Odango Hair

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From the top: Usagi, Tenten, Fumika.

In Japan, "odango" is a nickname for any type of bun hairdo.

In North American anime fandom, it's a nickname for a twin-bun hairdo, with or without tails.

A particular hairstyle common to anime and manga heroines (particularly Chinese ones, although in China the style is called "ox horn") that involves styling one's hair into two spherical buns worn at about 45 degree angles on the side of the head. This can make them look similar to Mickey mouse ears depending on how simplified they're drawn. The buns themselves are often given cloth covers tied with ribbons. The traditional definition of Odango as used by The Other Wiki only counts them if they have twin tails coming down from the buns, but we have broadened the definition to allow the style without the tails.

There is also a less common variation of this style where the buns themselves have a triangular (or conical) shape, which can make someone look like a Catgirl at first sight.

The style has spread into the real world among fans of the aforementioned heroines. Naoko Takeuchi, creator of Sailor Moon, famously wore Odango.

If the Character isn't Chinese, expect them to be the really innocent, polite type, while the style with Twin Tails are mostly worn by Tsundere.

The style is named after dango, a sweet dumpling eaten on a skewer as a Japanese snack, traditionally served at hanami (cherry blossom and flower viewing festivals). Compare Horned Hairdo and Prim and Proper Bun.

Examples of characters with Odango Hair include:

Anime and Manga

  • Sailor Moon
    • Sailor Moon herself, who earned the nickname "odango atama" ("dumpling-head"; the dub version refers to her as "meatball-head") for her Odango (and Expressive Hair). Her counterpart in the live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon demonstrates both realistic and unrealistic odango hairstyles.
    • Various other characters also have them in their hairstyle: Queen Serenity, Human Luna (Both Manga/Anime version and Live-action), Human Diana, Chibi-Usa, Chibi Chibi, Sailor Cosmos, and Queen Nehellenia and the Non-canon Kousagi.
    • The creator, Naoko Takeuchi, used to wear her hair like Sailor Moon's before important exams during college, so she incorporated it into her heroine.
  • Shampoo from Ranma ½, as well as her tribe sisters Linlin and Ranran in the anime.
  • Maruko from Chibi Maruko Chan had her hair like this, with no tails and without its being covered up, when she went to the Momoe-chan concert.
  • Linn Minmei from Super Dimension Fortress Macross.
  • Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi.
  • Aeru from Simoun.
  • Alvis Hamilton from Last Exile.
  • Mei, Naru's little stepsister in Love Hina.
  • Katase Shima from Stellvia of the Universe.
  • Li Mei-ling from the anime adaptation of Cardcaptor Sakura.
  • Aizawa Minto/Mew Mint from Tokyo Mew Mew.
  • Anita King from ROD The TV. Though Anita doesn't actually have hair buns, she just wears empty covers on her hair sometimes.
  • Tenten from Naruto. Otherwise known as the only female character in Naruto with a practical hair style.
  • Ojamajo Doremi
    • The title character has a very unrealistic odango set. The enormous size of Doremi's Odango was toned down a little starting with "Motto!" They are still rather large, but it's kind of justified, since her hair actually reaches down to her waist and has a lot of volume.
    • And when she gets her fairy Dodo, Dodo has odango to match, which made for problems when she was learning how to make herself invisible.
  • Meow from Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran, being Chinese and all.
  • Hiro from Hidamari Sketch. She was annoyed that she couldn't braid her hair into these when it's humid, and Miyako once say Hiro's odango as cream puffs in one episode, when Hiro's class was making cream puffs in the home economics class.
  • Fumika Narutaki and Chao of Mahou Sensei Negima.
  • Suzume from Hyakko
  • Haruhi Suzumiya started with Odango as one of her hairstyles. They vanished as soon as she founded the SOS Brigade, however.
  • Background character Manami from Shugo Chara wears her hair in a similar style as Mint and Doremi.
  • Gundam
  • Miki "Nodamiki" Noda from GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class.
  • Miyako from Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z has an Edo-style counterpart, Omiya, a member from the Oedo Chaki Chaki Girls. She has this hairstyle plus a flower.
  • In Full Metal Panic!, the Chinese Girl Xia Yu Lan wears her hair in this hairstyle during a mission.
  • A bird girl with odango feathers appeared in one episode of Fushigiboshi no Futagohime.
  • In episode 9 of Darker than Black, Misaki's Chinese friend Alice Wang dresses her up in a qípáo and odango for a party.
  • Kagura from Gintama has these, sort of. She has two bun covers on either side of her head, but when her hair is down, it's quite short, so it might not fill up her bun covers.
  • May Chang from Fullmetal Alchemist has these. She also has a little panda.
  • Karna from Niea Under 7 has these in line with her "Chinese Girl" persona—complete with panda print.
  • A rather comical male example: Gourry Gabriev from Slayers gets his hair done up this way whenever he gets put in a dress every 17 episodes or so.
  • Chihiro of Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin (a.k.a. Occult Academy) wears an odd/distinctive odango hair style. She immediately falls in love with Fumiaki when he compliments her hair, something no one had ever done before.
  • Kasen of Wild and Horned Hermit has these. Or the covers, at least. It's considerably more likely to be (the remains of) horns than hair under them.
  • Nozomi gets a pair of donut-like ones as Cure Dream in Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and its sequel, GoGo.
  • The title character from Vampire Princess Miyu has one odango (also with a pigtail hanging from it), on her left side.
  • Yuru-Yuri: Akari gets these, in Imagine Spots they are detachable, shoot lasers and generally act like two Attack Drones.
  • Akira Katou from Team Medical Dragon.
  • Momo Hinamori from Bleach.
  • The Idolmaster
    • Miki uses this on the Live for You OVA.
    • Kasumi, Yayoi's sister, sports this too.

Literature

Live-Action TV

Toys

Video Games

Visual Novels

  • Maya Fey and Ema Skye in the Ace Attorney series both wore small Odango when they were teenagers. Once grown up, Ema switched hers for a ponytail.
  • Saber from Fate/stay night.

Web Comics

Western Animation

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