Raya And The Last Dragon: The Main Characters, Ranked By Likability

There’s a new warrior princess in town and her name is Raya. The Walt Disney Animated studio’s latest movie Raya and the Last Dragon just released on Disney+ and it’s already well on its way to becoming a Disney Animated Classic. The movie follows Raya, the daughter of the Chief of Heart, who has been tasked with tracking down Sisu — a dragon that could save their world from the evil Druun.

As with all Disney animated movies, there’s quite a large cast of characters. While some fill the typical Disney animal sidekick box, others are there to provide audiences with comedic relief. From badass warriors and con babies to sensitive dragons and young chefs, Raya and the Last Dragon has a pretty eccentric lineup of characters fans are already in love with.

10 Dang Hu

The Druun might be the villain of this story, but since it’s more of a force of nature than a character, Dang Hu wins the prize of being the most hated human character in the movie.

Dang Hu (Lucille Soong) is the chieftess of the Talon Land, a floating city that has managed to prosper since the Drunn is afraid of water. Dang Hu might seem like a harmless elderly woman, but she’s as sinister as they come. In fact, she’s the only one who used the Druun to her advantage by locking intruders in a room with Druun to be turned to stone.

9 Virana

Virana (Sandra Oh) is another antagonist to Raya’s story who definitely has some selfish and evil tendencies.  She is the chieftess of the Tung land, the most ferocious of all the former lands of Kumandra. And she’s also responsible for the Druun returning in the first place.

Virana is very much a puppet-master type villain in Raya as she is never the one doing her dirty work. Instead, she sends her daughter, Namarri, to fight her battles for her. What really made fans hate Virana is the fact that she could have helped save their world sooner had she not been afraid that the other lands would hate Tung for what they’d done.

8 Namaari

Namaari (Gemma Chan) may be Virana’s daughter, but she is way more complex and nuanced than her mother. While there’s no doubt she played a huge part in the return of the Druun, Namaari actually shows great remorse at times for her errors.

Namaari is definitely the major antagonist for Raya, and the two go head-to-head more times than anyone can count. However, underneath that harsh exterior is a girl who doesn’t know what the right thing to do is. On the one hand, she wants to make her mother proud and keep the people of Tung safe, but on the other hand, she wants to see their worlds reunited — especially after learning that Sisu has returned. In the end, Namaari manages to redeem herself in the best way possible, but that doesn’t mean all is forgiven.

7 Tuk Tuk

Every Disney princess needs a cute sidekick even if they’re a warrior on their own, which is where Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk) comes in. A mix of an armadillo and a pill bug, Tuk Tuk has been Raya’s trusty sidekick for over six years now, and he’s not going anywhere.

Raya puts Tuk Tuk to use, turning him into her personal steed since he can roll into a ball and get her from place to place. Other than helping her get around, Tuk Tuk is just there to keep Raya company and make audiences coo at how adorable he is.

6 Little Nui

Little Nui (Thalia Tran) might look adorable, but don’t let her squishy baby cheeks fool you, Little Nui is just as much of a warrior as Raya. In fact, she uses her cuteness to con the people of Talon Lan out of their goods. She even manages to con Raya at first.

After befriending Raya, Little Nui uses her conning powers for good, helping Raya and Sisu collect all the gem pieces they need. Audiences also learn that she has lost her mother to the Druun which makes her a compelling character audiences want to root for, despite all the cons.

5 Tong

Tong (Benedict Wong) may look like a staple Disney villain, but he is the complete opposite. In fact, he’s really just a giant teddy bear.

Raya meets Tong while trying to get the gem from the Spine land and learns that he is the last surviving member of Spine. At first, he’s cynical of Raya’s plan, but the thought of being able to reunite with his daughter is what convinces him to help Raya. Not only is Tong a fierce warrior, but he also becomes an excellent father figure to Little Nui, Boun, and even Raya as they travel from land to land.

4 Chief Benja

Cheif Benja (Daniel Dae Kim) may not be physically present during the entire movie, but he does play a huge role in it. Not only is he the Chief of Heart who believes he can unite the lands into Kumandra once more, but he’s also Raya’s father and helped teach her everything she knows.

Cheif Benja truly sees the good in everyone and believes that they can all be united. Unfortunately, his optimism and kindness are taken for granted, and he becomes a victim of the Druun after the magical Dragon Gem breaks. However, he uses his last moments to save Raya and remind her that he loves her, sacrificing himself so she can live and one day reunite the lands.

3 Boun

Every Disney movie needs a comedic relief character, but not all comedic relief characters end up being loved by Disney fans. However, Boun is not only hilarious, but wholesome.

After losing his family to the Druun, 10-year-old Boun (Izaac Wang)  lives on a boat he’s converted into “Shrimporium,” a restaurant on the outskirts of Tail Land. Not only does Boun keep Raya and her misfit group of stragglers fed, but he also plays a key role in destroying the Druun at the end of the movie.

2 Sisu

Sisu (Awkwafina) is not your typical dragon, she’s so much better. Sisu is a young water dragon who helped defeat the Druun the first time around after her four older siblings trusted in her to get the job done. After that she went missing, that is, until Raya tracked her down and brought her back to life.

Now Sisu must grapple with the harsh reality that she’s been gone for 500 years and has only been brought back because the Druun is back. Sisu is not only beautiful, hilarious, and has a heart of gold, but she’s also extremely relatable since she suffers from “imposter syndrome.” In the end, Sisu teaches Raya the most valuable lesson of all: trust in others.

1 Raya

It’s only fair that Raya is the most liked character of Raya and the Last Dragon, since she is the main character. However, that doesn’t mean she’s without flaws. In fact, part of Raya’s appeal is that she is a complex character who has flaws that she must learn from.

In the beginning, Raya is a fierce and badass warrior who will do anything to defend the Dragon Gem. After disaster strikes, Raya turns inward, becoming cynical of those around her, and decides to track down Sisu on her own. Along the way, Raya learns the power of friends, trust, forgiveness, and why giving in to your rage isn’t always the proper fix to a solution. She is definitely going down in history as one of the best Disney Princess of all time.

About The Author

Danielle Bruncati
(298 Articles Published)

Danielle Bruncati was born and raised in Southern California and has been a story-teller for as long as she can remember. She is currently a freelance writer for ScreenRant and is also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Television Writing and Producing from a top 10 film school. When she’s not writing, Danielle can be found binging the latest sitcom or teen tv series with her dog by her side or walking around Disneyland with a Mickey-shaped snack in hand.

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