Top 20 Hardest To Kill Cartoon Characters
#20: Spongebob Squarepants
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“Spongebob Squarepants” (1999-) Your first thought when you think of Spongebob Squarepants probably isn’t that he’s impossible to kill. But when you look back at the series, he seems to have abilities that put him a step above most most residents of Bikini bottom. Thanks to his resistant and spongy body, even big tormentors can’t hurt the fry cook at all. He can also regenerate lost limbs within seconds without effort. And when competitors tried to cause him harm in the demolition derby, it was Spongebob who nearly took them all out without even realizing it. The character’s natural abilities and random nature make him extremely hard to stop. He’s not just a sponge, he’s a pure force of nature!
#19: Everyone
Top 10 Hardest To Kill Cartoon Characters
“Sealab 2021” (2000-05) The sealab crew of “Sealab 2021” seem to always find themselves unscathed from every devastating event imaginable. In pretty much every episode, the crew of the highly expensive underwater station end face to face with certain death. And yet, no matter how many times a character dies (and spoiler alert: it’s a lot) they always end up perfectly ok in the next episode. Seriously, they could get run over, blown up or eaten by sharks. Nothing matters because nothing really sticks for long. While you can chalk this up to the show’s lack of continuity, it’s also possible the sealab has some special ability to revive everyone in the crew at will.
#18: Popeye
“Popeye the Sailor” (1960-63) Normal people just get important nutrients from spinach. But for Popeye, it’s an entirely different story. On many occasions, Popeye the sailor man has shown us that he’s capable of extraordinary feats once he eats the leafy vegetable. The plant vastly enhances his strength and durability in an instant. Equipped with only a can-do attitude and a can of spinach, Popeye can fight off entire submarines, hurl enemies into orbit, and deliver bone shattering punches. Since the vegetable works pretty instantaneously, he can come back from the brink of death before you can blink. Unless an opponent can find a way to completely rid the world of spinach, it’s unlikely they can permanently take the wind out of Popeye’s sails.
#17: Everyone
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“Happy Tree Friends” (1999-) Try not to judge this book by its cover. If you look at the illustrations of the “Happy Tree Friends”, you might assume it’s a kid friendly show. But it’s much more like a cartoon version of “Final Destination”! This grizzly, gory, hyper violent cartoon sees the happy tree friends dying off in extremely messed up ways every episode! Their causes of death range from being hit by buses to being squashed by the moon itself. No matter how much suffering the characters endure in one episode, they’re pretty much good as new in the next episode. Virtually no one stays dead for long! It’s hard to tell if they’re happy or sad about their seeming immortality.
#16: Sterling Archer
“Archer” (2009-) A lot of the characters on “Archer” get grievously injured. Barry Dylan even gets rebuilt into a cyborg (xref)! But lead character Sterling Archer is very injury prone. Over the course of the show he’s been shot, stabbed in the back, thrown out of cars, and so much more. Honestly, it’d be easier just to say what he hasn’t gotten injured from. Despite his many injuries (some of which he even accidentally gave to himself), he always survives. We don’t really know what Sterling’s secret to cheating death is. But we do know his stubborn refusal to die makes him a challenge to enemies!
#15: Bill Cipher
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“Gravity Falls” (2012-16) Who knew floating triangles could be so dangerous? In “Gravity Falls”, Bill Cipher proves to be one of Dipper and Mabel’s most powerful threats. He'll completely annihilate you without breaking a sweat and crack a joke while it happens. Even in a limited form, this reality-altering demon can get inside your head and wreak pure chaos. He’s not just a spooky ghost that can possess you. In his true form, there’s virtually no limits to his power. He can reshape space, time, and the universe around him like it’s nothing. Bill’s one enemy you’re better off running away from then trying to fight!
#14: Uncle Grandpa
“Uncle Grandpa” (2013-17) Given how eccentric (and annoying) Uncle Grandpa can be, he’s sure to have a ton of enemies. But good luck trying to get to him! Uncle Grandpa’s magical abilities make him nigh invulnerable. It might have something to do with that magical fanny pack of his he always carries around. But either way, Uncle Grandpa’s practically omnipotent. He can clone himself, travel across time, and even have his limbs separate from him and act on their own! He also happens to be the uncle and grandpa of all of us, which isn’t a power, but is pretty impressive. It really doesn’t seem like anyone can stop Uncle Grandpa from having a good morning!
#13: Rigby
“Regular Show” (2009-17) Rigby’s faced down death so much that we should probably give him a medal for it! The raccoon co-protagonist of “Regular Show” has always found a way to return from certain doom. For him, dying doesn’t seem to be too difficult. But staying dead’s always a different story. Think about it, Rigby’s died multiple times and yet, he’s still here. It’s pretty impressive too when you consider that Rigby doesn’t really have any superpowers or enhanced abilities. As far as we know, he’s just a normal raccoon that routinely defies death! His ability to avoid the reaper makes him one of the most unexpectedly tough characters in the universe. If Rigby works at it, he might be as powerful and formidable as Pops one day.
#12: Carl Brutananadilewski
“Aqua Teen Hunger Force” (2000-15) While many characters from this series, including the titular trio of food products, might be worthy of mention for this list, we have to give credit to their neighbor Carl. A bad-tempered schlub of a man, Carl is not on our list for any particular ability to stave off death. Rather the opposite, in fact. The perennially unlucky guy dies dozens of times over the course of “Aqua Teen”’s run and almost always in a graphically violent and painful way, including being eaten alive, crushed, frozen, shot, and a host of others. We doubt Carl has any memory of these, otherwise we’d have thought he’d have moved away.
#11: Bugs Bunny
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“Looney Tunes” (1930-) As a main character of the “Looney Tunes” franchise, Bugs Bunny doesn’t let anybody stop him from doing what he wants! Sure, Elmer Fudd’s routinely tried to hunt him down, but he never wins. That’s because Bugs is always able to get the drop on him pretty much no matter what. Seemingly nothing can keep Bugs Bunny down for long! Between his wits and talent for escapes, Bugs is nigh impossible to catch. He can pretty much evade anybody that tries to get on his tail. Rivals like Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd know all too well that this is no regular rabbit. While they’ve made plenty of attempts over the decades, all they learned was that Bugs will always find ways to hop away.
#10: Peter Griffin
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“Family Guy” (1999-) The protagonist of the show and the Griffin family patriarch, Peter Griffin has received a huge amount of punishment over the years. The dopey and reckless man engages in plenty of dangerous behavior that has seen him have a stroke, his spine distended, die repeatedly, get into epic battles with a giant chicken; not to mention his repeated knee injuries! Peter’s ability to survive such punishments can mostly be attributed to the fact that most of “Family Guy”’s events revert to the status quo, though he does demonstrate unexpected skill in a fight.
#9: Steven
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“Steven Universe” (2013-19) Steven Quartz Universe is the main character of the hit show “Steven Universe”. Although he doesn’t like fighting, his natural abilities make him into an extremely dangerous warrior. As a human-gem hybrid, he can shapeshift, float, and demonstrate incredible super strength. His defense is also impressive. As part of Steven’s extensive powerset, he can generate powerful barriers that are hard to break through. And since his powers seem to grow as he ages, there’s no telling how powerful he’ll get. The universe should consider themselves very lucky that Steven is content hanging with friends on earth instead of conquering the galaxy.
#8: Aku
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“Samurai Jack” (2001-04; 2017) A cold, calculating, and demonic villain, Aku has been the bane of Samurai Jack’s entire existence. It probably has something to do with the fact that he sent Samurai Jack flying through time. Just a guess though! Aku is able to shapeshift, regenerate, and tap into dark magic. Although many have tried, few have succeeded in taking down this shadowy beast. Only a select few weapons can even hurt him. Even if he’s sliced up, he comes back at full strength if just the tiniest bit of him remains. And as Jack learned, he can send you into the future and just keep the past for himself. It’s no wonder Jack nearly lost his mind trying to end Aku for good.
#7: Brock Samson
“The Venture Bros.” (2003-18) The Venture family’s hyper macho bodyguard, Brock Samson is more than just a protector to the danger prone clan, he’s also a veritable one-man army! Possessing outlandish skill in hand-to-hand combat and even dismissing guns as being “too girly,” Brock regularly takes on hordes of henchmen, monsters, and skilled assassins with ease. He also displays impressive endurance, as he’s able to survive things like being filled with tranquilizer darts, a robot’s head being lodged in his chest, and even the vacuum of space. Only the most skilled or powerful people in his fictional world can even prove a challenge to Brock, and considering what he’s up against, that’s saying something!
#6: Hans Moleman
“The Simpsons” (1989-) Springfield has a number of durable residents, but one of the more surprisingly resilient is Hans Moleman. A feeble, near-sighted, and possibly elderly man, Moleman receives a variety of awful and seemingly fatal injuries over the course of the series. Whether he’s being forced off the road, blown up, being set on fire, suffocated, getting his skulled mutilated by a power drill, executed at the local jail, or just hit in the groin by a football, Moleman can take it all and reappear unscathed. What a sad sack, though.
#5: Rick Sanchez
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“Rick and Morty” (2013-) The misanthropic, genius scientist who makes up one half of the titular duo, Rick Sanchez is a grouchy, amoral person with a heavy reliance on alcohol and alien substances. But his brilliance is such that he’s basically invincible. Rick may not always have a plan and he’s rarely sober, but even when he’s impaired or improvising, he’s able to outwit or kill alien supervillains, galactic governments, and even alternate versions of himself. As he’s consistently proven, though, Rick is most dangerous to himself and his self-destructive behavior could very well be his only weakness.
#4: Waspinator
Beast Wars: Transformers” (1996-99) The “Transformers” franchise has seen many characters resurrect multiple times, like the heroic Optimus Prime or the treacherous Starscream. However, if there’s one Transformer who’s absolutely unkillable, it’s the incredibly unfortunate Waspinator. A wasp-transforming scout or grunt in the Predacon faction, Waspinator may be lacking in intelligence and skills, but his endurance is otherworldly. The poor ‘bot can’t seem to catch a break, as he’s constantly destroyed and rebuilt throughout the show’s run; to the point where it’s a running gag. The universe may seem to be out to get Waspinator, but his suffering only makes him more endearing.
#3: Tom & Jerry
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“Tom and Jerry” franchise (1940-) A cat and mouse perennially engaged in a game of… well, you know… Tom and Jerry are both worthy of a shared spot on our list. Tom, as the pursuer, frequently receives outrageous cartoon punishments and injuries for his attempts to catch and eat Jerry. Jerry, meanwhile, proves supernaturally elusive to Tom, able to elude, fight, or luck his way out of many sticky situations. Together, they each embody our criteria well, even if neither quite stands out enough to put them in our Top 2.
#2: Kenny McCormick
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"South Park” (1997-) An 8-year-old boy almost always ensconced within an orange parka, Kenny McCormick has probably died more than all the other entries on our list combined. A running gag especially prominent in early seasons of “South Park” saw Kenny die every episode, usually in a needlessly violent way. Although this has been phased out over time, Kenny still dies every now and again and returns completely fine the next episode. One major storyline reveals that every time Kenny dies, he is literally re-born the next day, making him essentially immortal, possibly because of Cthulhu.
#1: Road Runner
“Looney Tunes” (1930-) Although Wile E. Coyote’s resilience is impressive too (we don’t know how he survives everything he goes through), we had to give our top spot to his elusive prey, Road Runner. A fleet-footed bird of few words, the Road Runner, despite the countless dangerous gadgets and clever tricks tried by Wile E. always manages to escape. While you could chalk up his getting away to his pursuer’s incompetence, you’d think that after all the things Wile E. has tried, at least one of them would’ve worked by now!
