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 "This...this girl's stomach is a Cosmos unto itself! It's connected to the void of the universe!"
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. Although it's often Played for Laughs, serious examples are known to exist. Such as if the Big Eater is suffering from bulimia.
Occasionally the Extreme Omnivore. Tends to be Obsessed With Food when not eating. In Shōnen anime, this often overlaps with Idiot Hero. Classic trait of the Fat Comic Relief. 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 – see Death By Gluttony.
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:
— Eating Contest Judge (on Fuu), Samurai Champloo
Other party member: We want <number of people> portions of <whatever food>, please! Another typical line goes thus:
Big Eater: <Number of people> portions for me too! Big Eater: (after ordering enough for everybody) So what are you guys having?
Examples
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