Cartoons were a cornerstone of my childhood–whether it was Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon, YouTube clips or Netflix shorts, cartoons were featured almost everywhere around me, and I was always eager to see as many as I could. But no matter how much I loved them, I can honestly say I never felt represented in the cartoons I watched as a kid. None of the characters I saw bore any kind of explicit resemblance to South Asian people at all (and let’s be honest–Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb was not enough representation for me.)

As I got older, I think sincere efforts were made to incorporate South Asian characters into children’s cartoons, some examples being Mira, Royal Detective and Sanjay and Craig. And looking back, there are some characters I adored who actually seem to have attributes that were subtly modeled after South Asian culture. At first glance, they didn’t seem to resemble South Asians at all–but when I looked a little closer, some of the similarities and familiar aspects of their characters were undeniable. I’ve compiled a list of some of these characters below–let me know what you think!

Raven, Teen Titans

A quick Google search told me that it isn’t confirmed that Raven is South Asian. There are plenty of fan theories and speculations that mostly center around the gem on her forehead. Although that gem is canonically a tool that allows her to keep her inner demon at bay, it greatly resembles a bindi, and has even been referred to as the “Ajna chakra.” As a whole, Raven’s character does seem to be especially spiritual, and she possesses a mystical quality that reminds me of South Asian myths I’ve heard.

I was really excited to make this connection in my head; knowing that Raven could be a South Asian woman who was badass and such an integral part of Teen Titans was so, so cool. These days, now that the spinoff Teen Titans Go! is more popular, I’m thrilled to see the Raven reboot keeping the trademark bindi gem.

Naveen, The Princess and the Frog

I was so excited when I considered the idea that a character from my favorite Disney movie may be South Asian. Prince Naveen and his family are from the fictional kingdom of Maldonia, but his mother’s sari doesn’t lie

The name ‘Naveen’ has Indian roots, and while the prince’s accent in the movie may not be wholly recognizable to me, I have a feeling it may be a South Asian accent. To top it all off, his parents put a very clear emphasis on the value of hard work and ambition when they made him leave home to work-–although this doesn’t automatically make their family South Asian, it immediately made me think of my own family reminding me that nothing beats hard work.

Abbey Bominable, Monster High

I remember when my YouTube recommendations were fully saturated by compilations of Monster High shorts. I was fully enamored with those characters and their high school shenanigans, and Abbey Bominable was one of my favorite characters. Depicted as a Yeti from the Himalayas, Abbey is said to be Nepali or Indian-American by a number of fans. It was exciting to go back and rewatch some of the Monster High shorts knowing that Abbey is a piece of South Asian representation!

As a side note, I recently learned that there is a country called “Fangladesh” in the world of Monster High. Nice.

These characters were so, so memorable to me when I first encountered them in the world of cartoons, and looking back, I’m thrilled that I have something in common with them–namely, a South Asian identity. Let us know if you have any other South Asian animated characters who mean a lot to you! We’d love to feature them!