Top 10 Male Characters Voiced by Women
#10: Goku “Dragon Ball” (1986-89)
The Earth-born Saiyan Goku (aka Kakarot) is one of anime’s most beloved characters. He’s friendly, he’s a little goofy, and he’s wicked strong. While the English dub of “Dragon Ball Z” sees an adult Goku voiced by Sean Schemmel, the original Japanese voice of Son Goku – as well as almost all of the English dubs of the young Saiyan – are voiced by women. Masako Nozawa provides the voice of young and adult Goku in the Japanese originals, and women like Barbara Goodson and Saffron Henderson (amongst others) provided the English dub.
#9: Ben Tennyson “Ben 10” (2005-08)
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“Ben 10” tells the story of Ben Tennyson, a kid who, using his Omnitrix, can take the form of various aliens in order to fight evil. Fans of the show may be surprised to find that the young hero is voiced by none other than the immensely talented Tara Strong (and this will not be the last time you see her on this list). She not only provides the voice of Ben at varying ages in the TV episodes and made-for-tv animated films, but a whole slew of other characters in the popular series as well.
#8: Huey Freeman “The Boondocks” (2005-14)
One of the main characters of the unapologetic and socially aware TV series “The Boondocks”, the politically astute and cynical Huey Freeman is wise beyond his years. However, this quick-witted, radical ten-year-old is, like many other male child characters, voiced by a lady. Two-time Emmy winner and one-time Golden Globe nominee Regina King leant her vocal talents to not just Huey but also his street smart eight-year-old little brother Riley. She was able to successfully bring both characters to life despite their significantly different personalities, and did so convincingly.
#7: Bobby Hill “King of the Hill” (1997-2010)
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That boy ain’t right. The son of Hank and Peggy Hill, Bobby just wants to make people laugh and have a good time. Although not always the sharpest tool in the shed, and perhaps not everything his father would hope for in a son, his gentle and good-natured demeanor make it easy for him to win over friends. Voicing the drawling Arlen, Texas resident is Pamela Adlon – who is perhaps otherwise best known for providing the voice of tomboy Ashley Spinelli on the Saturday morning classic “Recess”. Come to think of it, when you know and listen for it... it’s pretty obvious.
#6: Tommy Pickles “Rugrats” (1991-2004)
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Man, ‘90s cartoons were really great, weren’t they? Chronicling the adventures of a crew of toddlers on their various playdates, the titular Rugrats had a clear ring-leader from day one. The boldest and baldest of the core group is Tommy Pickles, and with his bravery and sense of adventure he leads them on all sorts of daring escapades – after all, a baby’s gotta do what a baby’s gotta do. Elizabeth Ann Guttman - or as she is professionally known E.G. Daily - is the voice of Tommy in the original runs of Rugrats and reprised the role for the spin-off “All Grown Up!” as an adolescent Tommy.
#5: Ash Ketchum “Pokémon” (1997-)
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When Pokémon first arrived on the scene, no one could have anticipated how hugely popular, influential and game-changing the anime would be. Sure, there had been popular animes in the past that made a splash in the West – but nothing like this! In the original arc, audiences meet Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in the original Japanese language version), an ambitious boy with a single-minded goal: to become the greatest Pokémon-master in the world. And, as the lead of the human characters, he was voiced by Veronica Taylor. The only human-speaking Pokémon in the series, Meowth, was also voiced by a woman.
#4: Jimmy Neutron “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” (2002-06)
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Jimmy Neutron first appeared in a 2001 film. It was successful enough that the following year, it aired as a cartoon series on Nickelodeon, running for three seasons (and giving us a few “Fairly Odd Parents” crossover specials) before it wrapped in 2006. With the help of his friends Sheen and Carl, Jimmy builds inventions and has screwball adventures. In both his film and TV iterations, the titular boy genius, who is always managing to accidentally cook up trouble, was voiced by Debi Derryberry. Great name by the way!
#3: Dexter “Dexter's Laboratory” (1996-2003)
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Ah, Cartoon Network, you gave the world some true gold. Dexter, the uniquely-accented boy genius at the heart of the show, is still a much beloved character to this day. The eight-year-old Brainiac would come up with incredible inventions and machines in his Lab daily – only to have them inevitably destroyed by his happy-go-lucky sister, Dee Dee. The iconic voice role was first played by the late great Christine Cavanaugh until her abrupt retirement from voice acting in 2001. Afterwards, the keys to the lab were handed over to Candi Milo.
#2: Timmy Turner “The Fairly OddParents” (2001-)
Timmy is just an average kid who no one understands. Fortunately, he’s got fairy god parents! But unlike Cinderella, his stick around and can do more than just turn vegetables into a sweet ride for a couple of hours. Of course, the show hinges on the old adage of “careful what you wish for” as even Timmy’s most innocent wishes tend to go awry. The pink-hatted, buck-toothed preteen is voiced by none other than Tara Strong, whose voice acting credentials are nearly as hefty as “Da Rules.” Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a couple honorable mentions: Kevin “Ed, Edd n Eddy” (1999-2009) Kathleen Barr Irwin “The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” (2001-08) Vanessa Marshall
#1: Bart Simpson “The Simpsons” (1989-)
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The most iconic trouble-maker since Dennis the Menace, Bart Simpson has been skateboarding his way around Springfield and beyond for nearly three decades. The perpetual preteen (as well as several other Springfield’s school kids, including Nelson Muntz and Ralph Wiggum) are voiced by the great Nancy Cartwright. Bart, along with the rest of the Simpsons clan, is one of the most recognizable animated characters in history, and his voice and catchphrases are just as familiar. But, Ay, caramba, will he ever get out of the fourth grade?