| Asterix and the Big Fight (Le Combat des Chefs) | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the English edition | |
| Date | 1966 |
| Main characters | Asterix andObelix |
| Series | Asterix |
| Creative team | |
| Writers | René Goscinny |
| Artists | Albert Uderzo |
| Original publication | |
| Published in | Pilote magazine |
| Issues | 261–302 |
| Date of publication | 1964 |
| Language | French |
| Translation | |
| Translator | Anthea Bell andDerek Hockridge |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Asterix and Cleopatra |
| Followed by | Asterix in Britain |
Asterix and the Big Fight (also known as"The Battle of the Chieftains" - translated fromFrench:Le Combat des Chefs) is a French comic book story, written byRené Goscinny and illustrated byAlbert Uderzo.[1] It is the seventh story in theAsterixcomic book series, and was originally published byDargaud as a serial forPilote magazine in 1964, before later being released as a comic album in 1966.
The story focuses on Asterix and Obelix attempting to get their village's druid cured of several conditions following an accident, all while their chief, Vitalstatistix, prepares to do battle with a rival chief allied to the Romans.
Asterix and the Big Fight received positive reviews following its publication. Ananimated miniseries adaptation of the story premiered onNetflix on April 30, 2025.
At the fortified garrison of Totorum inArmorica, Centurion Nebulus Nimbus, the camp's commander, expresses his frustration at being humiliated by the village ofGauls who continually resistRoman rule. His advisor, Felonius Caucus, suggests a solution to the situation by invoking an ancient Gaulish custom known as "The Big Fight" -single combat between two Gaullish chiefs, in which the loser forfeits their entire tribe to the winner. The pair travel to Linoleum to request the aid of its chief, Cassius Ceramix, who is loyal to Rome after his tribe were conquered and becameGallo-Romans. Ceramix balks at the idea, arguing thatVitalstatistix, chief of the rebels, would win with the potion of superhuman strength that his tribe uses against the Romans.
Caucus decides to ease Ceramix's concern by suggesting the Romans get rid of the village's druid,Getafix. However, Asterix and Obelix come across the effort to kidnap him, and quickly move to prevent this. But in scattering the soldiers, Obelix accidentally strikes Getafix with amenhir, causing him to sufferamnesia andinsanity. After Ceramix is made to issue his challenge against Vitalstatistix, Nimbus sends a spy into the village to investigate Getafix's situation, and is delighted to learn he cannot make the magic potion in his condition. After several attempts to cure him, Vitalstatistix suggests to Asterix about securing the aid of the druid Psychoanalytix, who specializes in mental disorders. Brought back to the village, Psychoanalytix examines Getafix, but when he asks how his condition came to be, Obelix foolishly demonstrates on him with a menhir, causing him to suffer the same afflictions.
Unable to contend with the problem, as the two druids make crazy potions together, Asterix decides to prepare Vitalstatistix for the upcoming fight. At the same time, Nimbus oversees Ceramix's training but becomes concerned he and Linoleum will rebel against the Romans if he wins, leading Caucus to suggest they should send him toRome in chains after his victory. As the fight is about to begin, Getafix accidentally makes a potion which cures him. When Asterix is sent into the village by Vitalstatistix to find Obelix, he is relieved to find him cured, though panics when Obelix strikes him with a menhir, thinking it would cure him despite not noticing his recovery. After Getafix is found to have been unharmed by Obelix's actions, he soon brews up the magic potion for the village, suspecting a double-cross by the Romans upon hearing about the fight with Ceramix
As the potion is distributed amongst his fellow villagers, Asterix gives Vitalstatistix the good news, who defeats Ceramix with a single blow after running him ragged by evading his attacks. The Romans soon attack the Gauls rather than accept Ceramix's loss, only to be defeated with ease, forcing Nimbus and Caucus into a humiliating retreat. After the fight, Ceramix is found to have been accidentally struck by a menhir thrown by Obelix, and now suffers fromamnesia that causes him to become gentle and courteous. Vitalstatistix declines his right to take over Ceramix's tribe, and sends him home in honour, with Linoleum returning to its Gaulish ways. Psychoanalytix, having recovered most of his sanity, also returns to his business and continues to be a success even though he still suffers from mild mental disorders that cause side effects to his treatments. The village holds a banquet to celebrate Vitalstatistix's victory and Getafix's recovery.
Impedimenta made her first appearance in this story, though only in a brief scene; she was not named until a later story. The comic also features a cameo of theMarsupilami, a notedBelgian comics character.
In 1967, following the production of the first Asterix animated film,Asterix the Gaul, publisherDargaud commissioned two more films to Belgian studio Belvision, one adaptingAsterix and the Golden Sickle and the otherAsterix and the Big Fight. However,René Goscinny andAlbert Uderzo, who had not been consulted for the first film and were unimpressed with the result, rejected those projects, whose production was halted.[2]
In 1989, part of the story was adapted in the animated feature filmAsterix and the Big Fight (known in French asAstérix et le Coup du Menhir). However, that film only used some plot elements from the book, primarily Getafix's insanity, and was for the most part an adaptation of another volume,Asterix and the Soothsayer.
In 2025,Netflix released a 3D animated miniseries,Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight. This adaptation, which expanded the book's original story and altered several plot elements, started streaming on April 30, 2025.[3][4][5]