[Python] How can I automatically fetch free images for a large list of characters from CSV...

I’m working on a project where I run a tournament between cartoon characters. I have a CSV file structured like this:

contestant,show,contestant_pic
Ricochet,Mucha Lucha,https://example.com/ben.png
The Flea,Mucha Lucha,https://example.com/ben.png
Mo,50/50 Heroes,https://example.com/ben.png
Lenny,50/50 Heroes,https://example.com/ben.png


I want to automatically populate the contestant_pic column with reliable image URLs (preferably high-quality character images).

Things I’ve tried:

Scraping Google and DuckDuckGo → often wrong or poor-quality results.

IMDb and Fandom scraping → incomplete and inconsistent.

Bing Image Search API → works, but limited free quota (I need 1000+ entries).

Requirements:

Must be free (or have a generous free tier).

Needs to support at least ~1000 characters.

Ideally programmatic (Python, Node.js, etc.).

Question: What would be a reliable way to automatically fetch character images given a list of names and shows in a CSV? Are there any APIs, datasets, or libraries that could help with this at scale without hitting paywalls or very restrictive limits?

Things I’ve tried:

Scraping Google and DuckDuckGo → often wrong or poor-quality results.

IMDb and Fandom scraping → incomplete and inconsistent.

Bing Image Search API → works, but limited free quota (I need 1000+ entries).

Continue reading...