite many failures and bruises on his ego throughout the series, he remains strong and ready to try again to achieve his goal.
12. Ayano from Kaze no Stigma
Ayano is fiery in everything she does, which makes her particularly eye-catching red hair very appropriate. Not only are his powers in fire-based Kaze no Stigma, but he has the hot-headed tsundere personality to match. She is a staunch defender of her family and its traditions, and even in love, she displays responses of violence and jealousy quickly and unpredictably. She is what you could classify as the true stereotype of what a redhead is supposed to be in the anime.
13. Gaara from Naruto
At a glance, Gaara shows little of the fiery personality that is supposed to pair with red hair. However, you will discover what he lacks in personality, which he makes up for in sheer power. However, once he goes through quite a cathartic experience, you start to see him become what red hair is supposed to represent through his endurance and passion to protect what is important to him.
14. Yoko from Gurren Lagann
Yoko is wild and does what she likes. Her red hair complements her happy trigger nature and matches that hair color with her choice of outfit – clearly no one is telling her what to do. However, under that fire, she has to have a softer side, but even in the face of tragedy, she never lets it completely defeat her.
15. Renji from Bleach
Renji is relatively carefree but is arrogant for much of the series. Perhaps the red hair was chosen more to complement his eccentric aesthetic, but in battle, he shows stamina and much of his fighting prowess relies on using sheer force rather than anything else.
16. Shana from Shakugan no Shana
Red hair and a tsundere personality are often combined due to the very nature that red hair must display. In Shana, her affection is hard to come by and her contempt can be downright painful, but those bits of sweetness are further enhanced when you have to work for them. In battle, his true nature shines through as he displays his pure power and relies on his pure will to survive.
17. Grell from Black Butler
Grell’s gender can be difficult to pin down, but it fits perfectly with this redhead’s personality. He is a cheater who deceives others, but inside he is wild, silly, and violent. With a great passion for violence and a knack for starting, they are a very canny opponent, but more importantly, they are a lot of fun to watch at work.
18. Yona from Yona of the Dawn
The story surrounding Yona in Yona of the Dawn is one of resilience. Everything he knows is betrayed and taken away. You are left with nothing and sometimes very little hope. Yet she perseveres, though not without the help of those around her. However, although it is resistant, as the story progresses, it grows and grows stronger until it becomes a fire that nothing can stop.
19. Karma from Assassination Classroom
Karma is as frivolous and uncontrollable as fire itself, and there is something distinctly sensual about the devilish look in his eyes. Throughout the series, Karma is often shown doing whatever he pleases because there is no person alive who can control his actions. However, when it comes down to it, you can also back up your speech with violence. Out of all the many redheads on this list, Karma could best personify the fiery nature that red hair signifies.
20. Shirayuki from Snow White with the Red Hair
In Snow White with the Red Hair, Shirayuki starts off quite dumb as a red-haired character. She is undoubtedly outgoing and compassionate towards those who visit her herbalist. However, when her red hair becomes coveted, she cuts it off and runs away to keep her freedom. Of course, starting a new life with nothing is difficult, but she is nothing less than an impulsive character who can adapt to any new circumstance.
Do you have a favorite red-haired anime character who best epitomizes the fiery color of her hair? Then let us know in the comment section below.
