Design Shop: FAT CHARACTERS

Still my favorite means of making a heavy character has to be "Let's have him hit people with instruments." "Okay, which instrument? Like a tuba or-" "All of them." "How would he-" "Put a whole band under his coat!"

I don't love Bob aesthetically, but you can't hate a character that is so confident and proud about his physique.

I know this video is 4 years old at this point, but now, we have another character that stands aside Bob as an actually good "Fat" type character, and that's Goldlewis Dickinson.

Some fat characters can be gluttonous and still have great design if you actually give them a personality aside from it, even becoming iconic like King Dedede or Heavy Weapons Guy.

In fairness, pretty much every Street Fighter character is limited to a single personality trait. That's part of why every attempt to create a good story out of the game has been a disaster. They're mostly incredibly single-minded and thus shallow, even the heroic characters. Honda sumos. Ryu karates. Zangief wrestles. Dhalsim yogas. Guile soldiers. Nash soldiers tragically.

8:40 "Approximately 2% of my body weight is actually fat. Allow me to show you what 350 pounds of muscle is capable of."

I am surprised no one has mentioned Wario. Wario is a slob, but him being fat does not define his charecter. He has demonstrated business savy and electronic skills.. Like Bob, Wario works out to maintain his big and muscular frame. This leads him to believe he is the most handsome and charismatic guy around.

Finally somebody giving my boy Bob the recognition he deserves. Definitely the most underrated character to come out of T6

We finally got this totally right with Goldlewis in Strive, who I think is the first fat character in a video game I've seen that has no references to his weight or food, just that he's strong

Because of this video, I have a newfound respect and admiration for Bob.

Bo Rai Cho is an interesting case because he is both. In the story he is portrayed as the best martial arts instructor in all the realms, he tought Liu Kang the moves that allowed him to defeat Shang Tsung, trained Li Mei, and led the Edenian army to victory against a much bigger force. I was exited to see him return because, silly me, I expected them to drop the vomit and disgusting side of him, just as they did with many of the bad stuff of MK's 3D era, but no, instead they decided to double down on it. It's such a shame.

In Rufus' defense, he apparently went on a pilgrimage to various temples to actually learn what's fact & what's fiction. Likewise, he allegedly trained by, among other things, carrying a pair of motorbikes on his back while jogging. It's not all just "imitate while lazing on a couch," from what I heard.

One thing you ignored about Rufus is that his skill is 100% legit. He didn't just watch Kung Fu movies he actually took Kung Fu classes and studied under various masters in China. Even Fei Long acknowledges Rufus is a legit Kung Fu Master.

As a fat person myself, I hate the stigma. I've always been fast, strong, and has always been athletic (even though I don't look it). I love sports, running in sand, and lifting weights. I have a love hate relationship with working out (except weight training or yoga) and have a bad relationship with food (my on and off eating disorders). I'm good at all I do, better than so many of the people I'm around. It just sucks that people only see me as fat even with all my hard earned muscle.

All the reasons you list why Rufus “doesn’t work” is exactly the reason why I liked him back in SFIV. I think he’s fun and goofy, and I like his character design. I think Capcom could’ve developed his character in later games too, but they sadly kept him as a one note joke character. They could’ve given him a character arc similar to Po from Kung Fu Panda, where he’s brash, clumsy, and dumb in the beggining, but overtime he becomes humbled, and maybe learns some real kung fu. I think that would’ve helped in making him a more likeable character to other people like you.

but what makes Rufus great is that he doesnt give a damn and went his own way. Rufus is not trying to defy the stereotype, he is purposely diving straight in, and making it glorious. Think of the life rufus has, he goes wherever he pleases, gets to fight to his heart's content, actually went to china to complement his observations and has a hot girlfriend who adores him. Isnt that enough compensation for being a "weird" fat guy?

I actually love Rufus' design. The way he wears that long braid makes him look like a cartoon bomb. That "short fuse" both underlines his unpredictability, (which is his most prominent gameplay strength) and his tendency to "go off" at a moment's notice (his most prominent character trait). Along with the ill-fitting Bruce Lee jumpsuit you mentioned, his look says everything there is to say about him in a manner that's both original and subtle. Just because a character's an asshole doesn't mean they're a bad character.

On the other hand Rufus was a very popular character due to his 'fuctions'

I always thought Choji was a fine fat character, using his size and weight as stored up energy to use in his ninjutsu, and always eating to both stock up & replenish simultaneously. His daughter is also very confident in herself as a kid compared to her father who was much more keep-to-himself.

There's a part of me that can't wondering if these two characters reflect a change in how Japan sees Americans. We went from Guile and Terry Bogard to Bob and Rufus. Anyway, I agree with everything you said about Rufus. But I also think it's important to remember that he's a comedy character in the first place. Yes, he's dumb, loud, and obnoxious....but that's kind of the point.