Plus-Sized Elf (Japanese: エルフさんは痩せられない。, Hepburn: Erufu-san wa Yaserarenai; lit. 'Ms. Elf Can't Lose Weight') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Synecdoche. It was originally serialized on Wani Books' Comic Gum website from December 2016 to June 2020, with its individual chapters collected into eight tankōbon volumes. After Wani Books' license to the series expired, Synecdoche self-published the series from April to May 2021, then started a continuation manga titled Plus-Sized Elf: Second Helping! (新・エルフさんは痩せられない。, Shin Erufu-san wa Yaserarenai; lit. 'Ms. Elf Can't Lose Weight New') in Akita Shoten's monthly seinen magazine, Dokodemo Young Champion, in October 2021, with its individual chapters collected into six tankōbon volumes. Both manga are licensed for English release in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. An anime television series adaptation produced by Elias aired from July to September 2024.
Contents
Plot
One night, Tomoatsu Naoe, an osteopathic massage therapist, meets a new client. She is Elfuda, an elf from another world who gained an excessive amount of weight during her stay on Earth by eating French fries, who needs his help shedding pounds so she can be able to return through the portal that leads her home. As Tomoatsu assists with Elfuda's weight loss, many other overweight mythical creatures come seeking his help.
Characters
Tomoatsu Naoe (直江 友厚, Naoe Tomoatsu)
Voiced by: Takahide Ishii (Japanese); Kieran Axel (English)
A seitai massage practitioner who works at Smiley Boar, a relaxation clinic. He is in charge of setting treatments and meal plans for his clients, who simply refer to him as "Human". He has a serious problem with reptiles ever since he got bitten by a snake when he was a kid.
Akiho Ino (猪野 明穂, Ino Akiho)
Voiced by: Aya Uchida (Japanese); Allison Sumrall (English)
The 40-year-old lustful manager of Smiley Boar who looks younger than her age suggests. She is unaware that Tomoatsu's clients are not humans. She likes to regularly go out for drinks, much to Tomoatsu's chagrin. She also has implied feelings for him, although on the beach island it is clear she desires a harem of men.
Elfuda (絵留札, Erufuda)
Voiced by: Ayasa Itō (Japanese); Shelby Blocker (English)
An otherworldly elf who became fat from eating too many French fries on Earth and is seeking help losing weight in order to use the portal which leads back to her home. Although she accomplishes her goal at first, her weight keeps fluctuating with each visit between worlds due to her fondness for fries. She decides to live with Tomoatsu while following his weight loss regimen. In her universe, she is a skilled archer. Most of the creatures she meets from her world do not get along with her, due to the fact that she is often rude to them.
Kuroeda (黒枝)
Voiced by: Rena Hasegawa (Japanese); Elissa Cuellar (English)
A dark elf who works at a convenience store. She is troubled by her large buttocks caused by long hours of standing and no exercise. Because elves and dark elves are natural enemies in her universe, she does not get along with Elfuda. However, in time, they grow to be frenemies. She is a sorceress who likes to collect materials to brew potions.
Media
Manga
Plus-Sized Elf is written and illustrated by Synecdoche. The manga was published digitally by Wani Books on their Comic Gum website from December 21, 2016, until June 17, 2020, at the manga's 45th chapter, before Synecdoche announced that Wani Books' license with the series had ended and that the manga would enter on hiatus in order to find a new publisher; Synecdoche took over posting the 46th and 47th chapters on Twitter, released on April 30 and May 29, 2021, respectively. On September 1, 2021, after revealing that Akita Shoten would be taking over as the series' publisher, Synecdoche ended the first manga and started a sequel, Plus-Sized Elf: Second Helping!, which continues the story. Plus-Sized Elf's chapters have been collected into individual tankōbon volumes across both series. Eight volumes of the original manga were published from June 26, 2017, to November 18, 2021, with Wani Books publishing volumes 1–7 and Akita Shoten publishing the eighth. The first seven volumes were reprinted by Akita Shoten from June 20, 2022, to February 20, 2023. As of May 2026, 6 volumes of the continuation has been published.
Seven Seas Entertainment acquired Plus-Sized Elf for English publication in North America on November 17, 2017. On March 8, 2023, they acquired its sequel.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on January 15, 2024. It was produced by Elias and directed by Toshikatsu Tokoro, with scripts written by Yuki Takabayashi, characters designed by Katsuyuki Sato, and music composed by Cher Watanabe. A censored version of the series aired from July 7 to September 22, 2024, on Tokyo MX and BS11, while an uncensored version aired on AT-X from July 8 to September 23, 2024. The opening theme song is "Fried☆Pride" (フライド☆プライド, Furaido☆Puraido) performed by Real Akiba Boyz, while the ending theme song is "Minna de Diet" (みんなDEダイエット, Min'na de Daietto; lit. 'Let's Diet Together!') performed by the cast of the series. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, Australia and British Isles for streaming on Hidive, simulcasting the uncensored version.