This article concerns the show's title character and namesake. For information on the show itself, see Danny Phantom

Daniel "Danny" Fenton a.k.a. Danny Phantom is a superhero, the protagonist and titular character of the Nickelodeon animated television series Danny Phantom. One day in his parents' laboratory, Danny has an accident involving the newly built "Fenton Portal" and his molecular structure was fused with ectoplasm allowing him to transform from human to ghost at will.

As a human, Danny Fenton looks normal enough. He is a nervous, clumsy, very 14-year-old boy who tries to fit in with the crowd. But as a ghost, his hair turns white from black, his clothes turn black and white, his eyes go from blue to bright green and "Danny Phantom" gains a number of new supernatural powers. In either form, Danny (as well as all other humans) can see, hear, and talk to other paranormal beings, as well as battle them. The only exception is when Danny or another ghost turns himself or herself invisible, which ghosts can do at will. To save his friends and family, Danny frequently battles with various ghosts.

Danny has told nobody except his friends Tucker Foley and Sam Manson about being half ghost, and struggles to hide his ghost identity from his family: his parents Jack and Madeline "Maddie" Fenton and his sister Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton. However, Jazz realized that Danny was a half-ghost in the episode My Brother's Keeper, and covered for him until Danny told her in the episode The Ultimate Enemy. There have been several hints throughout the series that he has romantic feelings for Sam (Samantha), one of his best friends. However, he also develops a close relationship with Valerie during Reign Storm. In Flirting With Disaster, Danny destroys Valerie's ghost-hunting suit, allowing Technus to give her a new one.

He is voiced by David Kaufman.

From normal 14-year-old with 'eccentric' Ghost-Hunters for parents - to becoming a half-human, half-ghost, teenaged superhero with ghost-powers, is one big change that has occurred in Danny's life in the past few months; even with him being as unique as he is, Danny has every reason to feel as paranoid as he does about keeping his ghost half a secret whenever possible. However, his paranoia has yet to do a thing about his boundless curiosity, which (besides the prodding of his friends in the episode Memory Blank) was the main reason why he got his ghost-powers to begin with. When his friends and family are in danger, he can become rather stubborn and over-protective, which doesn't bother his friends as much as his naive nature. In the end of the fight though, its his loyalty to his cause, along with his faith in the love of his peers, helps him to overcome all obstacles.

Danny Phantom has gradually increased his power and abilities as his knowledge of the ghost world matures. He has both gained completely new abilities as well as increased the power of his current ones. Below is a complete list of his currently known abilities.

1. Transformation – Allows Danny to switch between human and ghost forms. He can transform the Ecto-Skeleton as well due to its connection with his brain. His transformation is prefaced by two silver-white rings that appear respectively around his waist and move in opposite directions while transitioning Danny to his ghost form. He usually accompanies this with his battle cry, "I'm going ghost!" If Danny falls unconscious or gets heavily disoriented while in ghost form, he usually reverts back to human form. There have been exceptions to this, like in Life Lessons, when one of Skulker's traps causes Danny and Valerie to pass out. Apparently, his ghost form is not affected by the intense cold and vacuum of space, since he flew out into orbit with nothing but a rocket pack and a space helmet in Flirting with Disaster.
2. Ghost Sense – Danny can sense nearby ghosts. When he does, a wisp of ectoplasm comes out of his mouth and he shivers, getting the appearance of standing at attention or an electrical pulse going down his spinal cord. His older, evil version had this ability but it was a red wisp that came out of his nose.
3. Intangibility & Invisibility – Danny has the ability to turn intangible and invisible at will. With the use of intangibility, Danny can pass through most objects (except, for example, the Fenton Ghost Fisher's line and ectoplasmic goo), becoming untouchable; Danny can also make other people and objects intangible provided he is in physical contact with them. Danny's intangibility is in part connected to his teenage emotions, as he has been known to go intangible at some very inopportune and unwanted times. It is quite common for Danny to make only a part of his body intangible (either on purpose or otherwise). When invisible, he is unable to be seen by human (and some ghosts') eyes. Invisibility and Intangibility both work in similar ways and thus work together. Also, in the Ghost Zone, humans (and Danny when not in ghost mode) can phase through everything, including ghosts.
4. Flying/Floating/Hovering – While in ghost form, Danny has the ability to float/fly through the air, sometimes at considerable speeds and heights. He often uses this in combat, but occasionally will do it for fun and relaxation. He can also make other humans and objects hover but must keep in physical contact with them. In Maternal Instincts, Danny's top speed in flight was clocked at 112 mph. While floating he also has the ability to turn his bottom half into a wisp, which he most often does when he wants to fly quickly, but he usually leaves his legs and the rest of his body intact while floating or flying slowly. In Memory Blank, an inexperienced Danny accidentally turned his arms to wisps instead of his legs.
5. Paranormal Strength, Speed, Agility and Durability – In Ghost-Mode, Danny can display extraordinary physical feats of strength (see Parental Bonding), speed (see above Flying), agility (martial arts talent, and see below Spectral Manipulation), and durability.
6. Overshadowing/Possession – With this power, first learned in Parental Bonding, Danny can take possession of a human being from within by phasing completely into the person's body, this allows him to completely control that person's actions. Danny has used this power on several people, including Tucker, Dash, and even his dad, for various reasons. When overshadowed, the victim keeps his or her original form, but his or her eyes and voice change to Danny's. Note that some ghosts have been able to overcome this shortcoming. The victim has no memory of what he or she did while overshadowed, but usually feel a slight dizziness and disorientation. On numerous occasions, it has been demonstrated that this ability can be resisted.
7. Ectoplasmic Energy Blast - "Ghost Ray" – An ectoplasmic blast that usually comes out of the palm of his hand, Danny blasts enemies using this attack. The attack takes many forms: a ray of energy, a glowing orb, or even a repulsion field. He has also kept the energy used inside his hand, using it to empower his strikes. After learning it in What You Want, he could use this power at any time, and in Memory Blank, an inexperienced Danny Phantom shot a blast out of his buttocks (much like Jake Long, the American Dragon, in the episode Professor Rotwood's Thesis). By the time of the Danny Phantom TV Movie: Reign Storm, Danny had learned how to fire off a Ghost Ray out of his finger in Human Mode and learned how to fire a Ghost Ray out of his whole hand.
8. Ectoplasmic Energy Shield - "Ghost Shield" – Danny can use this ability to form shields of ectoplasmic energy, which he can use to block or rebound attacks from enemies. Vlad can produce a shield similar to a wall that is much more powerful than Danny's shield, and can repel him similar to a ghost shield. Danny is seen using a similar shield in Teacher of the Year to protect Tucker from Technus.
9. Wall Walking – Danny, as well as many other ghosts, can walk on uneven and vertical surfaces as though they were horizontal.
10. Ghost Stinger – In Public Enemies, Danny uses this pseudo-electric attack to free Wulf from Bullet's weapon. Other examples of its use might include Vlad in Million Dollar Ghost, Penelope Spectra in Doctor's Disorders, and Phantom in The Ultimate Enemy.
11. Spectral Manipulation – Danny has on rare occasions been known to change the shape of his body, like his midsection, for short periods of time. Among these occasions include stretching along the waistline, creating holes in his stomach, and temporarily vaporizing his middle (although this is probably a use of his intangibility power).
12. Ghostly Wail – In The Ultimate Enemy, Danny develops the ability to generate an extremely powerful shriek from his vocal cords and mouth, a bit like a Banshee's wail - the Ghostly Wail can cause pain to ghosts and damage tangible matter. When used, this power quickly drains Danny's energy. On more than one occasion, when Danny used the Ghostly Wail, parts of his human form stay with his ghost form. In The Ultimate Enemy, when Danny used it against all of his enemies, his Phantom costume remained when he reverted back to human form. In The Fright Before Christmas, when Danny used it against a group of animated trees, his jacket was on his costume, though he quickly reverted to his street clothes.
13. Ectoplasmic Illumination – In Micro-Management, Danny used an energy-like power where he lit up a mouse hole, this may just be a use of an ectoplasmic energy blast except it looked nothing like it, it was more like a center ball of energy with waves of light coming from it.

Note: Whenever Danny tries a new power he seen before or was told, comes out the wrong way.

Vlad Plasmius and Phantom (Dark Danny) have demonstrated various ghost powers that Danny is not able to use. However, given the mutual status shared among them, it might be safe to assume that Danny will gain similar powers eventually.

1. Duplication – Duplication is an ability Danny has not yet mastered. He desperately wants this power. Vlad Masters, the only other known half-human, half-ghost, is the only known being to have perfected this ability. Duplication is the ability to create multiple copies of oneself, each acting and thinking separately (but coordinated as one) and with all the powers of the original. The copies are merely phantoms, however, and any physical damage will cause them to disintegrate. Also, these phantoms can exist out of sight of the original, as Phantom demonstrated in The Ultimate Enemy. The closest Danny has come to using this ability is to split his head in two (creating two heads on one body, or even further mutilation). One exception is when he piloted the Ecto-Skeleton, which drastically improved his powers and allowed him to duplicate with ease. At any time, the duplicates can be brought back into the original. Since other ghosts are aware of duplication abilities it could be thought that many beings can perform this feat. Apparantly, Danny is getting better at this skill, for Danny used this ability in Beauty Marked, for a split second, while evading the blade of an axe. It did not seem to be intentional, but this is a notable improvement.
2. Teleportation – Vlad Plasmius is able to disappear and reappear elsewhere by wrapping his cape around himself and vanishing in a cloud of mist.
3. Gaseous Form – In The Ultimate Enemy, Phantom was able to transform into an ectoplasmic gas in order to be able to dodge the future Valerie's bombs. Also, in Doctor's Disorders, when Jazz was bitten by a ghost bug, her entire body (save for her head) was turned into gaseous form and was placed inside a jar. Gaseous Form is possibaly connected to Teleportation. Danny once used this to escape from a ghost in Parental Bonding, but has not used it since, therefore it is safe to assume it was used exclusively for the pilot before Danny learned it.
4. Ectoplasm Shaping – Vlad Plasmius and Phantom have demonstrated on various occasions to be able to form ectoplasm into a solid substance. Solidified ectoplasm can apparently be shaped into basic geometric forms, and can be either elastic or rigid, at the creator's will. With this ability, they have created walls, paddles, ropes, etc.
5. Ectoplasmic Energy Absorption and Projection – In Bitter Reunions, Vlad Plasmius used this ability to absorb an energy blast from Danny Phantom and use it as his own.
6. Shapeshifting – In The Ultimate Enemy, Phantom took on the form of Danny Fenton in order to disguise his appearance. It can be assumed that this ability covers all humanoid creatures, as well.
7. Intangibility Fusion – In The Ultimate Enemy, Phantom was able to fuse Clockwork's time medallion into Danny through the use of his intangibility powers. While fused, the object inserted is unreachable by human or ghost abilities; it can, however, be removed through the use of special equipment (I.E., the Ghost Gauntlets).
8. Ghost Portal Creation – In The Ultimate Enemy, Phantom was able to create a temporary portal into the Ghost Zone anywhere with just a wave of his hand. Wulf is also able to rip holes through space-time reality by using his claws. Normally he uses it to escape the Ghost Zone.
9. Ghost Breath – In What You Want, Desiree gave Tucker ghost powers while he was in a fit of jealousy. When Danny made Tucker angry, Tucker blew some green gas at Danny that sent him flying back.

Danny Fenton: Everyone's a little different, but Danny, well, he's A LOT different. On the outside, he's a nervous, kinda clumsy 14-year-old who wouldn't stick out in a crowd. But underneath that awkward teenage exterior, Danny is a genuine superhero! After an accident in his parents' lab, Danny was given some ghostly powers. Half ghost, Danny can see, hear, and talk to other paranormal beings—not to mention battle them on a regular basis to save his friends, family and, you know, the rest of the planet.

• Danny had a lot of trouble controlling his ghost powers at first. Often he would accidentally trigger them when nervous or angry. In Memory Blank, an inexperienced Danny is constantly falling through his chair and the floor at school. When he is infuriated or focused, his eyes glow a bright and vivid yellow-green.
• Danny loves dogs, when he was a kid, he always wanted a puppy as expressed in Fanning the Flames, but his parents would not let him have one; in Shades of Grey, Danny has to deal with the Ghost-Dog.
• In Mystery Meat, when Jack asks Danny, Tucker and Sam if they want to be Ghost-Hunters, Danny expresses that he wants to become an astronaut when he grows up - not that his father heard him. He also admits this to Valerie in Flirting with Disaster, and even gets a chance to fight in space during the episode.
• Danny collects and builds model rockets, and has a number of them hanging from his bedroom ceiling. Danny also collects comic books. He also has a desire to someday be an astronaut, in which he gets to live out his fantasy in Flirting with Disaster.
• While in Ghost-Mode, Danny has an echo effect with his voice, which makes him sound more ghostly.
• Does Danny play Soccer? Whenever Danny's bedroom has been seen, we see a Soccer ball next to his bed.
• In Teacher of the Year, Danny's username for the online computer game Doomed is Ghost-Boy.
• In Flirting with Disaster, Danny's screen name is "DFenton"
• According to Secret Weapons, Danny's computer password is "Paulina Fenton", which, as his sister points out, isn't that hard to figure out.
• In the episode Identity Crisis, it is revealed that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are actually two separate personalities merged as one—"fun" Danny and "Super" Danny. His ghost and humans forms are also seen in Ultimate Enemy, however in this portrayal ghost Danny (Dark Danny, Phantom, Dan Phantom) is ruthless and evil and his human form is somewhat without his bravery and easily killed by ghost Danny.
• Danny is also quite the artist, doodling pictures when he is bored, like in Fright Knight .
• While in Ghost Mode, Danny has been seen using martial arts moves, and his mother, Maddie Fenton, has been revealed as an accomplished martial artist. Has Maddie been teaching Danny martial arts? If she has, then we've never seen him use those moves on anyone (like Dash the school bully) in self-defense (most likely because Danny wouldn't even make the well-built Dash flinch).
• Will Danny ever be an inventor like his parents when he's older? Apart from having to hear all about his parents inventions 'straight from the horses' mouths', Danny is shown how to work his parents inventions by his parents, and to work on maintenance on them: In Bitter Reunions, when Danny is up against Vlad Plasmius, Danny knows how to work the weapons in the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle/Fenton RV. In The Million-Dollar Ghost, Danny is expected to change the Fenton Ghost Portal's ecto-filtrator, so either he must know how or his father Jack must only think that Danny does. In Identity Crisis, Jack is teaching 'Fun-Danny' how to use Fenton ghost-hunting technology against 'Super-Danny', so Danny is being taught how this technology works.
• In The Fright Before Christmas, it is revealed that Danny has generally disliked Christmas for most of his life. This is due mostly to his parents arguing over the existence of Santa. Their annual arguments results in Danny's parents being distracted and causing traumatic events during his childhood, including a dog urinating on him, and their Christmas turkey turning into a monster.
• In What You Want, Danny was seen playing a "Crash Nebula" Arcade game. "Crash Nebula" is a comic book hero in Nickelodeon's "Fairly Odd Parents" which is also created by Butch Hartman, the producer of Danny Phantom.