History Main / MartialArtsHeadband

* Ayane of ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' and ''Videogame/NinjaGaiden'' sports one that is just a few shades darker purple than her hair, and almost never takes it off no matter what she's wearing.

* Being part of [[Manga/{{Gintama}} Otsuu-chan's fanclub]] means having to wear the uniform which includes one of these.

** When the Dean starts getting gung-ho in ''Discworld/ReaperMan'', he tears a strip off his robe and makes a headband.
** Magrat wears one when practising martial arts in ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad'', but people keep confusing it for a bandage.
** Parodied later on in ''{{Discworld/Maskerade}}'', when the Librarian decides that it's time for some dramatic organ music to support the action: he takes off his bow tie and ties it around his head so that he looks like a "really formal kamikaze".
** On one cover of ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', main character Pteppic, an Assassin, is inexplicably wearing one. Not one of the worst examples of CoversAlwaysLie, but still...odd. (The Assassins only wear black; the headband ''isn't''.)

* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'': All ninja candidates are given headbands with the village's symbol carved into the metal forehead guard when they graduate the academy and become genin. Most of them continue to wear their headbands even after they become chunin, although [[GogglesDoNothing many wear it in places other than their heads]]. For some examples, Kakashi uses his as an EyepatchOfPower, Sakura wears hers as a [[HairDecorations hairband]], and Hinata wears hers as a necklace.

* In later seasons of ''Anime/RanmaOneHalf'', Akane Tendo took to wearing one of as part of her with her martial arts outfit.

* As mentioned in the main body of this article, Daniel-san of ''Film/TheKarateKid'', who was probably the first to introduce this concept to Western pop culture. His rival, Johnny Lawrence from the Cobra Kai dojo, also wears one, though his is black.

* ''Series/CobraKai'' sees the return of Karate Kid's Johnny Lawrence, complete with his signature black headband. It even gets a backstory of it's own, being a present that Ali Mills (Johnny's ex-girlfriend from the Karate Kid film) gave her. Actor William Zabka explains Johnny's entire mindset changes when he puts his headband on, although he is mocked for it a couple of times during the series. Daniel Larusso's iconic Okinawan flower Headband also makes a return.

* As mentioned in the main body of this article, Daniel-san of ''Film/TheKarateKid'', who was probably the first to introduce this concept to Western pop culture.

* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990'': "You wear his symbol on your brow."

* Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s [[Wrestling/ZackRyder Zack Ryder]] wears two when going to down to the ring and, in the style of [[Wrestling/BretHart Bret Hart]] and his shades, will often give one of his headbands to a member of the audience.

* Lan, the human hero of ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', wears a headband with Mega Man's Navi symbol (also the series logo) on it.
** Just about everyone in the ''Mega Man Battle Network'' series seems to have their Navi symbol somewhere on themselves, either on their shirt, as their earrings, or even as their hairpins. As for someone else who also has something resembling a hairband, the nature-loving Sal has a brown hairband with Woodman's Navi symbol.

* Axel and Blaze from ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' both wear headbands while beating up countless goons with their bare fists. Blaze ditches hers for the sequels, though.

*** Since Game Freak has basically done a ShrugOfGod and only confirmed it's a headband, Ruby (of Manga/PokemonSpecial) has a hat due to the artist thinking of it as so. Another, one volume, manga by another artist had it as a hat too, probably a FollowTheLeader case.

* [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]]'s trademark. (And his dad's.)

* Yoshiko Fujisawa made hachimakis for ''all'' her Furano teammates in ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'', and they wore them during the match against Nankatsu. When their captain Hikaru Matsuyama entered the National Team, he ''always'' put his hachimaki on during his more crucial [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome CMOAs]] in the series.

* Quick-Kick from ''WesterAnimation/GIJoe'' always wore one into battle.

* In a scene of ''Film/PoliceAcademy 3'', [[ManOfAThousandVoices Sgt. Jones]] wrapped a random strip of cloth around his forehead before doing an imitation of [[HongKongDub badly dubbed kung-fu movies]] to intimidate some thugs.

* Quick-Kick from ''GIJoe'' always wore one into battle.
* Ruby from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' wears one [[spoiler:making it difficult to tell if she us the reason why her [[FusionDance fusion Garnet]] has a third eye there ]].

* In ''The WheelOfTime'' many male [[ProudWarriorRace Aiel]] loyal to [[TheChosenOne Rand]] wear a red headband with a [[DragonsUpTheYinYang yin-yang symbol]] on their foreheads. His [[AmazonBrigade Maidens of the Spear]] think this is ridiculous.

* Maudlin of Garry Kilworth's ''WelkinWeasels: Heastward Ho!'' borrows a red headband with a phrase written in [[FantasyCounterpartCulture "Asian"]] letters on it when battling a pirate junk. He's very fond of the headband and assumes in his usual daydreamy manner that "''No doubt it read something like GREAT WARRIOR or UNDEFEATABLE ONE''". Nobody has the heart to tell him it actually reads "Number One Stir-Fry Chef".

* Leorio does this in ''HunterXHunter'' while studying for the final exam. It's then revealed that he put cheat sheets on the back of it. And everywhere else in his clothes.

* In the ''Anime/MaiOtome'' manga, Shizuru wonders where her [[EvilCounterpart Dark Hime]] is, and imagines a version of her PsychoLesbian Anime/MaiHime incarnation wearing a "Natsuki [[GratuitousEnglish Love]]" headband. Takeda, who makes a cameo coming to Garderobe to get pictures of Natsuki, has a similar headband.

* In the ''Anime/MaiOtome'' manga, Shizuru wonders where her [[EvilCounterpart Dark Hime]] is, and imagines a version of her PsychoLesbian MaiHime incarnation wearing a "Natsuki [[GratuitousEnglish Love]]" headband. Takeda, who makes a cameo coming to Garderobe to get pictures of Natsuki, has a similar headband.

* Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu from MarvelComics is often depicted wearing one. Since he is not a main character and does not have a traditional costume, it [[DependingOnTheArtist depends on the artist]], more often than not.

Traditional headgear worn in Japan, known as ''hachimaki'', is a strip of cloth tied around the head. Think Daniel-san from ''TheKarateKid''. It is often decorated with a written slogan (frequently ''Nippon Ichi'', "No. 1 in Japan"), serving as a sort of tee shirt for the forehead. Commonly worn by warriors, protestors, students studying for exams, or anyone who needs to [[strike: keep sweat from dripping into their eyes]] be serious and focused on something. Or by drunk [[{{Salaryman}} salarymen]] (see NecktieHeadband).

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', the protagonist of the second generation, Seliph, wears a pure white headband. The ''Light Inheritors'' manga, an adaptation of the plot of the second generation of the game, has Seliph without the headband while he lives quietly, hiding from the [[{{cult}} Loptyrian Empire]] that is hunting him underneath, while underneath the protection of his {{Parental Substitute}}s Oifey and Shannan. He dons it after resolving that he'll take the fight to the Empire directly, and grow strong enough that he won't need to be protected anymore.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', the protagonist of the second generation, Seliph, wears a pure white headband. The ''Light Inheritors'' manga, an adaptation of the plot of the second generation of the game, has Seliph without the headband while he lives quietly hiding from the [[{{cult}} Loptyrian Empire]] that is hunting him underneath the protection of his {{Parental Substitute}}s Oifey and Shannan. He dons it after resolving that he'll take the fight to the Empire directly, and grow strong enough that he won't need to be protected anymore.

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', the protagonist of the second generation, Seliph, wears a pure white headband. The ''Light Inheritors'' manga, an adaptation of the plot of the second generation of the game, has Seliph without the headband while he lives quietly hiding from the [[{{cult Loptyrian Empire]] that is hunting him underneath the protection of his {{Parental Substitute}}s Oifey and Shannan. He dons it after resolving that he'll take the fight to the Empire directly, and grow strong enough that he won't need to be protected anymore.