Best Anime Girls With Red Hair

One of anime’s most enduring and defining tropes is using unusual hair colors. Whether it’s a high fantasy epic or a mundane school life setting, we can always count on seeing someone with bright blue, purple, or other bizarre colors in their hair. These hair colors are usually natural, too – no hair dye necessary.

Among the various hair colors depicted in anime, red hair is among the more realistic options. While there are plenty of exceptions, red-haired characters tend to be hot-headed and reckless. Here are some female redheaded anime characters that nearly every fan of anime will recognize.

Updated August 22, 2025, by Mark Sammut: Red-haired anime girls are, once again, shining. Summer 2025 has Sakamoto Days’ Lu Shaotang, Rent-A-Girlfriend’s Sumi, Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex’s Marie, Bad Girls’ Atori, and Solo Camping for Two’s Shizuku, and that is not an exhaustive list. Except for Lu, who is not too many people’s favorite Sakamoto Days character, none of the Summer 2025 figures seem like candidates to be mentioned among the greatest of all time.

Meanwhile, Fall 2025 is about to start, and it includes a couple of anime women with red hair. Ranma needs no introduction, but characters like Pass the Monster Meat, Milady’s Melphiera and Let’s Play’s Samara might leave long-lasting impressions.

We’ve added two more popular characters to the list: Stella and Emi.

40

Stephanie Dola

No Game, No Life

• Japanese VA: Yōko Hikasa

OK, “iconic” does not necessarily mean universally loved. No Game, No Life‘s Stephanie Dola tends to be polarizing, although I would argue that this divide is not her fault but rather due to her fanservice-driven role. Still, the anime is among the most popular in the isekai genre, and Steph is effectively its secondary protagonist after the NEET siblings. She introduces Sora and Shiro to Disboard’s rules, races, and culture, along with serving as a comedy relief throughout pretty much the entire series. During Sora and Shiro’s games against god, Steph does not contribute all that much, but she is usually there for moral support, which is something.

No Game, No Life‘s most divisive aspect is its fanservice, and Steph is pretty much the central figure. Due to so many of her scenes going down this route, she does start to come across as if titillation is her main reason for existing. I mean, she still has her good moments.

39

Stella Vermillion

Chivalry of a Failed Knight

• Japanese VA: Shizuka Ishigami

By most metrics, Chivalry of a Failed Knight is a run-of-the-mill magic academy anime. It features a powerful male protagonist, Ikki, who is generically kind and just all-around good without any major weaknesses, and his main partner is a super-popular girl who starts as his enemy. Stella Vermillion‘s first big moment is about as stereotypical as they come, as Ikki walks in on her while she is changing; naturally, she does not react well to the situation. She is also a tsundere, an archetype that tends to be very, very divisive.

Despite consisting of so many clichés, Stella comes out of the other side in one piece. In fact, she is surprisingly likable and charming, although it takes a couple of episodes for her to really shine. She is strong but open to self-reflection, and her tsundere act is primarily played for laughs and mostly results in self-inflicted misery. Like the series in general, Stella is way better than she should be.

38

Emi Yusa

The Devil is a Part-Timer!

• Japanese VA: Yōko Hikasa

The Devil is a Part-Timer was one of the most beloved anime of the 2010s, particularly within the isekai genre. The world spent years anticipating a sequel, which finally happened in 2022. Sadly, season 2 struggled hard to live up to its predecessor, arguably to the point of actively diminishing the latter. Part of that has to do with a drop in animation quality, but the storytelling is just not as interesting or fun as the first season. Almost immediately, Sadao and Emi adopt a child, who ends up being a pretty boring addition to the overall story.

Season 2’s existence decreased the appeal of nearly every The Devil is a Part-Timer character, but the core heroes are just about inherently likable enough to avoid being completely ruined. As the hero who wants to kill the demon lord, Emi is initially introduced as an antagonist, but she quickly becomes a secondary protagonist who is mostly just trying to do right by her responsibilities. She is strong, determined, and willing to compromise. She also works well as a straight (wo)man to counter the show’s comedy, especially in season 1.

37

Grelle Sutcliff

Black Butler

• Japanese VA: Jun Fukuyama

I went back and forth on whether to include Black Butler‘s Grelle Sutcliff, just because her status as a grim reaper means she is way, way older than 30. Heck, we could even argue that she cannot be described as a “woman” since that is a human concept, and she is a supernatural being that goes beyond those types of classifications.

Yet, how can I not mention Grelle? She is absolutely awesome, a force of chaos in a series filled with characters driven by a desperate desire to satisfy their ego and push away their eternal boredom and hunger. Assisting Angelina Dalles, who is Jack the Ripper, Grelle is mostly presented as a rival/antagonist to Sebastian and Ciel, although she rarely provides a helping hand. Grelle is powerful, hilarious, unpredictable, and has an impeccable fashion sense. Really, the full package.

36

Risa Koizumi

Lovely Complex

• Japanese VA: Akemi Okamura

A shojo anime classic, Lovely Complex tells the mostly comedic love story between the taller-than-average Risa and the shorter-than-average Atsushi. Risa drives their relationship forward the most, as she develops a crush on Atsushi and makes it her mission to convince him that they would make a good couple.

While the male lead carries his own, Risa is by far Lovely Complex‘s best character, as she is a three-dimensional figure who comes across as a typical teenager rather than an idolized version. She is really funny too.

35

Nena Trinity

Gundam 00

• Japanese VA: Rie Kugimiya

Initially, Nena Trinity and her brothers seemed like welcome allies for the paramilitary organization Celestial Being, having saved them from certain death in the middle of a battle. However, their thirst for blood and overall viciousness made them a hindrance to the group’s goal, with Nena easily being the worst. Impulsive, selfish, and cruel, Nena was a large part of the reason why the factions of Earth joined together to destroy the Celestial Being.

Though Nena made for an awful ally, she played quite a dangerous villain, especially in the second season. Now operating under Wang Liu Mei, Nena Trinity was a wild card who cared only for herself. She is easily one of the most psychotic Gundam characters, considering she’s up against some fierce competition.

34

Benten

Urusei Yatsura

• Japanese VA: Yuko Mita (1981 series); Shizuka Ishigami (2022 series)

Benten is one of Lum’s many alien friends in Urusei Yatsura, having known her since childhood, along with Oyuki and Ran. She is a member of the Fukujin clan, which often engages in various competitions against Lum’s Oni clan. Despite having a relatively low number of appearances, she is a popular character in the show.

A fiery girl with a biker aesthetic, Benten’s personality matches her bright-red hair. She is easily the most rambunctious troublemaker among Lum’s friends, and while she is certainly a tomboy, she does know how to use her charm to get what she wants. I tend to prefer Benten’s portrayal in the modern remake, but the classic version is also fun.

• 	Urusei Yatsura	Urusei Yatsura
  Release Date	1981-10-14	2022-10-13
  Genres	Romance, Comedy, Sci-Fi	Sci-Fi, Drama, Animation, Romance, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Music
  Studio	Pierrot, Studio Deen	David Production
  Based On	Manga	Manga
  Creator	Rumiko Takahashi	Rumiko Takahashi

33

Kushina Uzumaki

Naruto

• Japanese VA: Emi Shinohara

Kushina Uzumaki is the mother of Naruto, who had already passed by the time the story began. The previous Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails before it was handed over to Naruto, Kushina was once mocked and bullied by her fellow ninja students for her bright red hair, which she paid back with righteous anger. Her hot temper would only be quelled by Minato Namikaze, the man who would eventually become her husband and the Fourth Hokage.

Kushina had very little screentime, appearing only as a spirit to help Naruto gain control of the Nine-Tails. However, she has had a strong and long-lasting impact on the anime’s story, making her a fan favorite in the community.

• 	Naruto	Naruto: Shippuden
  Release Date	2002-10-02	2007-02-15
  Genres	Animation, Action, Adventure	Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
  Studio	Pierrot	Pierrot
  Based On	Manga	Manga
  Creator	Masashi Kishimoto	Masashi Kishimoto
  Streaming Service(s)	Hulu, YouTube, Netflix, Crunchyroll	Hulu, Crunchyroll

32

Kobayashi

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

• Japanese VA: Mutsumi Tamura

Perhaps due to her subdued personality, habitual drinking, or office job, Kobayashi might seem older than she is, but she is only 25 at the beginning of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. Yeah, she is quite young to suddenly find herself taking care of a dragon maid (who has a huge crush on her) and a child dragon (who is relentlessly adorable but also naive). A few drunken situations aside, she tends to take on an almost mature, motherly role, helping Tohru and Kanna to gradually grow accustomed to human society.

Although she is somewhat overshadowed by other characters, Kobayashi is the glue that holds this anime together. She is not only a fantastic comedic foil to counter the other sillier personalities, but she can also be pretty hilarious herself, even if she is not specifically trying to be funny. As far as red-haired anime women are concerned, Kobayashi has her life surprisingly together.

31

Masami Iwasama

Angel Beats

• Japanese VA: Miyuki Sawashiro

Despite featuring prominently in only one episode and disappearing about a quarter of the way through the anime, Masami Iwasama is nevertheless among the more famous Angel Beats characters. Her presence lingers long after she departs the story, to the point that it is felt during the very last scene of the show.

As part of the Afterlife School, Masami is caught in limbo, just like all the other teenagers. Aloof and cool, she is the lead vocalist and guitarist of Girls Dead Monster, a band that supplies most of the best songs in the series. Iwasama’s storyline might be short, but it is among the most important in the series, as she showcases the process that the characters should arguably be going through. She finally reaches acceptance, allowing herself to move on.