Introduction
Blue-haired characters are some of the most iconic in anime, with their blue tresses often representing how unique they are as protagonists or villains, or mirroring their powerful water-based abilities. If you’re curious who some of these characters are, we’ve got you covered. For this article, we partnered with an anime expert to help us round up some of the best anime characters with blue hair—keep reading to see if your fave is on the list!
1. Rem (Re:Zero)
Rem is definitely one of the cutest characters from Re:Zero, who accessorizes her sky-blue bob with pink clips and a flower ribbon. She’s a maid for Roswall L. Mathers alongside her twin sister, Ram (who sports pink hair), where she eventually meets and falls in love with Natsuki Subaru, the main character. Rem is beloved for her loyalty, selflessness, and inspiring journey overcoming her feelings of inferiority.
2. Nagisa Shiota (Assassination Classroom)
Nagisa is the protagonist of Assassination Classroom, who’s not only iconic for his light blue hair, but also for his androgynous appearance. He narrates the anime, explaining how his class got assigned to assassinate their alien-octopus teacher, Korosensei. While Nagisa is the main character, he’s actually quite shy and reserved, and initially supports his classmates’ assassination attempts. But it’s clear that he’s really got what it takes to take down Korosensei.
3. Inosuke Hashibira (Demon Slayer)
Inosuke is one of the main characters from Demon Slayer, explains anime expert Nicole Favarelli. He’s a chaotically good character, because while he does fight for what’s right, he’s loud, crazy, and doesn’t respect or follow the rules. While the boar’s head mask he wears is probably his most recognizable trait, underneath he sports long, navy blue hair and a beautiful face (so, he’d stand out anyway!).
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4. Rimuru Tempest (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
Rimuru is the protagonist of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and he’s well-known for his long and beautiful ice-blue hair. In this isekai series, anime and manga expert Ryan Burns explains that Rimuru’s former self died and woke up as a slime, and after encountering a dragon, he absorbs it. This begins Rimuru’s journey across the fantasy land where he creates his own colony and begins to rule. It helps that he’s extremely overpowered!
5. Himmel (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)
Himmel is one of Frieren’s adventuring partners in this fantasy series. While his death as an old man is the catalyst for Frieren’s journey, he does appear in many flashbacks showing their time together, where you get to see his light blue shaggy hair in all its glory. As the hero of their party, Himmel was selfless, compassionate, charming, friendly, and an expert with the sword.
6. Sailor Mercury (Sailor Moon)
Ami Mizuno, also known as Sailor Mercury, is one of the courageous Sailor Guardians from Sailor Moon who seriously pulls off her blue bob. She’s the first Guardian Usagi Tsukino (aka Sailor Moon) discovers, and she quickly accepts her duty to defeat evil. Ami is the shy, bookish one of the group, who uses her brainpower to strategize battles and bring the Guardians to victory (along with her water-based attacks, of course).
7. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez (Bleach)
Han says Grimmjow is another well-known blue-haired character. He’s the notorious antagonist from Bleach whose spiky blue hair complements his other distinct feature: a mask of a jawbone along the right side of his face. He goes to blows with Ichigo several times and manages to hold his own, which definitely demonstrates his strength. He’s short-tempered, sadistic, sarcastic, and says whatever he likes, which makes him a seriously fun villain.
8. Bulma (Dragon Ball)
Han says Bulma is another iconic blue-haired character. Bulma sports several different hair colors throughout the various Dragon Ball series, but we think she rocks blue the best! She’s one of the main characters in the franchise who essentially starts Goku’s search for the Dragon Balls, explains anime and Dragon Ball expert Stephanie Paz. She joins him on his journey and eventually meets Vegeta, whom she marries! What really makes Bulma iconic is her intelligence, helpfulness, and friendliness.
9. Simon (Gurren Lagann)
Simon the Digger is the protagonist of this classic mecha anime, who fights against the evil Spiral King to save mankind from their subterranean existence. While he begins the series as a timid boy, he goes through serious growth throughout the series and develops into the brave, determined, and selfless guy he is at his core. Honorable mention: Kamina definitely deserves a spot here too, as he’s a major character in the anime, too! He’s Simon’s opposite: he’s hotheaded, loud, and cocky.
10. Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Rei is one of the main characters in Neon Genesis Evangelion, who pilots Evangelion Unit-00 to help defeat the monstrous Angels. Her powdery blue hair color adds to her mystique, as her origins are mysterious and she prefers to keep to herself—both physically and emotionally. As the series progresses, though, she starts to open herself up, demonstrating her gentleness and deep humanity.
11. Black☆Star (Soul Eater)
Black☆Star is a main character from Soul Eater who stands out with his spiky, ice blue hair. He’s an assassin at the Death Weapon Meister Academy and notably, one of the top students! Despite his profession, he’s loud, arrogant, and flashy (which is fair, as he’s one of the strongest characters—if not the strongest).
12. Esdeath (Akame ga Kill!)
Esdeath is a major villain from Akame ga Kill! who’s a general of the evil Empire. Which makes sense, because she’s sadistic, brutal, and couldn’t care less about the people she kills. That said, she does possess “good” qualities, as she cares for her subordinates’ well-being and falls in love with Tatsumi, the protagonist of the series whose purpose is to bring down the Empire!
13. Tetsuya Kuroko (Kuroko’s Basketball)
Kuroko is the titular protagonist of this basketball anime whose light blue hair highlights his uniqueness. While he appears unnoticeable to most due to his unassuming personality, he uses that to his advantage to literally appear invisible on the court. Kuroko does have a personality, though: he’s kind, straightforward, and determined, and seriously passionate on the court. Honorable mention: Aomine Daiki is another main character who rocks dark blue hair. He’s Kuroko’s former middle school teammate and now one of his rivals.
14. Ban (The Seven Deadly Sins)
Ban is a main character from The Seven Deadly Sins who wears his light blue hair in large, messy spikes. He’s one of the knights from the titular order who’s known as the Fox Sin of Greed. Though he lived a life of thievery before his role as a knight and did have a reputation for being selfish and greedy, Ban is loyal, caring, and surprisingly selfless.
15. Shun Kaidou (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)
Kaidou is one of the main characters in this comedy-supernatural anime and one of Saiki Kusuo’s classmates. His pale blue spiky hair isn’t the only thing unique about him: Kaidou is a chunibyo, or person who has childish delusions of grandeur. He calls himself Jetblack Wings and believes he’s being hunted by the fantastical evil organization The Dark Reunion. This just comes from his deep desire to impress others and make friends.
16. Nefertari Vivi (One Piece)
Vivi is the blue-haired princess of the Alabasta Kingdom in One Piece. She joins the story as an antagonist working with Baroque Works, a criminal group of bounty hunters out for Monkey D. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, Vivi is actually acting as a spy against Baroque Works and helps the Straw Hat Pirates take them down! That just goes to show her brave, determined, and selfless character. Honorable mention: The powerful pirate Buggy the Clown is well-known for his clownish appearance, including wild blue hair and a red bulbous nose.
17. Rin Okumura (Blue Exorcist)
Rin is the protagonist of Blue Exorcist, and given the name of the anime, he definitely has a blue theme going. Han says Rin, the son of Satan, begins the series with navy blue hair. It turns light blue as his demonic powers develop, which primarily involve controlling blue flames. And despite his demonic side, Rin is compassionate, supportive, and laid-back (though he definitely has a hot-headed streak!).
18. Juvia Lockser (Fairy Tail)
Juvia is a prominent character from Fairy Tail who sports iconic blue curls. She’s a powerful S-Class mage who can control water, and initially began as an antagonist as part of the Phantom King’s elite team, Element 4. However, she later joins the Fairy Tail guild. While she looks fairly serious, Juvia is actually quite goofy and imaginative, and very compassionate and caring. Honorable mentions: There are actually a lot of blue-haired characters from Fairy Tail that we’d be remiss to mention, including the dragon slayer Wendy Marvell, the dark mage Jellal Fernandez, and the letter mage Levy McGarden.
19. Mahito (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Mahito is a popular villain from JJK who has long gray-blue hair. While he’s definitely evil, Favarelli notes that he has a super cool power. He can change the shape of someone’s soul by simply touching them, which can manifest as changing the shape of their body and turning them into a grotesque monster. His power fits, as the cursed spirit is sadistic and believes humans are worthless.
20. Aqua (KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!)
Aqua is the deuteragonist of KonoSuba, and as the Goddess of Water, she naturally has flowing blue hair to match. Despite her regal title, Aqua is impolite, prideful, absent-minded, prone to tantrums, and a certified partier who loves to drink. We promise she has good qualities, though—she’s a loyal friend who will help those in need. Her flaws do make her a super funny character, however!
21. Franky (One Piece)
Not only does Franky have blue hair, but Han says he typically has a really cool pompadour hairstyle. Because Franky is a cyborg, he can actually change his hairstyle instantly. Sometimes, he changes his blue pompadour into a blue buzzcut or funny shapes.
22. Super Saiyan Blue (Dragon Ball)
Han says when Goku transforms into Super Saiyan Blue, he has blue hair. In fact, when Goku is in this form, his hair, eyebrows, and eyes all turn a bright cyan-blue color. He has a glowing blue energy aura, so blue is a major theme!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Are blue-haired characters usually good or evil?
Blue-haired characters can be either good or evil. They often represent intelligence, tranquility, or mystery. Characters like Sailor Mercury and Tetsuya Kuroko are kind and strategic, while villains like Grimmjow and Mahito use their blue hair to highlight their cold, sadistic, or otherworldly nature.
What does blue hair symbolize in anime?
In anime, blue hair often symbolizes calmness, intelligence, and water-based abilities. It can also represent a character’s uniqueness, their role as a “cool” or level-headed counterpart to a fiery protagonist, or even their otherworldly or mysterious origins.
Which anime has the most blue-haired characters?
Several anime feature many blue-haired characters. Series like Fairy Tail, One Piece, and Dragon Ball have a notable number of blue-haired heroes and villains. Fairy Tail alone has characters like Juvia, Wendy, Jellal, and Levy with blue hair.
