The world of Japanese animation is beloved for its dazzling and creative visuals, as well as its many genres of storytelling and deep themes for readers to enjoy. Regardless of genre or intended audience, good anime series never fail to deliver some truly stunning visuals, and that includes creative use of colors.
Some anime series stick to more realistic color palettes, such as the historical action series Vinland Saga, while others go wild with the "anime hair" concept and give characters exotic hair colors on a whim. And when it comes to white hair, in particular, it's not just elderly anime characters who have snowy white hair. Some younger men and boys have white hair or near-white hair too, and it's part of their charm.
10 Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya Has Snow-White Hair (Bleach)
Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya commands the tenth squad, having taken over after Captain Isshin Shiba/Kurosaki lost his powers to save Masaki's life. Toshiro is a childhood friend of Momo Hinamori, and, to this day, they sometimes tease each other with pet names.
Toshiro is known for several things, including his icy bankai, Daiguren Hyorinmaru, and his incredible talent as a boy wonder among the Captains. He also has paper-white hair despite his age, but with his childish size, no one would mistake him for an old man, even at a glance.
9 Kakashi Hatake Is The White Fang's Son (Naruto)
When Naruto was 12 years old, he saw Kakashi as an impressive and imposing adult. True enough, Kakashi Hatake really is a talented and experienced jonin worthy of respect. In the grand scheme of things, though, Kakashi was still rather young, being 26 years old when he and Naruto met during Team 7's formation.
Kakashi already had extensive experience despite his relative youth, and he was also noted for his fondness of ecchi books and face mask, not to mention his unruly off-white hair. He is also the son of Konoha's "white fang," Sakumo Hatake.
8 Shoto Todoroki Has Red & White Hair (My Hero Academia)
Strictly speaking, the talented Shoto Todoroki has two hair colors at once, reflecting the ice and fire nature of his impressive Quirk. He inherited the flaming Endeavor's red hair on his left side, and on the right, Shoto has the pale hair of his ice-wielding mother, Rei Todoroki.
Shoto is a red-headed and white-haired anime character at the same time, and he makes it look good. He is half and half in many ways, from his Quirk to his looks and personality as a kuudere, and he is determined to live up to his mother's ideals of kindness and generosity.
7 Ken Kaneki's Hair Went White After Torture (Tokyo Ghoul)
Some anime boys were born with white hair, such as Toshiro and Shoto, while others had their hair color change due to trauma, a phenomenon that's actually rather common in anime and some other works of fiction. The half-ghoul Ken Kaneki would know all about that.
Naturally, Ken has black hair, but after extensive torture at the hands of the cruel Yamori, Ken's hair became pale gray, almost white, and his hair has been like that ever since. His new hair color contrasts sharply with his black outfit and fingernails.
6 Kanade Uryu/Metropoliman Has Fancy White Hair (Platinum End)
Platinum End tells the tale of a fierce battle royale between thirteen God candidates, or humans chosen by the angels to fight to see who can become the next God of the entire universe. One such candidate is the ruthless young man known as Kanade Uryu, but he is known to the world as Metropoliman.
Metropoliman keeps his face hidden with a fancy helmet, but at school and in his home base, he keeps the helmet off, revealing his princely features and fancy white hair. So far, the protagonist, Mirai Kakehashi, has only gotten a glimpse of Metropoliman's true face.
5 Elfman Strauss Has Pale Lavender/White Hair (Fairy Tail)
Elfman Strauss is a brute-force wizard of the Fairy Tail guild, and, like his sisters, he is adept at using Take Over magic. He can morph into a monster on command, and that is how he narrowly defeated Bacchus the martial arts wizard in the Grand Magic Games tournament.
Elfman's hair color is nearly white, and at times, it looks like a pale lavender color, though it can be just as easily described as white. The same is true of his sisters, Mirajane and Lisanna.
4 Near/Nate River's Pale Hair Contrasts With L's (Death Note)
The world's greatest detective, L, died at the hands of Kira, and for five years, Light ruled uncontested as a combined L and Kira. Then, L's two heirs, Near and Mello, arrived to avenge their fallen hero and mentor. Mello had blond hair, while Near had snowy white hair, despite being in his late teens or so.
Near took after L in many ways, from his odd habits and poor people skills to his analytical and sharp mind, but his white hair contrasted sharply with the original L's pitch-black hair. There had to be some way to tell Near apart from L, after all.
3 Killua Zoldyck Is Gon's White-Haired Friend (Hunter X Hunter)
Killua Zoldyck is a trained assassin, but his goofy and whimsical personality hides that fact from most people. Killua can be rather stern and cold at times, but he is just as likely to act his age, playing with toys or goofing off with his best friend, Gon. He can also be a total brat at times.
Killua longs to define himself outside of his reclusive assassin family, and he wants to break free of his brother's, Illumi's, manipulation. Bit by bit, Killua is becoming his own self and redefining himself through his career as a Hunter and Gon's one true friend.
2 Kaede Manyuda Had White Hair After A Humiliating Defeat (Kakegurui)
Kaede Manyuda, like Ken Kaneki, was born with black hair but had his hair change color after a traumatic event. Instead of being tortured by a ghoul, the proud and ambitious Kaede lost a poker game to the wily Yumeko Jabami, losing over ten billion yen in the process. Even for a wealthy boy like him, that loss was staggering.
Kaede was so shocked, his hair turned white, and a few characters actually commented on that. Later, Kaede returned as a quieter and humbler Hyakkou student, and he cooperated with Yumeko in a new game.
1 InuYasha Is A White-Haired Half-Demon (InuYasha)
InuYasha is a powerful half-demon who had a love affair with the priestess archer Kikyo. Eventually, he got himself pinned to a tree, and Kikyo was gone. Later, Kagome arrived as a time-based isekai heroine, and she helped revive InuYasha for some fresh adventures.
InuYasha is known for being an aggressive male tsundere at times, a well-meaning boy who has trouble expressing himself properly. He often resorts to snide remarks and standoffish behavior instead, which is equally endearing and frustrating. He is also known for his red robes, long white hair, and upright dog ears. However, when he turns human, his hair becomes black.