Top 10 Badass Male Characters in Animated Series
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They put even the most macho of men to shame! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the top ten badass male characters in animated series.
For this list, we’re looking at male animated characters that dominate the small screen with both charisma and testosterone-fuelled badassery! We’ve limited our choices to western-animation only, so apologies to anime fans! Also, be on the lookout for a few spoilers down the line!
#10: Dinobot
In this fan-favorite instalment of the “Transformers” franchise, no character had more complexity and general awesomeness than the robotic raptor! Formally a member of the Predacons, Dinobot abandoned Megatron to join with Optimus Primal and the Maximals, but still carefully walked the line between hero and villain. With violent tendencies and a bad habit of switching sides, his key defining feature came from his code of honor, one that saw him sacrifice himself for the sake of others in a truly heart-wrenching death scene.
#9: Sgt. Slaughter
You might laugh at the name now, but chances are if you tried talking crap to this particular Joe, he would make you do push-ups until your arms popped out of their sockets. Regarded as one of the toughest of all Joes, and based on the real life wrestler Sgt. Slaughter, this is the man responsible for making sure every agent and soldier is ready to take on Cobra via horrendously punishing drill routines. After serving under this guy, taking on Cobra Commander and his cronies would be a breeze!
#8: Casey Jones
If you ever hear the sound of a hockey stick slowly coming towards you in the middle of the night, may god have mercy on you… because if you’re a law breaker, Casey Jones certainly won’t. This guy will beat your face in with an assortment of sports-based weaponry before going out to share a slice of pizza with the Ninja Turtles! The Purple Dragons had better watch their backs when this purest definition of a vigilante is around! Goongala!
#7: Axe Cop
It’s amazing what the Internet can produce when you give unlimited narrative control to a five year old. That's not a joke either: co-creator Malachai Nicolle was just 5 years old when he created the character alongside his older bro Ethan Nicolle. Yet somehow “Axe Cop” transcends comprehension to be utterly badass! Who else do you know has fought zombies in space, saved God, opened up a ham restaurant and killed an army of dinosaurs? Axe Cop, that’s who!
#6: ‘Samurai Jack’
The tale of a samurai cast into the future by the incarnation of all that is evil could have very well turned into a clunky mess of a show. Instead it gave us one of the greatest protagonists ever seen in western animation. Trained as a child to wield any weapon, master every fighting style and wielding a sword blessed by the Gods themselves with the mind-set and honor of a samurai, Jack was already a badass at his debut. The fact that he must fight through a world infested by evil robots, aliens, demons and other hellish creatures on a quest to return to his own timeline is just icing on the cake!
#5: Wolverine / Logan
Does the adamantium-boned and clawed Canadian death machine even need an introduction? From lab rat to X-Man, this mutant has always been something of a lone wolf even when teaming up with his fellow heroes - especially if they have the hots for Jean Grey. Wolverine may be arrogant and aggressive, but when you can take as much punishment as he can and still tear the heads of giant mutant-hunting robots with ease, then we’d say he’s more than earned his right to be a little grumpy.
#4: Matrix [aka Enzo Matrix]
It’s not all that often that a loathed character suddenly becomes awesome in his or her own right! During this CGI-animated show’s run, we got this in the form of Matrix, the adult version of the generally irritating Enzo Matrix. Prior to Matrix, the best part about Enzo's character was his sister, Dot. It doesn't take much to imagine that it was certainly a surprise for viewers to see the show's Scrappy Doo suddenly go all Hulk and start kicking the crap out of the Megabyte though. In fact, Matrix's motivation is to be nothing like the annoying, weak, and useless Enzo he once was...
#3: Sterling Archer
He might be an alcoholic, womaniser and all-around a-hole, but there is just something that keeps us rooting for the world’s greatest secret agent. Unfortunately, his planet-sized ego comes from the fact that he actually is the world’s greatest secret agent. Which he will constantly remind you of, even if he’s riddled you with bullets and slept with your significant other. Of course, he’s not completely unredeemable, as seen when he enters fatherhood. He may be a jerk, but it’s hard not to love him for it!
#2: Bruce Wayne / Batman
He is vengeance, he is the night. Is there any reason why the Batman wouldn’t make the list? One of the most iconic heroes of all time, his badassery was amped up during the ‘90s animated series, which showed us just how dark the The Dark Knight could really be. With an intellect and fighting spirit that’re stronger than any criminal or supervillain, his appearances throughout the years have truly made him more than just a man. He’s a legend.
Before our number one pick reveals himself, here are a few badass honorable mentions.
Rainier Wolfcastle
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
Zuko
“Avatar” franchise (2005-)
Panthro
“ThunderCats” franchise (1985-)
Popeye
“Popeye” franchise (1933-)
Goliath
“Gargoyles” (1994-97)
#1: Brock Samson
He is known far and wide as the Walking Swedish Murder Machine, Franken-Mullet and Murderist Extraordinaire. Enough said. The greatest secret agent the world has ever known with a mission to protect the Venture family from harm, he exercises his license to kill pretty much beyond its capacity. Eschewing guns and relying on his trusty Ka-Bar knife, Brock lives for two things: kicking ass and listening to Led Zeppelin. Beyond manly, utterly hilarious, a natural with the ladies and with the voice of Patrick Warbuton, no other animated character exudes badassery quite like this guy!
For this list, we’re looking at male animated characters that dominate the small screen with both charisma and testosterone-fuelled badassery! We’ve limited our choices to western-animation only, so apologies to anime fans! Also, be on the lookout for a few spoilers down the line!
#10: Dinobot
“Beast Wars: Transformers” (1996-99)
In this fan-favorite instalment of the “Transformers” franchise, no character had more complexity and general awesomeness than the robotic raptor! Formally a member of the Predacons, Dinobot abandoned Megatron to join with Optimus Primal and the Maximals, but still carefully walked the line between hero and villain. With violent tendencies and a bad habit of switching sides, his key defining feature came from his code of honor, one that saw him sacrifice himself for the sake of others in a truly heart-wrenching death scene.#9: Sgt. Slaughter
“G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” (1983-86)
You might laugh at the name now, but chances are if you tried talking crap to this particular Joe, he would make you do push-ups until your arms popped out of their sockets. Regarded as one of the toughest of all Joes, and based on the real life wrestler Sgt. Slaughter, this is the man responsible for making sure every agent and soldier is ready to take on Cobra via horrendously punishing drill routines. After serving under this guy, taking on Cobra Commander and his cronies would be a breeze!#8: Casey Jones
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise (1987-)
If you ever hear the sound of a hockey stick slowly coming towards you in the middle of the night, may god have mercy on you… because if you’re a law breaker, Casey Jones certainly won’t. This guy will beat your face in with an assortment of sports-based weaponry before going out to share a slice of pizza with the Ninja Turtles! The Purple Dragons had better watch their backs when this purest definition of a vigilante is around! Goongala!#7: Axe Cop
“Axe Cop” (2013-)
It’s amazing what the Internet can produce when you give unlimited narrative control to a five year old. That's not a joke either: co-creator Malachai Nicolle was just 5 years old when he created the character alongside his older bro Ethan Nicolle. Yet somehow “Axe Cop” transcends comprehension to be utterly badass! Who else do you know has fought zombies in space, saved God, opened up a ham restaurant and killed an army of dinosaurs? Axe Cop, that’s who!#6: ‘Samurai Jack’
“Samurai Jack” (2001-04; 2016)
The tale of a samurai cast into the future by the incarnation of all that is evil could have very well turned into a clunky mess of a show. Instead it gave us one of the greatest protagonists ever seen in western animation. Trained as a child to wield any weapon, master every fighting style and wielding a sword blessed by the Gods themselves with the mind-set and honor of a samurai, Jack was already a badass at his debut. The fact that he must fight through a world infested by evil robots, aliens, demons and other hellish creatures on a quest to return to his own timeline is just icing on the cake!#5: Wolverine / Logan
“X-Men” franchise (1992-)
Does the adamantium-boned and clawed Canadian death machine even need an introduction? From lab rat to X-Man, this mutant has always been something of a lone wolf even when teaming up with his fellow heroes - especially if they have the hots for Jean Grey. Wolverine may be arrogant and aggressive, but when you can take as much punishment as he can and still tear the heads of giant mutant-hunting robots with ease, then we’d say he’s more than earned his right to be a little grumpy.#4: Matrix [aka Enzo Matrix]
“ReBoot” (1994-2001)
It’s not all that often that a loathed character suddenly becomes awesome in his or her own right! During this CGI-animated show’s run, we got this in the form of Matrix, the adult version of the generally irritating Enzo Matrix. Prior to Matrix, the best part about Enzo's character was his sister, Dot. It doesn't take much to imagine that it was certainly a surprise for viewers to see the show's Scrappy Doo suddenly go all Hulk and start kicking the crap out of the Megabyte though. In fact, Matrix's motivation is to be nothing like the annoying, weak, and useless Enzo he once was...#3: Sterling Archer
“Archer” (2010-)
He might be an alcoholic, womaniser and all-around a-hole, but there is just something that keeps us rooting for the world’s greatest secret agent. Unfortunately, his planet-sized ego comes from the fact that he actually is the world’s greatest secret agent. Which he will constantly remind you of, even if he’s riddled you with bullets and slept with your significant other. Of course, he’s not completely unredeemable, as seen when he enters fatherhood. He may be a jerk, but it’s hard not to love him for it!#2: Bruce Wayne / Batman
“Batman” franchise (1992-)
He is vengeance, he is the night. Is there any reason why the Batman wouldn’t make the list? One of the most iconic heroes of all time, his badassery was amped up during the ‘90s animated series, which showed us just how dark the The Dark Knight could really be. With an intellect and fighting spirit that’re stronger than any criminal or supervillain, his appearances throughout the years have truly made him more than just a man. He’s a legend.Before our number one pick reveals himself, here are a few badass honorable mentions.
Rainier Wolfcastle
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
Zuko
“Avatar” franchise (2005-)
Panthro
“ThunderCats” franchise (1985-)
Popeye
“Popeye” franchise (1933-)
Goliath
“Gargoyles” (1994-97)
#1: Brock Samson
“The Venture Bros.” (2003-)
He is known far and wide as the Walking Swedish Murder Machine, Franken-Mullet and Murderist Extraordinaire. Enough said. The greatest secret agent the world has ever known with a mission to protect the Venture family from harm, he exercises his license to kill pretty much beyond its capacity. Eschewing guns and relying on his trusty Ka-Bar knife, Brock lives for two things: kicking ass and listening to Led Zeppelin. Beyond manly, utterly hilarious, a natural with the ladies and with the voice of Patrick Warbuton, no other animated character exudes badassery quite like this guy! Have an idea you want to see made into a WatchMojo video? Check out our suggest page and submit your idea.
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