Best Black Characters Tier List Maker: A Juneteenth Cartoon, Anime & Video Game Special
Best Black Characters Tier List is a free interactive tier list maker on Tier List Maker. Drag and drop 62 images across 5 ranking tiers (S, A, B, C, D), customize everything, then download or share your ranking — no login and no watermark.
Features of this tier list maker:
- Drag & drop ranking — Drag any image from the pool into a tier and drag between tiers to re-rank; the × on an image inside a tier sends it back to the pool.
- Download Tier List — Save the finished tier list as a PNG image that matches the on-screen design exactly — free, no watermark.
- Share Tier List — Publish the ranking to its own share page with a link, emoji reactions, social buttons and comments.
- ✨ AI Generate from AI — Paste a tier list generated with ChatGPT or any AI assistant and it is built instantly, items pre-placed in their tiers.
- Embed — Copy an iframe snippet and embed the interactive tier list in any website or blog.
- Add images — Upload your own images from your device and rank them alongside the template images.
- Add text — design studio — Create text cards or draw custom items with pen, spray, shapes, emoji stamps, fill bucket, styled text and uploaded images; every object can be moved, resized and rotated.
- Add Tier & tier editing — Add, rename, recolor, reorder or delete tiers to build any ranking scale.
- Reset — Send every image back to the pool and start the ranking over.
- ⛔ Report — Send the site owner a suggestion for new images or changes to this template.
- Fullscreen — Pin the tool to the whole window for distraction-free ranking.
Tiers: S, A, B, C, D
The 62 images in this template: imageye___-_untitled-design-1, imageye___-_untitled-design-10, imageye___-_untitled-design-11, imageye___-_untitled-design-12, imageye___-_untitled-design-13, imageye___-_untitled-design-14, imageye___-_untitled-design-15, imageye___-_untitled-design-16, imageye___-_untitled-design-18, imageye___-_untitled-design-19, imageye___-_untitled-design-20, imageye___-_untitled-design-21, imageye___-_untitled-design-17, imageye___-_untitled-design-22, imageye___-_untitled-design-23, imageye___-_untitled-design-24, imageye___-_untitled-design-25, imageye___-_untitled-design-26, imageye___-_untitled-design-27, imageye___-_untitled-design-3, imageye___-_untitled-design-28, imageye___-_untitled-design-29, imageye___-_untitled-design-31, imageye___-_untitled-design-32, imageye___-_untitled-design-33, imageye___-_untitled-design-34, imageye___-_untitled-design-4, imageye___-_untitled-design-35, imageye___-_untitled-design-36, imageye___-_untitled-design-37, imageye___-_untitled-design-38, imageye___-_untitled-design-39, imageye___-_untitled-design-40, imageye___-_untitled-design-41, imageye___-_untitled-design-42, imageye___-_untitled-design-43, imageye___-_untitled-design-44, imageye___-_untitled-design-45, imageye___-_untitled-design-46, imageye___-_untitled-design-47, imageye___-_untitled-design-5, imageye___-_untitled-design-48, imageye___-_untitled-design-49, imageye___-_untitled-design-50, imageye___-_untitled-design-51, imageye___-_untitled-design-52, imageye___-_untitled-design-53, imageye___-_untitled-design-54, imageye___-_untitled-design-55, imageye___-_untitled-design-56, imageye___-_untitled-design-57, imageye___-_untitled-design-58, imageye___-_untitled-design-6, imageye___-_untitled-design-61, imageye___-_untitled-design-60, imageye___-_untitled-design-62, imageye___-_untitled-design-9, imageye___-_untitled-design-63, imageye___-_untitled-design-64, imageye___-_untitled-design-7, imageye___-_untitled-design-8, imageye___-_untitled-design-65
Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, culture, and Black excellence — and there’s no better way to mark it than by giving some love to the Black characters who’ve shaped cartoons, anime, and video games for decades. From icons who got their own movies to scene-stealing side characters who deserved way more screen time, this is the list where you finally get to rank them all.
Everyone’s got a top pick. Maybe it’s Static Shock, maybe it’s Killer Bee, maybe it’s Barret Wallace. The debate has been happening in comment sections for years — time to make it official.
This Best Black Characters tier list maker comes fully loaded — cartoon legends, anime standouts, and video game icons all pre-loaded with art ready to go. No searching for the right image, no uploading anything yourself. Just open the tool and start ranking.
Here’s how to build yours:
- Drag into tiers — pull each character into S, A, B, C, or D based on whatever you’re judging (impact, popularity, story depth, power).
- Arrange — reorder within tiers until your list actually reflects your real ranking.
- Download PNG — export it and share your version of the debate.
How to Rank a Best Black Characters Tier List
Ranking across three completely different mediums — cartoons, anime, and games — means you need criteria flexible enough to cover all of them fairly. Here’s a framework that works across the board:
| Metric | Weight | What to Look For |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural Impact & Representation | 30% | Did the character break ground, become iconic, or shift how Black characters get written and animated going forward? |
| Story Depth & Character Arc | 25% | Is there real development here, or are they a one-note side character who never got the spotlight? |
| Popularity & Fan Recognition | 20% | Merch, fan art, cosplay presence, and how often they come up in “best of” conversations |
| Power, Skill, or Plot Relevance | 15% | How central is the character to their show, anime, or game’s actual plot and stakes? |
| Voice Acting & Performance | 10% | Quality of the performance behind the character, including how memorable their delivery or design is |
Who’s Worth Debating This Juneteenth
Cartoon Icons
Static Shock remains one of the most influential Black superheroes in animation, headlining his own series and becoming a defining DC character for an entire generation of fans. Garnet from Steven Universe brings some of the most quietly powerful storytelling in modern cartoons, with her fusion identity doubling as one of animation’s most celebrated queer and Black representation moments. Numbuh 5 from Codename: Kids Next Door and Susie Carmichael from Rugrats are constants in any “underrated Black cartoon character” conversation, both known for sharp wit that often outshone the leads around them.
Anime Standouts
Killer Bee from Naruto Shippuden is a fan-favorite for a reason — his rap battles, his bond with his tailed beast, and his role in the Fourth Shinobi World War make him one of the most distinct characters in the entire series. Yasuke, the historical Black samurai who inspired the Netflix anime of the same name, has become a major talking point for blending real history with anime storytelling. Canary from Hunter x Hunter and Atsuko “Akko” Kagari’s classmate Sucy aside, the deeper conversation usually circles back to characters like Killer Bee and Yasuke for sheer screen presence and cultural weight.
Video Game Legends
Barret Wallace from Final Fantasy VII is one of gaming’s most enduring Black characters, anchoring AVALANCHE’s resistance storyline with both heart and firepower across the original game and the recent Remake trilogy. Lance from Pokémon and CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas both remain reference points in their respective franchises decades later — CJ in particular for headlining one of the best-selling games of all time. Aveline de Grandpré from Assassin’s Creed Liberation broke ground as one of the first Black female protagonists in a major AAA franchise.
Modern Wildcards
Miles Morales has redefined what a Spider-Man can look like for an entire generation, both in comics and across two record-setting animated films. Lupe Tan and other newer additions to long-running franchises continue to push studios toward writing fuller, less one-dimensional Black characters — proof that this list keeps growing every year, not shrinking.
If you’re into building out more themed rankings, check out the My Hero Academia Tier List for a deeper anime-specific debate, or the Best Animes Tier List if you want to rank entire shows instead of individual characters. Also checkout our Lilo And Stitch Tier List Maker.
Common Mistakes When Making This Tier List
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Only including the “obvious” picks | Dig past the top five names everyone mentions — deep-cut characters often have the most loyal fanbases for a reason |
| Mixing main characters and side characters with no separation | A scene-stealing side character and a franchise lead aren’t competing on the same terms — judge them on their actual role |
| Ranking by screen time alone | Some of the most impactful characters on this list had limited screen time but left a permanent mark — impact isn’t just runtime |
| Forgetting video games entirely | Cartoons and anime get most of the attention in these conversations, but gaming has produced just as many iconic Black characters |
| Treating this as just another meme tier list | This one’s tied to Juneteenth — keep the energy fun, but give these picks the respect the holiday is actually about |
Share Your Tier List
Once you’ve got your PNG, share it everywhere — X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit. Use hashtags like #Juneteenth, #BlackExcellence, #BestBlackCharacters, and #TierListMaker, and tag @TierListMaker for a shot at getting featured.
FAQ
How do I make a Best Black Characters tier list?
Use the tier list maker tool above — it’s pre-loaded with characters across cartoons, anime, and video games. Drag each one into S through D tier, rearrange until your ranking feels right, and download the finished PNG.
Why make a Best Black Characters tier list for Juneteenth?
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and informed enslaved people of their freedom, and it became a federal holiday in 2021 — celebrating Black characters and creators across pop culture is one way fans mark the day alongside community events and cultural programming. KPOP OFFICIAL
Who are some of the most iconic Black characters in animation?
Static Shock, Garnet from Steven Universe, and Miles Morales are consistently cited as some of the most influential Black characters in Western animation, each known for headlining major projects rather than staying in the background.
Are video game characters included in this tier list?
Yes — alongside cartoon and anime picks, the tool includes video game characters like Barret Wallace from Final Fantasy VII and CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, so you can build a ranking across all three mediums.
What’s the best way to celebrate Juneteenth through pop culture?
Beyond tier lists, many people mark the day by supporting Black-owned businesses and creators, watching media that centers Black stories, and learning more about the holiday’s history — this list is meant to be a fun addition to that, not a replacement for it.
Ready to start the debate? Scroll up and build your Best Black Characters tier list now.
