Cartoons are supposed to be fun, right? Bright colors, silly voices, talking animals. But Reddit had other plans. In one unforgettable thread, users were asked:
“Which cartoon characters do you find scary, and why?”
Thousands jumped in with stories that ranged from childhood nightmares to cartoon trauma they never outgrew. We scrolled through the madness and pulled out the most bone-chilling names. These aren’t your typical horror villains. These are characters that slipped past our defenses when we were young and stuck there.
Top 5 Scary Cartoon Characters with Pictures
1. The Cast of Courage the Cowardly Dog
“This will be flooded with characters from Courage the Cowardly Dog.”
That comment nailed it. Reddit was practically overflowing with mentions of Courage’s rogues’ gallery: the eerie floating heads, the possessed mattress, the violin girl, the return the slab guy.
One user said, “It was like David Lynch directed a cartoon for kids.” Another added, “My parents thought it was harmless. I had nightmares for years.”
Reading this made me think of that strange, echoing music playing while Courage screamed silently. You didn’t just watch Courage. You survived it. It broke every rule of comfort. No happy endings, no clear villains, just raw existential fear in pastel colors.
2. Other Mother / The Beldam (Coraline)
“Coraline’s parallel mother, because she becomes a spider monster and rips people’s eyes off.”
This one got a flood of upvotes. Other Mother looks kind, offers you better parents, a better home, delicious food but there’s one condition: she wants your eyes.
Redditors weren’t just scared. They felt betrayed. One said, “She felt like someone who loved you… until she didn’t.” The moment she morphs into that long-limbed, bone-thin spider? Instant nightmare fuel.
Editor’s Note: The betrayal is what lingers. We trusted her. We wanted that better world too.
3. Koh the Face Stealer (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
“I don’t think I can not make facial expressions at him.”
Koh only shows up in one episode, but Reddit never forgot. A gigantic centipede-like spirit who steals your face if you show emotion? Yeah, that stuck.
Many users shared how they held their breath watching that scene. One wrote, “I was frozen. I didn’t blink. I thought he could see me.” The animation was quiet, deliberate, ancient—and terrifying.
He doesn’t scream. He doesn’t attack. He just waits for you to flinch.
4. HIM (The Powerpuff Girls)
“Why was this allowed on a kids’ show?”
Reddit has spoken: HIM was way too much for the Cartoon Network era. The echoing voice, the claws, the makeup, the tone swings from polite to demonic? No thank you.
A Redditor summed it up: “He didn’t look scary at first, but every second he was on screen, I got colder inside.”
Every kid who watched Powerpuff Girls probably remembers lowering the volume when HIM came on. You didn’t know why it scared you but it did.
5. The Coachman (Pinocchio)
“That face. That voice. That donkey scene.”
While technically from a movie, Pinocchio is so often lumped in with cartoons that Reddit couldn’t ignore The Coachman. He lures kids to Pleasure Island… and turns them into donkeys.
One user wrote, “I didn’t understand what was happening as a kid. That somehow made it worse.” The transformation sequence is pure horror. The Coachman laughs while the kids cry for their mothers.
It’s not even supernatural. That’s what makes him so chilling. He’s just evil and enjoying it.
Final Thoughts
Cartoons have a way of sneaking past our mental defenses. We don’t expect fear from them, which is why it hits harder. These characters prove that animation isn’t always safe, and childhood isn’t always innocent.
Some of these cartoon characters scared Reddit. Some scared us. And some still haunt both.
Stay tuned! We’ll be diving into even more unsettling characters in the next part of this blog series. Got a character we missed? Drop your pick in the comments.
FAQs
Who is the scariest animated character?
Many Reddit users agreed that The Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth top the list. Their silent, eerie presence lingers more than loud jump scares. Others pointed to Other Mother from Coraline for her twisted take on love and betrayal.
Who is the most evil cartoon villain?
Shou Tucker from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was overwhelmingly mentioned. Redditors were haunted by the moment he fused his daughter with a dog. His calm, emotionless demeanor made it worse — proof that emotional cruelty can outweigh physical horror.
Is there a fear of cartoon characters?
Yes — it’s called scelerophobia (fear of bad people), and it can apply to cartoons too. Redditors shared that childhood exposure to characters like HIM from Powerpuff Girls or Angelica Pickles triggered deep anxiety. When something “safe” like a cartoon turns creepy, it creates lasting fear.
Who is the best scary character?
Reddit comments frequently praised The Babadook as the “best” horror concept. More than a monster, it symbolized grief and depression — which made it timeless and personal. For cartoon fans, Chucky and Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter also topped the charts due to their unpredictability and twisted charm.