Adventure Time is one of the best cartoons that were aired on Cartoon Network. The reason why it is as popular as it is can be attributed to its elements of fantasy, which adults and kids alike love. You will also love the artistic creativity that comes with Adventure Time. Of course, Adventure Time is home to some of the best characters you can find.
In that regard, there are plenty of characters that are easily lovable when it comes to Adventure Time. Some of us may have our own favorites, and that is something that is easily expected. However, regardless of any of our personal biases, we have ranked the best Adventure Time characters the show has to offer.
The Best Adventure Time Characters Ranked
Some people love Adventure Time because of its story, elements of fantasy, and wonderful art. However, arguably the best thing about Adventure Time is the fact that it has a lot of different unique characters. So, in that regard, let us look at some of the best Adventure Time characters and how we ranked them.
1. Gunter
There are plenty of different interesting main and side characters in the world of Ooo, which is the fictional land in which Adventure Time takes place. However, the most surprising thing about this list is that we ranked a minor character as the best character in the entire Adventure Time series. But we promise you that this will make sense.
We are first introduced to Gunter as one of the penguin minions working for the Ice King. Throughout the early stages of the series, he was merely a minion that barely did anything and never spoke. However, it was clear that he was probably the Ice King’s favorite and was often the first penguin he blamed whenever something wrong happened
When Marceline’s father visited and met Gunter, he said that the penguin was the evilest thing he had ever seen. At first, we thought that it was a joke or a running gag. But the truth is that Gunter is actually an evil cosmic being that was sent to Ooo after it was defeated by the hero Grob Gob Glob Grod. But because of the planet’s gravity, he was forced to assume the form of a cute penguin that we all love because of how seemingly unassuming he is throughout the entire series.
2. Jake the Dog
After ranking a minor character as the best character in all of Adventure Time, there is no way we will give the next few spots to minor characters again. This is why we are giving the second spot to Jake the Dog, who is the second lead character of the entire series. And while he may not be the primary main character, there are a lot of things to love about Jake.
Jake the Dog is Finn’s adoptive brother and his companion in all of the adventures he takes on. He is also one of the most endearing characters in the series because of his cool attitude and his positive outlook on life. You almost never see Jake losing his cool throughout the entire series. Of course, Jake’s abilities also put him above some of the other characters on this list.
Even though Jake the Dog belongs to an ordinary family of talking dogs, he is a magical being in the sense that he has the ability to stretch his body and change his size whenever he wants. Think of Mr. Fantastic in the form of a dog. And because of Jake’s ability to change his size, he has proven himself a capable companion to Finn the Human.
3. Marceline the Vampire
Of course, it is no secret that the land of Ooo is home to a lot of different mystical and magical creatures. That is why there are vampires that walk the planet normally. And the best and most powerful vampire in the land of Ooo is Marceline the Vampire, who is also the queen of all of the vampires and is the daughter of one of the most powerful creatures in the entire series.
Marceline was originally introduced as a sort of frenemy to the duo of Finn and Jake because she took their treehouse and kicked the heroes in the process of doing so. However, the duo eventually became friends with Marceline, who has proven herself to be nicer than you would think. And because she became very close to Finn and Jake, this allowed them to have a purely non-romantic relationship.
Speaking of relationships, the reason why Marceline is ranked as high as she does is due to the fact that she breaks a lot of different boundaries. She may be a vampire, but she is a lot nicer than the other characters in the series. On top of that, she is also someone who breaks gender stereotypes after dating Princess Bubblegum at the end of the series.
4. BMO
BMO is one of the most beloved secondary characters in the entire series. While he may not be a sentient being, as far as the meaning of the word is concerned, he is the third character living in the treehouse along with Finn and Jake. However, while Finn and Jake do indeed treat BMO as a friend, he is actually their TV and video game system.
The reason why BMO is one of the most beloved characters in the series is his fun-loving nature. He is almost always in a joyful mood. That might be part of his programming, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he always brings a sunny disposition whenever he is around Finn and Jake.
Even though BMO doesn’t go on adventures with Finn and Jake and is almost always in the treehouse, he plays an important role in the series because of how useful he usually is whenever Finn and Jake need him. And the best part is that, at the end of the series, BMO becomes the King of Ooo, something that the nicest person in the land rightfully deserves.
5. Finn the Human
Of course, we can never forget about the main character of the series. Finn the Human is the primary character of Adventure Time and is the adoptive brother of Jake the Dog. Jake’s parents took him in as an orphaned baby, as it was seemingly rare for anyone to find a human in the land of Ooo, which is believed to be the Earth that was changed due to a nuclear war that wiped the human race a thousand years ago.
As such, throughout the series, Finn was believed to be the last human on the planet until they discovered a colony of humans much later. And even though Finn is merely human and doesn’t have any special powers whatsoever, he is undoubtedly the hero of Ooo and is almost always the first person that people counted on whenever they needed help,
The great thing about Finn is that, as heroic as he may be, he did undergo a huge character transformation as the series went on. He began to learn that not everything can be solved by using a sword. On top of that, he eventually learned how to control his feelings better, especially with the lessons he learned from his failed relationships with Princess Bubblegum and Flame Princess.
6. Lumpy Space Princess
Lumpy Space Princess, who Finn the Human often calls LSP, is one of the most lovable princesses in all of Ooo because of her sassy personality. She doesn’t have a lovable personality, per se, but what makes her lovable is the fact that she brings a lot of humor to her sassy and spoiled attitude. On top of that, the voice acting for LSP is simply superb.
Arguably the second-most popular princess behind Princess Bubblegum, LSP is a self-centered and attention-seeking princess with a rude personality. That would normally warrant her a low spot on anyone’s list of favorite Adventure Time characters. But the fact that she is spoiled and self-centered beyond logic is what makes her so entertaining.
Despite her self-centered personality, LSP has a good side as well because she wouldn’t mind helping her friends out whenever they are in need. Of course, we love LSP for her sass and amazing voice acting, but being a nice person underneath makes her a complete character that anyone will root for.
7. Flame Princess
Adventure Time is a show that is full of different princesses ruling different kingdoms. The Flame Kingdom is most often viewed as one of the evilest kingdoms in all of Ooo, as it is ruled by an evil king who thrives on doing evil things. Of course, this king has a daughter named Flame Princess, who eventually takes over his throne.
Flame Princess was first introduced as a possible love interest for Finn and is the second princess that the main character actually falls for. While Flame Princess isn’t evil, she does have occasional slip-ups due to her fiery nature and her temper. Still, she is a sweet person who is more than capable of being kindhearted, especially after Finn helped her change her ways.
However, throughout the series, Flame Princess clashed with Princess Bubblegum. While Finn originally thought that this was a rivalry brought about by their “feelings” for him, the truth is that Princess Bubblegum was only looking out for the human because she never really believed that Flame Princess was nice. Then again, Flame Princess consistently proves throughout the series that she is a good person.
8. Princess Bubblegum
If there was a princess that perfectly embodies what it means to be a princess in the land of Ooo, then that is Princess Bubblegum. Even all of the other princesses look up to her because of her amazing personality and great leadership skills. She is beautiful, charismatic, and smart. And she is also a certified genius that is known for inventing a lot of different things that help the candy people.
Being as smart and as beautiful as she is made Princess Bubblegum the first person that Finn falls for in the series. While PB, as Finn would like to call her, remained close with Finn all throughout Adventure Time, it became apparent that all she could be to Finn was a friend. Still, she remains one of the main characters that often help Finn and Jake throughout their adventures.
Princess Bubblegum is also someone who broke gender stereotypes. Originally, she and Marceline never got along. However, they eventually became best friends. And, to the surprise of many, the princess of Candy Kingdom and the Vampire Queen eventually started dating and were seen as a couple at the end of the series.
9. The Lich
The Lich is someone you would call the “final boss” of the entire Adventure Time series, even though he technically isn’t the final boss. Still, he is one of the biggest and baddest antagonists throughout the entire series, as he is the living embodiment of everything negative in the world.
Born from a catalyst comet that was made of pure evil, The Lich is one of the most powerful characters in the entire series. You can even say that he is top three in terms of how powerful he is. After all, he is the living embodiment of evil, as he seeks to destroy and kill everything in the world.
That said, the thing about The Lich is that he lives for death and destruction. There is no logic, reason, or backstory behind what he does throughout the entire series. In many ways, he simply is just a jerk that wants to do the evilest things possible. That is why we rank him as one of the top characters in the series, as far as antagonists are concerned.
10. Ice King
Speaking of antagonists, the most recurring antagonist throughout the entire series is Ice King, who wasn’t an antagonist for a very long time and is one of the most complicated characters in the entire series. And the thing about him is that he started off as a simple character, but he eventually became quite complex.
Ice King started as a villain who simply wanted to kidnap princesses all over Ooo because he wanted a bride for himself. This put him in constant clashes with Finn and Jake, who were always more than willing to stop him from doing crazy stuff just to get married. However, we eventually learn that Ice King was actually more than just your run-of-the-mill villain.
In truth, Ice King used to be a human scientist named Simon, who discovered a crown that granted him ice powers. However, the crown made him forget who he was, and that is why he became Ice King. We are often shown flashbacks of his past as we get to know Simon better. And, near the end, he was freed from the curse of the crown by a past love.
11. Peppermint Butler
Peppermint Butler is one of the minor characters that we often see in the entire Adventure Time series. That is because he works as Princess Bubblegum’s personal aide. So, whenever PB is around, Peppermint Butler is almost always by her side. However, while he started off as a simple butler, we got to know more about Peppermint Butler as the show went on.
At first, Peppermint Butler seemed like an unassuming butler with no secrets whatsoever. But he eventually revealed a darker side to his character because of his ability to perform dark magic, which was in contrast to the scientific approach that Princess Bubblegum often took whenever they wanted to solve problems.
Regardless of the fact that he can perform dark magic, Peppermint Butler always remained a humble and loyal servant to his mistress. He is simply a calm, timid, and goodhearted member of the Candy Kingdom. Think of him a someone who could have been evil but actually chose to be a good person instead.
12. Prismo
If you would come up with a list of the most powerful characters in the entire Adventure Time series, then Prismo should be right up there somewhere in the top five because of how he is indeed one of the most powerful beings in the entire land of Ooo. And that is because he is the wish master that is capable of granting almost any kind of wish.
Even though Prismo is a powerful being, he is actually just the manifestation of an old man asleep. In a way, he is the “dream” of the old man and will die if that old man dies. That happened when that old man woke up and was killed. However, because Prismo is a being that transcends time, he was able to guide Jake on how to bring him back even though he was already “dead”.
Speaking of Jake, Prismo was actually one of the many characters that were able to develop a close bond with the dog. And the fact that he and Jake are really close is what makes him a lovable character. He may not play a huge role in the series, but his amazing friendship with one of the best characters in the show puts him on this list.
13. Tree Trunks
At first, you wouldn’t think that Tree Trunks is an amazing character because she seems to be too simple for someone to actually like. Sure, she is likable in the conventional aspect because she seems to be an innocent and sweet old lady. However, the fact that she is actually more than that is what makes her one of the best characters in the story.
In truth, Tree Trunks is actually quite manipulative to the point that she would take advantage of anyone who sees her as a simple and innocent old lady. She knows for a fact that people won’t perceive her as a threat due to her innocent aura, but she isn’t afraid of manipulating people to get what she wants. And she almost always gets away with it because no one will ever suspect her of anything.
The fact that Tree Trunks is actually a manipulative lady hiding under the guise of a sweet and innocent granny is what makes her one of the best and most complex characters in Adventure Time. She was able to make a vanilla character into one that people would want to get to know more of because of her seemingly complex nature.
14. Lemongrab
The Earl of Lemongrab is another one of the complex characters introduced to use throughout Adventure Time. He is actually an artificial being brought to life by the scientific genius of Princess Bubblegum. However, because of Lemongrab’s sour disposition (pun intended), Princess Bubblegum eventually regrets having done what she did.
In that sense, Lemongrab’s storyline is actually quite weird because of how he is actually an artificial being. However, for some reason, people love him. It could be due to the fact that he is a misunderstood person who people most often take for someone with a bad personality. He does indeed have a sour disposition in life, but he is more than that.
Lemongrab is actually one of the most outspoken characters in the story, and that is because he was never afraid of what people would think of him. This makes him one of the most memorable and likable characters in the entire Adventure Time series.
15. Death
Whenever a movie or a show portrays Death, he is often seen as an evil creature hellbent on killing everything in the world because that is what he is. However, Adventure Time takes a different route when introducing Death’s character because he is actually just a simple person tasked to carry people off to the afterlife.
In Adventure Time, Death is a powerful being that is capable of some of the most amazing feats. However, he isn’t responsible for killing anyone because his job is to simply carry people to the afterlife. And while he doesn’t show it, he is the master of death itself because he has the ultimate power over almost everything in the land of Ooo to the point that immortal beings are afraid of him.
As powerful as Death is, he is actually a gardener whenever he isn’t doing his job as the man who carries people off to the afterlife. And even though he might be one of the most powerful beings in existence, even Death fears the Lich, who is perhaps more powerful than Death himself.
16. Hunson Abadeer
Speaking of powerful entities, Hunson Abadeer is also one of the most powerful characters in the entire Adventure Time series, as he is the Lord of the Nightosphere, which is arguably the darkest place in all of Ooo. Think of him as the god of the underworld or something similar to that. And he is so powerful that Finn could not do anything against him.
Hunson Abadeer is not only the Lord of the Nightosphere but is also Marceline the Vampire’s father. He actually wanted Marceline to take over his job as the rule of the Nightosphere, but the Vampire Queen doesn’t want to do anything with the family business. This led to a confrontation between Hunson Abadeer and the duo of Finn and Jake, who wanted to save Marceline from her father.
On top of how powerful Hunson Abadeer is, he is also deathless, which is a level that is above immortality. He sucks souls and can simply regenerate whenever he wants. And speaking of sucking souls, he was one of the first to point out Gunter’s “secret” when he revealed that the penguin had the evilest soul he had ever encountered in his life.
17. Lady Rainicorn
Lady Rainicorn is one of the most unique and weirdest characters in the entire Adventure Time series. In a show where people mostly speak English and follow western cultures and traditions, Lady Rainicorn speaks the Korean language, which some of the other characters can understand quite fluently as well.
There is no reason why Rainicorn and her family are Korean, but it is believed that it was simply a creative choice on the part of the show’s creators, who also chose a Korean as the character’s voice actress.
As her name suggests, Lady Rainicorn is a combination of a unicorn and a rainbow. She is one of the most important secondary characters on the show and is one of Princess Bubblegum’s best friends. On top of that, Rainicorn is also Jakes’ girlfriend throughout the show, as the two eventually settled down and had some of the weirdest babies in the show.
The reason why Lady Rainicorn is one of the best characters on the show is her seemingly sunny and nice disposition, as she rarely gets angry or shows any negative emotions. On top of that, she is capable of doing many things, such as flying or phasing through matter.
18. Magic Man
Magic Man is one of the most complex characters in the entire Adventure Time series because no one knows exactly what he wants to do and why he wants to do the things he does. At first, he seems to be a man who just wants to spread chaos all over Ooo, but his backstory eventually reveals more about him and how he became who he is.
Before he became who he is, Magic Man was a brilliant magician and scientist living on Mars hundreds of years prior to the events of the series. However, a magical accident turned him into a nihilistic man who has seemingly lost his mind and is more concerned about spreading chaos. As such, his brother and the king of Mars, Grob Gob Glob Grod, banished him to Earth.
While Magic Man may be a jerk, he is the type of jerk that you would love to hate because of how he spreads chaos at the right time to the point that it can become quite hilarious. He may be one of the most disturbing creations in the entire Adventure Time series, but he is certainly one of the best characters the show has to offer.
19. Cinnamon Bun
Originally, a minor character like Cinnamon Bun seems interesting because he acts like one of the most useless characters in the entire show. Even Princess Bubblegum describes him as a half-baked character. And she does make a point because he is usually clumsy, dim-witted, and very childish. You might be wondering why he belongs on this list.
However, as you get to learn more about him, Cinnamon Bun becomes one of the bravest and most intelligent characters on the show, especially when he becomes fully baked. This allowed him to show his mettle as a character with substance and value. But while he may have undergone a character change, he still remains as funny and humorous as ever, despite how unintentional his approach to humor may be.
20. Susan Strong
In a land full of mystical beings you have never heard of before, there is Susan Strong, who is the leader of the Hyooman Tribe, who Finn initially believed to be human just like him. But the truth is that the Hyooman Tribe are actually fish people with their gills covered. That is why they may seem to be human, but they actually aren’t.
Then there is Susan Strong, who is the exception to those people. Susan is a hulking human that looks like Finn but is much more muscular. On top of that, she is different from Finn in the sense that she knows nothing about the ways of Ooo. As such, she became friends with Finn and Jake, who teach her the English language and the many customs that the people of Ooo follow.
Still, Susan Strong ended up attacking the Candy Kingdom together with the other Hyoomans. When she removed her headwear after the attack, it was revealed that she didn’t have gills, and that made people theorize that she was actually a real human. Later in the series, it was indeed revealed that she is human but is some sort of a cyborg because of her cybernetic implant.