Hair is often a "crowning glory" for anime characters.
That's why we see so many different hairstyles—from straight and shiny to fabulously curled—that are so unique that you just can't imitate them in real-life without serious effort.
Anime characters have hair in all kinds of colors, but white-haired characters really stand out. In fact, some of them even have interesting backstories that explain how their hair turned white.
When a character shows up and they have white hair, you know they're going to play an important role. They might be a mentor, they might be a powerful ally, or they might be the next villain—but the one thing you know is, they're not going to be a nobody.
Here are my picks for the best anime characters with white hair and why each one stands out among everyone else.
10. Inuyasha (Inuyasha)
Inuyasha is the white-haired half-demon who was released by Kagome after Kagome was magically brought to an unknown world.
At first, Inuyasha was a cunning character who just wanted the Shikon Jewel for himself, but later, he becomes the hero who saves the day.
Along with Kagome and the rest of the group, they search for the scattered shards of the Shikon Jewel, all while facing stronger opponents like Naraku and his half-brother Sesshomaru.
Of all the classic anime series from decades ago, Inuyasha remains one of the best and continues to stand the test of time. There are many reasons for that, but Inuyasha himself is certainly one.
9. Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)
In Naruto, Kakashi Hatake is captain of Team 7 and is in charge of the three main characters under his tutelage: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
Since the very beginning, he's been one of the greatest fan favorite characters of the entire series. At first, he was shrouded in mystery with the headband covering his eye and hiding his Sharingan.
Over the first few arcs of Naruto, we witnessed him being one of the most badass ninjas—and when he busted out his Sharingan in dire situations, he proved why he deserves the epithet "Copy Ninja."
To this day, Kakashi is one of the coolest anime characters of all time. His white hair just adds a fine cherry on top.
8. Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Satoru Gojo plays a similar role in Jujutsu Kaisen as Kakashi Hatake did in Naruto: he's teacher to the main trio of the series.
Gojo and Kakashi are strikingly similar in several ways. Not only are they both teachers, and not only are they both white-haired anime characters, but they both voluntarily cover their eyes (but Gojo covers both eyes while Kakashi only covers one).
And just like Kakashi, Gojo is quite powerful. In fact, he's the most powerful character in all of Jujutsu Kaisen. With Limitless and Infinity, he always puts on a great show when beating his opponents down.
7. Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter)
Hunter X Hunter features a wide cast of memorable characters, but one of the series standouts is Killua Zoldyck.
Killua is a badass assassin with a dark past. Despite his young age—and even before the concept of Nen was introduced to the story—he possessed incredible skills and abilities.
That's because he comes from a family of elite assassins who have been honing him from a very young age. Their rigorous training even made it so that he became resistant to poisons and electric shocks.
As Gon's best friend, Killua is a fan-favorite character in Hunter X Hunter, which is why he often comes to mind when thinking about the best white-haired anime characters.
6. Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)
In My Hero Academia, Tomura Shigaraki was introduced with hair that was pale blue to bluish-gray. Some time later, his hair became white, indicating a turning point in his personality and power.
He's one of the most troubled characters in the entire series. Apart from his Decay Quirk that can destroy anyone and anything he touches, he's also extremely unstable—and now that he's got the All for One Quirk, he's more terrifying than ever before.
5. Licht Bach (Plunderer)
In Plunderer, Licht Bach is one of the Legendary Aces, who are modified beings that were created during the Abandonment War.
Apart from his physical capabilities that surpass normal human limits, he's also known for his super-fast yet heavy sword attacks, which earned him the alias Ace of Flashing Strike.
His white hair came as a result of those modifications—and not just white hair but also red eyes. Good for him because his hair complements his sinister-looking mask, making him look like a fierce killer.
4. Jiraiya (Naruto)
On top of being one of the Hidden Leaf Village's legendary Sannin, Jiraiya is known for being the master of both Naruto and Minato.
He has lots of spiky white hair that gives him a starkly recognizable silhouette. You can recognize him from anywhere, especially when you add in his horned forehead protector and the large scroll on his back.
Jiraiya is a great master who appeared to be a slacker at first, but ended up being a guide to several powerful characters throughout Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. Plus, he's a world-class fighter who was able to hold his ground against several Pains by himself.
His death is one of the most heartbreaking moments in any anime. Naruto wasn't the only one with tears for his lost master.
3. Liebe (Black Clover)
Initially appearing as a tall and featureless black demon in the early parts of Black Clover, Liebe eventually revealed himself as a youthful demon with messy white hair and two curved horns.
Despite being a demon, Liebe actually despises his own kind after he suffered ill treatment due to him being a magicless individual. His hatred grew even stronger after Lucifero killed Richita, the only person who showed Liebe any kindness.
Liebe eventually turned his weakness into his strength—from a magicless individual to a practitioner of Anti-Magic. His mastery over Anti-Magic makes him the worst enemy to all magic users.
2. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
The human-turned-hybrid-ghoul Ken Kaneki was first introduced in Tokyo Ghoul with black hair. But after the physical and psychological torture he received from Yakumo Oomori, his hair turned white.
The white hair was a physical representation of the drastic change within as he started to embrace his ghoul side. However, when he later becomes one of the Doves under Kisho Arima, his white hair grows a few notable black streaks.
He also has a new personality under the name of Haisse Sasaki, which is far friendlier and calmer than the bloodthirsty Ken Kaneki.
1. Zangetsu (Bleach)
In Bleach, Zangetsu first appears as a slender man with long, flowing brown hair. But that's not the Zangetsu we're talking about.
Later in the story, Zangetsu takes on a different form: an all-white version of Ichigo who looks just like him, except he's somewhat unhinged and commonly known as White Ichigo.
This white Zangetsu is a special character in the series. Not only is he a Zanpakuto Spirit, but he's also the physical manifestation of the Hollow powers deep inside Ichigo.
Zangetsu is the total opposite of Ichigo, represented by his appearance. Whereas Ichigo looks like a human in black garb, Zangetsu has dark lips, tongue, nails, sclera in white garb and yellow irises.
He treats Ichigo rudely whenever he's in the Inner World, but he also protects Ichigo by taking over and fighting on his behalf if Ichigo ever seems to be losing a battle. (Ichigo, of course, doesn't like it when Zangetsu interrupts his fights.)
All of this makes Zangetsu one of the most compelling white-haired anime characters of all time.
