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The Top 50 Cartoon Characters - They Aren't Your Favourite, They're Just Drawn That Way
- Thread starter Johnny Unusual
- Start date
They're good dogs Brent.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
19. Korra
99 Points, 4 Lists, #1 Kirin
99 Points, 4 Lists, #1 Kirin
“Even though we should learn from those who came before us, we must also forge our own path.”
Source Material: The Legend of Korra
Voice Actor: Janet Varney
Korra is the Avatar born of the Southern Water Tribe. In a world divided into four nations, the avatar is a human born capable of mastering four of the Earth’s elements (called benders), while most capable to controlling an element are limited to one. With that is a responsibility to defend the world when needed and to that end Korra is sent to complete her training with the last airbenders, a small clan living outside of Republic City, a hub for all nations. Korra is friends with the straightlaced Mako and more relaxed Bolin, who are athletes and benders raised on the streets. Korra is airbending taught by Tenzin, the son of the previous avatar and later gains a friendship with Asami Sato, the wealthy heir to Future Industries
Unlike the previous avatar, Korra was fortunate to receive proper training and has a more pugnacious, fierce attitude towards her work. Korra loves her powers from the get and becomes an extremely assertive avatar, never afraid to confront her enemies. Korra is also non-conformist and likes to see change, a quality that evolves over the course of the series as she sees other areas where the world could be bettered that she was not cognizant of before. While over the course of her adventures, Korra learns restraint and self-control, it never stops her from being willing to use her strength to get her point across.
Korra definitely feels like a response to the previous protagonist, an older, more mature hero who is willing to fight. Like Aang, they have a lot of growing up to do and face trauma and hardship, but while Aang was fighting a baldly evil empire, Korra’s journey is fighting a series of villains who want to change the world and while rejecting their evil and cruelty, finding value in some of the changes they want to make. Her strength is to learn the right thing from her enemies, not only as a cautionary tale but picking the right and rejecting the wrong and finding that the status is in need of improving. She is definitely headstrong and stubborn, but she’s not hardheaded.
Plaintiffs:
Defense:
“Very different characters. Also, no one says “Cronny Storm.” Ew.”
She was my main pick for the whole danged Avatar franchise
“I’M THE AVATAR AND Y’ALL CAN DEAL WITH IT” is a perfect introduction for anyone
“I’M THE AVATAR AND Y’ALL CAN DEAL WITH IT” is a perfect introduction for anyone
I grew up watching practically everything Scooby Doo did thanks to profuse repeats on Cartoon Network (well before they started their own content), watching A Pup Named Scooby Doo! as a kid on Saturday mornings, and discovering the genius that is Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (easily the best SD product ever, and also Hanna Barbara's, honestly). In short, this scaredy dog is a favorite and I voted for him based on a lot of pleasant memories of watching B - D tier animation, lol.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I neither have a particular like nor dislike of Scooby Doo, though I have memories of the 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, where Vincent Price ordered him to hunt real ghosts.
How about now?
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
No. Not ever.
Nobody would recognize that one
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
18. Lisa Simpson
101 Points, 4 Lists, #4 Violentvixen
101 Points, 4 Lists, #4 Violentvixen
“Look at me! Grade me! Evaluate and rank me! I'm good, good, good and oh so smart! GRADE ME!”
Source Material: The Simpsons
Voice Actor: Yeardley Smith
Lisa Simpson is an eight year old elementary school student living in Springfield. She lives with her parents, Homer and Marge, and her siblings, Bart and Maggie. Lisa is extremely intelligent for her age, which she herself values greatly and is constantly looking for ways to learn more. Unfortunately, while her family is loving, they sometimes have difficulty connecting with her or providing her with the proper stimulation she needs or even the attention. Though she loves her family, these differences often put her at odds with them, most often her brother and father.
Lisa prides herself not only on her intelligence but also on her integrity and progressive social and political causes. She is a Buddhist and a vegetarian, both with initially caused strife in her life but were eventually accepted by her family. Lisa and her brother are quite different but often they will work together as a unit when there is a crisis that requires detective work. She is an honor student at Springfield elementary which also has problems giving her what she needs due to budgetary constraints and faculty indifference. Despite this, the school is also quick to utilize her in order to make them look good, despite the fact that she seems largely self-educated. Lisa’s intelligence often makes her an unpopular outsider but despite some sadness generally remains optimistic, fighting for the things she believes in regardless of how intimidating her enemy is and inspiring her family to do the same. She also often provides Homer and Bart with advice and often provides sage wisdom.
Much in the same way I’ll never understand the “Superman sucks because he’s powerful” angle, I’ll never get people who think of Marge or Lisa as wet blankets when they are funny, vulnerable and often empowering characters (assuming they have a good script that week). Lisa in particular can be flawed but she’s a kid and one with many qualities to aspire to; being able to have the bravery to stand up to the status quo, a thirst for knowledge and self-improvement and being able to inspire others. It’s clear that in a troubling and horribly accurate parody of our own world, Lisa is someone who can cut through the problems and help people in small ways and big. All of the Simpsons (who aren’t Maggie) have a strong emotional core that is sometimes ignored in favour of laughs but Lisa… she’s gonna break your heart, then lift you up.
Holy shit, this always gets me and Yeardley is bring next level game to this.
Plaintiffs:
Defense:
“But does she wear a lampshade and have jaundice?”
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Lisa is wonderful, and easily could have been my number 1 but I kept rearranging my top few, at this exact moment I wish I had put her at #1 but oh well.
I already liked her, but even more so in high school when we picked our class mascot as juniors. Lisa was one of the submissions and I was excited that she'd win, but all the pretty popular girls said she was "an ugly nerd" and they didn't want her representing them. It still bothers me that she was out of the running based on the superficial parts of her character, especially since back then I was called an ugly nerd a lot!
I already liked her, but even more so in high school when we picked our class mascot as juniors. Lisa was one of the submissions and I was excited that she'd win, but all the pretty popular girls said she was "an ugly nerd" and they didn't want her representing them. It still bothers me that she was out of the running based on the superficial parts of her character, especially since back then I was called an ugly nerd a lot!
I wouldn't say 'anchor' (that's Homer) but she's definitely the show's conscious and often its heart.
@WisteriaHysteria Not to be that guy, but, "conscience".
I welcome 'that guy'! I always mess these things up and want to get better.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
17. The Genie
103 Points, 4 Lists, #5 Positronic Brain
103 Points, 4 Lists, #5 Positronic Brain
“It's all part and parcel, the whole genie gig. Phenomenal cosmic powers! Itty bitty living space!”
Source Material: Aladdin
Voice Actor: Robin Williams, Dan Castellaneta
The Genie is a genie (or djinn) who spent thousands of years in hidden in a lamp in the mystical Cave of Wonders. The Genie must grant anyone who rubs his lamp three wishes, and with only a few small limitations can grant any of them with his amazing abilities. He was eventually rescued by the thief Aladdin, sent by the sorcerer/vizier Jafar to acquire it. When Aladdin learns the truth and that the Genie can make his romantic dreams come true, the Genie helps use his magic to turn Aladdin into a prince. Soon, Genie and Aladdin become friends and though there are some difficulties, Genie is in Aladdin’s corner and tries to inspire him to be truthful to Jasmine, the princess he loves.
The Genie is nearly all powerful though himself is a prisoner of the lamp, never able to choose his own life. No matter how much he may or may not like any master, he must obey them. He does genuinely like Aladdin and even beyond the wishes themselves attempts to support Aladdin in other capacities after he promises to use last wish to free him. He is extremely performative, delivering show stopping numbers and comedy bits with his shapeshifting and reality warping powers and seems to have knowledge of pop culture references far beyond other people’s knowledge. Following the events of the first Aladdin film, Genie’s powers are largely reduced but still considerable, able to teleport, transform into and conjure nearly anything.
There are very few more perfect marriages of character and performer than this. Robin Williams was rightly concerned over his involvement in the film, as he was worried it would set a precedent of movie stars being preferred over voice actors, which is genuinely a problem with a lot of animated films where it seems the actor is chosen based on star power more than appropriateness. And hey, sometimes it works better than you think or they are right for the role but you also get Shark Tale were it’s just… Will Smith (who I do love) as a fish. But Robin Williams was already a cartoon character already on stage, a whirling id of energy (and probably more than a little cocaine at some points), so Genie made a lot of sense. A man who shifts so rapidly between characters, even as a cartoon, needed to be extra unreal and the animators on the film completely killed it with virtuoso performance worthy of Williams. I remember as a kid pitying whatever sidekick Disney has next because visually it could not compete with the Genie. And while Williams was in the right, it’s hard to be surprised that Disney went hard marketing the Genie because while in the film itself there is more than he, boy does every show stopping and eye popping moment involve him.
Plaintiffs:
Zigzag
Defense:
“I mean, Disney, so we’re fine.”
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
16. Nausicaä
103 Points, 4 Lists, #1 Wisteria Hysteria
103 Points, 4 Lists, #1 Wisteria Hysteria
“Ohmu, go back to your jungle. This is not your world.”
Source Material: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Voice Actor: Sumi Shimamoto, Allison Lohman
Nausicaä is a young woman who lives in the Valley of the Wind, a minor kingdom on a post-apocalyptic Earth. This new Earth was created in the Seven Days of Fire, which resulted in a vast Toxic Jungle (or Sea of Corruption, it seems to have differing names on wikipedia) swarming with giant mutant insect. Nausicaä decides to study the ecology of the Jungle and has made a friend of the Ohmu, the giant insects that protect the Jungle with lethal force. Nausicaä is trained in combat and is capable of battling soldiers from foreign armies. However, while she is willing to defend herself, she considers the wars between the factions pointless and is far more concerned with the ecology of the planet.
Nausicaä is noted for her determination and while most see the Jungle as a threat, she sees it something that needs to be protected. She also has a natural charisma and magnetic personality that comes naturally to her, as people are drawn to her empathy, kindness and bravery. To traverse her world, she uses a giant windglider called Mehve and for peace and ecological well-being is willing to put herself in harm’s way and even into enemy hands. She is also the daughter of the king of the Valley of the Wind and has a mentor in Yupa, an explorer.
Nausicaä is a film I’ve seen the first few scenes of many time but never actually got around to watching in full. Which is a shame, because she definitely represents one of Miyazaki’s most iconic characters. I feel like he is more or less done with action heroes but even when he did that, his characters are generally not protagonists who win by beating a bad guy but using their skills to survive long enough to use compassion and an iron will to spread a message of understanding over fear.
Plaintiffs:
The Lady who Loved Insects - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Defense:
“Due to size we will have difficulty getting the Ohmu on the stand so we need to demand bigger stands.”
Nausicca is perhaps my favourite Miyazaki movie and certainly my favourite protagonist.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Genie shows what you can do with animation to such an intense degree I couldn't ignore it. Seeing a character morph and move in such different ways while still clearly being the same character was inspiring to me since the movie came out at an age when I wanted to be an animator. He could have been in my top three if I'd submitted the list a different day.
Impossible for me to pick a favorite Miyazaki protagonist but Nausicaa sure is a contender. She certainly would have been on my list if I had decided to include animes. On the subject of the film itself, it's amazing how much of an influence it had on sci-fi and fantasy works that followed it, particularly in Japan. It feels like nearly every video game in the genre has an Ohmu or a God Warrior in it somewhere.
Aladdin hit at exactly the right time for Kid Drac. The manic energy Williams brought to the role was impossible to resist. I doubt I would have been so inspired to watch the movie over and over without him, and I'm sure it was the movie that made me a childhood fan of Williams. It also felt like nearly every tentpole animated Disney movie afterward tried to have a similar character, and they didn't always succeed.
Aladdin hit at exactly the right time for Kid Drac. The manic energy Williams brought to the role was impossible to resist. I doubt I would have been so inspired to watch the movie over and over without him, and I'm sure it was the movie that made me a childhood fan of Williams. It also felt like nearly every tentpole animated Disney movie afterward tried to have a similar character, and they didn't always succeed.
