Top 10 Moments That an Animated Character Became Our Favorite

Top 10 Moments That an Animated Character Became Our Favorite

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the scenes where TV’s best cartoon characters went from A-tier to S-tier. Just before we get started, beware of some spoilers ahead!

#10: Della Duck’s Return
“DuckTales” (2017-21)

While we considered giving this moment to Louie’s Eleven and all the scheming our favorite triplet put into the plan, Della’s grand return rehearsal will never not make us laugh (and also tear up). Just a few episodes before, we saw her crash-landing and her decade-long journey to get off the moon. From amputating her own leg to her unwavering determination to get back to her kids, we fell in love with Della’s tenacity and exuberant personality right from the get-go. After all she’d been through, watching her be so nervous to finally meet her kids and just wanting the perfect introduction was what really sealed the deal for us.

#9: When Brett Took Young Reagan to Homecoming
“Inside Job” (2021-22)

We loved Brett a whole three seconds into meeting him. It’s difficult not to, after all, with the man’s blind enthusiasm and unwavering optimism. There are a surprising number of friendship moments Brett and Reagan share for being employed at the Shadow Government, but this one is particularly touching. When Reagan and her dad entered her mind to find a lost access key she couldn’t remember, Brett followed suit and accidentally fell into one of her childhood memories. In the most Brett move ever, he took it upon himself to cheer up young Reagan. His actions ended up altering the memory too so, in Reagan’s mind, it was like Brett had been there for her long before they formally met each other.

#8: When Garnet Came Back Stronger Than Ever
“Steven Universe” (2013-19)

The moment we found out Garnet was a fusion, she immediately leveled up as a character. Like, she was super cool and totally wise before, but now we knew she was also a product of love between two gems and that just made her extra special. After being poofed in the previous episode – which was a whole traumatic watching experience – we weren’t sure what to make of things when “Jail Break” came out. As we know, gems always get an upgrade after they poof and that was certainly true for Garnet when Ruby and Sapphire reunited aboard Jasper’s ship. Garnet was more than ready for a rematch and the accompanying song made the whole thing that much more epic.

#7: When Bandit Puts the Kids First
“Bluey” (2018-)

There’s so much to love about Bandit, including his relentless commitment to the bit. He knows how important play is for kids – or maybe just for his own inner child – and we love seeing him prioritize it. More than that, though, he always does his best to put Bluey and Bingo first, even when it means embarrassing himself. Of all the moments he’s gone out of his way to be a good dad, his trajectory in “Takeaway” stands out. He didn’t have to give in to the kids – after all, he had a right to not want a mess in his car – but something in us healed when he did.

#6: When Dr. Doofenshmirtz Was the Parent He Never Had
“Phineas and Ferb” (2007-15; 2024-)

He may have committed his life to evil but, make no mistake, Doofenshmirtz is a dad first and foremost. Knowing his own heartbreaking family life, Doof’s efforts to be a good father to Vanessa really takes his character up a notch. One of the first times we saw this was early on in the original run of the series, when he planned Vanessa’s 16th birthday party. Although he’d not had much success the fifteen years prior, he never stopped trying, and that’s the mark of a good parent. And if that wasn’t enough, with some help from Perry the Platypus, the episode concludes with him finally getting his daughter’s birthday right.

#5: Hunter in “Hollow Mind”
“The Owl House” (2020-23)

It’s always the trauma survivors who become our favorites. We’re not sure what that says about us but best not to unpack that right now. The Golden Guard was introduced slowly, and even before his face reveal, we loved every interaction with him. Seeds of doubt were planted leading up to “Hollow Mind”, but it wouldn’t be until the fateful episode that Hunter learned exactly the kind of person his uncle was – not to mention some important new information about himself too. He didn’t deserve any of it, and seeing him unravel the way he did made us feel so deeply for him. From then on, he became one of the most important characters in the show and a certified protect-at-all-costs favorite in the fandom.

#4: When We Found Out About Marceline’s Past
“Adventure Time” (2010-18)

Marceline was GOATed right from the beginning, but this extra dimension to her character arc really made her a stand-out. Although she looked like she had it all figured out, several episodes detailing her past revealed how she got to that point. Marceline has been through some junk. And by that, we of course mean the literal apocalypse. Seeing her as just a small child in the chaos and ruin of the Mushroom War really tugs at the heartstrings. More than that, though, her shared backstory with Simon lived on in her after the latter lost his mind. She was the sole keeper of those war-tinged memories which always made things more difficult when the Ice King came around.

#3: Louise on the Phone (You Know the Scene)
“Bob’s Burgers” (2011-)

She’s hysterical, for one, and the creators just did the best job contrasting her personality with her appearance and voice. Every character in this show is so uniquely their own and there are a lot of quote-worthy moments. With that said, this short but brilliantly executed scene sums up Louise perfectly and quickly elevated her to the highest ranking tier. When her dad became a criminal’s hostage, Louise decided she’d found the perfect person to write her essay about. Sergeant Bosco’s first mistake was thinking he’d win any sort of altercation against her.

#2: When Stan Admitted He Knew More Than He Was Letting On (& Was a Total Badass!)
“Gravity Falls” (2012-16)

Season two of “Gravity Falls” opened with a bang. At this point we were starting to get pretty suspicious of Grunkle Stan. There was this whole lab in his basement, he got his hands on all three journals, and was planning something important enough to wear pants for. To make matters worse, government officials started snooping around the mystery shack. It was only when Dipper managed to raise the dead that we saw a side of Stan we never had before. Despite having dismissed his great nephew’s insistence all summer that something weird was going on in the town, Stan could no longer keep up the act in front of the kids. He gained major cool points this episode and also became a bigger player in the whole mystery game of chess.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Any Time Miss Grotke Taught Her Fourth-Grade Class Something Way Too Real
“Recess” (1997-2001)

When Eclipsa Made the Hard Choice
“Star vs. the Forces of Evil” (2015-19)

That Time We Got to Meet the Different Parts of Raven’s Personality
“Teen Titans” (2003-06)

When Entrapta Was Being Entrapta
“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” (2018-2020)

When Luka Understood the Importance of Keeping Secrets
“Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” (2015-)

#1: When Zuko Turned Over a New Leaf (A Tea Leaf, If You Will)
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)

Finding out about Zuko’s tragedy and how he got his scar was enough to make him an antagonist worth rooting for. He was led down a wrong path but, in season 2, we finally got to see who he could be without the negative influence of his father. Of course, he would unfortunately double back later on but, for the first time, we saw Zuko find a little bit of peace. He looked, dare we say it, happy. There are plenty of moments from the future Fire Lord that made us love him, but becoming Lee was Zuko’s first big step in the right direction.

Who’s your cartoon comfort character? Let us know in the comments!