The whole point of the trope is that the hair comes undone during a fight (or an other action scene). This is to show how intense the fight is and that the character is not completly in controll of the situation or themself (and yes it is fanservice).
If the hair is let down by the character themself it has an other feeling. And using your hairpin to hang on a cliff sound like a cool act of someone completly in controll of the situation.
I don't think it matters who does it, the character herself or the enemy.
The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.I don't see how it rules out ponytails made by pins, which can be used to make a done up hairstyle that comes lose if you just pull the pin out.
The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.I can't find any line that suggests that in the description.
The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.
Hey, the definition DID set the parameters. So if a shark is drawn with hair, and the hair did this, it would fit this trope.
The point is the parameters actually stated don't exclude why the hair is undone.
edited 5th Feb '12 2:45:41 PM by DragonQuestZ
I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.If you want to show characters who are in complete control of a fight, much stronger as the opponent and level headed you can show it by having them every hair of their fancy hairdo in place after the fight. The connection is untouched hair-no problem.
If you want to show characters who a facing a strong opponent, who have a hard time during the fight, have to give them all, who maybe even lose then you can refelect this by the hairdo getting undone. By this you show that the characters are looing the control over the situation as they are losing control over the hair. The hair is a powerful visual shortcut for this kind of situation. The fanservice is more a bonuspoint and should't be that much the focus of the description
If you include every instance letting hair down to the trope you water it down.
Well, the Azula example that brought this up would still follow that definition. In that scene, she was defeated. The only thing that saved her was that she pulled out the pin in her hair to use as a Blade Brake.
The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.Hm. Azula is pretty smug in that scene, but she is just the epitome of this trope in the finale...
Regardless, that's a ton of spoiler.
Anywho, Katara, as she starts losing
◊ and after she's pretty much lost
◊.

It gives no indication that the hair was done up before. Just pairing it with a picture of Azula's hair up woul be the simple solution, but of course there are others.
I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.