Decim is the bartender of Quindecim, where human souls are given the chance to be reincarnated. Decim is an arbiter, and makes the decision between sending people to the void or allowing them to live again. While he works he is serious and restrained, and rarely lets his feelings get the better of him. Decim’s white hair reinforces his association with death and the supernatural. Decim also has a dual nature, as despite his cool outward behaviour he can become fiercely protective of those close to him.

In the anime Fate/Stay Night, powerful sorcerers called Masters summon spirits to aid in their fight to obtain the Holy Grail. Archer is a Heroic Spirit, and servant of the Master Rin Tohsaka. Due to complications with his summoning, Archer loses much of his memory, which sets up his character as mysterious and cunning, often hiding the small fragments of memory from others. He can be cold and sarcastic, but typical of other white-haired characters he hides a part of his character which is protective of those close to him. He is highly skilled, another trope of white haired characters; as his name suggests, he is deadly with ranged weapons.

Allen Walker is one of those few white-haired main characters, and his character heavily correlates with his hair colour. He’s heavily supernatural and involved in death, being an exorcist and having a demonic left arm. Allen possesses potent supernatural powers, but is a skilled fighter even without the use of them. However despite his dark past and evil associations Allen is kind and self-sacrificing. Allen does have a slightly darker side to his character, and can become coarse and argumentative at times.

Killua Zoldyck is an assassin prodigy of the Zoldyck family of assassins. Trained from an early age, he grew tired of killing and escaped to take the Hunter exam, allowing him to be hired to undertake Hunter missions. Despite his ruthless training Killua is mischievous and childish at times, with a massive sweet tooth. This childishness doesn’t stop him being a ruthless killer though. Like many white haired characters Killua has a dual nature, and is bloodthirsty and merciless while at the same time undergoing immense suffering to protect his friends.

One of L’s successors, Near is introduced in the second half of Death Note. He is one of two main investigators of Kira, and is devilishly intelligent. Typical of white-haired characters though, Near has traits which are at odds with each other; despite his intelligence he is also childish, treating the investigation like a game at times. Near also seems to lack a lot of social knowledge and emotions, and definitely has an obsessive and psychopathic character. He ruthlessly pursues Light, using any means necessary to further his work.

Toshiro Hitsugaya is a Shinigami captain of Gotei 13, the military branch of the Soul Society. Disciplined and slightly aloof, he pursues his duties to the letter, often becoming annoyed at others’ lack of focus. This can be comedic at times as Toshiro has the appearance of a child, often stating his wish to grow taller! Despite his apparent stiffness, Toshiro has a soft spot for those he cares about, especially his childhood friend Momo Hinamori. Unusually his white hair is frequently commented on, often being called “Shiro-chan”, which means snowy or whitey.

Ok so Ken doesn’t originally have white hair, but it looks so cool I couldn’t leave it out! After becoming half-Ghoul Ken gains powers beyond those of a normal human, but doesn’t truly embrace his Ghoul side until his torture at the hands of Yamori. From this point onwards Ken becomes cold and ruthless, especially during battles. Typical of white haired characters though, he still harbours some of his caring, human side, protecting those he cares about. It’s this side which eventually wins, bringing him back from the edge of insanity.

Inuyasha is a half-demon, born from a dog-demon and a human noblewoman. This meant he was ostracised by both demons and humans, and led him to search for the Shikon no Tama, which had the power to turn him into a full demon. These events led Inuyasha to be incredibly defensive, always insisting on fending for himself, and never backing down from a fight. Despite being cynical though, Inuyasha had a strong moral compass, and especially despised those that ostracised others. The white hair in this case seems to symbolise Inuyasha’s supernatural characteristics.

Ginko is a wanderer who travels Japan aiding those who are affected by Mushi, strange paranormal creatures which are invisible to most people. These creatures are neither good nor evil, but can infest houses and cause a whole host of nasty things to happen! In keeping with Japanese folklore, Ginko’s hair becomes white after a terrifying experience with Mushi, after which he was forced to roam in order to avoid a similar fate. Ginko is laid-back and quiet, often making idle jokes, though this is a front for his determined and focused character. He has an incredible knowledge of Mushi, and will do whatever it takes to complete a job he takes on.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that Jiraiya was consistently the most popular white-haired character in forums! Though I haven’t tried to order the list so far, I thought he deserved the top spot! Possibly one of characters with the least white-haired traits, he does exhibit a strong duality to his character. Jiraiya is first portrayed as a grumpy (and pervy) old man with a slightly odd sense of humour. He mellows as the show progresses and we find him to be capable of great kindness. However we also discover that he’s one of the most powerful warriors in the land, capable of incredible summoning feats!