History Main / LightHairedSwimmer

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Misty has red hair. The other main characters who do not swim have brown or black hair.

[[quoteright:140:[[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xy_swimmer.png]]]]

In anime that aim for a more "natural" look (black and brown hair only), the characters with the lighter hair will be rebels, fashionistas, foreigners, or spending a lot of time in the water (surfer or swimmer). This trope is about the latter. Some works play it subtly, darker than average skin with lighter than normal hair. There is some crossover with ganguros, who are sometimes perceived as "beach bunnies", but the light-haired swimmer is generally more interested in sports than in hitting on people at the pool.

Also note that if the show is inhabited by characters with a rainbow of different hair colors, it's not an aversion if a non-swimmer has lighter-colored hair than a swimmer, especially since light hair has plenty of other connotations as well.

* A few of the female Swimmer-class trainers from the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games are designed like this. The ones from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' (pictured) are {{Dark Skinned Blond}}es, while the ones from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Diamond and Pearl]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'' have the requisite light hair, but not the tanned skin.

In anime that aim for a more "natural" look (black and brown hair only), the characters with the lighter hair will be rebels, fashionistas, foreigners, or spending a lot of time in the water (surfer or swimmer). This trope is about the latter. Some works play it subtly, darker than average skin with lighter than normal hair, while cartoonier works might go for the more visually striking DarkSkinnedBlond. There is some crossover with ganguros, who are sometimes perceived as "beach bunnies", but the light-haired swimmer is generally more interested in sports than in hitting on people at the pool.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' averts this as the swim club includes many hair colors. However, Shirley is the lighter - haired of the main characters with red hair, and the coach is a DarkSkinnedBlond.

* Half of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'''s human playable cast are brunettes (Yuna, Lulu, and Auron), the other half consisting of two blondes (Tidus and Rikku) and a redhead (Wakka). Only the latter half of the team can swim and fight underwater.

* ''ComicBook/TheGirlFromTheSea'': Combines this trope with MorphicResonance in [[RhymingNames Keltie the]] [[SelkiesAndWereseals Selkie]]. As a seal she spends all her days in the sun and in the water so these traits are transposed onto her human form with the sun bleached hair and freckles that echo the dapples on her seal form. Author notes cite this trope as an element in her design.

* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': the super Highschool Level Swimmer Aoi is tanned, but her hair is a normal shade of brown.

Also note that if the show is inhabited by characters with a [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair rainbow of different hair colors]], it's not an aversion if a non-swimmer has lighter-colored hair than a swimmer, especially since light hair has plenty of other connotations as well.

* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial 1'': potential love interest Nozomi Kiyokawa is a {{Bokukko}} swimmer... with [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair GREEN hair]].

* ''ComicBook/TheGirlFromTheSea'': Combines this trope with MorphicResonance in [[RhymingNames Keltie the]] [[{{Selkies}} Selkie]]. As a seal she spends all her days in the sun and in the water so these traits are transposed onto her human form with the sun bleached hair and freckles that echo the dapples on her seal form. Author notes cite this trope as an element in her design.

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', averted as the swim club includes many hair colors. However, Shirley is the lighter - haired of the main characters with red hair, and the coach is a DarkSkinnedBlond.
* Mizumachi of ''Manga/Eyeshield21'' has the extreme blonde hair-tan skin varient, which provides a nice visual contrast to the {{raven hair ivory skin}}ned Kakei.

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]
* Of all three Riders in ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'', Ryou Ashihara (Kamen Rider Gills) has the lighest hair, since he used to be a college competitive swimmer before the whole plot started.

[[folder: Video Games]]
* Half of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'''s human playable cast are brunettes (Yuna, Lulu, and Auron), the other half consisting of two blondes (Tidus and Rikku) and a redhead (Wakka). Only the latter half of the team can swim and fight underwater.
* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': the super Highschool Level Swimmer Aoi is tanned, but her hair is a normal shade of brown.
* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial 1'': potential love interest Nozomi Kiyokawa is a {{Bokukko}} swimmer... with [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair GREEN hair]].
* A few of the female Swimmer-class trainers from the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games are designed like this. The ones from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' (pictured) are {{Dark Skinned Blond}}es, while the ones from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Diamond and Pearl]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'' have the requisite light hair, but not the tanned skin.

* Shinichi Maki of ''Manga/SlamDunk'' has light brown hair and dark skin from surfing.
** In the one-shot Piercing, it's revealed Ryota Miyagi spent his childhood near the ocean. Is it any wonder why he has brown hair and tan skin?
* Momo from ''Manga/PeachGirl'' is mistaken for a [[GyaruGirl ganguro]], but she's really this.
* Mizumachi of ''Manga/Eyeshield21'' has the extreme blonde hair-tan skin varient, which provides a nice visual contrast to the {{raven hair ivory skin}}ned Kakei.

* Averted in ''Manga/KenkoZenrakeiSuieibuUmisho'', which is about a high school swimming club and has a large variety of hair colors, both light and dark.
** Ditto with ''Anime/{{Free}}''.
* ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'': One of Keima's conquests had hair that turned light brown and unmanageable after being on the swim team for so long.
* Averted in ''VisualNovel/RumblingHearts'', where the Olympic-level swimmer Mitsuki has dark blue hair. Then played straight after Mitsuki ends up quitting due to a certain accident she accidentally caused. Her successor, Akane, has light orange hair.
** The victim of the accident is Akane's older sister, Mitsuki's best friend, and has light brown hair throughout. It's not obvious but Mitsuki's hair goes from blue to a slightly darker bluish-purple after the accident.
* Discussed in ''Manga/LuckyStar'', which doesn't make much sense given that most of the cast has candy-coloured hair and only one character in the entire cast even has black hair.
* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Misty has red hair. The other main characters who do not swim have brown or black hair.

* In ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'', Tamao Ichinose (who is actually a mermaid) is the president of the swim club; in the manga she has dark hair, but in the anime her hair is light green. This (dark hair in manga, lighter hair in anime) seems to hold true for most of the mermaids in the series.

* In ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'', Tamao Ichinose (who is actually a mermaid) is the president of the swim club; in the manga she has dark hair, but in the anime her hair is light green. This (dark hair in manga, lighter hair in anime) seems to hold true for most of the mermaids in the series.

* Mizumachi of ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' has the extreme blonde hair-tan skin varient, which provides a nice visual contrast to the {{raven hair ivory skin}}ned Kakei.

* Inverted in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''. Akira Ookochi is a swimmer, but she is actually {{raven hair ivory skin}}ned.

* Toyed with in ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial 1'': potential love interest Nozomi Kiyokawa is a {{Bokukko}} swimmer... with [[YouGottaHaveblueHair GREEN hair]]

* Toyed with in VisualNovel/{{Danganronpa}}: the super Highschool Level Swimmer Aoi is tanned, but her hair is a normal shade of brown.