10 Best Villains From ‘The Powerpuff Girls,’ Ranked

Created by Craig McCracken and released in 1998, The Powerpuff Girls was one of Cartoon Network's original series, also known as a "Cartoon Cartoon". It followed a trio of young girls named Blossom (Cathy Cavadini), Bubbles (Tara Strong), and Buttercup (E. G. Daily), who used incredible superpowers to defend the city of Townsville from near-constant threats. Thanks to its simple but stylistic art style, impeccable voice acting, and homage to superhero stories, the show became one of the most popular Cartoon Cartoons. It even got a reboot in 2014 with a very mixed reception.

They say that a hero is only as good as their villains, and fortunately, The Powerpuff Girls has a fantastic roster of baddies. McCracken and his team drew from multiple sources across popular culture, ensuring each villain would be unique and distinct. Decades after the show concluded, fans still look back at the best of these villains with fond memories thanks to their voice talents, creative designs, and how much they challenged the girls.

10 The Boogie Man

Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson

Beneath all the beds in Townsville dwell the Nightmare Monsters and their leader, the Boogie Man (Kevin Michael Richardson). He concocts a diabolical plan to cut power to Townsville before launching a massive disco ball into the sky to eclipse the sun. This way, he and his creatures of darkness can turn the city into his personal disco club.

The Powerpuff Girls are no stranger to fighting monsters, but the Boogie Man stands out not because of his size or his powers, but by his charisma. The Boogie Man has a laid-back and chill personality, born from confidence in his plans, and peppered with plenty of funky 1970s slang. A lot of this charisma also comes from Richardson, whose enthusiasm goes a long way to elevate what would otherwise be a one-and-done villain.

9 Mr. Mime

Voiced by Tom Kenny

While performing at the birthday party for a young boy named Jim, Rainbow the Clown (Tom Kenny), sings his way onto the road and is covered in a truck's worth of bleach. This drains all the color from his body and transforms him into the silent antagonist, Mr. Mime. He then begins a reign of terror as he drains Townsville of all its color and sound.

Mr. Mime stands as the pinnacle of the show's one-off antagonists. In contrast to his sing-song and silly personality as Rainbow, Mr. Mime feels almost like a force of nature that drains all color and joy from the world rather than spreads it. Fittingly, he is defeated in the end through music, which serves as a decent representation of how art, in its many forms, can help battle against the gray thoughts that threaten to overwhelm us.

8 Sedusa

Voiced by Jennifer Hale

The Femme Fatale is one of the most iconic character archetypes, so it's no surprise that The Powerpuff Girls had their own. Called Sedusa (Jennifer Hale), she is a master of disguise who uses her feminine charm to woo men into doing what she wants. In battle, Sedusa can form her hair into prehensile tentacles, which she can use to deadly efficiency so long as her hair doesn't get wet.

Sedusa only appeared in a handful of episodes because the writers had a hard time coming up with ideas for her, but each appearance was memorable. This is thanks in large part to Hale's performance. Hale goes full ham with the character, especially when Sedusa gloats over the girls when she gets the upper hand, or screams like a banshee when defeated. Her design is also rather striking thanks to her pale skin contrasting with her bright red costume, and how seamlessly she blends her mythological and film noir inspirations.

7 The Gangreen Gang

Voiced by Jeff Bennett & Tom Kenny

Living in Townsville's city dump is a group of teenage delinquents called the Gangreen Gang. Made up of Ace (Jeff Bennett), Snake (Tom Kenny), Lil' Arturo (Tom Kenny), Grubber (Jeff Bennett), and Big Billy (Jeff Bennett), they mostly spend their time performing petty vandalism and terrorizing the elderly. The girls usually find the gang a nuisance, but occasionally they cross the line into legitimate threats.

The Gangreen Gang's position as smaller-scale villains helps ground the girls' escapades and reminds audiences of real-life criminals. Several episodes showcase that the gang aren't entirely irredeemable villains, just lost teens trying to make their way through life. The camaraderie between the gang is also pretty good thanks to their diverse personalities, and Ace, in particular, stands as one of Bennett's best roles.

6 The Amoeba Boys

Voiced by Chuck McCann

It's not commonplace to see someone aspire to be a villain, but that is the case for the unicellular trio of Bossman, Slim, and Junior, known as the Amoeba Boys (Chuck McCann). Styling themselves on 1920s gangster culture, the Amoeba Boys spend their time trying to pull off crimes so big that they'll have to be recognized as villains. Unfortunately for them, the best ideas they can come up with involve stealing a single orange, jaywalking, and littering, among other harmless acts.

The Amoeba Boys never fail to put a smile on your face thanks to their silly plans and commitment to being bad. They're the kind of villain you almost want to root for, if only because their ineptitude is endearing. Once in a while, the boys do become a threat to Townsville when they take advantage of the fact that they are amoebas, but their infamy fades just as quickly as it appears, and thus the cycle continues.

5 Princess Morebucks

Voiced by Jennifer Hale

If you ever wondered what the supervillain equivalent of Little Orphan Annie would be, it's Princess Morebucks (Jennifer Hale). As the daughter of the richest man in Townsville, Princess is used to getting anything she wants whenever she wants it. That is until she learns that money can't buy her way into joining the Powerpuff Girls, so she vows to destroy them.

Princess is an interesting villain because she's around the same age as the girls and thus demonstrates how a difference in parenting styles can result in different behaviors. She has absolutely no self-discipline and feels entitled to everything, leading to her spending large portions of her father's wealth on gadgets to use in her revenge schemes, only for her plans to backfire, usually because of her own selfish actions. Once again, Hale gives a phenomenal performance that makes you hate the character even more when she goes into a high-pitched tantrum.

4 Fuzzy Lumpkins

Voiced by Jim Cummings

In the forests on the outskirts of Townsville lives a pink-furred monster named Fuzzy Lumpkins (Jim Cummings). He doesn't like to socialize with others and spends most of his day firing his broomstick at anyone or anything that steps foot on his property. When a squirrel does so and then runs into Townsville, Fuzzy follows, and in his rage causes mass destruction.

Fuzzy is a simple character who spoofs Hillbilly culture, but his simplicity is what makes him so effective. His actions feel like those of a young child who doesn't know how to control their emotions, and Cumming's outstanding performance gives him this air of livability despite his selfish and destructive tendencies. Later episodes also have him forming small friendships with other villains, leading to hilarious team-ups.

3 The Rowdyruff Boys

Voiced by Rob Paulsen & Roger L. Jackson

Combining snips, snails, and a puppy dog's tail with prison toilet water, Mojo Jojo (Roger L. Jackson) created a trio of superpowered boys named Brick (Rob Paulsen), Boomer (Rob Paulsen), and Butch (Roger L. Jackson). Dubbing themselves the Rowdyruff Boys, they overpowered the Powerpuff Girls in physical combat but were destroyed by the weakness of every little boy– cooties. Later, the boys are resurrected by HIM (Tom Kane) with even more power and wackier haircuts.

The Rowdyruff Boys serve as the show's obligatory villains who mirror the hero's powers. They fill their role well enough, and since they are the physically stronger trio, the girls have to think of creative ways of bringing them down. Though they have the fewest appearances of any villain in the show, the Rowdyruff Boys remain well-loved by fans for their abrasive personalities and how they work off both the girls and their fellow supervillains.

2 HIM

Voiced by Tom Kane

While the Powerpuff Girls battle against giant monsters and supervillains, they are being observed by perhaps the most evil being in existence, the lord of darkness known only as HIM. He despises the girls for their dedication to heroics and spreading positivity, so he makes it his mission to destroy them. Rather than just wiping the girls out, HIM prefers to attack them indirectly, either through psychological torture or manipulation.

HIM is by far the Powerpuff Girls' most powerful enemy and has come the closest to defeating them and achieving his goal of mass misery and despair. His powers are terrifying as they tap directly into the girls' fears and insecurities, creating some of the show's most terrifying episodes. All of this is juxtaposed by his flamboyant design and high-pitched voice that only becomes monstrous when he's angry, which adds to the mystique surrounding HIM.

1 Mojo Jojo

Voiced by Roger L. Jackson

Originally the hyper-destructive lab assistant to Professor Utonium (Tom Kane), Jojo the chimpanzee pushed the professor during an experiment to create perfect little girls, causing him to accidentally add Chemical X to his mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice. The resulting explosion created the Powerpuff Girls and imbued Jojo with superintelligence, but the professor focused all his attention on his new daughters, so Jojo ran away. He eventually re-branded himself as a super villain named Mojo Jojo dedicated to taking over Townsville, but is always thwarted by the Powerpuff Girls.

Mojo Jojo isn't just the Powerpuff Girls' main villain, he's also one of the most recognizable villains in any Cartoon Network show. He perfectly represents classic megalomaniacs from the Silver Age of Comics, like Gorilla Grodd, creating elaborate doomsday weapons and reveling in monologues, only for his plans to be undone by some oversight in the plan or his arrogance resulting in self-sabotage. Jackson's voicework is the cherry on top, especially with how quickly he delivers his overly redundant and repetitive dialogue, which gives the chimpanzee mastermind so much character.

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