History Main / BigManOnCampus

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Brick Flagg might be the boyfriend to [[AlphaBitch Bonnie Rockwaller]], but he's actually pretty decent ([[DumbJock if a bit dim]]) judging from what few appearances he gets. He later goes off to college in the fourth season and dumps Bonnie.
** Josh Mankey might better qualify...smart, cute and popular. He was with Kim for the first two seasons before ending up with Tara and being PutOnABus.
* Ulrich from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' has all the trappings of a Big Man on Campus (considered attractive, vied after by all of the main girls in school, and is portrayed as being a genuinely nice guy), but he doesn't actively pursue this status. Regardless, he still has several girls vying for his attention at any one point.

* ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries]]'': Robin, at the ''fifth'' high school Tim attended, one of the tennis players was incredibly kind, attractive, talented and got decent grades and was quite popular as a result.

* ''LightNovel/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation's'' main character Rudeus Greyrat at Ranoa Magic Academy. Even though he wants to maintain a humble facade, he made various achievmenents before (his renown as an A-rank adventurer is one of the reasons why he was scouted by the school) and during his life there, which include defeating a princess' previously unbeatable bodyguard in his entrance exam duel, "taming" most of the school's problem children, and even [[DefeatMeansFriendship defeating then befriending]] a Demon Lord, among other things, all within just his freshman year. This leaves the rest of the student body and even some teachers both in awe and fear of Rudy's potential, much to his chagrin.

* ''Manga/BlueFlag'': Touma Mita is the star of the school's baseball team. Every man wants to be his friend, with Taichi's friend even mentioning that he seems to live in a complete different world from them. Every girl in the school appears to have a crush on him an desperately seek his attention. This however, separated him from his very much average ChildhoodFriend and [[spoiler:FirstLove]], Taichi, though they start to rebuild their friendship.[[/folder]]

* In ''Film/TheBradyBunchMovie'', Marcia's totally into Doug and keeps referring to him as "the big man on campus." What she fails to notice is that he's actually ''not'' this trope -- while he certainly is handsome, charming, and popular, he's not even remotely a nice person, which the trope description requires. He's verbally (possibly physically) abusive to his girlfriend, whom he dumps temporarily for Marcia, and is only interested in Marcia because he wants to sleep with her.
* Paul Metzler of ''Film/{{Election}}'' (1999). He's one of the few nice characters in the story, as well as TheDitz.

* Will Wagner in ''Literature/AvalonHigh''. Not so surprising, since he's [[spoiler:the modern reincarnation of Myth/KingArthur.]]
* Eino Fflliikkiinnenn in ''Barefoot Boy With Cheek'', football player and the protagonist's fraternity brother in Alpha Cholera.

* Jimmy Jimerino in ''Literature/KingOfTheBench'' considers himself one, despite being only the second best athlete in the school, right behind Becky O'Callahan.

* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'''s Steve Holt is a classic Big Man on Campus. Never mind that he's been a senior for five to six years by the time the series ends.

* Reiner Braun from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. He's [[{{Hunk}} ruggedly]] handsome, with a LanternJawOfJustice and HeroicBuild, and greatly admired by his 200+ classmates as the [[TheAce 2nd ranked]] graduate of their military class. He's also a [[TeamDad genuinely]] [[BruiserWithASoftCenter awesome]] and [[BigBrotherInstinct caring]] guy that naturally inspires others. The main character, Eren, looks up to him as his BigBrotherMentor and mentions wanting to be more like him. [[spoiler:The fact that he's genuinely such a nice guy makes him a TragicVillain, once he's revealed to be TheMole.]]

* In ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]],'' at the ''fifth'' high school Tim attended, one of the tennis players was incredibly kind, attractive, talented and got decent grades and was quite popular as a result.

* Parodied in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' with Snoopy's "Joe Cool" persona. (There was also a one-off strip in which his persona was actually called "Big Man on the Campus").

* ''Series/GossipGirl'''s Nate Archibald in seasons one and two is this: he's good-looking, very popular, and a genuinely nice person whose biggest flaw is his utter passiveness both in his life and in his relationships. He doesn't share the elitest opinions of his AlphaBitch girlfriend Blair or his skeevy best friend Chuck Bass, which is why he is able to maintain good relationships with outcast Dan Humphrey and his friends. His passiveness often makes him a complicit bystander to Chuck's and Blair's cruelty, which downplays the trope somewhat.

The Big Man on Campus is AlwaysMale. For a "popular but good-hearted" HighSchool [[DistaffCounterpart female equivalent]], ClassPrincess is the trope of choice. Compare SchoolIdol and LovableJock. For settings outside of HighSchool, compare MagneticHero.

The Big Man on Campus is AlwaysMale. For a "popular but good hearted" HighSchool [[DistaffCounterpart female equivalent]] ClassPrincess is the trope of choice. Compare SchoolIdol and LovableJock. For settings outside of HighSchool, compare it to MagneticHero.

* Paul Metzler of ''Film/{{Election}}'' (1999). He's one of the few nice characters in the story, as well as TheDitz.

** The [[Creator/ZacEfron same actor]] in ''Film/SeventeenAgain''. He provides the page image.

* In ''Film/TheBradyBunchMovie'', Marcia's totally into Doug and keeps referring to him as "the big man on campus." What she fails to notice is that he's actually ''not'' this trope -- while he certainly is handsome, charming, and popular, he's not even remotely a nice person, which the trope description requires. He's verbally (possibly physically) abusive to his girlfriend, whom he dumps temporarily for Marcia, and is only interested in Marcia because he wants to sleep with her.

* Subverted in the Stephen King novel ''Rage'', where the local BMOC proves to be almost as messed up as the guy [[spoiler:who just shot two teachers and is holding the rest of the class hostage.]]

* Eino Fflliikkiinnenn in ''Barefoot Boy With Cheek'', football player and the protagonist's fraternity brother in Alpha Cholera.

* Jimmy Jimerino in ''Literature/KingOfTheBench'' considers himself one, despite being only the second best athlete in the school, right behind Becky O'Callahan.

* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver'': Paxton Hall-Yoshida. According to Model UN Russia, every kid in [=SoCal=] knows who Paxton is. He's got like three fan Tumblrs, apparently. One of them is even in Korean.
* Zack Morris from ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' is handsome, well-liked, and has enough charm to do well in school despite not taking any of it very seriously. Of course, he's also the protagonist, so we're expected to root for him no matter what.

%%* Tommy Dawkins, whose show was even called ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus''!

%%* ''Series/GossipGirl'''s Nate Archibald in seasons one and two.
* Jeff's introduction in the [[Recap/CommunityS1E02Spanish101 second episode]] of ''Series/{{Community}}'' definitely plays on this trope.

* Tommy Dawkins, the titular ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus''. A charismatic, successful high-school football quarterback who's loved by his classmates (especially the girls). He's also a LovableJock, almost to the point of parody, he's such a NiceGuy that even becoming a werewolf doesn't turn him evil (and this is a universe where anyone else who gets turned undergoes TranshumanTreachery almost immediately.) Ironically, his werewolf alter ego, the "Pleasantville Werewolf", is a HeroWithBadPublicity.

* Even though he's at college, Fiyero Tiggular from ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' is a perfect example. He is handsome, very shallow and popular and has a reputation for being "scandalicious" and everyone worships him. He even goes out with a ''Libby''ish girl (though she turns out not to be) until he [[spoiler:dumps her for Elphaba.]]

* In the [[ExpansionPack university expansion]] of ''VideoGame/TheSims 2'', college Sims can become the big man on campus by having a full influence bar (basically, 20 friends at once).

* ''WebAnimation/{{Damaged}}'' has Dillon, a very popular, very attractive robot with [[DoAnythingRobot a wide variety of gadgets]] that allow him to help his fellow students with whatever they need. [[GreenEyedMonster TJ doesn't like him.]]

* TJ from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''. He shows one of the key traits most openly in the episode where he was forced to stay with the 'pale kids' - kids who would rather stay inside and play ''Dungeons and Dragons'' than play on the playground. Though he is initially hesitant, it isn't long before he has blended in perfectly and counts each and every one of them as a friend, rallying their unique talents to his side in several future episodes.
* Johnny Hitswell in ''WesternAnimation/TheReplacements''. He is the subject of Riley's affection and her middle school sweet heart. Even though every girl in the school is all over him, he tends to pay no attention to them most of the time, except for his annual Kumquat Day card readings.

* Ulrich from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' has all the trappings of a Big Man on Campus, but he doesn't actively pursue this status. Regardless, he still has several girls vying for his attention at any one point.
* Doyle was this before attending ''WesternAnimation/GalaxyHigh'', being a popular jock; the reason he's chosen to attend the eponymous school is because of his athletic abilities. Aimee even mentions the trope's name at the end of the first episode. Too bad for Doyle the title school has no football team as they appreciate intellectuals over athletics and so Doyle instantly becomes the ButtMonkey of the show.
* Milo of ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' is a mixture of this and some tropes about unpopularity. Due to his nature as a WalkingDisasterArea, most of his classmates want to keep their distance, but they respect him a lot and want to know about his latest misadventures.

The Big Man on Campus is the most popular guy in the HighSchool. He is handsome, charming, a superb athlete and usually pretty smart and an A student. Unlike his peers the AlphaBitch (who is usually his girlfriend until he realizes how awful she is) and the JerkJock (usually his friend until he realizes how awful ''he'' is) the Big Man on Campus never bullies anyone: he rules through charisma and general awesomeness rather than fear and manipulation. But like the LovableJock (with whom he is often close, if not one and the same), woe to anyone who trifles with him. He'll probably grow up to become TheAce.

The Big Man on Campus is AlwaysMale. For a "popular but good hearted" HighSchool [[DistaffCounterpart female equivalent]] SpoiledSweet is the trope of choice. Compare SchoolIdol and LovableJock. For settings outside of HighSchool, compare it to MagneticHero.

* Paul Metzler of ''Election'' (1999). He's one of the few nice characters in the story, as well as TheDitz.

* Theo of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' is the Head Boy with both BlueBlood and the [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Spark]], who tells excellent stories, is kind to new arrivals regardless of who their families are and hosts gatherings/parties in his dorm room. He may technically be even higher in the pecking order among the students on Castle Wulfenbach than the princess Zulenna.

** Josh Mankey might better qualify... smart, cute and popular. He was with Kim for the first two seasons before ending up with Tara and being PutOnABus.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

The Big Man on Campus is the most popular guy in the HighSchool. He is handsome, charming, a superb athlete and usually pretty smart and an A student. Unlike his peers AlphaBitch (who is usually his girlfriend until he realizes how awful she is) and the JerkJock (usually his friend until he realizes how awful ''he'' is) the Big Man on Campus never bullies anyone: he rules through charisma and general awesomeness rather than fear and manipulation. But like the LovableJock (with whom he is often close, if not one and the same), woe to anyone who trifles with him. He'll probably grow up to become TheAce.

* ''Manga/AoNoFlag'': Touma Mita is the star of the school's baseball team. Every man wants to be his friend, with Taichi's friend even mentioning that he seems to live in a complete different world from them. Every girl in the school appears to have a crush on him an desperately seek his attention. This however, separated him from his very much average ChildhoodFriend and [[spoiler:FirstLove]], Taichi, though they start to rebuild their friendship.

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]],'' at the ''fifth'' high school Tim attended, one of the tennis players was incredibly kind, attractive, talented and got decent grades and was quite popular as a result.
[[/folder]]

* ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'':

** Akihiko Sanada from ''VideoGame/Persona3'', although unlike other examples, he is [[CluelessChickMagnet unaware of his popularity, especially with his hordes of fangirls.]] He's also [[{{Adorkable}} hopeless]] in romantic situations.

* Tommy Dawkins, the titular ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus''. A charismatic, successful high-school football quarterback who's loved by his classmates (especially the girls). He's also a LovableJock, almost to the point of parody, he's such a NiceGuy that it's even becoming a werewolf doesn't turn him evil (and this is a universe where anyone else who gets turned undergoes TranshumanTreachery almost immediately.) Ironically, his werewolf alter ego, the "Pleasantville Werewolf", is a HeroWithBadPublicity.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ResurrectedMemories'': Dash Baxter ''used'' to be this, he is the school quarterback and male head of the A-Listers but ever since the Disasteroid, Danny has him beat. Heck, it's implied that the ''only'' reason he is still in charge of the A-Listers is because Danny didn't want to join them.

* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver'': Paxton Hall-Yoshida. According to Model UN Russia, every kid in SoCal knows who Paxton is. He's got like three fan Tumblrs, apparently. One of them is even in Korean.

* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver'': Paxton Hall-Yoshida. According to Model UN Russia, every kid in SoCal knows who Paxton is. He's got like three fan {{Tumblr}}s, apparently. One of them is even in Korean.

** Oliver Wood and Cedric Diggory seem to be this at Hogwarts, being captain of their Quidditch team. The latter is a ChickMagnet, and just generally likable.

* Nick Mallory in ''WesternAnimation/GrojBand''. Nick is the coolest 16-year old kid in school, whom all the girls in school adore, especially Trina. He is sometimes referred to as "Hunky Nick Mallory" by Trina and many others around him. He always refers to himself in the third person, but isn't inherently antagonistic, and will sometimes aid the band when they see use of him.