Most Recognizable Fictional Characters
Mario, originally named Jumpman, is the main character of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, created by the creative director and video game designer at Nintendo of Japan, Shigeru Miyamoto. Mario has appeared in almost every Mario game, including games in spin-off series as a playable character, with... read more Honestly, he is huge in both the East and West. He is literally the face of Japan. I don't think any character has transcended through various industries and barriers like Mario. Aside from Pokémon, Mario is the highest-grossing media franchise out there.
He's the original video game franchise. Definitely top 10 status, as he's the most recognizable brand face for Nintendo, one of the most recognized gaming brands in the world. Pikachu is right there with Mario, perhaps even beats him out. However, Pikachu sort of transcends Pokémon and Nintendo, while Mario and Nintendo go hand in hand.
Mickey Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character and the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company. He was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Studios in 1928. The first cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse was the iconic "Steamboat Willie" released in the year 1928. How is Mario #1? 99% plus 1 of the universe knows who Mickey Mouse is, or at least has heard his name! You should know who Mickey is by the time you are 30 months old! He's the definition of childhood! Not to mention, he's inescapable at Walt Disney World. He's at the beginning of every Disney film!
Mickey Mouse is the MOST recognizable face. Even the STARS know who he is! M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E! (That's him!)
There are third-world countries that know about Mickey Mouse due to the sheer amount of licensing the character has received. Even if you've never seen any of his films, Mickey's iconic outline is unavoidable! Mario has countries where his face has never appeared, at least not to the extent or saturation that Mickey's has.
Batman aka Bruce Wayne is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and first appeared in Detective Comics #27. In film, he has been portrayed by Lewis Wilson, Robert Lowery, Adam West, Michael... read more Similar to Superman, Batman is an original. He's not as strong a symbol of justice, but he's similarly inspired many fictional spinoff characters.
The best there ever was.
The best there ever is.
The best there ever will be.
Really, Batman at 14? Everyone knows who Batman is, and he is more popular than Superman.
Darth Vader is a Star Wars character and the main antagonist of the first three original Star Wars films and the main protagonist of the Star Wars prequel trilogy under his original name Anakin Skywalker. He had been trained as a Jedi but defected to the Sith lord and Galactic Chancellor Palpatine... read more Long-standing franchise. Most iconic villain of all time. Star Wars at the worldwide box office consistently hits top 10 status regardless of era.
More people can recognize Darth Vader than any Dragon Ball Z or My Little Pony character. Star Wars is older than both shows and is a classic.
Star Wars is a worldwide phenomenon. And Vader is the face of it. Easily recognizable and very iconic.
Pac-Man is the protagonist fictional character of the franchise of the same name by Namco, who was first introduced in the Japanese arcade game Pac-Man on May 22, 1980 in Japan, later released in the United States in October the same year.
Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ) are a species of Pokémon, fictional creatures that appear in an assortment of video games, animated television shows and movies, trading card games, and comic books licensed by The Pokémon Company, a Japanese corporation. A mascot of the Pokemon franchise, it's... read more The face of Pokémon, the most successful media franchise of all time. Show anyone a picture of this guy, they know exactly who he is.
Another pioneer of anime and the star of the highest-grossing media franchise, Pokémon. Also, the most recognizable face of the hit 2016 game Pokémon GO.
There is not a single person who doesn't know who this is, even if they don't know where he's from.
Sonic the Hedgehog, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is the title character and protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series released by SEGA, as well as numerous spin-off comics, five animated shows, and an animated OVA. The second most recognizable video game face after Mario. This is easy.
Sonic is more recognizable to people than Mickey Mouse.
Just the word Sonic brings this to anyone's mind.
Son Goku (Kakarrot) is the main protagonist in Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. He has many abilities like, super strength, utilization of ki, flight, teleportation, super speed, enhanced reflexes, and Super Saiyan transformation that increase strength, speed, and durability... read more The fact that he is on this list as the sole anime character, considering Final Fantasy characters and Pikachu started as video game characters, speaks volumes. He is one of the few, if not the only one, people will argue could beat Superman. The Western audience embraces him more than a lot of our own Western-born characters.
He is the Mario of anime. What else can I say? Wait, I have an endless list of reasons why he's so great.
I've always looked up to Goku. He is beyond legendary. Instantly recognizable for me.
Luigi, originally a palette swap of Mario named Green Mario, is a major character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger, taller fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's unofficial mascot... read more The player two plumber isn't too far removed from his big bro. Since they appear together so often, not seeing him in the top ten would be super weird.
I think Luigi should be number 5 or 3 because he has starred in almost every Mario game and has even had his own games.
Superman is a comic character. And probably the first powerful superhero in the fictional world. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, high school students living in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1933. It was published by DC comics. The first animated superhero movie was superman... read more He's Superman, quite possibly the most copied superhero of all time. I grew up watching him, and so did my dad. Hard to beat that.
He's simply incredibly well-known. He's been around for the longest time and has appeared in plenty of crossover events with other comic/anime universes. He's the original. Whether very old or very young, he has likely played a part in most everyone's childhood, regardless of whether they 'like' him or not.
The grandfather of them all, basically. If he never existed, everyone else would've been nothing. He has the most recognizable name, symbol, and theme. He should totally be the number 1 most recognizable.
Harry James Potter is the title character of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter, who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. Seriously, Anna, Toadette, Green Lantern, and Goku aren't outplacing Harry Potter here. Think "Wizard" for a moment.
Princess Anna of Arendelle is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 53rd animated film Frozen.
Toadette is a character in the Mario series. She is a female Toad who first appeared in the Nintendo GameCube video game Mario Kart: Double Dash.
Green Lantern is the name of a number of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
It (sometimes capitalized as IT), more commonly known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the titular main antagonist of the novel, its 2017 film adaptation and the 1990 TV adaptation. It was portrayed to be a shapeshifting and malevolent entity millions (possibly billions) of years old, and with no... read more
Spider-Man is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics existing in its shared universe. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) in the... read more I think it's very close between Spider-Man and Iron Man at this point, considering the Avengers movies. However, Iron Man historically was a B-level hero in popularity until the MCU franchise.
Spider-Man has endured far longer and was the far more popular franchise prior to the MCU. His popularity is far more sustainable as well. While Iron Man is largely tied to the profound acting chops of Robert Downey Jr., many have worn the Spider-Man mask and made it their own.
The new MCU also seems to have Spider-Man at the forefront of its core, and his popularity will only continue to ascend or maintain, while Iron Man's is likely to descend. Old or young, Spider-Man is going to be the more recognizable character, in my opinion.
Deadpool is a fictional antihero created by Marvel who appears in their comics. Deadpool's first appearance was in New Mutants #98 by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza in February of 1991. His powers include self-healing and super strength. He is regarded as one of the funniest characters in comics due... read more
Rainbow Dash is a female Pegasus pony from the 2010 kids' show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She represents the element of loyalty and is one of the six main characters on the show... read more
Queen Elsa of Arendelle is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 53rd animated film Frozen.
Homer Jay Simpson is the main protagonist of the American animated television series The Simpsons as the patriarch of the eponymous family. A big, dumb, balding North American ape with no chin and a short temper.
Princess Peach is a major character in the Mario Bros. Franchise. She is the lead female of the The Mario franchise. She is usually the character who needs saved in most Mario Games, but also has appeared as a playable character in the Main-Series Mario Games, including Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario... read more
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. In the original film trilogy, Han and his co-pilot, Chewbacca, become involved in the Rebel Alliance which opposes the Galactic Empire. He is primarily portrayed by Harrison Ford. Han Solo served as the focus of the 2018 film Solo: A Star... read more