Thanks a lot for the kind words!
Actually this haircut looks like less work than the old one, but maybe it's only an impression.
Viewing post in Aria's (probable) new look + update comments
While I prefer the original haircut, wanting to go for a different direction and choosing one which is less work are definitely great reasons to switch over.
If you're still looking for a hairstyle that would look good for her tho, may I ask what image or idea you're trying to convey with her? The old one conveyed that she's a. black and b. Confident with her hair au naturale because she knows she's good enough that enemies grabbing onto it is irrelevant, while the ponytail makes her race more ambiguous and implies that she's more cautious and doesn't want it in her eyes but is unwilling to put it in a bun or tie it up even if foes might grab onto it because she values her hair.
That's quite deep characteristics and background you're mentionning there!
Aria was originally designed with inspiration from a comic ( which is also named "Aria", btw ). Except for the skin and hair color, she has a very similar look ( outfit, haircut mainly ), and I could imagine that if the comic was to be animated/filmed someday, she would have a voice similar to the one in RoT. There was no real idea or image to convey, the game was mainly designed to be a love letter to retro games with a little reference to a comic I've been reading for a very long time now.
With the new design I aimed for a more Tyris Flare-oriented visual. The only thing I'm not a fan of in the original character is the haircut, that's why I tried different hairstyles. I really didn't think a second about what you mentionned in your message about hair grabbing, my only goal being making her look good (and sexy) looking, while considering it must be feasable in medium resolution pixel art without being a real problem to animate.
If you're going for Tyris Flare but with a different hairstyle, I think a pixie cut could maybe work? Something that conveys how wild and rugged she is while still staying feminine and easy to animate.
Perhaps with a choppy appearance to convey that she cut her hair herself in a way that looks cool?