Across Pixar’s 24 existing films they
have a whopping 20 protagonists. Within this group are a wide variety of power
levels and some truly remarkable feats. Today we determine who the most
powerful Pixar protagonist is. I’m Brad with Wicked Binge and this is
Pixar Protagonists: Weak to Powerful. Real quick, the rules. This time around we decided to rank these protagonists based on
how powerful they are in relation to one another -- as opposed to how strong
they are contextually in their universe. We’ll start off with protagonists
that are Weaker Than a Human. All of these protagonists have substantial
flaws and any of us could beat them in combat. The weakest Pixar protagonist would have to be
Dory of “Finding Dory''. Being a blue tang fish, Dory has many limiting features to earn her
the lowest spot on this list. Blue tang fish range from 4.7 to 15 inches (which is 12 to 38
centimeters), making her one of the smallest participants on this list. As a result, Dory’s
hits don’t make much of an impact. Imagine being slapped by a fish the size of a CD. Dory
displays no combat skills. Her approach to conflict is usually negotiation as seen with
the impersonation fish. While this works in her journey across the sea in "Finding Nemo" and
research institute in "Finding Dory", it does not aid her in a combat situation. Dory’s personality
also cements her as the weakest Pixar protagonist. Dory is remarkably gullible. In "Finding Nemo,"
she is eager to join Bruce’s “Fish are Friends not Food” campaign, although Bruce and his friends
are sharks - her natural predator. Additionally, Dory suffers from short-term memory loss,
limiting her ability to recall information. Dory would likely struggle during a fight,
forgetting what she is meant to be doing. Topping it all off is Dory’s dependence
on water, neutering her fighting ability within any land context. Beyond any reasonable
doubt, Dory is the weakest Pixar protagonist. Second to last is Flick, the protagonist
of “A Bug’s Life”. Being an ant, Flick is immediately out of the running
for most powerful Pixar character due to his small size. Human characters like Carl
Frederickson and Miguel could easily dispose of Flick without having any real combat prowess
themselves. Not only is Flick not a viable threat when compared to a human, but Flick also isn’t
even a viable threat against other characters in “A Bug’s Life”. He is unable to defeat Hopper and
relies on trickery. He and the other ants build a bird attempting to scare Hopper and his lackeys
away. Firstly this requires preparation time, a feature not allowed during this list’s conflicts.
Secondly, the ability to scare away enemies relies on them having a predator. Building a bird against
a grasshopper is appropriate. But what could Flick build to scare away humans? His small size and
reliance on preparation make Flick a very poor threat. His only saving grace is his intellect. He
does invent a telescope and automatic harvester, displays of ingenuity that
cause him to rank above Dory. Third to last is Remy from “Ratatouille”. Another
entry that counts as an animal, Remy is held back by being a rat. As such, Remy would lose
to any human. Across “Ratatouille,” Remy doesn’t do anything impressive combat-wise.
He shows no combat skills and isn’t even the strongest among the rats in the film. His
brother Emile would likely pack far more of a punch. Remy also doesn’t have
any direct confrontation with the villain, unlike some later entries in this list.
Despite being a rat with no visible combat skill, Remy has less of a fundamental flaw than Dory
or Flick. He can survive on land and is larger than an ant, which justifies his place
as the third weakest Pixar protagonist. Up next is the very first Pixar protagonist. Woody
from “Toy Story” and its sequels surprisingly boast some combat skills. In “Toy Story
2”’s climax, Woody goes hand to hand against Stinky Pete. He holds his own until
Stinky Pete overwhelms him. While not a very impressive feat, this demonstrates that
Woody has some level of fighting experience. He throws a punch and wrestles with Stinky
Pete, more than we see Remy do. Woody also has existing strengths as a strategist.
Being a toy, Woody is used to observing but not directly interfering. This makes him an
amazing strategist. Woody orchestrates the prison break in “Toy Story 3”. He also uses deceit
to his advantage. This is especially true in the first “Toy Story” where he scares Sid and knocks
Buzz out the window using a lamp. Despite this, Woody has some issues common to the lower entries.
His small size prevents him from taking on a human opponent. He also has low durability after
his arm was ripped off in “Toy Story 2.” Not to mention that Woody lost the Stinky Pete fight
mentioned earlier despite his efforts. This proves Woody is not the strongest toy we see in the
Toy Story series. Stinky Pete isn’t the only character who would rank higher than Woody
on this list - Buzz Lightyear demonstrates parkour across the series. Escaping Al’s
Toy Barn in “Toy Story 2” and rounding up the gang after being reset in “Toy Story 3”
establishes Buzz as a far more combat-ready toy than Woody. For the above reasons, Woody is the
lowest entry on this list with any combat skill. Marlin from “Finding Nemo” is next.
Previous entries have not won a fight in their respective films. Flick lost to Hopper
and Woody lost to Stinky Pete. For comparison, Marlin actually wins a fight in “Finding Nemo”.
Marlin restrains the angler fish using the diver’s mask. Not only does he win a fight but he beats
an angler fish, a far more viable opponent than a grasshopper or a toy prospector. Marlin is
also a strategist. He decides to bounce on the jellyfish heads to avoid being stung and
reluctantly gets in Nigel’s mouth when asked. This proves Marlin has the intellectual ability
to make him a little powerful. Unfortunately, Marlin’s strengths end here. Despite his success
with the angler fish, Marlin is still reliant on water like Dory. This heavily restricts his
movement and ability to fight a human. His small size doesn’t help either. Despite his valiant
efforts, Marlin deserves a low spot on this list. The next spot goes to Mike Wazowski, the
protagonist in “Monsters University”. Mike has no combat skills but ranks higher than
the others so far because of his size. Mike is humanoid and, as a result, is larger
than any character so far. For this reason alone, he would have no difficulty fighting
toys, insects, or fish. Having said that, Mike has no distinctive strengths in
combat. He doesn’t fight to any great extent in either of the movies he appears in. With
no combat capabilities, Mike must turn to other skills but is out of luck. A monster’s main talent
here would be intimidating their opponent, which Mike is not fit for. The main plotline of
“Monsters University” revolves around Mike not being scary despite his commitment to scaring
class. This is because Mike is not a threatening presence, making it difficult for him to fight
anyone. Mike is unsuccessful when he attempts to scare a child in the film’s climax. Not having
a threatening aura prevents Mike from winning fights by scaring his opponent into concession.
To top it off, Mike has a giant gaping eye in the center of his face. This is a huge vulnerable
point. Other characters with no fighting training could finish Mike with one bop in the eye. This
leaves Mike as the last entry weaker than a human. Now for the Ordinary Humans. These characters are everyday people with
no enhancements: technological or magical. First in this category is Carl Frederickson. The
protagonist of “Up” is elderly with all of the ailments that accompany it. His back cracks in
the morning, his movement is slow and he has no fighting training. He is rather feisty
across the course of “Up”, however. This includes his stubbornness that he doesn’t need
Russel’s help. He is also not afraid to stand up to the villain, Charles Muntz. This ambition
forms an argument for Carl having some fighting potential. He also carries a cane, a weapon
that could certainly give Mike Wazowski a black eye. Beyond that, Carl is still an old man,
establishing him as the weakest human Pixar lead. Next up is an oddity for this
list. The main character of “Inside Out” is Joy, an emotion within Riley’s
consciousness. Joy is metaphysical and unable to fight anyone. So for the purpose
of this list Joy is combined with Riley. Riley is depicted as a decent hockey player. Her
family has trained her since a young age and she’s passionate about the sport. One of her islands
of personality is Hockey Island. As a result, Riley is quite agile. This is a significant
advantage over Carl Frederickson who uses a chair lift to get to and from his bedroom. Riley
would undeniably be able to best Carl in combat despite not having any combat ability herself. Joy
is a very resourceful character, as demonstrated by waking Riley up to keep the train of thought
moving. Joy’s resourcefulness could likely give Riley further advantages in combat. Riley
does, however, have some limiting factors. Being a child reduces her combat ability. As
a young girl, she wouldn’t be able to contest adults physically. She also hasn’t fully matured,
making her strategic ability less than adults. Overall, Riley could defeat Carl but
is still a very mediocre combatant. Miguel from “Coco” is next. Like Riley, Miguel
is rather agile as seen when he is able to escape from Aunt Imelda in the staircase scene. This
would allow for some level of combat skill. Miguel is also a 12-year-old boy, slightly older than
Riley who is 11. As a result, Miguel is likely physically stronger by being a year older and
closer to hitting puberty. Miguel is also male, which more likely leads to an increase in
strength. Additionally, Miguel is a talented guitar player, proving he has an aptitude with
his fingers that may translate well to fighting. This combines to form a flimsy argument for Miguel
as a fighter but he is still limited by being an ordinary human. Not only this but he’s bound by
the same issues as Riley. As a developing boy, his strength and strategy are far from
established, leading to issues in a major fight. Soul’s protagonist Joe Gardner is next.
Soul is a more existential Pixar movie, abandoning action and world-ending conflict for
a personal reflective experience. Despite this, Joe demonstrates the basis for combat ability in
the film. When Joe’s body is controlled by 22, Joe runs to escape. The speed Joe travels
at appears substantial, directly paralleling Miguel’s similar scene in “Coco”. This presents
an argument for Joe being able to fight Miguel favorably through his speed. Joe is also an adult,
providing an immediate advantage over Riley and Miguel due to increased strength. However, Joe is
definitely limited by a few aspects. The scene in question is shown from Joe’s perspective while he
is a cat. As a result, 22 in Joe’s body may not be traveling fast - rather it’s Joe’s perception that
makes him appear fast. Also, Joe is unobservant as seen during the entire film. He is constantly
distracted by his goal to succeed as a musician. While this alleviates throughout Joe’s journey
of self-discovery, such distraction would allow opponents to outwit Joe in combat or land a quick
blow. Overall, Joe is likely more combat-ready than Miguel but not enough to stand up to some
of the higher-ranking members of this list. Much like their release order, we’re
going from “Soul” to “Luca”. Luca from the film of the same name is not technically
human. Rather, he is a sea monster. This makes his placement in the human category
dubious. However, he is definitely weaker than the strongest human character so his placement
here fits. He also takes a human form and any fights would be conducted on land, making
his classification as a human appropriate. Luca has a few remarkable abilities. We see Luca
cycle exceptionally fast in the Portorosso Cup, even faster than Ercole, who is five years older.
By being able to cycle so fast, Luca is certainly agile, even more so than Joe. Furthermore, sea
monsters are confirmed stronger than the average human. In the opening to Luca, Alberto in sea
monster form is able to wrestle out of a net with two fishermen resisting him. 13-year-old Alberto
is able to struggle free against two adult humans, demonstrating a sea monster’s strength. This
strength no doubt applies to Luca as well, showing his combat potential. Unfortunately, Luca
has some counterarguments. For starters, the scene in question with Alberto isn’t Luca himself.
Alberto is far more experienced on the surface, meaning he would likely be stronger than Luca.
Plus it takes place in sea monster form and that strength might not transfer to human form. Also,
there is a scene where Alberto is pinned down by Ercole’s bullies, Ciccio and Guido. Alberto
loses this fight and Luca chooses not to fight, not giving a good showing either. Luca, while
agile and potentially strong, has no fighting skill. This average start worsens when compared
to an experienced fighter like our next entry. “Brave”’s protagonist Merida is the first
character on this list with any sort of training. Merida is a trained archer and a
very talented one. She proves capable of firing an arrow accurate enough to
split another arrow in half, rivaling Robin Hood who does the same.
Based on this scene alone characters Luca and below would be immediately bested.
To supplement her precision, Merida has a fiery personality. She is brash and doesn’t hold
back. Fighting Merida would be a short encounter as an ordinary human. A few arrows are let
fly and she’d ride into the sunset victorious. The following characters are Stronger Than
Human. This includes Pixar’s mechanically and magically enhanced beings, as well as characters
with more brute strength than a human. Next is Mater from “Cars 2”. Mater has no combat
strength but being a car is more powerful than any human. Being made of metal, he can resist
their attacks and can get aggressive by running them over. Mater isn’t the fastest in the Cars
franchise but would be able to provide some aggressive power with a run-up. At some points
in “Cars 2,” Mater is armed with Gatling guns. For the purpose of this list, they are
being excluded as they are removed by the end of the film. What holds Mater back from
a higher position on the list is his attitude. Mater is dithery and gullible. Smarter
opponents can outwit him - as Sir Axelrod did. Mater is also a very morally grounded
character who would likely resist a fight. He does this during the lemon
party in "Cars 2". Being metallic ranks Mater higher than a human but there's
still plenty of room for improvement. Following his bestfriend is Lightning McQueen. The
“Cars” protagonist has all of Mater’s strengths with some additional ones too. Lightning is
substantially faster than Mater because he is a racer. This additional speed before colliding
with an opponent would make an integral difference when fighting sturdier targets. Lightning is also
not afraid to fight dirty. He uses other cars as jump ramps in the opening of "Cars".
While Mater’s innocence holds him back, Lightning can be brutal. He is also more
ambitious than his friend. Lightning was sold on his Piston Cup victory and demanded
Mac to drive all night long to transport him to his next race. This demonstrates that
Lightning does not hold back when passionate, meaning in a fight he would
fight fiercer than Mater. This next entry ranked surprisingly high for their
tame personality, but for good reason. Wall-E from the film “Wall-E” is an affectionate, lovable
creature. He is by no means a character that springs to mind when thinking about combat-worthy
Pixar characters. But being a machine, Wall-E is resistant to death. He is shown across the film
to be extremely durable. He survives multiple crushings and being struck by lightning. This
illustrates his durability, making him very capable of surviving a fight. Wall-E is also
shown to replace his treads, further evidence of his survivability. Wall-E is also highly
intelligent. He can use tools such as the fire extinguisher to float around in space. Adapting
to his environment would prove integral in combat, as would his complex problem-solving ability.
Undoubtedly, Wall-E would be able to survive a conflict with any of the previous entries.
Where Wall-E comes undone is his attitude. As such an affectionate creature, Wall-E is a
pacifist, meaning he would not be willing to fight anyone. To back this up, he has no combat prowess
and is small in size. Wall-E wouldn’t suffer the catastrophic loss some characters on this
list would, but he wouldn’t be winning either. Just making the top 5 is everyone’s favorite
monster, Sully from “Monsters Inc”. Sully accomplishes some serious stuff in “Monsters
Inc” and its prequel. He rips a door off its hinges and effortlessly throws Randal through a
door, both of which show his strength. Sully is also agile as shown in the hallway scene running
from Mr. Waternoose. The combination of strength and agility makes for a dangerous setup.
Sully also has an intimidating presence. He holds the top scare record in “Monsters Inc,”
meaning he regularly scares children. He is also able to scare a group of adults in “Monsters
University”, powering a door from the other side. He repeats this when banished in “Monsters Inc”,
demonstrating that this powerful aura has not been shed over the years. Sully’s personality is quite
gentle and he is by no means a fighter. But in the right circumstance, Sully would definitely
be among Pixar’s most powerful characters. In fourth place is Ian from “Onward”. The magic
available to Ian is very powerful. He can access spells for arcane lightning, levitation, and a
disguise. All of these have gargantuan impacts and open opportunities for multiple strategies.
Ian can take a more offensive stance with arcane lightning or casting a growth spell on items
around him. He can play more defensively, neutralizing the opponent with
levitation. He can even use trickery such as the disguise spell. Despite having access
to such powerful magic, Ian’s fourth-place finish is questionable. While the magic he possesses
is undeniably powerful, Ian’s ability to properly control such magic is quite varied. He
struggles with the growth spell on the gas can. His excitement over the trust bridge spell
puts him in jeopardy. Ian’s control over his magic is not certain enough to warrant a higher
spot on the list, making fourth very fitting. In third place is Elastigirl from the long-awaited
“Incredibles 2”. Elastigirl has been doing superhero work for years. She has already mastered
her powers - unlike Ian who is still learning. Elastigirl has a distinctive fighting style that
compliments her powers. She is super flexible as shown when breaking into Syndrome’s compound.
She is very agile as on the rooftop at the start of “The Incredibles”. Riding a motorcycle in a
high-speed chase, flying a plane, and contorting herself into a variety of shapes are also
among Elastigirl’s talents. Elastigirl is also remarkable at maintaining her composure. She uses
persuasion at the start of “The Incredibles” and, she is able to keep her emotions under wraps when
working for the Devvers in the sequel. Through years of hero work, Elastigirl has
developed substantial hero abilities. Still, she gets only gets a third place because
of the sheer force behind first and second. Second place goes to “The Good Dinosaur”
protagonist Arlo. Arlo is an 18 feet tall apatosaurus who weighs 6 tonnes. That
sentence alone explains why he is ranked so highly. Regular humans would be no match for
Arlo nor would any animal. Arlo can overpower Elastigirl with ease plus he has a long neck
that can be used to attack her from a distance. Arlo’s strengths are even more impressive
than his height and weight. Arlo survives crashing water at the end of “The Good Dinosaur,”
a flood that drowned his father. Resisting such an immense force is a serious feat. Arlo’s
strengths continue because in the finale he throws a log that snipes a pterosaur out of the
sky. Arlo’s miraculous ability to hit such a difficult shot is a testament to his prowess
in combat. A minor issue with Arlo is his timid nature. Arlo is continually afraid of challenges
but learns to be bold as the film progresses. He stands up to the raptors then finally
the pterosaurs, presenting that this would no longer be a drawback for him. Arlo’s strength
is unbelievable especially considering he is the weakest apatosaurus in the film. Arlo’s family
are stronger and shown carrying more of the harvest than he can. His mother even tells him to
work harder to keep up. Compared to his family, Arlo is as weak as “The Good Dinosaur”’s box
office performance. However, Arlo’s achievements are substantial enough that he still deserves
this spot despite his familial competition. The most powerful Pixar protagonist is an obvious
one. Mr Incredible from “The Incredibles” is an insanely powerful character. During his
training montage, he bench presses a freight train - an ALCO locomotive weighing 153 tonnes.
That feat alone puts him at the top of this list. Mr. Incredible could undeniably take a hit from
Arlo, a 6-tonne dinosaur. No other Pixar lead can do the same. To accompany his super strength, he
has increased durability. He is an experienced fighter from years of superhero work. His mental
game is also immaculate. Mr. Incredible resists Syndrome’s torture, showcasing his willpower.
He is a talented strategist - hiding behind a skeleton to avoid Syndrome’s facial scan.
Mr. Incredible is also able to figure out that the only thing powerful enough to damage the
omnidroid is itself. However, an argument against Mr. Incredible is that his love for his family
is a weak point. Syndrome is able to exploit this when Mr. Incredible is captured. However,
Mr. Incredible’s family are also supers. Once the family is reunited, Mr. Incredible learns
to not be so isolated, opting to let his family in. By doing so, Mr. Incredible removes that soft
spot. Also, other Pixar characters aren’t powerful enough to pose a threat to Mr. Incredible’s family
- making this point ill-fitting. Another potential flaw of Mr. Incredible is his recklessness. When
forbidden from acting as a super, he uses the police scanner to continue hero work. While this
leads to trouble, Mr. Incredible’s recklessness is also an enormous benefit to him. It allows
him to be bold and charges into his enemies, making him an even better combatant. Over
his years of superhero work, Mr. Incredible has perfected his physical and mental game,
making him the most powerful Pixar protagonist. But let us know in the comment section who
you think is the most powerful character. And tell us what we should cover next.
Remember to hit that notification bell and binge our Weak to Powerful playlist. Where
we break down who the most powerful characters are in your favorite cartoons, shows and
movies. But most importantly, stay wicked.
