There are very few cartoons that shy away from a humorous nature to derive episodes filled with such intensity and symbolism that it leaves its viewers speechless. There are even less that create such unwavering parallels to the world we live in that it causes us to all think and even reevaluate the world around us. These ten shows not only describe various adventures that seem otherworldly but create a realistic aspect to them that children, teens and even adults can relate to in life.

10. "Static Shock"

Coming in at number ten is “Static Shock.” During its time on Cartoon Network, it was the second highest ranking show in terms of viewer ratings; it's easy to see why it had its success. "Static Shock" showed us how gang violence can completely consume a neighborhood if nobody stops it. This is an issue a lot of kids deal with every day and is something you rarely get to see on TV, especially brought up in a cartoon show.

Although a gang related problem ends up being the catalyst for "Static Shock" attaining his powers, it also leads to his enemies getting their powers as well. This dangerous neighborhood eventually even leads to the death of his mom and his best friend being shot.

The show also has another unique spin to it: the protagonist, Virgil, is a young black male hero which is very atypical in today's society. It's nice seeing him fight crime with his own swagger/style. "Static Shock" is just an apple among oranges.

9. "Hey Arnold"

At number nine is “Hey Arnold." This show is just so nicely done. The creator actually tried to get a show on Nick-at-Nite, which would have portrayed Helga as the main character. The idea was denied, so as "Hey Arnold" continued he made Helga a more relevant character in the show. It was just something unique, seeing a side character unexpectedly get more and more screen time as the show went on. She nearly stole the show from Arnold, the main character. It also had some dark tropes and motifs, such as Helga's mother's possible addiction to alcohol (she shows a lot of the side effects) and Arnold being a possible orphan.

There were some moments where I cried from laughter. All the immigrants that lived in Arnold's house were just incredibly funny characters. They were all pretty stereotypical but the creators never let it get offensive (in my opinion) and that's hard to do. The only problem I have with this show is Arnold seemed a little too mature for his age. Perhaps it's just a result of growing up in a household with only adults. The movie wasn't bad either.

8. "Code Lyoko"

At number eight is “Code Lyoko." No show has ever made school seem so fun. After watching this, it made me wish my middle school had dorms in it so I could experience the adventures these characters faced on a daily basis.This show did a great job of making the viewers never want to stop watching.There were so many answers to questions that I wanted to know as I watched it. Would Aelita get out of Lyoko? Would Aelita ever be reunited with her parents? Would Ulrich and Yumi stay just friends or become more than that? Would Odd find a permanent girlfriend or would he just continue to be a player? Would they defeat Xana? And probably the biggest question, would they keep their secret?All these questions were obviously answered as the show went on. But the creators did a great job of revealing the answers slowly over time so you had no choice but to keep watching. The moral of "Code Lyoko" was definitely that a strong friendship can accomplish anything and everything.

7. "Rugrats"

Coming in at number seven is the “Rugrats” series. Do you remember what you usually did when you were a baby? If not then just watch an episode of "Rugrats" and all your questions will be answered. It takes a baby's everyday schedule, adds a little comedy to it, and then throws it back at the audience. From learning how to be potty-trained to facing their fear of monsters in closets, it's something we all went through as kids. The fact that it's so relatable makes me want to watch the show and then try and remember how I acted in those scenarios when I was little. The three movies were also pretty good, with the first one bringing Dil into the group and teaching kids how to deal with welcoming a new sibling into the family

The second movie focused on Chuckie dealing with his mother dying at a young age and him having to be the only kid in the group without two parents 😢, at least until his dad finds a wife in Paris. It also added one of my favorite characters in the series, Kim.

The third one was a crossover with “The Wild Thornberry’s,” but the best part of that movie was seeing Spike talk. Fortunately, it did not end there. The creators then decided to make a spin-off series in which we would see the babies ten years in the future called "All Grown Up."

Although there were a few minor flaws in the new show, like the kids having jobs at the age of ten, the idea of "All Grown Up" was just great. Who wouldn't want to see how the characters changed over the years? The series as whole just stayed consistently good, which is hard to do.

6. "Pokemon"

At number six is “Pokemon.” The popularity of this show is just simply astounding. Pikachu has nearly become one of the few cartoon characters to be a universal household name. Honestly, who can't recognize Pikachu; even Microsoft Word registered Pikachu as a word.This is hands down the most popular anime to ever be created. The video game series is the second most successful franchise in history (second to only Mario) and it's been airing for around 16 years. It seems this show has accomplished everything it's ever wanted and more. Although many people believe the show got worse as the years passed, the series as a whole was quite creative and nicely done.I personally was a fan of the show whenever Brock was on the screen and I believed the show was at its best in the Diamond and Pearl season. I also thought Dawn to be the best thing to happen for Pokemon. Dawn was different; she portrayed a character that showed more feminism than that of May and Misty, shattering the idea that only girls who are "tomboyish" enjoy battling. She made contests much more interesting than May did and at times I even preferred to watch her rather than Ash in his gym battles. Seeing her go through her depression and facing her rivals, Zoey, Kenny, and Jessalina, who were all given little backstory, was extremely interesting. I even enjoyed all of her Pokemon as well. In my opinion, Dawn's goodbye along with Misty's were the only sad goodbyes in the series. Sadly the Diamond/Pearl series had one major flaw, which was Ash's loss in the semi-finals to a person that has a Darkrai and had never appeared on the show before; that moment was greatly depressing and disappointing.

The Unova series is the reason I stopped watching Pokemon though. Iris just reminded me of a girl version of Ash and at that point, I was already getting tired of that guy. His constant losing and obliviousness became tedious to me. I have heard of a possible connection to a new character, Serena, so maybe there's hope and I will watch again. Or it will just be another disappointment.

5. "Jimmy Neutron"

Coming in at number five is “Jimmy Neutron.” The Jimmy-Cindy relationship, for me at least, was the highlight of this show. However, what made it great was the fact it didn't dominate every storyline in the show. Their love/hate relationship was always a subplot to the main plot in any given episode, so it gave a chance for side characters Libby, Sheen and/or Carl to be the stars in an episode and gain some characterization.This show actually made science interesting and taught you things about science, history, or math that you could easily remember. I don't know if the science in Jimmy's experiments were accurate, but it sounded right so I never questioned it.

The movie and the crossover episodes with "The Fairy Oddparents" were also pretty great and only added to how spectacular the series already was. As the show went on it continued to get better and the "Jindy" bond was even further developed.

The series finale thankfully ended the way everyone wanted it to, with Jimmy finally kissing Cindy. The ending allowed people to speculate on what happened next and opened the door for many of the “Jimmy Neutron” fan-fictions. Whether that was done purposely just to keep the show relevant in the cartoon universe or not, it was still a pretty intelligent move by the creators.

Overall, throughout its three seasons, this show maintained its stamina, never allowing any episode to be particularly boring.

4. "Kid's Next Door"

At number four is “Kid’s Next Door,” a show about a secret organization run by kids who were focused on ending adult tyranny everywhere. Just the summary of this show would make any kid want to tune in and watch a portion of it. Once you did, there's no possible way you wouldn't be hooked on this show. Sector V's everyday missions were just something you couldn't miss. Seeing them use their creative weapons to fight for things like candy before dinner, later bedtimes, and less homework was just hysterical.

Even if you are not particularly a fan of action and comedy, you could enjoy the romantic moments between #3 and #4 as this show contained such a wide variety of genres.Surprisingly, that isn't the best part of this great cartoon. In the last season, the show began to take on a darker theme than usual, when the story-line of the Galactic Kids Next Door was further explored. You began to see that some kids actually think of adulthood as a disease. This conveys that any organization can become corrupt, even ones that are led by kids. This is evident when you see the splinter cell, Galactic Kids Next Door, interfering in #1's life to ensure that he will pick the Galactic Kid’s Next Door over the Kid’s Next Door. Taking a closer look shows you that there are various other sections of “Kid’s Next Door” that suffer from this taint as well. “Kid’s Next Door” was definitely, in my opinion, one of the better cartoons in the last decade.

3. "Teen Titans"

Coming in at number three is one of my personal favorites, “Teen Titans.” I believe this show probably has one of the best character developments out of any cartoon that has come on TV. I would say four of the five main characters had significant major developments throughout the series. All of them had their own season in which they dominated the spotlight of that particular season's plot. Season 1 was for Robin, as he let his urge to catch Slade get the best of him. He had to learn how to balance trusting his teammates, while still being able to lead by example. Season 2 revolved around Beast Boy and Terra's complicated relationship (one of my favorites). Seeing Terra turn on the Teen Titans, mainly Beast Boy, who had given her everything she could ever want, was extremely tough to watch. Season 3 focused on Cyborg feeling unappreciated and held back as the oldest member of the group. He wanted to branch out from the team and finally become the leader of his own "pack." Season 4 was all about Raven and her demonic destiny. She had to learn that your destiny is whatever you make it out to be, not what someone tells you it will be

Season 5 came back to Beast Boy and showed us what he did before becoming a Titan. This season showed us the most dangerous enemy the Titans had ever faced, along with Beast Boy changing from a goofy sidekick to a reliable, respectable leader, in his own goofy way. Starfire had a few episodes dedicated to her sprinkled throughout the series, but never a whole season, which I wasn't completely destroyed about.

Then, in the series finale, we see the return of Terra. After trying to get her to join the Titans again Beast Boy comes to a conclusion he tried so very hard to avoid. He makes the selfless decision to let Terra live her live as a normal person despite him wanting her back in his life. Any Beast Boy fan will realize just how emotional this ending truly was. Sadly it feels like the new "Teen Titans Go" series has tainted the amazing legacy left behind by the original Cartoon Network series.

2. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"

At number two is “Star Wars the Clone Wars”. If you enjoy conspiracy theories, then this is the show for you. After watching this show, it's easy to see that it is a mirror image of the world we live in today. In my perspective, if you look closely you'll see that the republic is a reflection of how Americans view the United States, a government that we believe to be a great democracy, but in reality, it's a corrupt plutocracy. The separatists are a reflection of how other countries view the United States, bullies that go around conquering territories, abusing the people, and stealing their natural resources.

This great show teaches us that there is no good or bad side in a war; it's not that simple. It doesn't only depict the black and white areas of war, it also displays the gray areas that we never take into consideration. This cartoon also shows something I've rarely seen another show do: it portrays the characterization of a particularly good character into an evil one (Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader). We see him notice the flaws in the Jedi order as the show progresses.

We learn the Jedi, perhaps, aren't as good as they claim to be and we even see some Jedi turn their back on the order and the republic. Now if you’re not into complex plots then you can also enjoy the amazing battle scenes and humorous moments this cartoon displays. Some battles were so gruesome they actually reminded me of the movie “Saving Private Ryan."

This cartoon has about everything you could want in a show. Some people even believe it made up for the prequel series of “Star Wars” being quite disappointing. Whether that's true or not I still highly suggest that everyone should watch this show.

1. "Avatar: The Last Air-Bender/Legend of Korra"

Coming in at number one, another one of my personal favorites, “Avatar the Last Air Bender” and "Legend of Korra". All of the other shows on this list were great,

but in my opinion, the Avatar series was just on another level in terms of greatness. “Avatar the Last Air Bender” took creativity, humor, storytelling, and animation, meshed it all together and then created perfection. Then, after mastering the four elements of a great show, it arguably created one of the best-animated characters to ever be on TV: Zuko.

His character's journey to achieving honor was so complex and unpredictable it had every viewer waiting on the edge of their seats to see what he’d do next. Zuko’s life story of him trying to decide whether to follow in his father’s footsteps or listen to his uncle’s guidance and do what was morally right easily stole the show. The show was at its peak when Zuko was at the crossroads of his destiny, then chose to do the wrong thing. Of course, he eventually found his way and earned his uncle's forgiveness in a very emotional moment. Although Zuko was the antagonist for the majority of the show, I often found myself continuously rooting for him.

The finale of “Avatar: The Last Air Bender” was phenomenal. The creators decided to make the fight between Azula and Zuko a silent scene. This allowed us to enjoy the scene in its entirety and focus on the amazing animations of the fire fight.

I didn't even get a chance to discuss the main characters and it's already evident just how outstanding this show really was. When “Avatar the Last Air Bender” ended I didn't believe any other show would ever surpass its greatness or even come close to it, but I was completely and utterly wrong.

In my opinion, “Legend of Korra” did everything “Avatar: The Last Air Bender” did and then took it up a notch. The four antagonists in “Legend of Korra” fought for things that, in essence, are seen as morally good things. Equality, Harmony, Anarchy, and Unity. These are all things that if the Avatar was fighting for, no one would have a problem with it.

That's what makes this show so incredibly great. The creators really made a thin line between good and bad. This causes you to sympathize with the antagonists at times, especially Zaheer and Kuvira. Then, the symbolism of Season 4 is just stellar. The creators intentionally make Kuvira’s personality similar to earlier Korra's personality. They even make their body shapes pretty identical. This is done to show you that when Korra is finally able to overcome Kuvira, she has to also overcome her old self.

Throughout the show it was her stubborn, impatient attitude, just like Kuvira, that held her back from air bending, going into the spirit world, and recovering from her physical therapy. Now, it might be coming together if you remember Korra telling Kuvira that she can relate to her in the finale. Despite believing Unalaq to be one of the most boring villains in the show, the animation of the spirits along with the story of the origin of the avatar spirit in season 2 completely made up for it. Amon (Season 1) and Zaheer (Season 3) were the most interesting enemies and were the biggest threats to Korra.

In “Legend of Korra” we also got to see the sub-elements a lot more. There was even the addition of new ones. Korra's character development was superb and it was also nice seeing a strong female lead save and protect the world. The show was also pretty humorous; Bolin and Pabu's relationship was comparable to that of Sokka and Momo, even better at times. Personally, Season 3 of “Legend of Korra” was just so unique in its various motifs and general themes that it has become my favorite season. In my opinion, altogether the Avatar series was the greatest cartoon series to hit TV. The show never really decayed in terms of quality and the consistency was always there. It was an easy pick for number one.