Yes they aren’t real, and yes they aren’t people. But we’re saying that if they were, they’d be Black.
How do we know? Is it because most of these characters are voiced by Black actors? Partly. These characters aren’t Black because their voice actors are–if anything those actors only give us confirmation.
There’s a reason why the creators chose Black actors to play them. They give off a certain vibe that only Black people can emulate. So why are characters like Darwin, Wilt, and Marceline the Vampire Queen Black? Cause they are. It’s as simple as that.
Darwin Watterson from The Amazing World of Gumball
Black boy joy personified. Look at his happy dance
Garnet from Steven Universe
Garnet is a Gem, so she’s not human. But she looks like a Black woman. She’s got the ‘fro, the dark complexion, and a third eye to see through all the bullshit. She is the essence of Black girl magic – a strong leader, chill and collected, and reminds me of Solange.
Bismuth from Steven Universe
Despite lacking darker skin, she still assumes a similar identity as Garnet. Both being voiced by Black women certainly contributes to the Black coding. Her physical strength and genuine character are traits that she shares with her voice actress, Uzo Aduba.
Wilt from Fosters
First of all, he was created by a young Black boy with a name suspiciously close to a real life Black basketball legend. In the show, Jordan Michaels also grew up to reach the same level of fame as Michael Jordan. Wilt’s got mad basketball skills, but he also uses his height to help out his friends. Plus, he’s the voice of reason in the chaotic house that is Foster’s.
Killer Bee from Naruto
It’s only been recent that Black people are starting to be represented in anime. Usually, it is assumed that characters in anime are just Japanese. But Killer Bee is definitely Black. He listens to hip hop, and besides being a skilled shinobi and a jinchuuriki like Naruto, he’s a rapper. Plus, the dude has cornrows.
Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z
From what I’ve heard from my brother, Piccolo is Black because of his mannerisms. He’s aloof and has a tough demeanor. Guy gotta clean, bald, round head. And even though his skin color is green, Black people relate to him because he is a different color than all his peers in the Dragon Ball Z series. People even joke that he is Black because he is willing to take care of someone else’s kid (in this case Goku’s son, Gohan).
Cake from Adventure Time
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Cake. But in the few episodes we did get, it was clear that Cake had big Black auntie energy, and she was a much better role model and guardian for Fiona than Jake ever was for Finn.
Grim From Billy and Mandy
I don’t know who made the decision to make the Grim Reaper Jamaican, but I would personally like to thank them because it made the show stand out even more. Is it weird that he’s basically enslaved to two white children? Yeah… it definitely is. But Grim is a badass in his own right, and we love him for it.
Bubbie from Flapjack
She’s got this sass but in a Black mom, Black auntie kind of way. She’s a no nonsense kind of person and a caring friend to have for Flapjack and Captain K’nuckles.
Marceline the Vampire Queen from Adventure Time
Ok, hear me out. She’s the daughter of the Ruler of the Nightosphere and a Black human woman. Her complexion is basically the same as her father’s, but don’t let that fool you. Our favorite vampire queen is also a strong, independent, effortlessly cool, queer Black woman.
Tobias from Gumball
Tobias is Black but he almost didn’t make it on the list. He gives out a lot of light-skin energy. He’s kind of obnoxious, pretty egotistical, and overcompensates by trying to act cool. Also, he does that thing where he strikes the same pose for every picture (Black men, you know what that is).
Every animal in The Princess and the Frog
Let’s face it. The only reason 90% of the characters in this movie were animals is because of Disney’s dumb tendency to make BIPOC characters nonhuman for the majority of their films (e.g. Brother Bear, The Emperor’s New Groove). Don’t get it twisted, though; Louis could definitely give human trumpet players a run for their money.
The lions in The Lion King
I mean, they’re literally African royalty.
The hyenas in Lion King
They’re like when Black people are joking around in a group and someone says something funny, and they all start running away laughing.
The penguins in Happy Feet
They all sing and dance. At the same time. They have to be Black.
King Julian and the other lemurs
So, I was today years old when I learned that King Julien’s accent was based off of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Sri Lankan lawyer. But! I will still maintain that the reggae bops that Julien, Maurice, Mort & Co. were jamming to give them some Afro-Carribean roots.
Gossamer from The Looney Tunes Show
The regular Gossamer in Looney Tunes is just a scary monster; however, specifically in the Looney Tunes Reboot, the Looney Tunes Show, Gossamer is just like Darwin, who is voiced by the same actor. Kind, lovable, precious, and the essence of Black boy joy. And when he sings, I’m filled with happiness. Check it out!
Chase Finney ’22 & Kelsey Tamakloe ’22
