Important Haircut: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''Now our last prince must cut his hair, never to return? Sometimes it seems like the gods are laughing at us.''|'''Emishi monk''', ''[[Princess Mononoke]]''}}

* Two different characters in ''[[Simoun]]'' give themselves the same Important Haircut at different dramatic moments, with the second one echoing the first, and one of them later follows up with an ''additional'' Important Haircut. Also, another pair of characters have a set of Important Hair Clips.

* On ''[[Vandread]]'', the stuck-up ship's navigator Bart develops a rapport with [[Littlest Cancer Patient]] Shirley on one of the planets they visit. The people there make dolls {{spoiler|to leave as proof they existed, due to their [[Human Resources|bodies being harvested by Earth after death]]}}, and she is working on a doll of Bart when she dies, leaving it bald but otherwise complete. Bart shaves his own head to match, [[Character Development|and from there on is slightly less of a jerk]].

* In the second episode of ''[[Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge]]'', Nakahara Sunako cuts off the bangs that obscured her face and blocked her view of "the bright creatures" in a dramatic scene. She then almost immediately suffers from [[The Nose Bleed]], now that she can see the tenants.

* Sara of ''[[Soukou no Strain]]'' cuts her hair going into her new identity as she chases her brother.

* Kenji Harima of ''[[School Rumble]]'' gets several haircuts as the series progresses - from a mustache and goatee to bearded to clean-shaven and partially bald. All of it done for [[Cannot Spit It Out|Tenma]].

* ''[[The Prince of Tennis]]'' definitely loves to play around with the trope, whether using full haircuts or mere hairstyle changes:

** Atobe himself (the series' most popular rival]]) arrogantly vows to shave his head if he loses his match against Echizen Ryoma... which of course he does, because Ryoma is the main character and Atobe had promised to shave his head ''in public'', with lots of witnesses. Since Atobe is unconscious by the end, Ryoma shaves his head for him. This devolves into a joke, as a lot of things do in Prince of Tennis, when several chapters later, Atobe shows up with his hair intact (although muttering about his beautiful hair) and no explanation for it has been given, which has caused [[Epileptic Trees|the fans to heavily speculate about it]].

*** This was played differently and somewhat more like an Important Haircut in the OAV's: Atobe is actually conscious and sub-regular Haginosuke Taki asks Ryoma to cut ''his'' hair instead. Ryoma seems to consider the offer but Atobe rejects it, swipes the razor from Ryoma's hands and cuts his own hair right there. {{spoiler|In the last OAV series, Atobe * does* really use a wig.}}

** Krillin ''grew'' out his hair, from no longer having to live the life of a (somewhat) celibate Shaolin monk to a family man with [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife|a smoking hot wife,]] and a cute daughter. Interestingly, Krillin's appearance, even changes to it, receives [[Lampshade Hanging]] even going as far as for one character to [[No Fourth Wall|break the fourth wall,]] [[Double Standard|more so than anyone else.]] [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance|Even when there's a clown, a triclops, a green pointy-eared man with bulging muscles (Yes, even more than Piccolo), and a pink genie on the same team roster.]]

* Aika in ''[[Aria]]'' ends up burning her hair at a cookout in one episode after she intentionally grew it out long to be similar to Alicia, whom she idolizes. After this, she switches to shorter hairstyle, and several episodes are spent on her getting used to it. It's not until Al, her crush, compliments on her that she feels satisfied. Her hair stays this way into the next season.

* The moment that Knives in ''[[Trigun]]'' cuts his own hair begins his descent into madness. Vash, on the other hand, has two important haircuts, the second of which settles his commitment to abide by Rem's advice.

* In ''[[Slam Dunk]]'', the main character Hanamichi Sakuragi shaves his head as self-punishment after being the cause of the Shohoku team's loss against Kainan. And before him, Hisashi Mitsui cuts his own hair to symbolize his redemption. Later, Haruko Akagi also cuts her hair short after realizing that her crush towards Rukawa is a hopleless one..

* She didn't do it to herself, but Sheeta in [[Laputa: Castle in the Sky|''Laputa: Castle In The Sky'']] experiences an Important Haircut by [[Close-Call Haircut|getting her braids shot off]], symbolic of her maturing and loss of innocence through the traumatic experiences of the movie. Note that the change in hairstyle happens in the same scene where [[Plucky Girl|she finds the strength to stop running and take control of the situation]].

* The second ED of ''[[Gundam|Mobile Suit]] [[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'' prominently features Lockon cutting Setsuna's hair, which seems to be a deliberately symbolic invocation of a particular scene where Lockon shot through some locks of Setsuna's hair.

*** Likewise, [[Lady of War]] Cecily Fairchild ([[Mobile Suit Gundam F91]]) cut her [[Princess Curls]] much shorter and did not grow it back until later on.

* In ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'', Sakuraba gets a crew-cut after quitting Jerry/Jari Productions to focus on his football life with the Ojo White Knights. He also grows a noticeable mustache and goatee.

** In Mrs. Makino's defense, all she did was even out the hair that hadn't been [[Traumatic Haircut|cut]]. It's not her fault it made poor Tsukushi look like Kintaro.

* While not cutting it herself, Layla Hamilton fits this trope in the ''[[Kaleido Star]]'' [[OVA]], "Legend of Phoenix ~Layla Hamilton Monogatari". After a journey to find herself, Layla goes from her [[Defrosting Ice Queen]] persona to a person who won't hide her feelings anymore. Then, she asks [[Genki Girl|Sora Naegino]] to cut her long blond hair for her.

** Additionally, Farnese, {{spoiler|when she joined Guts on his journey, cut her own hair short as a sign of humility and apology for everything she did to him and Casca.}}

* In the movie adaptation of ''[[Film/Howls Moving Castle|Howls Moving Castle]]'', Calcifer needs to {{spoiler|move the wrecked castle}} but needs [[Insert Payment to Use|something of value]] for the energy to do so. He suggests he use Sophie's eyes, but Sophie quickly cuts her long braid and gives it to him. It's enough.

* In ''[[Eureka Seven]]'', Eureka gets several hairstyle changes reflecting... other changes about her. Her hair is cut in the episode Acperience 2, and grows back in Acperience 3.

** Talho also trims her normally unkempt hair as part of her complete outer (and inner) makeover in episode 30.

* In ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]'', [[The Stoic|Sousuke]] allows [[Tsundere|Kaname]] to cut his hair. Although his look doesn't change appreciably as a result, the scene serves as an indication of just how much he trusts her: Sousuke is a [[Child Soldiers|Child Soldier]] with [[No Social Skills]] conditioned to assume that anyone is a potential enemy and to never leave himself vulnerable, and the fact that he can allow Kaname to handle a pair of scissors around his head and behind his back with no more than a calm "Please don't cut off my ears," - and in fact not only allows her to cut his hair but actually ''falls asleep'' while she's doing it - is [[Character Development|very important]]. This is probably the closest and most intimate they ever got to each other; when she was cutting near his forehead, Sousuke was blushing like hell and breathed suspiciously quickly for obvious reasons - he was either embarrased, aroused or both. Looks like no amount of conditioning can defeat pheromones from a similarly aged girl when you are 16...

* Liechtenstein in ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' already has short hair in her introduction, but the dialogue with her older brother Switzerland points out that she has ''just'' cut it, since it's the first time he has seen her like that. When asked why, she tells him it's both because she's more comfy with shorter hair and because she wants to look and be more like her very tough older brother. This is [[Adaptation Expansion|slightly expanded]] in the anime: the episode featuring Liechtenstein and Switzerland opens with her sitting in front of her mirror and cutting her braids.

* In the "Season of Mists" [[Story Arc]] of ''[[The Sandman]]'', [[Satan|Lucifer]]—depicted as looking like an ordinary if rather good-looking human apart from the great big wings growing from his back—resigns from being Ruler of Hell and [[Lucifer (comics)|goes off to live among the mortals]]; in a gesture combining practicality with the symbolism of the Important Haircut, his last act as Ruler of Hell is to ask the Sandman—his enemy on the best of days—to cut his wings off. He doesn't bother with anaesthetic.

* The very opening scene of the pseudomanga ''Shutter-Box'' depicts the romantic lead cutting the blue dyed streak from his hair before going off to drown himself.

** In the beginning of ''[[Kingdom Come]]'', the isolated, retired Clark Kent has long hair, which he cuts when he decides to become Superman again. Rather a shame, since he looked surprisingly good with long hair.

* Nightwing grew a ponytail during ''[[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|New Titans]]'', and lost it by accident in an early issue of his solo series, giving him a distinctive look he maintained for some time.

== Film ==

* In ''[[The Crying Game]]'', Fergus gives Dil a haircut so Dil will look like a man (and thus, to protect Dil from the people hunting Fergus down).

* In ''[[Mulan]]'', the [[Disney Animated Canon|Disney film]] (pictured above) and presumably the original Chinese legend, the title character cuts her hair off with a sword in a half-practical (making her upcoming [[Sweet Polly Oliver]] charade easier), half-symbolic (breaking off with her past) move.

* Example ''and'' subversion: In ''[[Shaolin Soccer]]'', the hero's main love-interest has ''two'' important haircuts - the first one failing badly, and the second one turning her into an unbeatable goalie.

* Parodied in ''[[Shoot'Em Up (film)|Shoot Em Up]]'', where the protagonist spots a mook with a ponytail, comments on how much he hates middle aged men with ponytails, then shoots it off of his head.

* Also parodied in ''[[Coming to America]]''; Prince Akeem goes into a barber shop and asks for a "real American haircut". The barber whacks off Akeem's ponytail with one snip of his scissors. "That'll be <s> ten bucks</s> eight dollars."

* Mickey Knox of ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' shaves his head before his interview with Wayne Gayle.

* In ''[[The Tenth Kingdom]]'' the main character Virginia is placed under a curse that causes her hair to grow at an incredible rate. When using a magic axe to undo the curse, another character renders her hair even shorter than at the beginning of her adventure. After the haircut, Virginia seems to have lost some of her naivete and indecision.

* ''[[Kingdom of Heaven]]'' specifically the [[Directors Cut]]. Sybillia, Queen of Jeruselum cuts her hair {{spoiler|when she renounces her throne after she mercy kills her son before he suffers and dies from leprosy like her brother.}}

* This happens in the sequel to ''[[The Boondock Saints]]''. Connor and Murphy MacManus have been in hiding in Ireland for years, growing hair and beards worthy of Christ himself. When they are called out of retirement, they immediately shave it all off, returning to their first-film appearance (with some [[Perma-Stubble]] for good measure.) Later, [[Lampshade Hanging|they wonder why they did it.]]

'''Connor''': Yeah that's right. I dunno, [[It Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time|just seemed like the thing to do at the time]], though, didn't it? }}

* In ''[[Smoke Signals]]'', Victor mourns his father by cutting his hair.

* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' played with this: after a dramatic sequence wherein Buffy gives herself an Important Haircut, we cut to her in a hair salon getting it repaired.

** Subverted however in that the haircut doesn't signify any real change. Buffy cuts it after Spike compliments her hair—Buffy recently had sex with him for the first time and is regretting her decision, but is back for round two before the episode is over.

** Likewise Kes ditched her bobbed wig for long flowing locks, but that was probably to save Jennifer Lien from having to spend hours getting those pointy ears stuck on.

* More seriously, Starbuck gives herself an Important Haircut in the third season of the new ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'', and in a rare male example, Adama importantly shaves off his mustache.

** More recently, {{spoiler|Chief Tyrol's}} shaved head is used as a sign of his {{spoiler|gradual mental descent.}}

** Starbuck's haircut at the end of "Torn" was contrasted with Colonel Tigh's draining of a bottle of booze: Both had been valued crewmembers that had lately [[Heroic BSOD|turned unpleasant]], so Adama had to chew them out. Starbuck then puts on a clean uniform, cuts her hair, and goes to apologize to a family she had offended. Tigh just gets dirtier and drunker.

* Peter Petrelli, in ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'', has his floppy fringe cut off while Sylar is attempting to remove his brain. This could well be in response to repeated requests (by not only other characters in the show, but also fans and the actor himself) for him to cut his hair.

** Elle later adds to this by giving him a more complete hair cut. Claude would be proud.

* ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' actress Danielle Fishel wanted to get a haircut, but [[Executive Meddling|the higher-ups didn't want Topanga to lose her trademark locks]]. The only way they would allow it is if Topanga getting a haircut was made into a major story point, which became the second episode of the 4th season.

* Happens in ''[[24]]''. At the start of day 2, Jack, still mourning for his wife and dealing with the fact that his daughter hates him now, is seen with straggly hair a unkempt beard (''[[Perma-Stubble]]'' in the extreme?) After struggling with the decision, we see Jack in the bathroom, fresh from cutting his hair and shaving the beard. A soon as you see that you know some serious shit is about to go down. It's business time, dammit.

* In ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'', George cut his hair after he was burned by Meredith. Everyone even commented on how weird and stupid it looked too, and the reply was "the man has issues."

** After Derek Shepherd's season 5 [[Heroic BSOD]], he comes back to the hospital to {{spoiler|remove Izzie's brain tumor}}, but the real sign that he's back is when, after the surgery and a talk with the chief, he shaves his beard, returning to his original McDreamy [[Perma-Stubble]] look.

* In the Australian series ''[[McLeod's Daughters]]'', Becky cuts her hair using a shard of a broken mirror after taking a job at Drovers Run.

* Played with on ''[[Reba]]'' when Van goes through one to show he blends in with his football team... only to find out after the fact that his teammates tricked him.

* In Season 7 of [[The Amazing Race]], Joyce had to shave her head to win a Fast Forward (her husband Uchenna was already bald). That was the point at which they stopped being the boring couple in the background, and became threats to win the race.

* In almost every season of [[Stargate SG-1]] both Carter and Daniel sport new haircuts. Oddly enough [[Growing the Beard|Teal'C's beard]], and later hair, are the only appearance changes that get commented on and it is negligible that Carter and Daniel's haircuts actually altered their characters. O'Neill's hair just gets grayer.

 

== Video Games ==

* Posha Saint-Amour cuts her hair late in ''[[Kartia]]'' as a sign of leaving the Medium profession. She becomes a Shrine Warrior, boosting her stats quite a bit.

* In ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'', [[White Magician Girl|Princess Garnet]] goes into a period of mourning after her coronation as Queen of Alexandria is interrupted by an invasive attack by the [[Big Bad]]—a piece of unfinished business she left hanging when she went home to assume the throne. Eventually, she learns to put the incident, and her [[It's All My Fault|sense of shame over it]], behind her. As an expression of her newfound devotion to give her all to finding and stopping the [[Big Bad]], for her people and for every kingdom in the world, she borrows one of [[The Hero|Zidane]]'s daggers—which have a previously established significance in her sense of identity - and uses it to give herself an Important Haircut.

** A weird retroactive version of this trope occurs between ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|Fire Emblem 6 and 7]]'' with Karel. In 6, he has short hair and deeply regrets the way he used to act. In the prequel, 7, he's a bloodthirsty maniac with hair down to his waist.

* ''[[Romancing SaGa 3]]'' Katrina Changes her hairstyle and loses her Noble's clothes after the Masquerade was stolen from her, you can revert her back to the way she was after getting the Masquerade back and {{spoiler|Defeating any of the Devil Lords except Byunei so you can gain access to Loanne Castle.}}

* Jeanne D'Arc in... well, ''[[Jeanne D'Arc]]'' when she decides to pursuit the Englishmen and join the army.

* In ''[[Suikoden V]]'', {{spoiler|Lady Sialeeds}} stops dyeing her hair after her [[Face Heel Turn]], allowing it to go back to its natural white.

* Similarly, in ''[[Kanon]]'', Ayu's hair has grown long {{spoiler|in a coma}}; {{spoiler|not long before she awakens, Yuuichi gives her her headband}} and Nayuki cuts her hair to look like the Ayu that the viewers know.

* In ''[[AIR]]'' Misuzu gets her long hair cut by Haruko, her aunt and adoptive mother. By mistake, Haruko cuts Misuzu's hair a lot shorter than intended, which gives Misuzu a much younger appearance and subtly hints the turn of events in the show.

* In [[Katawa Shoujo]], {{spoiler|Shiina Mikado aka Misha}} chops off her long hair in a very tomboyish cut. It's important because {{spoiler|this happens only in Shizune's route, and Misha cuts it over [[Love Hurts|her feelings of inadequacy and jealousy]] [[Matchmaker Crush|over Shizune and Hisao's relationship]] -- because [[Schoolgirl Lesbians|she loves Shizune]] and feels out of place now that Hisao is her boyfriend, despite Misha's own care for him.}}

 

* [http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20080711.html Newly confident Amber] in ''[[Shortpacked]]''. Also new glasses and a slightly different top.

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' did two of these in one. After Zoe (in camel form) chewed off most of Gwynn's hair, Gwynn used magic to turn Zoe permanently bald. Zoe took to wearing a wig (longer than her previous hairdo), while Gwynn switched back and forth between her short hair and a wig that resembled her previous look. {{spoiler|They were eventually restored to their old hairstyles in the "Time for Hair-Raising" arc.}}

** Gwynn had short locks for a brief period when her hair was burned off during the "Dangerous Days Ahead" arc. She grew it back over time. Played for laughs when the long-moved out Zoe moved back in and, trying to find at least one normal event, asked Gwynn what happened to her hair.

* In ''[[Concession]]'', Artie (the [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]]) starts out refusing to tie his waist-length hair back on the grounds that it makes him look like a girl. When in a relationship with Kate, she braids it for him, and he keeps this style for a short time, then goes back to wearing his hair loose after he breaks up with Kate when she {{spoiler|reveals herself to be a pedophile and tries to get him to join in a NAMBLA meeting}}. After he {{spoiler|undergoes successful treatment for his cancer}}, he cuts it short and adds red streaks.

* At the end of the ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' episode "Birthmark", Raven cuts her hair, which had grown out like her father's (fittingly, this happens after Raven's father tells her via a vision that she will help him bring about [[The End of the World as We Know It]]), back to its normal length. The haircut seems to symbolize her taking back control of her life, reclaiming her humanity. The same haircut presumably happens in "The End, Part 3". Her hair grew out again when she regained her power (which she used to defeat her father for good), but when we see her again back in Titans tower, her hair is back to normal length again. However, we never actually see her cut her hair in this episode.

* While it was more of a shaved bald than cut, ''[[Total Drama Island]]'' 's Heather was both eliminated from the first season due to it and went through her [[Villain Decay]] in the second because of it.

* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'': To demonstrate that she's [[Hidden Depths|not just shallowly obsessed with her own appearance]], [[Spoiled Sweet|Rarity]] chops off her own tail-hair to give to someone else as a gift.

* After Thugnificent of ''[[The Boondocks]]'' {{spoiler|loses all his wealth}} he chops off the two huge Mickey Mouse afro balls on the side of his head.