This is a list of fictional characters who either self-identify as vegetarian or vegan, or have been identified as such by others.
Some scholars have argued that mass media serves as a "source of information for individuals" interested in vegetarianism or veganism, [1] while there are "increasing social sanctions against eating meat." [2] [3] Even so, there are lingering stereotypes of vegans and vegetarians in the same media, [4] [5] [6] with journalist Farhad Manjoo writing in August 2019 that it is "still widely acceptable to make fun of vegans." Manjoo observed that vegetarian and vegan characters are often portrayed negatively, such as being "smug" and "annoying". This portrayal, he suggested, can contribute to vegaphobia and may encourage meat-eaters to mock and provoke those who do not consume meat. [7] Some writers, such as John L. Cunningham, have argued for "more sympathetic vegetarian characters in the mass media". [8]
The names are organized alphabetically by surname (i.e. last name), or by single name if the character does not have a surname. If more than two characters are in one entry, the last name of the first character is used.
Characters | Show title | Character debut date | Notes | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aang | Avatar: The Last Airbender | February 21, 2005 | According to the show's creators, "Buddhism and Taoism have been huge inspirations behind the idea for Avatar." [9] As shown in "The King of Omashu" and "The Headband", a notable aspect of Aang's character is his vegetarian diet, [10] which is consistent with Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. [9] In the Brahmajala Sutra, a Buddhist code of ethics, vegetarianism is encouraged. [11] Appa, Aang's Sky Bison, is also vegetarian. [12] | United States |
The Legend of Korra | April 28, 2012 | |||
Tenzin | Tenzin, like all Air Nomads, follows a strict vegetarian diet. [13] [14] He attempts to convince a meat-eating airbender to join them in the episode "Rebirth", by noting the vegetarian diet of airbenders. [15] | |||
Beast Boy | Teen Titans | July 19, 2003 | He has been transformed into "animals who are commonly used for meat production," with some criticizing his character as a stereotype of a "militant crybaby vegetarian." [16] [17] He has also been a vegetarian in the comics since 2017. [10] | |
Teen Titans Go! | April 23, 2013 | |||
Jessica Cruz (Green Lantern) | DC Super Hero Girls | March 8, 2019 | A lead character in this series, she is not only a pacifist, but also a vegan and environmentalist, [18] [19] resulting in her becoming friends with Pam Isley. She often professes her commitment to the environment and plant-based meals. [20] [21] | |
Count Duckula | Count Duckula | September 6, 1988 | As the series went into production, one of the writers suggested he become a vegetarian, which added an even sillier concept to the series, making him "an egotistical vegetarian vampire duck" within a castle. [22] [23] | United Kingdom |
Draculaura | Monster High | May 5, 2010 | Some have said she deserves recognition as "one of the very few outspoken vegan cartoon characters out there." [24] Despite being a vampire, she consumes fruits, vegetables and "a lot of iron supplements" instead of blood. [25] Mattel vice-president of design Kiyomi Haverly said "she's a vegan. She's turned off by meat. Girls could really relate to that because that's part of what they're thinking of these days." [26] | United States |
Gerald Goode | The Goode Family | May 27, 2009 | The family are made up of a number of vegetarian environmentalists who attempt to be "politically correct in every way." [27] | |
Helen Goode | ||||
Ubuntu Goode | ||||
Bliss Goode | ||||
Che | ||||
Charlie | ||||
Petratishkovna "Tish" Katsufrakis | The Weekenders | February 26, 2000 | Intelligent and artistic, Tish is openly vegetarian, and eats a "carrot in a bun" in the show's opening credits. [10] | |
Mira | The Hollow | June 8, 2018 | In the first episode of Season 2, Mira's dad, Curtis, says "one veggie burger, for our favorite herbivore" and later, her adopted brother, Miles, says "...you're a vegetarian, remember?" [28] While Mira accepts this, she still realizes the world is fake. In the series finale, Curtis serves Mira and her friends veggie burgers. [29] | |
Canada | ||||
Nadia | Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water | April 13, 1990 | The main protagonist of the series. She has the ability to communicate with animals and cares deeply for them. She is a pacifist and a vegetarian, and openly condemns violence, meat-eating, and hunting. [30] | Japan |
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon | The Simpsons | February 25, 1990 | Apu is a vegan, as revealed in the season 7 episode "Lisa the Vegetarian". [24] | United States |
Panda | We Bare Bears | July 27, 2015 | The show's pilot and in the episode "Tote Life" he is revealed to be a vegetarian who does not eat eggs. [31] The latter is shown in the episode "Christmas Parties." While it isn't known if he drinks milk, he is, at least, an ovo vegetarian, along with having severe allergies to peanuts and cats. | |
Lisa Simpson | The Simpsons | December 17, 1989 | In the October 15, 1995, episode, "Lisa the Vegetarian," Lisa decides to stop eating meat after bonding with a lamb at a petting zoo. Her schoolmates and family members ridicule her for her beliefs, but with the help of Apu as well as Paul and Linda McCartney, she commits to vegetarianism. [32] The staff promised that she would remain a vegetarian, [33] [34] resulting in one of the few permanent character changes made in the show. [35] | |
Iron Fist (Danny Rand) | Ultimate Spider-Man | April 1, 2012 | A martial artist also known by the name Iron Fist, he can not only "summon his chi," but he is a vegetarian, with his diet mentioned directly in this animated series. [17] | |
Norville "Shaggy" Rogers | What's New, Scooby Doo? | September 14, 2002 | Before this animated series, Shaggy, known for having an "enormous appetite" earlier in the Scooby-Doo franchise, "started leaving meat out of his meals" and in one episode it is shown that he is vegetarian. The decision to make Shaggy a vegetarian occurred after his voice actor, Casey Kasem, convinced the producers to do so, since he was a vegan who supported animal rights and opposed factory farming, saying he would refuse to voice Shaggy unless the character was vegetarian. [36] [37] | |
Steven Universe | Steven Universe | November 4, 2013 | In the episode "Snow Day" of Steven Universe Future , Steven tells the other Crystal Gems that he has been a vegetarian for a month, drinks protein shakes, and does "his own skincare routine." [38] | |
Steven Universe Future | December 7, 2019 |
Characters | Name of comic | Years | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Bruce Banner | Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk | 2005-2009 | While The Hulk eats people, it is shown in Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk that he is vegan, but it is not known if this has "anything to do with his alter ego's cannibalistic tendencies." [17] |
Broo | Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3 | 2004–2013 | Mutant of the Brood race and formerly a student at the Jean Grey School of the X-Men, he is an "extremely sensitive, intelligent, and caring" character who is also vegetarian. [16] |
Karolina Dean | Runaways | 2003–Present | Dean, also known as Lucy in the Sky or L.S.D., is a lesbian, a vegan, and "an ardent animal lover...committed to a life completely free of meat and dairy." [17] [10] |
Connor Hawke (Green Arrow) | More Fun Comics | 1935-1947 | Previously the sidekick of Green Arrow, he becomes "the second Green Arrow," and it was shown that he "was a practicing Buddhist and devout vegetarian." [17] Later he ended up in a coma, not remembering being a hero, archer, or vegetarian, although he somehow healed himself. |
Todd Ingram | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | 2006 | Todd is Ramona Flowers's third ex-boyfriend and a rock star who is "really smart or incredibly dumb." However, being a vegan gives him "psychic powers" which he uses against Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness, although he is later revealed to be "cheating on his vegan diet." [17] He later appears in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off , where he can make "vegan portals" and is in a romantic relationship with Wallace Wells on the movie set. [39] |
Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness | 2005 | ||
Bernhard "Buddy" Baker (Animal Man) | Animal Man | 1988-1990 | Buddy, otherwise known as Animal Man, argued with his wife "about meat consumption," criticized conditions in factory farms, and opposed scientific testing on animals. He also, in another comic, assists animal rights activists in helping save dolphins, leading some to call him "probably most active in fighting for animal rights" of all the superhero characters. [16] [17] [10] |
Magneto | Ultimate X-Men no. 1 - Ultimatum no. 5 | 2001-2009 | He has "chosen to abstain from animal products" for unknown reasons, possibly because he "feels for the animals and does not want to harm innocent creatures." [17] |
Wanda Maximoff | Scarlet Witch vol. 2 | 2016 | Originally introduced in 1964 as a villain, Wanda, otherwise known as the Scarlet Witch, later became "a member of the Avengers," and it is later revealed that she doesn't eat meat or drink alcohol. [17] She was later depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. |
Millie | Mutts | 2013 | In a number of comic strips in Thanksgiving 2013, Millie, who owns a cat, "decides to cook a vegan meal" for Thanksgiving, [40] with her husband not "sold on the idea," [41] but later admits he "didn't miss the turkey." [10] [42] |
Linus Van Pelt | Peanuts | 1994 | Linus self-identifies as a vegetarian in a Thanksgiving strip published on November 24, 1994. [43] |
Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias) | Watchmen | 1986-1987 | Veidt, otherwise known as Ozymandias, began as a hero but later became a villain, is a vegetarian, perhaps because of his "love for his feline companion." [17] |
Persephone | Lore Olympus | 2018–Present | 19-year-old Persephone, also known as Persie and Kore, is the goddess of spring, and a naive, warmhearted newcomer to Olympian life, and is searching for her independence. [44] She is revealed to be vegetarian in episode 79 of the webcomic. [45] |
Damian Wayne (Robin) | Batman Incorporated Vol. 2, no. 1 | 2012 | Robin, otherwise known as Damian Wayne, becomes a vegetarian after "a mission that took place in a slaughterhouse," adopting a cow, which dubs a "Bat-Cow." [16] [10] His decision to continue being a vegetarian was also "referenced several issues later." [17] |
Zatanna Zatara | Hawkman | 1964-1968 | A powerful magician, she is a vegetarian, works with animals in her magic acts, and "has a particular affinity for bunnies." [17] [10] Due to her long history in DC Comics, she has been named as one of DC's best and most powerful female characters [46] [47] and one of the Justice League's greatest and most important characters. [48] |
Characters | Title / Franchise | Actors | Years | Notes | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lenny | Shark Tale | Jack Black | 2004 | Lenny, Don Lino's youngest son, is a vegetarian shark, younger brother of Frankie, and later a good friend of Oscar. Additionally, Michael Imperioli is embarrassed of Lenny's vegetarian views. [49] | United States |
Ian Miller | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | John Corbett | 2002 | It is stated in the film that Ian is a vegetarian. [50] | |
Lex Murphy | Jurassic Park | Ariana Richards | 1993 | [51] | |
Maria Posada | The Book of Life | Zoe Saldaña | 2014 | Maria is a woman who cared for a pig and rescued him from slaughter. Though she is not said to be vegetarian within the movie itself, director Jorge R. Gutierrez confirmed her to be vegetarian on Twitter, replying "Yup!" to the question "Is Maria a vegetarian because she loves animals so much?" [52] | |
M'Baku | Black Panther | Winston Duke | 2018 | In the film, M’Baku, the Jabari tribe leader who lives in the mountains of Wakanda, declares to a White CIA agent named Everett Ross, "if you say one more word, I'll feed you to my children!" After Everett is shaken by these words, he jokes, saying he is kidding because all those in his tribe, including himself, are vegetarians. [53] Some praised this scene for challenging a stereotype of Black culture and the perception of what vegetarians look like. [54] Duke later said that some Black outlets cooked vegan meals for him, and said that the scene is "kind of teaching kids that eating vegetables is cool," which is something he is for. [55] | |
Megan | But I'm A Cheerleader | Natasha Lyonne | 2000 | Before she is sent to a conversion therapy camp, her parents and others claim she is a lesbian because she is a vegetarian. [56] | |
Elle Woods | Legally Blonde | Reese Witherspoon | 2001 | When she introduces herself at Harvard Law School, she describes herself and her dog as "Gemini vegetarians." [57] | |
Yeong-hye | Vegetarian | Chae Min-seo | 2009 | This film is portrait of a woman, Yeong-hye, who "swears off meat before retreating into a literally vegetative state." [58] | South Korea |
Characters | Title/Series | Year | Notes | Developer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bryce the Cow | Steer Madness | 2004 | In this animal rights inspired action-adventure game, the player assumes the role of Bryce the Cow, a walking, talking bovine determined to put an end to animal exploitation and turn everyone vegetarian. [59] During gameplay, the player goes on a series of missions to save the animals using many different tactics. The game is based in an open city environment and features several transportation methods, with gameplay similar to the game Grand Theft Auto III (without the guns or violence), and was given a PETA award. [60] | Veggie Games Inc. |
Elena | Pandora's Tower | 2011 | Elena is a young woman who is cursed to transform into a monster. Very early in the game, she is offered to eat meat to repress her condition. This is an issue for her because she follows a religion called Aios which forbids meat-eating. Although Elena eats it, she must do so to prevent transforming into a monster. She is unhappy about having to consume flesh to keep her humanity, and she self-identifies as a vegetarian nonetheless. [61] | Ganbarion |
Jonrón | Far Cry 6 | 2021 | Near the end of the game, the revolutionaries are holding a BBQ to celebrate. Jonrón requests plant-based options. Another character then explains that she’s vegan. [62] | Ubisoft Toronto |
Monika | Doki Doki Literature Club! | 2017 | Near the end of the game, during the Monika's Talk segment, Monika mentions she is vegetarian, but mainly to reduce the carbon footprint on Earth as opposed to the ethics of slaughter. [63] | Team Salvato |
Sofia Daguerre | Fallout 76 | 2018 | Sofia was added in the 2020 Wastelanders update. If the super mutant Graham passes by her, Sofia tells him she does not eat meat.[ citation needed ] | Bethesda Softworks |
Characters | Work | Author | Year | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Elizabeth Costello | Elizabeth Costello | J.M. Coetzee | 2003 | In this fictional work, Elizabeth is a well-regarded Australian writer who, instead of talking about her novel, wants to talk about "fiction, realism, and the human-animal divide," outlining her reasons for being in favor of animal rights and vegetarianism. [4] The book also has Elizabeth call the killing of animals an animal holocaust and engages with Franz Kafka, a "literary vegetarian." |
August Engelhardt | Imperium | Christian Kracht | 2012 | August is the author of an 1898 pamphlet entitled A Carefree Future, where he describes a utopian society founded on nudism and a diet of coconuts, so-called cocovorism. An ardent vegetarian, Engelhardt argues that just as man is God's embodiment in the animal kingdom, so too is the coconut God's embodiment in the plant kingdom; cocovorism, he concludes, is therefore the path to divinity. [64] |
Frankenstein's monster | Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus | Mary Shelley | 1818 | Frankenstein's monster in this novel said he is a vegetarian who eats "acorns and berries." [65] |
Herb | Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon | Jules Bass | 1999 | Herb, a friendly dragon who lives in Nogard, a magical forest, likes tending a vegetable patch and is captured by a knight, with others agreeing to help him only if he "agrees to eat meat." [66] [67] The Vegetarian Resource Group praised this children's book for being fun, entertaining, and said that from it, "children can learn about the strength of ideals and individualism" and getting along with others. [68] |
Debbie Harter | ||||
Yeong-hye | The Vegetarian | Han Kang | 2007 | Based on Han's 1997 short story "The Fruit of My Woman", The Vegetarian is set in modern-day Seoul and tells the story of Yeong-hye, a part-time graphic artist and home-maker, whose decision to stop eating meat after a bloody, nightmarish dream about human cruelty leads to devastating consequences in her personal and familial life. [69] |
Hazel Lancaster | The Fault in Our Stars | John Green | 2012 | Hazel is vegetarian out of her desire to minimize the number of deaths she is "responsible for" as a human from her diet. [4] [70] |
Simon Lewis | The Mortal Instruments series | Cassandra Clare | 2007-2014 | Simon is the 16-year-old friend of the protagonist and has been a vegetarian for six years. As the story moves forward, his diet ends up only being "an interesting detail." [70] |
Lola Nolan | Lola and the Boy Next Door | Stephanie Perkins | 2012 | Lola, who wears costumes of various themes and wigs daily and loves her dads. Her vegetarianism has been described as "a perfectly natural part" of her character. [70] |
Andi Oliver | Dakota | Martha Grimes | 2008 | Andi is a drifter who suffers from amnesia, comes upon animal abuse, and feels she must do something, pointing out the inconsistency of eating animals when people say they care about animal welfare. The book was praised by the Vegetarian Resource Group for emphasizing the "need of individuals to speak out against factory farms." [71] |
Dawn Read Schafer | The Baby-Sitters Club series | Ann M. Martin | 1986-2000 | Dawn, a recent transplant to Connecticut, meets four other girls who want to babysit for the whole neighborhood, and becomes the "resident Californian," dedicated to healthy food, sunshine, and "her vegetarian diet." [4] Some described her character as introducing "a generation of readers to vegetarianism." |
Vivian Sharpe | Adventures of Vivian Sharpe, Vegan Superhero | Marla Rose | 2012 | Vivian, a character who is deeply empathetic, becomes a superhero and has a pathway that leads her to veganism. [72] Aileen McGraw of the Vegetarian Resource Group praised the book for being an "authentic coming-of-age story" that exposes vegan youth to "teenage challenges." [73] |
Mia Thermopolis | The Princess Diaries series | Meg Cabot | 2000-2015 | At one point in the series, Mia, whose full name is Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, says she does not eat meat when talking about her mother's cooking, something which her mother respects. [4] She also lives in a community which is likely "more than accepting" of her vegetarianism. [70] |
Mathilde Yoder | Fates and Furies | Lauren Groff | 2015 | Mathilde, a woman who manages the work of her husband, Lotto, after quitting her job at an art gallery, is a vegetarian due to an "exposé on television about industrial husbandry." [4] Some called this notable because vegetarianism, or pescatarianism to be specific, "is subtle throughout the majority of the book." |
Characters | Actor | Show | Duration | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rachel Berry | Lea Michele | Glee | 2009–2015 | At the beginning of the show, she was depicted as vegan, but it was later clarified that she was "actually a vegetarian," meaning she can have eggs and dairy. [74] [37] |
Phoebe Buffay | Lisa Kudrow | Friends | 1994–2004 | Due in no small part to her extremely traumatic childhood, Phoebe has developed a childlike naïveté in an attempt to shield her from the world's evils. In addition to being a vegetarian and an avid tree-hugger, she also displays a remarkable lack of experience with the "darker sides" of life. [75] [37] |
Topanga Lawrence | Danielle Fishel | Boy Meets World | 1993–2000 | She is a vegetarian who begins dating Cory, and he invites her to dinner at the International House of Salad, known as IHOS, after learning her dietary preferences. [76] |
Angela Martin | Angela Kinsey | The Office | 2005–2013 | Angela has said that she is a vegetarian on multiple occasions. [37] However, some reviewers believed that writers may have forgot she was vegetarian. [77] |
Nikita Mears | Maggie Q | Nikita | 2010–2013 | The episode "Glass Houses" features Nikita conspicuously declining to eat the meat she is served as a guest at a family dinner, which other characters comment on. While Maggie Q herself is a vegan, [78] Nikita is shown in that same episode to be eating ice cream, indicating that the character is not. |
Britta Perry | Gillian Jacobs | Community | 2009–2015 | A vegetarian, she prides herself on judging others in her study group, including on their eating habits, with her heart "always in the right place." [37] She also is an anarchist, atheist, and activist who traveled around the world after dropping out of high school. |
Spock | Leonard Nimoy | Star Trek | 1966–1969 | Said to be "television's first vegetarian," he and other Vulcans avoided eating meat due to a "philosophy of non-violence." [37] He is identified as vegetarian following an episode where he was "transported back to pre-civilised times" and ate meat. |
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vegan.
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat. It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. A person who practices vegetarianism is known as a vegetarian.
Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 11 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin.
A veggie burger is a hamburger made with a patty that does not contain meat, or the patty of such a hamburger. The patty may be made from ingredients like beans, nuts, grains, seeds, or fungi such as mushrooms or mycoprotein.
Vegetarian and vegan dietary practices vary among countries. Differences include food standards, laws, and general cultural attitudes toward vegetarian diets.
Meat-free days or veggiedays are declared to discourage or prohibit the consumption of meat on certain days of the week. Mondays and Fridays are the most popular days. There are also movements encouraging people giving up meat on a weekly, monthly, or permanent basis.
Veggie Galaxy is a diner-style vegetarian restaurant located in the Central Square section of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Vegaphobia, vegephobia, veganphobia, or veganophobia is an aversion to, or dislike of, vegetarians and vegans. The term first appeared in the 2010s, coinciding with the rise in veganism in the late 2010s. Several studies have found an incidence of vegaphobic sentiments in the general population. Positive feelings regarding vegetarians and vegans also exist. Because of their diet, others may perceive them as more virtuous or principled.
ProVeg Deutschland is a German non-profit organisation whose goal is to reduce the consumption of animal products. ProVeg Deutschland is part of ProVeg International, which serves as an international umbrella for a group of nationally operating organisations.
The Impossible Whopper is a veggie burger sold by Burger King. It is a variant of the Whopper, with a burger patty made from a meat alternative provided by Impossible Foods. First introduced in the United States in 2019, it was made available in Canada in 2021.
The McVeggie is a veggie burger sold by the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was introduced in 2012 in India when McDonald's opened its first vegetarian-only restaurant in the country.
A vegan school meal or vegan school lunch or vegan school dinner or vegan hot lunch is a vegan option provided as a school meal. A small number of schools around the world serve vegan food or are vegan schools, serving exclusively vegan food.
The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro is a vegetarian restaurant serving Thai cuisine in Portland, Maine, that opened in 2007 in the city's Arts District. A second Green Elephant restaurant is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Both have received critical attention for their vegetarian dishes.
ProVeg Nederland, known as Viva Las Vega's (VLV) from 2011 to 2017, is a Dutch foundation that aims to accelerate the transition towards a plant-based food system. The foundation's stated goal is to make it easier for consumers to eat plant-based more often and also to help companies address the growing demand in plant-based products. ProVeg Nederland is a member of the international ProVeg International.
ProVeg International is a non-governmental organisation that works in the field of food system change and has ten offices globally. The organisation's stated mission is to reduce the consumption of animal products by 50% by 2040, to be replaced by plant-based or cultured alternatives. Instead of increasing the share of vegetarians and vegans, ProVeg's focus is on reducing animal product consumption in the general population.