Big Goods in Western Animation. Main and/or supporting heroes will become the major forces of good at some point of the plot/story, so beware of spoilers ahead.
The following have their own pages:
Other
- Billy from Adventure Time was this until his death. Afterwards Princess Bubblegum fills this role, being the most resourceful and influential of the heroes who the others rally around.
- Arcane: Vander is this for Vi and Powder's childhood, as their father figure and the unofficial leader of the Undercity. Most of the other residents of the underground defer to him, and part of why Grayson refuses to arrest him is because his presence keeps some semblance of order there.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- In Avatar: The Last Airbender:
- Avatar Aang, along with any Avatar, has this as their job description, since their duty is to maintain peace and balance in the world.
- Iroh is the wisest hero, and the leader of the Order of the White Lotus. He retires at the end of the series, leaving the role to Zuko, who shares the position with Aang after being crowned Fire Lord and taking his father's place.
- In the follow-up series, The Legend of Korra:
- The eponymous heroine takes up the position, although she is a more complicated example. The complex politics of her era (as opposed to the straightforward clashing of monolithic states in Aang's time) combined with her short temper often leave her being manipulated by Magnificent Bastards and Well Intentioned Extremists, which compromises her position. Most often than not, the actual role of Big Good fell to Korra's guardian/mentor, Tenzin (who is also Aang's son).
- Tonraq, Korra's father, takes this role as the leader of the Southern rebels in the second season.
- Raava, spirit of light and the source of all good in the world, serves as a sort of Bigger Good. It's eventually revealed that the first Avatar was created when she merged with a human, making her as part of a Big Good Duumvirate with every host.
- In Avatar: The Last Airbender:
- Ballmastrz: 9009: Crayzar is the creator of the Game which the story is about. Despite his creepy demeanor, he saved the world from the Rad Warz thousands of years ago, and is a consistent help to the Leptons, which all turns out to be a plan to protect Earth from aliens once again.
- Three characters in the Ben 10 franchise qualify for the position: Azmuth, because he is the creator of the Omnitrix, and as such the one Ben got his powers from to begin with; Max Tennyson, because he is The Mentor to Ben; and Paradox who acts more like a Trickster Mentor helping Ben indirectly to solve conflicts on Time Travel scale.
- Captain Planet and the Planeteers: The Earth spirit Gaia is surely the real Big Good, as the one who recruited the Planeteers to defend the Earth and gave them their powers, but Captain Planet (who was created by Gaia) also comes close to this role.
- Code Lyoko has Franz Hopper, the creator of the super computer and Lyoko. Unfortunately, he was also the creator of the evil A.I. XANA, though Franz wasn't involved in XANA turning evil.
- Codename: Kids Next Door
- Numbuh 362 aka Rachel T. McKenzie is the recurring one in the series. Her "Soopreme Leader" status really means something.
- Numbuh 0 is this, more specifically in The Movie. He's Numbuh 1's dad.
- Dexter's Laboratory:
- Dexter's elderly self fulfills the role in "Ego Trip", having turned the world into a scientific utopia by sharing his genius with the rest of humanity using the Protocore. Also in any crossovers with other Cartoon Network franchises, he's either this or the de facto Leader including Cartoon Cartoon Fridays and FusionFall.
- Dial M For Monkey has Commander Chief, who is the head of the organization Agent Honeydew works for, as well as the highest authority figure Monkey works for.
- The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants:
- Grace Wain takes up the position in the second season. She's the only person that has power over Melvinborg and can stop him from harming George and Harold in any way possible. The Season 2 finale expands on this with the reveal that Grace is actually the President of Earth from the future and manages to achieve world peace 2 years into her presidency. She also encourages Melvin by telling him that he can guarantee himself a successful future if he makes the effort to change himself for the better. Likewise, Grace Wain is actually Erica Wang from the future who time-traveled to ensure her younger self's entry into Eliteanati Academy.
- The Society of Robes are a powerful organization that has a hand in helping historical leaders revolutionize the world for the better. They also helped subdue the Splotch and offer the boys and Captain Underpants an invitation to join them for their heroic display.
- Debuting in the third season, Cash Networth is a charismatic billionaire who runs a summer camp for rich kids. He takes up the role in the season 3 finale as George and Harold beg him to buy their summer camp so that Krupp wouldn't be able to return and ruin next year's summer. Cash is quite willing to buy it for them and does so after being satisfied with their talent show performance.
- The Fairly OddParents!: Jorgen Von Strangle is the closest thing the series gets to one, especially in the movies or specials. Though he can be a jerk and is a Rules Lawyer, he leads the Fairies, protects them and their magic, and is more or less the highest good authority in the series (even though he reports to the Fairy Council).
- Final Space: Bolo, the only good Titan, which was imprisoned when he sealed away the Titans to make sure they wouldn't wreak havoc in the universe. Once Lord Commander threatens to bring them back, Bolo acts again by communicating with Nightfall and Gary to guide them towards stopping him.
- White Knight on Generator Rex is nominally this, being in charge of the greatest force keeping the world from succumbing to destruction. He's also callous and calculating, willing to sacrifice just about everyone for the greater good. The show both highlights his flaws while showing that he does have a point with many parties trying to achieve power that justifies his fears. He comes to understand that while his goals are good, his methods need work, and softens into a more traditional example.
- The Sorceress in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983). While the same was true for the 2002 remake, King Greyskull, the true source of He-Man's power could be considered a secondary one.
- Amanda Carey from Hurricanes is arguably this since she leads the Hurricanes into most of their efforts against Stavros Garkos' evil plots.
- Ivanhoe: The King's Knight has three:
- Ivanhoe himself with his name meaning protection.
- King Richard as adaptations of the Robin Hood story will portray him.
- The Archbishop of Canterbury in Richard's absence, being a fair man in the conflict.
- Jackie Chan Adventures
- Captain Augustus Black fulfills this role as The Leader of Section 13 which is the vanguard of humanity against demons and evil human organizations alike.
- Lo Pei, a sacred warrior of the Ling Dynasty, also qualifies. He's the one who turned Shendu into a statue and scattered his Talismans to the four corners of the Earth. The same spell he used to accomplish that is reused on Shendu during the 3rd season.
- The Eight Immortals of China fill the role, being the ones who sealed away the Demon Sorcerers in the first place and leaving behind the magical items the heroes need to banish them a second (and final) time in the second season.
- In League of Super Evil, two Hero Antagonists qualify for the position: General Sergeant, because he leads the army and is the biggest force for good against the many supervillains; and Glory Guy, who is Metrotown's most distinctive and renowned superhero.
- Zadavia from Loonatics Unleashed. She is the one the Loonatics answer to and get mission info from.
- Martin Mystery gives us M.O.M., the director and the head of "The Center" who oversees the investigation of paranormal activities throughout the world. Also, she is in charge of maintaining peace with Earth and other planets and galaxies.
- Miraculous Ladybug
- The Order of the Guardians are the highest authority when it comes to the Miraculous, being the order meant to protect and distribute them.
- Master Wang Fu is the recurring one, as he is the Guardian of the Miraculous. His goal is to oversee the protection of the Miraculous and make sure that they don't end up in the wrong hands...until the season 3 finale, where he transfers the Guardianship to Ladybug, sacrificing his memories of his role in the process.
- The heroic counterpart of Gabriel Agreste from the alternate universe takes this role in Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir. He previously swore loyalty to the Supreme's evil rule, and as a result he lost his wife, so he became Betterfly to redeem himself and free his universe. Then Re-Verse Gabriel crosses the multiverse to seek help from Ladybug and Cat Noir to fight Shadybug and Claw Noir, who came to their world to steal the Butterfly Miraculous from him. Likewise, he encourages two main superheroes when they feel down after losing all the other Miraculouses to his bad counterpart, and tries to aid them in reforming their dark alternative counterparts to the side of good, and eventually succeeds.
- The Order of the Guardians are the highest authority when it comes to the Miraculous, being the order meant to protect and distribute them.
- My Life as a Teenage Robot has Dr. Nora Wakeman, who is Jenny's creator and caretaker, so she's usually the one everyone relies on when Jenny's actions lead to disaster.
- In the first generation of My Little Pony there was Rosedust, the Queen of the Flutter Ponies. Though she only made two appearances, in both they easily defeated the villains and set everything right.
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Princess Celestia is ruler over the whole setting, Twilight's mentor, the one who more often than not tells the mane six they need to save Equestria and easily the most resourceful character on the show - and armed with the massive power that comes with being a Physical Goddess, to boot. The major villains see her as their chief opponent, and she's always the one to send out the heroes against them. Her less-often-seen younger sister, Luna, is technically equal in rank and power potential but has learned from personal experience to defer to her older sibling's superior wisdom. Toned down considerably in the official comics; both princesses are spotlighted more often, and while the "Good" is never in question, we see more of their personal hardships, arguments, and (occasionally cosmic) screwups.
- According to Lauren Faust, Twilight Sparkle was originally intended to become Celestia's successor. Over the course of the series, this has more or less actually happened. In earlier seasons, Twilight often played the role of The Leader in various situations and saved Equestria multiple times with the help of her friends. In the Season 3 finale, Twilight becomes an Alicorn princess, and performs some greater royal duties in Season 4; most notably, in the Season premiere Twilight briefly becomes the de facto Big Good when Celestia and Luna temporarily go missing. However, it wasn't until the Season 4 finale that Twilight received her official role to spread friendship across Equestria as the Princess of Friendship, a duty she is to carry out with the help of her friends. In the following seasons, Twilight and her friends continue to spread friendship and peace all over Equestria, even to other species. In the last season, Celestia and Luna retire, and Twilight officially takes over as ruler of Equestria.
- Ninjago: Sensei Wu is a wise mentor and master to the six Ninja (Lloyd, Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Nya), as he trained them to be capable of protecting Ninjago from evil forces.
- The Powerpuff Girls has Professor Utonium, who is the mentor, father, gadget supplier figure of the titular superheroes.
- Ready Jet Go!: Jet is the hero and leader of Team Propulsion, and he teaches the entire town of Boxwood Terrace to think outside the box, be perseverant, and most importantly, love again.
- Regular Show: In the 8th and final season, two characters has served this role:
- Colonel Rawls qualifies for the position during the first half, being the commanding officer in charge of the Space Tree Station with Chance Sureshot, Toothpick Sally, Recap Robot, and later the Park crew working under him.
- Earl takes up the role in the second half until his death at Anti-Pops' hands. He has trained all previous incarnations of Pops, and has tattoos all over his body for every time Pops and Anti-Pops fight. Likewise, for several episodes, Earl trains Pops and helps him get through the fact he has to fight his brother, explaining that he must defeat Anti-Pops or the universe will reset itself once again.
- In Samurai Jack:
- This role is filled by three gods, Odin of the Norse gods, Ra of the Egyptians, and Rama of the Hindu. As seen in "Birth of Evil" they worked as a team in prehistory to destroy a Cosmic Entity of pure evil, but missed one piece that fell to Earth and became Aku. Later, they forged a sword out of part of the Emperor's soul, which he used to defeat Aku the first time. (Later, it would be Jack's sword.) Ra later makes a solo appearance to save Jack from the Minions of Set. When Jack makes his comeback in season 5 the three appear to him in the same way they appeared to his father and return the sword that he'd since lost.
- Samurai Jack himself becomes this in season 5. He is the almighty force of good setting out to destroy Aku and redeem the future.
- South Park: Jesus Christ takes up the role as a member of Imaginationland's Council of Nine.
- In the season 7 episode "Krazy Kripples", Gene Hackman serves the role, when he tries to tell Christopher Reeve to stop eating baby fetuses to cure his paralysis. Gene eventually gets support from the public to ban stem cells so Chris cannot get them anymore.
- After his Heel–Face Turn, PC Principal has taken this position, when he kills the true Big Bad, Leslie in the season 19 finale. He remains in South Park as the principal, and vows to take down the ads for their oppression of humanity.
- Rose Quartz from Steven Universe fills this role despite technically being dead (she gave up her physical form to reincarnate as half of Steven). She was the one who led the Crystal Gems in their battle to defend the Earth from Homeworld, and her past belongings still prove to be useful to Steven on multiple occasions.
- After Character Development, Steven Quartz Universe himself seems to fulfill Rose's role as The Heart. "Lion 3: Straight to Video" implies that Rose believed that Steven would become this once she was gone.
- Tales of Arcadia has several:
- Trollhunters:
- Kanjigar the Courageous takes up the position in the second season, when he possesses the newly resurrected AAARRRGGHH!!! to help the team save Jim from the Darklands.
- Despite his cranky and ornery personality, Merlin Ambrosius is presented as such, being the mysterious and powerful wizard that created the Amulet of Daylight, and by extension, the entire Trollhunter legacy.
- 3Below: King Fialkov Tarron & Coranda Tarron are the Big Good Duumvirate, being the beloved rulers of Akiridion-5. When their cores are finally revived, the first thing they do is calmly walk into a battlefield over to the cannon aimed at Morando, and power it with their cores to defeat the Big Bad, sacrificing their lives in the process.
- Wizards: With Merlin and Morgana both dead, his own incredible magical prowess, and taking the role as Nari's main protector, Douxie Casperan is the most powerful force for good among the heroes and the Arcane Order's main obstacle in their goals, especially in the Grand Finale movie.
- Trollhunters:
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- 2003 series:
- In the early half of season 5, the Ninja Tribunal occupied this role—even though, as the Turtles point out, they're kind of jerks.
- After the apparent downfall of the Tribunal, both Splinter and the Ancient One take up the role in the later half of the fifth season.
- 2012 series:
- Once again, Splinter fulfills this role as the Turtles' master and adoptive father.
- A newcomer, Jack J. Kurtzman, serves this role, after the Kraang conquered New York. He became the benefactor to the Mighty Mutanimals and coordinated their campaigns.
- Professor Zayton Honeycutt, also known as the Fugitoid, occupies this role during the "Turtles in Space" arc that lasts the first half of season four. It helps that he gets a healthy dose of Adaptational Badass, as this version of the Fugitoid is fully capable of defending himself and keeping up with the Hamato Clan.
- 2003 series:
- Thundera's King Claudus from Thunder Cats 2011. Though a Noble Bigot and leader of The Empire, he fights the good fight against ancient evil Sorcerous Overlord Mumm-Ra, becoming the Sacrificial Lion of Mumm-Ra's invasion of his kingdom.
- Totally Spies! has Jerry Lewis, who is the founder and administrator of W.O.O.H.P. (the World Organization Of Human Protection). He is responsible for briefing the girls on their missions.
- Transformers:
- Optimus Prime in any adaptation. Later parts of the classic series had the role pass to Rodimus Prime and Fortress Maximus.
- Ultra Magnus served this role in Transformers: Animated, while Optimus was re-envisioned as a younger, rookie hero.
- Prime is outranked by Primus, but it's relatively rare for Primus to involve himself in things for any significant length of time.
- The Venture Bros. had General Timothy Treister, a Cool Old Guy Thunderbolt Ross expy who served as the leader of the Office of Secret Intelligence that safeguarded the world from supervillainy. After his cancer diagnosis, he passes the torch to Brock Samson's mentor Hunter Gathers.
- Faragonda, the headmistress for Alfea (school for fairies) in Winx Club. Out of all the characters in the series, she has served as a guide and strategist for the Winx.
- Work It Out Wombats!: The wombats' grandmother is called 'Super' for a reason. She's patient and loving, both as a grandmother and as the Superintendent of the Treeborhood. When someone has a problem, they go to her for help.
- In Xiaolin Showdown, two characters fulfill this role:
- Master Fung is the most recurring one. He is the mentor of the monks, being the most responsible for the actions of the Xiaolin Dragons.
- Master Monk Guan is the seasonal one. He is the most powerful good guy, able to fight equally with Chase Young and all his efforts are in direct opposition to the villain.
