History Main / KingOfTheHomeless

* Spinoff game ''VideoGame/ShadowsOverLoathing'' features Johnny the Hobo King. [[spoiler:He eventually reveals that he plans to found a city for hobos called...Hobopolis. Johnny and Hodgman are one and the same.]]

* Yuri in the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' DLC is house leader of the [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Ashen Wolves]] and the ''de facto'' chief of the various outcasts who make up the population of the Abyss.

* The Outcaste in the ''Literature/{{Spaceforce}}'' novels are people who have been convicted of serious crimes by the Taysan Empire, and stripped of their caste -- which means they have no way of earning a living and typically starve to death. In the second book, ''Deadline'', we meet a former royal bodyguard, Calia, who was punished for the heinous offence of marrying a servant, and has organised the rest of the Outcaste into a secret community.

* Man-E-Faces in ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2021'' was the one-man acting troupe for the Eternos royal court. He was eventually cast out by King Randor's father (who never liked the theater much) and eventually became "King of the Lower Wards", providing shelter and stolen supplies to the poor and neglected of Eternos. [[spoiler:After meeting him in person and seeing how much good he was doing for those he neglected, King Randor gives Man-E-Faces true legal authority to continue his good work, naming himself "King of the Above" and Man-E "King of the Below".]]

** In the ''Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy'' Jacen and Jaina Solo got lost in Coruscant's underworld and stumbled into Dakyim's Kingdom, a community of refugees. Their leader was King Onibald Daykim, a former low-level banker who led his fellow bureaucrats into hiding when they earned the Emperor's ire. After learning the Emperor was dead and the Empire largely collapsed, Onibald decided to remain a king rather than return to banking.

* They show up quite a bit in the {{Wuxia}} genre as leaders of the Beggars' Sect (sometimes also known as the "Beggars' Guild" or the "Hobo Gang"). This being Wuxia, they are known believers of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking in that their leaders are always one of the best martial artists in the setting. The leader of the gang wields a signature weapon known as the "Dog-Beating Staff", and must be well-versed in the techniques to use it, and the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" to be eligible to become the boss. Notable examples include:

* During the Creator/FrankMiller run of ''[[ComicBook/DareDevil Daredevil]]'' the title character encountered "the King," who ruled the homeless in the New York sewer system in analogy to [[ArchEnemy the Kingpin]] ruling the New York mobs. He even has his own pet SewerGator that [[FedToTheBeast he feeds with those who displease him]].

* ''Film/KingOfBeggars'', a ''{{Wuxia}}'' movie starring Creator/StephenChow, deals with a main character who quests to become one.

* Played for laughs in ''Film/TheMuppets'', with hobos carrying off a tied-up Creator/JackBlack while declaring him their King. (It actually does make sense in context. Sort of.)

* Wilco from ''Parasites'', a film about a lost motorist being chased through an UrbanHellscape by a horde of homeless people that he and his friends had managed to piss off.

* They show up quite a bit in the {{Main/Wuxia}} genre as leaders of the Beggars' Sect (sometimes also known as the "Beggars' Guild" or the "Hobo Gang"). This being Wuxia, they are known believers of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking in that their leaders are always one of the best martial artists in the setting. The leader of the gang wields a signature weapon known as the "Dog-Beating Staff", and must be well-versed in the techniques to use it, and the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" to be eligible to become the boss. Notable examples include:

* ''Aibou'': There's a whole homeless republic/hippie commune in a section of one of the cities, and its self-appointed President becomes the victim of a crime.

* ''Videogame/FallenLondon'' has the Topsy King, additionally a TalkativeLoon.

* Yuri in the ''Videogame/{{Fire Emblem Three Houses}}'' DLC is house leader of the [[{{Army of Thieves and Whores}} Ashen Wolves]] and the ''de facto'' chief of the various outcasts who make up the population of the Abyss.

* ''Johnny Saturn'' features a literally underground society that functions surprisingly well, and while they have some main members, John Underhall is pretty much their king.

* Mack is the ringleader of Doc's bum friends in Creator/JohnSteinbeck's ''Literature/CanneryRow''. He was memorably played by Creator/MEmmettWalsh in TheFilmOfTheBook.

* Man-E-Faces in ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2021'' is the self-proclaimed "King of the Lower Wards". Originally the entertainer for the Eternos palace, he was kicked out by King Randor's father, where he came to shelter the poor members of society, eventually becoming Teela's [[ParentalSubstitute father figure]].

* They show up quite a bit in the {{Main/Wuxia}} genre as leaders of the Beggars' Sect (sometimes also known as the "Beggars' Guild" or the "Hobo Gang"). This being Wuxia, they are known believers of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking in that their leaders are always one of the best martial artists in the setting. The leader of the gang wields a signature weapon known as the [[MartialArtsStaff "Dog-Beating Staff"]], and must be well-versed in the techniques to use it, and the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" to be eligible to become the boss. Notable examples include:

* They show up quite a bit in the {{Main/Wuxia}} genre as leaders of the Beggars' Sect (sometimes also known as the "Beggars' Guild" or the "Hobo Gang"). This being Wuxia, they are known believers of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking in that their leaders are always one of the best martial artists in the setting. The leader of the gang wields a signature weapon known as the [[SimpleStaff "Dog-Beating Staff"]], and must be well-versed in the techniques to use it, and the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" to be eligible to become the boss. Notable examples include:

* Arguably 'king Derywinki III' in the D&d Module 'Horror on the Hill'. He wears a tattered puprle cloak and makeshift crown, claims to be king over a dungeon level that consists of caves with unintelligent monsters and leads a small band of insane berserkers to 'put down rebellions' amid them.

* Bruce Lee ([[Creator/BruceLee not that one]]) is a drug dealer and former street fighter who acts as the self-appointed leader and protector of the huge population of homeless, addicts, street kids and other social rejects in Romania's captial city Bucharest. He even rules a community in the underground heating tunnels beneath the city.

** Qiao Feng is their leader in ''Literature/DemiGodsAndSemiDevils'' and is one of the youngest and strongest leaders of the Beggars' Sect in his forties. He plays a prominent role as one of the main characters, and there is quite a bit of controversy with his Khitan heritage.
** In ''Literature/TheLegendOfTheCondorHeroes'', the Beggars' Sect are led by Hong Qigong, an old glutton who is also one of the top martial artists in the Wulin. It takes quite a few delicious dishes made by Huang Rong to teach both her and Guo Jing the special moves of the gang.

* In ''ComicBook/SevenSoldiers of Victory'', the Manhattan Guardian spends the first half of his miniseries dealing with a war between ''two'' kings, No-Beard and All-Beard, whose pirate gangs are in a race to find a treasure hidden in the subway system.

* The Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles--often called the homeless capital of the USA--has artist and community organizer General Dogon of the [[FunWithAcronyms Los Angeles Community Action Network]]. He's famous for his [[CoolBike custom low-rider bicycles]] and for [[https://knock-la.com/la-cans-general-drogon-rejects-meaningless-award-from-mayor-garcetti-speaks-to-needs-of-skid-row-52e8e50df81d rejecting an award from Mayor Eric Garcetti and telling him off for doing the bare minimum]]. [[RefugeInAudacity To his face]]

* Hodgman the Hoboverlord from ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' has the Garbageman, a hideous and ruthless villain who dreams of ruling a garbage kingdom with the homeless as his slaves. After he's defeated, the Professor (so named because he used to be a university professor) becomes a good and wise leader to the homeless and gives a valuable {{A|nAesop}}esop on recycling.

* In ''Literature/TerraIgnota'', Mycroft doesn't hold any official title, but the other Servicers follow his instructions anyway. Mycroft has protected and fed them and campaigned for more little luxuries for them, so they deeply respect him in spite of [[TheDreaded his reputation]].

* They show up quite a bit in the {{Main/Wuxia}} genre as leaders of the Beggars' Sect (sometimes also known as the "Beggars' Guild" or the "Hobo Gang"). This being Wuxia, they are known believers of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking in that their leaders are always one of the best martial artists in the setting. The leader of the gang wields a SignatureWeapon known as the [[SimpleStaff "Dog-Beating Staff"]], and must be well-versed in the use of two moves to be eligible to become the boss. Notable examples include:

* They show up quite a bit in the {{Main/Wuxia}} genre as leaders of the Beggars' Sect (sometimes also known as the "Beggars' Guild" or the "Hobo Gang"). This being Wuxia, they are known believers of AuthorityEqualsAsskicking in that their leaders are always one of the best martial artists in the setting. Notable examples include:

** In ''Literature/TheLegendOfTheCondorHeroes'', the Beggars' Sect are led by Hong Qi, an old glutton who is also one of the top martial artists in the Wulin. It takes quite a few delicious dishes made by Huang Rong to teach both her and Guo Jing the special moves of the gang.

* Nikos Kazantzakis portrayed UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in this fashion in his novel ''Literature/TheLastTemptationOfChrist'', which also carried over to Creator/MartinScorsese's [[Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist film adaptation]]--[[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment not without controversy of course]].