Every year new cartoons are churned out like wildfire and new characters have crept their way into fans’ hearts in one way or another. However, there seems to be a trend when it comes to picking a favorite male cartoon character.
It seems fans are attracted to male cartoon characters based on their strengths, looks, and wit.
So here are 30 iconic male characters that tick all those boxes.
Popularity, power, looks- these guys from cartoon shows, animated movies, and Japanese anime have it all.
30 Best Male Cartoon Characters Loved By Fans
30. Marshall Lee – Adventure Time
- Age: 1000+
- Height: 180. 34 cm
- Voice Actor: Donald Glover
Among gender-bent versions of characters in Adventure Time in Ice King’s imagination, Marshall Lee takes the cake as one of the hottest cartoon characters in these specials.
Based on the episodes he has appeared in, Marshall Lee shares many similar traits with Marceline. Only he takes up a more villainous role compared to the female dhampir. He even flirts with Fionna a lot on episodes that he is in and even tries to get her to confess.
29. Bow – She: Ra and the Princesses of Power
- Age: 17-22
- Height: –
- Voice Actor: Marcus Scribner
There aren’t a lot of male characters in the show She-Ra and the Princess of Power, but Bow happens to be in the cast, and he is a notable male character among the Princesses. He is Glimmer’s closest and longest friend in the series.
Bow invents his arrows and uses them to fight, but he is shown to be capable when fighting without them when the situation calls for it.
28. Makoto Tachibana – Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
- Age: 12 – 19
- Height: 151 cm – 184 cm
- Voice Actors: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
Characters in the anime Free! Iwatobi Swim Club are some of the hottest male cartoon characters in anime history. But everyone had a special place in their hearts for the backstroke swimmer and captain of the team, Makoto.
He may be a swimmer, but Makoto has a phobia of the ocean, so he chose the backstroke as his swim style since it allows him to see the sky. Instead of pursuing swimming, he decided to look into a sports medicine career.
27. Hercules – Hercules
- Age: 18 (Final age in the movie)
- Height: –
- Voice Actors: Tate Donovan, Joshua Keaton, Roger Bart (Speaking)
If we’re talking about muscles, it would be a surprise if Hercules doesn’t top your male cartoon characters tier list.
His muscles are just to die for! He may have been gifted with the strength of the gods, but Hercules had to undergo some pretty tough training to get to his current physique.
Before he grew into the hunk fans know in the movie, he was incredibly skinny and awkward till he met Philoctetes, who shaped him up for his big debut as a hero.
26. Megumi Fushiguro – Jujutsu Kaisen
- Age: 15
- Height: 175 cm
- Voice Actors: Yuma Uchida (Japanese), Robbie Daymond (English)
Don’t let his feminine name confuse you; Megumi is actually a male, and if you haven’t watched Jujutsu Kaisen, now is your chance to know this character.
Megumi comes from a long line of Jujutsu sorcerers known for having the legendary 10 Shadow technique. Not every member of the family is given this power, but Megumi is lucky enough to possess it.
25. Tarzan – Tarzan
- Age: 18
- Height: –
- Voice Actors: Tony Goldwyn (Movies), Michael Weiss (Series)
Protecting the jungle is no easy feat; good thing there’s always someone willing to do the job.
Tarzan, a man raised by the apes, makes it his responsibility that no harm ever comes to his home, even if it means fighting fellow humans.
The man grew up knowing he was different from the other apes but wasn’t sure what species he belonged to until he met Jane Porter, who he realized had the same type of hands.
24. Kristoff Bjorgman – Frozen
- Age: 21 – 24
- Height: –
- Voice Actor: Jonathan Groff
At first, people didn’t really bat an eye at Kristoff since the main focus of the film Frozen was on Anna and Queen Elsa. However, people discovered how awesome of a boyfriend Kristoff is in the second film, Frozen II.
In the film, he kept missing his chance to propose to Anna, and at times, Anna even seemed like she was no longer interested in him. However, Kristoff never doubted her and even stayed to keep her out of harm’s way.
23. Hatsuharu Sohma – Fruits Basket
- Age: 14-17
- Height: 170.2 cm
- Voice Actors: Akio Suyama (2001 Japanese), Makoto Furukawa (2019 Japanese), Justin Cook (2001 English), Morgan Berry (2019 English)
With his chic looks and his bad-boy vibes, Hatsuharu has girls swooning left and right for him.
Haru is the Ox in the Sohma family, and similar to all his cursed cousins, he will also turn into an animal when touched by the opposite gender.
Hatsuharu also has two personalities, black and white.
When he is Black, he becomes a troublemaker and can be perverted to unsuspecting girls like Tohru.
22. Keith – Voltron
- Age: 18-21
- Height: –
- Voice Actor: Steven Yeun
There was a time people were always into the mysterious, silent, and broody type of male leads like Keith.
The Paladin of the Black Lion is a well-known loner and troublemaker. His rank was stripped from him, and he was even expelled from the Galaxy Garrison.
In the show, he learns how to work with a team and eventually becomes Voltron’s leader. He also regains his rank as Paladin.
21. Tuxedo Mask/ Mamoru Chiba – Sailor Moon
- Age: 17-18
- Height: –
- Voice Actors: Tohru Furuya (Japanese), Rino Romano (DiC English Dub 1-11), Toby Proctor (DiC English Dub), Vince Corazza (DiC/CWi English Dub, 41, 83-159), Robbie Daymond (Viz English Dub)
90s anime had plenty of hot male characters because creators knew young girls needed eye candy in their anime, which is why they created Tuxedo Mask!
As a regular teenager, Mamoru feels he must remind Usagi about her responsibilities as a student. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask feels the need to protect the people he loves because he can.
Sailor Moon wasn’t immune to his masked alter-ego and fell for him. Too bad the blonde doesn’t feel the same for his civilian form.
20. Eric – The Little Mermaid
- Age: 18 (First Film)
- Height: 180.34 cm
- Voice Actor: Christopher Daniel Barnes (The Little Mermaid) Rob Paulsen (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea)
No movie fan blames Ariel for falling in love with Prince Eric. His boyish charm and love for his dog, Max, would make anyone feel attracted to the prince.
The series hints that Prince Eric helped Ariel be less fearful of humans because she witnessed him release trapped dolphins. Meanwhile, his love for Ariel is shown in the movie when he willingly defends her despite not fully understanding what is happening.
19. Dick Grayson/ Robin/ Nightwing – DC Animated Universe
- Age: 12 (first appearance) 21-27 (as Nightwing)
- Height: 177.8 cm
- Voice Actor: Sean Maher
Dick Grayson started his hero career as Batman’s sidekick, the Boy Wonder, Robin. And fans of the Batman series never really expected him to grow into Nightwing.
In the DC animated Universe, you can mostly see him operating alone or helping out Batman when the bat-themed hero takes on more jobs than he can handle.
At one point, he even had to pose as Batman himself! This Robin is also the founding member of the Teen Titans!
18. Tadashi Hamada – Big Hero 6
- Age: 22
- Height: 182.88 cm
- Voice Actor: Daniel Henney
Tadashi might not be the strongest or hottest male cartoon character out there, but everyone loved him in Big Hero 6 and was saddened when he departed from the movie too fast.
Hiro’s older brother is also gifted in robotics. In fact, he was the one responsible for creating Baymax.
He died in the film trying to save a professor stuck in a building during a fire. Due to losing their parents at a young age, Tadashi pressured himself to be a good role model to Hiro.
17. Jim Hawkins – Treasure Planet
- Age: 15
- Height: –
- Voice Actor: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Jim looks like a troublemaker, but he’s actually highly intelligent.
The solar surfer you see in the film’s opening is something he built on his own. Throughout the film, Jim shows that his strength mostly lies in his wit, as he can quickly assess situations and solve problems.
He went to search for Treasure Planet to improve his family’s life since the Inn they own got trashed.
16. Sinbad – Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
- Age: –
- Height: –
- Voice Actor: Brad Pitt
Sinbad’s tale isn’t anything new, and when it was animated, parents were excited to bring their kids to watch the adventures of the fearless pirate.
The pirate Sinbad is the leader of a band of pirates attempting to steal the “Book of Peace.”
While he may be a thief, Sinbad isn’t entirely a bad person. He was fully willing to give up his own life for his best friend Proteus. So, despite not exactly having heroic qualities, he at least knows how to value friends and loved ones.
15. King Gilgamesh (Caster) – Fate/ Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front
- Age: –
- Height: 182 cm
- Voice Actors: David Vincent (English), Tomokazu Seki (Japanese)
All versions of King Gilgamesh are strong, but when talking about who’s the fan-favorite Gilgamesh, it would be his Caster version.
This version of the King of Heroes seems more fitting for his title as opposed to his Archer form.
Despite Gilgamesh still being a tyrant, he deeply cares for Uruk and would willingly put his life on the line for its welfare. He is also an inventor as a Caster class servant.
14. Aladdin – Aladdin
- Age: 18
- Height: 190.50 cm
- Voice Actors: Scott Weinger (Speaking), Brad Kane (Singing)
What Aladdin lacks in strength, he makes up for his speed, agility, and street smarts. He can easily get away from the palace guards when he and Abu go out to steal a quick meal.
Aladdin dreams of a better life where he doesn’t need to rob people.
Little did he know that a particular blue-colored genie would be helping him achieve his goals and more very soon.
13. Gray Fullbuster – Fairy Tail
- Age: 18
- Height: 180. 34 cm
- Voice Actor: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese), Newton Pittman (English)
Gray is the loyal Ice Mage in the magic guild Fairy Tail. His magic highly depends on his creativity to imagine shapes and objects so he can create them using Ice.
Later in the series, he becomes one of the strongest characters because he acquired Ice Devil Slayer Magic.
He hasn’t had this skill for too long, but he already seems proficient in using this type of magic.
12. Li Shang – Mulan
- Age: 19
- Height: –
- Voice Actor: BD Wong (Speaking), Donny Osmond (Singing)
Shang holds the rank of General in the army, and as you can see, his training paid off.
You can easily tell how disciplined Shang is in his musical number “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”
Fans get to meet a sweeter and more awkward side to him in Mulan II as he and Mulan struggle to find the flow in their relationship. However, it worked out in the end, and the two were officially married at the end of the movie.
11. Sinbad – Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
- Age: 14-34
- Height: 160 cm -170 cm
- Voice Actors: Daisuke Ono (Japanese Magi), Megumi Takamoto ( Japanese Adventures of Sinbad), Matthew Mercer (English)
This is a different version of Sinbad the Sailor, who was mentioned earlier in this list.
Magi’s Sinbad serves as the charismatic King who founded the Kingdom of Sindria.
Sinbad grew to be somewhat sinister in his older years as he became too confident with his abilities and his wish to unify the world. The young King is also known as the very first person to conquer a dungeon.
10. Batman/ Bruce Wayne – DC Animated Universe
- Age: Mid-20s when he became Batman
- Height: 188 cm
- Voice Actor: Kevin Conroy
The DC animated universe brought in so many famous male cartoon characters, but few are as loved as the Dark Knight.
After Bruce’s parents died, the young Bruce was left to take care of Wayne Enterprises.
The experience traumatized him to the point he decided to exact vengeance against criminals, and that’s when he started to train to become Gotham’s protector, the bat-themed hero Batman.
9. Levi Ackerman – Attack on Titan
- Age: 30s
- Height: 160 cm
- Voice Actors: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese), Matthew Mercer (English)
As humanity’s strongest soldier, it isn’t too far-fetched to consider him one of the strongest male cartoon characters.
Levi is a member of the Survey Corps and of the Scouts’ main combatants against Titans and humans. Before joining the Scouts, he and a friend ran a gang in the underground but was recruited to the army due to illegal possession of the 3DMG.
After his first mission beyond the walls and losing two of his companions, Levi decided to follow Erwin.
8. Howl Jenkins Pendragon – Howl’s Moving Castle
- Age: 27
- Height: 180.34 cm
- Voice Actor: Takuya Kimura (Japanese), Christian Bale (English)
His thin frame and feminine features usually make people underestimate him, but Howl is an extremely powerful mage.
Howl is one of Studio Ghibli’s most famous cartoon characters of all time despite being a character lifted from a novel not written by Hayao Miyazaki.
In the film, he made a deal with Calcifer to boost his magical powers in exchange for his heart. This deal was eventually broken by Sophie during the course of the movie.
7. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III – How to Train Your Dragon
- Age: 15-30
- Height: 185 cm (by the 2nd film)
- Voice Actor: Jay Baruchel
Hercules isn’t the only character in this list that had a major glow-up. Hiccup grew up from a scrawny kid who looked like dragon bate to becoming the best Dragon Rider in all of Berk.
He’s even Berk’s chief now.
His confidence grew after he befriended a Night Fury he named Toothless, and since then, he’s been studying dragons and learning about their weaknesses. He also has a huge soft spot for these creatures because he invites dragons to live in Berk.
6. Satoru Gojo – Jujutsu Kaisen
- Age: 28
- Height: 190 cm
- Voice Actor: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese), Kaiji Tang (English)
Because Jujutsu Kaisen is trending and the third season will focus on Gojo’s past, it’s no surprise that this Jujutsu sorcerer is rising in ranks among the famous male cartoon characters.
He’s considered one of the strongest male characters in modern anime because he inherited two strong techniques: Limitless and the Six Eyes.
However, Gojo has hinted that someday his students will have the ability to surpass him.
5. Takami Keigo/ Hawks – Boku no Hero Academia
- Age: 22-23
- Height: 172 cm
- Voice Actors: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese), Zeno Robinson (English)
Hawks may be the number 2 hero in the anime he is featured in, but he only ranks number 5 in my list.
The hero’s quirk allows him to do several things, like fly, and he can even control the feathers with telekinesis.
Keigo is almost the ideal hero, but it seems like trust in him has gone down since he killed a villain named Twice. Because, in My Hero Academia, heroes are not supposed to kill.
4. Prince Zuko – Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Age: 16 – 19 (A:TLA). 87-91 (A: TLK)
- Height: 154.94 (A: TLA)
- Voice Actor: Dante Basco (A: TLA), Bruce Davison (A: TLK)
Zuko is a well-loved character because he was the character that grew the most in the series A: TLA. From being Aang’s worst enemy to becoming his closest advisor, Zuko has shown great maturity.
Zuko was banished by his own father, Firelord Ozai, from his home. He had to capture the Avatar to redeem himself.
While he spent a good portion of the series (the entire Book 1) trying to capture the Gaang, he eventually teamed up with the Avatar to take down his father.
3. Son Goku – Dragon Ball
- Age: 43 (Last recorded age)
- Height: 175 cm (Last record height)
- Voice Actor: Masako Nozawa (Japanese), Kirby Morrow (Dragon Ball Z English), Steve Blum (Dragon Ball GT English Dub), Ian James Corlett (Dragon Ball Z English Dub), Peter Kelamis (Dragon Ball Z English Dub)
Son Goku has been Dragon Ball’s long and standing hero since the original run of the first Dragon Ball anime. You may not see it now, but this hero used to have a tail to signify his Saiyan heritage.
Goku, like every Saiyan, craves the thrill of a good battle and a worthy opponent. Earth seems to attract the baddest of villains, making it the perfect home for Goku to train.
2. Eugene Fitzherbert/ Flynn Rider – Tangled
- Age: 23 – 26
- Height: 185.4 cm
- Voice Actor: Zachary Levi
Eugene is first known to people as the infamous thief Flynn Rider who uses his looks and wit to get out of situations.
He is also one of the very few Disney Princes who questions cartoon logic. For example, he knew asking Rapunzel about her glowing hair was important instead of accepting it.
Among the Disney Prince line-up, he’s iconic and unique. He didn’t even know he was a prince till the series was released after the movie.
1. Superman/ Clark Kent – DC Animated Universe
- Age: –
- Height: 190.50 cm (usually depicted at this height)
- Voice Actors: Travis Willingham (2022), Justin Hartley (2021), Nolan North (2020)
Goku was the strongest in this list so far, but how do you think he will fare against another alien like Superman? Superman was founded by humans and raised by them till he was old enough to live by himself in Metropolis, where he took on the identity of Clark Kent.
Superman soon banded with a group of heroes to form the Justice League and became one of the most famous cartoon characters watchers get to see today.
That’s it!
These male cartoon characters have made toons more enjoyable to watch. The love they receive from fans is well deserved because these iconic male characters are all well-rounded characters that give the show another layer of thought and entertainment.
Who else do you think belongs in this list? Let me know in the comments!
