Cartoon heroes had a big impact on people’s lives when they were kids.
There was a time in every kid’s life when all he ever wanted to be when he grew up was to wear a mask, a cape, maybe even tights, and save the world.
I think sometimes some grown-ups still have that dream, minus the tights maybe. You can’t really blame them.
The power and appeal of cartoon heroes is a force to be reckoned with.
As kids, we all loved to watch cartoons, and most of the time we always rooted for the good guys, the cartoon heroes.
We followed cartoon series the way grown-ups obsess about their favorite soap operas.
We absolutely loved our cartoon heroes.
They were our idols and we felt for them.
Whenever they saved the day, we celebrated.
When they got hurt during a battle, we yelled at the bad guys on the TV screen.
We were so attached to the cartoon heroes that we wanted to be like them.
I thought it would be fun to come up with a list of the top cartoon heroes that every child wished to be like.
Here’s my list of the top cartoon heroes.
12 Strongest Cartoon Heroes Every Kid Wished They Could Be
I was thinking at first maybe I should arrange this list according to best hero costume, but then I figured cartoon heroes should be ranked according to their superpowers and level of “badass-ness.”
We can do the best-in-costume some other time.
Here are the top 12 strongest cartoon heroes every child wanted to be.
12. Jorgen Von Strangle
This is a pretty new hero from the cartoon Fairly Odd Parents.
He’s also not the typical human hero because he’s actually a fairy!
In fact, he’s the strongest of all fairies and he’s the big boss of all fairies.
His wife also just happens to be the Tooth Fairy. He looks like an army general with big muscles and an army haircut.
At first, he wasn’t one of the good guys but eventually, he became one.
11. McBain
McBain is an action movie hero who is a parody of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the popular series The Simpsons.
He is a former cop who takes down the bad guys. In the cartoon series, he is played by an actor named Rainier Wolfcastle.
McBain is the stereotypical action hero who says stereotypical hero lines.
10. George of the Jungle
This character was obviously inspired by Tarzan.
George is a simple man with a huge heart and is the hero of the jungle animals. His appeal comes from the fact that he is not the smartest guy but he is dependable and is always there for his animal friends.
George is known for his swinging from vine to vine.
9. He-Man
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a popular series.
He-Man was the alter-ego of Prince Adam, a prince who was usually portrayed as lazy and unexciting.
Unbeknownst to many, Prince Adam transforms into the strong and brave He-Man through the powers of the Castle Grayskull.
Prince Adam had a cowardly pet tiger named Cringer who also transforms with him. Cringer became Battle Cat, He-Man’s fierce partner.
He-Man and Battle Cat worked together to defend their realm against all evil.
8. G.I.Joe
G.I. Joe started out as a line of action figures.
They represent your typical American soldiers.
In the cartoon series, the G.I. Joe team defended the world against the evil Cobra Command which was intent on taking over the world.
The G.I. Joe team members all had their own specialization like explosives, weapons, and martial arts and they helped each other during missions.
It’s easy to see why a lot of kids wanted to be a G.I. Joe.
7. The Hulk
The Incredible Hulk is more known as the big green giant.
He is the alter-ego of scientist Dr. Bruce Banner who, after being exposed to a gamma bomb blast, involuntarily transforms into the exceedingly strong and large Hulk whenever he gets angry.
He is also a member of the Avengers, helping them battle the evil guys intent on wreaking havoc on the world.
6. Batman
Here’s another cartoon hero with a secret identity.
To the public, Bruce Wayne is an American billionaire, industrialist, and philanthropist.
Then he puts on his suit and mask and fights crime as Batman.
I think the appeal of Batman comes from the fact that he doesn’t actually have superpowers, but what he does have are mad skills and an assortment of specialized and unique weapons.
He also happens to drive the coolest car among cartoon heroes – the Batmobile.
5. Captain America
Captain America used to be a frail skinny guy named Steve Rogers who was turned into the perfect super soldier by an experimental serum.
This was set during World War II and Captain America helped in the war efforts.
He was actually the first-ever Avenger.
Captain America tugs at the patriotic heartstrings of every person and is one of the most popular cartoon heroes ever.
4. Wolverine
This guy is probably the most popular among the X-Men, what with his accelerated healing ability, his adamantium claws, and his totally badass attitude.
He’s one of the cartoon heroes who aren’t necessarily all nice and polite.
He’s tough and aggressive and unafraid to use force when necessary.
It’s a good thing he fights with the good guys.
3. Lion-O
Lion-O, the leader of the Thundercats, is one of your typical great leaders.
He’s a bit different from the other cartoon heroes on this list in the sense that he led a team while most of these guys worked solo most of the time.
Lion-O led his Thundercats against the forces of Mumm-Ra who, like all villains, wanted to take over the world.
2. Popeye
Who doesn’t love Popeye the Sailorman?
Popeye was just your regular guy who gained super strength after gulping down his spinach. He wasn’t your typical hero.
You know, tall, handsome and perfect. He was just your average guy and he was pretty funny, too.
And number one on this list is none other than…
1. Superman
Superman, a.k.a. the man of steel, has got to be one of the best cartoon heroes ever invented.
I think the idea of an indestructible high-flying super-strong man with human emotions appeals to everyone, man or woman alike.
Boys or men wanted to be strong and indestructible, and girls or women wanted to be saved by a super-strong man with feelings.
Superman has a universal and timeless appeal.
Even if he was introduced to the world several decades ago, everyone still knows and admires him until now.
I love ben10 UA, i guess he should be top 1
Hi Isaac,
Maybe in a future update he will 🙂
– Todd
Also iron man Is more realistic
i think ben 10 also should be there in the list because i really wanna be like him
Perhaps in the next update.
– Todd
Has to be Goku from Dragon Ball Z, he’d wipe the floor with superman.
Definitely my childhood cartoon hero growing up, and still is to be honest haha
I’ll definitely make sure Goku is on the next update of this list. Thanks, Luke.
– Todd
Yes u must he must be at number 1 bro no one toe to toe with him in a any quality
Goku from Dragon Ball z
Is most most powerful saying
Yesss he’s no 1 hero
With human feelings
And sure no Other super heroes can defeat him
This is awkward for you because there are tons of characters that can beat him. Here’s a few characters off the top of my head that can beat Goku with ease: Thanos, Scarlet Witch, Saitama, Super Man, Zod, Golb, Billy, The Litch, Marceline The Vampire Queen, Ezdeath, Hella, and may others that I won’t even list off from the top of my head. In the end though, Saitama and Zeno are tied in first when it comes to strongest.
My cartoon hero was Johnny Quest and his bodyguard, Race Banner…which tells you that I’m on the older side of things.
My sons liked Goku and Gohan from Dragonball Z. These characters trained in high-gravity so they could be even stronger when fighting in the normal gravity environments of planets like Earth. I suppose if one cannot alter gravity, one can alter one’s interaction with gravity to do the same thing: add weights or put your body in a more challenging leverage for your muscles.
I agree, Matt, Goku should definitely be on the list. I’ll make sure he makes in appearance in a future update.
– Todd