Top 10 Cartoon Characters We Had a Crush On
#10: Most of the “Total Drama” Contestants
“Total Drama” franchise (2007-)
Top 10 Greatest Total Drama Characters
As is largely the case with live-action reality TV competition shows, most of the contestants in “Total Drama” are total eye candy! There’s someone for everyone. Gwen, Courtney, Lindsay, and Bridgette are some popular choices. But, if you’ve got a thing for punk anti-heroes, you probably had the hots for Duncan. Some of us liked mean-girl Heather, while others thought Cody was super endearing. There are too many characters to name, but we have to shout out LeShawna because she’s a queen. Even Chris, the host, has his fans. Competition shows always bring out the personality of players in extreme ways and this animated version is no exception. You couldn’t help who you fell for!
#9: Trent Lane
“Daria” (1997-2002)
This is one of those inexplicable crushes, where you’re not sure why you’re so drawn to them. All we know is Daria had a crush on Trent and so did we. Maybe it was because he was in a band, or maybe it was the soothing voice or the whole slacker-dude aesthetic. We’re not trying to look into it too much either way. Despite his lackadaisical way of being, Trent had some really sweet moments. He was always respectful and kind to Daria and never treated her differently even when he knew about her crush on him. Later, he’d even help her sort out her feelings for Tom. That’s a win in our book.
#8: Marceline the Vampire Queen
“Adventure Time” franchise (2010-21)
Man, Marceline had it all. She was a vampire for one, and that only upped her appeal. She also played guitar and sang beautifully – not to mention that she was an absolute fashion icon. That devil-may-care attitude had a swooning from the get-go and the slow unfolding of her tragic past made us truly empathize with her. It’s no wonder both Finn and Princess Bubblegum fell for her. Marceline was one of those characters we could love in any form, from every one of her wildly different looks, to her gender-swapped Marshall Lee. Talk about bisexual panic!
#7: Turanga Leela
“Futurama (1999-)
Leela, our beloved. Here’s a character we crushed on back in 1999 and will continue to have a crush on in the revival series – and we’re not ashamed about it. She has such timeless style for someone who lives in the 31st century. The whole one-eye thing has nothing on her undeniable beauty. Another character with a sad past, Leela became someone we felt for and cared about through the show’s run. Her strength, confidence, environmentalist beliefs, and athleticism made her the girl boss we couldn’t decide if we wanted to be or date. Fry’s one lucky guy!
#6: Dick Grayson
“Young Justice” (2010-22)
Dick Clark Biography: From 'American Bandstand' to 'Rockin' Eve'
Very few animated series do time skips quite like “Young Justice” did. So many of us grew up having crushes on different members of the Justice League, it’s difficult to settle on just one iteration of the team and just one crush. With that said, watching Dick Grayson progress from Robin to Nightwing is some great character development work. Robin began as quite a light-hearted personality, which is rather distinct from his brooding, serious demeanor we often see in other adaptations. As Nightwing, he’s a bit more grounded, and definitely warmer than Batman ever was. Plus, that physique doesn’t hurt either.
#5: T.J. Detweiler
“Recess” (1997-2001)
Top 10 Nickelodeon Channel Characters We All Had A Crush On
Here’s another throwback, this time to the old Disney Channel days. If you were about T.J.’s age when you watched, chances are you had just an itty bitty crush on him, maybe before you even knew what a crush was! Something about the go-getter attitude and his leader status really appealed to our nine-year-old selves. With the backwards baseball cap, his unwavering pursuit of fun, and his determination to support his friends and his causes, we fell hard. His ability to so consistently come up with plans to better the lives of his classmates – and execute them flawlessly, mind you – showed us just how ambitious and clever he was. We also had a thing for freckles…
#4: Raven
“Teen Titans” (2003-06)
Top 10 BEST That’s So Raven Characters
Maybe it was her unconventionalness… Maybe it was her costume… But “Teen Titans’” Raven has long-since been held as a holy grail for sexual awakenings. Her deadpan delivery made us laugh, her powers impressed us and, under the tough emotionless exterior, we knew there was more than met the eye. We’re sensing a theme with our crushes, because Raven’s whole storyline with her past really hit us in the feels. We got to see just how powerful she was when she finally defeated her dad, Trigon, in the season four finale – and it only made us love her more. Azerath metrion zinthos, indeed!
#3: Danny Phantom
“Danny Phantom” (2004-07)
Who you gonna call? Sorry, wrong franchise. Danny Fenton was a cute kid – dark hair, light eyes, you know the drill. But, add in some ghost powers, a heroic attitude, and teenage flirting, and gosh darnit, now we’re blushing! His voice actor, David Kaufman, did a phenomenal job in making Danny both charismatic and convincing. His delivery was always stellar and “going ghost!” is a catchphrase we’ll never get tired of hearing. Danny had the perfect balance between awkward and suave, and the way he was always so protective of his friends and family made him incredibly likable.
#2: Shego
“Kim Possible” (2002-07)
Very few cartoon characters have made as much of an impact on us as Shego has. She was a baddie – in both senses of the word – and we ate up every minute she was on screen. She always stole every scene she was in, with her witty dialogue, hysterical delivery, and the kind of coolness we needed to put on a jacket for. The green glowy powers were just a plus! The long-standing debate has always been “Kim or Shego”, and it seems an impossible choice – unless you’ve got a thing for villains in which, it’s a very easy choice. Give the character designer a raise, man.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Jake Long, “American Dragon: Jake Long” (2005-07)
It’s the Skateboard, Right? SO Cool
Any One of the Six, “6Teen” (2004-10)
How Were We Supposed to Pick Just One?!
Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, “Phineas and Ferb” (2007-)
For Those of Us Who Were Into Goth Girls, Vanessa Was Our Dream
Ben Tennyson & Kevin Levin, “Ben 10” franchise (2005-)
Seeing Them Aged Up Was Awesome
Team Avatar, “The Legend of Korra” (2012-14)
Between Korra, Mako, Asami, & Bolin, We Were Absolutely Smitten
#1: Zuko
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)
Aang vs Zuko
If you’ve only seen the first season of this show, you’re probably looking at us funny. For the rest of you who’ve seen the series in its entirety – multiple times, probably – we’re sure you’re with us on this. The season-three hair. The scar. The internal struggle and the redemption arc. We know what tropes we like, okay, sue us. In fact, Zuko was probably the character who first started our lengthy string of crushes on the bad-boy-with-a-soft-side-and-a-tragic-past types. He didn't always make the right decisions, but that gave his character a lot of depth. And, if you happen to like the awkward, socially inept kind, Zuko’s got a whole lot of that too.
