This was also something else they cut to save time(about Dino calling Ash his son). In the manga (before the party), Dino does sign papers and officially make Ash his son and heir.
April Ackeret
2019-02-21 12:02:47 +0000 UTC
Three more thoughts in regard to Yut-Lung's hair (sorry, if the topic is growing old):
1. It's a stealth weapon. Yut-Lung's job for the Lee-family is subterfuge, espionage and assassinations. Appearing like a woman or an effeminate man helps in that b/c they are seen as less of a threat. We have also seen him hide his needles in his coiffure. So in this aspect, his hair is a tool and less of an accessory and having it this long can be seen as a result of a necessary decision and less a voluntary one.
2. It's a memorial to his mother. As soon as the first time we see Yut-Lung interact with one of his brothers, we are told that he looks like his mother. So, his long hair can be seen as a voluntary decision to honor the memory of his mother (maybe rubbing her violent death into his brothers' skin whenever they see him) and an attempt to distance himself visually from the Lee-family and side himself with his mother who was also hurt and abused by the Lees.
3. It's a sign of his ongoing grief. There is a manga/anime-trope that people with unresolved emotional issues like grief or hatred let their hair grow. Banana Fish itself offers three - Yut-Lung, who mourns his mother and hates his brothers; Blanca, whose wife's death made him an outcast and who believes that humans are destined to be alone (see: "Islands in the Stream"); the third one can't be named yet (spoilers). Another example is Thorfinn from "Vinland Saga", who wears his hair long as long as he griefs for his father's death and plans to revenge his murder. Interestingly, the trope also goes further: Once the long-haired character has worked through their emotional issues, they cut their hair. This happens to Thorfinn and also to the yet unnamed BF-character. So, cutting long hair means working through and healing from emotional upheaval.
I think those three points highlight why it would have been moot and counter-productive story-wise for Ash to cut Yut-Lung's hair and why Yut-Lung himself would never cut off his hair even though it is a great liability.
P.S. "Vinland Saga" is getting an anime this year. Since you were asking for recs in your last video, I highly recommend it. The story's awesome and the trailers for the anime look pretty decent to me.
