The 20+ Best Rat Characters of All Time, Ranked By Fans

For most of human history, rats have had terrible PR. They’re blamed for plagues,
pop up in subway stations, and tend to show up in horror movies more than heartwarming
family films. And yet somehow, a bunch of fictional rats have completely stolen our
hearts so much so that fans have voted them into a definitive ranking of the
best rat characters of all time.

From culinary geniuses to wise ninja dads, scheming villains, and sitcom office
oddballs, rat characters show up everywhere in pop culture: animated movies, kids’
TV, horror classics, comic strips, even the wizarding world. This fan-powered list
pulls from that huge range and celebrates the 20+ greatest rats who’ve scurried
across our screens and book pages, ranked by the people who love them most.

In other words: if you’ve ever found yourself weirdly emotional over a cartoon rat
stirring soup, a tiny sensei preaching about honor, or a scruffy Muppet cracking
jokes, this ranking is your cozy little nest.

How Fans Built the Ultimate Rat Ranking

To figure out which rat characters truly rule the fandom, we look at fan-voting
lists where thousands of people upvote their favorites. One of the biggest
reference points is a popular fan poll that tallies over 13,000 votes to crown
the greatest rat characters in TV, films, animation, and beyond. The result:
a surprisingly emotional, very chaotic, and weirdly wholesome list of whiskered
icons.

These rankings don’t care about species stereotypes they care about impact.
Did the character carry a story? Make you laugh? Terrify you? Teach you something?
Break your heart? If a rat did any of that, fans showed up to vote. And while
the exact order can shift as new votes roll in, a few faces consistently hover
at the top of “greatest of all time” conversations.

Below, you’ll find the heaviest hitters: 20+ of the best rat characters ever,
broken down by what makes them special and why they keep winning fan polls
long after their stories first debuted.

The 20+ Best Rat Characters of All Time (Ranked)

1. Remy – Ratatouille

Nobody has done more for rat reputation management than Remy. The Parisian rodent
at the heart of Pixar’s Ratatouille is a bluish-gray “little chef” with a
hyper-refined sense of taste and smell and a completely unreasonable dream:
become a gourmet chef in a human kitchen. Through his unlikely partnership with
Linguini, he proves that “Anyone can cook” yes, even a rat in a toque.

Fans love Remy because he’s not just cute; he’s ambitious, creative, and deeply
loyal to his family even when they don’t understand him. He’s a textbook underdog
(under-rat?) hero: underestimated, dismissed, and still willing to risk everything
for his passion. That combination of foodie fantasy and emotional sincerity is
why Remy usually lands at #1 on fan rankings of the best rat characters.

2. Master Splinter – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Every great superhero team needs a mentor, and the Ninja Turtles hit the jackpot
with Master Splinter. Depending on the version, he’s either a human martial artist
mutated into a rat or a rat who learned ninjutsu from his human master but in
every incarnation he’s the calm, wise, soft-spoken father figure of the group.

Splinter is a fan favorite because he’s more than a kung fu coach. He’s a dad:
protective, occasionally stern, quietly funny, and absolutely willing to throw
down when anyone threatens his sons. Underneath the robe and staff is a character
that explores grief, responsibility, and found family, which is why Splinter
consistently ranks near the top of “best rat” lists and even “best mentors in
pop culture.”

3. Rizzo the Rat – The Muppets

Rizzo the Rat is pure chaos energy in tiny rodent form. Introduced on
The Muppet Show and later upgraded to a key player in films like
The Muppet Christmas Carol, Rizzo is streetwise, sarcastic, and armed with a
thick accent and endless one-liners. He’s the guy who will absolutely sell you
out for a snack but he’ll feel sort of bad about it afterwards.

Fans adore Rizzo because he’s funny without ever feeling forced. His double act
with Gonzo, especially as co-narrators in The Muppet Christmas Carol, has made
him a holiday staple. He brings a meta, fourth-wall-breaking flavor that keeps
kids laughing and adults quietly nodding like, “Yeah, I know that guy.”

4. Emile – Ratatouille

If Remy is the aspiring artist, Emile is the friend who will absolutely eat
whatever’s left in the fridge without blinking. Remy’s brother in
Ratatouille is a sweet, easygoing rat who doesn’t really get the whole “fine
dining” thing food is food, and all of it is delicious.

Emile wins fan votes because he’s the emotional counterweight to Remy’s intensity.
He’s supportive even when he doesn’t understand Remy’s dreams, and his simple joy
in eating literally anything gives the movie some of its most quietly funny
moments. He reminds us that not everyone needs a grand vision; sometimes being
loyal, kind, and hungry is enough.

5. Templeton – Charlotte’s Web

Templeton is the opposite of inspirational. He’s selfish, gluttonous, and proudly
uninterested in anyone else’s problems unless there’s food on the table. In
E. B. White’s classic Charlotte’s Web and its film adaptations, Templeton lives
under Wilbur’s trough and treats the farm like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

And yet, Templeton is essential to the story and extremely popular with fans.
When Charlotte needs help finding new words for her web, it’s Templeton’s
scavenging that saves the day. His reluctant heroism, biting humor, and over-the-top
gluttony make him a standout character the perfect example of a rat who’s awful
and awesome at the same time.

6. Rattata – Pokémon

Anyone who’s ever played the early Pokémon games knows this purple menace.
Rattata shows up in the grass every five seconds, ready to spam Quick Attack
and chew through your team. Officially labeled the “Mouse Pokémon,” it still reads
as a rat to most fans: scrappy, fast, and way tougher than it looks.

Rattata isn’t beloved because it’s powerful it’s beloved because it’s
ubiquitous. It’s the first real test of patience for new Trainers and the gateway
to Raticate, which suddenly hits a lot harder than you expect. Its sheer visibility
and nostalgic value keep it high on fan lists of iconic rat-like characters.

7. Nigel Ratburn – Arthur

Mr. Ratburn isn’t a rat in the literal sensehe’s an anthropomorphic animal in the
Arthur universebut he’s counted among rat characters in pop-culture rankings.
On the surface he’s the “tough teacher” famous for big homework loads; beneath
that, he’s patient, deeply kind, and genuinely invested in his students.

Fans grew up with Ratburn, learned fractions from him, and watched him evolve
over the show’s long run. His blend of strictness and warmth makes him one of
the most memorable TV teachers, and his later storylines about his personal life
made him even more beloved as a quietly groundbreaking character.

8. Django – Ratatouille

Django, Remy’s father, starts out as the “no nonsense” survivalist dad who
believes humans and their kitchens are nothing but danger. He leads the rat
colony with a firm paw and sees Remy’s culinary dreams as a threat to everyone’s
safety.

What wins fans over is Django’s slow, realistic shift. He never becomes a foodie,
but he does show up for his son when it matters most. That arc from fear and
skepticism to quiet pride feels very human. He’s a standout example of how
even background rat characters in animated films can be complex, emotionally
rich parents rather than simple obstacles.

9. Rattus Rattus – Horrible Histories

Rattus Rattus is the cheeky animated host of the wildly popular kids’ show
Horrible Histories. He pops up between sketches to deliver disgusting facts,
gleefully leaning into the gross side of history plagues, executions, and all
the bits your school textbook politely skipped.

Fans love him because he makes history feel like something you shouldn’t really
be allowed to watch… but absolutely should. He’s proof that rats are the perfect
mascots for weird, messy, fascinating stories and that learning is a lot more
fun when a snarky rat is narrating the carnage.

10. Professor Ratigan – The Great Mouse Detective

On the villain side of the spectrum, Professor Ratigan is pure theatrical evil.
In Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective, he’s the arch-nemesis of Basil of Baker
Street and refuses to admit he’s a rat at all, insisting on being called a mouse.
Cloaks, schemes, henchmen, enormous ego he’s got the full villain starter pack.

Ratigan is ranked highly by fans because he’s both genuinely menacing and
hilariously over-the-top. He’s the kind of villain who sings his own theme song
and then feeds someone to a cat. For many viewers, he was their first introduction
to a villain who is elegant, unhinged, and absolutely unforgettable.

11. Rat – Fantastic Mr. Fox

In Wes Anderson’s stop-motion Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rat guards the cider cellar
of Farmer Bean like a noir henchman who wandered into a children’s story. He’s
wiry, twitchy, obsessed with cider, and voiced with gravelly intensity.

Rat stands out because he’s not just evil for the sake of it; he’s dangerous,
yes, but also strangely tragic. His final confrontation with Mr. Fox is tense,
weirdly emotional, and one of the film’s most memorable scenes. Fans remember
him as a small character with big energy and a surprisingly heavy exit.

12. Nicodemus – The Secret of NIMH

Nicodemus, the mystical leader of the super-intelligent rats in
The Secret of NIMH, feels like he wandered in from a fantasy epic. He’s old,
wise, and carries the weight of the rats’ tortured history in his gravely voice
and glowing eyes.

Fans rank Nicodemus highly because he makes the rats’ underground world feel
ancient and epic. He isn’t cutesy; he’s solemn, dignified, and sacrificial, more
wizard than rodent. In a movie that’s already darker than most children’s
animation, Nicodemus is the spiritual anchor.

13. Yolanda the Rat – The Muppets Take Manhattan & More

Yolanda tends to get overshadowed by Rizzo, but she’s a fan favorite in her own
right. She’s Rizzo’s sweet, long-suffering girlfriend and a capable worker at the
Muppet Theater. While he’s cracking jokes and getting into trouble, she’s often
the one rolling her eyes and keeping things functional.

Fans appreciate Yolanda because she rounds out the Muppet rat crew with warmth
and competence. She’s proof that even side characters in the Muppets universe can
have personality, charm, and a devoted following.

14. Justin – The Secret of NIMH

If Nicodemus is the wise elder, Justin is the swashbuckling hero of the NIMH rats.
As captain of the guard, he’s brave, charming, and the one you’d absolutely pick
to lead your daring rescue mission.

Fans love Justin because he breaks the “rats are sneaky” stereotype. He’s noble,
courageous, and firmly on the side of the vulnerable. In a story full of moral
gray areas, Justin is refreshingly straightforward: do the right thing, protect
your people, and look good doing it.

15. Ben the Rat – Ben

On the horror side of rat lore stands Ben, the telepathically linked rat leader
from the 1972 movie Ben, a sequel to Willard. The film plays with the
unsettling idea of a boy forming a bond with a rat army commander who is both
friend and threat.

Ben endures in fan rankings because he’s strangely sympathetic. He’s terrifying
in swarms, but the emotional connection with the boy complicates him. Add in a
haunting theme song that lodged itself into pop culture, and you’ve got a horror
rat who refuses to be forgotten.

16–21. Other Fan-Favorite Rats

Rounding out the “20+” in fan rankings are a handful of wonderfully weird and
beloved rats and rat-adjacent characters:

• Ratty from The Wind in the Willows, often included in lists despite technically being a water vole, thanks to his gentle personality and riverside wisdom.
• Scabbers / Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter, whose years as a pet rat add layers of betrayal and unease to the series’ larger story arcs.
• Cluny the Scourge from Redwall, the terrifying warlord rat who marches on Redwall Abbey with a whip, a banner, and absolutely zero chill.
• Amy Madison (“Amy the Rat”) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a witch stuck in rat form for several seasons, turning her into a long-running magical gag with surprising emotional payoff.
• Ratbert from Dilbert, the naive lab rat whose optimism collides hilariously with the soul-crushing world of corporate life.
• Jenner from The Secret of NIMH, the ambitious, power-hungry rat whose scheming gives the story its internal political tension.

Together, this extended cast shows just how flexible the “rat character” archetype
can be. They can be villains, teachers, victims of magic, romantic partners, or
office mascots and fans will still show up to vote for them.

Why Rat Characters Hit So Hard

So why do these rats resonate so strongly? Part of it is simple: rats are underdogs.
They’re small, frequently hated, and usually underestimated. That makes them ideal
vessels for stories about resilience, found family, and second chances. When Remy
gets to run a restaurant or Splinter guides his sons to heroism, it feels like a
win for every little creature who was ever written off.

Rats are also perfect for comedy and horror, which explains the range from Rizzo
and Ratbert to Ben and Cluny the Scourge. Writers can lean into their “gross”
reputation or flip it on its head. Either way, audiences lean in sometimes
laughing, sometimes hiding behind the couch, but always paying attention.

Most of all, these characters endure because they surprise us. We don’t expect to
cry over a rat in a robe or cheer for a rat with a wooden spoon. But we do, over
and over, and that emotional whiplash is part of what keeps fans ranking and
reranking their favorites.

Fan Experiences: Growing Up with the Greatest Rats

Ask people about their favorite rat character and you’ll rarely get a dry, factual
answer. You’ll get stories. Someone will tell you they watched Ratatouille at
age ten and spent the next year trying to plate boxed mac and cheese like fine
dining while quoting Remy’s “anyone can cook” philosophy. Another person will talk
about racing home after school to catch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, where
Splinter’s calm voice and steady presence made them feel oddly safer in their own
living room.

For a lot of fans, rat characters are tied to very specific moments: watching
The Muppet Christmas Carol every December until Rizzo’s commentary felt like
a family tradition; staying up late to read The Secret of NIMH under the covers
and feeling both scared and oddly inspired by Nicodemus and Justin; or discovering
Horrible Histories and realizing school could be hilarious if a snarky rat were
in charge of the curriculum.

Even the darker rats carry strong memories. Horror fans remember the strange
sympathy they felt for Ben, the rat who was both monster and misunderstood
companion. Fantasy fans vividly recall the moment when Scabbers stops being a
sleepy pet and turns out to be one of the biggest traitors in the wizarding
world. Those twists stick because they transform the idea of a rat from “background
vermin” into “plot bomb waiting to go off.”

On the softer side, characters like Emile, Django, and Yolanda feel like people
you know. Emile is that friend who shows up for you but also eats all your fries.
Django is the cautious parent who doesn’t quite understand your dreams but loves
you enough to try. Yolanda is the partner who gently nudges the chaos gremlin in
your life toward being slightly more responsible. They’re rats, sure, but they’re
also family archetypes in fur and whiskers.

There’s also something incredibly relatable about how rat characters move through
their worlds. They live in spaces between: under floorboards, in sewers, behind
restaurant kitchens, under barn troughs, at the edges of human society. For anyone
who’s ever felt like they were sneaking around the edges of a group, never fully
seen or understood, these characters hit home. Remy hiding under a chef’s hat or
Splinter meditating in a New York sewer can feel like stand-ins for fans who grew
up feeling a bit out of place themselves.

Finally, these rats give us permission to root for the unexpected. You don’t look
at a scruffy little rodent and assume “heart of the story” but again and again,
that’s exactly what they become. That’s why fan rankings stay lively, why debates
about whether Remy beats Splinter never really end, and why new generations keep
discovering these characters and adopting them as their own tiny, whiskered
heroes.

In the end, the greatest rat characters of all time aren’t just about clever jokes
or cool action scenes. They’re about transformation of stories, of expectations,
and sometimes of ourselves. And if a rat can become a chef, a sensei, a teacher,
a leader, or even a redeemed villain, then maybe we’re all allowed to be a little
more than people expect, too.