Although many character tropes exist in anime, few appear more than the constantly hungry character. Some are their show’s beloved protagonists, while other famished characters are their anime’s despised villains. However, despite the range of backgrounds and settings that typify these characters, they’re united by their voracious appetites.
Shonen anime certainly played a large part in the increase of ever-hungry individuals, but the archetype existed for decades outside the genre. As a result, there is no shortage of high-quality characters who would make excellent additions to the foodie community.
10/10 Charmy Pappitson Is A Talented Cook
Black Clover
When a wizard is born with Food Magic, it only follows suit that they also are blessed with an oversized appetite. Such is the case for Charmy Pappitson, the pint-sized member of the Black Clover‘s Black Bulls. While her cute demeanor might be memorable, it’s clear that her most defining trait is her affinity for the culinary arts.
Using her combination of Cotton and Food Magic, Charmy can whip up dishes that not only taste great but restore mana as well. Should any opponent be unlucky enough to disrespect some of this character’s food, then they will quickly find out that revenge is a dish best served cold.
9/10 Choji Akimichi’s Whole Family Are Big Eaters
Naruto
Naruto is no stranger to tasty-looking food, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that a character like Choji Akimichi is heavily featured throughout its run. As a member of Team Asuma, Choji is particularly close with Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka, two characters who are keenly aware of his love of snacks.
This hungry character can be seen munching on a variety of foods throughout both Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, but his impact doesn’t stop there. If his daughter, Chocho (who is seen frequently in Boruto), is any indication, then his voracious appetite might just be genetic.
8/10 Luffy Focuses On Food Almost As Much As Becoming King Of The Pirates
One Piece
Although Monkey D. Luffy’s ability to turn into rubber helped him quickly rise through the pirate ranks, it has one unintended benefit that isn’t praised nearly enough: its effect on his stomach. Thanks to his stomach’s elasticity, the Straw Hat Captain can consume unbelievable amounts of food.
Fans of the One Piece anime are likely familiar with its protagonist’s constant cries for food, and even then, these outbursts only partially capture his never-ending hunger. If it weren’t for Sanji’s delicious meals, who knows if Monkey D. Luffy would ever get anything accomplished.
7/10 Rize Kamishiro Is Hungrier Than Her Man-Eating Peers
Tokyo Ghoul
As shown throughout Tokyo Ghoul, rogue Ghouls abduct and consume the citizens of Tokyo on a shockingly frequent basis. However, even among a sea of careless killers and gluttonous overeaters, no Ghoul developed a more notorious reputation for eating humans than Rize Kamishiro.
Rize tends to eat droves of humans. As evidenced by her encounter with Ken Kaneki, Tokyo Ghoul‘s protagonist, she was more than capable of disguising her horrific tendencies. Were it not for her death at the beginning of the series, she would likely still be wreaking havoc across Japan’s capital.
6/10 Goku’s Endurance Applies To Eating As Well As Fighting
Dragon Ball
The Dragon Ball franchise can be accredited with paving the way for many of shonen anime’s tropes and formulas, which include a hungry protagonist. Goku, among his many other notable traits, is known for his ability to eat anyone under the table, be they a friend or foe.
Goku’s incredibly fast metabolism is what causes him to be perpetually hungry. While Vegeta, Gohan, and multiple other characters lend credence to the belief that a huge appetite is intrinsic to the Saiyan race, the size of Goku’s stomach still seems to be exceptionally large.
5/10 Hawk Eats Up All The Scraps That His Friends Leave Behind
The Seven Deadly Sins
While some restaurants struggle to find reliable cleaning staff, The Seven Deadly Sins‘ Boar Hat bar has Hawk, the talking pig. Hawk isn’t much help to series protagonist Meliodas during combat, but when it comes to cleaning up the floor of the Boar Hat, he has no equal.
Pigs are known for eating virtually anything that is thrown in front of them, making it only natural that Hawk would have such a habit of eating customers’ scraps. Even then, his ability to wolf down Meliodas’ awful cooking is more than impressive.
4/10 Fat Gum’s Power Depends On The Amount Of Food That He’s Eaten
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia features a colorful cast of characters and an even more unique variety of superhuman abilities. Fat Gum’s Fat Absorption Quirk allows him to gain and store power in fat cells. While this may seem to be one of My Hero Academia‘s most mundane Quirks, he quickly demonstrates its destructive capabilities.
Given his full-time job as a hero, Fat Gum’s constant eating is more of a moral obligation than a bad habit. His ability to fight off the world’s villains depends on him having fat to burn through, and as a result, he routinely eats.
3/10 Rengoku Is Easily The Hungriest Hashira In The Demon Slayer Corps
Demon Slayer
Throughout Demon Slayer‘s first season, there isn’t any indication of its characters having the same obsession with food that is so commonly seen in most other shonen series. However, within the first few scenes of its record-breaking film, Mugen Train, Rengoku quickly fills in the series’ gap.
The Flame Hashira’s fiery spirit is only matched by his impressive appetite, which seems to primarily include an inordinate number of Bento Boxes. If Rengoku received more screen time, he would have likely provided even more evidence of this hilarious trait.
2/10 Sasha Braus’ Ill-Timed Fits Of Hunger Always Break The Grave Tone
Attack On Titan
Attack on Titan doesn’t provide its viewers with many reprieves from the constant horror within the walls. However, what little levity it does include often stems from Sasha Braus, the hungriest member of the 104th Cadet Corps. Sasha’s first major scene in Attack on Titan centers around her unabashed desire to eat a potato during military drills, and from that point on, she frequently swindles food for her and her friends.
Whenever Sasha isn’t fighting off Titans or helping Eren Jaeger and her other allies, she is almost always pursuing her next meal. In fact, this pursuit is what eventually leads her to fall in love with Niccolo, a cook who had recently relocated from Marley to Eldia.
1/10 Toriko’s Line Of Work Leads Him To The Highest Quality Ingredients
Toriko
While many shonen protagonists are avid eaters, few actually enjoy vocations related to the culinary arts. In this regard, Toriko is a bit of an exception. The titular star of Toriko works as a Gourmet Hunter, an individual who is regularly hired by restaurants and high-profile customers to retrieve rare ingredients from dangerous parts of the world.
More than anything, Toriko wants to acquire the correct ingredients to make his perfect meal. This speaks to the character’s overwhelming love for high-quality food, giving him one of the most refined palates in the history of shonen protagonists.