Today I wanna focus on the ones that lean towards the shape of a circle. OK in all seriousness, it’s good to have some heftier characters in the mix because my chubby homies deserve representation. These folks are usually funny, cheerful, engaging, and just truly well-developed anime personalities with a lot of depth. Here are my top picks for the best & most lovable chubby anime characters of all time.
20. Majin Buu
Anime: Dragon Ball Z Fat Buu is best Buu. Sure, he might be more powerful when he is all skinny and ripped. But he is kind of a jerk then too. Good Buu was friends with the one and only Hercule, and honestly how can you top that? He can also just turn you into chocolate or some other confectionary and eat you, which is pretty terrifying. Sure, kid Buu can destroy planets and chase you in the afterlife to permanently eradicate you existence. But that didn’t stop my boy Good Buu from wanting to fight him in order to protect Hercule. In the words of a wise meme lord: he protecc, he atacc, he turns you into a snacc.
19. Akira Takaoka
Anime: Assassination Classroom If you watched the show you might be thoroughly confused right now. But I claim that writing a good antagonist is just as impressive as writing a lovable protagonist. That’s why you will see a few baddies pop up on this list. But oh boy. I have never feared an anime character as much as I have feared Takaoka. The man is the second coming of Satan. Although he isn’t very powerful, as we see him getting beat quite often, but man he is one cruel dude. Just the picture of his former squad, which reveals his true colors, sent shivers down my spine. I hate him so much that I have to give props to the writers.
18. Charmy Pappitson
Anime: Black Clover Perhaps a controversial pick as her weight shifts and varies more often than the Monogatari timeline, but my stance is that if a person can eat ten times their own weight in food, they belong here. Also I just want to praise Charmy. She is such a lovable little goof, I honestly love every scene she is in. From wanting to eat the spirit of wind to being low key the biggest powerhouse in the show, Charmy is just amazing. She does get stuck with the usual “food is everything” trope, but in her case it makes sense and is not overbearing.
17. Shigekiyo Yangu
Anime: Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Shigeci is an odd pick, for sure. Especially because he doesn’t really fit into either of the two categories I mentioned previously; he isn’t really a fan favorite neither is he the bad guy, duh. Shigeci is just a mix of annoyance and laughter. I say laughter because his reasoning when money is at play is honestly just brilliant. If you remember the 5 million yen debacle, you know what I mean. And then there’s his face-off with Kira, which I personally did not see coming. It’s no Polpo banana suicide, but damn.
16. Pig God
Anime: One Punch Man Of all the overweight characters in anime, or in any media for that matter, Pig God is the most… straightforward. The man eats the portions for 100 people in a single day. Not even your favorite shonen protagonists, like Goku or Luffy, eat that much all the time! He almost seems like the giant butt of a joke. But then you realize he is an S class hero and is extremely powerful. He just eats monsters alive and can walk through buildings if he doesn’t feel like going around them. I really can’t tell if he is a joke, or like, the next step in human evolution.
15. Tonpa
Anime: Hunter x Hunter Tonpa is such a douche that I love him. How devoted do you have to be to take the Hunter exam 34 times just because you enjoy trolling people? Okay, sometimes it is a bit more than just trolling but shush. “The Rookie Crusher” really tries to live up to his name after all. And the man is a master manipulator as he knows exactly how to push Leorio’s buttons and make him blow his fuse. Granted Leorio is an unstable fellow. Tonpa is written in such a believably hateable way that you almost can’t hate him. He is also just far better than Milluki, who would have been the other contender for this list.
14. King Kai
Anime: Dragon Ball Z When I die I want King Kai to greet me on his munchkin planet. He is like the embodiment of dad jokes. You have to make him laugh before he is willing to train you and he tells his own terrible jokes along the way. He also takes a page from Karate Kid’s book when it comes to mentoring, as your first tasks will be to catch his monkey Bubbles, and hit his butler cricket with a hammer. Dragon Ball Z in general has the best representation when it comes to lovable big oafs. Mr. Popo, Yajirobe, the Ox-king, the best of the best.
13. Yumehara Chiyo
Anime: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Okay I might be pulling another Charmy. But man, Chiyo goes form 0 do 100 really quickly. Her state of being “a lively girl bursting at the seams” has appeared twice so far. So who knows what her future will hold. The girl really likes her snacks though. And her workout routine the first time around is one of the weirdest, yet somehow most motivating things I have ever seen. It might lead to an inferiority complex over time. But hey, it got her the results she wanted. And fat Nendou, we don’t talk about fat Nendou.
12. Arita Haruyuki
Anime: Accel World In Accel World we see Haru go through the classic chubby kid success story. Being constantly bullied, Haru retreats to the virtual world in order to find his peace of mind. But wouldn’t you know it, the story pulls an isekai trap card and now Haru is a flying piggy. Over time he gets more comfortable with his body as he finds someone who loves him for his character. And as they say the rest is history. It is a very touching story, more romantic than action driven in my opinion. And now we have a representative for both a short and chubby king.
11. Yoshinobu Kubota
Anime: Sakamoto desu ga? (Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto) Kubota, just like every other character, pales in comparison to Sakamoto. But that is to be expected. But he does have a pretty interesting character arc. Being bullied Kubota turns to Sakamoto for help, thinking that he will get the usual sidekick experience and that Sakamoto will just beat the bullies up. But what actually ends up happening is they both start working at a fast-food restaurant so Kubota can learn the value of money and find his self-worth. Just because of this twist on the usual anime formula, I find Kubota an interesting and a somewhat unique character.
10. Kohta Hirano
Anime: High School of the Dead At first glance Kohta seems to fit the “overweight character” stereotype. He gets bullied at school, he’s frustrated, he can’t run very fast or rely on hand-to-hand combat and he is obsessed with something. But instead of the usual food obsession, Kohta has a gun obsession. Oh yes, he is a big time gun enthusiast. And that seemingly takes care of his problems; no one bullies the man with a gun, he vents his frustrations by shooting the undead, and since it is long-ranged he doesn’t have to worry much about his cardiovascular endurance. He is also very likely to go a bit coo-coo. So guns for the win I guess.
9. Reiji Andou
Anime: Prison School If you can look at Andou and not either run away or bust a gut laughing, you’re a bigger person than I am. This absolute behemoth has some of the weirdest design choices, with a comically small face and needlessly long earlobes. He is also a huge masochist, as not punishing him is the worst torment he can imagine. Especially if Meiko is the one holding the whip. This will be used later on to even manipulate the walking mountain known as Andou. He also has the same voice actor as Jonathan Joestar, so take that as you will.
8. Ozeki Shinya
Anime: Hinomaru Sumo In Hinomaru Sumo we finally see overweight characters as the norm and not for comedic effect. My favorite among the characters is Ozeki Shinya, the captain of the sumo club. I like him for a few reasons. Firstly, a lot of the other main characters are just insanely ripped which seems out of place. And secondly he seems the most down to earth. The man just loves sumo, insanely so. He isn’t the most powerful but he has endurance and learns how to use it to his advantage. No power ups or plot armor, just using your head.
7. Tamako Inada
Anime: Silver Spoon In Silver Spoon we’re given a classic high school comedy, only everything is about agriculture and the countryside. And our protagonist quickly learns how much better everyone is than him. Among the lovable cast we have chunky Tamako, the dairy queen and accountant extraordinaire. Wanting to take over her family farm, Tamako learns everything there is to know about running the farm, the ins and the outs, as well as how to properly manage money. Tamako is hefty in size to say the least. But it is interesting to note that she could easily chose to slim down, but simply doesn’t want to waste so much energy. I guess she wants proficiency in every aspect of life. But that choice is rather body positive, I think. Care more about the money, not what people think, or something like that.
6. Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki
Anime: Fairy Tail The one and only ace of the Blue Pegasus guild and leader of Trimens, the man amongst men, Ichiya. I know this short and stout womanizer is for all intents and purposes a gag character. But man do I love him. The “parfum” warrior just never fails to be entertaining. His whacky demeanor, bedazzling presence, and cowardice when it actually comes to fighting just make him look like Yuga Aoyama’s divorced dad. But I mean, Erza was his honey so he must have some qualities we are unaware of.
5. Choji Akimichi
Anime: Naruto Shippuden Choji is the OG when it comes to being fat. OG of course standing for Original Gourmet. With his always present bag of chips, Choji utilized his weight with his chakra and turned into an unstoppable wrecking ball, minus the naked lady. So make sure never to call him fat. Otherwise the Ino-Shiko-Cho will be coming for you. He is a loyal friend, especially towards Shikamaru. And although he might not always look the part, he is an outstanding shinobi, prepared to give his life up for his loved ones.
4. Marshall D. Teach
Anime: One Piece The one and only Blackbeard. Currently an absolute powerhouse in the One Piece world, Blackbeard is a tall pirate with a rounded belly, broken teeth, and a shroud of darkness at his side. He is a firm believer of fate, just like Luff. And he is currently the only person capable of possessing two devil fruits. His character tends to shift, showing both stupidity and brilliance, unwavering courage, and cowardice depending on the situation. One thing’s for sure: with his ever-increasing crew and bounty he is going to be one heck of a final boss for our protagonists.
3. Fat Gum
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia The man literally has the word “fat” in his name. Can it be any more perfect? Fat Gum is the ultimate good cop, in both his sense of justice and his leadership. The combination of Sun Eater, Red Riot, and Fat Gum just scream “good time”. At first his quirk may seem a bit underpowered. But oh boy, I am sure Rappa would tell you otherwise. It’s a very interesting twist, making him both the ultimate sword and shield. And let’s just say the ultimate sword would turn a few heads.
2. Takeo Gouda
Anime: My Love Story I am not even sure if Takeo could be classified as overweight. But he is certainly an absolute unit so I am going to count that. And man, there are few anime that will make you as happy as My Love Story. Takeo is just such a pure and gentle character that you can’t help but root for him. I wish for that man’s success more than my own. Being incredibly dense, he also makes up a large portion of the show’s gag reel. Takeo is a loyal friend and is ready to do anything to help his friends to be happy, even if it means sacrificing his own happiness. Honestly, everyone should strive to be even a tenth of Takeo. What a guy.
1. Itaru Hashida
Anime: Steins; Gate The super hacker himself. Also known as Daru, he is one of the first people to join the Future Gadget Lab. And let’s be real, aside from best girl Kurisu Daru, Itaru is the one pulling the most weight. Figuratively and literally. Although he might look disinterested and sluggish, when Daru decides he is going to do something, it’s as good as done. This man will not blink before he finishes his task. We also get a pretty good idea of what he is like as an adult and as a father, and the man is just amazing. He is so caring and nice, but still has the common sense to punch our mad scientist when he gets out of line. He truly must be one of the greats of the chunky anime characters hall of fame.
