20 Best Anime Characters With Red Hair
Whether it’s the eyes or the hair, anime characters are quickly recognizable by the hues of these two features. These two features also make the character more intriguing as most times than not, the color usually represents some traits that are common across all anime.
One of the best features is a character’s hair. Red hair in particular is often a symbol of a character’s personality being brash, hot-headed, and direct. Rarely found in the lead characters, red hair is usually associated with the antagonist or rival to the main character.
In this list, I will detail 20 of the best anime characters with red hair. Beware of spoilers.
20. Morgiana
Anime Name: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Opening our list is one of the most interesting characters in the anime Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. The lead heroine and the tritagonist in the anime, Morgiana is a pure-Blood girl from the hunting tribe of Fanalis and the former slave of Jamil. Having no recollection of her parents or family, Morgiana was a slave since she was a young girl.
During a mission where she was accompanying Jamil, they encountered Alibaba Saluja and Aladdin in a dungeon, and Jamil was defeated by the latter. Alibaba Saluja freed her from slavery and gave her the freedom to choose her own path, but she chose to become a member of Alibaba’s household.
19. Satori Tendou
Anime Name: Haikyuu!!
Known by the epithet ‘the Guess Monster’, Satori Tendou is a third-year student of Shiratorizawa Academy and a volleyball player who plays the position of middle blocker. Possessing an immensely fun and cheerful personality, he is extremely conniving and calculating, and his outward demeanor perfectly conceals his scheming nature.
With his ability to guess where the ball will be spiked with extraordinary accuracy, he is one of the most unpredictable players on the court, and this uncanny ability makes his opponents view him as a monster. He holds great admiration for the team captain, Wakatoshi Ushijima due to his incredible jumping ability and spectacular spikes, and often refers to him as the miracle boy.
18. Karin
Anime Name: Naruto Shippuden
Karin is a major supporting character in Naruto Shippuden and a member of Taka, the rogue outfit formed by Sasuke with the goal of crushing Konoha. She is a descendant of the prominent Uzumaki clan, whose members are known for their distinct bright, red hair and their possession of incredibly strong life forces and chakra.
Despite being betrayed by Sasuke and almost being killed by him, Karin has always remained devoted to him due to the deep adoration she has for him, and this was defined even further when she placed her feelings for Sasuke aside and helped Sakura in the birth of her and Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada Uchiha.
17. Asuka Langley Sohryu
Anime Name: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Asuka Langley Sohryu is one of the most popular Neon Genesis Evangelion characters with a huge fan base but is also one of the most contentious characters too. Designated as the Second Child of the Evangelion project, she is the pilot of the Evangelion Unit-02.
Her impetuous irresponsible antics frequently hurt the people she cared about, but as an EVA pilot, her actions had such high stakes that they could have led to the doom of humankind and after a while, one might wonder whether she was on the side of humankind or of the Angels.
16. Chelsea
Anime Name: Akame Ga Kill
Chelsea was a member of the covert assassination division, Night Raid, and one of the two members that General Najenda recruits from the Revolutionary Army. She formerly worked under a cruel viceroy who received joy out of hunting people, until she found Gaea Foundation, a Teigu in the form of a cosmetic case that enabled its user to take the appearance of whatever living creature they desired. She assassinated the viceroy with the Teigu and afterward joined the Revolutionary Army.
During Night Raid’s attack on the Jaegers, Chelsea disguised herself and attacked Bols, killing him instantly. After taking up his appearance, she approached Kurome and used her needle to kill her but unfortunately, due to Kurome’s immunity to poisons, she recovered quickly and as Chelsea attempted to flee, she was shot, then decapitated by Natala. Despite her Teigu being a support type, Chelsea had undertaken as many assassination jobs as Akame, implying she was an extremely skilled assassin.
15. Rias Gremory
Anime Name: High School DxD
Known as the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess because of her distinct hair color and her ability, Power of Destruction, Rias Gremory is the main female protagonist of High School DxD and the heiress of the Gremory clan, a famous and high-ranking family of pure-blooded Devils. She is proud of her family’s name, but she doesn’t like being seen as Rias of the Gremory Family.
Rias enjoys living in the human world because there, everyone sees her as Rias, not as a Devil or the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess. Even though she is fiery and displays a wild temperament, which plays into her getting angry and violent when someone insults a member of her family, Rias is kind-hearted and very protective of those she cares for. She has been shown to loathe cruelty towards people.
14. Seijuro Akashi
Anime Name: Kuroko no Basuke
The former captain of the Generation of Miracles, Seijuro Akashi is the current captain and point guard of Rakuzan High. Akashi is not the most physically robust basketball player, but he is definitely the best player on any court he plays on.
When introduced, he is shown to be extremely intimidating and cavalier and can turn violent if a situation calls for it. Having never faced defeat, Akashi believes that he cannot lose and demands absolute obedience from his players as the captain. Nevertheless, he places complete trust in his teammates and their abilities.
His ability, The Emperor Eye, allows him to watch every movement of his opponent and anticipate their next move, rendering his opponent’s strategy useless.
13. Kagami Taiga
Anime Name: Kuroko no Basuke
The ace and power forward of Seirin High, Kagami Taiga is the deuteragonist of Kuroko no Basuke. Referred to as the light to Kuroko’s shadow by Kuroko himself, Kagami is determined to defeat the former members of the Generation of Miracles and become the best in Japan.
Extremely ambitious, stubborn, and tenacious, he refuses to give up in a difficult situation and enjoys playing against strong opponents as he sees no point in playing basketball if it isn’t challenging. Initially being a person who is easily provoked by his opponent, he matures both mentally and emotionally, and takes time to think before acting, often placing the team’s interests before his own.
12. Nagato
Anime Name: Naruto Shippuden
A ninja of the Hidden Rain village and a descendant of the powerful Uzumaki clan, Nagato was the de facto leader of the Akatsuki and one of the founding members, along with his childhood friends, Konan and Yahiko, the latter who was killed by him unwittingly. Orphaned as a child after his parents were killed by Konoha shinobi who mistook them for an enemy, he was rescued from starvation by Yahiko and Konan, and they banded together to survive the war.
Wishing to find a way to be powerful enough to stop all wars, the three approached the Legendary Sannin and Jiraiya took them under his wing as his students. Jiraiya taught Nagato what true peace really meant and imparted great wisdom to him, as he believed Nagato was the child of prophecy who would usher in a world of peace. After Yahiko’s death, Nagato became disillusioned with Jiraiya’s method and believed the only way to true peace was through pain.
Nagato eventually came to accept Jiraiya’s words after he fought with Naruto and entrusted him to find the answer to breaking the cycle of hatred that plagued the shinobi world.
11. Eustass Kid
Anime Name: One Piece
Boasting a diverse number of characters and a world-building of epic proportions, One Piece is a masterpiece that is unrivaled to date. So it stands to reason that this list will have at least one character, and that is the captain of the Kid Pirates, Eustass “Captain” Kid. An infamous pirate from the South Blue, Eustass Kid is one of the twelve pirates referred to as the Worst Generation.
Originally introduced with a higher bounty than Luffy during his introduction in the Sabaody Archipelago because of the high civilian casualty number by the Kid Pirates, Kid is shown to be one of the major rivals of the Strawhat Pirates. Possessing the Jiki Jiki no Mi Devil Fruit, Kid has the ability to create magnetic forces and control metal. During the time skip, Kid confronted one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, Shanks, and lost his left arm in the process.
10. Kirishima Eijirou
Anime Name: My Hero Academia
Known by his hero name Red Riot, Kirishima is a professional hero in training and a student in class 1-A at U. A High School. A rambunctious and outgoing guy with a passion for the concept of manliness, Kirishima is a determined and selfless hero who often puts the safety of others before his. His quirk, Hardening, gives him the power to harden and sharpen any or all parts of his body, causing his flesh to become jagged and rock-like.
9. Hisoka Morow
Anime Name: HunterxHunter
A hunter and former member #4 of the Phantom Troupe, Hisoka Morow is one of the main antagonists of HunterxHunter. Depicted as entirely self-serving, self-absorbed, and selfish; he only does something if it pleases him and his sadistic nature is revealed the more he fights strong opponents.
He has encountered Gon and Killua on several occasions where he could have killed them but in all of them, he has spared them with the intention of waiting for them to achieve their full potential, so he can one day challenge them. His current obsession is to fight the leader of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo Lucifer.
8. Himura Kenshin
Anime Name: Rurouni Kenshin
Known as the legendary Hitokiri Battousai of the Meiji Revolution, Himura Kenshin is the main protagonist and titular character of Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin is a reserved, gentle, and modest man whose usual disposition fits his effeminate appearance. Kenshin is one of the more popular anime characters due to his recognizable ‘X’ scar on his cheek.
Before the Meiji era, Kenshin was a callous assassin who killed people without displaying any sign of remorse. However, this attitude suggests he was driven by his idealistic belief in bringing peace by eliminating any obstacle that stood in his way.
7. Shouto Todoroki
Anime Name: My Hero Academia
The tritagonist of My Hero Academia, Shouto Todoroki is the youngest son of the current number 1 Hero, Endeavor, and a student of class 1-A at U. A High School, having been admitted through recommendation. His hair is evenly split between two colors: white on his right side and crimson red on his left, this unusual coloring being due to his Quirk. As another result of this, he also possesses heterochromia iridium, which causes his left eye’s iris to appear turquoise, while his right is a brownish dark gray.
His quirk, Half-Cold Half-Hot, gives him the ability to generate ice from the right side of his body, and flames from his left side.
6. Kushina Uzumaki
Anime Name: Naruto Shippuden
As the second jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, the wife of the prodigious Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the mother of the enigmatic seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, you do not get more prolific than this. Known for her distinct red hair that actually helped her to be rescued by Minato after she was kidnapped as a kid, Kushina was a Konoha shinobi who descended from the powerful Uzumaki clan.
Kushina was a headstrong, impulsive, eccentric, and stubborn girl with tomboyish habits and a distinct verbal tic. Most of these traits were passed on to her son, Naruto. Her most redeeming quality was her deep love for her family, and it was further exemplified by her sacrifice to protect Naruto from the Nine-Tails attack, which killed her in the process.
5. Yukihira Soma
Anime Name: Shokugeki no Soma
The main protagonist of Shokugeki no Soma, Yukihira is the son of Jōichirō Yukihira and Tamako Yukihira, the proud owner of Restaurant Yukihira. He is a 92nd Tōtsuki Generation alumnus and a former resident of Polar Star Dormitory. He is also a previous 1st seat of the Elite Ten Council.
Yukihira is enthusiastic and upbeat and has a persistent drive to improve his cooking, mostly due to his strong relationship and rivalry with his father. He is confident in his skills and always seeks to challenge others to prove his abilities and test the limits of his cooking. Because of this, he constantly finds himself in very difficult situations in his various duels and challenges, which would break the spirits of most chefs.
4. Gaara
Anime Name: Naruto
Gaara is a shinobi from the Hidden Sand village and the fifth and current Kazekage. He is the former jinchuriki of the One-Tail, which was extracted from him by the Akatsuki when he was captured. He is also a close ally of Naruto Uzumaki, having fought him during the Chunnin exams.
Gaara’s childhood was miserable due to being a jinchuriki and with nobody to connect to, he grew up hating the world and looking out only for himself, giving his life meaning by killing anyone he came across. After losing to Naruto, he embraced the power in the bonds of friendship and decided to emulate him.
3. Erza Scarlet
Anime Name: Fairy Tail
Erza Scarlet is an S-Class mage of Fairy Tail Guild and a member of Team Natsu. She is one of the foremost mages in the anime, and her reputation as a monster precedes her. She is shown to be very stern and has a notable temper, which makes most of her guildmates avoid being on her wrong side lest they invoke her wrath.
Despite all this, she is very affectionate and possesses a strong sense of justice. She uses a form of Spatial magic named Requip that allows her to switch weapons, armor, and clothes as she wishes.
2. Abarai Renji
Anime Name: Bleach
The former 6th seat of Captain Zaraki Kenpachi’s 11th Division, Renji is the lieutenant of the 6th division under Captain Kuchiki Byakuya. The main male tritagonist of Bleach, he is initially introduced as an antagonist, dedicated to defeating Ichigo Kurosaki, but later joins forces with him to rescue Rukia Kuchiki halfway through the Soul Society arc. He has since become a primary character and a consistent ally of Ichigo.
1. Shanks
Anime Name: One Piece
You know you’re a badass character when you only have one name and your crew is named after your hair and nickname. Yeah, at the top of our list is none other than the captain of the Red Hair Pirates and one of the Four Emperors of the New World, Shanks. Formerly a member of the Roger Pirates crew, Shanks was an apprentice of the legendary captain Gol D. Roger but left the crew after the death of Roger to form his own crew.
Shanks’ fate seems to be tied to Luffy’s fate, as he is often cited by the Strawhat’s captain as his inspiration to be a pirate. He also bestowed Luffy with the signature Straw Hat, embedding with it a promise to meet again someday when Luffy becomes a great pirate of the sea.
