Are animated cartoon characters, especially human-like ones that are not nude, considered to be ensouled beings? And is it forbidden or permissible to place them, or to place parts of the human body with indistinct features (such as a hand, a foot, or part of a face), in signatures?

The basic ruling regarding drawing animate beings is prohibition. However, an exception has been made for drawings used in children's education or electronic drawings free from Sharia prohibitions.

It is better to draw inanimate objects.

An exception is also made for images that are incomplete in a way that would prevent the animate being from living, especially if the incompleteness is in the head, such as a picture of a hand or a foot, or if the image's features are unclear and indistinguishable.

The Hanafis have explicitly stated that small images are not included in the prohibition of possession and use.

As for images of things that do not exist in reality, if they are of animate beings, they are prohibited. Thus, drawing animate beings includes drawing creatures that have no real-world counterpart.

In summary, the use of images of animate beings is forbidden, even if they depict characters with no real-world equivalent. However, the use of images of human body parts, such as hands, feet, eyes, and lips, is not included in the prohibition, nor are images with indistinct features that cannot be discerned.