Have you ever imagined what your favorite hero would look like if he or she were a different gender? Well, you wouldn’t be alone. With the rise in fanart and fanfiction has come a pretty interesting phenomenon: genderbending. A lot of fans of TV shows, video games, movies, etc, like to imagine, design, and draw, their characters in the opposite gender.
It’s actually a pretty good exercise for artists. They already have a model to start with and it’s just a matter of changing around certain features of the characters, so it’s almost like drawing with training wheels. Plus, it gets them to study and understand female and male biology and anatomy, which is pretty crucial in drawing people. It’s great practice and it creates something unique while still having some familiarity with it.
I’ve seen some interesting fanart of gender-bent Disney characters, superheroes, and even famous villains. If the character has a gender, it’s likely been imagined as the opposite gender. I think it’s great, especially since it shows us that one’s gender doesn’t necessarily define their personality or skills. A brilliant scientist, a strong warrior, or a ruthless villain, could be either gender. It’s a unique way of looking at and reimagining characters.
So, what about cartoons? Yep, fans have gender-bent them too. In fact, I think a lot of your favorite characters from past and present cartoons have likely been portrayed as different genders. So here are some of your favorite cartoon characters that have been reimagined as girls.
22 Finn — Adventure Time
Finn is the main character of Adventure Time. He’s a great combination of a crazy boy having the time of his life and a surprisingly mature hero that understands what others are going through. Throughout his travels, Finn has met quite a few interesting people and has gotten into some crazy scenarios. But he’s tried to stay positive the whole time and was willing to help where he was needed.
So, many people have imagined what Finn would be like as a girl, so much that she has a name: Fionna. And I have to say that she’s pretty cute! I think it would be interesting to see the adventures of Fionna and Cake as they travel through the crazy Land of Ooo. I also don’t think she’d be much different from her male counterpart, other than maybe’s she’s not quite as reckless as Finn, but that’s my speculation.
21 Danny — Danny Phantom
Who doesn’t love our half-human half-ghost hero? Danny is a great character and has shown to be quite the hero. He’s loyal and protective, yet compassionate and understanding (to a point). He’s also a teenage boy who’s just trying to navigate normal life in a high school while also dealing with ghosts that are intent on making human lives miserable.
The fact that Danny does actually have a female clone of him in the series hasn’t stopped people from genderbending him. (Granted, Dani is much younger than him, so she’s more like a little sister.) And Danny looks pretty cool as a girl, especially when she’s going ghost. I’m also curious to see what problems she would have as a normal teenager and how she would deal with them.
20 Cyborg — Teen Titans
The Teen Titans are all very interesting characters and have had their own unique life experiences. Also, many people have gender bent all of the Teen Titans, which is pretty fun to see (male Starfire and male Raven look pretty good!). But the one that interested me the most was a female Cyborg.
I think Cyborg’s history and origin story is one of the more intriguing ones. He’s dealing with the fact that he can no longer live a normal life, and I think out of all of the Titans, he’s the one who misses that the most.
19 Zuko — Avatar
Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender can all agree that Zuko’s whole story arc is one of the best redemption stories, period. His journey is one that’s both relatable and interesting to watch since he goes from villain to anti-hero to hero. And it’s all paced pretty well.
So, what if Zuko was a girl? Would she be more like Azula? I don’t think so, since Azula had a more cold and calculating personality. Zuko was always more dramatic and reckless. If he were a girl, I don’t think much would change, other than maybe she would’ve kept her long hair at the end of Season 1. Then again, maybe not. It would be interesting to see the two sisters duel at the end and see how they bend differently.
18 Samurai Jack
We all love that famous stoic samurai who got blasted to a rather dark future where one demon reigns supreme. Samurai Jack has always been such an awesome character that took no crap from anybody. He was strong, fearless, but also calculating and wise. And he was willing to help those in need, even if it didn’t help him in his goals.
So, what if Jack was Jackie (or something like that)? Would Aku have taken her seriously? Would he have dismissed her, which could’ve been his downfall? Or would he have been twice as cautious in dealing with her? Would any of allies of Samurai Jack be just as willing to help Samurai Jackie? Either way, I think it would be fascinating to have the strong, awesome samurai be a girl. She would be so cool!
17 Steven— Steven Universe
The show Steven Universe kind of took the world by storm, and for quite a few good reasons. It was a cartoon that featured a predominately female cast (a rarity for an action fantasy cartoon), and it also had some good thoughts about relationships.
So, what if Steven was a girl? Well, she would be pretty adorable. Also, the idea of everyone being genderbent would be intriguing. It would be interesting to see the dynamic of four male gems raising a little girl, and what struggles and conflicts that would have. But I still like the fact that this cast has a lot of girls, so I’d love to keep it that way.
16 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
These mutant brothers certainly got quite the makeover. The thing I loved about TMNT was that even though the show itself and the scenarios were pretty bizarre, the four turtle brothers were actually pretty normal. Yes, they were mutants trained in Ninjutsu, but they were also four teenage brothers that knew exactly how to get on each other’s nerves. That’s what made me fall in love with the franchise anyway.
So, what if the brothers were sisters? Would much change? Probably not, to be honest. They would still fight and get on each other’s nerves, and their personalities likely wouldn’t be much different.
15 Ezra — Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars Rebels was a show that I didn’t expect to like as much as I did. The show took a risk in having quite a few all-new characters instead of bringing in familiar ones. But the risk paid off since the show has gotten quite popular. The main character, Ezra, proved to be a rather interesting Jedi, since he didn’t start training until he was fourteen, and he was essentially a street rat before he came across Kanaan. That gives him a pretty unique perspective on life and the Force.
So, what if Ezra was a girl? I think it would be really cool! Star Wars could always use more female Jedi, and it would be interesting to see a female Ezra navigating street life. I still think she would have major trust issues and would be a bit reckless.
14 Marco — Star VS The Forces Of Evil
Star vs the Forces of Evil did flip a few stereotypes on its head. For example, the female lead is actually the one going off and doing crazy reckless things, while the male lead is the one holding back and saying, “Wait, hang on.” Marco is a pretty fun character since he’s the relatively normal kid who got dragged into the craziness of Star’s world. He has a great balance of freaking out over the craziness and just rolling with it.
So, what if Marco was a lady? I don’t really think much would change. I definitely hope she would keep her martial arts skills. Though it would be kind of fun to see these two girls going off on crazy adventures and stopping evil. You go, girls!
13 Dipper — Gravity Falls
Gravity Falls has a lot of great things going for it, and one of those was its very real and complex characters. And Dipper is no exception. The paranoid conspiracy theorist is also a loving brother and a rather awkward, sweaty, twelve-year-old. The kid may know everything there is to know about gnomes and goblins, but he’s clueless when it comes to people, especially girls. But we still love him and all his dorky glory.
So, what if Dipper was a girl? Would she still be rather awkward around people? Would she still have a crush on the cool Wendy? (That would actually be rather interesting.) How would her bond with Ford or Grunkle Stan change? Would Stan still try to toughen her up? These are the important questions. Well, she’s quite the cutie.
12 Dexter — Dexter’s Lab
If you think about it, the premise behind Dexter’s Laboratory is a little strange. Here’s this genius kid that has a secret giant laboratory in his house where he does all kinds of interesting experiments. And the only person who knows about it is DeeDee, his sister. But it still makes for some pretty funny scenarios.
So, would anything change if Dexter was a girl? I could personally see her parents pushing her to be more girly, and female Dexter not really caring. Plus, we can all use more girl geniuses and female scientists in the cartoon world. It would be pretty fun to see just what female Dexter would be like and how she would interact with others. Also, her relationship with DeeDee could be interesting.
11 Magneto — X-Men
Magneto is a rather interesting villain, especially since he’s a pretty sympathetic villain. He’s one of those villains that you can really understand his motivations. His hatred of humans makes sense, and you can tell that he’s also just fighting for mutant rights. He just tends to get excessively violent about it, which is why he and Charles Xavier are often at odds with each other.
So, what if Magneto was a woman? Would anything change? Honestly, I don’t think so. I think she would still have this deep hatred of humans based on what happened to her, and she would still want to fight off humans. Female Magneto would probably be even less open to peace and negotiations than her male counterpart. I could see her holding a big grudge.
10 Invader Zim
Zim had only one objective, which was to take over Earth for the glory of his people. And he… wasn’t very good at it. Oh, he tried, and he almost succeeded multiple times, but things tended to go wrong. His crazy robot, Gir, likely didn’t help matters. But you had to admire Zim for his tenacity, and his attempts to understand Earth culture were pretty funny.
So, what if Zim was a girl? Well, based on the anatomy and biology of Zim’s people, I’m not sure if a girl Zim would actually look much different than a boy one. But some people like to portray her with long hair anyway and give her a more human, female body. Well, a female Zim would be pretty interesting.
9 Timmy — Fairly Odd Parents
You know, despite having fairy godparents, Timmy, the main character of Fairly Odd Parents, didn’t really have it all that easy. His parents were pretty neglectful, his babysitter was abusive, and his teacher had a rather creepy obsession with him. And even with his unlimited wishes, most of his wishes tended to backfire pretty spectacularly. This kid couldn’t really seem to catch a break.
But would things be different if Timmy was a girl? It’s hard to say. She might have had different wishes and dreams. Her dynamic with her fairy godparents would maybe be different too. But that’s hard to say. She would probably still make some crazy wishes that would still backfire. Well, whatever gender you are, best of luck to you, Timmy!
8 Ben 10
Most superheroes only have one alter-ego. But Ben Tennyson has ten. Imagine being able to turn into over ten different aliens in order to fight crime, both local and intergalactic. That’s what Ben does every day, thanks to a device called the Omnitrix. While he does have a bit of growing up to do when he comes across the Omnitrix, Ben does prove to be a capable hero and a pretty awesome character.
That means that a female Ben would also be pretty awesome as a hero. I actually really do like the fanart of this one since it captures Ben as a girl, but still retains most of her mischievous and snarky personality. You can tell that she would totally be up for causing trouble, but would also be willing to help you out of trouble.
7 Aku — Samurai Jack
To be honest, I’m not sure if all-powerful demons really even have a gender, but I think most people assume that Aku is a male, at least based on the voice. This guy is pretty intimidating as a villain. After all, he did succeed in taking over and ruling the world. And he’s very ruthless. The only real threat to this guy is Samurai Jack, which is why Aku is trying to stop him.
So what if Aku was a female demon? She would still be ruthless, but she also might be more devious as well. There actually is an episode where Aku takes the form of a woman to deceive Jack and it does work for a while.
6 Dr. Drakken — Kim Possible
Of all the villains in Kim Possible, Dr. Drakken is likely the most memorable, and the most consistent. You could say that he was her main nemesis. Considering all the times he’s gone up against her, you’d think he would’ve found a way to stop her from foiling his plans. He is essentially useless and generally lets Shego do all the fighting.
So, would things change if he was a she? Probably not, although the dynamic between a female Drakken and Shego would likely be different. I could imagine these two supervillainesses arguing and just being so sarcastic to each other while they worked on their latest plans. In fact, I would love to see that. Can we make that happen, Disney?
5 Jimmy Neutron
Jimmy Neutron is that kind of friend to have if you wanted to go on some of the most insane adventures. Thanks to his inventions, his friends are likely never bored. He is a little odd, but his love of technology and inventions is pretty endearing, and his rivalry with Cindy is sweet and hilarious. Though he does have some pretty weird friends.
And I think a female Jimmy (also known as Jamie) would be totally awesome! Physically, I wouldn’t see too much difference between the two, since Jimmy is a young kid. Jamie would probably keep the crazy hairstyle, knowing her. Keep on inventing, Jamie!
4 Obi-Wan — Star Wars: Clone Wars
I actually adore Obi-Wan in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He’s not only an awesome fighter, but he’s incredibly sarcastic and trades quips with both allies and enemies. There’s also the fact that he often flirts with Ventress when he’s fighting her, which is always fun to watch. In general, Obi-Wan is a very entertaining character, who’s also incredibly honorable and brave.
So, a female Obi-Wan would probably be just as snarky and sassy. And I love the fanart for this genderbend. It would be pretty cool to have Obi-Wan be a girl, as long as her personality stayed sassy. She wouldn’t be Obi-Wan without her sarcasm.
3 Dr. Doofenshmirtz — Phineas and Ferb
This is a bit of a strange one. Well, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, in general, is a pretty strange person. He’s petty, tends to hold massive grudges, is obsessive, and has big plans to take over the Tri-State Area (I guess he’s starting small). But he’s a pretty funny guy, and he has some amazing one-liners in the show that will leave you laughing.
It’s a little hard to imagine this guy as a woman, but there have been artists that have done it, and I have to say, she doesn’t look too bad. I could see female Doofenshmirtz getting up to her usual shenanigans, building crazy machines that tended to backfire on her, and fighting it out with her nemesis. It’s an interesting idea, and I could see there being an episode about this.
