Line #38 Main/SamuraiPonytail


1	%% Image replaced per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1579164628093940800
2	%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
3	%%
4	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f0lc8vt_1.png]]]]
5
6	A common physical trait found in {{samurai}} or Japanese nobility is long hair bound up near the back of the head or almost at the top. Generally, this will fall into two categories.
7
8	First, when signifying nobility, it shows that a character is cultured, traditional, and otherwise showing classical Japanese virtues. In this case, the hair will be long, straight, very clean, and neat. Normally, they will be stoic or reserved. Frequently, such a character is also martially adept and it will show in their manner.
9
10	The second way this is used is to simply give a quick cue that someone is a samurai. In theory, samurai are supposed to be noble and cultured as well, but it is not uncommon for them to have their appearance much less cared for presumably due to not having the time or inclination. The hair itself will also frequently be a good deal shorter. In terms of mannerisms, if someone has this second style of hair they will be less clean and organized and are frequently more gruff, down to earth, or aggressive in their attitude.
11
12	In both cases, the hair can be seen as a status symbol. Even a thug samurai has a certain level of social class that they are supposed to uphold.
13
14	Compare SailorsPonytail which is the closest Western equivalent, and HimeCut which is another haircut indicative of status. See also TomboyishPonytail, which can have similar connotations to the second type, and BarbarianLonghair.
15
16	----
17	!!Examples:
18
19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22	* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': As a kendo artist and strict practitioner of modern-day chivalry, Kishika's default hairstyle naturally involves a ponytail.
23	* Kanda Yu from ''Manga/DGrayMan'' sports the tidy kind of samurai ponytail, complete with a katana as a weapon. Turns into a HimeCut when down.
24	* Shuro from ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'' is a samurai, or at least their world's equivalent, and is always seen with his hair up in one of these.
25	* Erza Scarlet from ''Manga/FairyTail'' sports one in her Japanese Cloth outfit.
26	* Kuroh Yatogami from ''Anime/{{K}}'', who is often compared to Kanda. In the movie, he wears it down while he's searching for his master.
27	* ''Manga/LaughingUnderTheClouds'' has Abe no Sosei who, while the story is set during the [[UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration Meiji Era]], comes from a samurai lineage.
28	* ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime1999'' shows that Link has his hair wound like this under his cap, although he's a Western-style swordsman who had the hairstyle even before training with the ninja-esque Impa.
29	* ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'': Most of the samurai do this, though some ninja (including the BigBad Yagyu Retsudo) do not. It becomes a plot point when a woman who seeks revenge on a high-ranking samurai begins killing the samurai's subordinates and then cutting the ponytails off of their dead bodies, an act of supreme disrespect (which could endanger their souls according to the beliefs of the time). This offense draws the high-ranking samurai out and leads him to hunt the woman down, at which point she's able to challenge him to a duel and win.
30	* Signum of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'', TheStoic [[LadyOfWar Belkan knight]] with {{Samurai}}-like mannerisms and fighting style (to the point where [[VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable Levi the Slasher]] [[TheNicknamer nicknames her Bushido]]), wears her hair like this at all times.
31	* Alto Saotome of ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' wears one, due to having a very traditional Japanese upbringing and being the son of a very rich and well-known Kabuki actor. When down, it fits HimeCut more.
32	* Akeno Shiranui from ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'' sports one as well, since she is an honor-bound samurai mermaid inspector. sports a HimeCut when her hair is down.
33	* Yato in ''Manga/{{Noragami}}'' had this in his past, although a very short one. After some arcs, his hair has grown so he keeps it that way again.
34	* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', all the samurai from Wano Country, which is based on feudal Japan, wear their hair in a ponytail, making them easy to recognize. One of them, Kiku, ties her usual HimeCut into a high ponytail in combat.
35	* ''Manga/OutlawStar'': Suzuka is a female Samurai, she keeps her long jet-black hair in a high ponytail.
36	* The main style of Kenshin of ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''. Played with, as he is often considered feminine looking and the historical figure he's based on (Kawakami Gensai) successfully disguised himself as a woman and hid out in a brothel after an assassination at least once.
37	* In the Sailor Stars season of the ''Anime/SailorMoon'' anime, the character Kou Seiya (Sailor Star Fighter) had one of these in his civilian form (secret identity). He had short hair in his female Sailor form.
38	* ''Anime/{{Shinzo}}'': When Mushra, Sago, and Kutal combine into Mushrambo, he has this hairdo to complete his samurai appearance.
39	* ''Manga/ShugoChara'''s Nagihiko wears his long hair in this style [[spoiler: fitting since a) he is actually [[WholesomeCrossdresser Nadeshiko]] and b) he comes from an old, formal household known for traditional dance.]]
40	* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'': Lua wears a ponytail to distinguish him from his twin sister Luca who wears GirlishPigtails instead. The ponytails serve to show that he's masculine. His family is rich too.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Comic Books]]
44	* Both styles appear in ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo''. Usagi himself plays with the trope by using EarsAsHair; obviously his topknot is the second, messy version.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
48	* Creator/AkiraKurosawa displays this trope frequently in his films, especially with characters played by Creator/ToshiroMifune:
49	** In ''Film/SevenSamurai'', all seven feature the short-and-straight version, except the drunken badass portrayed by Mifune, who has a short-and-messy version. Early in the film, the samurai Kambei allows his to be cut off and his head shaved, so he can [[BadHabits disguise himself as a monk]] in order to rescue a child from a kidnapper. This shows that [[ToBeLawfulOrGood he'd rather do the right thing than follow samurai "honor"]].
50	*** The people watching Kambei's haircut are a bit shocked that he's willing to cut his hair.
51	*** The short-and-messy version worn by Mifune's character is the first clue given to the audience that he is not like the others. [[spoiler: He's actually peasant pretending to be a samurai.]]
52	** In the mildly comedic ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' and its more blatantly comedic follow-up ''Film/{{Sanjuro}}'', Mifune is a poor wandering {{ronin}} with a short, scruffy ponytail that sticks straight out of the back of his head.
53	** In ''Film/ThroneOfBlood'', a movie based on ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', Mifune sports a longer and fairly neat one near the top of his head, as a sign of his high rank.
54	* Made a plot point to go along with the deconstruction of the samurai legend in the 1962 film ''Film/{{Harakiri}}''. A warlord and his samurai force a young man to kill himself in the name of honour. [[spoiler: His father-in-law takes his revenge by challenging them to duels and taking their ponytails rather than killing them, forcing them to either commit harakiri themselves or reveal themselves as cowardly bullies.]]
55	* Katsumoto's son, Nobutada, sports one in ''Film/TheLastSamurai''. When the Meiji government passes laws restricting the rights of the Samurai, he is subjected to [[TraumaticHaircut a very undignified public haircut]] by the emperor's guards.
56	* ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'': Unlike other Klingons, who have WildHair, Commander Kruge wears his hair this way.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
60	* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Elnor's hair is bound up in a style distinctly reminiscent of the classical chonmage. He's a Romulan WarriorMonk who chooses to bind his sword (his tan qalanq has an [[KatanasAreJustBetter East Asian design]]) to Picard's quest.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Video Games]]
64	* Hakumen from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' has this type of hair, with a personality mostly befitting the first type. He doesn't stop at simply a samurai, though; [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot he's also a]] [[AnimatedArmor walking suit of armor]].
65	* Befitting a CorporateSamurai, Goro Takemura from ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' wears his hair up in a top knot. Also some of the possible hairstyles for V.
66	* From ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', despite it being in a Chinese setting as per [[Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms the source material]]:
67	** Lu Meng sported this hairstyle until the sixth installment.
68	** Sun Quan sports this hairstyle, after his makeover in ''6''.
69	* Poo from ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'' fits into the first type, being a prince adept at the martial arts. Though he's probably not Japanese -- most likely from a FantasyCounterpartCulture of China or India.
70	* Kanzaki Souma from ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', a very traditional type who speaks with archaic terms and carries a katana everywhere, has this hairstyle to complete his samurai motif.
71	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
72	** Cyan from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has one, also of the first type. Along with a notable mustache, oddly enough.
73	** Pictured above is ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'''s Hien, the samurai heir to the throne of Doma, a FantasyCounterpartCulture to Japan.
74	* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
75	** Yen'fay in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' sports one, fittingly enough, since the [[MasterSwordsman Swordmasters]] in this game resemble samurai, and his home country has strong {{Wutai}} vibes.
76	** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'':
77	*** Takumi sports a particularly long one as well. However, he fits the "nobility" variant more; he's a prince of a nation that has just as strong {{Wutai}} vibes (if not more so) as Yen'fay's.
78	*** Takumi's retainer Hinata is sporting one as well (it's specifically mentioned in supports that he's [[InvokedTrope imitating Takumi]]), and his base class actually is Samurai (the base form of the [[MasterSwordsman Swordmaster]] class in this game).
79	** [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Felix]], canonically promotes into the samurai-inspired [[MasterSwordsman Swordmaster]] and [[MagicKnight Mortal Savant]] classes. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' he wears either a man-bun (Academy Phase) or a SailorsPonytail (War Phase)that are evocative of the trope. His new design in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'' sports a proper one. Unlike previous examples in the series, he has no connection to any FantasyCounterpartCulture of Japan.
80	* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'''s Ayaka Kamisato has the first type of hair, being the noble and graceful daughter of the Kamisato Clan. Kazuha Kaedehara, as a traveling {{ronin}}, has a messier low ponytail, though he is a cultured WarriorPoet as well.
81	* Jin Sakai from ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'' wears one, naturally for a samurai.
82	* Exiled swordsman Yasuo from ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has the second type of hair.
83	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
84	** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'', the villain Byrne has a long ponytail protruding from his otherwise short hair.
85	** Link sports an understated one in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''. You can also give him a more prominent one by wearing the Stealth Armor set traditionally worn by the [[{{Ninja}} Sheikah]] tribe.
86	** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'', Ganondorf's non-mummified form has his long hair tied up in a topknot and ponytail.
87	* [[MyHeroZero Zero]] from ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' combines this trope with long hair, falling into the second type. He retains the look in [[VideoGame/MegaManZero his own series]] even with the ArtShift. [[spoiler:As revealed in ''Zero 3'', his mind is actually inhabiting an allegedly inferior copy of his original body, which is now controlled by an A.I./Cyber Elf personality known as Omega. Naturally, Omega Zero also sports Zero's iconic ponytail.]]
88	* Jetstream Sam of ''Videogame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' wears a ponytail. While he uses a [[VibroWeapon vibro]] katana -- one [[EnhancedArchaicWeapon forged from a 16th-century original]], [[OlderIsBetter making it the best in the world]] -- and is a MasterSwordsman, he's actually Brazilian (of Japanese descent).
89	* Samanosuke from the ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' series has the second type in the first game and his past form in the third game.
90	* ''VideoGame/{{Onmyoji\|2016}}'':
91	** [[HistoricalBeautyUpdate Seimei]] has his MysticalWhiteHair done up in a loose ponytail using ribbons. Being the [[TheStoic stoic]] [[NiceGuy kind-hearted]] [[SilkHidingSteel badass]] he is, he falls into the first category.
92	** Hangan's ponytail is much looser, but he fits the samurai archetype much more. He even uses ''sessha'', a typical first-person pronoun for samurai.
93	* The main character of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'', Flynn, is a samurai of Mikado and sports a long, thin ponytail.
94	* Heishiro Mitsurugi, the {{ronin}} {{samurai}} from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' has the second type of hair.
95	* ''Xeno'' games:
96	** Fei Fong Wong from ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' has one of the most famous examples of this from video games, even though he's a BareFistedMonk.
97	** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'' has Noah wearing one, and this time the samurai aesthetic is more pronounced due to him wielding a sword. Fitting, considering ''3'' is largely a BroadStrokes remake of ''Xenogears''. Especially fitting since [[spoiler: Noah's sword is actually a sheathe for [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Lucky Seven,]] which heavily resembles a samurai's ''uchigatana.'']]
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
101	* Servant Assassin (UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro) in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' fits in well to the first type with his good manners, calm demeanor, and polite speech.
102	* In ''VisualNovel/MuvLuv'', Meiya sports this hair style. While she is merely incredibly wealthy in ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvExtra'' rather than genuine nobility, in ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvUnlimited'' and ''VisualNovel/MuvLuvAlternative'' she is directly related to the shogunate. [[spoiler:Her twin sister Yuuhi, the shogun, also sports this hairstyle.]] The duty and responsibilities come quite naturally to her and she almost seems to fit better in this rather brutal world.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Western Animation]]
106	* Zuko had one in the first season of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender.'' Iroh has something more similar to a topknot. Both of them [[ImportantHaircut cut them off]] after it becomes clear the Fire Nation regards them as traitors. Later on, Zuko adopts a top-knot instead, and this has more or less been his hairstyle in official capacity.
107	* The eponymous ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', naturally. He more closely fits into the first part of the trope. Jack's ponytail is very neat but also very [[CompressedHair compressed]], as frequently it comes [[SlipknotPonytail loose in battle]] and he sports long thick hair that sometimes just comes to his shoulders, sometimes halfway down his back. As of Season Five, however, he no longer ties up his hair, letting it loose into a messy mane. It, along with [[BeardOfSorrow his beard]], shows that he has fallen into a deep, shame-filled depression and it's only after he comes out of it does his hair return to a tight ponytail.
108	* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' reveals in its last story arc that the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas sported a genuine chonmage. And yes, he ''was'' space Asian.
109	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SamuraiPonytail