These cartoons are mostly kid-friendly, which is why these violent moments were so unexpected. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most brutal scenes from animated programs that came out of nowhere. Keep in mind there will be spoilers.
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00:00 "Robin truly believes he's fighting Slade, and Slade is winning."
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20
00:08 unexpectedly violent moments in cartoons.
00:11 "Sweet pooch, afraid I'll shave your tail?"
00:15 For this list, we'll be looking at the most brutal scenes from animated programs
00:20 that came out of nowhere.
00:21 Keep in mind, there will be spoilers.
00:24 Which of these left your jaw on the floor?
00:26 Let us know in the comments.
00:28 "Hey, Mojoholics, for a chance to win cash prizes, play our live daily trivia challenges
00:34 every day at 3pm and 8pm Eastern, only at watchmojo.com/play."
00:39 Number 20. Pearl vs. Pearl - Steven Universe
00:44 As it turns out, Pearl still has a lot to learn about herself, literally.
00:49 After deciding to train Steven in the art of sword fighting,
00:53 she projects a hologram of herself to spar with.
00:56 But Steven is unimpressed.
00:58 Pearl begins to lecture him about waiting for the right moment to strike,
01:02 only to ironically be stabbed from behind by her own hologram.
01:06 "It's about waiting carefully for the perfect moment to thrust."
01:10 "Aah! Whoa!"
01:12 "Oh no."
01:14 That Pearl may be fake, but rest assured, the wound is very real.
01:19 It's a gasp-worthy moment, not just because of the brutality of it all,
01:22 but also because this was supposed to be a training for her.
01:26 It's a training session.
01:27 On the bright side, Pearl's lengthy recovery teaches Steven that combat is no joke.
01:32 "Sometimes, if our bodies are badly damaged,
01:35 we release our physical forms and retreat to our gems to regenerate."
01:39 Number 19. A Close Shave - Courage the Cowardly Dog
01:43 Admittedly, this curious canine has a real nasty habit of getting wrapped up in terrifying schemes.
01:50 Case in point, the episode "Perfect" is just something else.
01:54 "You're not perfect."
01:59 But somehow, Freaky Fred's elongated smile is scarier than any monster Courage has
02:04 ever gone up against. The fear factor isn't just for show, though. As Courage soon discovers,
02:10 Fred has a spine-tingling compulsion to cut hair. The poor pup is subjected to a forced shave that
02:16 leaves him shivering from both cold and terror.
02:20 "I never more was naughty. Well, maybe not never."
02:26 Let's just say it's no surprise that this episode ends with Fred being admitted back
02:32 into the so-called home for freaky barbers.
02:34 Number 18. Slade's Return - Teen Titans
02:39 The last Robin and the others saw of their nemesis Slade, he was melting in a pool of lava.
02:45 But shockingly, he later reappears during one of Titan's operations.
02:50 The catch? Robin's the only one who can see him. The other Titans can't help but wonder
02:55 if Slade is really back, or if it's all in Robin's head.
02:58 "Slade ran right by you! How could you let him get away?"
03:03 "But, Robin, there was no one there."
03:06 Either way, Raven's psychic powers confirm that, to their teammate, Slade's presence is all too
03:12 real. It's some downright haunting subject matter that brings out the worst of Robin's
03:17 violent tendencies. After all, the fact that Starfire has to subdue him speaks for itself.
03:24 "I have to stop him! I'm the only one who can! And I'll take down anyone who gets in my way!"
03:30 This hair-raising episode proves that Slade is gone, but nowhere close to forgotten.
03:40 Number 17. Brush Your Teeth - CatDog
03:44 A show about two domesticated pets sharing a body sounds like fun for the whole family.
03:49 And for the most part, CatDog totally is. But not the episode "Teeth for Two." In this
03:55 installment, a trip to the dentist ends with both Cat and Dog realizing they can
04:00 sabotage each other's pearly whites. "Wait a minute, this isn't fair!"
04:05 "Neither is my billing policy. But if Rover there doesn't change, you're going to need surgery."
04:11 What follows is a series of painful and horrific acts that are all but guaranteed to make you
04:16 wince. The images alone will have you running to the bathroom to brush your own teeth.
04:21 The most jarring part is that nothing in this show's whimsical humor will prepare you for
04:26 the places this episode goes. "I apologize."
04:30 "What?"
04:32 Number 16. Billy Loses His Face - The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
04:38 It's almost impressive that, even though this show features the Grim Reaper as a main character,
04:43 he's nowhere to be found in this ghastly scene. Instead, the culprit behind this
04:48 shocker is none other than Billy and his bicycle. "My bike rocks! Oh, the wheels are like circles!"
04:55 More specifically, his not-so-graceful crash landing. After hitting a tree on his way to
05:01 a lemonade stand, Billy slides across the ground so fast he loses both his nose and face. It all
05:07 happens so fast, there's barely any time to look away before Billy reveals his head's mangled
05:13 remains. To put it lightly, the sight is not for the faint of heart. "At least my bike looks okay!
05:19 I should still be able to ride it home!" You have to wonder if the lemonade was worth it.
05:26 Number 15. How Captain Knuckles Got His Wooden Hands - The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
05:33 The life of a pirate isn't all sunshine and treasure hunts, and Captain Knuckles is no
05:39 different. Back in the day, he lost one of his hands by sticking it into a garbage disposal
05:44 of sorts. "I thought there'd be candy down there!" He quickly commissioned a wooden prosthetic,
05:49 but it ended up being for the wrong side. Naturally, the only option was to cut off his
05:54 remaining good hand so he'd have a full set of fake fingers. As if that surprisingly gruesome
06:00 backstory isn't bad enough, Captain Knuckles is later tracked down by pirates and robbed of
06:06 everything besides his eyeballs. "At least they let you keep your hand!" "I'll take that! Thank
06:13 you very much, Captain Kickles!" After that, not even Flapjack's optimism can save this episode
06:19 from becoming a full-on body horror film. Number 14. Lance's Interrogation - Symbionic Titan
06:27 Usually, the violence in this fighting robot series stays among, well, the robots. However,
06:33 Lance has no armor to protect him when the villainous G3 organization kidnaps him and
06:38 Ulana. They tie Lance up, throw him in an interrogation room, and do whatever it takes
06:44 to get answers out of him, even if it means repeatedly punching him in the face. "I like
06:49 you, kid. I can tell you like things the hard way. I prefer that." It's one thing to see giant
06:56 robots duke it out, but another entirely when Lance himself is on the other end. Even worse,
07:02 the interrogators don't spare Ulana from the pain, either. "Okay, tough guy. I'll see if
07:08 your sister is more cooperative." By the time they escape, the message is loud and clear.
07:15 No one is safe anymore. Number 13. The Justice League Goes Down - Young Justice
07:22 This episode wastes no time throwing you into some seriously traumatic events.
07:27 In the opening scene alone, most of the Justice League is vaporized by invading aliens. Sure,
07:33 it's later revealed to be a training simulation, but that doesn't make it any less devastating
07:38 at the moment. Especially from again. "Artemis, behind you!"
07:42 "Artemis!" Her grief is so overwhelming,
07:50 she unknowingly escalates this training exercise into a nightmarish hallucination. We can't exactly
07:56 blame her, though. It's truly painful to see so many of Earth's heroes die in battle, particularly
08:02 since we got to know most of them over the course of the season. "Don't tell me the mission was a
08:07 success. The price was too high." It's really no wonder the Young Justice team needs therapy
08:14 after this. Number 12. Organ Theft - Invader Zim
08:18 He may be here to conquer the planet, but this so-called "invader" has more luck protecting
08:23 Earth than attacking it. However, when Zim is scheduled for a checkup by the school nurse,
08:28 he realizes he lacks the same organs as other humans. So, in order to maintain his disguise,
08:34 he takes it upon himself to start harvesting his classmates' innards.
08:37 "You're full of organs, aren't you?" "Why, yes. Yes, I am."
08:42 "And you wouldn't notice if you were, say, missing a few?"
08:44 "Probably not." The very thought of it is disturbing enough, but it's even more astonishing
08:50 coming from the usually ineffective Zim. He takes his new mission very seriously, though,
08:56 even treating his rival Dib to a no-holds-barred chase scene. For what it's worth, he ends up
09:01 passing his checkup with flying colors. "Why, you're one of the healthiest little
09:05 children I've ever seen. And such plentiful organs." Number 11. Lars's Death - Steven Universe
09:12 As a general rule of thumb, it's best not to attack evil, mutant robonoids without a helmet.
09:18 Lars has to learn that lesson the hard way. Even though he wins the fight, the ensuing explosion
09:23 blows him into a nearby wall. He falls to the floor with a splat that's downright bone-chilling.
09:29 "Lars!" When Steven and the others catch up to him,
09:41 it's no surprise to learn that Lars has closed his eyes for good.
09:45 The whole scene is so abrupt, it doesn't even feel real. Thankfully, Steven's magical tears
09:50 ensure Lars escapes this fight with only a scar to show for it. Although, something tells us he
09:56 won't be challenging more robonoids anytime soon. "Whoa, what happened?"
10:02 Number 10. Fruit Witch is Eaten - Adventure Time
10:08 "If I didn't cry when people died, I'd have a cold butt for a heart."
10:11 Despite its whimsical tone and art style, Adventure Time frequently goes to some dark places. One of
10:20 its most shockingly grisly moments happens when Jake the dog and Finn the human go exploring their
10:26 father's dungeon. In one room, a trio of enticing witches ask Finn to partake of the fruit. Angry at
10:33 Jake and their dad for apparently mocking him, Finn decides to do so, only for Jake to stop him,
10:38 shoving the apple into one of the witch's mouths instead. This transforms her into a giant version
10:50 of the fruit, leaving the other two to devour their transformed sister and leaving behind
10:55 bones. Cannibalism? Totally kid-friendly.
11:02 Number 9. Riff Tamsin is Blown to Bits - Star Wars - The Clone Wars
11:06 "I killed your father without pity or mercy." Violence is pretty frequent throughout The
11:15 Clone Wars. After all, the show takes place during a prolonged galactic conflict. But even with that
11:21 in mind, the series isn't without some surprisingly brutal content. One story arc sees young Mon
11:26 Calamari prince, Lee Char, ousted from his throne after his father's assassination leads to civil
11:32 war. The shark-man responsible, Riff Tamsin, is eventually killed by the prince while attempting
11:37 to retake his planet. Tamsin is killed with his own explosive daggers, and although it happens
11:43 off-screen, his burned, severed head is shown soon after. Pretty graphic stuff.
11:54 Number 8. The Earth Queen Runs Out of Breath - The Legend of Korra
11:58 Given that it's aimed at a teenage or even adult audience, The Legend of Korra has more instances
12:07 of violence than most of our other entries. While it was tempting to choose the deaths of Tarlok
12:12 and Amon from season one, we went with this moment from two seasons later. The
12:17 traumatical Earth Queen is more of a hindrance than a help to Korra and company, but it's still
12:21 shocking and disturbing when the airbender anarchist, Zaheer, uses his powers to asphyxiate
12:26 the monarch by pulling the air out of her lungs. Ouch. Number 7. Enzo Loses an Eye - Reboot
12:48 This early computer-generated show, fittingly themed around computer programs, may have
12:53 initially been more bright and kid-friendly, but it grew darker and more serious as it went on.
12:57 This is best exemplified in an episode where Enzo Matrix, the show's former designated kid
13:07 sidekick and later older badass, enters a game parodying the Mortal Kombat series.
13:13 Despite some disturbing fatality-like defeats, the real kicker is when Enzo loses an eye during
13:19 one of his matches. As violent as kids' programming can sometimes get, the permanent
13:24 loss of a body part is still something shows like these rarely delve into.
13:27 Number 6. SpongeBob is Beaten Up from the Inside - SpongeBob SquarePants
13:41 This long-running cartoon has featured plenty of surprisingly violent and gross moments over
13:46 the years, but our pick has got to go to one of the most one-sided fights in the series.
13:51 After finding Mermaid Man's utility belt, SpongeBob gets into immediate trouble after
13:56 accidentally shrinking Squidward. Unable to find a way to reverse its effects and not wanting word
14:05 to get back to the superhero, the yellow Spongeboy ends up shrinking nearly all of his friends and
14:10 the townsfolk of Bikini Bottom. Out of revenge, they go inside his body and attack his organs.
14:17 Even if they work things out, we'd be hard-pressed to forget that kind of trauma.
14:21 Number 5. Beating Up Mojo Jojo - The Powerpuff Girls
14:38 The Powerpuff Girls may have been made with sugar, spice, and everything nice,
14:41 but that doesn't mean everything they do is just as kind. One episode sees them hooked on candy
14:47 to such a degree that they agree to work with their archenemy Mojo Jojo because the Mayor will
14:52 reward them with sweets. However, when their green large-brained nemesis steals the Mayor's
15:01 candy char, the usually wonderful girls beat Mojo Jojo senseless, leaving his brain visible,
15:07 his teeth cracked, and several of his limbs visibly broken. After a beating like that,
15:12 it's a wonder the intelligent ape ever challenges them again.
15:15 Number 4. Shuffling Orifices - Gravity Falls
15:24 Already more adult and violent than most Disney shows, Gravity Falls really goes all out with
15:33 its three-part finale, Weirdmageddon. This sees the show's demonic triangular nemesis Bill Cipher
15:39 invade the titular town with bizarre extra-dimensional forces to enslave the world
15:44 and make everyone play things for his sadistic glee. On nearly everything Bill does elicit some
15:54 kind of horror, one of his most creative and disturbing acts is to shuffle the orifices in
15:59 the face of local smarmy rich men pressed in Northwest. It's a brief moment, but this kind
16:04 of body horror in a cartoon is pretty shocking nonetheless. Number 3. Kitty Attacks Courage -
16:14 Courage the Cowardly Dog
16:16 Already heavily influenced by the horror genre, Courage the Cowardly Dog is a show that's no
16:27 stranger to unexpected violence. For example, the title character's dodgeball match to the death,
16:32 or his owner being decapitated. However, our pick goes to the moment when a masked visitor to the
16:38 farm, who happens to be a cat in disguise, attacks Courage. First beating him to a pulp with a sink,
16:44 she then continues to repeatedly assault him. Despite his cowardice, Courage usually manages
16:50 to escape the worst of the dangers he faces. But this time, he faces several grim, if cartoony,
16:56 assaults. Number 2. Bloodbending - Avatar The Last Airbender
17:05 The Legend of Korra's predecessor pushed boundaries for what kids' cartoons could be.
17:23 While there were several notably violent moments in the show's run, one of the most visceral occurs
17:28 when the team Avatar investigates a town in the Fire Nation where residents are disappearing.
17:32 As it turns out, the culprit is a waterbender who has learned how to manipulate the water in
17:44 people's blood to control their movements like a puppet master. The loss of control of one's body
17:49 is a profoundly disturbing concept, and the jerking movements made by those being controlled
17:54 only add to the creep factor. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the
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18:14 on notifications. Number 1. Bugs Bunny Straight Up Murders a Guy - Looney Tunes
18:20 The Looney Tunes franchise is known for its cartoon violence, with characters regularly
18:30 receiving comically brutal injuries that would kill them in real life. However, one of the most
18:35 unsettling moments of violence happens to someone we can't even see. One short sees Bugs Bunny
18:40 playing a concert on a piano. As he's about to perform, an audience member coughs loudly.
18:46 When it happens a second time, Bugs pulls out a gun and shoots him. There isn't a yell or
18:58 sound from him or the rest of the audience. That man is definitely dead. Gee, ain't that a stinker?
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