# Who is the coolest character in Animation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701 "2004-01-04T21:39:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/61 "2004-01-05T20:07:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SkipMagic \* > Soundwave, definitely. Completely unflappable, that machine, and–best of all–he carried his buddies around with him in his chest. > > I mean, they _shot out_ of his chest, like he was some wacky, techno-driven Greek god giving birth. The voice wasn’t bad, either. No, way – **Jazz** had him beat by a Cybertronian mile. The guy grooved to good rock music, transformed into a Porsche, and was voiced by _Scatman Crothers,_ for Primus’ sake! And he didn’t need any electronic flanging to twiddle his voice, either… ---
**Author:** ![metanet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@metanet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metanet)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/62 "2004-01-05T21:03:28Z")
Alita from **Battle Angel Alita** – man she’s cool. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/63 "2004-01-05T21:09:49Z")
Coolest character ever: Bugs Bunny. Definitely epitomizes the concept: no matter what, he never even got singed, and definitely never lost his cool. And, in the campy sense of the word, The Tick. Spooooooon! ggurl ---
**Author:** ![dman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@dman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/64 "2004-01-05T21:29:50Z")
(in order of appearance) **Muttley** (of Wacky Races etc) **Foghorn Leghorn** **Johnny Bravo** … Hmm, I think there is some common thread there, probably something to do with their indominatable egos. **The Tick** would be there too, (hmm, for the same reason!) if it wasn’t for the fact that I found the TV series to be vastly inferior to the original comics. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ouatic-7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Ouatic-7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ouatic-7)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/65 "2004-01-05T23:23:39Z")
You will notice I’m new to the board. My husband asked me to throw in my two cents, I don’t know why. I saw a lot of great characters from other folks; Bugs Bunny, The Brain, Wolfwood from Trigun, Marco from Porco Rosso, Ed from Cowboy Bebop, etc. Here are my honorable mentions: Arthur (The Tick) because he is not well-nigh invulnerable Earthworm Jim Saitou Hajime (Rurouni Kenshin) the Baron (The Cat Returns) The grand prize for utmost coolness goes to Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer and he rarely thinks before doing but he has so much heart he is cool. Also, he really seems to enjoy being a rubber man and doesn’t repine that he didn’t get a more ostentatious power like fire. He is the guy who will pull a buried 6 foot carnivorous bunny out of the snow despite having just been attacked by that bunny. He is the pirate who’s greatest treasure is a battered straw hat. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/66 "2004-01-06T00:25:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*No, way – **Jazz** had him beat by a Cybertronian mile. The guy grooved to good rock music, transformed into a Porsche, and was voiced by _Scatman Crothers,_ for Primus’ sake! > > And he didn’t need any electronic flanging to twiddle his voice, either… \*\* Hmmm…a strong challenge to Faye, at the very least! An honorable mention should go to Blaster, the Autobot Boom Box, and _his_ cassette warriors. [http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/584.html](http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/584.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/67 "2004-01-06T11:05:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I say any and all Anime characters are out. It’s easy to be cool when your entire existence consists of the three same animation cels, repeated ad infinitum. Now, now. There’s no need to be snarky. “It’s easy to be cool when you’re head, mouth, and body are drawn on different cels.” “It’s easy to be cool when you’re only composed of 7 colors.” “It’s easy to be cool when you don’t have shadows or highlights.” See how immature that sounds? **Tarrsk** and **Bosda Di’Chi** , don’t you guys start it, either. It’s perfectly reasonable to compare (animation-wise, obviously the content usually doesn’t match up that well) **Eek the Cat** to **Ranma ½, Scooby Doo** to **Macross,** or the **Cowboy Bebop** movie to **Treasure Planet.** It is NOT reasonable to compare high end movie animation from last year to inexpensive TV animation from the 60s, 70’s, or 80s. Or even cheap TV animation from today. Comparing **Millennium Actress** to Cartoon Networks latest crap-fest is no more reasonable than comparing DBZ to The Little Mermaid. You may notice than ‘animation’ fans never do this, but that’s no excuse for us to start. Ideally you’d want to compare the same KINDS of show as well, but that may be too much to ask. – Now we’ve gotten that out of the way. **Eat Man ‘98** ’s Bolt Crank. **BGC** ’s Largo. Another vote for Saito Hajame. (“I know somewhere safer than Shanghai. It’s called Hell.”) Though Kenshin’s master, Hiko, was pretty damn cool in his own right. (Kenshin himself was only cool while in battosai-mode, unfortunatly) Sergei/D, the scientist/agent/assassin/geist addict from **Key the Metal Idol**. (“You don’t have the slightest evidence for this non-scientific drivel.”) Megabyte from **Reboot** , dispite the silly name. (Dot had her moments, too. And she had a ridiculously phallic strap-on gun. “Does it make me look too butch?”) Folken Faniel from **Escaflowne.** He was cool while wearing a dress, which is tough for a guy. Another for Optmus Prime. Ashraum from **Record of Lodoss War,** who took the armor-and-long-hair thing about as far as it can reasonably be taken. (Sorry, Viggo) Damn. Just too many. Maybe we need to subdivide the category some. Coolest animated hero, coolest animated villain, coolest animated supporting character, coolest animated father-figure, coolest animated cross-dresser . . . ## **Saber Marionette** ’s Faust should get some kind of award for innovative coolosity. Conventional wisdom, of course, is that turning evil makes you cooler. While evil, he was a whiny, abusive putz. Once he redeemed himself, he was utterly badass. And he did it while wearing a very fey pastel cowboy outfit. Damn, forgot Kuno! How could I forget Kuno? ---
**Author:** ![Duncan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@Duncan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duncan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/68 "2004-01-06T11:43:16Z")
I hated “Hellsing”, but when it comes to being cool I suspect Alucard does have it made (the series was based solely around that very premise as far as I can tell). But my personal favourite character remains Mutley. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/69 "2004-01-06T12:55:58Z")
The guy from Heavy Metal who was on trial at the space station. Stern, I think his name was. He had this big hulking guy chasing him through a space station and he just whips out the cash and saves his ass. ---
**Author:** ![Patr100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Patr100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patr100)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/70 "2004-01-06T13:37:55Z")
Top Cat. ---
**Author:** ![Dalchini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dalchini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dalchini)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/71 "2004-01-06T14:23:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by metanet \* > \*\*Alita from **Battle Angel Alita** – man she’s cool. \*\* I agree, Also, I agree with the earlier postings on Trigun and Cowboy Bebop. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/72 "2004-01-06T14:46:32Z")
**Race Bannon** No one else even comes close. well… _maybe_ Mutley. ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/73 "2004-01-06T15:38:06Z")
I see Samurai Jack has already been mentioned, but I have to mention him again, if only for the scene at the end of the big battle in episode 3. I think R. Dorothy Wainwright from “Big O” has a shot at the title as well. Unless, of course, Big O himself counts as a character in which case he out-cools Dorothy by several orders of magnitude. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701/74 "2004-01-06T18:18:25Z")
Mine (in order): 1. Bugs Bunny (again, old-school only) 2. Stewie Griffin 3. Bobby Hill (he’s such a delightfully odd kid) 4. Homer Jay Simpson 5. Eric Cartman [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-coolest-character-in-animation/222701.md?page=3)