Spiky, incredibly long, gravity defying with whatever mix of colour the artist desires. Hair has always been a dominant identification factor for anime characters, but sometimes it goes too far and decides to throw logic out the window.

1. Yami Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh!

Image © Toei Animation

Yami Yugi has quite possibly the most ridiculous hairstyle I have ever seen. It seems that when Yugi was a child his parents abandoned him at a hair dye research center. His hair seems to have a severe lack of protein that has given way to an odd placement of hair follicles that results in nothing short of an abomination. The front of his head gives way to a blonde assortment of partial Super Saiyan strands. Neighboring, we have a black assortment that has grown into a star, or a maple leaf shape. Finally we have a dark red outlining growth that additionally seems to come out from the back of his neck. You’re a freak Yugi.

2. Takuma Zenshuin from Elf Princess Rane

Image © Dangun Pictures

My god his hair looks amazing, I don’t know who his stylist is but that must take forever to work on. Takuma’s radiant blue hair flat out defies the laws of gravity and says, “to hell with you I’m gorgeous.”

3. Kanade from Symphogear

Image © Encourage Films, Satelight

Kanade has way too much hair, seriously how on earth does she take such good care of it? Her hair is styled to look extravagant and beautiful, and somehow it never loses shape. Despite her transformation sequence and aggressive combat scenes, the hair never loses its fine details. Kanade is the perfect person to star in a shampoo commercial, because with hair like that, you could sell any hair product.

4. Goku from Dragon Ball Z

Image © Toei Animation

Goku and the Super Saiyans were chosen because when your hair majestically changes colour to a golden blonde and rapidly grows a lengthy row of spikes, it makes you look incredibly badass.

5. Rikuo Nura from Nura Rise of the Yokai Clan

Image © Studio Deen

I guess it makes sense to have a wacky mix of hair colour and weird patterns if you have demon blood in your veins. What confuses me is the direction of Rikuo’s hair. I cannot tell if his hair grows on an awkward angle that shifts slightly to the left, or if his hair can only grow directly sideways, as if jutting out the left side of his head. There are so many confusing camera shots that show his hair in pointing in different directions to the point where I cannot fathom it’s actual shape or if his hair is playing mind games with me.

6. Selnia Flameheart from Ladies vs Butlers

Image © Xebec

I find Selnia’s hair quite hard to believe; she has super long blonde twintails that for some reason gain volume and density as they get longer. Her hair actually makes spinning noises, and it behaves like a drill at certain points in the show, depending on her mood. This is not hair, this is some sort of biological weapon that reminds me of Niche fromLetter Bee.

7. Umemiya Ryunosuke of Shaman King

Image © Xebec

The pompadour, one of the more realistic styles that — wait hold on, how much gel is he using? I don’t think this is possible. In fact, how heavy is that thing? I’m pretty sure this would cause an extreme case of neck pain at all times with how much product he is using to keep that thing from drooping.

8. Seishirou Kirishiki from Shiki

Image © Daume

Forget it, I can’t even comprehend what is going on with his hair, or is that some weird antenna thing? Perhaps he really wanted a super stylish moustache, but he wasn’t able to grow one? Where did logic go, this man’s hair is more frightening than the fact that he’s collaborating with vampires bent on taking over a small town.

9. Nabeshin from Excel Saga

How many anime directors star in their own show? Nabeshin is voiced by director Shinichi Watanabe and appears to have a normal brown afro. The colour is normal, and even the afro looks quite tame compared to the other characters in this list. Nabeshin has the most ridiculous hair due to how it is actually used. Depending on the situation Nabeshin will pull all manner of objects from his hair: shotgun, grappling hook, two large machine guns; any prop or item he needs he will just pull it out of his hair because he is the director so don’t ask questions.