When it comes to characters in entertainment media I’m not really asking for something deep and complex. As long as they are likeable, entertaining and provide a good role model that’s all I honestly care about. Sure I love me some philosophy and no doubt they’re characters I like with that trait but it’s not something I hold top priority when it comes to fictional characters. And needless to say, these characters I’m about to discuss provided the right inspiration and entertainment for me. So keep in mind, these are not what I consider the best but rather my personal favourite. If your favourite male and/or female character isn’t included here it’s either because I’ve never heard of them or they aren’t what I consider to be the most entertaining or who I would look up to. I won’t be discussing villains since I’ve kinda already did that with my Top 6 Animated Animal Villains And I am only choosing 5 for both lists because I can only talk about so much and these are not Top lists because it’s hard to choose a favourite. I’m starting with the female list because ladies first. lol
Zookstar’s 5 Favourite Female Characters
Female characters have come a long way especially in many male-dominant fields and I’m always open to see what they have in store to offer in terms of their personality and motives. However it’s not just the badass, independent women that peak my interest. I always love a girl with a quirky personality and interests and can go out of their way to be entertaining as possible. They don’t always need to be in-your-face or extreme feminist to be a likeable character or a good role model and I admire those who can look past a character’s gender to write a good personality. So with all that said, let’s start with the most obvious pick:
Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox
You all knew this was coming being the massive Sly Cooper fan I am. The series has been known for it’s female cast just as much as the male and throughout the years Carmelita is still my favourite amongst them. Being an cop, she and Sly are on the opposite sides of the law and as such scuffle with each other with Carmelita having a strong desire for the thief to be placed behind bars. But they both know they can’t hide the intimate feelings they have for each other at times. What I’ve always admired about Carmelita is that, while she may seem like your standard in-your-face female protagonist, that’s not what her defining character trait is. She’s an officer of the law with a firm belief that any criminal should be brought to justice. She loves her job and is also shown to be a capable leader especially when leading an entire squad of mecenaries in Sly 3. But what I also love about her is that she has other interests that are classy and is shown the most in Sly 2 where she has no problem putting on a beautiful dress and do ballroom dancing (granted it was an undercover job but still) and saving a nice bottle of wine to share with Sly. And even though I try not to go for sex appeal in female characters, you can’t deny that even the most non-furries find her attractive with her athletic figure. Though personally, I didn’t like how Sanzaru brought that to an extremely bizarre level in Sly 4 (mini-skirt, belly-dancing and everything). Despite all that though, Carmelita is one kickass vixen who should not be messed with, especially when it comes to the law and I love her for it.
Pepper Clark
Yes I do watch the new Littlest Pet Shop and I’m not ashamed to say that I like it. Though I think it still has some flaws, I do enjoy most of the characters they introduced (mainly the animal characters). And the one that I personally find myself enjoying the most is Pepper Clark. This may be extremely biased since I have a bit of a soft spot for cartoon skunk characters (though not all are great) but while the other characters in the show Blythe Baxter, Zoe Trent, Penny Ling and even Minka Mark have a bit of feminity to them, Pepper Clark can just go outright crazy and wild with herself without coming off as obnoxious or annoying. Being a comedian, she loves to make others laugh with her jokes, though sometimes they do fall flat lol. In a way, she kind of reminds me of Ellen DeGeneres in a way even though she has a different voice. However Pepper still has an emotional side which is shown in the episode “Penny For Your Laughs” where she got a bit too far with her jokes and ends up offending Penny Ling and learns that she needs to be careful with what jokes she tells and feels bad for not doing so. And then there’s the newer episode earlier this year “Sue Syndrome” where she meets another skunk named Mitzi and both them share difficulties with being a skunk (told beautifully through musical form in the song “A Skunk Is A Skunk”). So while Pepper Clark is not the brightest of the characters in the show, I still enjoy her for both her quirkiness and her emotional side.
Princess Sally Acorn
When I’m talking about Sally, I’m only referring to the TV series as I have never read any of the Archie comics. I know most people these days tend to prefer Bunnie Rabbot which I can understand since Bunnie is also kickass, but I’ve always preferred the leading lady Sally a bit more. It’s funny how the cartoon series can provide better and more likeable females than the games themselves (though I do like Rouge the Bat). Even though Bunnie did have her moments of being emotional, Sally still had the ones that made the most impact, not to mention being the voice of reason amongst the group. She is also one of the few princess characters I know who can also make for a competent fighter and team player. But Sally is also very intelligent, figuring what to do in most situations and solving problems as compared to Sonic’s energetic attitude. Honestly Sally is the main reason why the show can be taken seriously at all. Despite their differences however, the two make a reliable and adorable couple as it develops throughout the series. Granted Sally can be a bit hot-headed with him at times but considering how Sonic is always caught up in his own ego its understandable that she would act that way. I’ve always found myself shedding a tear whenever an emotional scene with Sally comes up because she’s been through a lot (although I have no idea how her appearences in the comics compare). And to be honest, Sally, along with other characters this person has voiced, is the main reason why Kath Soucie is my favourite voice actress, as she’s been able to pull off funny females and emotional ones.
Mrs Brisby
I know this list has consisted so far of anthropomorphic animal characters but I just find myself loving them the most. And considering The Secret Of NIMH is my second favourite animated movie of all time I just had to add its main protagonist. Mrs Brisby is basically a mother who, after becoming widowed, does her best to protect her kids from any danger that lies ahead. And it’s not easy for her since she is shy and timid about the world around her. It’s even more tough when her son Justin comes down with pnuemonia and she has to do everything in her power to make sure to survives and recovers. As a person who has anxiety from time to time, I can relate to her the most in this list, even when sometimes you have no choice but to take a risk. But no matter what, she is still willing to go to great lengths to save her family and those she cares about. Though she did require some assistance by other characters here and there, she mostly went along on her own when facing anything life threatening whether it be trying to drug a cat’s food bowl or escaping from the farmhouse after being captured. Mrs Brisby is no doubt the most admirable character on this list, so much so that it broke my heart when I learned her voice actor, Elizabeth Hartman died only a number years after the movie’s release. She did a beautiful job.
Eliza Thornberry
There you go, not an anthropomorphic animal. XD The Wild Thornberrys is perhaps my favourite show on Nickelodeon. I know this is my bias showing again since I have interests in animals and wildlife but this show delivered a lot on that as well as good stories. The main character, Eliza Thornberry, had that quirky nature that can be found in geeks but she was never afraid to head into danger. I’ve heard complaints about Eliza saying that she’s annoying and/or she goofs off too much. Ok, 1. compared to other characters with annoying voices, Eliza is pretty damn tolerable and 2. she’s 12 years old, of course she would have fun in the environments she’s in! Being gifted with the ability to talk to animals, she likes to interact with a lot of creatures within whatever country her family travels to being the daughter of an aristocratic man who is voiced by Tim Curry no less. I find Eliza to be a good role model for, not only kids who have a wild imagination but to people who have interests in wildlife in general. She is shown to be intelligent, fearless and protective of any species that is in danger and her family. Sure, she can bicker with her older teenage sister Debbie a lot but that’s what siblings do and in the end they get along and help each other. And while she also needed help in some episodes, she was able to pull off dangerous tasks on her own (or at least with her own way with her chimpanzee friend Darwin tagging along lol).
Now it’s time for some honourable mentions: Rarity (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Kim Possible, Leela (Futurama), and Slappy Squirrel (Animaniacs)
Zookstar’s 5 Favourite Male Characters
Being a male myself, I tend to look for more in male characters than your average superhero or masculine type. Just like with female characters, I like male characters with quirky interests, can show an emotional side (guys have emotions too y’know) and be just as much of a good role model as much as the females. And most importantly, look at them as characters rather than guys. So since we started with Carmelita last time, let’s start with another obvious pick.
Sly Cooper
Yep, my favourite video game character of all time obviously made the cut. Sly Cooper pretty much takes every aspect of your typical video game mascot and turns it into a much more complex and well-rounded character. And while I do love the other guys like Bentley, Murray, Dimitri and such, I feel even they still can’t top the star of the show for me. Growing up in a family of master thieves, he has learned all the talents developed throughout the history of the family turning him into what he is today and the master thief that he is. However he has standards and really only steals from other criminals and masterminds. Sly has also shown his emotional sides numerous times throughout the series especially when it came to dealing with the death of his parents, his friendship with Bentley, Murray and the other members of the gang and most of all, his feelings for Carmelita even though he still likes to mess with her head every once and a while. XD And as explained in Sly 3, he’s still an individual even if he leads an entire family of thieves. Aside that, Sly is also a really fun character to play as in the games, being able to utilize his acrobatic and agile moves to pull off some extremely fun and engaging platforming. Honestly, Sly has much more character than the other video game animal mascots from the 90’s and early 2000’s and still to this day no other video game character has that appeal for me the same way Sly does.
Russell Ferguson
Noticing a pattern here? lol Don’t worry the next character won’t be from Sonic. Anyway, what I like about the Littlest Pet Shop show compared to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is that it is able to balance out the male characters as well. And I would’ve gone with Sunil Nevla or Vinnie Terrio as well, but watching the episodes more often Russell is perhaps my favourite of the male characters. Mainly because, just like with Mrs Brisby, I can relate to him when it comes to anxiety and getting a little uptight at times which is what Russell. He is the voice of reason amongst the group and does his best to ensure safety for his friends. This is shown best in the episode “Russell Up Some Fun” where the other pets are tired of his over cautiousness which prompts him into changing his attitude to someone more laid-back. And in the end, he learns that being his serious self is fine the way it is. I’ll be honest, when I first watched the show Russell’s voice did kinda annoy me a little but I got use to it as the series went on. I still think the character is relatable in everyway I feel when it comes to being anxious and paranoid.
Tarzan (Disney Version)
If there was any male hero I looked up to as a kid, it was no doubt Disney’s version of the Tarzan character by Edgar Rice Burroughs because… come on! Who wouldn’t want to swing on vines, skate across branches and climb extreme heights all the while wearing nothing but a loin cloth? XD Ok admittedly I would be terrified even trying to attempt it and I don’t have the physical capabilities for it. But Tarzan is still perhaps my favourite of Disney’s male protagonists. Being raised by apes, Tarzan has had rough times trying to fit in with his gorilla family and when meeting Jane and other humans, having to choose between living with Jane or the gorilla colony. Tarzan is shown to be one heck of a fighter against anything dangerous like predators in the jungle or poachers like Clayton. But even then, he is still a very sympathetic character shown in both the movie and the TV series, especially with the sweet romance between him and Jane which always has that d’awww factor. And he too shows a protective side for Jane, his gorilla family and the animals of the jungle. I’ve always found myself empathizing with Tarzan more than the other Disney male characters and it’s the main reason why Tarzan has remained one of my favourite Disney movies of all time.
Sylvester the Cat
Much like pretty much everyone, I love the Looney Tunes and I could’ve even brung the entire male cast of these characters but watching all the cartoons that are Looney Tunes related, Sylvester is the one I enjoy the most. I mean sure, we all love the smart alec Bugs Bunny and the insanity of Daffy Duck but I’ve always been more fonder of the devilish nature that Sylvester with his constant desire to chow down on that Tweety Bird, no matter how cute that bird can be. I use to prefer Tom from Tom & Jerry before, but while Tom can only shine with Jerry alongside him, Sylvester doesn’t always need Tweety to be entertaining. He has also been in cartoons where tries to catch Speedy Gonzales, is a father to a kitten and even the pet of Porky Pig. He also comes off as sympathetic everytime his plan to catch Tweety or something else backfires and this is especially true in the cartoon “The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries”. Whilst I felt they went a bit overboard with the abuse in that show (at times Sylvester didn’t even deserve it) it was still funny to see him get a beating just as much in the original cartoons. And who could ever forget his iconic catchphrase “Sufferin’ succotash!”.
Winston Ingram
How ironic that the last character I talk about is the only one who isn’t from a video game or anything animated. Ok being Scottish, I of course love the Scottish sitcom Still Game. As extremely biased as this is, it’s my favourite TV show ever not just because of the humour but because of the characters and how they interact with each other. There isn’t a single character in the show I dislike and they all contribute well when it comes to both story and humour. Though if you aren’t Scottish, you will definitely have a hard time understanding the humour hehe. Honestly the main characters Jack & Victor could’ve made the cut but I cannot help but laugh the most at the episodes involving Winston Ingram. I always look forward to every moment of this character and it never gets old everytime I rewatch the episodes. He’s basically like your average grumpy old man but goes through a lot in the series, most notably when he loses his leg in an operation due to bad smoking habits which lead to even funnier moments in the series. I think what really gets me about this character is his temper. Angry characters have always had a laugh on audiences and Winston definitely delivers on that aspect. And I’d argue he has the most funniest lines in the entire series. Big props to actor Paul Riley for bringing the right energy to this character. Most notable episode where I feel where he stands out is “Drama” where his rival, Stevie the Bookie returns and does everything in his will power to pay him back from his last bet (which was explained in an episode from an earlier season “Cairds”). I can also relate to Winston when it comes to dealing with frustrating situations, where you sometimes just wanna smash something. As much as I love the other characters in the show, I feel that’s why Winston just sticks out the most for me.
More honourable mentions: Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog series), Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid) and Top Cat.
Well that was it lads and lassies on my favourite female and male characters. I certainly said a mouthful here. So I hope you guys enjoyed reading what I had to say and if you haven’t already from other people’s lists feel free to share your favourites as well. So until next time, peace out!
