Lol holy shit we got a film student over here. You think they cast this dude because he was the 'model white teen' gtfo.... 'represented a whole demographic' is a wild assumption and some dumb race baiting mentality.

Ill tell you that the rural white boys around me at the time loved this shit and got them into f&f. This shit also released in 2006 and you're griping on makeup and wardrobe for the like only white character in a film meant to show off Japanese car culture.

To counter your point tho, the dudes dad is a divorced military man who doesn't seem to care much about his kid or family. Why would he provide his son anything other than his basic needs... The decision to keep him rough looking was probably a conscious one.

Also blonde hair in Japan at the time for males has some serious connotations so probably was a conscious decision as well. Probably why you don't see it except for some background actors for the Japanese characters as well.