Pigtails are one of anime’s most enduring hairstyles, and not just on little kids. Two bundles of hair tied off on either side of the head, usually called twintails, have become shorthand for a certain kind of spirited, scrappy energy.
The best anime characters with pigtails run from fierce tsunderes to gentle healers, spanning every kind of show and anime genre.
These are the girls who wear the look best.
The Most Iconic Anime Characters With Pigtails
Popura Taneshima (Working!!)
Popura Taneshima is the tiny, energetic waitress of the comedy Working, forever bustling around the Wagnaria family restaurant. Her reddish pigtails only make her look younger, which is a sore spot she never quite gets over.
- A pint-sized server at the Wagnaria restaurant
- Reddish-brown pigtails
- Cheerful and eager, but touchy about her height
My take: the most underrated pick here, and her tiny-but-mighty energy makes the pigtails work double.
Aoba Suzukaze (NEW GAME!)
Aoba Suzukaze is the wide-eyed lead of NEW GAME, a fresh high-school graduate landing her first job at a video game studio. Her sky-blue pigtails bounce along with her endless enthusiasm.
- A rookie character designer at a game company
- Bright sky-blue pigtails
- Eager, earnest, and easily starstruck
My read: her tails are basically the mascot of the whole cozy workplace-anime wave.
Melty Melromarc (The Rising of the Shield Hero)
Melty starts The Rising of the Shield Hero as a minor figure before growing into a key player. Her chest-length blue hair sits in two curly pigtails tied with blue ribbons, which makes her look even younger than she is.
- The second princess and rightful heir to the throne of Melromarc
- Curly blue pigtails fastened with blue ribbons
- A skilled water mage, mature beyond her years
- Kind to commoners and demi-humans alike
Where I land: the ribboned curls are adorable, but the water magic is what makes her stick.
Silica (Sword Art Online)
Silica is one of the friendlier faces in the deadly game of Sword Art Online, a young beast tamer who ties her light brown hair into pigtails with red ribbons. The look suits her cheerful, slightly babyish charm.
- A young beast tamer trapped inside Sword Art Online
- Light brown pigtails tied with red ribbons
- Petite, kind, and braver than she looks
- A loyal member of Kirito’s circle of friends
My take: proof that a good pigtail-and-pet combo can quietly steal an entire arc.
Kagura (Gintama)
Kagura brings the chaos in the comedy-action series Gintama as one third of the Yorozuya odd-jobs trio. Her orange-red hair sits in two buns with long trailing tails, a look as bold as her personality.
- The scrappy young member of the Yorozuya trio
- Orange-red hair in buns with trailing pigtails
- Superhuman strength and a bottomless appetite
- Loud, blunt, and fiercely loyal
My read: the bun-and-tails look is as loud and unforgettable as she is.
Maka Albarn (Soul Eater)
Maka Albarn is the determined heroine of the action series Soul Eater, a young meister training at the Death Weapon Meister Academy. Her tidy pigtails are practically part of her uniform.
- A driven, bookish meister at the DWMA
- Sandy-blonde hair in neat pigtails
- Brave, stubborn, and fiercely loyal to her friends
My take: neat, no-nonsense pigtails for a heroine who is all business, and they fit her perfectly.
Noelle Silva (Black Clover)
Noelle Silva is the royal water mage of Black Clover, a teenage Magic Knight with long silver hair worn in pigtails and a stubborn bang down the middle. The cute style hides a serious amount of firepower.
- A royal-born Magic Knight in Black Clover
- Long silver hair in pigtails
- Powerful water magic she struggles to control at first
- Proud on the surface, soft-hearted underneath
My read: those long silver tails might be the most elegant set on this whole list.
Tohsaka Rin (Fate/stay night)
Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night is a brilliant young mage and one of the Masters competing in the Holy Grail War. Her long black pigtails, tied off with red ribbons, are as polished as the rest of her.
- A talented mage and Master in the Fate series
- Long black hair in twin pigtails with red ribbons
- Cool and composed in public, fiercely competitive underneath
- A fan-favorite tsundere
My take: if you had to teach someone what an anime twintail is, you would just point at Rin.
Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)
Usagi Tsukino, better known as Sailor Moon, leads the Sailor Guardians, and her bun-and-tails hairstyle is iconic across the whole magical girl anime genre. No pigtails in anime are more recognizable than hers.
- A clumsy schoolgirl who becomes a legendary guardian
- Long blonde hair in twin tails flowing from round buns
- The face of magical-girl anime for over 30 years
- Goofy and tearful, but brave when it counts
My take: the odango buns are not just iconic, they are the blueprint every twintail heroine since has borrowed from.
Anime Pigtails: A Few Facts Worth Knowing
A handful of extras for the twintail fans:
- The word “pigtail” had nothing to do with hair at first. Back in the 1600s it meant a tightly twisted roll of chewing tobacco that looked like a curly pig’s tail.
- In Japan, side-by-side pigtails are called “twintails,” and the look is so beloved it has its own holiday. The Japan Twintail Association named February 2 official Twintail Day.
- One of the earliest twin-tailed anime heroines was Akko-chan from the 1960s magical-girl series Himitsu no Akko-chan, so the style has been an anime staple for over half a century.
From a scythe-swinging meister to the queen of the magical girls, the best anime characters with pigtails prove one simple thing: two tails can carry a whole personality.
So who is your favorite pigtailed heroine?
Drop a comment with your pick, and the best shouts might headline the next update.
Anime Boys Who Rock Pigtails
1. Nagisa Shiota – Assassination Classroom – Male, androgynous, twin pigtails – Sexuality: not confirmed – One of the most recognizable anime boys with pigtails, and the hairstyle fits his soft but deadly personality perfectly.
2. Hime Arikawa – Himegoto – Male, femboy, crossdresser, red-ribbon pigtails – Sexuality: not fully confirmed, straight-coded in parts – A cute pink-haired anime boy who wears pigtails and a schoolgirl uniform as part of the show’s comedy setup.
3. Mariya Shidou – Maria Holic – Male, crossdresser, long blonde pigtails – Sexuality: not confirmed – A sharp, pretty, and manipulative crossdressing boy who easily passes as a girl at an all-girls school.
4. Aoi Hyoudou – Maid Sama! – Male, femboy, crossdresser, idol-style pigtail look – Sexuality: not confirmed – Aoi loves cute fashion and presents as a famous online idol, making him one of the more memorable feminine anime boys.
5. Hideri Kanzaki – Blend S – Male, femboy, crossdresser, cute idol style – Sexuality: not confirmed – Hideri is not always shown with full pigtails, but he fits the femboy anime style perfectly with his ribbons, cute outfits, and idol personality.
6. Souji Mitsuka / Tail Red – Gonna Be the Twin-Tail!! – Male in normal form, gender-bender magical warrior in transformed form – Sexuality: straight-coded, not the main focus – His whole anime is built around the love of twintails, making him an obvious pick for this list.
7. Gasper Vladi – High School DxD – Male, femboy, crossdressing dhampir, soft vampire-boy look – Sexuality: not confirmed – A shy feminine boy with vampire traits, cute styling, and a very timid personality.
8. Astolfo – Fate/Apocrypha – Male, androgynous, femboy, long braid and ribboned hairstyle – Sexuality: often read as bisexual or pansexual, but anime romance is not the main focus – Not classic pigtails, but he is one of the most famous femboy-style anime characters.
9. Felix Argyle / Ferris – Re:Zero – Male, catboy, femboy, ribboned feminine styling – Sexuality: not confirmed – More pigtail-adjacent than true pigtails, but he fits well for fans looking for feminine anime boys.
10. Hitoshi Sugoroku – Nanbaka – Male, soft cute look, pigtail hairstyle – Sexuality: not confirmed – A minor but memorable pick because his pigtails stand out in a show already full of wild anime hairstyles.
11. Mikaze Ai – Uta no Prince-sama – Male idol, pretty-boy style, side ponytail or side pigtail look – Sexuality: not confirmed – His blue hair and soft idol design make him a good pigtail-adjacent pick.
12. Buggy – One Piece – Male villain, clown pirate, twin pigtail hairstyle – Sexuality: not confirmed – Not a femboy at all, but his ridiculous pigtail look is iconic and instantly recognizable.
13. Abdullah – One Piece – Male villain, low pigtails, rough fighter style – Sexuality: not confirmed – A funny contrast because he wears pigtails in a much rougher, more rugged way.
14. Mr. Tatsumi – Shiki – Male supernatural antagonist, pigtail-adjacent hair tufts – Sexuality: not confirmed – His hairstyle is not traditional pigtails, but the twin hair shape gives him a memorable demon-like look.
15. Tao Ren – Shaman King – Male, single pigtail or queue hairstyle – Sexuality: straight in later story material – A classic anime boy with a sharp single pigtail style and a serious, intense personality.
16. Kaguya Arikawa – Himegoto – Male, femboy, crossdresser, cute feminine styling – Sexuality: not confirmed – Hime’s younger brother also fits the crossdressing anime boy category and has a playful feminine presentation.
17. Hiro Toyotomi – Himegoto – Male, crossdresser, maid-style feminine look – Sexuality: gay or BL-coded through his relationship with Mitsunaga – More femboy than pigtail-focused, but still useful if you want LGBTQ+ anime boys with feminine styling.
18. Mitsunaga Oda – Himegoto – Male, crossdresser, feminine school look – Sexuality: gay or BL-coded through his relationship with Hiro – A good extra pick if you want more queer or BL-adjacent crossdressing anime boys.