The Best Female Characters with Killer Hair
Trichokinesis: the ability to manipulate hair.
Its prominence in works of fiction shows our collective fascination with a well-coiffed cranium. See, like outer space and the ocean depths, the realm of women's hair is largely unexplored. Coupled with female characters in positions of power and this breeds all sorts of fantasies, which I'm going to explore right now.
Here is a list of the best fictional femme fatales sporting lethal luxurious locks.
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Bayonetta
We obviously can't talk about deadly hair without mentioning Bayonetta, so let's get her out of the way first. The titular (heh) character of the Bayonetta action video game franchise, Bayo's pretty much the definition of weaponized femininity. She is in every sense a powerful woman, and at no point in the franchise does the audience ever feel that she is in danger of losing a fight.
With a body that's about 80% legs, guns on her shoes, and hair that turns into demons and fists and demonic fists, Bayonetta's character design is as over-the-top as the game itself. The kicker: Her shapeshifting hair serves as both the basis of her magic and her clothes, so as she casts more spells in succession, she gets more and more naked. Classy.
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Shantae
Shantae is the titular (but not as titular as Bayonetta) heroine of the Shantae series of side-scrollers. In the latest iteration, Half-Genie Hero, she has an expansive repertoire of attacks that include magical projectiles and animal transformations. However, her default attack is her trusty hair whip, which you can augment with shampoo and hair cream.
As a magical guardian of the mysterious Sequin Land, Shantae fulfills the fantasy of the exotic foreigner bringing untold delights and wonders. She's also got pointy elf ears, if you're into that.
The series doesn't exactly break new ground in terms of game mechanics or story. However, it's well-liked for its charming characters, clever dialogue, upbeat music, and positive portrayal of women of color.
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Millia Rage
People with even a cursory knowledge of the Guilty Gear series of 2D fighting games know Millia for three things: she hits people with her hair, her playstyle favors close-range aggression and using her speed to hop in and out of engagements, and she's Russian. That's probably all most people need to know.
However, Guilty Gear is from the same people who made BlazBlue, so of course there's a deep, convoluted plot behind Millia and her magical mane. I think she's an orphan, or something.
Millia Rage, like Shantae, fulfills the exotic foreigner fantasy as well, but she's a little more... familiar (she's white). Her outward coldness and stoicism suggest a dominatrix streak, but her storyline does show a tender, sympathetic side. In other words, Millia's that tough woman who only opens up for the right person, perhaps someone who mains her at the next Evolution tournament. (Not really.)
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Midna
The princess of the Twili people, Midna is the secondary protagonist of the best game in the Legend of Zelda series: Twilight Princess. Her prehensile ponytail comes in handy because the main protagonist turns into a wolf at some point, and opposable thumbs are necessary to move the plot along.
Midna's attitude matches her form: She is self-serving, mischievous, and, well, impish. She represents the fantasy of the ambitious, self-assured, usurped princess who treats people like pawns to get her way. The second part of that fantasy, and this plays out in the game, as well, is that by working with said pawns, she learns the magic of friendship and truly becomes a betterwaifu person.
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Mane-iac
Mane-iac, most evil nemesis of the Power Ponies and one-episode throwaway villain in the popular television show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is basically a combination of comic book characters Joker, Doctor Octopus, and Medusa. In typical comic-book fashion, she was a normal Earth Pony who fell into a vat of some hair care product that then got electrocuted, which somehow led to insane tentacle-hair powers. And insanity.
Formerly the owner of the company that manufactures said hair care product, Mane-iac is a woman (well, mare) who had ambition and potential, but is then corrupted toward evil by that same passion. This is the same trope that many female comic book villains fall under: Harley Quinn's eagerness to "figure out" the Joker, Poison Ivy's desire to protect the plants of Earth from humanity, and Catwoman's drive to torpedo Halle Berry's career.
She's also a cartoon horse, which checks off criteria on some people's lists, I guess.
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Dixie Kong
Dixie Kong first appeared in the classic Super Nintendo game, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, a game that isn't known for any sort of rich character development. The graphics and music were top-notch, though.
As a direct sequel to Donkey Kong Country, the game had very few mechanical differences from its predecessor. However, since Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong from the first game each had a rolling attack, newcomer Dixie had to be special. So they gave her a ponytail to hit baddies with.
As a monkey, Dixie fulfills the fantasy of the blank slate. She is whoever and whatever you want her to be. Seriously, there's no character development in DKC. She's literally just a female protagonist who whips her hair around.
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Honorable Mention: Miko Mido
Star of the celebrated anime series La Blue Girl, secret kunoichi Miko Mido defends the world from demons using her ninja clan's secret techniques. She also uses her hair as a weapon -- just not the hair on her head.
She fulfills the fantasy of... well, you're on the internet. Look it up yourself.
Its prominence in works of fiction shows our collective fascination with a well-coiffed cranium. See, like outer space and the ocean depths, the realm of women's hair is largely unexplored. Coupled with female characters in positions of power and this breeds all sorts of fantasies, which I'm going to explore right now.
Here is a list of the best fictional femme fatales sporting lethal luxurious locks.
------
Bayonetta
 |
| Gun. Shoes. |
We obviously can't talk about deadly hair without mentioning Bayonetta, so let's get her out of the way first. The titular (heh) character of the Bayonetta action video game franchise, Bayo's pretty much the definition of weaponized femininity. She is in every sense a powerful woman, and at no point in the franchise does the audience ever feel that she is in danger of losing a fight.
With a body that's about 80% legs, guns on her shoes, and hair that turns into demons and fists and demonic fists, Bayonetta's character design is as over-the-top as the game itself. The kicker: Her shapeshifting hair serves as both the basis of her magic and her clothes, so as she casts more spells in succession, she gets more and more naked. Classy.
------
Shantae
 |
| She doesn't even have hips! How is this working?! |
Shantae is the titular (but not as titular as Bayonetta) heroine of the Shantae series of side-scrollers. In the latest iteration, Half-Genie Hero, she has an expansive repertoire of attacks that include magical projectiles and animal transformations. However, her default attack is her trusty hair whip, which you can augment with shampoo and hair cream.
As a magical guardian of the mysterious Sequin Land, Shantae fulfills the fantasy of the exotic foreigner bringing untold delights and wonders. She's also got pointy elf ears, if you're into that.
The series doesn't exactly break new ground in terms of game mechanics or story. However, it's well-liked for its charming characters, clever dialogue, upbeat music, and positive portrayal of women of color.
------
Millia Rage
 |
| Like she really needs that hat to make her hair look bigger. |
People with even a cursory knowledge of the Guilty Gear series of 2D fighting games know Millia for three things: she hits people with her hair, her playstyle favors close-range aggression and using her speed to hop in and out of engagements, and she's Russian. That's probably all most people need to know.
However, Guilty Gear is from the same people who made BlazBlue, so of course there's a deep, convoluted plot behind Millia and her magical mane. I think she's an orphan, or something.
Millia Rage, like Shantae, fulfills the exotic foreigner fantasy as well, but she's a little more... familiar (she's white). Her outward coldness and stoicism suggest a dominatrix streak, but her storyline does show a tender, sympathetic side. In other words, Millia's that tough woman who only opens up for the right person, perhaps someone who mains her at the next Evolution tournament. (Not really.)
------
Midna
 |
| Midna as depicted in Hyrule Warriors, a game no one has ever played. |
The princess of the Twili people, Midna is the secondary protagonist of the best game in the Legend of Zelda series: Twilight Princess. Her prehensile ponytail comes in handy because the main protagonist turns into a wolf at some point, and opposable thumbs are necessary to move the plot along.
Midna's attitude matches her form: She is self-serving, mischievous, and, well, impish. She represents the fantasy of the ambitious, self-assured, usurped princess who treats people like pawns to get her way. The second part of that fantasy, and this plays out in the game, as well, is that by working with said pawns, she learns the magic of friendship and truly becomes a better
------
Mane-iac
 |
| She's got a really tight grip on that ball. |
Mane-iac, most evil nemesis of the Power Ponies and one-episode throwaway villain in the popular television show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is basically a combination of comic book characters Joker, Doctor Octopus, and Medusa. In typical comic-book fashion, she was a normal Earth Pony who fell into a vat of some hair care product that then got electrocuted, which somehow led to insane tentacle-hair powers. And insanity.
Formerly the owner of the company that manufactures said hair care product, Mane-iac is a woman (well, mare) who had ambition and potential, but is then corrupted toward evil by that same passion. This is the same trope that many female comic book villains fall under: Harley Quinn's eagerness to "figure out" the Joker, Poison Ivy's desire to protect the plants of Earth from humanity, and Catwoman's drive to torpedo Halle Berry's career.
She's also a cartoon horse, which checks off criteria on some people's lists, I guess.
------
Dixie Kong
 |
| Maybe in the next Smash Bros DLC? |
Dixie Kong first appeared in the classic Super Nintendo game, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, a game that isn't known for any sort of rich character development. The graphics and music were top-notch, though.
As a direct sequel to Donkey Kong Country, the game had very few mechanical differences from its predecessor. However, since Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong from the first game each had a rolling attack, newcomer Dixie had to be special. So they gave her a ponytail to hit baddies with.
As a monkey, Dixie fulfills the fantasy of the blank slate. She is whoever and whatever you want her to be. Seriously, there's no character development in DKC. She's literally just a female protagonist who whips her hair around.
-------
Honorable Mention: Miko Mido
 |
| Standard ninja outfit |
Star of the celebrated anime series La Blue Girl, secret kunoichi Miko Mido defends the world from demons using her ninja clan's secret techniques. She also uses her hair as a weapon -- just not the hair on her head.
She fulfills the fantasy of... well, you're on the internet. Look it up yourself.
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