Dark and brooding is an archetype.
There are a lot of tropes that pertain to certain visual traits of a character. And there are some behavioral patterns that usually apply to the male anime characters with straight black hair and piercing blue eyes. Most of the time they are stoic, collected, sometimes feel even distant and have a bit of a workaholic side. We decided to pick ten of the hottest anime boys that fit this visual description and check how well they correlate with this type of behavior.
Toushirou Hijikata — Gintama
Even the most serious characters cannot escape the buffoonery that Gintama is, and Hijikata is no exception. He's a ruthless vice-chief of the local anti-terrorist police force Shinsengumi, based on a real-life organization of the same name and on real historical figure Toshizo Hijikata. He usually threatens his subordinates with seppuku, he's a skilled swordsman, known to be considered good-looking by the in-universe characters, and has an exceptionally strict morals and devotion to his job. Two of his vices are smoking and unhealthy love for mayonnaise that are often used as a comedic relief.
Yato — Noragami
Yato is not serious or stoic at all. He's like someone you'd want to wrap in a fluffy blanket, offer some hot chocolate, and give some money despite him being quite cunning, crude and childish: that doesn't make him less adorable. He's cute and carefree, the only thing he wants is to be wealthy and worshiped. His morals are surely gray and he makes some questionable decisions throughout the story, but he's determined in reaching his goal.
Rin Okumura — Blue Exorcist
This boy is the epitome of chaos. He's all over the place, with a personality larger than Japan's national debt, and despite being a son of Satan himself, he has a huge heart that cares deeply for those who he deemed close. But one of his main redeeming qualities is that he can cook. That's a huge tick in the "pros" column.
Fushimi Saruhiko — K Project
Fushimi often looks extremely bored, lazy, and cool-headed. He's somewhat of a downer, always openly showing dislike for things and rejecting activities. He's a pessimist who believes in the power of an individual and person's self-worth. But underneath this facade lies a person who can be pretty sadistic and cruel during battles, wearing a maniacal grin. Truly twisted individual who also deeply respects those who proved their worth.
Giyu Tomioka — Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
He's been called the "depression king" for a reason. He's quiet and serious, his face most of the time is emotionless, but if you think about how the power system in Demon Slayer works, his water hashira fits him pretty well. He has a very strong sense of justice and readily abandoned the Demon Slayer Corps' code to protect Nezuko, showing how he's more pragmatic than some of the Demon Slayers and is not fueled by sheer hatred.
Tobio Kageyama — Haikyuu!
A total perfectionist, he was ostracized by his former teammates for that, as no one could keep up with his demands and he became the reason for them to quit the sport. Kageyama is very hard on himself, he's constantly overthinking everything, constantly fears that he hasn't done enough, that he once again alienated everyone, and that leads to him being badly socialized. He seems pretty overconfident and cool, but inside he is a whirlwind of emotions.
Aki Hayakawa — Chaisawman
He inadvertently became the older brother to two human-like abominations, and in contrast with them he tries to be even more serious than he already is. He wants to succeed at his job, he wants to be useful, he wants to be effective, and that leads to him being overly strict with himself and sometimes treating others even harsher. Thankfully, throughout the story of the Chainsawman, Aki becomes a bit more humane, adapts to those that he shares his life with, and finds a little bit of peace in this makeshift family. Albeit momentarily.
Hei — Darker Than Black
That one fits the pattern perfectly. Dark-haired, mysterious, collected and a bit antisocial, Hei is an extremely effective assassin who has special powers and played a huge part in a disastrous event that he has no recollection of. He dons disguises and personalities on top of his original one, but underneath all of them he, despite trying to appear emotionless, actually is pretty compassionate.
Ritsuka Uenoyama — Given
Girls fawn over him, and for a reason: Ritsuka is cool, witty, a little bit distant, he sleeps in class, which is cute, and he plays guitar. Guitar is a magnet for people, everybody knows that. But what they don't know is that Ritsuka is extremely goofy in his inner monologues, especially when he enters a near-panic state after analyzing his feelings. But on the outside he fits the pattern we described in the beginning.
Haruka Nanase — Free!
All the guys in Free! are hot. This franchise was created specifically to showcase hot guys, and Haruka is a perfect example of that. But it's not just his appearance that makes him hot; he's this cool guy with a somewhat emotionless and seemingly uncaring persona that you'd be afraid to interact with. but in reality he's extremely protective and caring towards his friends. He's very confident in himself, but has a bit of a silly side, as he often wears his jammers right under his school uniform.