Amphibia: The 10 Best Characters

Disney’s Gravity Falls was a critical success, and one of the creatives who helped in that was a storyboard artist and director named Matt Braly. In 2019, his series, Amphibia, was released and garnered similar acclaim for its story, world, and characters.

There have been two completed seasons of Amphibia, with the third currently in progress and set to resume in March 2022. Many great characters in the show, heroes, allies, and villains, particularly stand out.

Mr. And Mrs. Boonchuy

In the first two seasons, the Boonchuys (Brian Sounalath and On Braly) were only mentioned or appeared in flashbacks to Anne’s childhood. They were eventually made into main characters when Season 3 moved to Earth in “The New Normal.” They made a strong impression on the viewers and the Plantar family in just a short amount of time.

“Temple Frogs” shows how the Boonchuys are valued in their community, while in “Mr. X,” they are not afraid to get into scraps to ensure Anne’s safety. “Adventures in Catsitting” has a heartwarming moment where the Plantars are concerned they are freeloaders, and Mr. Boonchuy was emphatic that they do not owe them anything after keeping Anne safe in Amphibia. The Boonchuys are not going to join the ranks of the worst TV show parents.

Wally Ribbiton

“One-Eyed” Wally (James Patrick Stuart) has the distinction of being the first character of Wartwood seen in the premiere episode “Anne or Beast?” He was a prominent secondary character mocked for his vagrancy, tall tales, and accordion. Spotlight episodes in the first two seasons revealed much more to Wally than at first glance.

In “Wally and Anne,” the titular characters search for the mysterious Moss Man to prove its existence to Wartwood. During this escapade, they form a friendship, and Anne learns from Wally how to not be affected by others’ opinions. If not for this strong friendship and lesson, the events of “Swamp and Sensibility,” where Wally had to overcome family pressure, would have gone differently.

King Andrias

Season 2 opened the show to wider opportunities when the Plantars explored the land outside of Wartwood. In “The Plantars Check In,” shortly after arriving in the capital of Newtopia, the protagonists met Andrias (Keith David), the pleasant and warm king of Amphibia. However, under this kindly facade was one of the most threatening villains of the series.

In reality, Andrias was a megalomaniacal dictator who believed in his race’s superiority. He sees friendship and trust as sentiments beneath him and has no issue manipulating others to achieve his goals. What makes him something to be feared is that even with his true self revealed, he was still gleeful and evokes some of Keith David’s most iconic roles.

Captain Grime

“Best Fronds” was a light-hearted second episode, but it ended ominously with Anne’s friend Sasha held captive in a dark tower. Her captor, Captain Grime (Troy Baker), was the antagonist of the first two seasons as part of the ferocious toad armies. He firmly believed the toads to be a superior race and enforced their will upon Wartwood and other frog towns.

While Grime was a villain, he still had standards and principles. He was incredibly supportive of Sasha after she proved herself in “Prison Break” and was horrified by Andrias’s ambitions near the end of Season 2. As of Season 3, he is part of the resistance against Andrias, and it remains to be seen if he will become a “good” guy.

Sprig Plantar

Brave, loyal, and quirky, Sprig (Justin Felbinger) is Anne’s best friend and her guide to the world of Amphibia. This frog boy is rarely without his trademark hat, goggles, and a slingshot to defend himself against the hostile wildlife. Before Anne’s arrival, Sprig had few friends because of his different interests and behavior.

Sprig’s spotlight episodes focus on his relationships with friends and family. “Family Fishing Trip” has Sprig jealous of Hop Pop and his love interest during vacation, and “Quarreler’s Pass” sees Sprig needing to get along with his sister Polly to survive a dangerous situation. “Spider-Sprig” is one of the few episodes starring Sprig alone during an adventure that is a tribute to Spider-Man and his relationship with Doctor Octopus.

Anne Boonchuy

Anne (Brenda Song) was just an average kid with loving parents and her best friends, Sasha and Marcy. One day, the girls stumbled across a mysterious music box that warped and scattered them to different corners of Amphibia. After a misunderstanding with the people of Wartwood, Anne was taken in by the Plantar family as she looked for a way to get home with her friends.

Like many coming-of-age stories, Anne started as a kind yet irresponsible teen that was eager to please her friends even at her own expense. By Season 3, her experiences in Amphibia made her grow and she had a responsibility to protect both of her families and duty to bring Sasha and Marcy home.

Polly Plantar

Despite being a baby and a tadpole, time and again, Polly (Amanda Leighton) proved to be one of the most formidable characters of the series. Every episode she appears in has a snarky one-liner from Polly, even in a minor capacity. She was the younger sibling but was still more responsible than Sprig.

“Girl Time” is Polly’s first episode as a primary character, and it taught a good lesson to Anne and the audience that Polly was perfectly happy with the way she is. Her focus episodes, such as “A Night at the Inn” or “Truck Stop Polly,” tended to revolve around her feeling of rejection despite proving she is as capable as the rest of her family.

Sasha Waybright

Toxic characters, as Bob’s Burgers fans know, tend to be complex yet unpleasant. Nowhere is that more evident in Amphibia than Sasha (Anna Akana). While she was outwardly fun and friendly with Anne and Marcy, her kindness was a means to get what she wanted and maintain control over everything.

“Reunion” and “Toadcatcher” were where her sinister behavior came to light. Sasha loved guilting Anne into doing whatever she wanted and had difficulty accepting that Anne could defy her. As of Season 3, she is still stuck in Amphibia even as Andrias began his invasion, so only time will tell if Sasha and Anne will ever make amends.

Hopediah “Hop Pop” Plantar

Hop Pop (Bill Farmer) is the grandpa of Sprig and Polly and was the most hesitant to adopt Anne when she arrived in Amphibia. Much of the humor around Hop Pop is centered around his age, traditional ways, and failed acting aspirations. At the same time, he is a jovial and nice guy who loves his grandkids.

Episodes such as “Hop-Popular” focused on him trying to attain fame at the cost of compromising his principles. He was also the source of the show’s dark comedy, like in “Sprig VS Hop Pop,” where he casually accepts living in a graveyard after Sprig takes over the farm. He was often reminded that while he did not gain more respect, he was still important to those who truly mattered.

Marcy Wu

After multiple passing mentions, Marcy (Haley Tju) finally appeared in Season 2’s “Marcy at the Gates.” Marcy was deep into video games and roleplaying on Earth, but she was clumsy, oblivious, and accident-prone. By the time she reunited with Anne, she had become a ranger and was appointed into the court of King Andrias.

Marcy was genuinely loved by everybody she met for her knowledge and abilities. Her version of the “Theme Song Takeover” short segments revealed that while Anne and Sasha had a hard time in Amphibia, she lived it up in Newtopia, went on adventures, and was a hero. In many ways, Marcy is what happens when someone who is genre-savvy and into pop culture has their greatest wish granted. However, there’s also an inner darkness to Marcy that provides great conflict between her and her friends as well, making her insanely compelling to watch.

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