Anime is an interesting platform for creating stories that couldn’t exist in the real world, and one tool animators use to subtly manipulate our perceptions of the characters we’re watching is using extravagant hair colors that don’t actually exist in nature. Black or brown can be considered the “basic” anime hair colors, usually used for “normal Japanese” characters, and male main characters often have dark hair and normal Japanese-style features, the better for male fans to identify with them. Blue hair on females is often used to create an air of purity or mystery or communion with nature, while white or grey hair can be a hint of hidden super powers. Red haired characters like Asuka from Evangelion or Yoko from Gurren Lagann are fiery demons who are quick to anger and capable of amazing feats of physical prowess. While people in Japan obviously don’t have vibrant anime-esque colors in their hair, there is a surprising variety in the hair colors you do see here, both due to natural variation between individuals as well as the trend of people dyeing their hair to fit their personality. There are even some anime-like colors to be seen: for some reason, quite a few elderly Japanese find it cool to dye their hair interesting colors like blue or green, and a couple of months ago the principal of my son’s school showed up with a light purple tint to his hair, which I’d never encountered before.
Though not quite anime, there’s a surprising variation of hair colors in Japan..
