Animeis revered for its wonderful animation styles, creative visuals, and character designs. These various features assist animation studios and mangaka artists in achieving a desired “viewing” effect that reflects uniqueness and creativity. A suitable illustration isUfotable’s Demon Slayer production. Through the stunning anime adaptation of the manga, viewers witnessed how quality animation can elevate a thrilling storyline.
Amidst tropes and popular designs,white-haired male anime charactershave become quite common. On several occasions, these characters add an interesting narrative due to their distinctiveness. Here is a rundown of some iconic male characters within the world of Japanese animation.
Silver-haired characters will be considered, but grey-haired ones will be left out.
Updated Jul 10, 2025, by Mark Sammut:White-haired anime charactersare surprisingly common, particularly when it comes to boys and men. For example, one of Spring 2025’s best shows has a protagonist with (some) white hair, and he deserves to be included in this discussion.
Although fairly new,Wind Breakeris shaping up to be among thebest action anime of the 2020s, and Sakura has played a major part in the show’s success. He is also one of those rarewhite-haired anime guyswhose backstory is directly related to his hair color. Since he was a child, he has been bullied due to having multicolored hair, experiences that forced Sakura to put up his defenses and keep people at arm’s length.
He goes to Furin High School specifically to take on its strongest fighters, as it has a reputation for housing powerful delinquents. Instead, he finds an accepting community that quickly welcomes him and makes him feel at home. Sakura struggles to process this turn of events.
As the leader of the Elf tribe, Licht is naturally the strongest elf and one of the strongest mages in the series. Surprisingly, he is also the kindest and the most understanding of all the elves, demonstrating a strong sense of loyalty to all those he sees as allies.
Licht is first revealed as a villain, but as the series progresses, it is revealed that he is a tragic figure seeking to undo the wrong done against his kinsmen. His ultimate goal is to revive his fallen brethren who were massacred in a one-sided conflict. Licht has demonstrated immense prowess for sword magic, showing his mastery over the Demon-Slayer sword and the Demon-Dweller sword.
Garou was the former student of the well-known hero and martial artist Bang. He is introduced as an antagonist who hunts down heroes, earning him the Hero Hunter nickname. He possesses the skills, strength, agility, and endurance to take on multiple heroes simultaneously. His tenacity, resilience, and willpower are second to none in the entire series.
He can also analyze and counter his opponent’s fighting techniques, making him a dangerous foe. What sets Garou apart is his obsession withbecoming a monster, though not literally, pushing his body and mind to the limit.
Allen’s hair can look more gray than white, but it is primarily a mix of the two. Therefore, he will be included.
D.Gray-manis agreat shonen mangawith a pretty good (but incomplete) anime adaptation. Newcomers should definitely prioritize the former, but the latter is more than worth a watch for those who are not interested in checking out the source material. Packed with religious overtones, Gothic imagery, and even some horror elements,D.Gray-manfollows Allen Walker, a Black Order exorcist who tries to save Akuma, aka demons, alongside humans. He desires to walk the line between being a destroyer and a saver, someone who can accomplish both and, hopefully, make the world a better place.
Initially, Allen comes across as a slightly forgettable and traditional shonen protagonist, but he grows more interesting as the story progresses and more of his past is revealed. Along with a likable personality, Allen just has a cool design that is immediately eye-catching, something that can be said for most characters in this universe.
Bell Cranel is, in truth, not the most complicated character ever, but he works perfectly asDanMachi’s protagonist. Knowing very little about his past but yearning to become an adventurer, Bell joins the Hestia Familia, which is one of the weakest guilds in Orario.
Despite not being much of a fighter and even needing to be saved quite a few times, Bell continues to push forward, challenging himself to become better and constantly stepping up when somebody (usually a girl) needs help. Like the anime in general, Bell improves with pretty much every new season, becoming a genuinely great protagonist by seasons 4 and 5.
Sho Kusakabe is the brother of theFire Force’sprotagonist, Shinra. Sho is another interesting white-haired character with powerful abilities despite his young age. Raised by the White-Clad with a strong connection to the Evangelist’s grace, Sho is one of the few Adolla Burst users in the series.
Adolla is a “pure and unsullied” flame from another dimension. So, naturally, individuals connected to this flame possess otherworldly powers. For instance, Sho Kusakabe can bend time and space to his will, making him almost invincible in battle.
Among a group of individuals known as the ‘God Candidates,’ who aim to become the next God, Kanade distinguished himself from the start. Seeing the whole agenda as a battle, he eliminated a majority of the God Candidates through sound battle tactics and coerced alliances.
While his vile behavior makes him a difficult character to love, Kanade is consistently fascinating and one of the most interestingwhite-haired anime charactersof the 2020s, even ifPlatinum End, overall, has quite a few issues.
Tengen is well known for his flashy clothing adorned with colorful accessories and jewelry. Tengen is also flamboyant, eccentric, and has a loud personality. Tengen is proud and does not like to associate himself with people and things that he does not consider flashy. He was a ninja before he learned sound breathing and became the Sound Hashira.
He is a devoted and loyal member of the Demon Slayer Corps and deeply cares about his fellow Hashira and his three wives. Tengen helped play a crucial role in the Demon Slayer’s fight against Muzan and the Twelve Kizuki.
Decim is the detached-looking, white-hairedprotagonist ofDeath Parade,an anime centered on the judgment of human souls after their death. Even as the bartender of Quindecim, Decim is an arbiter tasked with setting up games to determine if a human’s soul should be reincarnated to cast into the void. While maintaining an emotionless appearance and a somewhat cold look, Decim takes his job as an arbiter very seriously.
Unfortunately, one of Decim’s biggest shortcomings is his inability to understand human emotions. This shortcoming leads him to err in some of his judgments, despite his five years of experience as an Arbiter. Although Decim is not as exciting as most white-haired characters in the anime franchise, he still has his own appeal and unique features.
Near is a character that emerged later inDeath Note, a popular anime known for its incredible twists and battle of wits. After L’s defeat byYagami Light, his successors, Near and Mello, moved onto the Kira investigation stage.
Similar to his predecessor, Near also possessed a quirk, constantly solving puzzle games. However, the best trait Near shared with L is his exceptional intelligence and incredibly deductive skills. Using brilliant tactics, he managed to foil Kira’s plans and reveal the true identity behind the widely-feared name.
