If you see a girl with blue hair in an anime, you know that there’s more to her than meets the eye. She’s not like other girls. She may appear to be like the azure surface of a lake, cool and still. But those still waters run deep. No doubt many a mystery lies below the surface, if you are willing to trouble the waters.
Or she’s not all that mysterious and just APPEARS to be, which is, in itself, a mystery!
The internet has assigned me the impossible task of ranking “the best” of these girls, but I need a metric that’s better than “whose hair is bluer?” so I will attempt the impossible by trying to quantify their mysteriousness, and rank them accordingly.
10. Konata Izumi
Konata Izumi from Lucky Star is kind of an open book. She’s sassy, lazy, and loves video games. She likes to keep things simple. Being mysterious is a lot of work, after all, and she really just doesn’t want to put in the effort. And that’s cool—refreshing even. Being mysterious can be kinda pretentious, after all. If you try to be all mysterious around her she will def make fun of you for it. However, she is mysteriously athletic, so I gotta give her credit. I award her One “?” out of 10.
9. Bulma
Bulma from the Dragon Ball series is also pretty forthcoming. She’s kind, open hearted, and says how she feels. She does like to tinker around with some mysterious alien technology, however, so that’s gonna give her points. But the real mystery is how in the world she can stay married to Vegeta. I feel like that guy would be a nightmare to date—always scouting other people, checking their power levels—but she mysteriously has him wrapped around her finger. Two “??” out of 10.
8. Ami Kawashima
Okay so Ami Kawashima from Toradora is hiding something. On the outside, she’s sweet and innocent and kind, but she’s hiding that on the inside, she is a nasty person—judgemental, arrogant, and cruel. It’s a mystery how she’s able to hide this aspect of her personality so well. However, she can’t hide it from everyone, and people see through her façade. It’s a mystery why she hasn’t been found out sooner. Three “???” out of 10.
7. Ami Mizuno
Ami Mizuno is from Sailor Moon is a magical girl. That means she’s already brimming with mystery. She is Sailor Mercury, which is a pretty mysterious planet! Why is it so close to the Sun? Why does it turn so slowly? God only knows! She’s also the quietest of the Sailor Soldiers, and there is always something mysterious about the quiet ones. We’re gonna give her five “?????” out of 10.
6. Shino Asada
Shino Asada from Sword Art Online is a sniper, making her the most mysterious of all types of combatants! As a sniper, one must be a master of stealth and camouflage, the most mysterious of disciplines! As an online gamer, she hides her real-world personality. No one playing online with her knows who she actually is, even when she shoots them in the head from 900 yards! Six “??????” out of 10.
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5. Esdeath
Esdeath from Akame Ga Kill is a mystery. How could any be this EVIL? I DON’T KNOW! She’s cruel, cunning, and manipulative. She’s the leader of a secret police force for a despotic regime. She’s got ice powers. This girl has A LOT going on. She’s also head over heels IN LOVE with the protagonist, which is a total mystery because she’s so cold hearted that one would think it had frozen entirely. Seven “?” out of 10.
4. Nefertari Vivi
Nefertari Vivi is all ABOUT mystery. Just what is she doing with that DUCK!? She comes from a kingdom that operates more like a mafia than an actual government body, and the girl has a plethora of aliases that she uses whenever she travels throughout the world. She basically wrote the book on keeping a low profile. Oh, and she’s a PRINCESS? I missed that when she was working as a BOUNTY HUNTER. She keeps the cast of One Piece guessing from start to finish. Eight “?” out of 10.
3. Suzuno Kamazuki
Suzuno Kamazuki from The Devil Is a Part Timer is not of this world, which gives her big mystery points right off the bat. She comes from a parallel dimension where she works as an assassin for a powerful religious organization. She is really good at killing people stealthily and getting away scot free. Huge mystery points. Ironically, everything in our dimension is a mystery to her. She doesn’t even know what a TV is! Enigma is her middle name. 9 “?” out of 10.
2. Rika Furude
Okay what in the actual fuck is going on with Rika Furude? This preteen from Higurashi: When They Cry has been on some shit since the beginning of the series. She seems like a sweet young girl, until her eyes start glowing and she starts spouting creepy nonsense about curses and time loops. She’s got some mysterious powers that don’t get explained for an entire season, and when they are, you’re still left with questions. 10 “?” out of 10.
1. Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami doesn’t make any sense. And honestly, neither does Neon Genesis Evangelion. And that’s why we love it! From the jump, Rei is a weird kid. She’s known as the First Child and has been piloting Evangelions since before the main character, Shinji. No one has any idea where she came from. She doesn’t seem to have parents? Or friends? Or a life? She just pilots Evangelions. It’s almost like she was … made for it.
*SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWING*
Turns out, she WAS made for it! Or rather, “they” were made for it. No, Rei is not secretly non-binary (much to my chagrin), but she is actually a clone. Of herself. There are hundreds of Rei clones, all floating around in fluid-filled tanks and laughing creepily. Why? You’ll have to find out for yourself! I don’t even KNOW how to rank her. She’s too mysterious! She’s a ?????????????????? out of ??????????????????
(featured image: Gainax)
