I might have already mentioned like 1000 times that I love white-haired anime characters. But I forgot to mention that I truly adore anime boys with brown hair, who are considered “plain”. Heck, my all-time favorite anime boy, Lelouch, is a brown-haired cutie too!
This list was so much fun to create. I came to realize that so many of these brown-haired anime males are actually in the top 10 all-time popular characters on MAL. It’s something I had never noticed before when I wasn’t focused on the color of their hair.
I used the MAL database of popularity to create this list.
Here are 12+ of the most popular anime boys with brown hair.
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14. Conan Edogawa
- Anime series: Detective Conan
Who does not know this iconic character? Even though he looks like a child, make no mistake—he is like this only because he had been exposed to a poison that altered his appearance.
His mind is of a teenager and his deductive skills are on point, proving useful in solving mysterious cases—hence, the name of the show is called Detective Conan.
13. Tooru Oikawa
- Anime series: Haikyuu!!
This womanizer is an excellent and talented volleyball player.
Tooru can analyze the weaknesses and strengths of both his opponents and teammates, proving his intelligence and cunningness many times throughout the series.
12. Keima Katsuragi
- Anime series: The World God Only Knows
I am pretty sure you have heard this comment about not being attracted to 3D girls, only to 2D waifus. That’s exactly Keima’s approach!
He is pretty disconnected from reality, and a hardcore gamer who isolates himself a lot on top of that.
Even though he is legit perma playing (even in the class) he is still at the top of the class in every subject. Even though over time his perception of 3D girls changes, he still remains faithful to 2D girls and prefers them over the real ones.
Yes, Keima is a genius! And geniuses are weird.
11. Sakuta Azusagawa
- Anime series: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
Sakuta’s got a killer poker face and never shows emotion when he speaks. He doesn’t really care what others think of him and tends to make inappropriate comments about the ladies he’s around.
10. Kyon “John Smith”
- Anime series: Haruhi
Kyon is a member of the SOS Brigade club where supernatural phenomena are an ordinary experience. Despite being a member of a supernatural club, Kyon is the only “normal” human without special abilities.
He is an intelligent and perceptive boy who has a rather cynical demeanor and problems admitting feelings for others.
9. Shinji Ikari
- Anime series: Evangelion
Shinji is a designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-01 and the main protagonist of Evangelion.
He is an easy-going and introverted person who is very sensitive and emotional due to his past. Fans of Evangelion usually use adjectives like nuanced and relatable to describe him.
Shinji is far from perfect and can be considered a realistic mirror of adolescent boys in the era when the series aired.
8. Kazuma Satou
- Anime series: KonoSuba
Before being reborn in the Fantasy World, he used to be a hardcore gamer who lived in isolation.
After being reborn in the Fantasy World, he becomes more social and outgoing. He is depicted as an intelligent, sarcastic, and blunt adventurer.
7. Osamu Dazai
- Anime series: Bungo Stray Dogs
Osamu is a member of the Armed Detective Agency and a truly mysterious and splendid character.
This suicide maniac serves as a comical relief in the series and gets often caught trying to suicide in comical manners.
Osamu can be found slacking off, joking, and in general, being extremely likable.
6. Houtarou Oreki
- Anime series: Hyouka
I mean, just look at him. You can tell already.
Houtarou’s personality is similar to his looks—he is indifferent, calm, and cynical. He talks only when necessary and appears emotionless and unfazed.
Nevertheless, he has a talent for solving mysteries and joins the school’s Classics club where he makes friends.
5. Eren Yeager
- Anime series: Attack on Titan
Eren Yeager is the second Attack on Titan character on this list.
He is the main protagonist of Attack on Titan. As a member of the Survey Corps and holder of the power of the Titan, he is more than valuable addition.
Eren is known to be stubborn, impulsive, and strong-minded. He deeply cares about his comrades and friends.
4. Vegeta
- Anime series: Dragon Ball
Vegeta is the prince of the fallen Saiyan.
He is introduced as someone who would destroy anything that stands in his way without remorse, mostly because of his Saiyan nature.
Vegeta is prideful, hard-working, serious, and intelligent. While he might appear arrogant and cold towards others, he has a caring side too. Throughout the series, he shows a more mellow personality.
3. Light Yagami
- Anime series: Death Note
I am pretty sure you have heard about Light Yagami many times by now. It is no surprise he would end up in the top three. At all. He is the main antagonist of famous anime called Death Note.
Light is known for being a mastermind and someone who tries extra hard at school, achieving top grades, and gaining popularity both at school and among family members as well.
One fateful day, he finds a mysterious notebook that will grant him the power to kill anyone whose name is written in there while picturing their face in his mind.
Light used to have a strong sense of justice but it has become warped soon after he got tainted by the notebook’s power. He becomes cold-hearted, ruthless, and calculating with only one goal in mind—getting rid of all evil humans.
2. Levi Ackerman
- Anime series: Attack on Titan
Captain Levi might be a shortie, but he is an absolute keeper. He’s a top-notch squad captain in the Survey Corps and considered the strongest human soldier.
Levi comes across as distant, but he’s got a soft spot for his team and hates seeing anyone get hurt.
And bonus: he’s a clean freak (future husbando material)!
1. Lelouch Lamperouge
- Anime series: Code Geass
Lelouch was chosen as the most popular male character of 2006, 2007, and 2008 at Animage magazine’s annual Anime Grand Prix. He is also ranked first on MAL to this day, making him the most popular among anime boys sporting brown hair.
I’m obsessed with him. At first glance, he seems like a regular high schooler, who’s social, smart, and chill. But there’s more to him than meets the eye. He’s got a rough past that still haunts him, being exiled as a prince after being betrayed by his own blood.
Lelouch goes from being “a nobody” to having a crazy powerful ability, Geass, which he uses to take down the Holy Britannian Empire.
Is your fave brown-haired anime boy on the list? Let me know!
Kazuma xDD
Hai hai, Kazuma desu.
I actually don’t get why he is so popular.
Whoa, when did Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya ever get called John Smith? That’s like the most random name that anyone can come up with. Like if I decided to call myself “Barry Johnson” 😖
Cool list though – I saw a lot of recognizable names in this post which was nice!
He actually calls himself John Smith when asked about his name. It’s quite ridiculous, no?
😀
Haha, yeah, I love many of these brown-haired cuties!
Ah, it must be perhaps in a later series or one of the movies. It’s been a while since I saw Haruhi Suzumiya, so maybe my memory’s a bit muddled on that point 😐