The innocent bowl cut in the 90s was one of the world’s most popular hairstyles for men (somehow). Also called the mushroom cut (and even ‘bucket head’) the style is easy to pull off. Just get your mom (it’s almost always done by a mom) to put a bowl on your head and give it a cut. But in the world of anime, as with a lot of things in anime, this idea is thrown on its head. Sure, there are “normal kids” with bowl cuts. But there are so many more characters that aren’t normal at all. And they’re just lovely, so here’s my ranking of the best bowl cuts you’ll find in all of anime.
10. Dr Kuseno
Anime: One Punch Man A minor but important character in the OPM universe, Dr. Kuseno is the creator and caretaker of Genos, otherwise known as S-Class Hero ‘Demon Cyborg’. His comically large nose and ridiculous mushroom of a bowl cut contrasts with his stoic intelligence, which is always able to forewarn Genos of impending disasters.
9. Hinata
Anime: Naruto A character that needs little introduction, Hinata is Naruto’s ally and later wife. As a child and teen, Hinata had a cute variation on the hairstyle with one bang on each side. As Hinata grew up, she began wearing her hair longer. And by the time she was pregnant with Boruto, her hair was waist length. Yet her signature bowl cut fringe on her forehead always stayed the same.
8. Nobita
Anime: Doraemon An icon for everyone who grew up with anime, Nobita Nobi is your run-of-the-mill normal suburban kid. His grades are pretty bad, he gets bullied, and is a bit of a nerd. You know the type, the main character of every kid’s show. His terribly bland haircut only adds to this situation.
7. Bruno Buccelatti
Anime: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Introduced in Jojo Part 5, Bruno is a sly yet noble member of Passione, an Italian Mafia gang that serves as Season 4’s primary antagonists. Although part of Passione, Bruno has amassed his own loyal team to serve him within their ranks. The reason? His father was killed by the drug trade so he’s taking it apart from the inside. His stylish bowl cut is perfectly straight with two chin length sides. Way to take a boring look and make it brilliant!
6. Maruko-Chan
Anime: Chibi Maruko Chan Even though Maruko-chan only sported a bowl cut very briefly in one episode, it was enough to send half of East Asia into an uproar! Like Nobita, Maruko-chan is a cultural icon for those who grew up with anime as a child. Normally known for her cute bangs, in episode 936, Maruko-chan got a haircut which got rid of all her recognizable look and replacing it with what Chinese actress Jiang Xin called a ‘bucket head’.
5. Gohan
Anime: Dragon Ball (Namek Saga) Dragon Ball is a series where half the characters change their hair style every few episodes. That’s probably quite common in real life, but in anime that doesn’t really happen. We’ve already covered Bulma on a few hairstyle articles because she wears so many different styles! Now let’s have a gander at the more embarrassing occasion when Gohan, son of Goku and Chi-chi, gets a bowl cut. During the Namek Saga, kid Gohan shows up fighting in a bowl cut. A quick search for ‘Gohan Bowl Cut’ brings up several Reddit threads with fans going ‘Why goes he have a bowl cut’, ‘Can we talk about Gohan’s hair?!’ among other slightly less couth variations of the same question. Clearly a fan favorite.
4. Rock Lee
Anime: Naruto Without the ability to use ninjitsu or genjitsu, Rock trained under Might Guy to become a master in Taijistu – or what we might just call martial arts. While training, he also picked up his master’s hot-blooded personality and sense of honour. But more than that, he picked up the exact same hair and fashion sense. Standing out amongst the crowd is sometimes as simple as having the less extravagant look. In a city of ninjas with spikey hair, pink hair, buns, and tons of accessories, Rock Lee rocks a green tracksuit and the everyman’s bowl cut. Unlike Hinata, he keeps his hairstyle unchanged throughout his entire life.
3. Seto Kaiba
Anime: Yu-Gi-Oh! A tech prodigy who outsmarted his abusive step-father as a child, Seto Kaiba became the owner of major multinational corporation Kaiba Corp from a young age. As a cutthroat businessman, he murders innocent lives every day (or at least that’s what he says in the infamous 4kids dub). Outside of what we in the real world call his ‘real job’, he spends most of his time trying to become the world’s greatest Yu-Gi-Oh player. His BEWD is nothing to scoff at, nor is the ridiculous amount of money he has to buy whatever other cards he needs. Yet he doesn’t seem to have enough money to try out some new hairstyles. As the infamous abridged dub would say, “Screw the rules, I’ve got money”.
2. Mob
Anime: Mob Psycho 100 From the same writer as One Punch Man comes Mob Psycho 100, a series about a normal kid that has unspeakable psychic powers. The main character Shigeo Kageyama wears a button up black school uniform. And with his head in an unassuming bowl cut, he’s better known a ‘mob’, gamer slang for ‘background character’. But make no mistake, Mob’s powers are so great, the world is at risk if his emotions get out of hand. Anyone else getting Haruhi Suzumiya vibes?
1. Mako Mankanshoku
Anime: Kill La Kill No other hairstyle could have suited the loyal and energetic Mako Mankanshoku quite like the bowl cut. The best friend of KLK heroine Ryuko, Mako’s passionate speeches about friendship (inclusive with a round of charades) and one-track mind full of justice saves the day on multiple occasions. We might call her thick. We might call her cute. But really, it’s the bowl cut that tops her character design off (quite literally!)
