In its pristine form, the straight black hair endemic to actual, Real Life Japanese people is worn long, save for perfectly level bangs trimmed just above the upper eyelids, and sidelocks trimmed to roughly cheek and/or shoulder level (or sometimes even both). It is widely believed to be the court style of the Heian Period, and thus Older Than Feudalism. Well, Japanese feudalism. The hairstyle is rooted in the fact the Japanese tend to have voluminous sideburns.
The Hime Cut is rivaled by other styles. Ojou Ringlets also signify anime royalty, and the general populace in Japan also favor distinctive short cuts or ponytail offshoots, such as Tsundere pigtails.
This hairstyle has a good chance of showing up if the character is an Ojou or Yamato Nadeshiko. It's also a fairly popular style with Mikos. In more modern settings, it's popular with Elegant Gothic Lolita characters. If it's a Chanbara, its appearance is a given, although usually the hair is tied back with a ribbon, and sometimes the sidelocks also. It's also used to accentuate personality traits traditionally associated with the ojou and similar types: calm, dignified, traditional, elegant, graceful, demure, and modest (or some combination thereof). When listing examples, please identify which character traits the hime cut is symbolizing or accentuating.
Naturally, any Historical Fiction or Period Piece set between the Heian period and Meiji Revolution will have women wearing this hairstyle, in which case the choice of the cut itself has little meaning. When listing examples, please mention if the story is set in those times.
Please do not list examples unless they have all the required physical characteristics (straight hair, straight bangs, shorter sidelocks, and back) and at least one of the lifestyle or personality characteristics (Aloof Dark-Haired Girl, Elegant Gothic Lolita, Lady of War, Miko, Ojou, royalty, Yamato Nadeshiko, or other traits). Having straight bangs only does not count as a hime cut.
For Western haircut with similar high-status connotations, see Regal Ringlets. Do not confuse with a Gilligan Cut or any kind of scene change as a cut. The trope Samurai Ponytail can have similar connotations of class but also indicates martial ability and, of course, the samurai.
Examples:
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Anime and Manga
- ×××HOLiC: Yuuko Ichihara has blunt bangs, cheek length sidelocks, and long hair, which enhances her sophisticated image.
- The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You: An 89-year-old woman in the body of an 8-year-old, Yaku is by far the most traditional Japanese member of the main cast, and pairs her habitual kimono with a blunt-cut bangs, side-lock, and end-tied hime cut.
- Gender Inverted with Legna in Aruosumente. Although it's not immediately obvious because most of his hair is hidden beneath his cloak, he has long black hair with bangs and chin length sidelocks. He is also, as the Oracle, of high social status, traditionally minded to a fault, and outwardly calm and dignified.
- In Blue Exorcist, Izumo has a variant with blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and waist-length Girlish Pigtails for her character type. Suits her as well, with her Hien Period Eyebrows. She's also descended from a long line of Miko, with the last miko of the Kamiki family being her mother who also had a similar hairstyle.
- Salamandinay from Cross Ange has parted blunt bangs, armpit length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair. She's the Dragon Princess, after all, living in a dimension with an oriental theme, and acts in a calm and dignified manner.
- Daimos:
- She isn't Japanese, but Princess Erika is an Angelic Alien Princess, and has her hair styled in this manner.
- Sayuri is an Identical Stranger to Erika and also has her hair in this manner. However, she's not royalty and more of The Everyman.
- Chichi from Dragon Ball. While it's difficult to tell after she becomes a mother, since she usually has her hair done up in a bun, on the rare occasions it's loose, she does have the blunt-cut even bangs, the two long forelocks reaching just below her shoulders, and the rest of her hair is long and straight. After her husband's death in the Cell Saga, once she's hit her thirties and her oldest child is in his mid-teens, she ditches the bangs and forelocks, and just pulls it all back into a more severe bun.
- Elfen Lied: Mariko Kurama has blunt bangs, chin length sidelocks, and mid-back length straight hair. It signifies her sweet and innocent facade.
- Fairy Tail:
- Kagura Mikazuchi has blunt bangs, armpit length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair, befitting for a Lady of War with a katana.
- As a Magic Council member, Ultear has a variant with M-shaped straight bangs, armpit length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair, befitting for her Miko appearance.
- Flying Witch: Makoto has blunt bangs, waist-length sidelocks, and longer hair, probably to show both her girlishness and her devotion to an old traditional practice like witchcraft.
- Ga-Rei -Zero-: Yomi Isayama has blunt bangs, cheek length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair because she's the next to inherit the Isayama family name, which is considered prestigious among the exorcists of Japan.
- Hell Girl: Ai Enma has blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and waist-length straight hair. Along with her kimono, it's meant to give her the air of a traditional miko... but in a rather dark and unsettling sense.
- Inu × Boku SS: Ririchiyo Shirakiin, an Ojou, has blunt bangs, hip-length sidelocks (cheek-length after reincarnating), and thigh-length straight hair.
- Jormungand: Koko Hekmatyar has blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and waist-length straight hair. She's nicknamed "Princess" by her squad.
- In Kill la Kill, Satsuki has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and thigh length straight hair, the latter two of which were mid-back length and hip length respectively when she was a kindergartener. She's an Aloof Dark-Haired Girl, a Lady of War, and the dignified Ojou of the Kiryuin Conglomerate.
- Kimi ni Todoke: Sawako Kuronuma's hair style may initially seem like standard Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl hair, meant to evoke Sadako; however, it is quickly made apparent that her actual hair style is meant to be a Hime cut, with blunt bangs and waist length hair paired with unusually long sidelocks. This is intentional as far as her design goes, since her first impression could come off as the Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl, while her actual personality is gentle, modest, helpful, and an excellent cook; as she develops a more assertive personality, she grows into a very sweet natured Yamato Nadeshiko.
- K-On!: Mio has M-shaped straight bangs, cheek length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair, as is it fitting for the more mature and traditional member of the titular band.
- Motoko Aoyama from Love Hina has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair, empathizing her traditional upbringing and samurai-like personality.
- In My Hero Academia, Saiko Intelli has blunt bangs, cheek length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair. She's also a very high-class kind of character.
- Naruto:
- Hinata Hyuga has blunt bangs, shoulder length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair in Part II of Naruto, befitting her status as the (former) heiress of the illustrious Hyuga clan and her newfound confidence and assertiveness. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, she wears the same hairstyle with bra strap length sidelocks and hip length straight hair. But by Boruto, where she marries Naruto (who becomes Hokage a few years afterward), it's back into a bob.
- Shion from Naruto Shippuden: The Movie has blunt bangs, collarbone length sidelocks, and long straight hair, befitting her status as a Miko.
- Negima! Magister Negi Magi:
- Konoka Konoe, who is a prestigious Ojou, has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and hip length straight hair.
- The Vampire Lolita Evangeline has blunt bangs, hip length sidelocks, and ankle length straight hair.
- Chachamaru Karakuri, who displays Yamato Nadeshiko traits, has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and hip length straight hair.
- Tsukuyomi has blunt bangs, neck length sidelocks, and hip length straight hair to go with her Elegant Gothic Lolita attire. Most of the back hair gets cut during a fight she picked with Fate, though.
- Arika, Princess and later Queen of Vespertatia, has blunt bangs, waist length sidelocks, and knee length straight hair.
- One Piece: Kiku has blunt bangs, shoulder length sidelocks, and mid-back length hair. She's also a Lady of War in a kimono.
- Downplayed with Pipimi from Pop Team Epic. She has blunt bangs, armpit length sidelocks, and mid-back length hair, but while she's generally a lot calmer than Popuko, she can still be just as foul-mouthed and violent.
- RIN-NE: Kaori Himekawa in chapter 8 sports a pristine version with straight bangs and cheek-length sidelocks, although it is a trifle short in the back. Fittingly she is a reincarnated princess, or rather it was enough to convince a ghost as much. Kaori is actually a reincarnated sea turtle. She's not happy about that. Then again her name "river princess" does actually foreshadow this reveal.
- Ronin Warriors: Lady Kayura has a traditional hime cut with long straight hair, straight bangs and chin-length sidelocks as both a Yamato Nadeshiko and Lady of War.
- Shamanic Princess: Lena sports long straight hair with straight bangs and cheek-length sidelocks. The look suits her perfectly as she has a modest, calm, and demure demeanor, but if push comes to shove, she will kick your ass without even taking a step forward. She also is given the "princess" title just like Tiara and is held by many in high regards.
- Shugo Chara!: Nadeshiko Fujisaki has blunt bangs, collarbone length sidelocks, and long hair in a ponytail, and is clearly a Yamato Nadeshiko. However, he's actually a boy named Nagihiko.
- Smile PreCure!: Reika wears a traditional hime cut with straight bangs, and two little charms on the sidelocks. She is the most refined and mature of the team, being class president, a skilled archer, and eventually taking the name Cure Beauty.
- Soul Eater Not!, a Soul Eater Spin-Off, has Anya who is an Ojou sporting blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and long straight hair.
- Tenchi Muyo!: Ayeka has a variant with straight full bangs, collarbone length sidelocks, and chin length straight hair with two ankle length loose ponytails. It is clearly designed to remind you of the hairstyle while being alien enough to remind you... she's an alien. While she tries to be graceful, modest and elegant at all times, she also has a temper and is prone to fighting with Ryoko.
- Twin Star Exorcists: Benio Adashino has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks (later cut to chin length), and waist length straight hair, signifying her position as the member a distinguished family of exorcists and eventually, the wife of the family head of the Enmadou household.
- Wagnaria!!: Aoi has blunt bangs, collarbone length sidelocks, and armpit length straight hair to underline the suspicion that she may come from a high-class background.
- Played With in The Wallflower. Sunako Nakahara has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair. However, she's really a Creepy Loner Girl that her aunt or the boys she lives with are trying to turn into a Yamato Nadeshiko.
- In Witch Craft Works, Ayaka Kagari has a variant with symmetrical straight bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and classic length straight hair. She's an Aloof Dark-Haired Girl and an Ojou.
- In Yuki Yuna is a Hero, Mimori Togo has M-shaped straight bangs, chin length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair. She's very into traditional Japanese culture and history, to the point where she won't even eat "Western" breakfast like her parents, and is quite patriotic.
Literature
- Shouko Kirishima from Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts has blunt bangs, mid-back length sidelocks, and tailbone length straight hair. She's a soft-spoken Yamato Nadeshiko, though she does have a very strong Yandere side towards her love interest Yuuji.
- Ben-To:
- Shiraume Ume has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and mid-thigh length straight hair. She has a largely formal demeanor and implied vast wealth.
- The elder Kyo Sawagi has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair. She is hinted to be an Ojou.
- A Certain Magical Index: Aisa Himegami has blunt bangs, waist length sidelocks, and mid-thigh length straight hair. She wears a Miko attire, but she insists that she's a magician/esper instead. For bonus points, if written with different characters, her surname can be read as "Princess Hair."
- Dirty Pair: Her hair is a little poofier than normal for this trop, but Yuri still has the straight bangs, side locks, and waist-length hair in back; the style suits her would-be Yamato Nadeshiko personality, and balances her against Fiery Redhead Kei in their Red Oni, Blue Oni dynamic.
- Gate: Rory Mercury has blunt bangs, cheek length sidelocks, and hip length straight hair to go along with her Elegant Gothic Lolita attire.
- Gosick: Victorique has blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and ankle-length straight hair to go with her Elegant Gothic Lolita dress.
- Haruhi Suzumiya: Ryoko Asakura sports blunt bangs, chin length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair, as part of her gentle Class Rep surface persona.
- Is This A Zombie?: Saraswati/Kirara, a Elegant Gothic Lolita Idol Singer, has blunt bangs, waist length sidelocks, and ankle length straight hair.
- Kämpfer has Shizuku Sango, an Ojou with trimmed bangs, cheek length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair.
- Katanagatari: Togame, a strategist for the shogun, has blunt bangs, chin length sidelocks, and mid-back length straight hair.
- Kaze no Stigma: Ayano has parted blunt bangs, shoulder length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair, signifying her status as the successor of the Kannagi family.
- Oreimo: Kureneko has blunt bangs, cheek length sidelocks, and waist length straight hair. In this case, it's invoked on her part since she's copying the hairstyle worn by an anime Elegant Gothic Lolita.
Video Games
- Ranpo Edogawa of AkaSeka has long, sleek almost-black indigo hair with blunt forehead bangs, jaw-level sideburns and two more chest-level sideburns, almost always decorated with a cord or ribbon.
- Arcana Heart: Maori Kasuga is a Miko with blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and calf length straight hair.
- One of the possible haircuts in Arc Style: Baseball!! 3D is long straight hair with two symmetrical bangs hiding the eyebrows and two thin locks ending at shoulder level. Mostly used for women, but not restricted to. It can be found in pre-made characters, such as Rivertorrent (brown hair), Ray (brown as well), Irene (green hair) and Percival (purple); and you can give it to your customizable characters.
- Shōyō Tsubouchi in Bungo to Alchemist as a Rare Male Example, though it's usually up in a ponytail and is only down in damage stages; he is a Cherry Blossom Guy in design and is one of the kimono-wearing authors.
- Riichi Yokomitsu, but his do is asymmetrical – he has blunt sideburns to frame his face, but his frontal bangs are heavily slanted to cover one eye and his back hair is usually in a ponytail over one shoulder. He's also a kimono wearer.
- Tōkoku Kitamura with rectangular cheek sideburns and lightly slanted frontal bangs, though the back hair is usually in twin pigtails. In this case, it's explicitly meant to make him look feminine; he's a Wholesome Crossdresser and a Dude Looks Like a Lady who likes Elegant Gothic Lolita fashion.
- Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: Seraph Lamington, the ruler of Celestia, has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and knee length straight hair.
- Galaxy Angel: Chitose Karasuma is a classic Yamato Nadeshiko with blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and hip-length straight hair.
- Kuon: Utsuki, Kureha and Lady Ayako all sport this. Since the story is set in Feudal Japan, it's hardly surprising.
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Zelda sports a traditional Hime Cut in place of the tiara favored by her other incarnations because she's not a princess this time. She's technically a "spirit maiden", not a miko, but they are similar in function and the hair decorations in her post-Skyloft outfit appear similar to the kind worn by some shrine maidens.
- Since Onmyoji is set in the Heian period and traditional Japanese aesthetics is pretty much the bread and butter of this game, this hairstyle crops up frequently on a lot of female and male characters.
- Persona:
- Persona 3: Chidori Yoshino has the straight fringe and long side locks, and wears an Elegant Gothic Lolita outfit. Her hair is also red, but the game is silent on whether or not this is due to hair dye.
- Yukiko Amagi from Persona 4 is a Yamato Nadeshiko who's the heiress to a traditional Japanese inn. Unsurprisingly, this trope very much applies to her.
- Hifumi Togo of Persona 5 also has this hairstyle, and is an expert at shogi (traditional Japanese chess).
- Despite the Chinese setting, The Tale of Food has quite a few:
- Both masters, especially in long-haired skins.
- Tomalley Soup Dumpling has short, sleek back hair with square bangs and square cheek-level sideburns. Dumpling in Sweet Wine's hair is similar, except he has long hair in a pigtail.
- Candied Ginkgo Nuts has long, straight pale blond hair with blunt forehead bangs and even jaw-length sideburns to go with his dignified and learned image.
- Farewell My Concubine's hairstyle is stylized from that of Peking opera performers, which in practice resembles this style: about knee-length straight black hair with two cheek-level blunt sideburns and two waist-level sideburns.
- Tekken: Emily "Lili" Rochefort, an Ojou, sports a perfectly trimmed blonde bangs, chin-length sidelocks, and waist-length straight hair.
- Touhou Project has several examples of the haircut, but only a few matching the personality as well:
- Reimu Hakurei, the resident miko, sports this hairstyle in most of her early appearances. ZUN's art also leans more towards this than the wilder hair of most other depictions of her.
- Princess Kaguya (as in princess-born-from-a-bamboo-shoot-Kaguya
), which makes her one of the few characters without a nice hat or hair decorations.
- Fujiwara no Mokou, who would have been actual Heian nobility and so, of course, she has this hairstyle despite having white hair. She certainly doesn't behave like a princess though, being a rough tomboy who makes a living (so to speak) by burning coal.
- Star Sapphire (part of a trio of mischievous fairies) has one with minimal hair decorations, leading to fanart where she and Kaguya can pass for each other with minimal difficulty.
- The mostly-fanon character Sendai Hakurei no Miko (literally "Hakurei's Previous Miko") is given this hairstyle in most representations. She's usually shown as a Statuesque Stunner and lacking the demure personality usually associated with mikos.
- Gender Inverted with Kousetsu Samonji (long hair), Ishikirimaru (short hair) and Kokindenju-no-Tachi (long hair) in Touken Ranbu. The former two are heavily associated with Japanese religions, the last a waka poetry addict not unlike Heian period nobles, and all are among the more overtly traditional in their designs.
- Lilia Vanrouge in Twisted Wonderland has his hair in a bob, but it also comes with the bangs and even cheek-levek sideburns typical to this trope. In his case, it's meant to make him look like an Elegant Gothic Lolita.
- In the Valis series, Valna has the typical long sidelocks and eyelid-level bangs parted to show the diadem on the middle of her forehead. She's a princess, after all.
Visual Novels
- In Ace Attorney, Maya Fey has blunt bangs, bra strap length sidelocks, and classic length hair. The length of the sidelocks is not traditional but her look was clearly made to be reminiscent of a hime cut. It serves both to reflect her traditional upbringing and act as a tip-off to her spiritualist job.
- Celestia Ludenberg of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc sports this, being an Elegant Gothic Lolita who prides herself on acting refined and ladylike.
- Umineko: When They Cry:
- Rosa is a member of the wealthy Ushiromiya family, sporting blunt bangs, chin length sidelocks, and armpit length hair.
- Virgilia has blunt bangs, chin length sidelocks, and mid-back length hair, befitting for a Yamato Nadeshiko.
- Erika Furudo has a variant with blunt bangs, waist length sidelocks, and hip length Girlish Pigtails to go with her Elegant Gothic Lolita dress and to make her look like her master.
Western Animation
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Mai has a variation of this haircut. She has straight bangs and her sidelocks are long and down below her shoulders, but her (presumably) long back hair is always drawn in odangos. She's from a noble family and certainly has the quiet gracefulness down.
- In Gloria's House, Millicent, the titular character's friend (and sometimes bully) is an interesting case of a rare coincidence for a cartoon that has little to no anime shorthands nor any allusions to anything Asian or Japanese since the character herself is a Caucasian girl who just happens to have blue-tinted black hair styled into bangs with prominent sidelocks. Millicent also comes from a somewhat wealthy family and prides herself in her elevated status when compared to most of her peers.
- In the Inspector Gadget episode, "The Japanese Connection", Penny's Japanese friend, Atsuko, sports this hairstyle along with the associated personality.
- Lila Rossi from Miraculous Ladybug has blunt bangs, collarbone length sidelocks, and classic length straight hair. She embodies the Rich Bitch type of Ojou. Everyone is captivated by her tales and connections, but she's a skilled liar and thief, and unlike other akumatized victims (including Chloé to some extent), she doesn't learn from her mistakes and rejects Ladybug's apology.
- In season one of X-Men: Evolution, Mystique has a variant with straight bangs rolled above her forehead, collarbone length sidelocks, and armpit length straight hair. She's also a Lady of War and The Vamp.
Real Life
- Many wearers of Lolita fashion and Hime Gal have a hime cut, presumably both due to its regal connotations and the fact that it frames the face nicely if all the rest of the hair is in ringlets or a bouffant.
- Japanese model Sayoko Yamaguchi sported this hairstyle, whether with either long or short hair.
- Japanese voice actress, singer, and photo model Yui Horie has this as her prominent hairstyle as of 2010, whether long hair or short hair.
- Gender Inverted with Tenshinryū master Dōfū Takizawa a.k.a. Māko, again, with either short or long hair. It helps that the guy is a practitioner of a school of Japanese swordsmanship as well as has a reputation of being a Dude Looks Like a Lady and a Wholesome Crossdresser on top of that.
- This was the signature hairstyle of idol Megumi Asaoka in the early 1970s. In fact, her overwhelming popularity at the time is said to be what popularized the hime cut in the first place.
