List of The Boondocks characters


The following is a partial list of characters who have appeared in the animated television series, The Boondocks.

Main characters

The Freeman family

The Freeman family in The Boondocks series is portrayed as an all-male, African-American trio, each having very different personalities. The main protagonist and narrator is Huey, who possesses the cognitive functions of a child genius. His brother, Riley Freeman, is more practical, streetwise, and outspoken. The brothers rarely get along, except for example in the episode "Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner", where Huey and Riley work together to find out the truth about the character, Cristal. For the most part, Huey and Riley behave like s, and many stories revolve around their feeling embarrassed by the other's actions. The third member of the Freeman family is Robert, the "Grandad" to Huey and Riley. Robert cannot remember his own age, yet he never dates women of his own generation.

Huey Freeman

Huey Freeman is a young, leftist, black radical revolutionary and retired domestic terrorist. He is a near master practitioner of Chinese martial arts, as seen in the episodes "Let's Nab Oprah", "Attack of the Killer Kung Fu Wolf Bitch", "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy", and "...Or Die Trying". He maintains an austere, yet strangely loving relationship with his brother Riley, and occasionally goes out of his way to prevent his brother from succumbing to bad influences. Over the course of the comic strip and television series, Huey consistently maintains a sober demeanor. During most episodes, Huey is the narrator, and it is often only through his narration that he reveals his thoughts and emotions. In the comic strip, Huey's best friend is Michael Caesar, who effectively counters Huey's pessimistic world outlook with his upbeat personality and temperament. In the television series, this role is played by Huey's neighbor Jazmine Dubois, who balances Huey's character with her childlike, naive innocence, often causing Huey to have to resolve a situation where she is being taken advantage of. Huey also can speak perfect Mandarin Chinese as shown in "The Big Red Ball", though how he knows this is never explained.

Riley Freeman

Riley Freeman is Huey's younger brother. Riley can be seen as representative of misguided black youth, and is a product of mass media influence, in that he refers to women as "bitches" or "hoes", frequently alludes to his "rep" and his status on the "streets", and idolizes gangsta rappers and their lifestyle. He often refers to himself with the self-appointed moniker "Young Reezy". Though he would seem to be everything his brother is not, Riley demonstrates his ability to rationalize and plan, such as when he left attorney Tom DuBois speechless after debating with him in "The Trial of R. Kelly". Riley's criminal aptitude is revealed when he goes on a crime spree with the incompetent Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy in the episode "Let's Nab Oprah". Riley is fascinated by firearms, and displays a tendency to violence. At Christmas, he declared himself "The Santa Stalker" and attacked the Santa at the local mall with Airsoft Glock 17s, hitting many innocent bystanders. Although Riley does not own any real firearms, he associates with Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy, who on occasion granted him access to real weapons. Riley also seems to possess an unusually large amount of strength and stamina, as seen when he fights his brother Huey, a skilled martial artist and swordsman, and when he fights kung-fu-trained Stinkmeaner. Behind his tough-guy facade, Riley shows some sensitivity, as in the episode "Riley Wuz Here" during which he learns to use his creative abilities for the sake of creating art, rather than personal glory.

Robert Freeman

Robert Jebediah "Granddad" Freeman, is the retired paternal grandfather and legal guardian of Huey and Riley who lives in the peaceful suburb of Woodcrest. Although it is never directly explained how Robert came to be Huey and Riley's guardian, it is implied that Huey and Riley's biological parents are deceased. Robert has witnessed many major incidents in American history and occasionally serves as a more pragmatic voice of reason in the Freeman family. Robert was a fighter pilot in World War II, where he flew a P-51 Mustang with the Tuskegee Airmen. He played a part in the civil rights movement but was prone to certain faux pas, such as donning a raincoat in preparation for getting doused by a police firehose. He was also a part of the Montgomery bus boycott, even sitting next to Rosa Parks and refusing to give up his seat first, though to his chagrin, she received all the credit. Though he expresses embarrassment over Huey and Riley's behavior, his primary motivation is to advance his family's best interest, which often leads him into conflict with his grandsons. Huey and Riley, though possessing contrasting personalities, tend not to act in line with their grandfather's desire for simple living. Riley gets in trouble a lot and Huey always has his eye on some bigger picture. Robert does not hesitate to use corporal punishment when he thinks it is necessary, often against Riley, and has developed a high degree of skill in wielding his belt for this purpose.

Secondary characters

The DuBois family