Big Eater



""This...this girl's stomach is a Cosmos unto itself! It's connected to the void of the universe!""

- Eating Contest Judge (on Fuu), Samurai Champloo

A character (who may or may not be fat) eats enough for an entire football team, usually devastating the whole table—and perhaps entire restaurants—with their insatiable hunger. Often combined with a speed-eating technique that makes food seem to vanish spontaneously from the plate. A common sight gag with this kind of character in cartoons or anime is having piles upon piles of plates and bowls stack up as the character chows down. May indulge in Cut a Slice, Take the Rest.

On occasion it can be used as a way to fulfill the needs of many Required Secondary Powers and thus make a character's abilities more believable. For instance, characters with a Healing Factor, Super Speed, or the ability to change shape and size, who would normally have to flout the laws of physics at every turn, can simply explain the extra mass and energy come from over the top eating binges. Magic users in general can have this trope explained because they can cast from their calories. This would explain why mages are often rather thin characters, even though obese wizards aren't unheard of.

In comics and manga it's become more common to make a Comically Serious character or Badass Action Girl a Big Eater as a way to add a humorous quirk that doesn't actually take away from the character's seriousness.

Occasionally the Extreme Omnivore. Tends to be Obsessed with Food when not eating. For bad guys who are defined by this trait, see Villainous Glutton. In Shonen anime, this often overlaps with Idiot Hero. Sometimes Truth in Television, as fate can be an unfeeling mistress. Many people with normal appetites struggle to reach their desired weights their entire lives, while others can eat copious amounts of food and still be as thin as a rail. Teenagers in general are known for being able to eat amounts of food that will make them fat if they continue to eat like that in their 20s and beyond. However, this trope can have unpleasant consequences in Real Life, for that see Death by Gluttony. Usually a character with a Black Hole Belly is a Big Eater.

Another common justification for a female big eater is that all the nutrition goes to her well-endowed bosom. Consequently, female characters with large bosoms are often big eaters.

Typical dialogue in a restaurant: "Other party member: We want portions of, please! Big Eater:  portions for me too!"

Another typical line goes thus: "Big Eater: (after ordering enough for everybody) So what are you guys having?"

Or after finishing: "Big Eater: So what's for dessert?"

Almost an Obligatory Joke occurs when said Big Eater and at least one other character is doing something requiring physical effort: "Big Eater: All this work is making me hungry. Other Character (usually under his breath): Breathing makes you hungry..."