History Analysis / MangaTimeKirara

+ Yuu Akeuchi from ''Manga/HoshikuzuTelepath''. A spacy girl who claims to be an alien, with long flowing pink hair done up in twintails hanging from odango buns. She barges into the life of protagonist Umika Konohoshi and tries to break her out of her insular shell.

+ Haruno Takaragi and Kei Akuzuki from ''Manga/HoshikuzuTelepath''. Haruno has short blonde hair and is both a troll/tease and likes to act silly, so she overlaps with all the different flavors of Other Blonde, but (as evidenced by her straight hair) she is primarily a sweet and tender TeamMom. Before the fourth member Matataki Raimon joined, she formed a power trio with RedOniBlueOni protagonists Umika and Yuu. The manga also has a more traditional sweet-flavored Other Blonde with much longer golden hair, Kei Akuzuki. Kei is (unusually) the rival character, but she is ''so'' sweet-flavored that she's just as caring and empathetic towards our heroines despite competing against them.

+ Matataki Raimon from ''Manga/HoshikuzuTelepath''. Shoulder-length red hair with perfectly even bangs. Sarcastic, dismissive, and rude, she is the technical backbone of the Rocketry Research Association. However, she is (at first) only in it for herself and she brusquely pushes everybody else away for not being any good at her hobby, model rockets.

!The ''Manga Time Kirara''[[labelnote:*]] "[[JustForPun twinkling]]"[[/labelnote]] [[ReusedCharacterDesign Star System]]

+ Yuno from ''Manga/HidamariSketch''. Shoulder-length light brown hair. A polite and friendly art student who tends towards self-doubt and embarrassment. Given the manga's enormous popularity, it's a fair bet half (or more) of the other characters on this list are {{expy|expies}} of her.

+ Koharu Minagi from ''Manga/SlowLoop''. A slightly stupid girl whose father remarries and moves to a quaint seaside town and learns to fish, even though her exuberant personality is a poor fit for it. A rare example of a fair-haired protagonist with long hair and twintails, though her stepsister Hiyori has a short bob cut so the visual contrast is preserved.

+ Chiya from ''Manga/UraraMeirocho''. Long, flowing, ash-blonde hair. Despite being the central protagonist, her long hair, feral upbringing, and penchant for teasing Kon give her more in common with the Other Blonde character type than Nono, who fits the traditional ''Kirara'' protagonist role to a T.

A brooding girl who is generally insular and reserved, with short, straight blue or black hair to match her straight-laced personality. This personality type is how Japanese people tend to be in real life -- straight black hair and a reserved personality. Since manga (especially ''Kirara'' manga) is often used as an escape from reality, this type isn't used as a protagonist very often. Her Blue Oni vibe implies a certain level of drama or mundanity that's often out of place in your typical ''Kirara'' manga, so the Blue Oni tends to be a secondary protagonist (with long hair) to play off/contrast with the more free-spirited short-haired Red Oni protagonist. On the rare occasions we ''do'' see a Dark-Haired Protagonist, it's just as common to see the Red Oni protagonist have long blonde hair (to the point she bleeds together with the Other Blonde type) just to preserve the visual contrast.

A brooding girl who is generally insular and reserved, with short, straight blue or black hair to match her straight-laced personality. She's not seen very often -- generally, a manga that has a Blue Oni main character implies a certain level of drama that's often out of place in ''Kirara'' manga, so Blue Oni tend to be secondary protagonists with long hair to play off/contrast with short-haired Red Oni. On the rare occasions we do see the Dark-Haired Protagonist, it's common to see the Red Oni protagonist have long blonde hair (to the point she bleeds together with the Other Blonde type) just to preserve the visual contrast.

+ Yuno from ''Manga/HidamariSketch''. Shoulder-length light brown hair. A polite and friendly art student who tends towards self-doubt and embarrassment.

+ Yui Hirasawa from ''Manga/KOn''. Shoulder-length light brown hair. A spacey, ditzy GenkiGirl who bungles her way through learning guitar. In the original manga, she was closer to the "Hobunsha classic" archetype of other Fair-Haired Protagonists on this list. However, the AudienceColoringAdaptation by Kyoto Animation played up her ditziness to the point she seems to have an actual learning disorder.

+ Kaoruko Moeta from ''Manga/ComicGirls''. A shaggy mess of pink hair with two sidetails. Introverted and awkward, Kaosu-chan evokes Yuno (another artist protagonist) from ''Hidamari Sketch'', but over-exaggerated into a stuttering mess of a crybaby for comedic effect.

Identified by her long, straight blonde hair. Sometimes tied up, sometimes free-flowing. Along with her demure, soft-spoken demeanor, it gives her has the air of classical Japanese femininity, but never to the point she becomes a YamatoNadeshiko. As such, she often evokes a familial air, either matronly or little sister-like. Endlessly compassionate and supportive, though she's not above teasing and can be something of a ditz, but that's never so extreme that she becomes one of the other flavors of Other Blonde.

+ Naru Sekiya from ''Manga/{{Hanayamata}}''.
+ Hiyori Minami from ''Manga/SlowLoop''.
+ Toru Ichii from ''Manga/AChannel''.
+ Chiya from ''Manga/UraraMeirocho''. In the afterward to volume 1, the author reveals Chiya's original design was a Dark-Haired Protagonist with short, straight black hair and even bangs, and she was "more calm and mellow". That version was, in the author's own words, "unceremoniously scrapped".

+ Tsukuru Mizohata from ''Manga/SlowStart''.

A variant of the Flame-Haired Firebrand is the Tempered Firebrand. Unlike the regular Firebrand, the Tempered Firebrand has longer hair which lends her a more feminine and/or regal vibe. As such, she is more aloof, haughty, and condescending than shorter-haired, shorter-tempered Firebrands, who typically act like they're working themselves up to an aneurysm before their twentieth birthday.

+ Matataki Raimon from ''Manga/HoshikuzuTelepath''.
+ Kana Ushiku from ''Manga/AnimaYell''.
+ Mikage Sakurai from ''Manga/AsteroidInLove''.
+ Hibari Hagyuu from ''Manga/AnneHappy''.
+ Momiji Mochizuki from ''Manga/NewGame''.

+ Serina Nishiyama
+ Mika from ''Manga/{{Kanamemo}}''.
+ Yuiko Enamoto from ''Manga/LoveLab''.

The Fair-Haired Protagonist is generally enthusiastic and good-natured, but also kind of dumb. However, she's (usually) not ''too'' dumb. She often has a modicum of self-awareness and gets embarrassed about her stupid actions rather than blithely continue doing them. This serves to highlight and embody the modesty and humility the Japanese pride themselves on, without straying into YamatoNadeshiko (a love interest) territory. In other words, the perfect audience viewpoint character. She has blonde or light auburn hair done in a short, shaggy bob haircut, to symbolize her "messy" personality, or wear her hair tied up in a such a way that it looks like a bob from the front. Playful short side-tails with hair clips are also common, symbolizing the fact that while she may be a little scatter-brained, she isn't as ''totally'' unhinged as some other archetypes and maintains a bit of self-control.

+ Yuno from ''Manga/HidamariSketch''. Shoulder-length light brown hair. A polite and friendly manga artist who tends towards self-doubt and embarrassment.

+ Nene Sakura from ''Manga/NewGame''. Shoulder-length blonde hair with side plaits. Unusually, she is not the main protagonist, her friend Aoba (a twintailed girl with purple hair) is. However, once she begins working at Eagle Jump and becomes the protagonist of the programmer side of the story, she and Aoba match the typical representation of the ''Kirara'' protagonist duo perfectly.

+ Kaoruko Moeta from ''Manga/ComicGirls''. A shaggy mess of pink hair with two sidetails. Introverted and awkward, Kaosu-chan evokes Yuno (another manga artist protagonist) from ''Hidamari Sketch'', but over-exaggerated into a stuttering mess of a crybaby for comedic effect.

The lesser-known Yellow Oni. As her name implies, the Other Blonde will have a shade of hair similar to the Fair-Haired Protagonist and functions as the tritagonist. Since she exists to contrast with the protagonist, the Other Blonde can go in several different directions according to the needs of the manga. Her personality can be identified by her hairstyle; as with the other characters, the length and straightness of her hair serves to identify how pleasant she is -- but she will never be outright '''hostile''', since ultimately she is friends with the others.

+ Botan Kumegawa from ''Manga/AnneHappy''. Long, flowing ash-blonde hair. A rich girl with a frail body, she is constantly getting beat-up by the world, which has made her an expert in administering first-aid, a skill she uses to help her friends out. She is the third part of the power trio in a "power trio + two more" dynamic with Ruri and Anne.

Whereas the sweet variant is defined by being, well, ''sweet'', the spicy Other Blonde generally has short, shaggy hair, sometimes done up in GirlishPigtails. She has a sharp and sarcastic tongue, and is either too tightly-wound or [[TheGadfly enjoys stringing other people along]], or sometimes both.

+ Miyako from ''Manga/HidamariSketch''. An ace manga artist with long blonde hair done up in a ponytail who takes everything in stride, although (despite her telling everybody she "came in through the back door") she just does it for the laughs and is actually quite intelligent, if easily distracted.

Since she is a more extreme Red Oni mirror of the main character, she tends to fulfill the position of rival. In a school club story, this will manifest as her being an unreasonable authority figure or a hardass [[TechnicianVersusPerformer technician]] who berates the others for not doing whatever activity the manga revolves around "the right way". In a slice of life manga, her position as rival will instead manifest as an implicit ''romantic'' rival with somebody else she has a crush on -- which sometimes includes the protagonist herself.

Often a side character who rounds out a larger ensemble, the Brown-Haired Butt Monkey has short, dull brown hair (the dullest possible shade in anime) and is generally hapless. Whether it's self-imposed due to a lack of confidence, external due to a general lack of respect from her peers, or both, you can score her scenes with a slide whistle and it wouldn't feel out of place.

+ Rize Tedeza from ''Manga/IsTheOrderARabbit'', an uptight TomboyWithAGirlyStreak who wears her purple hair in pigtails. Due to her MilitaryBrat background, she's a military otaku, up to and including bringing her a model Glock on her at all times.

+ Ruki Irokawa from ''Manga/ComicGirls'', a somewhat uptight girl with long purple hair. The "easily flustered" part comes from the fact that she's also a SequentialArtist for the "Teens Love" subgenre of {{Shojo}}, which is not only racy but it's not what want wanted to draw in the first place.
+ Hizume Arima from ''Manga/AnimaYell'', an archetypical AloofDarkHairedGirl with blue hair, but softens ''a lot'' when it comes to cheerleading. She still acts as the stern train, though.

!The ''Kirara''[[labelnote:*]] "twinkling"[[/labelnote]] [[ReusedCharacterDesign Star System]]

Although ''Magazine/MangaTimeKirara'' manga are ostensibly created by different authors, its editors have a lot of control over the content of the manga they publish -- something the author of ''Manga/UraraMeirocho'' lampshaded in her author notes when she discussed how the main character evolved (or ''de''-volved) into a half-naked touchy-feely dog-girl. As such, it's possible to get a very good idea of the editorial staff's "preferences" by the constant reuse of certain character designs and motifs. Since ''Kirara'' ruthlessly abuses OnlySixFaces, this often manifests as a correlation between haircut[=/=]color and personality, often aligned with the RedOniBlueOni aesthetic prevalent in Japanese media.

The Fair-Haired Protagonist is generally enthusiastic and good-natured, but also kind of dumb. However, she's usually not ''too'' dumb. She often has a modicum of self-awareness and gets embarrassed about her stupid actions rather than blithely continue doing them. This serves to highlight and embody the modesty and humility the Japanese pride themselves on, without straying into Yamato Nadeshiko (a love interest) territory. In other words, the perfect audience viewpoint character. She tends to have blonde or light auburn hair done in a short, shaggy bob haircut, or wear her hair tied up in a such a way that it looks like a bob from the front.
+ Yuno from ''Manga/HidamariSketch''. Shoulder-length light brown hair. Polite and friendly, but tends towards self-doubt and embarrassment.
+ Suzu from ''Manga/ShiawaseTorimingu''. Light blonde shaggy hair. A ditzy art student trying to find her spark, though she tends to get loud and not think things through when she's excited, although
+ Hana from ''Manga/SlowStart''. Shoulder-length auburn hair. Quieter and meeker than most, Hana is nonetheless the most "normal" of her friends and deals with "main character" problems like social ''faux pas'' and trying not to stand out too much.
+ Mira Konohata from ''Manga/AsteroidInLove''. Shoulder-length auburn hair. An energetic astronomer who has a quasi-yuri relationship with an aloof blue-haired beauty.
+ Nene Sakura from ''Manga/NewGame''. Shoulder-length blonde hair. Unusually, she is not the main protagonist, her friend Aoba (a twintailed girl with purple hair) is. However, once she begins working at Eagle Jump and becomes the protagonist of the programmer side of the story, she and Aoba match the typical representation of the ''Kirara'' protagonist duo perfectly.
+ Yui Hirasawa from ''Manga/KOn''.
+ Anne Hanakoizumi from ''Manga/AnneHappy''.
+ Cocoa Hoto from ''Manga/IsTheOrderARabbit''.
+ Koharu Minagi from ''Manga/SlowLoop''. A rare example of a fair-haired protagonist with long hair and twintails, though her stepsister Hiyori has a short bob cut so the visual contrast is preserved.
+ Kana Nakamachi from ''Manga/{{Kanamemo}}''.

[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Pink-Haired Protagonist]]

A dumber (or more exaggerated) version of the Fair-Haired Protagonist, the Pink-Haired Protagonist has short pink hair in a similar style, although she tends to be more oblivious to her actions and to have much less self-awareness about how annoying or overbearing her enthusiasm is. (Ironically, an inversion of DumbBlonde.) That said, there is a lot of overlap between the two types; some pink-haired protagonists are just more exaggerated than their mellower counterparts, while some fair-haired protagonists are dumb as rocks. The main difference between the two is just the color of their hair.
+ Kohone Hatoya from ''Manga/AnimaYell''.
+ Kaoruko Moeta from ''Manga/ComicGirls''.
+ Yuzuko Nonohara from ''Manga/{{Yuyushiki}}''.

[[folder:The Sweet Other Blonde]]

As the name implies, this character will have a shade of hair similar to the Fair-Haired Protagonist. But whereas the protagonist is a quintessential everywoman with short, slightly messy/shaggy hair, the Other Blonde (Sweet) complements her by having long, straight blonde hair and being demure and soft-spoken, often with a matronly or little sister flavor. She is endlessly compassionate and supportive, though she's not above teasing and can be something of a ditz. If the manga only has three characters, this one will be an eternal third wheel. Always just outside the protagonist duo, yet complementing both of them in such a way that she forms an indispensable part of the power trio.
+ Botan Kumegawa from ''Manga/AnneHappy''.
+ Mai Inose and Mari Marino from ''Manga/AsteroidInLove''.
+ Tsumugi Kotobuki from ''Manga/KOn''.
+ Kei Akuzuki and Haruno Takaragi from ''Manga/HoshikuzuTelepath''
+ Hina from ''Manga/ShiawaseTorimingu''.
+ Ko Hayame from ''Manga/ThreeLeavesThreeColors''. She has long, bright blonde hair and is gentle, caring, and empathetic.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Spicy Other Blonde]]

A variant on the Other Blonde (Sweet). Since the third protagonist's role is often crafted to complement the protagonist duo, generally there's some variety in how an Other Blonde rounds out the Power Trio. Whereas the sweet version is defined by being, well, sweet, the spicy version will generally have shaggy hair, usually short but sometimes done up in GirlishPigtails. She has a sharp, sarcastic tongue and is either too tightly-wound or enjoys [[TheGadfly stringing other people along]]. Otherwise, she forms the same complementary function as her sweet counterpart.
+ Uki Sawatari
+ Koi Yoshinaga
+ Yun Iijima from ''Manga/NewGame''
+ Ritsu Tainaka from ''Manga/KOn''
+ Syaro Kirima from ''Manga/IsTheOrderARabbit''
+ Teru Hayame from ''Manga/ThreeLeavesThreeColors''. She is blonde like her sister Ko, but Teru's is short and she's scheming, two-faced, and sharp-tongued.
+ Yui Ichii from ''Manga/{{Yuyushiki}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Stupid Other Blonde]]

The third and final major flavor of Other Blonde, the stupid version is often an exuberant GenkiGirl who annoys other people by simply getting out of hand. Her blonde hair is usually long and messy, to symbolize her uncontrollable personality, but it tends to be in an updo or pigtails rather than cut short like a standard Fair- or Pink-Haired Protagonist. In this way, she's similar to a Pink-Haired Protagonist -- the difference between the two is mainly their position in the cast and their hair color. If a work only has three or four main characters, it will usually choose between one flavor of Other Blonde version to preserve the power dynamics of "main duo + other blonde (+ funny wildcard)". But if a work has five (or more), this character type will almost inevitably be split into two separate characters for maximum coverage.
+ Koyume Koizuka from ''Manga/ComicGirls''

+ Chiya from ''Manga/UraraMeirocho''. Despite being the central protagonist, her long flowing hair, feral upbringing, and penchant for teasing Kon give her more in common with the Other Blonde character type than Nono, who fits the traditional ''Kirara'' protagonist role.

This character's design evokes the fair-haired protagonist's short hair and warm hues. However, as evinced by how bright their hair is, they take the red oni personality to the extreme. Often abrasive, sharp-tongued, and passive-aggressive, they out-''tsundere'' everybody else in the cast. Yet just as the main character balances her enthusiasm with a bit of humiliation, the flame-haired firebrand's extreme personality often results in hilariously humiliating failure, to the point her cheeks will glow as red as her hair. Since she is the fair-haired protagonist taken to extremes, she almost always fulfills the position of rival -- and when she does, it's fifty-fifty whether her "love" interest is a blue-haired girl or the main character herself. When the story doesn't have or need a direct rival, she tends to be an unreasonable authority figure or hardass [[TechnicianVersusPerformer technician]] who berates the others for not doing whatever activity the manga revolves around "the right way".
+ Matataki Raimon from ''Manga/HoshikuzuTelepath''.
+ Kana Ushiku from ''Manga/AnimeYell''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Tempered Firebrand]]

A variant of the Flame-Haired Firebrand. Whereas the typical firebrand has shoulder-length hair to match the protagonist, this version has longer hair which serves to lend them a more feminine and/or regal vibe (especially if they have OjouRinglets). As such, they often tend more towards aloof haughty condescension than the shorter-haired, shorter-tempered firebrands, who typically act like they're working themselves up to an aneurysm before their twentieth birthday.

!!!The Brown-Haired ButtMonkey

A brooding girl who is generally insular and reserved, with short, straight blue or black hair to match her straight-laced personality. She's not seen very often -- generally, a manga that has a blue oni as a main character implies a certain level of drama, so they tend to be used as secondary protagonists with long hair to play off/contrast with short-haired red oni. On the rare occasions we do see the Dark-Haired Protagonist, it's common to see the red oni protagonist with long blonde hair, mixing with the Other Blonde type, just to preserve the visual contrast.
+ Naru Sekiya from ''Manga/HaNaYaMaTe''.

[[folder:The Classical Yamato Nadeshiko]]

This character is known for being extremely Japanese and embodying the ideal Japanese wife. Because of this, if a work has heavy yuri subtext, she may take the place of the Twin-Tailed Deuteragonist completely, but if not than it's common for both to coexist within the same ensemble. As with the YamatoNadeshiko trope in general, the Nadeshiko can invariably be identified by her traditional HimeCut, and (less often) by her penchant for traditional Japanese attire. Despite being a blue oni with a characteristically-reserved personality, it's common for her hair to be a shade of brown simply because it's closer to real hair, and is thus "more Japanese".

[[folder:The Funny Rich Girl]]
!!! The YamatoNadeshiko (Funny Rich Girl)
The Funny Rich Girl variant of the Yamato Nadeshiko typically has a bright purple HimeCut and acts as TheOjou (if the Other Blonde isn't the manga's token rich girl, that is). This works under the impression that being filthy rich is the 21st-century equivalent of being a princess.
+ Youko Nishikawa from ''Manga/ThreeLeavesThreeColors''. A rare example of a Nadeshiko leading the story rather than being a side character. Youko has a bright purple hime cut and was formerly rich, and she retains her aristocratic behavior despite now being dirt-poor.
+ Yukari Hinata from ''Manga/{{Yuyushiki}}''. A rich girl with a purple hime cut, she is generally spacey and prone to following her friend Yukari's bizarre train of thought.
[[/folder]]

Although ''Magazine/MangaTimeKirara'' manga are ostensibly created by different authors, its editors have a lot of control over the content of the manga they publish -- something the author of ''Manga/UraraMeirochou'' lampshaded in her author notes when she discussed how the main character evolved (or ''de''-volved) into a half-naked touchy-feely dog-girl. As such, it's possible to get a very good idea of the editorial staff's "preferences" by the constant reuse of certain character designs and motifs. Since ''Kirara'' ruthlessly abuses OnlySixFaces, this often manifests as a correlation between haircut[=/=]color and personality, often aligned with the RedOniBlueOni aesthetic prevalent in Japanese media.

+ Nono Natsume from ''Manga/UraraMeirochou''. Although not the central character (that's Chiya), her short auburn hair and meek personality mark her as the closest to a quintessential ''Kirara'' protagonist.

+ Ko Hayame from ''Manga/ThreeLeavesThreeColors''. She has long, bright blonde hair an is gentle, caring, and empathetic.

+ Chiya from ''Manga/UraraMeirochou''. Despite being the central protagonist, her long flowing hair, feral upbringing, and penchant for teasing Kon give her more in common with the Other Blonde character type than Nono, who fits the traditional ''Kirara'' protagonist role.

+ Hinata Azuma from ''Manga/Kanamemo''. A young woman with short brown hair and a MoneyFetish who never wins big.

+ Asuza Nakano. A rare example of a younger deuteragonist, yet she is unquestionably a more experienced guitar player and a more mature character than Yui. She wears her hair in twintails, but since K-On does not have technicolor hair she lacks the trademark blue/purple coloration.

+ Botan Kumegawa
+ Mai Inose and Mari Marino
+ Tsumugi Kotobuki
+ Kei Akuzuki and Haruno Takaragi.

+ Yun Iijima
+ Ritsu Tainaka
+ Syaro Kirima

+ Koyume Koizuka

+ Matataki Raimon
+ Kana Ushiku
+ Mikage Sakurai
+ Hibari Hagyuu
+ Momiji Mochizuki

+ Koume Yukimi

+ Mio Akiyama
+ Chiya Ujimatsu
+ Hifume Takimoto

+ Kon Tatsumi from ''Manga/UraraMeirochou''. A prim and proper young woman with a black hime cut and a mature, reserved bearing. Although she's not strictly an aristocrat, her mother is a well-respected fortune teller and she is overly mannered and concerned with propriety.

The Funny Rich Girl variant of the Yamato Nadeshiko typically has a bright purple hime cut and acts as TheOjou (if the Other Blonde isn't the manga's token rich girl, that is). This works under the impression that being filthy rich is the 21st century equivalent of being a princess.

+ Chino Kafuu

+ Kamuri Sengoku

+ Ren Ekoda
+ Tsubasa Katsuki
+ Omi Nijou from ''Manga/UraraMeirochou''.

This character will generally be enthusiastic and good-natured, but also kind of dumb. However, she's usually not ''too'' dumb. She often has a modicum of self-awareness and gets embarrassed about her stupid actions rather than blithely continue doing them. This serves to highlight and embody the modesty and humility the Japanese pride themselves on, without straying into Yamato Nadeshiko (a love interest) territory. In other words, the perfect audience viewpoint character. She tends to have a short, shaggy bob haircut, or wear her hair tied up in a such a way that it looks like a bob from the front. This character type can be subdivided into two categories, the blonde/auburn-haired girls and the pink-haired girls, but there is just enough overlap in personality that they can be put under the same umbrella. However, in an inverse of the DumbBlonde trope, the blonde/auburn-haired ones tend to be on the smarter end of the spectrum while the pink-haired ones are (or act) dumber and lack self-awareness.

+ Kohone Hatoya from ''Manga/AnimaYell''.

+ Kaoruko Moeta from ''Manga/ComicGirls''.

!!! The Other Blonde
As the name implies, this character will have a shade of hair similar to the protagonist. But whereas the protagonist is the quintessential everywoman, this character can go in many different ways as a complement to the main character's personality. Often, the direction she goes in corresponds with the length of her hair. If it's long and straight (closer to a himecut and thus more "traditional"), she will be demure and soft-spoken and often some flavor of matronly or little sister. If it's short and shaggy or done up in GirlishPigtails, she will have a sharp, sarcastic tongue and either be too tightly-wound or [[TheGadfly enjoy stringing other people along]]. This character is an eternal third wheel, always just outside the protagonist duo. But she will complement both of them in such a way that she forms an indispensable part of the work's power trio. If a work only has three or four main characters, it will usually pick just one aspect of this type so it can preserve the power dynamics of "main duo + other blonde (+ funny wildcard)". But if a work has five (or more), this character type will almost inevitably be split into two separate characters for maximum coverage.
+ Uki Sawatari

+ Koi Yoshinaga

+ Yun Ijima
+ Tsumugi Kotobuki and Ritsu Tainaka
+ Haruno Takaragi and Kei Akuzuki

+ Koyume Koizuka

+ Yume Kitaoka from ''Manga/{{Kanamemo}}''. One-half of a couple with Yuuki, she's generally a clueless moron with an impish cat smile and short blonde hair buns, to complement main character Kana's more reserved, nervous personality.
+ Split between sisters Teru and Ko Hayame from ''Manga/ThreeLeavesThreeColors''. Both are bright blonde, but Teru has short hair and is scheming, two-faced, and sharp-tongued while Ko has long hair and is gentle, caring, and empathetic.
+ Chiya from ''Manga/UraraMeirochou''. Despite being the central protagonist, her long flowing hair, feral upbringing, and penchant for teasing Kon give her more in common with the Other Blonde character type than Nono, who fits the traditional ''Kirara'' protagonist role.

This character's design evokes the fair-haired protagonist's warm hair hues. However, as evinced by the bright tones, they take the red oni personality to the extreme. Often abrasive, sharp-tongued, and passive-aggressive, they out-''tsundere'' everybody else in the cast. Yet just as the main character balances her enthusiasm with a bit of humiliation, the flame-haired firebrand's extreme personality often results in hilariously humiliating failure, to the point her cheeks will glow as red as her hair. Since she is the fair-haired protagonist taken to extremes, she almost always fulfills the position of rival -- and when she does, it's fifty-fifty whether her "love" interest is a blue-haired girl or the main character herself. When the story doesn't have or need a direct rival, she tends to be an unreasonable authority figure or hardass [[TechnicianVersusPerformer technician]] who berates the others for not doing whatever activity the manga revolves around "the right way".

Often a side character who rounds out a larger ensemble, this character type has short, dull brown hair (the dullest possible shade in anime) and is generally hapless. Whether it's self-imposed due to a lack of confidence, external due to a general lack of respect from her peers, or both, you can score her scenes with a slide whistle and it wouldn't feel out of place.

!!! The Dark-Haired Deuteragonist
This character, usually the other half of the main protagonist duo, will be tall, mature, and serious. Yet, as a mirror of her fair-haired counterpart, she will sometimes act so sternly that it backfires and she ends up flustered and embarrassed. Her design often contrasts the fair-haired protagonist -- she often has TsurimeEyes instead of TaremeEyes and long, straight, dark blue[=/=]purple hair done in a ponytail or twintails.

In the rare event this character is ''the'' protagonist, they may have short hair while the fair-haired deuteragonist has long blonde hair. But since this personality type is defined by being brooding and straight-laced, their hair will remain perfectly straight no matter how short it is.

In addition, if the work revolves around a school club activity, then she'll usually act as a mentor/senpai who instructs the main character (and the audience) about it. Even if that's not the case, then she is often some flavor of otaku. In 2015, the Chinese fandom nicknamed this character type the "Famous Actress from Hobunsha" after three successive seasons had ''Kirara'' adaptations with nearly identical designs, Aya, Rize, and Kurumi.

+ Hiyori Minagi

!!! The YamatoNadeshiko
This character is known for being extremely Japanese and embodying the ideal Japanese wife. Because of this, if a work has heavy yuri subtext, she may take the place of the dark-haired protagonist completely, but if not than it's common for both to coexist within the same ensemble. As with the YamatoNadeshiko trope in general, the Nadeshiko can invariably be identified by her traditional HimeCut, and (less often) by her penchant for traditional Japanese attire. Despite being a blue oni with a characteristically-reserved personality, it's common for her hair to be a shade of brown simply because it's closer to real hair, and is thus "more Japanese". On the other hand, it's also common for this character type to have bright purple hair and be TheOjou (if the Other Blonde isn't the manga's token rich girl, that is) under the idea that extreme wealth is the 21st century equivalent of being a princess. As with the Other Blonde character type, there's a lot of variety in this type since since by nature she tends to be designed to complement other characters rather than stand on her own.

+ Youko Nishikawa from ''Manga/ThreeLeavesThreeColors''. A rare example of a Nadeshiko leading the story rather than being a side character. Youko has a bright purple hime cut and was formerly rich, and she retains her aristocratic behavior despite now being dirt-poor.