Most Loved VS Most Hated YouTube Animators

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]For every loved animator on YouTube, there is also one hated by everyone.

[00:00:04]Starting with Shaffy Sway, who built his platform on extremely sus content despite being marketed to kids. Back in 2023, his videos stirred up major controversy online.

[00:00:16]Did you just finished? Yeah. Inside of me? I don't know.

[00:00:22]Check your mouth. Due to the childlike animation style, it didn't take long for the internet to call out the disturbing nature of the content.

[00:00:31]Yo, there's no way I just seen what I just seen right now, right? Like like bro, I okay, all the other videos, it was really bad, but this is crazy.

[00:00:41]Bro, I mean they've already taken to the limits. I ain't going to lie, bro. Like that's like half the [ __ ] I can see on the hood.

[00:00:46]>> But despite the backlash, Shaffy only doubled down, blaming the parents of the kids watching his content. If kids see us instead of young adults and adults, when we are age restricted, you should report it until they fix the issue. He even shared a ChatGPT screenshot as proof his content wasn't meant for kids, only to throw shade at his haters weeks later. And as it turned out, it was only a decoy to get people off his back, because just weeks later, he returned to his community tab to throw shade at his haters once again. Thank you for over 50 million views and almost 1 million likes in a week. To the real ones who get that we're just a cartoon tagged not for kids, we love you. You're the reason we keep making this wild stuff. And to the haters, thanks for juicing our algorithm with your outrage comments. Let's be honest, you've seen every video probably twice. We see you. Shaffy Sway team loves you. As you can imagine, the internet wasn't pleased. People like this give genuine animators a bad rap.

[00:01:43]Honestly shocked how YouTube doesn't do anything about these types of creators.

[00:01:47]But while Shaffy chased clicks at the cost of his reputation, Jaiden Animations took the opposite route.

[00:01:54]>> [music] >> In July 2024, Jaiden beat every other YouTuber to claim the $1 million prize Mr. Beast's 50 YouTubers Fight for $1 million challenge.

[00:02:06]OH MY GOSH. OH, WHOA. YOU WERE SO CHILL.

[00:02:12]I WAS LIKE, "SURELY SHE'S OUT." YOU ARE THE WINNER.

[00:02:20]BUT WHAT CAUGHT EVERYONE OFF GUARD WAS her plan for the money.

[00:02:23]>> How do you plan on giving it away to your subscribers? I just >> [laughter] >> I I'd really like to send a lot of them to art school.

[00:02:30]>> did exactly what she said, sending art students to school. This wasn't a one-off, either. Back in 2023, she joined Jacksepticeye's Hope From Home live stream, helping raise over $260,000 for COVID-19 relief.

[00:02:44]>> Oh, Jaiden, we reached OUR GOAL. $250K.

[00:02:47]WHAT? YEAH.

[00:02:48]WHOA. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? BRO, someone just donated $20,000.

[00:02:54]>> Between fundraisers, charity events, and environmental causes, Jaiden's become one of the most loved animators on the platform. But while Jaiden put in the work to give back, Nutshell Animations took every shortcut possible.

[00:03:07]>> [music] >> Back in 2018, Nutshell rose to popularity with bite-size animations and rapid-fire humor.

[00:03:15]STOP.

[00:03:17]GOOD GOD, MAN. You almost got the cheese touch. For what?

[00:03:21]>> But in January 2025, commentary YouTuber Beato 999 dropped a video titled Nutshell Animations: The Most Corrupt Channel on YouTube, exposing him for this.

[00:03:31]>> It's kind of scummy to, you know, steal an audio, and then on top of that, do none of the work, and have other people do it for you. I agree, it's scummy.

[00:03:39]Contacted by three different people, all claiming to be animators for Nutshell, [music] and outright saying that these are not allegations, and he does, in fact, pay 50 measly dollars for them to do his job.

[00:03:52]>> worse when it came out his animators were told to recreate TikTok style videos using already trending audios, raising serious questions about how genuine the content really was. Even more damning, Nutshell was accused of exploiting kids to cut costs and underpay them. Most of his animators are minors or were minors when they started [music] working for him. Most. Like I He has 20, I guarantee that most of them [music] were minors. He is just clearly reaching out to young people. And it's not because there's a shortage of adult animators, they are literally everywhere. It's because, like this guy, they just know their worth. And Nutshell is not willing to pay them.

[00:04:29]>> Oh, man, we got child labor in the animation industry. As an animator, this is insane. Spending hours of your day to work for someone so they can roll up in some Ferrari and only getting paid 6.50 cents is honestly scary. But while Nutshell cut corners, Alan Becker took the complete opposite approach.

[00:04:50]Alan first rose to fame through his iconic Animator vs. Animation series, turning simple stick figures into fights people couldn't forget.

[00:05:14]And for someone who started with nothing but stick figures, Alan pushed further than anyone expected. From there, he expanded into Animation vs. YouTube, Animation vs. Math, Animation vs. Physics, and Animation vs. League of Legends. Each one proving just how far he was willing to go.

[00:05:36]>> [music] >> As Alan kept experimenting and pushing his ideas forward over time, that consistency paid off, landing him his first 100 million views.

[00:05:53]>> Animation vs. Minecraft is about to hit 100 million views right now. I'm recording it. Oh, it hit it. It hit it.

[00:06:01]And instead of keeping his techniques to himself, he launched Alan Becker tutorials to teach his audience how he did it.

[00:06:06]>> If one drawing is made for each frame, 24 drawings per second, that is called drawing on ones. If one drawing is made for every two frames, that's called drawing on twos. And every three drawings is threes and so on. It's actually very common to draw on twos rather than ones for a few reasons.

[00:06:20]First, it cuts the amount of work in half. Second, it actually makes slow actions look smoother than if you were to draw every frame because the precision needed to draw in between two very close drawings can lead to the animation looking jittery.

[00:06:32]>> That commitment to improving his craft while giving back to the community only fueled his growth even further, growing his platform to over 32 million subscribers and 8 billion views, and making him one of the most respected animators on YouTube. But while Alan earned his audience through dedication, Bella the Wolf went down a very different path.

[00:06:51]>> [music] >> In August 2024, Bella set off a storm online after releasing a Gacha-style video showing Jesus kissing Allah.

[00:07:07]The video deeply offended Muslims and Christians alike, leading to mass calls for her ban. But instead of backing down, she released a video slandering beloved Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade.

[00:07:19]>> [music] [singing and music] >> When people called her out, she fired back with a response that only poured more fuel on the fire. He called him "Please do your research before hating on me." Things got darker when she was accused of doxxing an underage boy who'd done nothing to her.

[00:07:42]>> Some girl or some person who goes on the internet by Bella the wolf, um, put my son, and here he is, that's Miles, put Miles' number on a Discord server, [music] said that it was hers, and told people to call. Um, today I checked his phone while he was at school, and there was voicemails and [music] text messages saying the N-word with the n i g g e r, you know, and I don't know if they're saying that he's black.

[00:08:12]>> Following this, the backlash reached a level she couldn't ignore. With nowhere left to hide, Bella allegedly faked a serious medical diagnosis to gain sympathy.

[00:08:20]>> I want to inform y'all that I have fourth stage of cancer and it has been very difficult for me to deal with it.

[00:08:27]>> And when no one bought the fake cancer diagnosis, she went even further, faking her own arrest.

[00:08:32]>> For the last 3 weeks, I was in jail [music] and it's very horrible in here.

[00:08:36]The officers don't care at all that I'm a cancer patient. I'm in jail because [music] of that kid's number I leaked and someone spread false information that I'm an animal sir.

[00:08:46]>> like before, no one was buying it. Put her back in jail. I can sleep peacefully now. Thank you for getting arrested. But while Bella's wrath burned every bridge she had, Pencilmation took the opposite path, becoming one of the most loved 2D animation channels on YouTube through years of patience.

[00:09:05]Back in 2009, Ross Bollinger launched Pencilmation, quickly becoming the fan favorite for its fast-paced visual gags and recognizable doodle style.

[00:09:21]>> [music] [cheering] >> What made it stand out was how he paired minimalistic art with sharp visual humor, carving out a style you could spot anywhere.

[00:09:57]That formula paid off, landing him a spot in YouTube Rewind as the third most viewed creator on the platform in 2019.

[00:10:04]The momentum even led to three books: Pencil Olympics, Pencilmate vs. Pencil, and Pencilmation. Today, Pencilmation is one of the most beloved animators on YouTube, built on nothing but hard work and consistency. But while Pencilmation quietly built a loyal fan base, Rocky Raccoon went the opposite direction.

[00:10:23]>> [music] >> Back in 2021, Rocky went viral for his disturbing content despite targeting a younger audience.

[00:10:32]>> [music] >> And as you can imagine, this immediately led to people commenting things like, "If your parents bought your college tuition to go pursue arts and they see you make this, what would they say?" As more viewers began calling out the strange direction of his content, Rocky only fueled the outrage, dropping a now-deleted video featuring the young Hee doll from Squid Game.

[00:10:58]>> [music] >> Because the character was clearly designed to resemble a child, the video instantly sparked outrage online. As backlash exploded, Rocky Raccoon went live to defend himself, but instead of calming things down, he only made the situation worse.

[00:11:13]>> I did not mean to in any way like the Squid Game doll. I also did not At first, I also did not that the girl was supposed to be a because it's just a doll. It's not a real person. It's just a doll.

[00:11:28]>> And just when it seemed like rock bottom, fans uncovered he was using his platform to promote a Patreon page that reportedly contained explicit content.

[00:11:36]But while Rocky's borderline content cost him everything, Emirichu took the complete opposite route.

[00:11:43]>> [music] >> Emirichu first rose to fame through her animated storytime videos, setting herself apart by keeping her content wholesome despite her distinctive art style. Momoka-chan, there's something I've been wanting to tell you.

[00:11:57]What is it? Well, I I've always really loved What are you guys talking about?

[00:12:04]>> personal moments into engaging stories, later evolving them into gentle relatable videos full of those awkward moments you don't forget.

[00:12:12]>> Today, we'll be exploring the girl crush side with Erased Story and Daitis. Do you remember Mirage from The Incredibles? Mirage? Cut off.

[00:12:21]Tan girl, tan girl with white hair. I feel that.

[00:12:25]>> I really liked her voice. Well, hold on, hold on, hold on. What's up?

[00:12:28]>> MRS. INCREDIBLE.

[00:12:32]AND EVEN WHEN HER CONTENT LEANS INTO cute romantic ideas, it never loses that warm genuine tone that keeps her videos feeling so refreshingly wholesome, earning her well-deserved comments like, "I wish Emirichu would keep making the cartoon crushes series. I'm 22 years old, but this animation made me start watching this show just because I want to see her secret be revealed." But while Emirichu built her platform on restraint, VivziePop took the opposite route, landing herself in controversy after controversy.

[00:13:02]>> [music] >> Back in 2019, VivziePop broke into the online animation world with her hit shows Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, quickly becoming a familiar name with her unique visual style and bold storytelling. But with that recognition came heat. In 2016, Viv faced criticism after drawing fan art for political YouTuber Blair White, but the backlash didn't come out of nowhere as Blair White herself had been accused of blackface and of calling herself Blair Black back in 2016. Instead of stepping back, VivziePop fired back, defending her artwork publicly. "You can disagree with things. I sure do, too, but I think discussion is important, and I can respect opinions. I don't cater to you."

[00:13:44]She issued an apology 2 years later, but the controversies didn't stop. In 2020, multiple former animators accused her of low pay and bullying behind the scenes.

[00:13:54]And just when it seemed the backlash had peaked, another controversy surfaced around the use of Haitian sacred symbols in Hazbin Hotel. This time, VivziePop stayed silent, and viewers slowly began turning away. But while VivziePop never owned up to anything, TheOdd1sOut took the complete opposite approach.

[00:14:14]>> [music] >> James Rallison, known as TheOdd1sOut, became a defining figure in YouTube animation by blending personal stories with humor and turning everyday experiences into content that resonates with millions. So, it would be very awkward every time I would ask people, "Do you want your receipt?" And then they would say, "Yes." And then we would just stare at each other until the receipt printed. So, what I did every time someone swiped their credit card, I would just stare off into space, and in my head, I would count to five, and then I would ask, "Do you want your receipt?"

[00:14:42]And by the time they said, "Yes," it was like magic. As soon as they said, "Yes," the receipt printed.

[00:14:47]>> Even as his channel exploded, one thing never changed. James's willingness to turn his own awkward, embarrassing, and painfully relatable moments into the heart of his stories. In a generation where smartphones were a new thing, and everyone in my class had one except for me. My parents never got me one because they didn't want me to access the internet on device that could fit in my pocket because they were super strict and didn't want me looking at internet stuff, which backfired horribly.

[00:15:14]>> That grounded approach didn't just entertain. It encouraged young artists who were still finding their confidence.

[00:15:19]>> I'm going to stop it right there because I physically cannot watch another nanosecond of my first video. I want to take it down so bad, but I'm keeping it up so you can see how much I've improved.

[00:15:29]>> And as his audience grew, James expanded beyond YouTube releasing a book in 2018, launching games like Can't Catch Harry and The Odd Ones Out, Let's Bounce, and even landing his own Netflix series Odd Balls.

[00:15:42]>> Hello, I'm James. And are your socks ready to get knocked off because I'm about to show you a trailer for my upcoming Netflix series Odd Balls.

[00:15:51]Um what are you doing? Getting set up.

[00:15:53]This ought to be a train wreck and I can't wait to see how it ends. In the end, The Odd Ones Out proved that staying grounded and creating original content will always earn more respect than chasing clout. But while The Odd Ones Out built his channel on real, relatable stories, Storytime Animated went the complete opposite direction.

[00:16:11]>> [music] >> Storytime Animated launched in 2019 with the promise of sharing life-changing stories. But their titles and storylines were so questionable, people joked they sounded like they were written by a 7-year-old.

[00:16:23]>> Hi, my name is Tessa and this might sound crazy, but by the time I turned 18, I already had 18 kids. Really, and it didn't take us long to find ways of being together all alone. Well, as you might guess, one thing led to another and soon I became pregnant.

[00:16:42]>> Titles like I changed from a boy to a girl, I have a secret relationship with my babysitter, and I got pregnant in middle school, then my boyfriend left me, came across as weird messages to kids, painting an unrealistic picture of real life. And while their bio promised life-changing stories, the videos were nothing but sensationalized clickbait.

[00:17:01]Things got so bad that viewers started suggesting the channel rename itself.

[00:17:05]Eventually, the hate caught up and Storytime Animated stopped uploading entirely in 2024. But while Storytime Animated chased clickbait until the hate shut them down, And Animations built his success the right way.

[00:17:20]Bryson Rasmussen, known online as Ham Animations, built a strong presence in YouTube animation by turning everyday experiences into stories that balance humor with deeper emotional themes.

[00:17:31]>> So, I ran along laughing ignorantly.

[00:17:33]Then, I turned my head and my two front teeth slammed into the pole and stopped all my inertia and sent me flying back. Somehow, it didn't really hurt that bad and we continued playing, but I later discovered that my front teeth were kind of cracked. And they >> But, look closer and you'll notice something different about his videos.

[00:17:56]Instead of tearing people down for a laugh, his humor comes from a place of kindness. Ah, man. I'm pretty out of shape. Time to hit the gym.

[00:18:08]Six months later.

[00:18:12]Dang, bro. Nice work. You're super in shape.

[00:18:16]Thanks. That clean, relatable approach paid off, growing his channel to over 8 million subscribers and 2 billion views while earning him comments like, "Bryson is a big inspiration to many YouTube animators. Bryson is such a great guy.

[00:18:29]Can't wait to see more of his success."

[00:18:31]Ultimately, Ham Animations proves that genuine, uplifting content will always build a lasting legacy, but not every animator used their platform for good as Not If crossed a line no one should ever cross.

[00:18:43]>> [music] >> Back in 2015, Not If gained recognition in the Roblox community through his animation and gaming content, especially short trailers for popular titles like Slap Battles and Raise a Floppa 2, but his reputation took a sharp turn in 2022 when he was caught running a Twitter account that allegedly posted explicit Roblox content with some posts reportedly featuring avatars that weren't his own. With the Roblox community demanding accountability, Not If released an apology, but the truth didn't stay hidden for long. In September 2023, a burner Twitter account dropped a doc showing him sharing sus content with an underage fan and pressuring them to create porn material.

[00:19:22]>> Screenshot also alleges Notif pressured Blue into making NSFW content and that Notif would be the one requesting NSFW content. This happened prior to Notif being called out for his NSFW stuff and according to Notif, an animation of Blue was the last NSFW content he made. More came to light, the internet completely turned on him. The Roblox community had no choice but to distance themselves, and in September 2025, his account was eventually deleted. But unlike Notif, whose actions destroyed everything he built, Kurzgesagt proved that discipline and integrity will always earn lasting respect.

[00:20:01]Founded in 2013 by German YouTuber Philipp Dettmer, Kurzgesagt grew into one of the most loved channels on the platform, all thanks to its ability to break down complicated topics into simple, visually engaging animations.

[00:20:13]>> We want to explain complicated things in an easily graspable way and make science-y topics fascinating and beautiful.

[00:20:20]>> This didn't just make the videos enjoyable, it completely changed how people engage with educational content on YouTube. The clean visuals, simple explanations, and almost hypnotic pacing pushed the channel past 25 million subscribers.

[00:20:33]>> In the end, we hope you like what we offer and that we'll be doing something worthwhile for as long as we exist. And hopefully, we'll have a lasting impact by making science and learning more fun for as many people as possible.

[00:20:46]>> really set them apart was their willingness to look back, admit when they got it wrong, and take action after uploading a controversial video in 2019.

[00:20:55]>> Some older videos don't live [music] up to the standards we set ourselves today.

[00:20:59]The two that annoy us the most are the refugee and addiction videos. In both of them, we didn't try to present a balanced perspective, but instead chose a take and run with [music] it.

[00:21:09]>> That accountability earned them praise from millions of fans online. The best channel on YouTube for sure. Kurzgesagt videos are not just filled with science, but deep wisdom. They make me re-evaluate my life. And that's the difference between every animator on this list. Some built something worth loving, others burned it all down. The internet remembers both. Subscribe if you're new, drop a like and a comment below, and we'll see you in the next one.