Graham Young described Puss's eyes as "emerald mince pies". Empires Dan Jolin called the character's "dilated-pupils" a "cute act", and another Empire writer also praised Puss's ability to widen his eyes. Nev Pierce of the BBC described his eyes as "cutesy" and "saucer-like". IGN writer Jeff Otto wrote that Puss "can give the most adorable wide-eyed look" to "lure" his enemies into "his vicious swashbuckling attacks". Christy Lemire praised that Puss is "working those big, green eyes for maximum manipulative effect". Puss's "big eyes" were also described as a running gag. Reviewers have provided comments regarding the character's popularity. Steven Lebowitz of AXS said that Puss was "just as popular as Shrek", and Joseph Airdo of the same website called him "arguably the most popular" character in the Shrek franchise. Ashley Rodriguez of Quartz also described Puss as a "popular Shrek character". Tech Times writer Robin Parrish called Puss "everyone's favorite Shrek sidekick". Christina Radish characterized Puss as an "adorable little creature" who had become "a fan favorite in the Shrek films", and Quickflixs Simon Miraudo called him one of the franchise's "signature characters". Rob Carnevale stated that Puss was "the real star of the franchise" to many Shrek fans. Andrew Penn Romine said that he is "one of the most popular characters in recent animation history". Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle felt that Puss was "the freshest and sharpest ... surprise" of Shrek 2; he was described as this "film's most delightful new character", "the most hilarious new character", the "most memorable character", "the most fantastic addition of all", "the franchise's greatest character", and "the best character of all". Stephen Holden wrote that although Puss "has his charms", "he is not as memorable a character as Shrek or Shrek's mouthy sidekick, Donkey", and Matt Fowler of IGN described him as "perhaps better suited as a side character". Puss was ranked 11th on Empires top 50 animated film characters list. Critics have praised Banderas's voicing. Rob Levin said that Puss has "a decidedly Latin flavor" in the Shrek films because of Banderas, who "plays the part with gusto, giving the tiny hero all the bravado and charm of his real-life persona". According to Andrew Penn Romine, Banderas voiced Puss "with feline gravitas". Rob Carnevale called Banderas's performance "inimitable". IAmRogues Dana Gardner wrote that Banderas "brought plenty of comedy to the role of Puss by playing the character so melodramatically".