Obelix (Fr. Obélix) is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix' best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength. He is the only Gaul in Asterix' village who is always strong since he fell into the cauldron with magic potion when he was a baby. Because of Obelix' already enormous strength he is not allowed to drink the magic potion ever again, a ban he regards as being tremendously unfair. Other characteristics are his simplemindedness, his love and care for his dog Dogmatix, his anger when someone refers to him as being "fat", his enthusiasm for hunting and eating wild boars and beating up Romans. His catchphrase is: "These Romans are crazy!", although he considers many other nationalities to be just as strange.
He is a large man who does not see himself as fat, preferring to call himself "well covered" or having a chest that has "slipped a bit". From Asterix and the Banquet onwards- previously he had simply expressed ignorance of being fat, such as when he merely commented that he wished he had known he was too fat to pose as a lion in Asterix the Gladiator-, Obelix is so in denial over this matter that he usually does not even notice when other people refer to him as "that fat one", and often shows total confusion over which fat person people are referring to.
When he does understand the allusions are made on his behalf he flies into a rage and starts beating up the person who said it. Sometimes, when he is in a bad mood, just hearing the word "fat"- even if it is not in reference to him- can quickly enrage him. Being called fat, or being hinted as being fat, is one of the main causes of conflicts between Asterix and Obelix which leads to more developing conflicts in which they must work together, once escalating to the point that Obelix actually gave Asterix amnesia when he hit him too hard during an argument (Asterix and the Actress).
Although they usually simply insult each other verbally they inevitably make up swiftly. Sometimes, Obelix can be so paranoic over the allusion of the word Fat that he can even break the fourth wall with the mere mention of this. Visibly in Asterix and the Black Gold, when the narrator points out that their(Asterix and Obelix) vessel was pulled like a "Big and fat fish", Obelix become clearly offended and yells "WHO IS FAT!?.
