How to Write MEAN Characters

[@NicoAnimation]

Thanks for watching my first video essay. I have ideas for many more on the subject of cartoons, film, and working in the animation industry. Are there any specific topics you'd like to hear me discuss? Drop a suggestion here!

[@mikechicago6200]

Adult humor in animation and alluring women and how they are trailblazers in cartoons lile Lola Bunny and Fifi La Fume

[@Trainboy452]

How 2D and 3D can work together or something.

[@Sketchietoonie]

I would like you to talk about the development of characters. This is one of the best ways to show how a character has learned from all they have been through.

[@ramirocaorlin4613]

How to create alluring women

[@masonmaxwell5520]

Tips on character design

[@NorthyToons]

I think the meanest, but really unlikeable was the original characterization of Woody from Toystory, there's animatics of him being a real arsehole, even Tom Hanks thought it was too far and needed to be changed.

[@NicoAnimation]

Great point. That's the whole reason the original Woody didn't work and they needed to rebuild his character. He was super mean but didn't have anything fun or interesting to counter-balance it. He was just a dickhead and that was it. Very glad they reworked his character into the Woody we love today!

[@NorthyToons]

@@NicoAnimation imagine the first 3d animated movie and you screw it up so badly with the main character. I remember hating Shark Tale, because of how selfish Will Smith's character was.

[@NicoAnimation]

@@NorthyToons SelFISH?!

[@MichaelSeldon-dm2ul]

​@@NicoAnimationWhere is episode 11?

[@lern2reed]

I think exaggeration is a big part of making the mean things more palatable and hilarious. Kids have lied and bullied others, but it’s out of the realm of reality for a kid to do what Cartman does.

[@NicoAnimation]

Exactly, Cartman goes so over the top - For an 8-year old boy to do the things he's done is just absurd and simply adds to the comedy of it all. I just remembered KZbinr Blooms did a video counting up every crime Cartman's ever done, and all together he would be a child guilty of something like 2 life sentences, multiple death penalties, and hundreds of years in prison!

[@MichealSeldon-qm8ez]

​@@NicoAnimationHey, Nico, can you make a new Ollie and Scoops character, this family dog with a full, bigger belly who lies passed out on the floor of a mansion while her owner, a tall thin boy wearing his round green trimmed glasses with a big exposed belly, burps quietly as boards this school bus.

[@CalebTibster]

If I had to pick a favorite mean character, it’d be a toss up between Grunkle Stan from Gravity Falls and Peridot from Steven Universe. They’re both incredibly mean at first, but the longer you spend with them the easier it is to realize that they’re actually insecure. Peridot is just used to treating others with cruelty because she doesn’t have a sense of self outside of her service to the Diamonds. Grunkle Stan is so used to keeping secrets that he instinctively pushes people away as a defense mechanism.

[@Spark-Gold]

something that makes Cartman especially work that I feel a lot of people don't realize is that even with his extreme prejudices, his motives and desires are always extremely childish. At no point that he's on screen do you ever forget that he's just a kid

[@Zistheone2]

The entire main cast of Konosuba is a good example of how to create well-written mean characters. They’re all jerks in their own way but have qualities to balance out their meanness such as Kazuma’s antics blowing up in his face, Aqua’s stupidity & overconfidence causing trouble, Megumin never being taken seriously most of the time & her limited power, and Darkness’s “noble knight” persona being used as a facade to hide her true interests

[@HitBoxMaster]

I like how you intentionally hid Lalatina's true interests lmao

[@SaiyanGamer95]

I wouldn't call Darkness mean, just for her masochistic tendencies. She's still very kind-hearted, heroic, and compassionate to others. Not to mention she outright hates when people are harmed, as she expressed genuine anger when Beldia killed several adventurers.

[@BrazilianMongoose]

Aquas my favorite

[@lemonice7536]

This was wonderful- to add my own thoughts to this. I love how Rusty Venture and Jonas Venture Sr. both work as well written mean characters while Rusty is often cruel and constantly scheming his usual total lack of success and pathetic nature makes you root for him while Jonas is so mean and so successful at being mean and evil you hate everything that comes out of his mouth. Either that or an incredible voice cast. Go Team Venture!

[@NicoAnimation]

Yep! Rusty is my favorite character on Venture Bros, and yeah it works because he's totally pathetic. One of my favorite ways they show this is whenever a version of the theme song includes him running with Hank and Dean, he runs like a pansy and trips over himself. Meanwhile, Jonas Sr. is basically Rusty if he WAS successful and a kickass action hero, and that's what makes Jonas so much easier to dislike.

[@kimeraclan3135]

That's obvious considering that Rusty Venture is endearing despite his short comings. He is a meek man with an inferiority complex who got emotionally abused in his youth. But, we like him in part do to his character growth. Jonas Venture Sr, on the other hand, was a sociopathic narcissist with NO redeeming qualities.

[@MichaelSeldon-dm2ul]

​@@kimeraclan3135Hi.

[@MichaelSeldon-dm2ul]

​@@NicoAnimationWill you create a show about this fat bellied cat (Dee Bradley Baker, cat noises) who goes on a diet then as her friend and owner, a boy with long blond hair (Greg Cipes) and his cousin who has pregnancy loss (Rich Horvitz) prank her 1-by-1?

[@mammon8683]

Still better then Mindy's Velma of this year!

[@TECH097]

...eh, I kinda dug it.

[@kerisaltchannel3817]

@@TECH097careful, people might blow up your notifications with lots of replies

[@TECH097]

@@kerisaltchannel3817 I'm prepared for it lol Never said I liked it just said I didn't hate it really, I kinda understood the point and just had fun with it...I mean if I REALLY wanted to up the replies I'd say I enjoyed it more than Mystery Incorporated-...oops.

[@MattFrost224]

Agreed. It was absolute trash.

[@petarmilich8684]

@@TECH097Mindy should never be allowed to create anything ever again.

[@Kitama23]

I think it would be great to do a video that covers Helga Pataki as well! I, personally, love writing characters that are competent, arrogant, somewhat wrathful or mischievous, but clearly have a lot of sadness, vulnerability, and a streak of failure they cope with that make them really lovable. I think Helga was such an amazing case of character development, that the writers sort of switched her into the role of main character often. Either way, I'm glad you sort of struck how valuable a sense of empathy is when writing and finding motivation. Even if you can't forgive a character, you can't give them relatable flaws without having the heart to try and relate in thee first place.

[@NicoAnimation]

Helga is sorta like the Grinch where her situation is so pathetic that we pity her, and seeing how much she secretly loves Arnold under her mean exterior, we want to see her succeed and win his heart. What's great is Craig (show creator) told me now that Helga and Arnold are together after the Jungle Movie, it doesn't necessarily mean they live happily ever after. There are gonna be good AND BAD things from them being a couple! Hopefully we get to see this someday, if Nickelodeon lets them make more Hey Arnold.

[@Kitama23]

@@NicoAnimation Agreed! I'd have loved to see what he would have done with her if "The Patakis" had gotten greenlit. I think it could have been a unique opportunity to watch a character grow and change in animation as far as they can in live action shows. I think that willingness to be honest about how things won't always tie themselves up with a bow was always one of Hey Arnold's strongest points, and so I'd have LOVED to see that honesty for an older age bracket.

[@UltraEd14]

Amazing analysis, Nico. You have a clear passion for character design and personalities. If you're thinking of making this into a series, I would definitely watch more!

[@smugdodofart27]

Your art looks like a timeless masterpiece of a show no one will forget, I know it’s small but I love the paintings in the back like there’s more to your world we haven’t seen yet

[@NicoAnimation]

Thanks! If you're talking about the shots of Ollie and Scoops, they ARE the main characters from my show, with 10+ episodes on my channel. If you haven't watched yet check 'em out!

[@YouTube2025Cents]

​@@NicoAnimationWill you make a show about a white dog with black ears wearing an apron who has a bigger belly and a 10-year Spanish boy whose stomach growls 9 times a day that relax on a couch of this family's living room?

[@sbkMulletMan]

The lovable jerk is my favorite character archetype. Duckman and Al Bundy are some of my particular favorites because even though they're amoral sleaze balls, they're witty and sarcastic enough to be fun, and seeing them have a rare moment of victory mixed in with their many moments of comeuppance is extremely satisfying, such as Al Bundy standing up to that horrible school librarian. When you cheer on a character as much as you laugh when their actions come back to bite them in the butt, you know you made a compelling character.

[@Deadmothdonoteat]

I read Al Bundy as Ted Bundy and got really mad for a second

[@Silver_Sonic_23]

It's kinda funny seeing Ollie and Scoops just randomly show up in the video sometimes like reaction images.

[@NicoAnimation]

Yep! They're politely listening and reacting to my lecture :)

[@MichealSeldon-qm8ez]

​@@NicoAnimationVoice of Rodney from Squirrel Boy, are you here?!

[@CalebratedGamer93]

I would love to see another video essay, specifically how NOT to write mean characters, like the recent Velma, where there are no counter balances in place.

[@daniexists6]

Honestly, my favorite "mean character" is, was, and always will be The Brain, and for pretty much the same reasons as you listed both Plankton and, strangely, Ren. He's a megalomaniac with dreams of taking over the world, but he'll also do anything for his friend/associate/cagemate Pinky, who he's literally sabotaged two of his actually successful plans to help him. While we all remember the Christmas episode, the Halloween episode had Pinky literally sell his soul in a Faustian deal to get Brain the world and Brain goes down to Hell and gets him, all the while lying about his intentions because he can't admit to Pinky that he cares.

[@cabecadeprego8772]

One thing i find really interesting with villiains is when they are just irredimable monsters yet the audience dont cares and likes them and almost every time is it because they're funny, yet its even more satisfying when their plans dont work

[@EasyEighty-Eight]

The comeuppance is probably the most important part of a mean character. Without it, it makes your audience just hate the character, and not in a good way.

[@jameshowlettii761]

This was such a great video! I think Lucy Van Pelt from Charlie Brown and Roger Smith from American Dad are also really well written. Roger's a clear sociopath and will turn on the family if its in his best interests but he's so much fun and will help the family too. Lucy's definitely a bully but sometimes she doesn't mean to be, she just says what she thinks. She's can also be the butt of the joke like when she plays baseball under Charlie Browns leadership and she can be very compassionate like when she collected halloween candy for her Linus even tho she thought he was mad waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

[@mikechicago6200]

RIP Norman Lear 101

[@yosefdemby8792]

2:30 He may be grumpy but Bert's not mean.

[@EliasTressa]

So in summary you have to either: 1. Give the character a softer side 2. Give them a physical attribute that balances their evil personality 3. Give them a fitting punishment for their actions

[@TheRauzKindred]

This was a fun video, and helpful! I do a lot of tabletop rpgs with friends and sometimes, for the sake of cathartic fun, some players enjoy making mean characters (myself included). This video helped put into words what I try to express to my players who wanna make characters like this, there has to be SOMETHING likeable/enjoyable about the character, especially if they plan on working as a team with others. One trait I enjoy seeing in characters like this personally, is the "guard dog" friend trait, sure they're an ass hole, but god help you if you make one of their friends cry, that's THEIR job. xD

[@1234-z8x]

Heinz Doofenshmirtz from Phineas And Ferb is my favorite villain character. While he is an actual menace at times, his own foolishness cancels any risk of total annihilation or takeover for the tri state area. Not to mention, he is incredibly relatable with the reasoning behind some of his schemes, and his friendship with his so called "nemesis" Perry The Platypus is one of the most wholesome things you'll see on TV

[@samsyracuse3170]

Great vid! A great example I would love to throw in there is Red Forman and his interactions with characters like Eric, Bob, Kelso, Fez and other characters he sees as "goofy" or "dumb", but still shows them sympathy at times. Also he is balanced with his struggles at work, his commitment towards his wife, and his ability to turn around and help others after initially blowing up with anger.

[@mellieebee]

Omg PLEASE do more of these! Your analyzations are SO good and thorough!!! Loves watching this and hearing your insight!❤

[@soulubilityofficial6635]

One of my favorites I would say is Wario. In a lot of games where he appears, namely WarioWare, he gets his comeuppance for his greed and whatnot. In his platforming games he’s usually facing off against someone just as bad if not worse than he is too, and he’s not just a jerk- he’s a complete caricature of the most obnoxious and repulsive of people to the point that it’s ridiculous.

[@albertmccarthy7232]

Basil fawlty Is the best example of mean character yet somehow likeable

[@lpspopsiclemeow6532]

As soon as I saw mr burns on the thumbnail I clicked straight away also great video

[@IsitheScribe]

I'm so glad I found your YouYube channel! This was a fun essay to watch and explains WHY I love these mean characters! Some of my mean favorites include Daffy Duck, Hades from Disney's Hercules and Kuzco & Yzma from the Emperor's New Groove

[@hervygervy8530]

This is only your first video essay on the channel? I have to say, this is excellent. Your voiceover was pleasant and you were certainly engaged in the topic, the video was well paced, and held my attention all the way through. If you’re planning on making more video essays on cartoons and the like, you’ve earned a sub! I’m rooting for you!

[@NicoAnimation]

Wow thanks!

[@PaulHex]

Cool video! I have my own mean characters to write and illustrate, and this type of videos helps a lot with that! Great job!

[@jinkies1649]

Another great example of mean characters are the cast of Always Sunny.

[@JunefierFoxtrot]

Basically In summary you need something to balance out the Jerkyness to make your said character actually likeable in a sense.

[@josephtedesco8429]

9:49 it's funny because in the SpongeBob episode where their voice actors played live action counterparts, they had to make Mr. Lawrence seem like a dumb thug for the sake that he's really tall xD The case of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia pretty much captures all the aspects discussed in this essay as to why they're so fun to watch!

[@moycorbin4750]

Dio he is one the Worst human being ever existed with a great personality Counter balance: all his plans failed and he got punched to the Oblivion

[@KirbyBandicoot]

My favorite examples of mean characters are Gumball (the amazing world of Gumball) and Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) The reason I love Gumball is because a good chunk of the time, his meanness never comes from anywhere truly malicious. He just doesn't care enough to NOT say what's on his mind, just like a kid in real life will say things that they might not know the meaning of. Kazuma is a bit more complicated as he is written to be the exact opposite of any main character in most other anime. He's lazy, never wants to go outside on adventures, is cartoonishly horny, the whole checklist. But I think what makes it work are the following: 1 - He still manages to be the hero at the end of the day. He's always the one that comes up with the strategy to stop whatever bad guy him and his friends are up against. At the very start of the show, he's even shown to go as far as sacrificing his own life to save someone else in the heat of the moment. (Even if it turns out that he never had to die in the first place, the man just thought he got ran over by a truck and died of shock on the spot) 2 - He's always a dick for a reason. Even if the reason is as simple as other people trying to drag him out on something he doesn't want to do, its always shown WHY he acts the way he does. It adds a sense of believability to his behavior. 3 - EVERYONE in the show is just as terrible in their own way. This could've easily backfired into a series where no one is likable, but the writing, voice acting, and even small goofy inflections in the animation make it so that you're so entertained by these people being awful to each other, that it never crosses the viewers mind that they would want to STOP watching these awful characters yell at each other. Everyone is an asshole, so no one is an asshole.

[@swarple]

I love how right this is. When I first started watching South Park I couldn’t understand why on Earth anyone could find Eric Cartman funny. He was so bigoted and awful that I found him very unlikeable. But as I watched the show, I realized that the humor comes not from “Haha, Cartman say awful thing,” but from Cartman’s character himself being really stupid and pathetic. Cartman is the butt of the joke most of the time, even when he doesn’t realize it. He’s not my favorite South Park character but I think he’s hilarious, you never know what horrible, idiotic crap is going to come out of his mouth next lol

[@dabatman5187]

This idea could even work with villains

[@GrayD_Fox]

God I LOVE character analysis videos!

[@adultmoshifan87]

This is very well done! If you have any other "how to write a character like this" and "how NOT to write a character like this" videos on the way, I'd love to see them! Andrea Davenport from The Ghost & Molly McGee was originally going to be a one dimensional meanie but they decided that was no fun so they gave her a sense of decency! Here in Britain, one of our most popular comic characters is Dennis The Menace (unrelated to the blonde-haired American comic character with the same name!) and while he does do a lot of mean things, he always gets his comeuppance in the end! It is funny to see characters like Cartman and Mr. Burns be over the top and it is satisfying to see them get their comeuppance in the end, but at the same time there are MANY mean characters in media that I absolutely dislike: they continue to be mean no matter what and in some cases don't even get their comeuppance! I'm talking about Otto Rocket from Rocket Power, Jake Spidermonkey from My Gym Partner's A Monkey (possibly my most hated in-house Cartoon Network show behind the 2016 Powerpuff Girls reboot!), Malcolm's mom from Malcolm in The Middle, Frank Wintersea from Inazuma Eleven, Norman Price from the CGI version of Fireman Sam (his stop motion counterpart is actually likeable, see James A. Williams' video) and the title character from one of my most hated cartoons EVER: Horrid Henry! I can also name a mean character I've taken a liking to only because he's the antagonist in another of my most hated cartoons ever: Swiper The Fox from Dora The Explorer! Dora is such an annoying jerk that it's so satisfying to see Swiper successfully swipe from her! As bad as the Lost City of Gold movie is, I will give that movie credit for having Swiper say "Swiper yes swiping!"! (Plus that movie is actually a masterpiece compared to Toy Story 4!)

[@MrChristianDT]

Yeah, I know what you mean. That's kind of how I feel about Marie & Frank in Everyone Loves Raymond. They do the reverse joke, where the universe conspires to ruin pretty much anyone who ever even attempts to stand up to them. I enjoyed the show as a kid, but now find virtually the entire cast insanely unlikable & the whole series depressing to watch.

[@mikefitzgerald18]

Cotton Hill from King of the Hill and Carol Miller (Mom) from Futurama is an excellent characters. Mom is basically a cross between Mr. Burns and Moe. Cotton has qualities closest to the Grinch and Cartman

[@SketchBud]

I think it's a great idea to make these essays. As a nice way to pass the time for a new episode.

[@MichealSeldon-qm8ez]

New episode of Ollie and Scoops?!

[@joshcox8615]

Best grumpy character is Oscar The Grouch

[@bradleyhauertheedtruncanfa5020]

Captain Hook from Disney’s Peter Pan could also count as this. He tried to kill Peter and even kidnapped a dozen kids, threatening them that they will walk the plank if they don’t join him, but Hook always gets his schemes blown up in his face as a form of comedy.

[@rickyjerome_]

Plankton and Mr. Burns!! My favorite 90s cartoon villains

[@ScintillatingSusie]

There is actually a different reason that balances Plankton out for me and that is how you can't help but feel sorry for the guy. He is stuck living in his failing restaurant with a computer for a wife, he is a villain you want to succeed or at least find some other form of success so he can get out of his horrible situation

[@devonchicks]

Writing my own mean character for my first series. This video really helped. Thanks!

[@Dracoboss98]

I love how more people know about Mr. Burns blocking out the sun from South Park than from seeing the actual Simpsons episode.

[@foxymangaka]

This was super well put together.

[@BrazilianMongoose]

I’m an easy person to please. If you make a mean character, I’ll like them if they fit one of two archetypes. Deep and complex, or so incredibly evil that it’s comical

[@zacharymacleod1146]

This is missing something I Think. All of these characters are comedic examples… but what if you want to write a mean but likeable villain in a story that (while it may have comedic elements) ultimately requires that villain has actual bite? Someone like, say, Dio Brando… who is beloved by fans, once made a woman eat her own baby… but is neither weak, pathetic, nor stupid enough that his plans blow up in his face?

[@supermario35327]

bojack horseman is a grate example what if the jerks from like a family guy type of show had punishment for stuff he did it's about him trying to find happiness for himself

[@charliemacsart]

This is great stuff! I never realized this about mean characters before- definitely going to apply this to my own work! Can't wait for more videos!

[@theaustinXL1]

Wait until Frieza gets involve

[@mammon8683]

Thanks so much for this, this will come in super handy!

[@owensanfordstuff]

Going by the thumbnail, surely Cartman is in a league of his own?

[@mikwee]

Yay, you have a KZbin channel! I liked seeing your tweets sometimes, guess I can now watch you too.

[@Thomperfan]

If I could add my own entry to this list, I’d like to talk about Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dee, and Frank, AKA: The Gang from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I think most of the points you listed for Eric Cartman apply to the Gang as well. They’re all very dumb and delusional, which makes them their own worst enemy, and whatever messed-up plans they come up with usually blow up in their face. (Figuratively, and sometimes literally) But what differentiates the two parties is that one is a singular little kid, and the other is a group of five individuals who all have different personalities and different flavors of awful. Charlie is a dirty illiterate chemical digester who stalks a woman on the regular, Mac is a religious nutjob who thinks he’s tough but usually chickens out of most fights at the last minute, Dennis is an EXTREME narcissist who sees most women as just objects he can have sex with, and has a very explosive disturbing temper, Dee is also rather narcissistic with a temper, but also very insecure and more ruthless when it comes to getting what she wants, and Frank is an old, rich man who joined the gang specifically to become a worse person. Each of the characters makes up one slice of the mean pie, and that helps play into the dynamic on display here. The Gang are terrible friends, but in a way, they’re also great friends. Sure, they insult each other, yell at each other, and they will NOT hesitate to throw each other under the bus at the nearest sign of trouble, (Again, figuratively, but also sometimes literally) but at the same time, they do have moments where they get along and look out for each other. This was something Mary Mahoney went over in her Always Sunny analysis video: The reason the gang is able to function the way that it does is that since all of its members are terrible in one way or another, its them against the rest of the world. They’re always keeping each other wrapped up in delusions which blinds them to the fact that they’re the problem. At least Cartman’s friends have a decent sense of morality and will call him out for his awfulness and stupidity, but with the Gang, it’s the rest of the world calling them out, they just never listen. You can see that in episodes like The Nightman Cometh, The Gang Gets Analyzed, The High School Reunion, The Gang Group Dates, The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition, The Gang Reignites The Rivalry, and many others, where these five degenerates are able to find solace in the idea that they're right and everyone else is wrong. And honestly, it’s a little endearing to see that the lowest of the low have each other in the grand scheme of things.

[@danart2358]

Characters like Duckman and Butt-Head are some of my favorites,they say the things I’d never say.

[@theepic1944]

I'm surprised Squidward wasn't in the list.

[@VilaToro64]

Shake from aqua teen hunger force is a good representation on how to write a mean character he always got what was coming to him but was to stubborn and stupid to learn 😂

[@yourtiredness]

THAT HIDEOUS THING IS A CHIHUAHUA????

[@suitman]

My favorite personality trade is the sarcastic one mainly that they make fun of the person they don’t like or making the villain look like a fool.

[@paganavenger8920]

I so need to check out the Honeymooners. 😂

[@GameparkGames]

I think you should have given Archie a bigger segment. Yes he's a Bigot and a Loud Mouth but he has a character arch, he doesn't lose his character but over the series and even into his spinoff series he grew to a point he was actually more understanding. He went from a guy that used extremely racist words to a guy that ended up decking the leader of his Lodge he's in for calling his friend (his maid after his wife dies) the N word. That's some serious character growth. You also see that deep down he loves his wife and family (even Mike to a point) but he can't show his feelings but the times it peaks, it is blinding. Archie is a good example of a mean character done right.

[@Dracoboss98]

My favorite Cartman scheme episode hands down is Awesome-O. I love that we’re introduced to how the plan is going to backfire at the very beginning of the episode, and the “You’re a little faggot, kid” at the end will always crack me up.

[@fynnthefox9078]

As someone who's looking to be a cartoonist, I found this video really insightful. I got a main character who's literally the Antichrist and he's a real piece of work. Though he's a got a tragic side to him and it gives him a reason why he acts so hateful to humanity in general. Lol I don't wanna spoil it.

[@michaelreardon303]

James Woods; congratulations on your channel.

[@christopherjudge1138]

This list should include Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street, Dr. Smith from "Lost In Space" and Marty the Manager from Oldies 103's heyday!

[@hippyandchicky]

Brilliant observation .

[@mikechicago6200]

My 2 best mean characters are Duckman and Master Shake!! Man i miss your vids, i hope Ollie And Scoops return in the future!

[@NicoAnimation]

Ollie & Scoops will return, I'll never stop making them. Some years are gonna be slower or not as much though, depending on if I have enough funds or not to produce more O&S episodes

[@mikechicago6200]

@@NicoAnimation Ok....man i love to see more soon and id love to help fun!

[@MichaelSeldon-f6n]

​@@mikechicago6200Ay, I'm Mike. What is yours?

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

4:03 I think those snowflakes just grew up on Disney Princess movies and assume that *every* female character back then was like Snow White and Cinderella. For me personally, Little Audrey was the character that made me realise otherwise, but the Gilbert & Sullivan operas cemented it especially, as those even predate Uncle Walt's birth. Granted, the antifeminists aren't much better, as they think Ellen Ripley was the first "strong" female character. Like... bruh, have you not seen _Annie Get Your Gun?_ Like, yeah, Annie only wielded the gun as part of a traveling roadshow, but even that's a lot more than was expected of women at the time.

[@aaendi6661]

Are you sure you are replying to the correct video?

[@Yipper64]

So basically its like they specked all their stats into one thing, making them powerful in one context which allows them to be mean, but weak in most other contexts which allows them to get comeuppance for that rudeness. In general it sounds like a difficult balance because remove any element that makes it work and you either have a jerk that's just a jerk and gets away with it, or someone who doesnt deserve all the punishment they seem to get from the universe just seemingly deciding to torture them.

[@jianmario6500]

Well its not exactly a cartoon character But i would say its bowser from mario rpgs Bowser is a diobolical king but at the end of the day, he is a relatable powerhouse, having all this power to beat most enemies in bowsers inside story and still losing to mario and luigi Being a party member in mario rpg And just having the motivation because he loves peach (Even if peach doesnt love him back) You can tell that deep down he is such a softie at heart, even with his spiky shell, and his minions think of him the same way, Thats what makes bowser such a great character for me

[@romallohenry5700]

My favorite is Daffy Duck from the looney tunes show. He's the kind of guy that if you let him well take everything you have and berate you for not having more

[@CartoonsEveryone]

Some of my favorites are Kaa, Discord, King Dedede and Escargoon, Team Rocket, Grinch, and some other ones.

[@WiiFan-1300]

Ayyy I’m glad someone finally acknowledges Archie Bunker

[@lifewithlee6298]

Love how cartman wasn’t invited 😅to the party.

[@oronsnibben]

Awesome, gonna have to test these theories out

[@LIKEFRITOS]

I have a question:What if I wanted to make a villain like Frollo from Hunchback but make him likeible

[@NicoAnimation]

I'm not really a Hunchback fan at all but I understand Frollo has his fans. I imagine that sometimes some villains are SO evil and over the top nasty, and that they RELISH in it and are having such a great time being evil, that THAT somehow makes them fun to watch. I think the Joker could be placed into this category too.

[@ScrambledAndBenedict]

Two things that really help Archie be likable. One is that he is a genuinely good person at heart who actually has pretty noble qualities: he has a strong work ethic, he balks at the idea of men cheating on their wives, he's staunchly against violence and extremism, and when the chips are down he'll swallow his pride and do the right thing if it means standing up for his friends or standing up against hate. Two, is that his main opponent is Mike who is every bit as much of an obnoxious loudmouthed bigoted jerk, so Archie's allowed to be right as often as he's allowed to be wrong. Him against Mike always boils down to two harmless jerks shooting their mouths off about topics they barely even understand and refusing to back down since they think they know everything, so it's just as entertaining to watch Archie win as it is to watch him lose. Comparing him to Cartman is actually pretty superficial, since other than being fat and bigoted they honestly have nothing in common regarding behavior, motivation, or goals.

[@DanialTarki]

From left to right in the thumbnail: Moe Howard, Eric Cartman, Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, Sheldon J. Plankton, Stimpson J. Cat, The Grinch, Ren Höek, and Archie Bunker (the one I recognized in a centisecond).

[@rootfish2671]

I like the mean girl cartoon characters like Helga Pataki.

[@MrChristianDT]

Definitely Jeff Winger from Community. Also kind of like the parents from Raising Hope.

[@MrChristianDT]

Several other excellent examples: -Spike from Buffy -Rika from Digimon Tamers -Tahani & Eleanor from the Good Place -Thomas Durant from Hell of Wheels -Dr. Cox from Scrubs -Detective Lassiter from Psych

[@Uulfinn]

I think Cartmanland is a better example of him getting what he deserves. Casa bonita's ending would have been better and funnier if the cops arrested cartman right before he enters the casa bonita.

[@zerozoroark4631]

No mention of house? He's mean, he's not evil but he can be cruel to some of his patients.

[@LogoDojo]

May I have a widdle discipline??

[@AngryDemonCat]

Lucy Van Pelt,Eric Cartman, and Kastuski Bakugo ❤

[@arturogonzalez6184]

I think Burns would forget things because he simply is so rich and powerful he could not remember some 'pathetic loser' like Homer simpson if his life depended on him. It's a nice depiction on how employers don't see their employees as people but rather numbers.

[@swood9140]

If I had to pick my favorite mean character I’d pick James the Red Engine from Thomas and Friends. While James is arrogant, vein, and boastful I think what makes James so fun are his interactions with the other characters. And to show here’s are James’ interaction with the main cast. Thomas- The interaction between James and Thomas is effectively a rivalry as both James and Thomas are very similar with how they can be. hot headed, impatient , and arrogant and both just trying to one up the other like in episodes such as James and the Trouble with Trees and Reds vs Blues. Edward- James’ dynamic with Edward is basically like the tortoise and the hare. Where James thinks he’s better then Edward only to make a fool of himself and Edward saving the day such as in the episode Old Iron. Henry- Now James and Henry’s dynamic while only seen in Chris Awdry’s books is interesting cause while it is a rivalry like Thomas, their rivalry is more so with how vein can be as both had a story in the opposites book where they both were humiliated in some way. Gordon- Now with Gordon it’s the big one as James thinks he’s equal to Gordon only for Gordon to stomp him back down to reality, as the Unlucky Tug once described how James is with Gordon he think so hard he’s a flashy Porsche but he’s just a Honda civic with a nice paint job. Percy- With Percy it’s not exactly big like with Thomas, Edward, or Gordon but with Percy these two always end up getting into silly hijinks. And finally Toby- James’ dynamic with Toby is probably my favorite as James always tries to trash talk to Toby only for it to bite him in return such as in Dirty Objects where James mocks Toby for his “dirty objects” only for Toby to clap back once James gets into an accident with tar tankers by using the same words James told Toby earlier “Whatever is that dirty object?”.

[@Neilhammond64]

Show this to the Family Guy writing staff.

[@silyknow]

This is a fantastic video!

[@immanuelweaver4522]

What about Squidward?

[@NicoAnimation]

Do you mean, what makes Squidward work as a mean character? First off I don't think he's necessarily mean, he's kinda just cranky, easily disengaged, and mostly just wants to be left alone. But for the times he is mean, what counter-balances him and makes him enjoyable is basically the same as Bert from Sesame Street. Squidward entertains us by the ways SpongeBob/Patrick screw with him and drive him nuts.

[@immanuelweaver4522]

@@NicoAnimation gotcha

[@AudMaker]

OMG IM JUST YELLING AT THE VIDEO WHERE IS SQUIDWARD

[@NicoAnimation]

Squidward's not really a straight up mean character, I seem him more as grumpy and usually just wants to be left alone. He only acts up if someone provokes him first.

[@MichealSeldon-v7j]

Hey, Nico, can you make this black eared dog with a huge belly who is video by Dee Bradley Baker?

[@NicoAnimation]

Stop asking me to draw your weird fetishes.

[@puricat]

MICHAEL STOP 😭😭

[@ghosthost100]

Can you do one on likable movie villains? Such as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz and Darth Vader from Star Wars original trilogy?

[@Character-interactions-t3e]

Feels criminal you didn't mention Dan from Dan Vs Or the always sunny cast!

[@NicoAnimation]

It's hard to mention things I've never seen before!

[@Character-interactions-t3e]

@@NicoAnimation I see. Well, you should take the opportunity to watch Dan Vs someday (if you're not busy of course)! It's pretty good :)

[@inovakovsky]

@@NicoAnimation Dan Vs is currently available as "free with ads" on KZbin. The show is about Dan wanting to take over-the-top revenge with things and concepts that annoy or wrong most people, e.g. common cold, parents, stupidity, Canada, etc.

[@seldon-z3m]

Nico, request Ollie Purkleworth's cousin, a long haired boy with a huge gurgling belly who is smart.

[@Rocketman1292]

How can you not include Rick Sanchez from Rick and Morty? He starts out mean then slowly changes over the course of the show.

[@jeremygaal5127]

Daffy Duck from the 1950s and 1960s Looney Tunes, especially with Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Speedy Gonzales, especially by Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones! 😂