The BoJack Horseman universe is filled with funny, annoying, and delightful characters. What makes this adult cartoon stand out is the fact that it is centered around damaged characters who try to fight their demons the best way they can. Some find the show to be depressing but those who can relate to the struggles of the main characters find great solace in their arcs. BoJack Horseman is also known for its subtle, yet hilarious social commentary. Through visual gags and ridiculous plot lines, it criticizes the superficiality of Hollywood and the way media tackles issues, such as women's rights and the dark side of capitalism.
BoJack Horseman characters often make mistakes and fail to act like adults. They are driven by trauma, personality disorders, and codependency that stems all the way from their childhoods. No wonder they all hit rock bottom at some point in the show. Even though they all act selfish and irresponsible from time to time, they are generally all very likable - especially those who take control of their lives and heal from the abuse that defined them. The show does a miraculous job of portraying that people are a product of their environments and that those who do terrible things are not necessarily bad people, but they sure are tragic and need to take accountability.
Beatrice Horseman
Beatrice Horseman is BoJack's mother. When he was little, she showed him no love whatsoever and only had harsh words for him. BoJack internalized her toxic messages as a relentless inner critic that then serves to guide him in life. Beatrice is resentful and bitter - and it is no wonder.
Her father lobotomized her mother and she grew up in a society that only valued women's appearances rather than their intelligence. As an adult, she made poor life choices herself. Smitten by Butterscotch, pregnant Beatrice ran away with him and the two had one of the most toxic relationships seen on the show. Beatrice's arc serves to show the crushing grip of trans-generational trauma. Unfortunately, her past doesn't redeem her. She is the most unlikable main character on the show.
Sarah Lynn
Up next on the list is someone way more likable than Beatrice. Sarah Lynn stands out because she is loud, annoying, and immature. Her mother wanted her little girl to be a star and so Sarah Lynn literally gave her life to the entertainment industry. By the time she was thirty, nobody cared about her and she became a raging alcoholic who swears a lot and parties with BoJack.
At first, her character partially served as a little bit of comic relief. In season 3, she literally dies because of BoJack, a drug named after the only father figure she ever had in her life - and even he failed her. Her story is one of the saddest in the show. While Sarah Lynn is not pleasant or civil, her screen time is either really funny or devastating.
Diane Nguyen
Diane started off as an insecure girl who relied on others to build her sense of self. Growing up in a loveless home, she struggles with depression and a chronic feeling of emptiness. Princess Carolyn and her have the most patience for BoJack, but as Diane learns that empathizing with him only enables his behavior, she confronts him by writing his biggest secrets in a script for Philbert.
What Diane did to BoJack in season 5 isn't exactly nice, but it represents a major step forward for her. As the seasons progress, she might be a bit less likable, but at least she started to draw boundaries and putting herself first.
Princess Carolyn
Princess Carolyn's personality is witty, ambitious, and competent, but she can also be manipulative and overly self-sacrificing. Even though she comes across as independent and successful, she is actually crippled by co-dependency that stems from her childhood when she was parentified by her alcoholic mother.
It's hard not to like a character that always saves the day and helps her friends get ahead in life, but her motivations stem from a very unhealthy place. Sometimes, she makes executive decisions in the name of others. For example, she signs a contract instead of BoJack, even though he is no place to commit himself to a huge project like Philbert. Luckily, she gets a happy ending. With Judah by her side, she can start letting go of the control freak that is raging inside of her.
Mr. Peanutbutter
Mr. Peanutbutter is impossible not to like. Even though he can't manage his own life and is actually pretty helpless, he is liked for the same reasons people like dogs in real life. He is optimistic, cheerful, and absolutely adores his friends. His life philosophy is devoid of meaning. He lives to keep himself busy at all times, but his lifestyle slowly catches up to him in season 6. If it wasn't for his wealth and the fact that he can hire people to manage his life, he would be completely lost. But as is evident from the things he says, he generally takes it all in stride.
Mr. Peanutbutter would never (intentionally) hurt a fly and that's why he has made it so high on this list. He and Todd make for the most endearing team on the show.
BoJack Horseman
Despite being a narcissistic mess, BoJack Horseman remains one of the show's favorite characters. He is smart, cynical, and direct. While most Hollywoo stars and celebrities go on living their superficial lives, BoJack at least sees through the phoniness of it all. He struggles to find happiness, always thinking it is right around the corner. His lifestyle could be described as a continuous chase of the next high - be it induced by emotions, substances, or professional success.
Along the way, he hurts almost every other character. Sarah Lynn dies, Penny and Gina will be haunted by him for the rest of her life, and he continuously lets Mr. PB and Todd know that he couldn't care less about them.
Hollyhock
BoJack's little sister Hollyhock became one of the main characters in season 4. She represented hope and a new start for BoJack: he took his insufferable mother in because Hollyhock wanted him to do that and BoJack genuinely cared for her. Unfortunately, her stay at his place was cut short because Beatrice was drugging her coffee.
Hollyhock is naive, sweet, and kind. Ultimately, she decides to cut ties with BoJack, which is both understandable and heart-breaking. By sheer coincidence, she finds out about what he did in New Mexico.
Gina Cazador
In season 5, Gina co-starred alongside BoJack in Philbert and started dating him. They bonded over being laid-back and cynical. Thanks to her outstanding performance on the show, she makes it big in the world of Hollywoo, but her happiness is soon taken away from her as she is assaulted on set by an intoxicated BoJack.
Refusing to be defined as "the girl who got strangled by BoJack Horseman," she demands that they hide the truth from the media. In season 6, Gina got cast as the main character in a movie, but it is evident she is still not over the trauma caused by BoJack. It is hard to see one of the most likable characters on the show pay the price for the irresponsibility of others.
Todd Chavez
Todd may be an irresponsible couch potato, but he is caring, honest, and imaginative. He is overlooked and seriously underappreciated by most characters, but this ray of sunshine actually deserves as much affection as Kelsey gave him whenever she ran into him.
Even though he has no time management skills whatsoever, Todd is a dedicated hard worker. Of all the characters on the show, he has the most impressive CV and has hurt his loved ones the least. His quotes are mostly silly, but they also prove that Todd is not as dumb as he looks.
Judah Mannowdog
Judah is the real MVP in BoJack Horseman. He is dependable, realistic, and stable. While others are thrown around by tumultuous emotions, he remains logical and grounded. Seeing him go in "Ruthie" when Princess Carolyn fired him was painfully hard to watch - not only because PC made a mistake, but also because he was instantly among the biggest fan-favorites.
Of all the characters in the series, Judah knows how to love and be loved the best. BoJack and Mr. PB think that love is about grand gestures, while Diane and PC think that the pre-requisite for partnership is giving up your own needs. Judah, however, is all about acts of service and supporting the one you love on their life mission.