Aside from their depressive and dark tendencies, emo cartoon characters have a certain charm. Despite all that they are and deserve but do not get, fans silently relate to emo boys and girls of the anime world.
While some fall for their anti-social antics, others just love their dark fashion sense.
No matter why you fell for an emo cartoon character, there’s no going back. Because once you’re in, you’re in for life.
And if you’ve fallen for one of these guys, I totally get it.
From classics like Peanuts to modern-day hits like Adventure Time, here are the most emo/goth cartoon characters that made emo all cool.
15 Iconic Emo Cartoon Characters
15. Jack Skellington
- Show/Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Voice Actor(s): Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman
Starting this list with a Tim Burton character just feels right.
Jack Skellington, the protagonist of The Nightmare Before Christmas, is one of the best goth cartoon characters with tons of emo swing. Nicknamed the Bone Man, Jack is a skeleton who dresses up in black and scares the wits out of humans and monsters alike.
Although he is the king of Halloween Town, Jack wants something different. He is willing to give up everything just to feel the joy of Christmas. But, as it turns out, this emo boy is not made for joy.
14. Henrietta Biggle
- Show/Movie: South Park
- Voice Actor(s): Mona Marshall, Jessica Makinson
The mascara-wearing keyboard player of the Goth Kids from South Park is the most emo character of the show by a mile and a half.
Henrietta went from pure goth to emo within the show. She used to wear purple lipstick and tons of mascara, kept pointy and black nails, and had spiky hairs that could impale. But, to fully embrace the emo side, Henrietta adopted the color pink.
She started wearing pink lipstick and gloves, dyed her hair tips pink as well, and started wearing a bat necklace. But adult Henrietta did ditch the emo/goth culture as shown in South Park: Post Covid episode.
13. Eeyore
- Show/Movie: Winnie the Pooh
- Voice Actor(s): Ralph Wright
Before there was emo, there was Eeyore.
This gloomy and pessimistic donkey speaks out his every negative and sad thought, and fans absolutely love it.
Despite all the efforts from Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and the rest of his friends, nothing seems to cheer up Eeyore more than the idea of spending a gloomy day listening to sad stories. Because when he listens to sad stories, he can appreciate his life more.
If Eeyore could see himself on this list, I know the exact words he’d utter- “Thanks for noticing me!”
12. Charlie Brown
- Show/Movie: Peanuts
- Voice Actor(s): Peter Robbins, Chad Webber, Todd Barbee
Nothing says emo like a character with split personalities.
One day, Charlie is a heroically optimistic baseball coach who’ll happily lead his team to failure just to try again the next game. On other days, he doesn’t want to wake up because he might spoil the day for everyone.
Despite all of his determination, Charlie is quite insecure. He thinks no one like him, which is not entirely true. But, his insecurities (and bad luck) fuel his failures.
Here’s a fun little emo trivia- because Charlie would never get Valentine’s card, nor would anyone give him candy while trick-or-treating, many young fans would send him cards and candy.
11. Nergal Jr.
- Show/Movie: The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
- Voice Actor(s): Debi Derryberry
Self-conscious, insecure, jealous, over possessive- Nergal Jr. is everything.
He is self-conscious and insecure about his monstrous appearance, so Nergal Jr. regularly changes his appearance to replicate the cool and popular kids of the block.
And to be honest, anyone with pale skin, green eyes, and sharp yellowish teeth would be a little conscious.
In his own words, all Nergal Jr. ever wanted was to be loved. But even his closest friends fail to provide him with unconditional love. Billy, one of his closest friends, continuously tries to use Nergal Jr.’s powers for his own good.
10. Kevin Levin
- Show/Movie: Ben 10
- Voice Actor(s): Michael Reisz, Charlie Schlatter, Greg Cipes, Yuri Lowenthal
Kevin Levin went from a primary antagonist to one of the protagonists in the various alterations of Ben 10, bagged a beauty like Gwen, but never ditched the emo culture. Respect!
This demi-human with energy-absorbing powers rejected society at a very young age. He was only 11 years old when he first met Ben and absorbed the power of the Omnitrix. Doing so turned him into a mix of all aliens inside Omnitrix, and he transformed into a “freak.”
In later series, Kevin’s personality changed a lot, but his emo insecurities and appearance didn’t take any major hits.
9. Sam Manson
- Show/Movie: Danny Phantom
- Voice Actor(s): Grey DeLisle
Danny Fenton escaped the friend zone and landed himself a gothic hottie with Samantha Manson.
More commonly known as Sam, this vegan environmentalist adopted the goth/emo culture so she wouldn’t be questioned too much for her behavior. Why? Because she prefers isolation to parties. And her black, green, and purple outfits with leather boots and fishnet leggings complete the dark goth look we love.
She is mature and rational; her emotions can get the better of her, and she can come across as hypocritical due to some of her actions.
8. Sasuke Uchiha
- Show/Movie: Naruto
- Voice Actor(s): Noriaki Sugiyama/Nao Tōyama (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal/Erica Mendez (English)
I guess everyone would be a little emo if all of their clan, including their parents, were murdered in cold blood by their elder brother in one night. But Sasuke wasn’t always the emo boy we saw in Naruto.
Before Itachi annihilated the Uchiha clan, Sasuke was a bubbly boy and had a strong bond with his elder brother. But when Itachi told Sasuke that he never loved him and killed everyone, Sasuke became THE vengeful emo boy of Konoha.
He shut everyone out and spent a good part of his life filled with hatred for his brother.
And dare I say, fans loved every second of it.
7. Gwen
- Show/Movie: Total Drama
- Voice Actor(s): Megan Fahlenbock
There just had to be at least one Total Drama girl on this list, so I went with The Loner- Gwen. Although Mandy The Emo Girl is another good fit for this list, I prefer the protagonist of the Total Drama franchise to a side character.
Gwen has a tomboyish appearance but dresses up like the president of an underground goth club. From her hair to her boots, Gwen gives off goth vibes. And the way she talks and behaves is emo through and through.
Although kind at heart, Gwen puts up a tough and cold exterior to keep others at bay. That’s because she’s very sensitive and doesn’t want anyone to hurt her.
6. Zuko
- Show/Movie: Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Voice Actor(s): Elijah Runcorn, Dante Basco, Bruce Davison
Zuko, an Asian cartoon character, has to be one of the most emo antagonists ever. Although he had a change of heart later on, his villainous era remains iconic. His constant brooding and continuous battles with his demons made Zuko a dramatic bad boy to whom emo fans related a lot.
Along with a style to match, Zuko’s anger and confusion made him the perfect emo character. This Asian character’s journey is a rollercoaster of emotions.
Too bad he had to lose all the toxic traits of his personality just so he could be at peace with others and himself.
Where’s the fun in that?
5. Thorn
- Show/Movie: Scooby-Doo! and the Witch’s Ghost
- Voice Actor(s): Jennifer Hale
From the outfits to the bat necklace to the vampire-like fangs, Thorn is one of the OG goth/emo cartoon characters and still serves as an inspiration for new girl emo characters.
Thorn, real name Sally McKnight, is the founder and lead singer of Hex Girls- a gothic band that appears in Scooby-Doo! and the Witch’s Ghost. Fans loved the goth girls, especially Thorn, and so they became recurring cast members appearing in multiple specials and movies.
I just hope she doesn’t get the Velma treatment in any new Scooby-Doo installations.
4. Marceline
- Show/Movie: Adventure Time
- Voice Actor(s): Olivia Olson
While Marceline has a multifaceted personality, her emo traits are the most prominent.
Marceline the Vampire Queen is 1,000 years old and no longer has to drink blood to survive. Instead, she can survive on the color red. That’s why she has a wardrobe full of black and red clothes.
But aside from the wardrobe, long bangs, and pointy fangs, Marceline earned the emo tag with her emotional music. She writes bangers and then bangs them out on an electric bass guitar.
All-in-all, she’s a complete emo and a total badass!
3. Daria Morgendorffer
- Show/Movie: Daria
- Voice Actor(s): Tracy Grandstaff
No one knew Daria was an emo girl simply because the term “emo” was far from mainstream at the time this cartoon show came out. But as the emo subculture caught on, people unraveled Daria’s multidimensional personality and labeled her emo.
Looking at Daria’s physical appearance, she doesn’t remotely look like an emo or a goth girl. But her sarcasm, anti-social behavior, and love for alternate music is what makes her a true emo girl.
The more she interacted with the world, the more disconnected she became.
2. Damian Wayne
- Show/Movie: Son of Batman
- Voice Actor(s): Stuart Allan
Few male emo cartoon characters fit the emo mold as perfectly as Damian Wayne. It’s nothing short of what you’d expect from the son of two trained assassins- Batman and Talia Al Ghul,
The second troubled child of the Bat-family (because Bruce Wayne will always have the throne), Damian is an angry and brooding teenager with a love for everything dark.
Unlike the other Bats, Damian isn’t afraid of killing if that means ridding the world of evil. There are so many more layers and complexities to this character that very few people see him as emo.
1. Raven
- Show/Movie: Teen Titans
- Voice Actor(s): Tara Strong
When it comes to girl emo cartoon characters, no one even comes remotely close to the emo Queen, Raven.
Raen is a half-demon, half-human hybrid from Azarath. Often shown as the mature one out of the Teen Titan, Raven likes to spend her time alone so she can brood and read her books in peace.
The best thing about Raven is that she’s full-emo in every version of Teen Titans. Be it live-action, DC animation, or Cartoon Network’s light-hearted Teen Titans! Go!, Raven’s emotionless demeanor didn’t change- she remains as emo as ever!
Done!
And that’s the best emo cartoon characters that the animation world has to offer.
Of course, not everyone loves these characters for their emo traits, but there’s a big chunk that specifically loves their emo traits. So, it’s a good thing that every one of these characters is full-on emo.
If you are also a fan of emo cartoon characters, you can customize some stickers on CustomSticker.com, which are perfect for remembering your favorite characters! Their usage scenarios are very wide, you can decorate yours with words for your water cup, Cell phones, laptops, even cars! Create your favorite stickers that are sure to add fun to your daily life!
