Why do people have a problem with the protagonist being Fat?

Jan 8, 2014 5:33 AM

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Sep 2010

RizinDuluagon said:
I have absolutely no problem with his obesity, but why is he so friggin' short. His height is about at the waist of the female protagonist, I mean come on...

Bad angles, mostly. His actual height as listed in the light novels him a little taller. And as mentioned, the cuteness factor. In order to retain the same level of "cute" and be taller, he'd have to still be as round, and thus even fatter.

There is another theoretical reason, too. Accel World is also about how Haru views himself; thus his extreme difference to everyone else. Anyone who has ever been overweight growing up, easily imagines themselves to be bloated huge compared to everyone else.

These things can be difficult to grasp to the average viewer, though, without a critical eye. Witness yet another person complaining about it in 3... 2.... 1...

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Jan 13, 2014 7:30 AM

#752

RandomCommenter

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Jan 2014

I'm really surprised at how many people hate the MC for being fat/chubby. I don't, and its quite an important plot point when you think about it. Its the reason he was always bullied, its also a central issue of his self-esteem issues (his 2 childhood best friends are 1. a super cute chick and 2. a smart/handsome guy who seems to excel in everything he does). If not for all of that, he wouldn't have developed the personality and character that he has (which, again, is central to the plot).

Some people mentioned not liking the pig avatar that he has and wondering why that is, well in the LN I believe it was mentioned that he had spent a lot of time creating a really good avatar, but it was stolen by the bully in his school who told him to use a pig cause it "suited him more". He eventually got attached to the avatar in a way because...(I forgot the reasoning).

Jan 14, 2014 5:30 AM

#753

Kaijo

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Sep 2010

He pretty much got used to his pig avatar, which is why he keeps using it. He still also does have self-esteem issues, so he might still see himself as a pig and feel he deserves it. But the main reasoning is the former, currently.

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Feb 20, 2014 4:48 AM

#754

Knichtus

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Jan 2014

After reading all of this i have to say I love Haruyuki being a rather overweight main character. As someone said he is supposed to be very relatable to kids who were bullied for being fat or having a different skin color. Which I can very much relate with in every way, Haruyuki also doesn't have just low self-esteem issues he has a inferiority complex. Which I also have and its not fun, for why he can be a dick sometimes it just sometimes happens for some who can't handle the pressure that the amount of being 'pitied' or cared for brings, typically we just expect a friend to say 'ok' even though part of us wants them to say something more positive. A lack of self-worth and thinking your dirt and having the bullies who treat you as such causes Haru's character progression to becoming confident and accepting of himself is rather accurate. It takes awhile, your friends and family have to gently guide you along in their own ways (even Chiyu's way).

With that being said I do hope Haru will eventually and gradually lose a bit of weight and grow a bit taller (since his growth was stunted by having to eat mainly frozen meals). I would like to see that as a section of his character growth of him getting himself together, changing his eating habits and getting involved with an active club with his friends helping him along. It will take him awhile, but it would be a great thing to see.

I think the girls 'fighting' over him is more so their is fact his senpai gets jealous easily over him and they like to tease her about it. But also Haruyuki have a very sweet nature with a doormat spine, he can easily walked on but he can be very supporting of people. So the girls take a liking to him because in a way how he acts is adorable and he is a good friend.

Feb 23, 2014 12:56 PM

#755

go4theknees

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Aug 2013

It's not about him being fat, he's like 3 feet tall. It makes it impossible to take him seriously.

Feb 24, 2014 12:03 AM

#756

Kaijo

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Sep 2010

go4theknees said:
It's not about him being fat, he's like 3 feet tall. It makes it impossible to take him seriously.

And big eyes and pink hair make it impossible for me to take any anime character seriously.

I can get that people have style issues; I tend to dislike clamp's art style for instance. But when you watch a medium like anime where body proportions are already out of whack... well, it makes it hard to take this line of thought seriously. It's like watching "I Love Lucy" and complaining it was hard to take a black and white show seriously. There are certain things inherent in the medium that you just have to accept, that are done for artistic purposes.

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Feb 25, 2014 7:45 AM

#757

Solarius_Scorch

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Sep 2009

I never read the entire discussion, but regarding the original post:

People dislike this character because that's not what they're used to. It's not like they are necessarily prejudiced against fat people in real life - at least not more than others - but anime makers of the last two decades pushed these characters solely to the point of comic relief. Give me one other title with an "unpopular" lead which is actually ugly. Thus, it is a matter of anime aesthetics, of the rules of the genre, that make many people unable to treat Haru seriously.

Feb 25, 2014 10:04 AM

#758

TonyC1994

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Jun 2012

290

Solarius_Scorch said:
I never read the entire discussion, but regarding the original post:

People dislike this character because that's not what they're used to. It's not like they are necessarily prejudiced against fat people in real life - at least not more than others - but anime makers of the last two decades pushed these characters solely to the point of comic relief. Give me one other title with an "unpopular" lead which is actually ugly. Thus, it is a matter of anime aesthetics, of the rules of the genre, that make many people unable to treat Haru seriously.

^Basically this^

I'll be honest, I know this is a douche thing to say but....I hate pathetic characters. Hell, I could barely sit through Evangelion because of Shinji. Now when you mixed that kind of personality in with a protagonist that has the unconventional character model....it becomes a bit hard to take in.

At first I thought I adapt to the appearance but sadly no.

(>'_')>#
~Here's a waffle, please calm down...

"See that? She's cute and popular. You could say that her milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard. But YOU club President... your milkshakes are wasted on you. In other words, you're wasteful." ~D-Frag (Best.Reference.Ever.)

Feb 25, 2014 7:06 PM

#759

warcon

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Jan 2014

He could've at least been taller.. I mean he is like what, half the length of all the ''regular'' length characters.
I don't mind the fat part though.

Apr 17, 2014 3:20 AM

#760

SeasonLeaves

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Apr 2014

I don't mind him being fat, I rarely judge looks from anime characters
I like him, he is a pretty interesting character and have undergoes changes the way I like and little beyond expected

May 16, 2014 7:45 AM

#761

Soble

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May 2014

Kaijo said:
I can get that people have style issues; I tend to dislike clamp's art style for instance. But when you watch a medium like anime where body proportions are already out of whack... well, it makes it hard to take this line of thought seriously. It's like watching "I Love Lucy" and complaining it was hard to take a black and white show seriously. There are certain things inherent in the medium that you just have to accept, that are done for artistic purposes.

Most of what I wanted to say has already been said. It's a major discrepancy with this show, the main character's height and size.

Look at Haruhi chan, and look at the main Haruhi series. Most of the Haruhi-chan characters chubby caricatures. That works because the style is comedic, the show is based in comedy, where as Haruhi-canon is drawn with obvious care and detail.

I don't see the artistic purpose of making the main character look like a caricature compared to everybody else. I had the same problem with Air Gear, because there was, coincidentally, another fat character who didn't even look human. He had big, circular lips and looked like a "potato", where every other character looked at least passably human. I prefer consistency in character design.

In I Love Lucy, all of the characters are black and white. What if, in one episode, they somehow made a character look green? "Oh, but that's so unique and it makes this show stand out from all the other shows!" It also makes it pretty off-setting.

If there was an artistic purpose for designing him as a short, plump teenage boy, like, maybe he grows over the course of the show into a more recognizable human figure, not just a bishounen, muscled, alpha male - maybe as his self-confidence grows, he's drawn with a more natural, human appearance - then I'd understand, then I'd be like, "Okay, the writer knew what he/she was doing". But this seems to be a whimsical design choice.

But I really, really dislike this main character, and his love interest, for more than just his appearance. I really, really - freaking - dislike this character. Shinji Ikari was, at least, sympathetic. This main character is not. He's a tool. I've never had the desire to call someone that, but he's a tool, pure and simple. The only saving grace is that he might develop into something more than a tool as the show progresses.

On a scale of wimpy anime protagonists, Shinji Ikari is the poster boy for pathetic. But you know, I kind of like him. Then I met Yuki Amano, from Future Diary, and he threw Shinji out on his rear. And now, Haru Yuki, takes the throne.

Dec 28, 2014 11:14 PM

#762

fang3412

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Sep 2014

184

Karhu said:
Fat bitch magnet isn't a problem, but feels like they are trying too much by making the MC so different from all the rest characters.

dosent tht usually refer to BIG and fat people like the santa feel this is SHORT and fat theres a problem here

Dec 28, 2014 11:16 PM

#763

fang3412

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Sep 2014

184

Digglett said:
I don't care that he's fat. I think he's a dick.

Except when he's a pig because I can't hate pigs.

UR A BROOO I TOTALLY AGREE

Jan 28, 2015 11:37 PM

#764

Linkmstr

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Sep 2012

201

It's just sad that so many people can't see the bigger picture about Haruyuki and his growth as the main protagonist.

Jan 28, 2015 11:40 PM

#765

Protaku

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Apr 2014

13385

Because he's fat and still attracts females like flies to a corpse.
Not that I dislike him myself. Just Accel World sucked in general.

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Jan 29, 2015 6:38 AM

#766

KYPRIME

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Sep 2014

Protaku94 said:
Because he's fat and still attracts females like flies to a corpse.
Not that I dislike him myself. Just Accel World sucked in general.

so for you accel world it sucked, then why are you here? you want to grow the number in front of your "Posts: " or what? i know why i'm here, i liked accel world, i think that AW was the best anime of 2012 and much better than SAO

Jul 26, 2015 4:11 AM

#767

Kirito_22

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Jul 2015

I think it doesnt fit the image of being the protaginst no offense i dont like the main protagonist to look like a wimp but it doenst mean i dont like fat people it just doenst fit
of bieng protagonist of a story if the main character is fat and lack of hieght i makes me feel that i dont want to watch the anime but i still watched it because i like the HEROINE of the anime!!! just my opinion!

Jul 28, 2015 2:49 AM

#768

Leiss

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Feb 2015

261

He's barely thirteen years old. He has time to grow into a tall handsome young man.
Take Neville Longbottom, he was who he was and look at him now :))
I'm sure that when the story ends and he will no longer be a kid, he's gonna be a fully developed normal male that will go in for the kiss without having the girl bow down to him.

Aug 3, 2015 8:21 PM

#769

Jayden

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Jun 2015

2636

Leiss said:
He's barely thirteen years old. He has time to grow into a tall handsome young man.
Take Neville Longbottom, he was who he was and look at him now :))
I'm sure that when the story ends and he will no longer be a kid, he's gonna be a fully developed normal male that will go in for the kiss without having the girl bow down to him.

To be fair, Neville was chubby, not fat, and he was also tall.

Aug 5, 2015 10:37 AM

#770

Fate-Symphony

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Jun 2014

183

I don't mind him being fat. At least he was unique and stood out from the other protagonists like kirito and sora(ngnl). Honestly I could connect with him better, cause bullying is so common and may/ may not be extreme, but the trauma could be/ mostly is extreme

Sep 4, 2015 2:12 AM

#771

DesolatePsyche

Lewd Depresso

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Jul 2008

2379

I don't mind he is fat lol. Relatable lulz. But his personality gets damn annoying at times...

Sep 4, 2015 7:47 AM

#772

darboux

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Jun 2015

162

Well his personality can be quite annoying for sure but alot of other shounens are like these as well.My problem is that the MC is not Chubby like a few extra pounds.Some girls actually like these type men or it can be cute.The problem here is that the MC is Obese.Its not a matter of looks but a matter of health.For example some consequences :

cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of death in 2012;
diabetes;
musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis - a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints);
some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon).
The risk for these noncommunicable diseases increases, with an increase in BMI.

Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. But in addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects. etc ...

Is not a matter of being superficial or about the mc's looks but its a matter of HEALTH.is like having an MC that is a drug addict yet the show portrays it as something he shouldnt correct and that it not matters....

Obesity is something dangerous and you can tackle it actually,i didnt see this in the anime tbh^^.

Sorry thats how i see it. And about the superficial comments ever wondered why the main heroine is drop dead gorgeous and has a kinda perfect personality?
Why wasnt the main heroine portrayed as someone with average looks at the very least?Or like your average girl? The show is superficial as well no be fooled^^.

No offence to people but this show seems like a fanservice to obese otakus ^^.(please no flame me thats just my opinion).

Again been Chubby =/= Obese,and thats how the mc was shown to be.Having a ''beer'' belly or few extra pounds as i said above is nothing wrong but obesity is a different story and its doesnt have to do with just being superficial about looks^^.

darbouxSep 4, 2015 7:58 AM

Oct 20, 2015 6:15 AM

#773

Crashmatt

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Feb 2015

2006

He's too exaggerated, yes I get he's a looser but why does he have to be short, fat & whiny? His character looks out of place in the real world setting. Not everyone who is bullied is short & fat, its a poor design choice and with his pathetic character he's the worst thing in the series.

Oct 20, 2018 7:44 AM

#774

OppaiSugoi

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Jul 2014

4195

NECRO!

Don't get how people are supposed to "self-insert", Is that cartman? lmaoo

Oct 23, 2018 3:19 PM

#775

Withoutaname

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Sep 2014

I normally wouldn't mind anime characters being fat if they also had some redeeming qualities about them. There's a saying about beauty being on the "inside" as well as the "outside", but Haruyuki is just awful on the inside as well. At the exterior level, his appearance is indicative of an unhealthy obsession with food and video games in order to try and escape his real life problems rather than confronting them directly, like standing up to his bullies or talking to an adult. At the interior level, he is self-centered and narcissistic, preferring to focus only on his own problems and never those of others. He isn't appreciative of the fact that he lives a comfortable middle-class lifestyle while others struggle just to get an education; he isn't appreciative of the fact that he has two Childhood Friends™ who care for him (see his scene with Chiyuri's sandwiches) while others don't even have friends to support them; he isn't appreciative of the fact that somehow girls gravitate to him merely because of his existence rather than because of any positive qualities about him (see his scene with Kuroyukihime before the car accident). In short, he's an asshole both inside and outside, and it's a wonder why anyone would become friends with him. The only thing he has to legitimately complain about is his being bullied, while others who are in much worse situation than him struggle just to get an education.

And before people conveniently write off any complaints about him as somehow being "jealous" of his harem, because they don't want to face legitimate criticism, here are some better written fat characters: Daru (Steins;Gate), Porco Rosso (Kurenai no Buta), Chouza Akimichi (Naruto), Tamako Inada (Silver Spoon), Kosaku Tokita (Paprika)

Nov 11, 2018 7:57 PM

#776

magicfrog13

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Dec 2012

Popular theory has it that what we see is his own self image. Chiyu says at some point that he wasn't always so big, and I've always felt he gained weight due to feeling blamed for his parents divorce.

Dec 15, 2018 1:13 AM

#777

neogalfen25

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Apr 2018

In real world more gamer is a fat person and talented,they spend lot of time in computer game but in accel world anime is different tsk tsk

Dec 7, 2019 8:49 PM

#778

icecait

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Apr 2019

I don't care about him being fat. I care about him being a whiny beta. I'm tired of useless MCs, and this one is yet another in that vein.

Mar 11, 2021 11:12 PM

#779

Ikkun_

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Oct 2020

937

As soon as i saw the mc was a fat fuck , i dropped this

Mar 22, 2021 7:15 AM

#780

Synkiiz

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Dec 2019

1038

BECAUSE EVERYONE IS IDIOT.

Jun 17, 2021 4:02 AM

#781

Vesnesc

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Mar 2019

because they can relate to him. they dont have an OP twink to self insert as

Jun 19, 2021 5:02 AM

#782

removed-user

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Jul 2018

564516

exactly ^ they can't stand to look in the mirror

Nov 16, 2021 5:58 PM

#783

Abysmal_Saint76

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Feb 2021

532

Because they are fat and they hate themselves for that so now they are venting their anger through him. Also probably jealous that he got a hottest girl fawning over him.

Nov 28, 2021 9:32 PM

#784

fang3412

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Sep 2014

184

Short fat AND mentally weak

Apr 1, 2022 8:04 AM

#785

Vnbn

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Apr 2022

I have such a problem because its too much fan service now and frankly just not real no girl that cute is gonna go for someone like me thats fat or like th just the sad truth

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Why do people have a problem with the protagonist being Fat?

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