History Main / FatBestFriend

* Nella is the BFF ([[FunWithAcronyms Big Fat Friend]]) of the WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick. She's been played as all three types, though her Type B tendencies have been played down over time. In fact she's sort of a {{Subversion}}: after a lot of FanDumb from people who thought the Chick [[MeanCharacterNiceActor actually treated her like crap]] they put up a video revealing that she actually hired Nella to be her friend to boost her own fragile self-esteem.

* [=LeShawna=] from ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'' is this to Gwen.

* Nikki in ''Manga/SonicTheHedgehog'' has chubby best friend Little John who likes to eat.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Foggy Nelson is pudgy compared to the very athletic Matt. He is self aware of this, and thinks this might be the reason why Matt is so good at charming the skirts off girls in spite of being blind.

* A famous example, perhaps the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifier]] for western culture, is John Falstaff from [[WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare's]] Theatre/HenryIVPart1 and Theatre/HenryIVPart2, where he is the best friend of Prince Hal. At one point, Hal amicably refers to his friend as "this bed-presser, this horseback-breaker, this huge hill of flesh..."

* Fima Korolyov from GuestFromTheFuture, who is a teenage sci-fi geek.

[[quoteright:300:[[Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blarg_2776.png]]]]

* Rowley from ''DiaryOfAWimpyKid''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Though Homer Simpson himself is pretty fat, his drunken buddy Barney Gumble is even worse. He can be all three types DependingOnTheWriter (especially since quitting alcohol).

[[AC: {{Anime}}]]

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[[AC:Stand-up Comedy]]
* Patton Oswalt recounts an anecdote where he's at a Hollywood party and feeling depressed that he can't eat anything at the buffet because he's trying to lose weight and get more roles. Then he spots Brian Dennehy piling his plate with food and laughing, "Character actors! Who gives a fuck if we're fat?" Patton notes, "They're always going to need a fat best friend; that's never going out of style."

* Fima Korolyov from GuestFromTheFuture, who is a teenage sci-fi geek.
* In the "Film/BloodAndIceCreamTrilogy," Nick Frost's characters play this role to Creator/SimonPegg. None of them fit a type.
** In ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'', Ed is a boorish idiot and pot-dealing loser who becomes the group's [[TheMillstone Millstone]] when zombies attack.
** In ''Film/HotFuzz'', Danny Butterman is a sweet and naive young officer who desperately wants to be ActionHero.
** In ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'', Andy is a former party animal turned straight-laced and successful professional who rediscovers his badassness.
* John Candy's character in ''Film/BrewstersMillions'' to the protagonist played by Richard Pryor.
* John Candy's character in ''Film/{{Splash}}'' to the protagonist played by Tom Hanks, who is also his brother.
* Charles in ''Film/{{Super 8}}'', who is the overweight best friend of the film's protagonist, Joe. He's the director of the group's amateur film.
* Fezzik in ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' to Inigo. It's not his fault that he's the biggest and the strongest. He doesn't even exercise.

* Vetch, Ged's best friend in Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin's ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'' series, is fat but he is a more complex character.
* Jean Tannen in the ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'' series is a fat guy, but also the [[StoutStrength main characters bodyguard]] and a GeniusBruiser.

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Kramer's buddy and Jerry's antagonist Newman.
* Andy from ''Series/AccordingToJim'' is Cheryl's brother and can be considered Jim's best friend.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Monica was this to [[{{LovableAlphaBitch}} Rachel]] in high school. However its unclear which category she'd fit into, as she seems similar to present day: Dorky but also strong-willed and hard-working. (Neither of which fit the sterotype). Its also clear she ''did'' have friends outside of Rachel.

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* Jeremy's best friend Hector in ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}''.

* Duk Hwa in ''WebComic/{{Lookism}}'' manages to be a mix of a and b, being extroverted so he manages to speak his mind in front of others, and even rap. But he knows that the others think of him as {{gonk}} and wants to change it somehow, but that he doesn't have enough courage to. He's the best friend of both TheProtagonist (who's also fat... [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext every 12 hours]]) and Ji Ho, a thin weak guy.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* Nella is the BFF ([[FunWithAcronyms Big Fat Friend]]) of the WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick. She's been played as all three types, though her Type B tendencies have been played down over time. In fact she's sort of a {{Subversion}}: after a lot of FanDumb from people who thought the Chick [[MeanCharacterNiceActor actually treated her like crap]] they put up a video revealing that she actually hired Nella to be her friend to boost her own fragile self-esteem.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Though Homer Simpson himself is pretty fat, his drunken buddy Barney Gumble is even worse. He can be all three types DependingOnTheWriter (especially since quitting alcohol).

* Arthur, Lance's friend at Military School in the WholeEpisodeFlashback of ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan''. He has traits of all three. Octus' Newton disguise could be seen as this to Lance and Ilana, although he doesn't really fall under any of the types.
* ''WesternAnimation/AngelaAnaconda'': Angela's best friend Gina Lash doesn't fit any of the categories. She's actually the smartest child in her grade, and her intelligence is her only other defining trait, other than being a BigEater.

What makes this different from most of the other Fat tropes is that this character is always a SatelliteCharacter and we rarely see things from their perspectives. They're there to enhance the protagonist's traits and to simply be a friend. A possible reason for this trope's existence is a desire to be more realistic and less discriminatory by showing that not everybody in the world has a generically attractive body shape (therefore avoiding HollywoodPudgy, perhaps), but still [[UnfortunateImplications avoid having a fat main character]].

* Juicy, Calvin's slow witted friend on ''ThePJs''.

* Chet Morton is the best friend of ''TheHardyBoys'', and has been described as fat, plump, chubby, stout, heavy-set, etc. He has a huge appetite, and vacillates between types A, B and C as the plot dictates.

** In ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'', Andy is a former party animal turned straight-laced and successful professional who rediscovers his {{Badass}}ness.

* ''{{Friends}}'': Monica was this to [[{{LovableAlphaBitch}} Rachel]] in high school. However its unclear which category she'd fit into, as she seems similar to present day: Dorky but also strong-willed and hard-working. (Neither of which fit the sterotype). Its also clear she ''did'' have friends outside of Rachel.

The Fat BestFriend is a common {{sidekick}} to TheProtagonist. There's three variants of this trope:

Type A: The BigFun, brash character. This character is usually the jokester and extroverted compared to the protagonist. While the protagonist is uptight and tactful, the fat friend is funny and/or confrontational. They know they're fat and they don't care about losing weight and will throw their weight around, so to speak.

Type B: The ShrinkingViolet. They ''know'' they're fat and it's one of their biggest insecurities. They are shy, awkward and generally have low-self esteem. Cue the protagonist being their ego booster, letting them know they're special and valued, and they're beautiful/handsome. In contrast to Type A, the protagonist is highlit as a caring, non-judgemental character.

* Jean Tannen in ''Literature/TheGentlemanBastard'' series is a fat guy, but also the [[StoutStrength main characters bodyguard]] and a GeniusBruiser.

* Jean Tannen in ''Literature/TheGentlemanBastards'' series is a fat guy, but also the [[StoutStrength main characters bodyguard]] and a GeniusBruiser.