Star Wars fans have been debating the length of Darth Vader’s hair for decades. Given that he was a Sith Lord, you’d think that his appearance would be pretty important (and it is). But what about his hairstyle? Is it long or short?

Does it matter? Well… yes and no! While there aren’t many clues we can use to determine this, we’ll take a look at some theories nonetheless. In this article, I’ll be covering everything from Anakin Skywalker’s hair color and length throughout the original trilogy to why his style changed so drastically in Episode IV and beyond—plus how much you should care about whether or not Darth Vader had long black hair when he first appeared onscreen.

ANAKIN’S HAIR COLOUR AND LENGTH

The colour of Anakin’s hair is not explicitly stated in Episode I, but it can be inferred from his appearance as Darth Vader.

Anakin’s hair was brown. Anakin’s hair was long and flowing, but not excessively so–it was neither a mullet nor a ponytail-length mane like those sported by Billy Ray Cyrus or David Bowie in their respective eras. Rather, Anakin had what might now be described as “mid-length” locks that were just long enough to cover his ears when pulled back into a ponytail (the latter being another option available to him).

Anakin’s face wasn’t visible until he donned his mask during battle; however even then there aren’t any clear shots showing us exactly how much facial hair he had around his mouth area since most shots were taken from behind Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn during their lightsaber duel with Darth Maul on Naboo.*

DID ANAKIN HAVE LONG OR SHORT HAIR?

Anakin’s hair is another topic that comes up a lot. People are often confused as to whether Anakin had long or short hair in his adult years, so let’s take a look at the facts:

• When Anakin was young, he had a long ponytail that was cut off when he was 10 years old by Obi-Wan Kenobi (who later became his mentor). This could be why some people think that Anakin had short hair in adulthood–after all, how else would you explain his lack of a ponytail? But if this were true then why did Yoda say “the boy you trained” when referring to Darth Vader? The answer is simple: because there wasn’t enough time between Anakin becoming Darth Vader and Yoda dying for any significant changes in appearance (such as growing out his hair) to occur!
• When we first meet him on Tatooine as an adult man living with Qui-Gon Jinn and Jar Jar Binks after leaving slavery behind him forevermore…he still has long locks flowing down from beneath his hooded cloak . So clearly there’s no reason why someone should ever think otherwise when looking at pictures like these ones taken during production on Episode II.”

WHY DID HE CHANGE HIS HAIRSTYLE?

There are several theories about why Anakin changed his hairstyle. Some think he was trying to look more like his master, Darth Sidious. Others think that he was trying to look more like his father, who had long hair before becoming a Jedi Knight and losing it in battle during the Clone Wars. Still others believe that Anakin wanted to appear more intimidating or powerful as Darth Vader by wearing this iconic helmet.

WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT DARTH VADER’S HAIR?

Anakin’s hair was a vivid red color, whereas Darth Vader’s was black. The length also changed; Anakin’s was shorter and more like a normal hairstyle, but Vader’s was longer and slicked back like a helmet.

The reason for this difference is that when he became Darth Vader, Anakin lost his natural hair due to being burned in an accident on Mustafar (a planet with lava). Because of this loss, he had to wear the suit with built-in circuitry that allowed him access all the controls inside it – including controlling his breathing mask!

Sorry, Anakin/Vader had short hair.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Anakin/Vader had short hair.

In the movies, it was always short. In all three prequels, it was always short. And in the original trilogy? Well there’s no need to look at them because they’re not canon anymore!

In the end, we’re left with a lot of unanswered questions about Anakin’s hair. We don’t know why he changed his style or if he really had long hair as Darth Vader. All we can say for sure is that he definitely had short hair when he died at the end of Return of the Jedi.