The characters featured in the comic book series Urbanus.
Protagonists
Urbanus
Urbanus is a ten-year-old child and the main star of the series. He is basically a brat.
- Anti-Hero: Urbanus is a bad boy.
- Comedic Hero: Urbanus sometimes becomes the victim of his own stupidity or greed.
- Innocent Prodigy: Urbanus is sometimes intelligent, but he can be childishly naïve at times.
- Interspecies Friendship: His best friends are a fly and a dog.
- Karmic Trickster: Sometimes he manages to get away with the things he does.
- Manipulative Bastard: Urbanus can be really clever in tricking other people.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Urbanus, just like the comedian he is based on, is named after several medieval popes of the same name.
- Self-Insert Fic: This comic book is based on a fictional child version of the scriptwriter Urbanus. Despite looking a lot like the real-life comedian (including the beard!) and all action taking place in the Belgian village Tollembeek, Urbanus is depicted as a normal child with no relation to the real-life celebrity.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: He disguises himself as a girl in "Urbanellalla".
- Younger Than They Look: Despite being ten years old, Urbanus sports a full beard.
Cesar
César is Urbanus' alcoholic, tobacco addicted, adulterous father. He is rather stupid.
- Alcoholic Dad: He is frequently drunk and she's an Abusive Dad.
- Abusive Dad: He sometimes hits Urbanus when he misbehaves or says something stupid.
- Dirty Old Man: César is a lewd man who frequently tries to get it own with his wife. But he is also adulterous.
- Lazy Bum: Most of the time he lies around in the sofa, drinking and smoking.
- Too Dumb to Live: He is signficantly more stupid than Urbanus. Once he came down the stairs in pajamas to go to a parents' meeting, because he heard that "evening dress was required." Once he dropped his coat in a liquid manure pit and tried to get it out. When Urbanus told him to leave the coat behind because it was already dirty he complained: "Yes, I know, but my sandwiches are still in it!"
- What, Exactly, Is His Job?: César dresses like a farmer (including clogs in some albums), owns a pig, Wieske, and has a liquid manure pit behind the house. Despite that, he doesn't own a farm or a field.
Eufrazie
Eufrazie is Urbanus' mother. She is a pious, generally good-hearted person who stays at home. But she can get very mad if the situation calls for it.
- Breast Expansion: Eufrazie gets silicone breast implants in the album "Urbanus zijn snippelepipke rekt uit".
- Butt-Monkey: Her gullible naïvity is often mocked in the stories.
- Christianity is Catholic: Eufrazie is Catholic.
- House Wife: She's a home-maker.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Eufrazie is the only person in Tollembeek who lives by her conscience and can't be corrupted by temptation. She will frequently scold César and Urbanus for not behaving according to their Christian faith.
- Only Sane Woman: Eufrazie is the only smart person in Tollembeek, apart from Amedee the fly.
- Significant Birthdate: Her birthday is April 1. This is revealed in "De Hete Urbanus", where Urbanus and Eufrazie play tricks on her, because they forgot it was her birthday too.
Nabuko Donosor
Nabuko Donosor is Urbanus' dog.
- Back from the Dead: In "De Killerkok" ("The Killer Cook") his lower half is killed by a cannibalistic cook and eaten by Urbanus' family without their knowledge. His upper half is saved. In "De Ghostprutsers Gaan Verder" ("The Ghost Bumblers Continue") it is revealed that even this part of the dog has been destroyed. Yet in "De Teerputten Van Tollembeek" ("De Tar Pits of Tollembeek") Nabuno Donosor is back, alive and well.
- Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Nabuko looks like a dog, but he is actually a different species, which explains why his upper jaw floats above his lower jaw.
- Canine Companion: He is Urbanus' faithful pet.
- Composite Character: Nabuko is his upper jaw, Donosor is the rest of his body.
- Dogs Are Dumb: He is not very bright.
- Floating Limbs: Nabuko Donosor, whose head is split above the lower jaw. His upper head is completely separate and has a separate sentience from his lower body, making him technically two characters,
- Named After Somebody Famous: He is named after Babylonian king Nebukadnezzar II.
- Talking Animal: Nabuko is able to talk.
Amedee
Amedee is Urbanus' pet fly.
- Hidden Depths: He has a certificate in engineering.
- Impossible Genius: He may just be a fly, but he is incredibly intelligent in every situation. Whenever something needs to be studied or invented he knows exactly what needs to be done and how it should be done.
- Only Sane Man: Amedee is the smartest character in Urbanus' universe.
- Super-Speed: Just like a real fly he can quickly get to places.
- Super-Strength: He's sometimes able to lift things that are beyond his own body weight.
- Talking Animal: Amedee can talk.
Wieske
Wieske is Urbanus' house pig.
- Artistic License – Animal Care: Wieske is a pig, but she is not treated as a farm animal. She is treated as a member of Urbanus' family.
- Messy Pig: She lives in a puddle of mud.
- Really Gets Around: She is used a lot for breeding projects. Once she became pregnant with 108 piglets by a breeding boar.
- Talking Animal: Wieske is able to talk.
Nonkel Fillemon
- Black Comedy: Death is always waiting for him.
- Dirty Old Man: He frequently gets it on with the nurses who take care of him.
- On One Condition: In "De Zes Turven" ("The Six Doorstoppers") he promises Urbanus part of his wealth if he memorizes six big books and is able to answer every question on his test.
- Opening a Can of Clones: He died in "De Buljanus-Dreiging" ("The Buljanus Threat"), but was cloned.
- Really 700 Years Old: Fillemon is so old that he just lies in bed, about to die, in most of the stories.
- Uncle Pennybags: He is Urbanus' rich uncle. The others are waiting for him to die so they can inherit his massive fortune.
Het Negerken
Het Negerken ("The Little Nigger") is a school friend of Urbanus.
- Disproportionate Retribution: He is a frequent target of racism. When he and Dikke Herman are punished for the exact same crime Herman - who is white - only gets two months, while he is sentenced to one year in a cell.
- N-Word Privileges: "Urbanus" is a homage to the comics the creators grew up with. This explains why this character, even in the days of political correctness, was referred to as "The Little Nigger". In more recent times, people have begun to use his actual name more often.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Everybody calls him "The Little Nigger", despite the fact that his real name is Botswana.
- Stock Foreign Name: His actual name, Botswana, is just the name of an African country.
- Token Black: He is the only black character in Tollembeek.
Oktaviëtte
Oktaviëtte is Urbanus' girlfriend. She died trying to save him from being tortured to death and went straight up to Heaven. Urbanus is allowed to visit her a few times a year, but he can't stay with her.
- Green-Eyed Monster: She can get jealous if she notices Urbanus flirting with other women.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In "Leute voor de Meute" Urbanus is tortured. Oktaviëtte sacrifices herself to save his life. She died and went to heaven.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: She is genuinely kindhearted.
- Our Angels Are Different: She is a literal angel in Heaven. Since her children with Urbanus were born in Heaven, Urbanus can only visit them there.
- Really Gets Around: Many men long for her, including Oliver Hardy in Heaven, but she remains dedicated to Urbanus.
Urbaniëtte
- Baby Talk: She talks this way.
- Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: She pronounces the letters "L" and "R" as "W".
- Named After Somebody Famous: She is named after Urbanus.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Her face is practically similar to Oktaviëtte.
- You No Take Candle: She doesn't use articles in her speech.
Urbumba
Urbumba is Urbanus' son. He is black because he and Urbaniëtte conceived him while Urbanus was covered in shoe polish.
- Chocolate Baby: He is black because he was conceived while Urbanus was covered in shoe polish.
- Named After Somebody Famous: He is named after Urbanus.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: His face is similar to Oktaviëtte.
Antagonists:
Meneer Pastoor
Meneer Pastoor ("Mister Priest") is the local Roman Catholic priest. He often talks about virtue and the importance of being good, but he hardly sets a good example himself.
- Christianity is Catholic: Tollembeek only has a Roman Catholic priest.
- Corrupt Church: He is a hypocritical drunk who frequently visits the town's whore.
- Dirty Old Man: Despite being a priest he doesn't care about his vow of chastity. He is frequently seen visiting sex shops, brothels and pornographic stores.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He is always referred to by his profession.
Dikke Herman
Dikke Herman ("Fat Herman") is a school friend of Urbanus, though he is frequently either a bully or a victim. He is a very dumb kid who usually functions as the Butt-Monkey. His character is clearly inspired by Billy Bunter.
- Big Guy, Little Guy: He is often paired with "Het Negerken".
- Butt-Monkey: Herman often gets his ass handed to him.
- Fat Comic Relief: Dikke Herman regularly gets hurt, beaten up and/or humiliated.
- Gag Haircut: He has a large yellow quiff, which is frequently cut off.
- Gag Teeth: His buck teeth are frequently punched out.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Everybody, even teachers, refer to him as "Fat Herman".
- Too Dumb to Live: He always gets in trouble due to his own stupidity.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: His father looks exactly like him, but with a yellow beard instead of a quiff.
Jef Patat
Jef Patat is a sleazy scoundrel who lives under a bridge with his vast collection of porn and nude magazines. He is always out to trick everybody in order to get money. Even Urbanus is frequently fooled.
- The Antagonist: Jef is the most regular antagonist in the stories.
- The Barnum: The scoundrel Jef Patat tricks Urbanus and other villagers often. By the time they understand what has happened it's usually too late.
- Dirty Old Man: Jef is a fat, smelly, sleazy hoodlum.
- Fat Slob: He is dirty, unshaven and morbidly obese.
- Named After Somebody Famous: He was modelled after Jef Meert, who published the "Urbanus" comics back in the 1980s and 1990s.
- The Trickster: This crook often comes up with schemes that fool the villagers, Urbanus included, but he always gets his comeuppance in the end.
- What, Exactly, Is His Job?: He apparently hasn't got a job and just lives either under a bridge or in a sewer.
Vladimir Kweepeer
- Sadist Teacher: Kweepeer frequently punishes his pupils in brutal and sadistic ways, though this could also be the result of Urbanus' bad behaviour. He beats the pupils up, gives them impossible to answer exam questions, orders them to strip naked so that they are unable to cheat during a test, takes credit for stuff they discovered and makes everybody repeat the same grade each year.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: He is a teacher, so he naturally wears glasses.
- Stealing the Credit: In one album Urbanus discovers an original Bruegel in the classroom. Kweepeer immediately tells Urbanus that he will get points for good behavior, while Kweepeer himself will take credit for the discovery.
- Too Dumb to Live: Despite blaming the pupils for doing the same grade over and over again, he himself isn't that much brighter.
René and Modest
René and Modest are the local policemen of Tollembeek.
- Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop: Both are equals in this regard.
- Big Guy, Little Guy: Modest is tall, René is short.
- Buddy Cop Show: René and Modest are brainless cops.
- Fat and Skinny: René is obese, Modest is skinny.
- Meddlesome Patrolman: They are more a nuisance to Urbanus than a help.
- Police Are Useless: René and Modest always arrest the wrong people and make stupid deductions. Naturally they cause a lot of problems for Urbanus.
- Police Brutality: Beating up suspects is their favorite pastime.
Stef, Staf and Stylo
Stef, Staf and Stylo are recurring villains in the comic strip, clearly inspired by The Daltons from Lucky Luke.
- Alliterative Name: Their names all start with the letters St-.
- Big, Thin, Short Trio: Stef is tall, Staf is a bit shorter and obese, and Stylo is small.
- Rule of Three: They are a Terrible Trio gang.
- Terrible Trio: A gang of three thieves who always work together.
God
God in this comic strip lives in Heaven. He is frequently bothered by Urbanus, who gets on his nerves. While God is portrayed as omnipotent and wise, He is also rather cranky and has a sadistic, vengeful side to him. Sometimes He punishes people because He is fed up with them.
- Cluster F-Bomb: He is not above swearing.
- Fluffy Cloud Heaven: Heaven is a bunch of clouds with a pearly gate.
- God in Human Form: God is an old man with a beard who lives in a fluffy cloud heaven.
- God Is Evil: God is a cranky and vengeful old man.
- God Is Good: God can be forgiving if the situation calls for it.
