Friends Like These

Top Ten Animated Characters You’d Want As a Best Friend

Before we begin, I would like to give a shoutout to Karandi from 100 Word Anime for giving me the inspiration to write this.

Admit it, at some point in your life you saw a character in a cartoon and you thought “Wow. I wish they were real so they could be my best friend.” Having spent much of my life watching good cartoons, I’ve seen tons of characters that make for awesome friends. They can be the characters who make you laugh from their antics, or put stars in your eyes from being so cool. I’m Roderick Jay Fritz, and these are my picks for the ten animated character’s you’d want as your best friend.

For this list, I will be including characters from animations regardless of who made them. That means that anyone from western animation and anime is open for this. No CGI characters, though.

Ed, Ed Edd n’ Eddy

He’s big, he’s yellow, and he’s the glue that holds his friends together; his name is Ed. As part of the titular trio, Ed’s a good-natured guy who will do anything for his friends. Too bad he’s not very smart, though; whenever his friends come up with a plan, they pick him to do the heavy-lifting. Ed never seems to mind though, and considering he’s strong enough to lift a house, it’s not much of a problem.

When I saw Ed on tv as a kid, I thought that he was the funniest person I had ever seen. I even considered him my spirit animal for a while, until my parents tried to make me stop watching the show. Constantly spouting out non-sequitours and obscure sci-fi references, Ed’s the goofball that you can’t help but love. While his hygiene’s non-existent and his stupidity may get on people’s nerves at times, I can’t help but love the big guy. Plus, since we both love comics and sci-fi stories, I could spend hours enjoying the subjects with him!

Genie, Aladdin Franchise

How many people do you know that have a song about how awesome a friend they’d be? One of the main characters from Disney’s Aladdin franchise, Genie’s one of Aladdin’s closest friends and the source of much of the humor in the film and its tv follow-up. While his cosmic powers are amazing to behold, what makes him so endearing is his compassion and willingness to help others out.

Having a friend who can do the things Genie can is awesome, but that’s not why I want him as a best friend. It’s because much of his personality stems from the man who first portrayed him, the late Robin Williams. Williams brought Genie to life with manic improv and impressions, but kept audiences glued with his sincerity and kindness. Others have played Genie since Robin, but his personality remains the same: a big-hearted goofball who can be anyone’s friend. It’s just like the song say: we ain’t never had like him.

Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece

The hero of the hit One Piece franchise, Monkey D. Luffy’s one of the most fearless people a person could ever meet. With a body that stretches like rubber and a boundless thirst for adventure, Luffy’s goal in life is to become King of the Pirates. As Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, he’s well on his way, too. His true power, though, is his infectious charisma and childlike charm, winning him friends almost everywhere he goes; even in the marines that are hunting him.

Another idol from my childhood, I loved watching Luffy’s adventures on TV; to my shame, it was the 4Kids dub of One Piece. While his fearlessness and sense of adventure are both great qualities, the reason that I’d want him as a best friend is for his loyalty. Once he calls you a friend, no matter how long he’s known you, then you’ret his friend. Time and again, Luffy’s been willing to go through hell to help the people he cares about. He’s even gone so far as declare war on the World Government to get a friend back. No matter who stands in his way, Luffy will fight past it to protect those he loves, and he almost always manages to win.

Mordecai and Rigby, Regular Show

I know this is cheating, but you can’t have one of these two without the other. An anthropomorphic blue jay and racoon, Mordecai and Rigby are the embodiments of “brother from another mother”. Lifelong best friends, these cool dudes live and work at a park; that’s what they’re supposed to do, at least. In reality, they spend most of their time slacking off, coming up with sweet songs, or getting caught in surreal misadventures.

As a 20 something young man who loves sitting around and playing video games, I can relate a lot to Mordecai and Rigby. We’re all at that age where we want to enjoy our lives to the fullest, and Mordecai and Rigby do so every day. Even if they didn’t get into all sorts of crazy adventures, they’re still two of the coolest guys I’ve seen on TV, and I’d hang with them in a heartbeat. Plus, I’m a huge fan of their crazy songs.

Rainbow Dash, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

It was a tough choice between her and Pinkie Pie, but I had to go with Rainbow Dash. Ponyville’s resident athlete and daredevil, Rainbow lives for adventure and thrills. She’s the fastest in the world, able to reach speeds that exceed the sound barrier, and a member of the prestigious acrobatics team the Wonderbolts. Don’t let her competitive and brash demeanor fool you, though. She represents the element of loyalty, and won’t hesitate to help her friends when they need it.

I never thought much of My Little Pony until the current iteration. Then I saw Rainbow Dash beat the snot out of Starscream on the web show Death Battle, and I realized they’re awesome, especially Rainbow Dash. She’s the kind of friend that would feel at home joking around or on some high-flying adventure. She may get brash and cocky at times, but her loyalty to her friends means she learns her lesson in the end. If I had to pick anyone in the group to be my best friend, I’d go with Rainbow Dash.

Star Butterfly, Star vs. The Forces of Evil

Mix Mabel from Gravity Falls with Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon, add a dash of Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and you get Star Butterfly. In her own words, she’s a “magical princess from another dimension!” Sent to Earth to learn how to use her family’s magic wand, Star’s like a living sugar rush, always looking to have fun. Since she can travel the multiverse and fights the forces of evil on a daily basis, she has a lot of fun!

Star Butterfly’s the living personification of fun, able to make people smile just by showing up. Even without magic, she’s the super awesome girl that everyone wants to be friends with. As we see with her close friends, she manages to bring out the best in them and help them grow as people (i.e. Marco). While she starts out as hyperactive and reckless, by the end of the show, Star’s pretty much an example of what it means to be responsible while still knowing how to have fun. While it may seem a little extreme to do so, the fact that she willingly destroyed the source of all magic, something she loved using, so people wouldn’t abuse it anymore, shows how far she’s come. While we may have to wait until a potential sequel to see the official, canon consequences of this, fans can be happy knowing that she can spend the rest of her life going on adventures with her best friend/boyfriend, Marco.

Spongebob Squarepants, Spongebob Squarepants

Absorbent, yellow, and porous is he, and we all love him for it. Spongebob Squarepants stands among cartoon icons like Mickey Mouse, Popeye, and Bugs Bunny. Making generations of kids laugh, this happy-go-lucky sponge spends his time flipping Krabby Patties at his job, hanging out with his friends, or just being a virtual embodiment of optimism. With his infectious laughter and smile, it’s no wonder kids have loved him for twenty years and going.

As a kid growing up, Spongebob was one of my childhood heroes. I admired the way that he always saw the good in the world over the bad, and gets the most out of life as a result. I admit, sometimes his naivete and obliviousness to how annoying he can get makes me wanna throttle him. Most of the time, though, I spent my childhood wishing he was real so he could be my best friend. Looking back, I still want him as a best friend.

Team Four Star Nappa, Dragon Ball Z Abridged

Team Four Star took a one-dimensional brute like Nappa and turned him into the breakout character of Dragon Ball Z Abridged. Their version of Nappa’s essentially an idiotic man-child with the ability to blow up the planet, yet is more interested in playing pattycake and Pokemon. The character proved so funny that TFS chose to ignore his canon death. After spending time as a ghost haunting Vegeta, Nappa came back for real, moved to Hollywood, and became a major film producer. He continues to make cameos in various Team Four Star media to this day.

My reasoning behind wanting the Abridged Nappa as a best friend can be summed up with this quote:

I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say.

I can’t remember the last time that I laughed as hard as I did when I first saw Abridged Nappa. From treating his fight with Goku’s friends like a game of tag to driving Vegeta insane with his antics, this guy’s a barrel of laughs. I’d love to hang out with him an play video games any time, if he wasn’t so busy doing it with Vegeta.

Wander, Wander Over Yonder

An orange, furry creature of undetermined origins, Wander is friendliness personified. Optimistic and lovable, Wander’s only goal in life is to help anyone who needs it. With his best friend Sylvia, he travels across the galaxy to see new worlds, make new friends, and spread joy to all. Much to the annoyance of Lord Hater, who can’t stand his upbeat attitude.

I admit, Wander’s insistence on trying to befriend everyone, no matter how bad they are, can be annoying at times. That said, it attests to the fact that Wander wants to help everyone he meets be happy, even if it means putting himself in danger. If we had more people in this world as kind and selfless as Wander, then it would be a much better place. Plus, with Wander as a best friend, I could travel the galaxy and see all sorts of amazing things.

Thanks again, Karandi. I also just realized that I forgot to include Hestia. My bad.