Anime fans will be well-acquainted with the ahoge, the little strand of hair that sticks straight up from a character's head. The literal translation of ahoge is "foolish hair," and for some characters it's a natural part of their hair. There's no styling involved, though you'd imagine that it's otherwise, as the lick of hair completely disobeys the laws of physics.
The ahoge is often used to signify a carefree or mischievous character, and makes them look just a little cuter. Some of anime's most well-known and beloved characters sport the strand, fromLove, Chunibyou, and other Delusions'Rikka Takanashi to Bakemonogatari's Koyomi Araragi and evenFate/stay night's Saber.The ahoge is everywhere you look in anime, but what is it?
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The ahoge usually lies atop a female character's head, but it's fairly popular with male characters, such as Koyomi Araragi, as well. It's not hard to see how Araragi deserves the ahoge, what with his extremely laid-back attitude. But, to make it better, his ahoge is incredibly expressive, twitching with his emotions and even forming kanji characters. The trope -- much like characters who always have their eyes closed or lift shining glasses with a single finger -- instantly signifies to the audience what this character is like.
Many attribute the ahoge's rise due to the massive popularity ofLove Hina, a wildly popular harem series of the 2000s. The brainchild of Ken Akamatsu, much ofLove Hina'scasthad two stands of hair that stuck up from the hair and curved forward — ahoge if there ever were any. Others attribute the cowlick's popularity to Himeko Katagiri fromPani Poni Dash, whose curly, expressive ahoge became iconic of the character.
But those series are justthe beginning.Mangaka Kagami Yoshimizu would create the belovedLucky Star, which would sell out its first volume so quickly that publisher Kadokawa Shotenhad to do a rush reprint. Its anime adaptation would remain faithful and featured the mischievous Konata Izumi with the same overly-long ahoge she had in the manga, bouncing about in all of its moe glory.
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Over the next decade, the ahoge featured in more and more anime and manga. From the clumsy Rikka Takanashi fromLove, Chunibyou, and other Delusionsto Haruna fromKorezom, anime characters and their popularity would thrive on the traits of clumsiness that the ahoge represented. However, Saber, ofFate series fame, presents something of an ahoge anomaly. Artoria Pendragon is rarely represented as a carefree character, and true to her position as a king at war with other Servants, she's often found in deadly battle or indeep discussion with her allies, putting her at odds with the hair on her very own head.
Fans of the Fate franchise might remember that Fate/stay nightisn't an anime original, and was actually first adapted from avisual novel. The source material featured Saber as a more open character with two key traits: a massive appetite and a charming naiveté ofmodern world. In the novel's sequels,Saber's cuter side has more time to shine, making her ahoge more appropriate.Interestingly, inCarnival Phantasm, Saber actually yanks it off transform into her evil counterpartSaber Alter,who's all business.
The ahoge isn't always present in anime, but it's certainly a trope to look out for. Next time you see that little strand of hair popping out alone from a character's head, you'll know exactly what it means.
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