Hair of Gold: Difference between revisions

Men falling under this trope are [[Blond Guys Are Evil|rarer]], but the blond hero can also have '''Hair of Gold'''. Such a hero is more action-oriented than the Hair of Gold heroine, but he is also [[The Hero|good]], wholesome, kind to those weaker than himself, [[Think Nothing of It|modest]], and prone to be the [[Chaste Hero]] or [[Celibate Hero]].

 

 

Often [[Foil|contrasted with]] a dark-haired heroine—as the Betty in a [[Betty and Veronica]], the [[Girl Next Door]] compared to the [[Femme Fatale]], the [[Damsel in Distress]] rather than [[The Vamp]], the [[Country Mouse]] instead of the [[City Mouse]]—or just lacking the brunette's [[Jade-Colored Glasses]]. A [[Fiery Redhead|redhead]] may also [[Foil|contrast]] and [[Heroes Want Redheads|serve as a rival]], though she will likely be more [[Action Girl]]-oriented than the blonde. She tends to be the younger of the pair; this is even more likely to be true for the male version.

 

Not all blondes belong in this list. Not even all good blondes. If the character does not match the personality type, she does not have Hair of Gold and should be listed only if she exploits the expectation. When blonde characters are popular and fun-loving rather than innocent, it's [[Everyone Loves Blondes]].

 

* Vivio of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. The [[Cheerful Child|young, cheerful]], [[Mysterious Waif]] adopted daughter of the main character.

** Fate, too, who, even during her tenure as a [[Dark Magical Girl]], was depicted to be kind and innocent to the point of [[Love Martyr]]dom.

* Oz from ''[[Pandora Hearts]]'' may or may not fit this trope, but Jack sure does. [[Blond Guys Are Evil|Vincent]], on the other hand...

* ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'' has Tamaki, a boy who has a very optimistic view on life, despite his own past and present hardships. He tries to see the good in people and, like a true romantic, thinks every woman is beautiful in her own way. Despite him being [[The Charmer]], his views on love are quite innocent and old fashioned. Honey would fit this trope as well, especially considering he even LOOKS a lot like a child, although he's actually the [[Older Than They Look|oldest]] of the Hosts. He also carries around a bunny plushie and has a love for sweets—cake in particular.

* One of the rare male examples that fit this trope perfectly is Keith [[Meaningful Name|Goodman]] (aka "Sky High") from ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]''.

 

* ''[[Millie the Model]]'' is nice, young, and innocent, especially compared to her [[Fiery Redhead]] rival, Chili Storm.

 

== Fairy Tales ==

{{quote|''The youngest of the three brothers, whose name was Ferko, was a beautiful youth, with a splendid figure, blue eyes, fair hair, and a complexion like milk and roses. ''}}

 

* Played straight with Rapunzel in ''[[Tangled]]'', as she is sweet, kind, and innocent. {{spoiler|Subverted when we find out she is actually a natural brunette when her hair gets cut off.}}

 

== Films -- Live-Action ==

* Kim in ''[[Edward Scissorhands]]'' is a [[Double Subversion]]. She's first seen in a family photo where Peg describes her as her pride and joy. When we meet Kim, however, she seems like a bratty teenager. But as the film goes on and she warms to Edward, we see she is kind and caring, thus fitting the trope.

 

* In ''The Clique'' novels, Claire Lyons has light blond hair and is the nicest member of the Pretty Commitee.

* Subverted hard by the Lannisters in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''. They are all blondes and the nicest of them can only be described as a particularly ambiguous anti-hero. The others are just plain [[Complete Monster|evil]].

* The titular character of [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Emma]]'' is interested in befriending a girl of lower social standing than herself, Harriet, specifically because of Harriet's beauty—she has Hair of Gold and big [[Innocent Blue Eyes]].

* In ''[[Goblin Market]]'', Laura's golden hair is a key part of the plot, because she buys fruit with "a golden curl" rather than with actual money. Using her hair this way leads to the loss of innocence (and, metaphorically, her virginity).

** Glorfindel's name translates as this in Sindarin ("Elf with Gold Hair").

** Galadriel's hair is literally luminescent, and said to have been made of "a mesh of gold" with the light of Laurelin (a golden tree that served as a precursor to the sun) bound up in it. Considering her part in the Fall of the Noldor, though, although she wasn't quite on the Fëanorian-level of cunning evil, she isn't exactly innocent, though she is an idealist early-on and later extremely wise.

* Maybeth, the third sibling in ''[[The Tillerman Family Series]]'' by Cynthia Voigt, is practically angelic by description.

 

* Don "Doc" Dogoier of ''[[Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]'' stands out among his crew of pirates for being kind, gentle, shy, cheerful, and a pacifist - even more so than supposed [[Token Good Teammate]] (and dark-haired) Ahim, who has proven herself to have a devious side that Don doesn't share.

* Gabrielle in ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]'', even to the point where her hair got darker for a while as her character became less innocent.

* While [[Parks and Recreation|Leslie Knope]] is hardly ''innocent'', she certainly is relatively naive, good-hearted, hardworking, and cheerful in the face of her [[Beleaguered Bureaucrat|thankless small-town government job]].

 

 

 

* Naive, innocent Wembley, the youngest member of ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'''s [[Five-Man Band]], has yellow hair.

* Janice from ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' can fit under here as well, as she is kind and laid-back.

 

* Colette from ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'', a [[The Fool|foolish]] [[The Messiah|Messiah]] [[Pollyanna]] [[Love Freak]].

** ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World|Dawn of the New World]]'' had the male variety in Emil.

** ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]'' brings us both a male AND a female example. Guy Cecil—the [[Idiot Hero|(idiot) hero's]] best friend and confidant. He's also pretty skilled with a blade. And [[Rebellious Princess|Natalia]], a kind, yet [[Plucky Girl|plucky young princess]] who's also an [[The Archer|amazing archer]] and [[Combat Medic|healer]].

* Beautiful, young, good, and innocent? That's Amano's concept of [[The Heroine|Terra]]/Tina from ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' all over, and applies to a lesser extent to [[Foil|Celes as well]]. And [[Bratty Half-Pint|Relm]] (she really is a sweet girl, deep down...Really really deep down). Next tier has the heroic male characters [[Chivalrous Pervert|Edgar]], [[The Big Guy|Sabin/Mash]], and [[Chronic Hero Syndrome|Locke]], who was originally conceptualized with blond hair. If you really wanted, you could argue that [[Worthy Opponent|General Leo]] fits this, though he really shines as a [[Subverted Trope]] [[Blond Guys Are Evil]], [[foil]]ing the blond [[Complete Monster|Kefka]]. The world of ''Final Fantasy VI'' has no [[Canon Name]], but we have reason to believe it's Blondania.

* Ventus from ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]]''. Blonde hair, [[Blue Eyes|bright blue eyes]], and a [[The Ingenue|personality to match.]] {{spoiler|[[Justified Trope|Justified]], however, since the darkness in his heart was taken by [[Badass Grandpa|Master Xehanort]].}}

* Another male example: {{spoiler|Teddie}} from ''[[Persona 4]]'' {{spoiler|in his human form, where he appears as a blond, [[Blue Eyes|blue-eyed]] [[Bishonen]], with an innocent personality to match.}}

* Bianca from ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'' - pretty, kind, heroic, and idealistic.

 

* Regina Berry, in ''[[Ace Attorney]]'', is so sweet and innocent that {{spoiler|she actually doesn't understand the concept of death or the consequences of her naive but dangerous actions.}}

** Colias Palaeno has a near-constant smile and is ridiculously friendly to everyone he meets. {{spoiler|Which is why Manny Coachen was able to manipulate him so easily.}}

 

* [[Spoony Bard|Elan]] in ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'' is apparently extremely attractive, in part due to this trope, although it's hard to tell from the stick-figure art. He also fits very well in terms of personality, being the sweetest and most innocent major character in the comic (as well as [[Dumb Blonde|not too bright]] aside from his [[Genre Savvy]]).

* His rare moments of {{spoiler|[[Super-Powered Evil Side]] [[Mad Scientist]]}} aside, Franken from ''[[Noblesse]]'' is very kind and patient.

* Yang from ''[[RWBY]]''. Given that she's at least partially inspired by [[Goldilocks]], it's not too surprising.

 

* Apollo, Artemis, Aglaea, and Eros in ''[[Thalia's Musings]]''. Apollo, though hardly a [[Chaste Hero]], is one of the more moral gods in the Pantheon and renowned as a champion of moderate living. His twin sister Artemis is a sworn virgin. Both have healing powers, as does Aglaea, Apollo's granddaughter, who is a dedicated physician. Eros can make life difficult for his "victims", but he ultimately just wants everyone to find true love, [[Moe|something his parents never had]].

* [[Innocent Flower Girl|Hanami]] from ''[[Tasakeru]]''.

 

* ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'': Jimmy's blond hair is so pure and innocent (just like him), that it even induces niceness upon an [[Expy]] of [[Satan]].

* Princess Dawn, the [[Princess Classic]] protagonist of ''[[Here Comes the Grump]]''.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Goodness Tropes]]

[[Category:Hair Colors]]

[[Category:The Yellow Index]]

[[Category:Fairy Tale Tropes]]

[[Category:Hair Tropes]]