South Park Characters Tier List: Every Main Character Ranked
South Park has been running since 1997, which means it's had plenty of time to build one of the deepest casts in TV comedy. We ranked the 15 characters who matter most, from the fourth-graders to the parents to a certain piece of talking Christmas poo.
This is based on what fans and critics tend to agree on across forums, reviews and years of discussion, with our own take added where the arguments get heated. Disagree with where we put Randy? Good. That's half the fun of a list like this.
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SS Tier: The pillars of the show
Eric Cartman
The engine of the whole show. Cartman works because Trey Parker and Matt Stone never let him off the hook, he's a bigot, a manipulator, and somehow still the funniest kid in Colorado. 'Scott Tenorman Must Die' is probably the single best argument for his place at the top.
About Eric Cartman
A foul-mouthed, scheming fourth-grader who is the de facto lead of South Park. Voiced by Trey Parker since the show's 1997 debut.
- First appeared
- 1997
- Voiced by
- Trey Parker
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle is the moral center, which sounds boring until you remember his rage is just as funny as Cartman's cruelty. The 'Kyle's Mom' song alone earns him a permanent spot near the top, and his back-and-forth with Cartman is the show's longest-running engine.
About Kyle Broflovski
The moral counterweight to Cartman and one of the original four boys. Jewish, frequently the target of Cartman's antisemitic jabs, and voiced by Matt Stone.
- First appeared
- 1997
- Voiced by
- Matt Stone
Butters Stotch
Started as a minor replacement character and became arguably the show's best creation. Butters' mix of genuine innocence and occasional unhinged villain-arc energy (Professor Chaos) gives him more range than almost anyone else in the cast.
About Butters Stotch
A sweet, naive classmate introduced as a recurring replacement character who became a core part of the cast. Also appears as his alter-ego Professor Chaos.
- Voiced by
- Matt Stone
AA Tier: Essential South Park
Stan Marsh
The straight man of the group, which can make him feel like the least flashy of the core four, but he's also the one who gets the show's best satirical rants. His on-and-off thing with Wendy and his 'I'm not gonna cry' breakdowns carry real weight.
About Stan Marsh
One of the show's original four boys, generally seen as the character closest to co-creator Trey Parker. Known for his on-off relationship with Wendy Testaburger.
- First appeared
- 1997
- Voiced by
- Trey Parker
Randy Marsh
Randy went from background dad to arguably a co-lead, and most fans will tell you the show got funnier for it. Tegridy Farms alone could justify his spot here, he's the embarrassing adult the whole town deserves.
About Randy Marsh
Stan's bumbling, impulsive father, a geologist whose storylines have expanded massively in later seasons, including the Tegridy Farms arc.
- Voiced by
- Trey Parker
- Occupation
- Geologist
Kenny McCormick
The death-of-the-week gag could have worn thin in season two. Instead Kenny became a genuine character once the show let his muffled voice and poverty actually mean something, especially in episodes that slow down and take his home life seriously.
About Kenny McCormick
The poorest of the core four boys, originally known for dying in nearly every episode. Speaks in a muffled voice through his hood.
- First appeared
- 1997
- Voiced by
- Matt Stone
Chef
Jerome 'Chef' McElroy gave the show its warmest voice and its best musical numbers, which made his exit all the more jarring. Still one of the most fondly remembered characters, and 'Chocolate Salty Balls' isn't leaving anyone's head soon.
About Chef
The school cafeteria cook and a trusted adult figure to the boys, known for his smooth singing voice. Voiced by Isaac Hayes until 2006.
- Voiced by
- Isaac Hayes
- Known for
- Musical numbers
BB Tier: Reliably great
Mr. Garrison
Few characters have been rewritten as many times as Garrison, puppet gimmicks, gender transitions, a presidential run, and somehow it mostly works because the show treats his chaos as a constant rather than a gimmick. Divisive among fans, but rarely boring.
About Mr. Garrison
A South Park Elementary teacher whose character has gone through numerous major changes over the show's run, including gender transition storylines and a run for U.S. president.
- Voiced by
- Trey Parker
Wendy Testaburger
The most consistently written girl in a show that doesn't always know what to do with its female characters. Wendy gets real arcs, real anger, and the occasional moment where she's clearly the smartest person in the room.
About Wendy Testaburger
A classmate and Stan's frequent on-and-off girlfriend, generally regarded as the most developed female character in the main cast.
Mr. Mackey
M'kay. That's basically the whole pitch, and it's enough. A guidance counselor who's both a parody of bad advice and weirdly sincere when the show needs him to be.
About Mr. Mackey
The South Park Elementary guidance counselor, famous for ending sentences with 'm'kay'.
- Voiced by
- Trey Parker
- Role
- School counselor
CC Tier: Good in small doses
Mr. Hankey
A talking Christmas turd is either the funniest or the most tired joke the show has, depending who you ask. Fans are genuinely split here. We land on charming-but-thin, great in the original Christmas special, less essential every time he's brought back.
About Mr. Hankey
A sentient piece of feces who appears around Christmas time, introduced in the show's early Christmas specials.
- First appeared
- 1997
Sheila Broflovski
Kyle's mom is a legend mostly because of one song, but her overbearing, campaign-launching energy has powered some solid episodes beyond that. She's more premise than person, though a very funny premise.
About Sheila Broflovski
Kyle's mother, known for her outspoken activism and the song 'Kyle's Mom Is a Bitch'.
- Known for
- 'Kyle's Mom's a Bitch' song
Craig Tucker
The deadpan middle finger kid has a loyal fanbase, especially after his own arcs got fleshed out later in the show's run. Good, reliable, rarely a headline act.
About Craig Tucker
A deadpan, often middle-finger-flipping classmate who has become a more prominent character in later seasons.
- Known for
- Deadpan delivery
DD Tier: Running on fumes
Jimmy Valmer
Jimmy's stand-up routines and 'timmah'-adjacent energy are fine for a scene, but he's one of the cast members who tends to vanish for stretches without anyone noticing. Disability jokes aged better than most of the show's shock material, at least.
About Jimmy Valmer
A classmate who uses crutches and works as an amateur stand-up comedian within the show.
- Known for
- Stand-up comedy routines
FF Tier: The show barely needs them
Token Black
The show itself has joked about how little it does with Token, and that's the honest truth. Years of being the one Black kid whose entire personality is being the one Black kid, with only occasional flashes of something more.
About Token Black
A classmate of the boys whose name is a direct joke about his role as the group's one Black character.
- First appeared
- 1997
How we ranked them
We weighed cultural impact (how quotable, memeable and referenced the character is), writing quality (how well the show uses them over 25+ seasons), and staying power (whether they're still funny now or just nostalgic). Characters who evolved into something richer than their original joke score higher than ones who stayed one-note, even if that one note was funny in 1999.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
Who is the most popular South Park character?
Eric Cartman, by a wide margin. He's the most quoted, most merchandised, and most central to the show's biggest episodes.
Is Kenny dead for good now?
The show largely retired the death-of-the-week gag years ago, treating Kenny more like a normal character with occasional nods to his old running joke.
Why did Chef leave South Park?
Chef's voice actor, Isaac Hayes, left the show in 2006, and the character was written out shortly after in a widely discussed send-off episode.
Is Butters a fan favorite?
Yes, Butters is consistently ranked among fans' top characters, often cited as the show's most well-rounded creation outside the original core four.
Who is the least developed South Park character?
Token Black is the one most fans and even the show's own writers point to as underused, with his race often treated as his entire character trait.
More rankings
Image credits
- Eric CartmanCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Kyle BroflovskiCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Butters StotchCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Stan MarshCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Randy MarshCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Kenny McCormickCover: Wikipedia · Source
- ChefCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Mr. GarrisonCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Wendy TestaburgerCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Mr. MackeyCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Mr. HankeyImage: South Park Public Library (Fandom), © its owner · Source
- Sheila BroflovskiImage: South Park Public Library (Fandom), © its owner · Source
- Craig TuckerCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Jimmy ValmerCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Token BlackCover: Wikipedia · Source