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[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/friendtobugs1_2636.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:306:Even [[BeeAfraid bees]], Leon?]]

->''"There must be a pet here that will fit the ticket!\\
How 'bout a ladybug, or a cute cricket?"''
-->-- '''Fluttershy''', ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin May the Best Pet Win!]]"

Typically, the AnimalLover archetype will [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute gloss over bugs' status as animals]], so it's often expected that only a bug will be a friend to a bug. Not always, though. A character that is a Friend to Bugs adores even (or perhaps ''especially''!) the insects, like a pet owner adores any other pet.

Because this involves being affectionate toward creepy-crawlies, the unstoppable force of the stereotype that women hate any insect other than butterflies meets the immovable object of the expectation that guys aren't affectionate toward animals. The result is that this trope tends to be gender-neutral but rare. Male examples often fall under BoysLikeCreepyCritters.

They may or may not be able to [[PestController control the bugs to aid them.]] Not to be confused with BeetleManiac and/or BugCatching, which explicitly describe interest and collection but not necessarily endearment. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Also not to be confused for being friends with]] [[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny a certain cartoon rabbit]]. If the bug dies, it's usually played for laughs in a BlackComedyPetDeath.
----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Legosi of ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'' has an affinity for insects, which shows how much of a GentleGiant he is. He is seen picking up bugs and talking to them and keeping some in a terrarium his room. A important moment in his character development is when, in order to gain an understanding of Tem's murderer and become stronger, he consumes a live insect larvae and speaks with the insect's spirit. This moment is treated as him losing his virginity, [[spoiler:and it may have (it is unclear if this was actually real) given him the ability to [[OneToMillionToOne turn into a swarm of moths]]]].
* The one time Remi's house is shown in ''Manga/{{Horimiya}}'', it's full of terrariums and bugs mounted on the walls. She pretends to not be this to allow her boyfriend to "help her" whenever a bug is on her, despite him being terrified of bugs too. Her dialogue implies that she gets it from her father.
* Fujiwara of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' had no problem handling a cockroach, and was even able to identify it's species at a quick glance.
* In ''Manga/KamichamaKarin'', Himeka thinks bugs are absolutely adorable and is apparently oblivious to her cousin Kazune's [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes phobia of them]].
* Lutecia Alpine of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise, an insect summoner who has [[BondCreatures a strong connection]] with her insects. One artwork included in ''AudioPlay/StrikersSoundStageX'' even shows that she owns custom mittens that have the picture of one of her BigCreepyCrawlies on it.
* Mr Ando from ''WebAnimation/MoriNoAndo'' is kind to all living creatures, including the bee.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has the Aburame clan, who have bugs living in their bodies and use them as weapons, as a partnership where the bugs have a secure home in exchange for letting the ninja control them.
* In ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'', Nausicaä is sympathetic toward the giant insects of the poisonous forest, particularly the dinosaur-sized ohmu. She even attempted to keep a tiny ohmu as a pet as a small child, though eventually the adults found it. One of the inspirations for ''Nausicaä'' was an old Japanese tale, ''The Lady Who Loved Insects''.
* As an inversion to his normally cowardly demeanor, Usopp in ''Manga/OnePiece'' actually likes bugs. He has not only named his weapons after beetles, he associated with large spiders when he was younger and can understand them to a limited extent.
* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' has Haruhi. In episode 8, when she finds a centipede on a crab, instead of killing it she simply picks it up and throws it aside. When asked if she could have been easier on it, she said "''it takes a lot more than that to kill a bug.''"
* A flashback in ''Manga/ScienceFellInLoveSoITriedToProveIt'' shows Himuro as a child researching isopods and their ability to navigate a maze. A bully even wrote "bug girl" on her bag.
* Viciously subverted with Tommyrod from ''Manga/{{Toriko}}''. Despite being able to create bugs (by literally ''birthing them from his mouth'' and essentially being their parent) to do his bidding, he feels absolutely nothing for them and sees them as just a tool. He even spits one up [[KickTheDog just so he can kill it to prove how little he thinks of them]].
* In ''Manga/{{Wagnaria}}'', Souta loves everything small, including bugs. He compares a bug getting squashed to murdering Popura. She's unsure if she should feel praised or insulted by that.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* DependingOnTheWriter, ComicBook/AntMan of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers''. The [[LegacyCharacter second Ant-Man]] in particular gives his favorite ants names.
* In Creator/MarvelComics's [[MerchandiseDriven toy tie-in]] title ''The Sectaurs,'' the insect-like humanoids of planet [[MeaningfulName Symbion]] form telepathic bonds with giant insects. Most of these are about the size of a large dog, but a few are big enough to ride. The hero, Dargon, is unusual in that he has bonded to two such insects.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}: The Monster Society of Evil,'' [[KidHero Billy]] lives in an abandoned building full of roaches, and while he's seen shooing them away, we never see him harm one. [[spoiler:When all the insects in the city come under the control of [[BigBad Mister Mind]], this turns out to be [[AndroclesLion very helpful]]]].
* One of ComicBook/SpiderMan's [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain less formidable enemies]] was Buck Mitty, aka the Humbug. Originally an entomologist at Empire State University, he tried in vain to convince the rest of the Science Department of the value insects had to humans (he perceived more of a value than they did) only for his funding to be cut off. Desperate to continue his research and prove his theories, he cobbled together a sonic weapon system that amplified the sounds of insects into destructive beams, but wasn't much of a crook. (In his first attempt, he tried to steal an armored car full of black pearls, only to blow the tires and leave him with no way to transport them. The second time, he tried to rob ESU, and broke into the girls' locker room by mistake. When he took a woman hostage, Spidey actually convinced him to give up by threatening to smash a specimen jar full of roaches.) He later acquired actual superhuman powers due to a deal with some mutated ants, but ironically, when he tried to make a HeelFaceTurn after ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'', it turned out those ants were using him as a Trojan Horse to get at the Brood Queen, their ArchEnemy. Dying and in agony, the martial arts hero Shang-Chi slew him as a MercyKill.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TheAceSavvyExtendedUniverse'': The Exterminator's shtick is that he unleashes hoards of bugs on the populace.
* ''Blog/BetterBonesAU'': Spottedleaf is interested in all the creatures that aren't considered cute and popular - in particular, she takes a liking to leeches, admiring them for their medical uses in treating arthritis, and keeps three pet leeches in the medicine den.
* In the ''Series/MorkAndMindy'' fanfiction ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5087146/1/Mork-and-Mindy-get-a-kitten Mork and Mindy Get a Kitten]]'', Mork adopts two spiders named Legs and Manny and gets sad when Mindy and her cat kill them, accusing Mindy and the cat of being murderers.
* Fu in ''Fanfic/TruePotential'' has the ability to talk with insects thanks to her Tailed Beast, and she seems to be in very friendly terms with every bug she meets.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'': Vanessa the human and Barry the bee make friends. It's sometimes even [[ImpliedLoveInterest implied]] that [[InterspeciesRomance they're a couple]].
* ''WesternAnimation/WallE'': WALL•E has a pet cockroach, though he ''is'' a robot...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/AntMan1'', Cassie Lang becomes pretty fond of the UglyCute giant ant.
* ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' begins showing Adam treating a large spider with an affection usually shown toward puppies (yes, arachnid, not insect, but still).
* ''Film/CharlottesWeb'': Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider are best friends. Fern the human also seems to care for Charlotte and, to a lesser extent, the other animals, [[spoiler: who eventually end up being friends with Charlotte's daughters, even the horse who used to be arachnophobic.]]
* ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'': Giselle makes friends with a group of animals who help clean the apartment, including some cockroaches and flies.
* In ''Film/FrankensteinIsland'', the Amazon priestess has a special affinity for spiders and snakes and allows them to crawl over her body.
* ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseRussellFamily Madison]] shows signs of forming a bond with Mothra when the latter is in her grub form. Her Monarch profile also says she likes to study backyard insects.
* ''Film/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'': James is seen being kind to a spider who eventually becomes the giant spider that he befriends along with the other giant bugs.
* ''Film/JoesApartment'': Joe has many, many cockroach roommates who he eventually becomes good friends with.
* The title character in ''Film/{{Lucas}}'' is a nerdy 14-year old boy who's fascinated by insects. He doesn't collect and pin them like most entomologists, however, because that would mean killing them.
* The fairy twins whose singing can summon Film/{{Mothra}}.
* In ''Film/{{Phenomena}}'', the heroine, Jennifer, combines this with a PestController-like supernatural ability. She uses it to cast a SerialKiller terrorizing her school.
%%* Shilo Wallace from ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/CharlieAndLola'': Lola seems to like bugs. Her favorite book is titled ''Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies'' and she makes friends with two spiders in one episode (when she stops being [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes afraid of them]], that is).
* ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'': Wilbur the pig makes friends with Charlotte the spider.
* Gari in ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'' spontaneously attracts flies, wasps, moths, and other flying insects, and he develops a limited control over the swarm.
* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': When Greg was younger, he kept a pet inchworm named Squirm.
* ''Literature/DirtyBertie'': The main character Bertie really likes bugs, even fleas.
* The VillainProtagonist in ''Literature/EatThemAlive'' sure does love his giant praying mantises, but only insofar as they make a convenient took for his evil schemes of {{Revenge}}.
* In ''Literature/FairyOak'', Lavender keeps a pet spider named Regina. She also likes picking up random insects and keeping them in her pocket, either for observation or as Regina's next meal.
* Implied in ''Literature/FamousFred'', when Sophie and Nick are shown to have cared enough about beetles to make a grave for one.
* ''Literature/AFlyWentBy'': The boy is willing to stop the frog from eating the fly.
* The title character of ''Literature/FrannyKStein'' is very fond of insects and arachnids, to go with her general fascination with all that is icky and scary.
* [[TheLadette Idgie]] in ''Literature/FriedGreenTomatoesAtTheWhistleStopCafe'' loves bees.
* It's noted in ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear: The Swarm'' that some [[InsectoidAliens S'krrr]] worship drog beetles as their closest living relatives. One of them, Vroon, makes it his mission to [[spoiler: kill the birdlike animals that eat drogs]] and can communicate with small swarms of them using [[BugBuzz wingsong]]. [[spoiler: Doesn't stop him from being EatenAlive by a larger swarm.]]
* Sarah Zellaby in ''Literature/InCryptid'' is friendly to at least one bug, Greg the GiantSpider (who she [[PestController telepathically tamed]]). She won't let anyone harm him, and despite his simple mind, he feels likewise about her. At the end of the book, a doctor calls him her "emotional support animal".[[note]]It's worth noting that Sarah herself is frequently mentioned to be physiologically similar to a wasp, though [[HumanOutsideAlienInside she appears completely human]].[[/note]]
* Megan [=McDonald's=] children's book ''Insects Are My Life'' features this kind of protagonist.
* ''Literature/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'': James makes friends with a group of giant bugs.
* In ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_who_Loved_Insects The Lady who Loved Insects]]'', the title character is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, and is regarded by her peers as something of a {{cloudcuckoolander}} for it. It's believed Creator/HayaoMiyazaki drew inspiration from this character in his design of his character Manga/{{Nausicaa|OfTheValleyOfTheWind}}'s personality.
* ''Literature/LittlePrincess'': Zigzagged for the princess herself. Everyone hates lice and fleas, no exceptions, but the Princess has made friends with a snail. The Gardener doesn't like snails and the King and Queen are repulsed by them, but the Gardener does like worms. The Princess used to be afraid of worms but she likes them now.
* ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'': Milo ends up making friends with two talking insects: the Spelling Bee and the Humbug.
* ''Literature/{{Ratburger}}'': Zoe intends to include bugs in her future circus, and she rescues some roaches at one point.
* ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan'': Darren loves spiders, as does an elderly vampire named Seba Nile, who teaches him about the spiders in Vampire Mountain. Eventually, Seba names a new breed of spider after Darren.
* Jonathan Landers in Mike Cook's ''Literature/Scorpions2016''. As a child, he tormented insects (burning ants with a magnifying glass in particular), but now he feels guilty about it. He's made an unspoken pact to be TheAtoner and never harm another bug again, not even ScaryScorpions; the book begins with him showing kindness to a scorpion. ''Giant'' scorpions are another matter...
* Amy Thomsett in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfDrearcliffGrangeSchool'' is a passionate fan of moths. She doesn't like butterflies much, though, thinking they take all the attention away from moths. And she hates people whose idea of studying moths involves a killing jar.
* ''Literature/SheilaRaeTheBrave'': Sheila Rae kisses a spider.
* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': Eccentric scientist Enrique Borgos is downright soppy about his genetically-engineered 'butter bugs', so nicknamed after the bland but nutritious substance they produce; he even cries whenever a queen dies. These are creatures described as looking like a cross between a cockroach, a termite, and a ''pustule''.
* Willy from ''Willy the Wimp'' worries about stepping on insects.
* ''Literature/WinnieThePooh'':
** Rabbit is friends with several beetles named Alexander, Henry Rush, and Very Small Beetle or "Small" for short.
** Alexander also made friends with a small human boy in one poem.
* ''Literature/TheWitchFamily'': The children all like bees, particularly Malachi, who's a literal spelling bee.
* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Taylor initially finds bugs as creepy as most 15-year-olds would, despite having a bug-controlling superpower, but the intensity of her first months in costume working with bugs on a daily basis leaves her finding their presence comforting, instead. Indeed, a few months into making active use of her powers and she's frequently ''wearing'' a writhing layer of bugs all over her body, including her face, which tends to freak other people out pretty badly.
* The grandma from ''Yucky Worms'' likes worms, and she teaches her grandson to respect them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Wednesday and Pugsley Addams from ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' have a pet spider named Homer.
* Forensic entomologist Jack Hodgins from ''Series/{{Bones}}'' sure loves his bugs. This is probably best exemplified by the episode where a worm lays an egg in his neck; instead of getting it removed like most people would, Hodgins is so honored to be a part of the bug's life cycle that he voluntarily hosts a parasite for weeks, culminating in what is essentially a ScreamingBirth. [[NauseaFuel It's an interesting episode.]]
* Dr. Mahesh "Bug" Vijayaraghavensatyanaryanamurthy of ''Series/CrossingJordan'', is not only fascinated by insects, he sometimes comments that he prefers them over certain people. He waxes poetic about all sorts of their characteristics and keeps several insect pets in his lab. In one episode he excitedly awaits his butterflies hatching out of their cocoons only to have to chase them around the medical examiners' complex when the lid to their insectarium is accidentally left open.
* ''Franchise/CSIVerse'':
** Gil Grissom of ''{{Series/CSI}}'' has four pet cockroaches named John, Paul, George and Ringo. In one episode he takes them to an entomologist convention to participate in "roach races."
** ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': After spending all of "[[Recap/CSINYS03E19 A Daze of Wine and Roaches]]" looking for the killer of a famous chef, the team discoveres that the murderer was a sous chef... who did it to prevent the chef from killing a cockroach that had wandered into the kitchen and was obviously a health hazard. A cockroach that had a very valuable emerald and other jewels glued to its back (it was the pet of an eccentric model who lost it), but a roach nevertheless, and the sous chef only cared about its life and not the baubles. Detective Messer, who has to hear to the man's gleeful MotiveRant about how roaches are awesome, [[DisappointedByTheMotive can only drawl out a disbelieving]] "you killed a man...''over a cockroach?''"
* Swarmin' Norman from ''Series/TheHauntingHour'' is an antisocial kid who enjoys his friendship with the insects who live around his home, one in particular is his pet praying mantis who becomes TheLancer to him. With the help of his insect pals he fights back against the bullies who tormented him and rules the school thanks to his minions. [[spoiler: Subverted when he [[HeWhoFightsMonsters grows into a bully himself]] and becomes a BadBoss to his former friends, resulting in their friendship severing. This causes the praying mantis to lead the other abused insects into [[KarmicTwistEnding a rebellion against Norman]] and all of humankind.]]
* ''Series/MastersOfHorror'': Ida is an entomologist (and a lesbian) who keeps a huge collection of various insects in her apartment. This quickly scares off most girlfriends she invites into her apartment.
* Screech of ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' loves bugs, has various collections of them, names them and even tries to ''marry'' two "bugs" to each other in one episode (although the other "roach" in question was a marijuana joint, which was then flushed).
* ''Series/SesameStreet'': Oscar the Grouch likes worms, and his pet worm has a pet insect. Most Sesame Street characters like insects, with the exception of flies.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Mezoti the girl who used to be Borg claims to like bugs, she has an ant farm of sorts.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has an episode featuring a teenage boy who loves and collects bugs. His knowledge helps when the bugs attack his father's housing development.
* ''Series/YoGabbaGabba'' has a whole song about liking bugs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{Cavetown}}: The narrator in "Boys Will Be Bugs" loves bugs and beats up anyone who is mean to them.
* ''Music/{{Songdrops}}'': In "Little Joe," the narrator has a pet caterpillar named Joe.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* During Wrestling/{{New Japan|ProWrestling}}'s tours of North Korea and Brazil, Wrestling/MasahitoKakihara wanted to explore their jungles during NJPW tours there just to see the bugs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Insect shamans in ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}: Hell'' on Earth are the evil version.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' contains a few options for these. The Vermin Heart feat allows druids and rangers to use their abilities that normally only work on animals to work on vermin and the Blight Druid archetype trades the druids ability to befriend the cute and cuddly creatures of the forest with bugs and skeletons.
* One NPC in the ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' mutates into a giant cockroach -- bizarrely, he keeps his wits and habits (he is quite friendly as far as mutants go) but develops warm feelings to bugs, sharing his apartment with a giant swarm of normal roaches.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* Toys/{{Lalaloopsy}}'s Tuffet Miss Muffet, unlike the nursery rhyme she's based on, loves spiders, and is the only one in Lalaloopsyland to do so. She comes with a pet spider, and her birthday is Save a Spider Day[[note]]March 14th[[/note]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Alice Little from ''VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns'' grows into this after befriending the caterpillar in the first game, even though insects in Wonderland are intelligent, sentient life forms exactly like humans. To the point where she's saving villages of the insect people from the growing corruption in Wonderland. It helps that her spirit animal is a butterfly.
* Blathers is a pretty infamous aversion in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' (although he still begrudgingly accepts and cares for them out of professional courtesy), but all of the available villagers will happily accept an insect that you offer them as a gift, and the player is obviously free to adopt any they catch as pets.
** Flick in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'' is a straight example, buying your bugs to study them for his art commissions. This was implied to put a strain on his relationship with his father Nat (who ate any bugs that were given to him).
* In ''VideoGame/{{APICO}}'', your family members talk highly of the bees and speak very frequently about the importance of bees in the world ecosystem. TruthInTelevision.
* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/UltraDespairGirls'', it was revealed that that Touko Fukawa from the first game has a pet stinkbug by the name of Kameko. Prior to Komaru, Kameko was Fukawa's only friend she ever had. Fukawa believed that Kameko is a special stinkbug able to understand her feelings; the only one who understands how it's like to be hated for [[ThePigPen how one smells]], and that the bond between her and Kameko is stronger than any bond there ever was before between a human and an insect. Fukawa also affectionately calls Kameko her "[[AffectionateNickname friendsect]]".
** In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', Gonta Gokuhara, the Ultimate Entomologist, has shown a massive love for bugs ever since he was young, but at one point he got lost in the forest while bug-catching. Luckily, a family of wolves [[spoiler:(which turns out to be a lie, he was actually raised by dinosaurmen)]] came to his rescue and took him in, even teaching him how to communicate with animals, bugs included. Now a teenager, Gonta still shows a massive passion for bugs and can become quite intense whenever the subject is brought up.
* Downplayed but present in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''. While trying to go undercover in Doma, Princess Garnet gently picks up an oglop without any revulsion, and only pretends to be freaked out ''after'' someone tells her that most girls hate bugs. It [[JustifiedTrope probably helped]] that her beloved uncle was [[spoiler:[[ForcedTransformation turned into a sentient oglop by his scorned wife for some time]]]].
* ''VideoGame/GoodbyeVolcanoHigh'': Trish is enamoured with bugs; she spent her summer before senior year studying bugs at camp, she has a pet velvet worm named Mango, and she has countless bug facts memorized. When she becomes concerned about her future career ambitions and college, Stella and Rosa encourage her to pursue a career as an entomologist.
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'': Some characters love being shown bugs that you can pick up from the forest.
* ''VideoGame/IdentityV'' has The Entomologist Melly Plinius. Her power is to release a swarm of bugs that can carry her teammates, or push the Hunter away from them.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' has 10 year old [[ElegantGothicLolita Agitha]], the self appointed princess of the "Insect Kingdom". If the player chooses, Link can embark on a sidequest to find [[FetchQuest the 24 golden bugs for Agitha's ball]]. She squees over each one you bring to her and rewards you accordingly. She rewards you for the first bug by giving you the Adult's Wallet, which allows you to carry up to 600 rupees. For every bug after that, she bestows you with 50 rupees as, "compensation for your efforts" and 100 for each matched pair. The final reward, for successfully escorting all 24 to her castle, is the Giant's Wallet, which can hold 1000 rupees, after which, you are made an "honorary member" of her kingdom. If you try to leave her "castle" without giving her all the bugs you're carrying (perhaps because you've got no more room in your wallet) she'll menacingly growl, "I know you have bugs" as you go.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'': Beedle is an insect lover in this game (it was never specified in his prior appearances whether or not he was already an enthusiast on the matter back then). He not only sells you a Bug Net to capture insects, but also a special Medal to track their locations. At one point uyou have to find his missing pet beetle.
** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'': Agitha fights with massive golden bugs, learned to pick locks from termites, [[DoNotTauntCthulhu fights the Dark Sorceress because she thought Cia was after her insects]], and will go on the offensive in Adventure Mode on the grounds that you stepped on an ant.
* ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters'':
** In one mission, the Super Moshis befriend a spider and a firebug.
** Bug the [[ADogNamedDog bug]] is friends with Ratty the rat.
* Gertrude, as portrayed in ''VideoGame/MySimsAgents''. One dispatch mission involves your agents rounding them up for her.
* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'': Some petpets (creatures Neopets keep as pets) look like bugs such as the Spyders (which look like spiders) and the Buzzers (which look like insects). And petpetpets (creatures ''petpets'' keep as pets) are all bugs.
* Tallulah in ''VideoGame/NewStyleBoutique3StylingStar'' is an entomologist who never quite grasps that other people don't find bugs as cool as she does, at one point letting a jar full of insects loose in the live music club on open mike night. At the end of her storyline, her final outfit is either green or flowery, all the better to resemble bugs' natural habitat.
* In ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'', Louie has a familiarity with bugs from playing with them as a child, and this extends to the alien insects on the Pikmin planet which can be [[BigCreepyCrawlies much bigger than he is.]] It doesn't stop him from [[ExtremeOmnivore trying to eat them]], though. [[spoiler:Following the true final boss battle with the Titan Dweevil, a large spider, both Olimar and the Hocotate Ship theorize that Louie may have been [[HijackingCthulhu controlling it himself]]. He even insists that his proper title is the "King of Bugs".]]
* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series includes many examples. Heck, Satoshi Tajiri based the entire concept of ''Pokémon'' on catching bugs as a child and making them fight with his friends' bugs, so [[AuthorAppeal it's only natural that the series is full of bugs and bug trainers]].
** The Bug Catcher and Bug Maniac trainer classes are the most common examples.
** [[MeaningfulName Bugsy]], the Azalea Town Gym Leader in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', is an avid fan and researcher of Bug-type Pokémon who hopes to one day become an authority on the subject. His title is even "The Walking Bug Pokémon Encyclopedia". Naturally, he specializes in Bug-type Pokémon.
** There are plenty of other characters like this to lesser extents in the series, including the Sinnoh Elite Four member Aaron and Unova Gym Leader Burgh.
** The player can be one if they choose to have a team full of Bug-types. It's even more impactful in the later games where you can feed and play with your party of giant bugs.
* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Sig generally [[TheStoic is unemotive and isn't motivated by much]], but is genuinely fascinated with bugs, enjoys BugCatching, and even keeps a pet ladybug with him at all times. ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris'' also reveals that [[spoiler:his red hand houses a family of bugs, which disgusts Schezo.]]
* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': Wriggle Nightbug, obviously. Justified because she ''is'' a firefly spirit, but her powers allow her to befriend and command creatures that aren't fireflies, beetles, or even technically insects, such as [[DemonicSpiders demonic harvest mites]].
* Uncle Albert from ''VideoGame/UncleAlbertsAdventures'' likes animals in general, but he seems to really like bugs in particular. In the first game's intro, the narrator says that raising bugs is one of Uncle Albert's hobbies.
* Welkin Gunther, the protagonist of the first ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' title, is an Animal Sociology student with the discovery of several insect species to his name.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* While the animals in ''Webcomic/BoyAndDog'' eat bugs, Rowan the baby just likes to look at them and try to pet them.
* The main premise of ''Webcomic/BuggedRun'', whose protagonist is a [[RecurringElement Bug Catcher]] who vows to show the whole world how awesome Bug Franchise/{{Pokemon}} are by becoming the [[ToBeAMaster League Champion]] with a team entirely composed of them.
* Subverted with ''Webcomic/CampWeedonwantcha'''s Darla, who likes bugs -- to ''eat''.
* The ManChild robot Helix from ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', as a part of being a FriendToAllLivingThings (or at least trying to).
* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob:'' One of Bob's closest friends -- and sometime romantic interest -- is Princess Voluptua, whose [[VoluntaryShapeShifting true form]] is that of a giant butterfly creature.
* ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'': June, the Commander's daughter, has a two-foot-long pet millipede. Her father, who did two tours on the millipede planet in millipede season, is [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes less than enthusiastic]], but in his words:
-->''"Just 'cause I hate millipedes doesn't mean she should hafta."''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Jonathan Wojcik, creator of ''Website/{{Bogleech}}'', is this trope up and down. Many of his biology articles are focused on the world's most misunderstood and/or least-known crawlies, and he's kept a number of bugs as pets. He ''does'' have an incredible fear of ticks, yet even then he has this to say about them:
--> "No matter how unreasonably scared I've ever been of these eight-legged Nosferatu, I don't dislike them on a personal level. My psychological glitches aren't their fault. There isn't any malice or cruelty in their simple, natural quest for survival. I don't wish they were gone. I don't even wish they were different. I would rather a world with giant, blood-sucking mites who have given me panic attacks than a world where they never evolved at all. Like every other organism that ever has and ever could possibly exist, ticks add something unique, exotic and interesting to our planet that I feel only the utmost respect and admiration towards, even if they leave me in mortal fear of entering tall grass."
* In a stark contrast to her peers, Gawr Gura of ''WebAnimation/{{Hololive}}'' does not find bugs inherently creepy or gross. Among other things, she has mentioned that the grub she found when shucking corn in her youth seem like they're just chilling, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgDT5pC8c2g has told Kiara that she's looking to get a pet tarantula]], and she doesn't dislike cockroaches though she understands the worry of them being potential disease vectors.
* Discussed in ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool'':
-->'''Tanya:''' Oh, please, you wouldn't hurt a fly.\\
'''Deandra:''' You're absolutely right. A fly is an innocent creature that never knowingly did anything to anybody. ''You'', on the other hand, [[BewareTheNiceOnes I would MAIM]].
* ''WebAnimation/TheOdd1sOut'': James and his sister Faith once adopted a moth named Harry, but he died. They were ''very'' sad when he died.
* Implied in the ''WebAnimation/TranslationsGoneWrong'' video where the Cutie Mark Crusaders enthuse about "ear moths" and "nits".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AngelinaBallerina'': Angelina once makes friends with a butterfly named Arthur.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': [[AnimalTalk Animals can talk to each other]], and babies [[SpeaksFluentAnimal can talk to animals]], so the animals and babies made friends with two fleas named Pepe and Sale (although they still bite Pal, judging by how he itches when they're on him).
* The cartoon take of Lydia Deetz on ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'' is this. She loves spiders, especially.
* The ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' villain Clancy is this, considering his numerous bug minions to be his family. He even refers to himself in a HiveMind mentality.
* Squirt from ''WesternAnimation/CampLakebottom'', whose FriendToAllLivingThings tendencies extend to bugs. This results in him attempting to make a pet of every creepy-crawly that finds its way into camp, no matter how terrifying or potentially lethal it is.
%%* Raj of ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' in one episode.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheCrumpets'': Pfff has a blue-nosed worm in one episode which happens to be similar to a prehistoric worm inside the valuable pink diamond stolen and kept hidden by his grandmother from a former criminal partner who wants the diamond back. When their family has to sacrifice Pfff's worm into a clay replica of the diamond, he protests in [[NotSoStoic one of his uncommon furies]]. [[spoiler:Fortunately, the worm survives and ends up returning to Pfff in the ending.]]
* One shot ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' villain Lilliput had a device he could use to talk to ants, and used them as his accomplices. While he yelled at them occasionally for doing dumb things (like stealing a hamburger during a heist, slowing them down) he was quick to apologize later, so this Trope clearly fits.
* ''WesternAnimation/DexHamiltonAlienEntomologist'': Dex is a friend to anything that can remotely be called an insect. The more disgusting or dangerous it is, the more he'll wax rhapsodic about how gorgeous it is.
* Double D of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' is shown to collect bugs and seems to be the only kid who finds them both fascinating and totally unscary. In the Valentine's Day episode, Ed gets a spider on him and promptly begins panicking, Edd simply admonishes him for "frightening" it and carefully desposits it out of the nearest window.
* In ''Literature/{{Franklin}} and Friends'', Bear is both interested in and fond of insects to the point that they are one of the very few things that will cause him to stop paying attention to Franklin.
-->'''Bear:''' Centipede! I've always wanted to meet you. Sweet!\\
'''Franklin:''' Bear, what are you doing?
* ''WesternAnimation/GrowingUpCreepie'': Creepie. Justified as she was raised by insects.
* Jumpy Ghostface of ''WesternAnimation/Hero108'' has a soft spot for many insects, even going as far as defending them from his own teammates (such as [[TheSwarm a swarm of voracious locusts]] in one episode). [[KarmicJackpot His compassion gets returned in kind]] at least a few times when said insects end up coming to his aid.
* Nadine in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' is a big fan of bugs. This leads to conflict in the episode "[[FeudEpisode Best Friends]]" when she and her [[TheFashionista fashion-conscious]] [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl best friend]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Rhonda]] can't agree on a topic for a school project. (They eventually go with [[TakeAThirdOption insect-themed fashion]].)
* The human best friend of the title character of Hyperion Studio's ''WesternAnimation/TheItsyBitsySpider'' is a young BespectacledCutie named Leslie.
* WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}, being a NatureLover and a FriendToAllLivingThings, likes insects just as much as everything else.
* Zigzagged for Lana Loud from ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': She once tried to keep a flea as a pet, but she's also known to eat bugs.
* Phoebe on ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'', as part of her being a FriendToAllLivingThings.
* Dr. Robert Scorpio from ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax''. He loves scorpions, [[BigCreepyCrawlies and the bigger the better]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/MillyMolly'', Alf likes to count ants. Nobody likes flies, though.
* On ''WesternAnimation/MissSpidersSunnyPatchFriends'', Miss Spider urges her family to "be good to bugs"... but then again, they don't really have much choice of anything else to be good to.
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': Vera loves bugs, even spiders. She mentions having a book for identifying spiders and is a budding entomologist herself.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** Fluttershy refers to a [[http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Parasprite parasprite]] as "the cutest thing ever," and everyone else except Pinkie seems to find them quite cute as well. [[note]]They ''are'', of course, as virtually everything in this show is UglyCute at worst.[[/note]] This ends up turning into a deconstruction: Fluttershy can't tear herself away from the parasprites even after they reveal themselves to be a HordeOfAlienLocusts. Fluttershy shows a general fondness for bees, spiders, and, of course, butterflies. In "May the Best Pet Win", ladybugs, butterflies, crickets, and wasps are among the many species of pet Fluttershy recommended for Rainbow Dash; and Rainbow Dash herself actually considered adopting the wasp or butterfly.
** In the toys, many ponies are accompanied by animal friends, some of whom are bugs. Ponies with toys that are accompanied by bug friends include Applejack, Cheerilee, [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner Daisy Dreams]], Fluttershy, [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner Honeybuzz]], Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.
** Granny Smith is friendly to bees, even giving them names, bringing flowers for them, and letting them swarm around/on her before getting their honey. [[spoiler:Being friendly to the bees is an integral part of making Zap Apple Jam, as it will make their honey sweeter when mixed in with the [[FantasticFruitsAndVegetables Zap Apples]]]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': [[Characters/TheOwlHouseTheBoilingIsles Angmar]] in "[[Recap/TheOwlHouseS2E5ThroughTheLookingGlassRuins Through the Looking Glass]]" loves bugs such as butterflies, and he entertains the notion of using the Galderstones to build a butterfly sanctuary. It's also enough that his AlphaBitch ringleader can get him in line by threatening to force him to eat them if he gets too distracted.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', Flecko the Fly escapes from Ed Bighead's clutches, and flies over to Rocko's house. There he witnesses Rocko allow a ladybug to pass in front of him instead of stepping on it. Flecko heads on over to Ed's house again, frees the remainder of his friends, and they all party at Rocko's house. Ed tries to get them back to eat, but Rocko protects them.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': Chuckie once made friends with a pill bug. Phil and Lil like bugs, but [[ExtremeOmnivore to eat]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'':
** When Furrball gets infested by a family of fleas, he eventually becomes friends with them, even though they make him itch.
** In another episode, Shirley is a FriendToBugs and tries to encourage Dizzy to become one too. After a DreamSequence, Dizzy decides to be kind to insects as well. Sort of.
* ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'': The series ''WesternAnimation/MyFriendsTiggerAndPooh'' has Rabbit's friend Small the beetle, and also a group of ants that are on nodding terms with the main characters.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Feudal Japanese Imperial bureaucrat [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fujiwara_no_Munesuke.jpg Fujiwara Munesuke]] was noted as having been very interested in insects. Indeed, he may have been the real life inspiration for ''The Lady who Loved Insects'' example mentioned earlier.
* During his time on ''Radio/TheRickyGervaisShow'', ''Creator/KarlPilkington'' would recite many stories, both personal and ones he read, about insects with absolute fascination. For example, he told a brief story about saving flies that landed in the pool he was nearby.
* If Yuzuru Hanyu sees a bug stranded on an ice rink, he’ll save it. He’s been caught on camera at least once doing that. Additionally, an interview reveals he thinks bees are cute and brave (for defending their home from attackers).
[[/folder]]
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