Summary
One of the most popular and common hair colors for people out there is brown. Although chocolate-colored locks are beautiful, they seem to be overrated, especially when it comes toanime characters. In recent years, most anime protagonists, whether a girl or a boy, have unique hair colors or highlights to make them more memorable. An example of this trend is Usagi fromSailor Moon, who sports golden hair, Nezuko fromDemon Slayer, who has black hair with orange tips, and even Rem fromRe: Zero, whose hair is blue.
Female characters who tend to be brunettes are usually more down-to-earth people. They’re often shy at the start and clumsy, but they will always fight for what they believe in. They are also a lot more relatable to young anime fans due to their common hair color, which is a rarity in most anime shows that try to be as over-the-top as possible when it comes to their character designs. Sometimes, these grounded characters with believable looks end up being the most beloved ones of the lot instead.
Updated on June 02, 2025, by Nadia Grace Mullings:Anime is well-known for its many beloved characters and their detailed and intricate backstories, character development and the individual struggles they learn to overcome. While it’s not always that extreme for many characters, it can be expected that many characters begin and end their series as someone very different from who they were. The same can be applied to these anime female characters with brown hair, who, despite their different backgrounds and stories, or whether they’re from a high school rom-com, harem, or action series, stand out as some of the best with brown hair as seen in the entirety of anime.
TheQuintessential Quintupletsis a harem anime following the eponymous sisters who all fall in love with the same guy, Futaro Uesugi, their tutor. Miku is the third-oldest quintuplet and is known for her shy and at first withdrawn demeanor, preferring to keep to herself. She has a secret interest in samurai, which she listens to on her headphones, and is highly embarrassed about it when Futaro finds out.
At first, she tries to shut Futaro out when he attempts to tutor her, but gradually he, as with all the sisters, begins to work his way into their lives, and they all end up falling for him. Miku has some drastic character development as she begins to grow in confidence. Despite her infamous lack of cooking ability, she and her sister Nino open a café at the series' end.
Yuzuriha is one of the main characters in the sci-fi animeDr. Stone, following a group led by scientific genius Senku, on their quest to rebuild human civilization after the dreadful petrification of the entire human population, which turned everyone to stone. Yuzuriha was one of the first people to be awakened from petrification by Senku and his loyal friend Taiju, and together, the trio begin the long process of starting to rebuild civilization from scratch, as well as avoiding their initial enemy, Tsukasa.
Yuzuriha is also the love interest of Taiju and is a skilled tailor, able to be relied upon by her friends as they each use their own individual skills to steadily make progress in the stone world and bring humanity’s greatest inventions back.
Miyo is the protagonist ofMy Happy Marriage. She was believed to be without any special powers by the Saimori household, unlike everyone else around her who had some kind of special ability. As such, she was deemed worthless by her family and became their servant. However, upon meeting Lord Kudo, her life begins to change for the better.
Miyo also discovers that she was indeed born with a special ability called Dream Sight, and she learns the story of her late mother and her heritage as part of the Usuba people — and why her power was sealed away in the first place. Miyo learns how to wield Dream Sight and even comes to the rescue of Lord Kudo when he is attacked by the grotesqueries.
Itazura na Kisswas an influential shojo manga following protagonist Kotoko and her long-time unrequited love for the most well-known boy at her school, Naoki Irie. After getting rejected, then suffering the loss of her house, she ends up living with Naoki and his family, and, slowly and steadily, things start to change between the two of them. Kotoko finally gets what she always dreamed of when Naoki eventually realizes his feelings for her, and the two eventually marry and have a daughter named Kotomi.
Kotoko is always very optimistic, albeit clumsy, but is always eager to help whomever she can, like with her new mother-in-law Noriko, brother-in-law Yuuki, and new friend Christine Robbins. She even influences Naoki’s decision to become a doctor, and at the same time, Kotoko trains to become a nurse. Her upbeat personality sharply contrasts with her husband’s cold, withdrawn personality, and the two often clash, but they love each other deeply.Itazura na Kisshas received multiple adaptations over the years, such as animeItakiss, two TV series titledMischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo,and a recent film trilogy.
Teasing Master Takagi-sanis an anime series that also received a live-action adaptation on Netflix. The series follows Nishikata and his relationship with his infamous classmate, Takagi, who constantly finds ways to tease him. From tricking him into saying certain things or outwitting him at a game, Takagi may seem like a gentle and polite girl, but she actually possesses a mischievous and cheeky side.
It’s pretty obvious from the start, but Takagi constantly toys with Nishikata since she’s in love with him, something which eventually Nishikata reciprocates. Takagi is a loveable character due to the many surprises she always seems to have in store for Nishikata.
Miyo is an eccentric young middle schooler with an overwhelming desire to attract the attention of her crush, Kento. Unfortunately for her, Kento finds her extremely pushy and annoying, prompting Miyo to do something drastic. After meeting a mysterious cat known as the ‘Mask Seller’, she trades her own mask for that of a cat and thus can transform into a cat named Tarou.
Miyo firmly believed she didn’t need anyone but Kento, and that her school and family didn’t need her. However, Miyo’s dilemma, when she realizes she’ll remain a cat forever unless she takes action, prompts her to face her insecurities and learn to love and appreciate others. This belief, in turn, helps Kento realize how much he needs her too.
Smile, real name Yuki, is the deuteragonist of this Netflix original movie, alongside Yui ‘Cherry’ Sakura, a shy boy with an exceptional talent for Haiku, a form of poetry. In direct contrast to Cherry, Smile is upbeat and outgoing, yet has a deep insecurity, hence why she wears a face covering for most of the film. She’s extremely insecure about her buck teeth, but her budding friendship with Cherry begins to change that.
Smile decides to help Cherry find Mr. Fujiyama’s missing record, but this adventure leads her on her own journey of self-development, as through it she learns to love herself and let go of her self-consciousness over her teeth. She also had a great influence on Cherry, who gradually becomes less withdrawn and more confident, even confessing his feelings for her at the end of the movie, publicly, at the summer festival. As such, Smile’s character arc and personal growth is a wholesome and fulfilling story.
Blue Boxis an anime series with a distinct and beautiful art style, following first-year badminton player Taiki and his unrequited love for a girl, Chinatsu, who’s a basketball star and two years older than him. Due to her incredible skill, Chinatsu made a life-changing decision to stay behind in Japan, away from her family, to focus on making it to the Nationals. During this time, she ends up living with Taiki and his family, a subject as comedic as it is cute.
With a gentle disposition, kind attitude, and fierce determination to win, Chinatsu is idolized by many others at her school, prompting a love-struck Taiki to work exceptionally hard to both impress her and follow her to the Nationals. She is his driving force through it all.
Chizuru Yoshida, often going by her nickname ‘Chizu,’ was one of Sawako Kuronuma’s closest friends, alongside Ayane. Never afraid to speak her mind, Chizu helped defend Sawako from her bullies and thus became one of her first friends. As the series progresses, Sawako is able to help Chizu navigate some of her own inner struggles, such as her helpless love for Ryu’s older brother Toru.
Chizu is memorable for her upbeat and peppy personality, as well as her short temper. Although this contrasts a lot with Ayane’s levelheadedness and Sawako’s shyness, the three prove to be an inseparable trio of best friends. Chizu wasn’t afraid to help Sawako gather enough confidence to confess her feelings to Kazehaya, though she had to be firm, even angry, at her, but this shows that she deeply cared about Sawako finding true happiness.
Fans love Studio Ghibli’s movies to bits, withSpirited Awaybeing one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most beloved films that anime viewers can’t get enough of to this day. The wonderful animation and charming characters help this movie stand out as one of the most iconic anime films ever made with abrown-haired anime girlserving as a protagonist.
Chihiro Ogino is pretty shy and finds it hard to adjust to the fact that she accidentally stepped into the spirit world. However, circumstances demand that she become headstrong and brave for the sake of her friends, leading to a refreshing moment of character growth as this girl becomes a lovable protagonist by the end of this magical experience.
