10 Best Black Animated Characters, Ranked

Black Animated Characters
Image via VIZ Media

Most of us watch anime movies, and the characters leave an impression on us. Animated characters have grown and changed dramatically throughout time. Now, black anime characters are being cast and designed in animation.

Furthermore, Black Anime Characters are some of our favorites among the characters. Here’s a list of the top 10 black animated characters you should know about:

10. Mr. Popo (Dragon Ball)

Mr. Pope - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Funimation/Harmony Gold

Mr. Popo is a fictional animated character from Akira Toriyama’s manga series Dragon Ball. He plays the role of a genie who serves as Earth’s guardian deity’s aide and custodian of their house, which is located high above the sky.

Some observers have attacked Mr. Popo’s design and humanoid appearance as insulting racist stereotypes, and because of this, Mr. Popo’s skin has been changed to blue from his original black color.

9. Franklin (Peanuts)

Franklin - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Normaal Animation

Franklin is a fictitious character from Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts. Franklin debuted on July 31, 1968, as the strip’s first African American character. Peppermint Patty and Marcie are his classmates at school.

When they were both at the beach in his first tale arc, he met Charlie Brown. He paid his final visit in 1999, a year before Schulz’s death.

Related: 13 Best Comedy Anime to Make You Laugh Out Loud!

8. Keesha Franklin (The Magic School Bus)

Keesha Franklin - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Netflix

Everyone who grew up in the 1990s is certain to recognize Keesha Franklin. She starred in the popular TV show The Magic School Bus as one of the main characters. Keesha was known for being skeptical, and she always wanted to learn as much as she could, which caused a lot of conflict with the other kids. Despite this, Keesha’s fans loved her for having strong, independent thinking abilities.

7. Donna Tubbs-Brown (Family Guy)

Donna Tubbs-Brown - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via 20th Television

Donna Lou Retten Tubbs-Brown is the wife of Cleveland Brown, who works at Stoolbend High School as the principal’s assistant and she is one of the interesting animated black girl characters in the series. Roberta and Rallo are her biological children from her previous relationship with Robert Tubbs.

Cleveland Brown Jr., her third child, was born due to her marriage to Cleveland. Donna Brown is one of those cartoon characters you can’t help but like – or, at the very least, laugh at. Although Donna is Cleveland Brown’s wife, she often appears to be in love with her ex-husband. Donna’s character is fantastic, but the fact that Sanaa Lathan voices her makes it even better.

6. Uncle Ruckus (The Boondocks)

Uncle Ruckus - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Sony Pictures Television

Uncle Ruckus (also known as Reverend Father Uncle Ruckus, No Relation) is a fictional animated character in the American animated series The Boondocks. The cartoon depicted the life of a Black family living in a predominantly white neighborhood and was recognized for being raw and often inaccurate.

Uncle Ruckus is undoubtedly one of the most memorable characters in the series. Although he himself was black, Uncle Ruckus had a well-known dislike for black people.

Related: Top 10 Badass Main Characters from Anime Series

5. Vince LaSalle (Recess)

Vince LaSalle - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Disney Television Animation

Vincent Pierre “Vince” LaSalle is a fictional character that appears in the television series Recess. He is believed to be the most athletic of the Recess Gang’s six members. Vince was frequently egoistic due to his superior athletic ability compared to his friends.

He realizes, however, how important his buddies are to him. Vince LaSalle was one of the coolest kids on the playground from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Vince was recognized for being a superb athlete and an overall good child.

4. Suga Mama (The Proud Family)

Suga Mama - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Disney Channel

Suga Mama is a character in The Proud Family known for stating what she wanted, regardless of how people felt. She is a white-haired African American grandmother with two Afro puffs and a pair of red square glasses that frame her face.

She’s dressed in a pink coat with a light pink shawl draped over her shoulders, a deeper pink dress beneath it, and magenta slippers. Grandmothers hold a particular place in most people’s hearts, and Suga Mama was no exception.

3. Gerald Johanssen (Hey Arnold)

Gerald Johnassen - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Gerald Martin Johanssen is a fictional animated character in the Nickelodeon television series Hey Arnold! He is the best friend of the titular character. Gerald is a charming and loyal buddy. He often balances Arnold’s overly exuberant outlook with a fair dose of reality, thanks to his characteristic high-top hairdo and calm manner.

In addition to being Arnold’s friend, Gerald is well-versed in many of the city’s fabled tales. He appears to obtain these legends from a source called “Fuzzy Slippers,” who appears in several episodes as his dependable assistant.

Related: Top 20 Cheerful/Happy Anime Characters to Brighten Up Your Day!

2. Little Bill (Little Bill by Bill Cosby)

Little Bill - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Little Bill is a children’s animated television series based on Bill Cosby’s Little Bill series of books. In each episode, Bill Jr. learns a lesson or moral developed after thorough research with a team of educational experts.

Little Bill was a curious child from Philadelphia who loved learning about the world around him, created by Bill Cosby. Little Bill was not only the star of his show but also the subject of several children’s novels. Despite his youth, he was entirely bald, which is one of the most remarkable aspects of his character.

1. Frozone (The Incredibles)

Frozone - Best Black Animated Characters
Image via Pixar Animation Studios

Lucius Best (alias Frozone) is a significant character in both the 2004 Disney/Pixar animated film The Incredibles and the 2018 sequel. Mr. Incredible and the Parr family consider him their best friend and ally. Lucius Best is a rather ordinary guy during the day.

Many people don’t realize he’s also known as Frozone, a superhero. He possesses the ability to manipulate and freeze water droplets as they fly through the air. In the first Incredibles film, this character was introduced.

Posted by
Neha Jasmine

A girl whose world revolves on the fictional realm of animation. Hey, this is Neha, animated movies are something that takes me to a different world, which I prefer to refer to as "escaping reality." Watching them makes me believe that reality can be just as amazing, and that's how I want to live my beautiful life.