Line #189 Main/IdiotHair


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BakemonogatariAhoge.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[- [[SomethingElseAlsoRises No points for guessing what's going through his head.]]-] ]]
3
4	->''"What the hell is going on with that hair? Everything else about him is fine, but that single strand of his hair is defying all laws of gravity. You could tie him to the end of a rope and use him to catch fish."''
5	-->-- '''WebVideo/ProJared''' on [[VideoGame/Quest64 Brian]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6lzitHLfMM "Quest 64"]]
6
7	''Ahoge''[[note]] Not to be confused with ''{{Eroge}}'', or ''Ahegao'', a similarly risqué concept.[[/note]] (literally ''idiot hair'') refers to the noticeable slim forelock of hair that sticks straight up from a character's head. Originally a hairdresser term for the "stupid hairs" or cowlicks that [[StubbornHair will not comb down]], it later [[MemeticMutation mutated]] into a reflection of a person's intelligence. Thus Idiot Hair suggests that a character is [[TheDitz stupid]], naïve, or [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} strange]]. (This suggestion is usually accurate, but not always--sometimes a serious character just has funny hair.)
8
9	Even if a character is not specifically stupid, naïve, or particularly odd, the ahoge also usually represents a general ''mischievous'' quality about them in general. Goes hand in hand with the PlayfulCatSmile. [[ExpressiveHair It can also be used to show]] that SomethingElseAlsoRises.
10
11	Idiot Hair is [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant not to be confused with]] the [[HairAntennae two-stranded antennae-style hair]], popularized by ''Manga/LoveHina'' or ''Manga/AhMyGoddess''. It isn't about [[HeirClubForMen idiot heirs]], either.
12
13	Can be TruthInTelevision, as people with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowlick cowlicks]] can attest to.
14	----
15	!!Examples
16	[[foldercontrol]]
17
18	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
19	* In ''Manga/ActAge'', Kei's long, askew strand of hair emphasizes her quirky and slightly naive character, while creating a contrast with her "cool beauty" appearance. It's a family trait too, as both her late mother and her siblings sport a similar one.
20	* Athena from ''Manga/{{ARIA}}'' has one, though she's more of a [[GeniusDitz space case]] than an outright idiot. Akatsuki also has one.
21	* Yuu "Nana" Nanami of ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'' has a tuft of hair that goes straight up the top of her head, and she's a ComicallySerious character who is often lacking in common sense.
22	* The top image comes from ''Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}}''. The depicted Koyomi, as well as his sisters Karen and Tsukihi, have ahoge, but Koyomi's is the tallest.
23	** While Koyomi has the "idiot hair" and does occasionally act the fool, let it be said that he's less an idiot than a DeadpanSnarker hero type with ExpressiveHair. His ''ahoge'' manages to add amusing sequences to some episodes (like the page picture's source) that are less image-based and more talky.
24	** It manages to forms question marks when he's confused and he even blushes through it in episode 13.
25	** In episode 1 of ''Nisemonogatari'', it formed the kanji for love.
26	%%* Moritaka Mashiro from ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}''.
27	* Kotoishi Naru from ''Manga/{{Barakamon}}''. She's a silly and carefree 6-year-old GenkiGirl.
28	* Asta from ''Manga/BlackClover'' has a strand sticking up from his spiky gray hair, which perfectly fits with simple-minded, energetic personality.
29	%%* Mephisto in ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' has a spectacular one under his hat.
30	* In ''Manga/BlueDrop'', Mari's chemistry teacher Yuuko puts up her hair in this fashion to cheer Mari up. She also does it to Mari herself, [[LuminescentBlush much to the latter's delight]].
31	* ''Manga/BocchiTheRock'': Nijika has an ahoge, somewhat ironically, as she's the most intelligent (or at least [[OnlySaneMan most reasonable]]) member of the band. Said ahoge is usually drawn as a yellow triangle, leading [[FanNickname fans to refer to her]] as "Dorito." Her older sister also has the same Dorito-like ahoge.
32	* Kururu and Hororo in ''Anime/BottleFairy'', but it's more about not knowing human's customs, and the other two aren't better at it either, [[spoiler:and when all four combine into one girl, she gets one that goes all around her head ]]
33	%%* Meg in ''Anime/BurstAngel''.
34	%%* Maria from ''Anime/{{Canaan}}'', which at one point even gets commented on by Canaan herself.
35	* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'': [[ThirdPersonPerson MISAKA]] [[TokenMiniMoe has]] [[VerbalTic MISAKA has]] one! (though she denies that it's an ahoge in volume 15.) Her 20,000 Sisters (+ 1) don't, though, at least not now. Mikoto had one when she was little, and if you look closely, that particular piece is still drawn distinctly on her hair in the present, it's just slicked down onto the rest of her bangs (this is especially obvious on her Nendoroid figure, where it is removable).
36	** It is an inherited trait, as shown in the ''A Certain Scientific Railgun'' anime, where Misuzu (Mikoto's mother) springs one the moment she hears about the mysterious guy Mikoto may or may not be interested in.
37	* [[{{Courier}} Red Blood Cell]] [=AE3803=] in ''Manga/CellsAtWork'' has one, perfectly fitting her adorably awkward personality and [[NoSenseOfDirection tendency to get lost]] in the blood vessels. Curiously, this has [[EpilepticTrees led some fans to believe]] that she may in fact be an abnormal sickle cell! Even her tongue, which ''screams with her'' whenever she [[FreakOut freaks out]], has one, and certain scenes in episode 8 show her standing out stuck in a mass of red blood cells thanks to her ahoge drawn BIGGER than it looks up close.
38	** Her counterpart in ''Manga/CellsAtWorkCodeBlack'', Red Blood Cell [=AA2153=], has a similar ahoge, though he tends to be more competent and serious than her.
39	* Kosukegawa in ''Manga/{{Change 123}}'' has [[ExpressiveHair expressive idiot hair]]. It was also used at least once for the SomethingElseAlsoRises trope.
40	* In ''Manga/CrimsonGrave'' the two heroes go dungeon-exploring with a treasure hunter whose [[ExpressiveHair expressive ahoge]] is apparently smarter than she is. It always points in the direction she should go, and she follows it without realizing.
41	* Miku and Zorome from ''Anime/DarlingInTheFranxx'': they even ''sword-fight'' with their Idiot Hairs while arguing!
42	* Emilia from ''Literature/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'' has one, though she subverts the trope in that, while she is most definitely in no way stupid, she can be clumsy and paranoid at times, even if she is technically a Hero.
43	* ''Anime/DieBuster'': Nono's ahoge is ''epic'', and it's certainly a good indicator of her personality in this case. It even stays in place (with a slightly more angular shape) after [[spoiler:she goes into Buster Machine mode]].
44	%%* Child!Tintlet from ''Manga/DragonKnights''.
45	* Yumeji from ''Manga/DreamEaterMerry''. Merry, after falling out of a tree onto him (again), recognizes him by the "antenna".
46	* Suzuna from ''Manga/Eyeshield21'' will suddenly '''develop''' it whenever another character's romantic subplot is brought up. It then homes in on them like radar.
47	* Hanajima from ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' grows one and uses it as an antenna when she's using her psychic powers.
48	* Several characters in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' have this, although it's almost never indicative of their intelligence.
49	** Ed is the most obvious example. He can be seen {{invok\|edTrope}}ing this trope in one scene after he gets out of the shower in episode 29 of the Brotherhood adaptation, in which he sticks up his hair before putting on any clothes. He probably does this because of [[TheNapoleon how short he is]].
50	** It also seems to be one of many traits '''[[MemeticMutation PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!]]''', as every single Armstrong has this (even Olivier, but she [[DefiedTrope grew it out to make it not stick up]]).
51	* In episode 8 of ''Anime/GranblueFantasy'', Lyria's idiot hair guides Katalina, Lyria, and Vyrn to find the others as it points the direction towards Gran.
52	* Shiki Nanaya from ''Manga/HanaNoMiyako'' has a rather long and slightly curled one. She's not really an idiot, but she's ''definitely'' a bit off-kilter.
53	* Haré and Weda in ''Anime/HareGuu''. Weda isn't really an idiot but acts irresponsible and care-free because it's a more fun way to live life [[spoiler:and to avoid facing her issues]]. Haré is pretty smart and the show's OnlySaneMan, but this frequently causes him to run around like an idiot out of stress since he's the only one who can't [[WorldGoneMad go with the flow.]]
54	** Interesting to note: [[spoiler:Weda's mom]] has no ahoge. Weda has one. Haré has two. [[spoiler:Weda's second child Ame]] has three. We can only imagine what Haré's own kids might look like.
55	%%* ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'':
56	%%** Taniguchi has one.
57	%%** Sometimes, Suzumiya has one, too, depending on how she's doing her hair. It may just be the wind, but it's amazing how much her hair does that.
58	%%** Played straight in ''Manga/HaruhiChan''. It's a tiny strand, but it appears when she's more genki than usual.
59	%%* Hayate of ''Manga/HayateCrossBlade'' has one, which the creator {{lampshades}} [[http://i41.tinypic.com/yypew.gif here]] and [[http://i41.tinypic.com/2v2a5pi.jpg here.]]
60	* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' subverts this. He has an Idiot Hair at the ''back'' of his head. In keeping with that, he is sometimes an idiot (say, [[CluelessChickMagnet dealing with the girls]]), and sometimes [[BrokenAce hyper-competent]].
61	* Kyoko in ''Anime/HeatGuyJ'' to show her innocence. (i.e. she's one of the very few characters that doesn't come from a [[DysfunctionJunction dysfunctional family]] and didn't experience loss of a friend or family member).
62	* Shimoda the Angel from ''Manga/HeavensDesignTeam'' has a curly lock on top of his hair that sticks up whenever he's shocked, scared, or gets a Divine Approval. Quite fittingly, he's a NaiveNewcomer ButtMonkey whose primary role in the manga is [[TheWatson to ask questions]] about the designers' projects and why certain animal features do or do not work.
63	* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', several characters have them.
64	** And it seems some of these idiot hairs have meaning, representing several places (America's is Nantucket, Korea's is supposed to be Seoul, Austria's is Mariazell, etc.)
65	** Several pictures of Roman Empire show that he has several idiot hairs and that they may have been passed on to his descendants (Both Italy brothers, Greece, and possibly Egypt.)
66	*** The Italy brothers are mirror images of each other. North Italy's is on his left side while South's is on his right.
67	*** One comic revealed that they get flustered when people touch them because they're erogenous zones for them.
68	*** The Principality of Seborga has a curl similar to North Italy's, but it has a more rumpled and bent appearance.
69	*** When North and South Italy's curls overlap, they form a heart. [[http://www.zerochan.net/1881741 See here.]]
70	*** Greece has one that splits into ''two'' on the top of his head. The ends curl round in the style of an Ionic column.
71	** Korea has one too. It's sometimes drawn [[ExpressiveHair with a face]].
72	*** According to the [[WordOfGod notes]], it's his soul, not Seoul. Hence the face. StealthPun?
73	** Austria, normally TheStoic, will sometimes express emotion through his ahoge.
74	** Taiwan has the longest of any known country, which seems to fit with her being the only girl with one.
75	** America and Canada both have them.
76	*** It's no surprise that they both have one, being 'brothers' (or as related as a country can be). What is interesting is how different they are. America's is short, thick, and curves back over his hair. Canada's is long, thin, has a loop, and falls forward in front of his face.
77	** Australia has two. AND England's eyebrows.
78	** Norway's ''floats''.
79	*** He also a [[http://images.wikia.com/hetalia/images/7/74/Norway001.jpg strange dot]] that floats alongside his idiot hair.
80	** Turkey's splits into two at the nape of his neck.
81	** Not only that but in the few times Italian and Austrian citizens are represented, they have the very same ahoge style of their respective countries.
82	* Miki's relative Akiko in ''Manga/ICantUnderstandWhatMyHusbandIsSaying'' and ''Metsuko ni Yoroshiku'' has idiot hair that not only floats upwards in blatantly disregard of gravity, it continuously ''wriggles'' in the air like a snake. It's also about 2 1/2 feet long making it more of a side ponytail than a single hair.
83	* In the manga ''Literature/{{Inukami}}'' Youko's idiot hair pops up from time to time, usually when she's acting like a ditz.
84	* The eponymous Iono from ''Manga/IonoTheFanatics'' also has one. She's not really an idiot, but she's a lesbian [[BunnyEarsLawyer Bunny Ears Queen]] who [[LovableSexManiac is very much led by her hormones]].
85	* Haruna from ''Literature/IsThisAZombie'' has one that is [[ExpressiveHair expressive]].
86	* Halkara from ''Literature/IveBeenKillingSlimesFor300YearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'' has this, as she is frequently making mistakes such as mixing up poisonous and edible mushrooms and getting thrown in prison for accidentally knocking out the Demon King.
87	* ''Anime/IxionSagaDT'': Princess Ecarlate grows one in her "hyperactivity period".
88	** She can grow up to three, and horrible things happen if she does. [[spoiler:So naturally, it happens.]]
89	* ''Anime/JubeiChan'' has two characters with these. When engaged in a shouting match at one point, they came close enough for their Ahoge antennas to actually do battle with each other.
90	* Ayano Kannagi from ''Literature/KazeNoStigma''. In episode 13 you can see her putting a great deal of work into [[InvokedTrope making sure]] she has an Idiot Hair, including combing her hair a certain way and liberal amounts of hairspray. Why? Who knows. It fits, though.
91	%%* Kirin from ''Manga/GourmetGirlGraffiti'' has a single-strand idiot hair.
92	%%* Yuuri has one in ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh''.
93	* Three characters, including both main characters, have ahoge in ''Anime/ALittleSnowFairySugar''. It is played straight with Sugar but it's subverted with Saga, who likes to keep to schedules and only appears to be an idiot because no one else can see season fairies.
94	%%* Rikka of ''Literature/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'' sports one, which is also [[ExpressiveHair expressive]].
95	%%* Kitsune in ''Manga/LoveHina''.
96	%%* Kotori from ''Franchise/LoveLive'' has a quite gigantic ahoge.
97	%%** Chika, the protagonist of sequel series ''Anime/LoveLiveSunshine'', has a very prominent ahoge herself, which she has apparently had since she was an infant, according to a comic drawn by Hanamaru.
98	* ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'': Ranka Lee has one as well, to go with her ExpressiveHair.
99	* Tamaki, the local ditz in ''Manga/MagicOfStella'', always have three of more strands of hair flying out.
100	* Slightly ditzy [[BridgeBunnies Bridge Bunny]] Amy of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' had one pop up on her head. Chrono responded by trying to comb it down with a hairbrush and a can of hairspray [[TheComicallySerious while wearing his usual stoic expression]]. [[HereditaryHairstyle Both of their children inherited it]].
101	** This is actually very common among the cast of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'', though very few of them actually fit the personality type.
102	* Nikaidou from ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'' is the only character that has one. It's lampshaded when his appearance reverting from a slightly more realistic style due to an ArtShift; it swings right back up from his bangs during the one-panel transformation.
103	* Many, many characters from ''Manga/MedakaBox'', including the titular heroine. Particular styles seem to run in the family.
104	* Chiaki from ''Manga/MinamiKe'' has one, even though she's a LittleMissSnarker and not an idiot.
105	%%* The tiny girl from ''Minimum'' posses an oversized ahoge.
106	* The appropriately ditzy Miki Motokura of 'Mo-Retsu! Boin Sensei'' ([[{{Hentai}} yeah, it's that kind of manga]]) has the side-oriented ''ahoge'' similar to [[Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers the Italies.]] A LiveActionAdaptation reproduces it faithfully.
107	* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'': Lunamaria Hawke's ahoge is really quite subdued. Some have suggested that it's a MythologyGag reference to the commander antenna possessed by Zeon mobile suits in the Universal Century timeline; Luna's ZAKU Warrior doesn't have one, so she got it instead.
108	* Sumi in ''Manga/{{Moetan}}'' has this, and it overlaps with ExpressiveHair, changing shape to represent her feelings (such as a heart, a [[TheSweatDrop sweatdrop]], and many more.)
109	* Papi from ''Manga/MonsterMusume'' has this, [[TheDitz to no]] [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny one's surprise.]]
110	** As does [[SlimeGirl Suu]], [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Zombina]], [[PlantPerson Kii]] and [[HeadlessHorseman Lala]].
111	%%* Nagasumi in ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid''.
112	* ''Literature/MyYouthRomanticComedyIsWrongAsIExpected'' protagonist Hikigaya Hachiman and his younger sister Komachi both sport an ahoge.
113	* ''Manga/NagasareteAirantou'': A bit of Misaki's hair stands up when there's a youkai nearby.
114	* In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' epilogue, [[spoiler:Naruto and Hinata's]] children Boruto and Himawari are both shown to have a small ahoge on their head, though Himawari sometimes has her's pulled up into a single pigtail.
115	* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'':
116	** Asuna has one of these in her hair, and she's a member of Class 3-A's "Baka Rangers" clique for the students who consistently get the lowest grades.
117	** Yue Ayase has one running across her head, and is also a member of Class 3-A's "Baka Rangers". However, she's actually very smart, just really lazy.
118	** Nodoka also has one, but she's ranked something like 23rd in her grade of over 700 students.
119	** Chisame Hasegawa also has one, and she's the only class member without a WeirdnessCensor.
120	** A more straight example is Nagi "[[strike:Five, Maybe Six Spells Tops]] Thousand Master" Springfield, Negi's [[DisappearedDad missing father]]. Not to mention Negi himself, who is "an idiot in reverse" due to overthinking, and his obliviousness about girls.
121	%%* ''Anime/NeoRanga'': Ushio has a curled version of this.
122	* Horus from ''Anime/OhSuddenlyEgyptianGod'' has a single curled strand of hair sticking out of his head (presumably modeled after the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pschent double crown]] he's often depicted as wearing in Egyptian art), fitting his naive and somewhat clumsy personality.
123	* From ''Franchise/OnePiece'' Lulu, one of the Galley-la foremen, generally has a straight "spike" of hair sticking out of his head at a random direction. When he tries to push it down, it just pops back up again somewhere else and can get extra-ridiculous when it sticks out of his mustache or the back of his hand, and it eventually spreads to other people.
124	** Marguerite is a more typical example, with a few stray unruly strands of hair.
125	** After his upgrade, Franky can grow his hair in any style he wants.
126	** The Skypiea Arc combines this with IdiotCrows, as the Strawhats' dial-boat Karasumaru has one ''carved'' into its crow-shaped figurehead.
127	* Rufus Barma in ''Manga/PandoraHearts''. Break actually calls him "ahoge."
128	* Himeko from ''Anime/PaniPoniDash'' is given the nickname "Ahoge", for both mentioned reasons. Her cowlick even [[ExpressiveHair moves around of its own accord]].
129	** In episode 3, Becky briefly gets one, and she gets so frustrated with hers that she rips Himeko's cowlick right out of her head. This causes her normally GenkiGirl personality to avert to one of somber depression, only able to weakly utter "Maho" until a replacement is found.
130	%%* Sakura Nankyoku from ''Manga/PenguinMusume'' is a classic example of the trope. Her mother also has an ahoge.
131	* ''Manga/PlaceToPlace'' has the main couple have ahoges. Neither of them are exactly idiots, but Io's known to be a bit... dense.
132	* Ahiru/Duck in ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' has an ahoge roughly as tall as her head. This has botched a few of her attempts at stealth. Small birds have been spotted sitting on it and ''pecking'' it.
133	* Emma from ''Manga/ThePromisedNeverland'' has a rather [[AcademicAthlete ironic one]]. A volume extra implies it has a mind of its own, and can dodge scissors. [[TheNicknamer [=ETR3M8=]]] even dubs her "Antenna".
134	* Kazumi of ''Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica'' has one. It doubles as a [[MonsterOfTheWeek witch]] detector. [[spoiler:Airi also has one, in her original appearance.]]
135	* ''Manga/TheQuintessentialQuintuplets'':
136	** Male lead Fuutarou Uesugi has two of these, but subverts it by being a Straight-A student instead of an idiot. Apparently it's because he lets Raiha cut his hair and she always makes him this hairdo.
137	** Itsuki has one as her distinctive trait. Doubles as ExpressiveHair as it droops when she's depressed or standing up when she's nervous or excited.
138	%%* Nori, from ''Manga/RozenMaiden'', has an ahoge too.
139	* [[ClubPresident Takei Hisa]] of ''Manga/{{Saki}}''. There's also Touka and her [[ExpressiveHair expressive idiot hair]].
140	%%* Kurimu in ''Literature/StudentCouncilsDiscretion''.
141	%%* SenseiChan Megumi from ''Manga/SchoolLive'' has a ''giant'' bit of Idiot Hair. [[spoiler:She keeps it even after becoming a zombie]].
142	%%* Musubi, Hikari, Shijime, Kujika, Mikogami, and Karasuba of ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}''. Karasuba's is the mischievous version.
143	* Lucy of ''Manga/ServantXService'' is actually born with one. Yutaka loves grabbing it. Hers is also {{expressive\|hair}}.
144	* Fuyuki in ''Manga/SgtFrog'', who's something of a genius in geography and the paranormal. Not Keroro, Fuyuki.
145	** In the closing credits for episode 231 it's hinted that NPG bodyguard [[OverlyLongName Yoshiokadaira Masayoshi]] has been hiding one under his helmet.
146	* The eponymous character of ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' is certainly not an idiot, but she can be very [[HotBlooded hot-blooded]], and Yuji is almost always [[AwesomenessByAnalysis the better tactician]].
147	* Tiara of ''Anime/ShamanicPrincess'' has a strand of hair that extends up, then sweeps across her face. She does not fit the character type at all, but her design may be an artifact of an earlier stage of the series' development. [[ToneShift In the beginning, it wasn't planned to be as]] [[DarkerAndEdgier dark]] [[ToneShift as it ended up.]]
148	%%* Tadase from ''Manga/ShugoChara'' has one of these, though he's not an idiot; just oblivious.
149	* ''Anime/PrettyCure'':
150	** Miyuki in ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure''. When she turns into Cure Happy, she grows another!
151	** Cure Beat/Ellen from ''[[Anime/SuitePrettyCure Suite]]'', who grows an ahoge in Cure form that somehow ''makes guitar noises'' when flicked.
152	** Homare/Cure Étoile from ''[[Anime/HugttoPrettyCure Hugtto!]]'' has one that [[ExpressiveHair occasionally wiggles around to form different shapes depending on her mood]]. Humorously, [[SubvertedTrope she is one of the most serious members]] of the Cures.
153	%%* Death the Kid in ''Manga/SoulEater''. You'd think he'd notice that he only has one cowlick on one side of his head, considering his obsession with symmetry and how much he freaks about the white lines.
154	* Not only does AΩ Nova of ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'' have an idiot hair, [[RuleOfFunny he has a hole in his space helmet so it can poke out]]. [[spoiler:Luluco's {{Girlish Pigtail\|s}} also turns into a [[Anime/{{DieBuster}} Nonoesque]] one when she becomes [[SeriesMascot Trigger-chan]].]]
155	%%* ''Manga/SpecialA'' Kei has this, which has been commented upon by some.
156	* In ''Manga/TabooTattoo'', the [[BunnyEarsLawyer eccentric]] elderly samurai Tsugio Kobakura has a single dark ahoge sticking up from his otherwise bald head, something the other characters find highly amusing. This appears to be a family trait as his granddaughter [[LadyOfWar Makoto]], a.k.a. [[spoiler:Cal Shekar the vice-commander of Brahman]], also sports one.
157	* Milim Nava from ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'' has a single large strand that curls around and makes it almost look like she has a halo. She is the CloudCuckoolander of the series, even though she is one of the most powerful characters in the story.
158	* Lala of ''Manga/ToLoveRu'', [[TheDitz fittingly enough]].
159	* PluckyComicRelief Seidou Takizawa, from ''Manga/TokyoGhoul''. He has a single lock sticking up, which adds to his youthful appearance (and personality) in contrast to his [[SharpDressedMan coworkers]].
160	%%* Loretta Oratorio from ''VideoGame/WildArms: Twilight Venom''.
161	%%* Kazuma Azuma in ''Manga/YakitateJapan'', though they looked more like HairAntennae.
162	* ''Anime/YokuWakaruGendaiMahou'': Koyomi have one and fit the ditzy and energetic personality type. However, both Misa and Yumiko also have idiot hair. The former is more level-headed, even though she has a carefree attitude, and the latter doesn't fit the character type at all.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
166	* ''AudioPlay/ExitTunesPresentsACTORS'' has this on a few of its characters--the most obvious example being orange-haired Hinata--however, while he may not ''look'' the part, he is in fact calmer and more capable than most traditional examples of this trope.
167	** Itto and Shirou also have these, though it's more obvious in their chibi art. Itto is more suited to the usual interpretation of this trope, though, considering his [[CloudCuckooLander person]][[AttentionDeficitOohShiny ality]]. Shirou is more on the 'mischievous' type of the spectrum, though.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Comic Books]]
171	* Fantasio from ''ComicBook/SpirouAndFantasio'' has eight stray hairs which pop up on top of his head.
172	* It's more curled than sticking straight up, but every incarnation of Franchise/{{Superman}} has a very distinctive hairdo, though it's more indicative of his staunch optimism than idiocy.
173	* Franchise/{{Tintin}} has one.
174	* Franco-Belgian comics character ComicBook/{{Titeuf}}. ''All'' his hair is Idiot Hair, which is [[PingPongNaivete sometimes representative of him, sometimes not]].
175	[[/folder]]
176
177	[[folder:Fan Works]]
178	* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': While she didn't originally have one (due to the limitations of the author's modeling software), Fiora was later given this to represent her cheerful-yet-mischievous catlike personality.
179	[[/folder]]
180
181
182	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
183	* Taran has one in the animated adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron''. Considering [[IdiotHero his disposition]], it coincidentally fits perfectly.
184	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'': Main characters Tulio and Miguel both have one of these, befitting their personalities as a pair of mischievous con-artists and [[ThoseTwoGuys/AnimatedFilms Those Two Guys]].
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
188	* ''Film/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': Greg is given a cowlick (called a wimpy sprig in the [[AllThereInTheManual Movie Diary]]) to imitate his book counterpart's [[CharlieBrownBaldness three strands of hair]].
189	* ''Film/TheresSomethingAboutMary'', as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf0HHY7pZKY here]]. There's also something a bit [[{{Squick}} more]] to that one, though.
190	* Kyoami in ''Film/{{Ran}}''; being the CourtJester to Lord Ichimonji, this makes sense. Subverted in that (like most jesters), he's actually very intelligent, using his humorous facade to speak (horrible) truth to power.
191	* In the ''[[Film/TheLittleRascals Our Gang]]'' shorts, Alfalfa's trademark is his hair: a part down the middle and a big old cowlick sticking up in the back.
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:Literature]]
195	* In ''Literature/MaximumRide'', The Gasman (or Gazzy for short) is described as having a cowlick. In the manga, he has hair sticking up in the front of his head.
196	* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' has Dill Harris, who is described by Scout as having a cowlick that sticks up in the center of his forehead "like duck-fluff." It's one of the first things that Scout notices about Dill when she and Jem first meet him. Dill is also described as to be a "curiosity" to Scout and called "stupid" by Jem, although Dill is rather wise beyond his years.
197	* Nyarko from ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove''; since she's [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Nyarlathotep]], it's [[PrehensileHair prehensile]] to act as a stand-in for a tentacle. It's also a [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling Malign Deity Radar]], in addition to being able to form complex shapes like kanji and an at-mark (at least in the anime). Rather than outright stupidity though (she graduated top of her class and went to a prestigious university), it reflects the fact that she's TheDitz.
198	** It seems to be a trait all Nyarlathotepians share. Both her brother Nyar-o (who is BookDumb), and her cousin Nyarue (who is not said to be dumb, but gets nervous easily) also have one.
199	** Hasta from the same series has the twin antenna version, but he's neither stupid nor especially ditzy.
200	* Yamagi Noriko's design from ''Literature/ProjectNRI'' gives her an ahoge. According to her, she has been teased about it in the past.
201	--> "Um... It wasn't. Don't worry. That's the first time anybody's ever said it was cute, though. Usually I get 'why is it up like that?' or 'haha, Noriko, are you a unicorn?'"
202	** Noriko's example could be a mild subversion of the trope because Noriko is a brilliant mathematician and one of the more level-headed characters in the story.
203	* In the Memoirs of the Duchess of Abrantès, Lavallette is characterised as the fool among Junot's friends, and is constantly struggling to bring down four or five outstanding strands of hair, so noticeable indeed that they each had a name.
204	* In ''Literature/{{Chrysanthemum}}'', the AlphaBitch Victoria has a large cowlick with a star decorated on the top.
205	* ''Literature/TheLightJar'': In a flashback, Nate's mum unsuccessfully tries to smooth a tuft of hair on his head in preparation for her boyfriend Gary moving in.
206	* Abel Hopton's stubborn cowlick in ''Literature/GrentsFall''.
207	[[/folder]]
208
209	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
210	* Recurring ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' character, Ed Grimley, which Creator/MartinShort later reprised for ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' and the animated ''WesternAnimation/TheCompletelyMentalMisadventuresOfEdGrimley'' spin-off.
211	* This is the equivalent of a bad hair day for Saki in ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger''. To be fair, her personal policy is summed up with two words: [[GratuitousEnglish "Smile Smile!"]]
212	* Schemer's curl in ''Series/ShiningTimeStation'' could count. His [[{{Nephewism}} nephew]] Schemie has one to match.
213	* Whenever Ryotaro gets possessed by Momotaros in ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'', a strand of red hair would appear, and it sometimes literally stands out from the rest.
214	* Sento Kiryu of ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'' gets this and too ahead of himself/too excited at the same time. He is usually a serious character but has these funny bouts.
215	[[/folder]]
216
217	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
218	* Josie, played by Rikki Fulton, in the Scottish double act [[http://jessie-harry-scotland.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/francie-josie.jpg Francie and Josie]]. Website/TheOtherWiki says "Josie is the more intelligent one of the pair", but there wasn't really much to choose between them, and Josie was the one who CannotTellAJoke.
219	* Creator/PaulReubens' Pee-Wee Herman character in ''Series/ThePeeWeeHermanShow'', who was later bowdlerized and toned down into a more family-friendly character for ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'' and ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse''.
220	[[/folder]]
221
222	[[folder:Video Games]]
223	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
224	** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'': Starly has an ahoge which develops into a heavy crest as it evolves.
225	** Your ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and ''Crystal'' rival, Silver, also gains one in the remakes. Oddly, he is the series {{Jerkass}} and anything but naive even after his HeelFaceTurn.
226	** Aaron, the Elite Four member, has one and it's freaking ''huge''.
227	** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', Deino has an ahoge, and its evolved form Zweilous has two [[MultipleHeadCase per head]]. They're blind and navigate by [[TheKlutz bumping into things]], according to the Pokedex. Zweilous is also known for [[HilarityEnsues picking fights with itself]].
228	** Fuecoco, the Fire-type StarterMon from ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'', has an ahoge made of fire. Its Japanese name, Hogēta, even sounds a bit like "ahoge". Its evolution, Crocalor, replaces this with a fiery sombrero.
229	* Adell from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2\|CursedMemories}}''; while he ''can'' use his head, he just likes [[IdiotHero to take the straightforward approach more]].
230	** Almaz from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3\|AbsenceOfJustice}}'', for a similar reason.
231	* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', Jeanne Alter has one as the main design difference between her and Jeanne. This helps to imply that she's far more of a goofball than her counterpart.
232	* The Fighter/Knight's sprite in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' on the ''Dawn Of Souls'' [=GBA=] remake.
233	* Ramza from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', and Marche from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance''.
234	* Heart Aino from ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'' has '''heart-shaped''' ahoge. Just ''guess'' [[TheFool what kind]] [[IdiotHero of character]] [[LoveFreak she is.]]
235	* Similar to Heart above, ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'' has Hubrecht, an NPC who is a member of the Cirque des Cartes; He's a strange mix of [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Mr. Heart]] and [[VideoGame/ArcanaHeart Heart Aino]], down to the heart-shaped ahoge.
236	* Chairperson/Iincho from ''VideoGame/RivalSchools''. Though not really dumb as far as intelligence goes, she did [[IKnowKarate "learn" Karate]] over a very short period of time and without any actual training, and [[JokeCharacter it shows]].
237	* Appropriately enough, her "teacher" Dan Hibiki from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' has a similar forelock.
238	* Futaba Sakura from ''VideoGame/Persona5'' has a single strand of hair that sticks up.
239	* Marona in ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'', to match her {{Pollyanna}} optimism.
240	* One of the portraits for the Medic class from ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' has just this strand of idiot hair. And while there's no actual personality given to her (or any playable character) in-game, official comics from the game creators portray her as a bit of a ditz.
241	* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'':
242	** The main characters from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility'' and ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade'' have these as well, except for Kasey who has HairAntennae.
243	** Celia from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'' ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Another Wonderful Life]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life:]]'' ''[[UpdatedReRelease Special Edition]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' and ''[[DistaffCounterpart Cute]]''. She isn't dumb however is a bit of a {{cloudcuckoolander}}.
244	* Emil Castagnier from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld''.
245	** Milla Maxwell from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' and its sequel has a really long one. It's her crowning glory and she swishes it like a cow's tail.
246	* Johnny Garland from ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld'' has this. Oddly, he tends to lampshade various bizarre events the party comes across, but inherent weirdness of ''Shadow Hearts'' world means that he ends up being the naive one of the group.
247	* A frequent design feature of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' characters, especially playables, and it means ''nothing'' about their intelligence. In fact, it tends to show up more on brainier characters, as the more conventionally dumb ones usually have spikey hair instead. [[ManipulativeBastard A]][[HiddenAgendaVillain l]][[EvilGenius e]][[TheChessmaster x]] has an ahoge, as does [[CoolOldGuy Kraden]].
248	* Brian of ''VideoGame/Quest64'' has one of these. We [[SilentProtagonist can't tell what, if anything, it indicates about his personality, though]].
249	* Marina Wulfstan from ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' has this. She's a ColdSniper though.
250	* Nikki, a {{Catgirl}} player character from ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis''. The manual {{lampshade\|Hanging}}s this by measuring her height with ''and'' without it (5'1 and 4'9, respectively). Her {{Leitmotif}} is called 'Stupid Hair Saga'.
251	* Sarah Jerand from ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'' has an especially swirly and feminine version. Considering her personality makes one wonder if "bird brain" would be considered an ethnic slur...
252	* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'':
253	** [[BadassAdorable Makoto]] [[MsFanservice Nanaya]]. She's an interesting example, as she has two strands of Idiot Hair and [[BigEater acts]] [[IdiotHero like]] an [[TheDitz idiot]], but further character review reveals that she's actually [[ObfuscatingStupidity rather intelligent]] [[GeniusDitz and even competent at her job]].
254	** Nu 13 and Lambda 11, though neither are idiots per se; Lambda was an "empty shell", while Nu only spoke like a ditz when talking with Ragna, [[{{Yandere}} a very scary ditz.]]
255	** Carl Clover also has an ahoge beneath his hat, most typically seen during the Academy days. Like Makoto, he's not an idiot; unlike her, he doesn't ''pretend'' to be one.
256	* Tita Nium, from ''VideoGame/{{Otomedius}}'' features an ahoge and a spacey personality. The ahoge itself might not actually ''be'' an ahoge, though. ''It moves on its own...''
257	* Even though he is a WellIntentionedExtremist and not at all an idiot, Psaro the Manslayer from ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'' has a quite a long ahoge near his forehead...
258	* Rue from ''VideoGame/ThreadsOfFate'' has this sort of hairstyle, revealed only when he takes off his hat.
259	* Demon-goddess Shinki from ''VideoGame/TouhouKaikidanMysticSquare'' has a small ponytail high on her head, which is [[MemeticMutation often joked]] to be an ahoge by the fandom.
260	* The (canon) female Reyva from ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' has a large one, although she's not particularly stupid.
261	* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'''s Medic has a prominent curl in his hair, although it kind of looks like he styled his hair that way on purpose (it pulls double duty to cover for an obviously retreating hairline and to evoke that Superman look). It's even [[JigglePhysics jiggleboned]] in "Meet the Medic". He's intelligent, but that doesn't mean he knows what he's doing.
262	* In ''VideoGame/PokerNight2'', [[Franchise/EvilDead Ash]] has this, too. It's also jiggleboned.
263	* Cole from ''VideoGame/WorldsDawn'' has one. He's not stupid, but he ''is'' a rather free-spirited artist.
264	* ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'':
265	** Kanata, of the "unusual" variety.
266	** Tori, reflecting his childish nature.
267	** Sora, reflecting a childish personality and also possibly reflecting on his intelligence.
268	* The eponymous protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{SUGURI}}'' has an ahoge on her hair, although unlike the others on this list she is most certainly ''not'' stupid, making this a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]].
269	** Saki from the same game also sports one.
270	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Both Mario and Luigi sport matching cowlicks under their hats, fitting their silly and cartoonish natures.
271	* Emilie from ''VideoGame/CrossCode'' has one, though with her only being seen as an avatar it’s difficult to tell if she actually has this hairstyle. Her theme is even the [[ForeignLanguageTitle French]], ''Valse d’Ahoge'', a.k.a ''Waltz of Ahoge''.
272	* Elphelt Valentine from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''. She is a CuteClumsyGirl who often [[FemininityFailure tries and fails to be traditionally feminine]]. She also goes around [[LoveFreak proposing marriages]] to [[ExtremeOmnisexual everyone she meets]], even those who clearly are not interested.
273	[[/folder]]
274
275	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
276	* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
277	** Ini Miney [[https://aceattorney.fandom.com/wiki/File:Ini-Nervous-1-HD.gif when she takes off her hat]] in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll''.
278	** [[VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney Apollo]] takes pride in his horn-shaped hair on his forehead that he styles every morning. Other characters often take note of it, and it's {{Parodied}} in ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]'' when Jinxie Tenma think's he's a demon because of his hair.
279	*** When she takes off her hat, Trucy also has a similar pair on top of her hair, but it's {{Downplayed}}. Makes sense, since [[spoiler: they are siblings.]]
280	** [[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth Yumihiko Ichiyanagi]] (Sebastian Debeste in the FanTranslation) has a question-mark curl on his hair. It even [[ExpressiveHair changes into an exclamation point shape when he's surprised!]] Like Apollo, WordOfGod says that it's not natural either; he styles it that way every morning.
281	** Phoenix Wright himself developed an ahoge in ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]''.
282	* Saber in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. A non-indicative one for the most part, but for God's sake don't make her remove it [[Anime/CarnivalPhantasm like what Gilgamesh did]]; [[spoiler:she'll turn into [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Saber Alter]]]].
283	** ''Roleplay/FateNuovoGuerra'' seems to have made this a family trait of sorts. Her 'son' has it, and so does her father (both are summoned as Saber-class Servants too). The latter's profile even lampshades it.
284	** Probably notable, is that due to the serious nature of the series, the canon stories themselves never points out her ahoge; however, like [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Akiha's]] small bust size, the fandom likes to play with it.
285	** Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' in the "Saber Wars" event (which deals with Saber trying to deal with her [[OverusedCopycatCharacter various expies]]), where the unique currency is "Artorium", which is just the ahoge common for all Saber-knockoffs.
286	* From ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'', both Sekai Saionji, whose ahoge pretty much speaks for the entire cast, and Makoto Ito have one. Sekai's is larger and much more noticeable, and Makoto's is on the back of his head.
287	%%* Jun Kitagawa from ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}''.
288	%%* The male protagonist from ''VisualNovel/{{Kimihagu}}'' sports one of these.
289	%%* Yukine Miyazawa from ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' has the physical aspect of ahoge.
290	* Hisao, the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' has a prominent ahoge. His personality does not correspond with his hairstyle, however.
291	* In ''VisualNovel/KiraKira'', both Kirari, and the crosdressing Shikanosuke have one.
292	* HandicappedBadass Snake, from ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' is a massive subversion. He's certainly the most intelligent of the characters, particularly book-smarts-wise.
293	* Orpha and Aselia in ''VisualNovel/AseliaTheEternalTheSpiritOfEternitySword''. The first is a genki girl loli driven entirely by id and the latter is an EmotionlessGirl CloudCuckoolander with a questionable grasp of reason when her character gets flashed out.
294	* In ''Eroge! Sex and Games Make Sexy Games'', Nene, the [[OlderThanTheyLook (tiny)]] president of the main Eroge company, has a droopy one.
295	%%* Rika from [=ClockUp=]'s ''Euphoria'' has one of these.
296	* ''VisualNovel/MajikoiLoveMeSeriously'' has at least three: [[DumbMuscle Momoyo]], [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Koyuki]], and [[SleepyHead Tatsuko]].
297	* Komari from ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' has one and is the [[WideEyedIdealist naive]] type.
298	* ''VisualNovel/YoJinBo'' has Bo, whose hair is otherwise sleek and well-behaved, except for one strand that always hangs in his face. However, he's arguably one of the smarter guys.
299	* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'''s Sakazaki Yuuya's faux-human appearance comes with ''two'' ahoges. He's far from stupid, but rather easygoing and flirtatious, and kind of the ButtMonkey. In the manga, he seems unhappy about getting one to help differentiate him from the other two white fantail doves.
300	* The ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' series loves to gives its protagonists this. Started off by [[Characters/DanganronpaMakotoNaegi Makoto Naegi]] in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'', it's continued by the main characters of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' and ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', [[AmnesiacHero Hajime Hinata]] and Kaede Akamatsu [[spoiler:and [[DecoyProtagonist later]], Shuichi Saihara, who keeps it under his hat,]] have it as well. It's become so synonymous with the role that it becomes outright symbolic as the series goes on, noticeably in ''VideoGame/UltraDespairGirls'' where Makoto's younger sister Komaru - briefly appearing in the first game with normal hair - has become the protagonist and suddenly sprouted one, also true for returning character and {{Deuteragonist}} [[spoiler:Touko Fukawa]] (though in the latter case it doubles as part of her new disheveled appearance), and in V3 [[spoiler:the aforementioned Shuichi only removes his cap and makes his idiot hair visible after he takes up the protagonist mantle for good]]. In ''Literature/DanganronpaZero'', Ryoko Otonashi lacks one but Yasuke Matsuda has it, and in ''Manga/KillerKiller,'' Takumi Hijirihara sports it as well.
301	** Though this isn't ''entirely'' exclusive to protagonists of the series, with Nagito Komaeda in ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' sporting one among his absurd bedhead, likely to further his resemblance to the aforementioned Makoto. [[spoiler:He also briefly becomes playable during Chapter 4's investigation, and he does still serve as one of the most prominent characters in the story.]] Taken further in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', in which [[AmnesiacHero Rantaro Amami]], [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots K1-B0]], and [[GadgeteerGenius Miu]] all sport prominent ahoges. [[spoiler:The former two turn out to be more than a coincidence with some of the endgame reveals regarding the killing game's [[ImmoralRealityShow true nature]]. Rantaro is a survivor and possible protagonist of the 52nd killing game, while K1-B0 is the audience-controlled in-show protagonist of the 53rd, aka ''Danganronpa V3''. K1-B0's idiot hair also turns out to be a {{Justified Trope}} which takes the trend of the "protagonist hair" to its logical conclusion, by doubling as an antenna that allows the audience of the killing game to control his actions through user polls.]]
302	** Naturally, the trend is lampshaded and parodied several times throughout the series, such as in certain conversations in Ultra Despair Girls, and in a chalkboard Easter egg in V3 featuring [[BigBad Monokuma]] sporting a ludicrously large one while asking “Can I be the protagonist now?”. It’s as funny as it sounds.
303	* Averted in the fangame ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaAnother'': despite being the protagonist, Yuki Maeda lacks an ahoge. Why? [[spoiler:[[TheKillerInMe He was the villain all along.]]]]
304	* Yukino in ''VisualNovel/MyGirlfriendIsThePresident'' has a rather large one AND a smaller one ''right next to it''. It pulls double duty as ExpressiveHair as well.
305	* Asaga has a large ahoge in ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}} [[HighschoolAU Academy]]'', which occasionally acts as ExpressiveHair and emphasizes her ditzy, GenkiGirl personality. Her main universe counterpart, who is not a ditz and originally did not have an ahoge, gains a small one thanks to ArtEvolution in ''Sunrider Liberation Day'' (though it’s inconsistently applied; it shows up in the [=CGs=], but not on her sprites).
306	* In ''VisualNovel/TrianthologySanmenkyouNoKuniNoAlice'', all students (and non-students) we ever see on-screen [[InvertedTrope except for one]] in ''Academy Love Adventure'' have one. Starting with the main character Ibito, his friend Hidaka, Ichou, and the girls Noriha, Yukina, Hinata, Hinako, Miho, and Karen.
307	* ''VisualNovel/TheFruitOfGrisaia'': Michiru has one of these, which corresponds well with her equally [[TheDitz ditzy]] personality, Yuuji manages to convince Michiru that her idiot hair, which he calls Charlie, is cat repellant, as it turns out, it's quite the [[HeadPet opposite]].
308	[[/folder]]
309
310	[[folder:Web Animation]]
311	* ''WebAnimation/BeeAndPuppycat's'' Bee has one of these.
312	* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': Russell has a curly one under his hat.
313	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Penny has a single curl of hair sticking upwards from the top of her head. She is an awkward person with a strange way of talking and poor social skills. She latches onto Ruby when Ruby says 'see you around, friend', nobody having ever called her 'friend' before. [[spoiler:She's a very high-quality and classified combat robot.]]
314	[[/folder]]
315
316	[[folder:Webcomics]]
317	* ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo'': Izzy Pritchard's HypercompetentSidekick Renee has a big cowlick that sticks up like an antennae, as a way to reflect her fastidious and occasionally mischeivious personality not that she's an idiot. In fact, ItRunsInTheFamily since her [[TheShrink mother]] and [[ApatheticClerk younger sister]] share the same hairdo.
318	* PlayedForLaughs in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' in an interlude where Agatha tries to bring her three idiot hairs from the top of her head [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20131023 under control]] with increasingly [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20131025 violent and crazy]] means.
319	* ''Webcomic/MedicPics'': The artist has a noticeable spike on top on his afro hair. His Student and Artist [[LiteralSplitPersonality split personalities]] also do, in the shape of an 'S' and an 'A' respectively.
320	* ''Webcomic/MenageA3'', having a manga-influenced art style, uses this visual motif occasionally, but apparently mostly to indicate surprise rather than stupidity or weirdness, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/sure-does-clean-up-nice as here.]]
321	%%* ''Webcomic/{{Miamaska}}'' might as well be called Amity and the Perpetual Cowlick.
322	%%* Webcomic/{{Minus}}, the titular [[RealityWarper omnipotent]] little girl from the [[http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus1.html webcomic of the same name]] hosted on Website/KiwisByBeat.
323	%%* ME-tan, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS-tan OS-tan]] AnthropomorphicPersonification of [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows ME]].
324	* Most characters in ''Webcomic/KnowledgeIsPower'', with the exception of those whose hair is too uniformly short (like Colin) or long (like David) for it to make any sense. This extends to Ironychan's other webcomics as well, although it wasn't as obvious in ''Webcomic/GetMedieval''.
325	* The main character of ''Webcomic/TwoKinds'', [[http://2kinds.com/characters.htm Trace Legacy]], who also has blue hair! This character fits the exception of the rule in that he's not technically stupid. It's humored at in [[http://twokinds.deviantart.com/art/Minikinds-Haircut-96172022 this picture]] that it's the source of his magical powers.
326	%%* [[NaiveNewcomer A-san]] from ''Webcomic/OverlordAcademy''.
327	* The titular character of ''Webcomic/{{Kurami}}'' has a fairly prominent cowlick. She's not an idiot, per se, but she ''is'' only a few months old.
328	* Quite common in ''Webcomic/FiyoraNya'', with Ayako and Kyuuke probably being the most obvious examples.
329	* While it isn't on a specific character, the website Gaia Online has an equippable avatar item known as the Idiot Hair (specifically modeled after the Hetalia ahoges).
330	%%* Baxter's hair from ''Webcomic/{{Sins}}'' [[http://sincomics.com/index.php?1349 does this.]]
331	* Irya from ''Webcomic/BitsFair'' has a giant idiot hair sticking out, in addition to having a hairstyle that looks like a pattypan.
332	* Matt from ''Webcomic/WhiteDarkLife'' has a large crescent of hair sticking out from the top of his head. According to supplementary materials, it actually saps up some of his intelligence sometimes.
333	** Two of his children, Saru and Ne, also have [[StrongFamilyResemblance his exact hairstyle]], though Ne purposefully tries to copy it.
334	* Queen Juno from ''Webcomic/PrincessChroma'' has a single green lock that hangs in front of her face, usually subtly [[http://princesschroma.thecomicseries.com/comics/213 but exaggerated when she's hurried and unkempt.]] Subverted in the sense that Juno is far from stupid, though she is more laid back than the other royals.
335	* Several ''Webcomic/{{Consolers}}'' characters have these, like [[NotSoAboveItAll Sony]], Square Enix and [[SmallNameBigEgo Apple]]. But like some ''[[Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers Hetalia]]'' characters does [[StringyHairedGhostGirl Atari]] have a floating one.
336	* Astyr Kaedermos from ''Webcomic/{{Sombulus}}'' has a perpetual bent strand of hair sticking out.
337	* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': Melon, an [[ArtificialIntelligence AI]] whose personal oddities are a regular topic of discussion among her friends, has a single upwards-pointing tuft in the middle of her green hair. In one case, it's initially absent but reappears after she snorts the robotic equivalent of a GargleBlaster. In another strip, when she gets refitted with longer hair after a fire-related accident, Faye and Bubbles discuss how something's not right about it but they can't quite work out what, until it "poings" up.
338	-->'''Melon''': Ooh, my wifi signal just got stronger!\
339	'''Bubbles''': Fascinating.
340	* ''Webcomic/ImTheGrimReaper'': Scarlet has one, and while she isn't ''stupid'', per se, she is noted to be a little dense at times, especially when it comes to people.
341	* Se-Eun Ham from ''Webcomic/SurvivingRomance'' has one. Fittingly she's known to be extremely gullible.
342	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Outrageous Apple, the [[TheGadfly smug jokester]] member of Team Outrageous, has a small tuft of her bright red hair perpetually sticking out to the side. As a result, her hairstyle ends up [[AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance rather appropriately]] resembling an apple, with the ahoge as its "stem".
343	[[/folder]]
344
345	[[folder:Web Original]]
346	* While the [[VirtualYouTuber V-tuber]] [[Characters/VShojoEnglishIronmouse Ironmouse]] often changes her models, nearly all of them (even the most adult/realistic ones) have a strand of hair sticking up that forms an incomplete heart shape.
347	[[/folder]]
348
349	[[folder:Western Animation]]
350	* Rudy Tabootie from ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone'' has one, but he's more BookDumb and naïve than actually stupid.
351	* Something of an inversion: ''everyone'' in ''WesternAnimation/CyberSix'' has huge, thick forelocks of hair which are perpetually hanging in front of their faces. If you started selling hairpins in Meridiana, you could probably make millions.
352	* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' short "Li'l Griffins", Quagmire gets one for the rest of the episode in a SomethingElseAlsoRises moment after seeing Lois.
353	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': While not an idiot, but just a baby, Poof has one dark violet idiot hair that [[MagicHair grows back a few seconds after it is trimmed]].
354	* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': Dib's is [[http://obsessedwithzim.webs.com/photos/Zim/dib-pointing.jpg a borderline example]], but he's not stupid... relatively.
355	* Luan Loud from ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' actually has ''two'' strands of idiot hair, though she's less stupid and more so a PluckyComicRelief.
356	* In the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original]] {{animesque}} version of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' Marinette had a large, expressive idiot hair on her head. When the cartoon was switched to an AllCGICartoon they removed it.
357	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'': Beast Boy has one hair that perpetually sticks out even when he makes the effort to gel his hair down to look dapper.
358	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Cowlicks are a trademark feature in the Pines.
359	* Penny Proud from ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily'' actually sports a small bit of hair sticking up in her hairdo.
360	* In ''WesternAnimation/PuppyDogPals'', Bingo and Rolly's owner, Bob, has a cowlick, most of which sticks up in the front of his head, fitting his rather eccentric, excitable and goofy personality. He is far from being an idiot, as he is very smart, being a successful inventor and creative industrial product designer.
361	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', the Golden Guard has one of these under his mask, though unlike most examples it’s a bit wavy. It seems to be a familial feature, as it’s shared with [[spoiler:both the man he was cloned off of and that man’s brother (when he was younger), who Hunter knows as his uncle, Emperor Belos.]] He’s actually very book smart, but has no concept of how to interact with people outside of a mission context.
362	[[/folder]]
363
364	[[folder:Real Life]]
365	* While one's hair doesn't have an affect on one's intelligence in real life, notorious crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried [[InvokedTrope deliberately tried to cultivate]] idiot hair in an attempt to play up the trope of an AbsentMindedProfessor or DitzyGenius to get people to buy into his scheme. [[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/business/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-crypto.html He has been quoted]] as saying "I honestly think it’s negative EV for me to cut my hair. I think it’s important for people to think I look crazy". [[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/30/sbf-testifies-ftx-trial-crypto-day-3 This approach was heavily scrutinized]] during his trial, with prosecutors even examining his attempts at using idiot hair to craft a folksy non-threatening persona.
366	[[/folder]]
367

Context Main / IdiotHair