Anime is filled with diversity at its core. There is huge diversity in its genre, target demographic, character design, music… The list goes on. Although we meme about all isekai protagonists looking like the carbon copy of Kirito, we have to give credit where credit’s due. The character designs in anime are always incredibly artistic and some of the very best that’s out there.
Since different anime feature different characters with different features and archetypes, we can even go as far as to say it serves as a good example of representation sometimes.
Of course, anime, too, is susceptible to unfair beauty standards. But amongst all the tiny-waisted, perfectly shaped bodies, there are characters that break the norm. Let’s look at the 15 Most Popular Plus Size Anime Characters and see which ones have our hearts.
15 Most Popular Plus Size Anime Characters (Male & Female)
15. Rumi Hikada from Perfect Blue
Truth be told, Rumi is more (spoilers alert) infamous than famous. Originally introduced as a friend and manager of Mima in Satoshi Kon‘s psychological thriller anime movie Perfect Blue, it soon turns out that she is way more than she lets on.
The main plot twist reveals that Rumi was actually behind the fake Mima persona the whole time, as she has a form of personality disorder. Hence she is the main antagonist of the story.
Rumi is rather chubby and is often seen in a top and pants. In her Mima persona, to imitate Mima’s idol image, she wears a red dress with a red hairband.
14. Arita Haruyuki from Accel World
Arita Harayuki is the main protagonist of the sci-fi action series, Accel World. He has been bullied his entire life due to his looks and weight and confined himself to the solace of video games.
He understandably has self-esteem issues but begins to change after he becomes a Bust Linker. Since Kuryokihime is the one who gave him the Brain Burst program, the two grow quite close.
Arita is short and chubby. He can often be seen in his uniform. The story mentions that his weight started increasing after his parent’s divorce, as he was of a skinnier stature before that. He has a silver metallic avatar in Brain Burst.
13. Tetsudō “Poppo” Hisakawa from Anohana
Tetsudo is a rather warm character and is the sunshine of Super Peace Busters. Often called Poppo in the series, Tetsudo Hirakawa is one of the friends of the main group of characters in Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. He is the first to believe Jinta when he tells him that he can see Menma, getting overly excited at the thought.
Tetsudo is tall and has a pretty stocky build. He often wears shirts with floral Hawaiian prints over T-shirts which mirrors his happy-go-personality.
12. Yoshinobu Kubota from Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto
Yoshinobu Kubota is one of the characters in the comedy anime Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto. Sakamoto came across him when he was getting bullied. In a pure Sakamoto manner, he didn’t help him directly but rather got a job with him at McDonald’s to help him earn money.
Luckily, this helped him earn his confidence, and he was able to stand up to his bullies. He becomes friends with Sakamoto afterward.
Kubota is shorter in height and has a heavy build, which was partially the reason he was often in the eyes of the bullies. Of course, after he was able to gain back his confidence, he became much more cheerful.
11. Bertha from Darker Than Black
Her screen time may have been short in the series, but she definitely made an impact. Bertha is one of the contractors in the sci-fi Bones-original, Darker Than Black. She is part of Russian Intelligence and came to Japan as a spy with Itzhak for the Black Reaper. Hei killed her as the two kidnapped Yin.
Bertha is one of the Contractors who is rather hard to forget, partially due to her striking appearance. She is chubby, has purple hair, and wears rather heavy makeup, probably due to her past as a singer.
10. Yukino Itou from Real Drive
Close friend of Aoi Minamo and Sayma Mikomoto, Yukino Itou is a side character in the anime series RD Sennou Chousashitsu otherwise known as Real Drive. The trio is quite close to each other. They enjoy their time together, exploring various places, unconcerned about keeping up appearances.
Yukino is chubby and has black hair, which she often keeps in a ponytail. She is a quiet but beautiful character.
9. Chōji Akimichi from Naruto
Part of Team Asuma with Ino and Shikamaru, Choji Akimichi is a well-known character in the Naruto franchise. He has a large appetite and can be persuaded to do anything with the prospect of food.
Of course, he is quite close to both of his teammates, but he has a special kind of friendship with Shikamaru, so much so that he is willing to put his life on the line for him.
As part of the Akimichi clan, he is pretty big and chubby since they use body weight to convert into chakra. Despite being extremely strong, he is kind and caring, albeit a little sensitive to people calling him “fat.”
8. Nikuko from Please Tell Me! Galko-chan
Nikuko single-handedly shuts down all the people who equal a large body to laziness. One of the characters in the comedy slice-of-life, Please tell me! Galko-chan, Nikuko is one of Galko-chan‘s classmates.
Otherwise known as Sonic Meat, she is an extremely athletic girl with fast reflexes. Anyone who dares to underestimate her is rendered speechless after they see her in action.
Nikuko has greenish-black hair, often in two ponytails, and wears glasses. She is one of the cutest chubby anime girls.
7. Fat Gum from My Hero Academia
The name speaks for itself. Taishiro Toyomitsu, hero name, Fat Gum, is one of the pro heroes in the Shounen action anime My Hero Academia. During Shie Hassaikai and Endeavor Agency’s arc, he recruited Tamaki and Kirishima to help and prove why he is one of the pros.
Their group dynamic can only be described as chaotic good. His power, Fat Absorption, is deceivingly strong to catch criminals.
In his hero form, he wears an orange zippered hood that goes all the way over his head. He is determined and enthusiastic, though he can be impulsive at times.
6. Muta from The Cat Returns
No, it is not cheating to add a cat among all the humans. Muta, also known as Renaldo Moon, is the grumpy but lovable supporting character of the Ghibli movie The Cat Returns.
He, like Baron Humbert, also makes an appearance in The Whisper of the Heart. His large appetite often makes him the subject of Toto’s sharp tongue, which he replies to in words that are equally sharp.
Muta is a big white cat with a brown patch on one of his ears. He is one of Baron’s companions, and although he is quite sarcastic with Haru in the beginning, he grows more friendly with her later.
5. Charmy Pappitson from Black Clover
Coming up next is someone who might trigger some debate since her weight fluctuates a lot throughout the series. Charmy Pappiston is one of the Black Bull members in the fantasy action-adventure anime Black Clover. She is a human-dwarf hybrid and hands-down one of the cutest in the series. She is a big eater, often prioritizing food over everything else.
Due to her food magic, Charmy can manipulate the way her body looks. Although she often appears as a small, petite girl with chubby cheeks, she grows much bigger as she consumes more food (or mana).
4. Risley Law from Fairy Tale
“Don’t look down on the chubby!” is a quote we will stand by! Risley Law is one of the Mermaid Heel Guild’s mages in the Shounen fantasy anime, Fairy Tail. She is determined, level-headed, and possesses a motherly aura.
Risley is a tanned and chubby woman most of the time, but she can also alter her appearance with her magic, Gravity Change. She first appeared in the Grand Gamers Arc. Although she was defeated by the Fairy Tail, she proved she is not just a cute face with her abilities and courage.
3. Dadan from One Piece
“Where’s the fun in drawing conventional character designs?” is probably something Oda relates strongly to. One Piece is full of characters that can fit the criteria of this list, but we have to put the spotlight on Curly Dadan.
Despite being a criminal, she is Garp’s friend and foster mother to Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. Yeah, her parenting may have been harsh. After all, she didn’t know the first thing about it as a bandit. But she came through when it was needed and raised the boys with love.
Dadan is a rather tall and big middle-aged woman. She is often seen smoking a cigarette in the series. Her iconic attire always includes green checkered pants and high-heeled boots.
2. Witch of the Waste from Howl’s Moving Castle
Witch of the Waste was the former secondary antagonist of the Ghibli movie, Howl’s Moving Castle. She initially appeared as a very beautiful, talented witch, whom Howl even dated, but when he found out how she deceived him by using magic to conceal her actual age and ugly personality, he left her. This triggered her jealousy which led to her cursing Sophie.
After Madam Sullivan drains all her magic powers, she reverts back to her actual appearance and age. She becomes somewhat of a protagonist afterward as she loses her evilness (which, in the first place, came about due to the fallen star she caught).
1. Itaru Hashida (Daru) from Steins;Gate
And lastly, we have our extremely talented hacker and computer genius. Itaru Hashida, nicknamed Daru, is Okabe’s good friend and one of the main cast in Steins;Gate. He is Future Gadget Lab member 003. He contributed a huge part in the making of the PhoneWave (name subject to change) and was the one who hacked into SERN to get a handle on their situation.
Daru is one of the people who can smack Okabe back to reality when it’s needed. He is sarcastic but caring at the same time. Truly, one of the best chunky anime characters of all time.
And with that, we are at the end of our list. Hopefully, this article made you appreciate this infrequently-represented group.
We bid Adieu until next time!
Do small things with great love.
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