nvm that this has mostly superheroes. i couldn't find a good one of male heroes
So, last time we talked about the ladies, now it's time to talk about the gentlemen. I'll admit that this was a harder list to make, because I do have a mental list for the ladies, with the men it's very uneven and unsorted. So I had to think a lot to get this list going, but I think in the end I managed to get something that works.
Well, let's get started.
15) Tack (The Thief and the Cobbler)
He's such a cutie! He barely makes the list but I could talk a lot about him. I love that he's the opposite of Aladdin, while Aladdin is outspoken and jumps right at danger Tack is more quiet and cautious. I like his story, of the underdog who manages to rise on top, and I think the story works well with him more than other characters because he's actually quite humble and doesn't brag about himself.
It's actually much more satisfying seeing him get up from the ashes and save the day, since he spent all the other time in the shadows, not wanting to be noticed.
Though I guess the lack of talking would make some people think he's boring, I for one think he's enjoyable. I like seeing humble and good natured heroes, we need more of them.
14) Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)
This guy is fantastic. <3 I just love how Disney created their most selfish, narcissistic character...And yet we all ended up loving him. Maybe it's due to the fact that he's got a lot of charisma to make up for the rest of his negative traits. Like, he's an ass, but he knows how to have fun.
I think another thing that makes us like him so much is that he changes during his adventure, and a lot. He starts thinking about his acts, and how he can affect people with the way he acts; so by the time the ending comes we see him leave behind his selfish desires and gives Pacha what he wanted in the first place. What makes it stand out is while he's turned nicer, he still has his snarky personality of old, so it's not like he did a complete change either; that precious llama boy. <3
13) Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)
KITTY. <3 I'll admit i'm a huge fan of this book/movie, and one of its best characters is this treacherous, mischievous little kitty. It's always fun to see this character pop on the screen and cause all sorts of mischief for poor Alice.
Yet, i like to believe that secretly he kinda likes Alice (in a purely platonic way, of course); he finds her interesting as a human and finds it funny how she tries to apply logic to a world where logic is nonexistant. I also think he is fairly intelligent, but he hides his intelligence so the other Wonderland characters don't take notice of it.
I think maybe he kept an eye on her and her adventures, to see in what other type of craziness she could get involved with. And if he felt inspired, he could always worsen the situation...;)
12) Donald Duck
You can't go wrong with the classics. This angry little featherball gives me life. <3
I also like how there are different aspects of him besides him an angry duck. He's very caring and protective of his loved ones (otherwise he wouldn't have kept his nephews, or tolerated Goofy for that long). He is sweet, you just have to know how to deal with him. <3
11) Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
Ah yeah! Homer will always make me laugh, no matter what. I have some other Simpson favorites (gotta love Lenny), but Homer takes the cake. I know some people he's just a lame jerk with no redeemable qualities, but I think there's more to him than meets the eye. I like the love he has for life in general, how he just won't doubt and jump into crazy situations at times because hey, it's life, let's enjoy it. It could be seen as careless, but seeing how homer views life as if through the eyes of a child, it's really hard for me to nag him on it.
He's just so happy to be on the list
10) Koushiro Izumi (Digimon)
Koushiro, not "Izzy" like in the English dub. I think Izzy is a huge jerk, but Koushiro is a cutie pie.
I find Koushiro appealing mostly on the fact that he's intelligent and introverted. Most cartoon nerd are this, in a way, but what differentiates Koushiro from the others is his humbleness and sweetness when addressing others. You just know he wants to be left alone and do his work, even though he may seem cold and aloof by his actions. but you just know he means well. He also has a lot of character development over the course of the series, that helps him deal with his own emotional baggage and come to terms with his origins.
9) Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
I love this guy. His sweetness, good nature, and curiosity are all very appealing aspects of him. Much like Tack, he's another sweet main lead, who doesn't really mean to harm others much (scare them, yes, but it's all done with a good heart).
What I also like is how the film presents Jack and his behavior, and how even though he might mean good, he also causes a lot of trouble just for intercepting Christmas. It's a good message to send to people that you might be hurting someone with your actions even though you might not realize it or think you're doing good.
In the end, though, I do like how he realizes he did wrong and tries his best to correct his errors (mostly leaving Santa to do the job, but eeh). It shows he's open to criticism and ready to change things that may not work, and that's the best way to function at times.
8) Schmendrick (The Last Unicorn)
My little incompetent wizard. <3 I like Schmedrick for how relatable he is; while I adore Amalthea, I will admit I feel like Schmendrick most of the time (incompetent at my job, feeling severely underestimated by others), and yet through it all, I do like the way how Schmendrick grows into his own confidence as the story progresses. It's obvious he wants to help the Unicorn, one part of him is due to genuine good will and the other for slim chance that he may turn into the great magician he always dreamed he'd be. I like the friendship he has with Amalthea- it's rare to see female and male characters being just friends in media, but it's appreciated when you find examples of it.
As the story goes, though, he kinda understands how magic really works, and understands than some things are much more important than others, like helping the Unicorn over getting to do "true" magic.
Besides, I appreciate him as a "sidekick" who manages to help a lot the heroine and advance the story. Most sidekicks just tend to be rather useless in the long run in animated films; not Schmendrick though.
And, it's not saying much, but I like the idea that he might be Jewish. It's not much, but it's nice.
7) Bagheera (The Jungle Book)
Baggy is the best. <3 I know it's unpopular to like stick in the mud characters, but the way Bagheera behaves is just so charming. I like his stuffiness, his responsible attitude, how he does things knowing it's for the best (for Mowgli's best, at least)...And also because the movie shows many times he does care a lot for Mowgli, and just wants to see him safe and sound. Sure, he may not show his love openly like Baloo, but we still feel it (he probably must be very close to Mowgli, considering the fact that he was the one who found him as a baby in the river).
Baggy may not show it openly, but it's obvious his love for Mowgli is as big as Baloo's is.
6) Norman Osborn (Spider-man)
AAAAW YEAAH FOLKS, THE BIG VILLAIN IS HERE. :D
Joking aside, I love the Green Goblin/Norman because of how utterly insane and ruthless he can be. Out of most of the super villains there are out there (at least, of the DC/Marvel type), Norman strikes out a chord with me. Maybe because I find him a more interesting and complex interpretation of the Joker. He's vicious, and cruel, and crazy...But there's also his aspect of being a cunning businessman, a suave manipulator (me and my manipulators), his relationship with his son Harry...
But I love his cruelty and wickedness, most of all. Who knew a Halloween costume could end up being so frightening?
5) Bunnymund (Rise of the Guardians)
My favorite Guardian! <3 It's a shame that Bunny tends to be overlooked in fandom, since I think he's a great character. He's hot-headed, not afraid to get dirty, and maybe a little confrontational at times, but he does have a soft demeanor underneath those boomerangs. He cares a lot for children, and he seems to have a soft spot for nature, too.
He may seem harsh to Jack, but I think he just shows that he cares for him, and may be a little blunt so the boy could get the message. And often, that type of counsel works.
He means well, even if at first he may not show it.
4) Quicksilver (Marvel)
My arrogant speedster. <3 I think Pietro is very underestimated in general, based on the fact that even Marvel seems to dislike him. People just prefer the Flash to him or dislike his arrogant personality.
Yet...I like his arrogant personality. I like his attitude, and i like how he tends to confront people. The Marvel Universe is filled with assholes, anyway, so it's nice to see a hero openly mocking big hypocrites like Iron man and Hawkeye.
Yet, despite being harsh, Pietro is NOT a villain. He may seem so, but he certainly is not. He still thinks of doing the best, and even though at times he may do morally questionable things, he often tries to do the good, in a "the end justifies the means" kinda way.
There's a lot to explore about him: his relationship with his family, his Roma ancestry, how does he feel being Magneto's kid, his relationship with his estranged daughter...And of course his unbreakable relationship with Wanda. <3 Those two are like bread and butter, you can't split them up.
He has a lot of potential and i'm confident that the more popular he turns the more people will began using him to his maximum potential.
3) Wolverine (X Men)
AH YEAH, THE BADASS. >:3
Logan is the definition of a badass: he's tough, he kicks butt, he lashes out rude comments, he frequently fights others in the team, he tends to be an hypocrite...Yet, as strange as it sounds, he also has a soft side.
Underneath all that gruff and antisocial demeanor, he happens to have his own tender moments. He cares a lot for the vulnerable, he's extremely protective of any woman he falls in love with, and he'll always stand by his friends (in his free time, when not doing lonesome things, he likes to spend it with Kurt drinking or playing pool or doing anything else); he's also very good with giving counsel to someone who needs it.
It may be harsh at first, but you know he's saying it for your own good, and he truly means well.
There is so much to talk about Logan, since everybody has written so many different things about him: about his issue with immortality, his love life, his relationship with his children...
I love his headbutting personality and all, but give me his soft edge any day of the week.
2) Butters (South Park)
Wow, who could've expected to see a South Park character land so high on a list? It may seem strange, but Butters is one of the sweetest characters you can think of.
It's kinda bizarre, considering I'm sure there are many other sweet characters out there, but what makes Butters special for me is the fact that he stands out in a series full of jackasses like South Park is. It makes him much more special (without being a special snowflake).
Butters is sweet and innocent and oh so charming. He's just too cute, and too pure at times, in a way you feel a little overprotective over him, wanting to shield him away from the horrors of South Park, but in another way...It's also hilarious to see his sheltered innocence contrasting against the dark subject matters that the show presents.
So kudos to Butters, and may his innocence last many, many years.
Honorable mentions:
-Chernabog- he's probably the most badass of all Disney villains
-Horned King- His movie is bad, but he's the saving grace of it. he's so evil and creepy, i adore it. i love his voice and his skeleton design.
-Goofy- Another fave. he's such a sweetheart.
-Panchito and José- Of course! They're such baes. i think they're much more likable than Donald is tbh but Donald is more iconic.
-Captain Haddock and Tintin- tie! both of them are so lovable and timeless characters, it was hard to not put them on the list. but yeah, i just never get tired of Tintin's Pure Adventurer status or the Captain running off and mouthing everything that crosses his path.
-Beelzebumon/Impmon- there was already a digimon character in this so I didn't want to add more, but i luff this guy. i'm all for bad guys who make terrible decisions while pulling off the "Biker bad boy" aesthetic :D
-Xigbar and Saix- they're from video games, not technically animated, but they're so engaging and fun to watch...And imo I think there's more to them than meets the eye...At least, I know Saix is good, deep down inside, as for Xigbar...I kinda hope he does something unpredictable.
-Rorschach- like the previous two guys, he's not "technically" animated, so i'm not sure he counts, but darn it if he's not interesting.
There are so many male characters I like, it's hard to put up a list...
And my number one favorite animated male character is....
1) Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6)
Perhaps one of Disney's most complex characters, Hiro pretty much stole my heart at first glance (not in a romantic way though). i have never liked a Disney character this much in a long time, and yet here we are.
I love this little genius. I love his temper, his snarky comments, his brilliant but lazy status...And I love his development, how much he changes throughout his movie. He starts off being a lazy schmuck who wastes his talents on botfights, but then ends the story turning into a selfless hero who tries his best to save others.
He has his selfish and impulsive moments too, but I also like how he always gets a moment to reflect and then act better (esp. because often the others help him see through his acts and help him overcome difficult moments, I love that hug Gogo gives him). i just feel that Disney did a good job showing sides of his personality and how well they developed him.
I hope to see Disney do more with him in the future. <3
Well, hope you enjoyed this list, too! :D
