Are space fighters really torpedo boats?

Are the fighters seen in science fiction really more like torpedo boats in space?

They are likely to be a hybrid, combining fighter-like maneuver with weapons intended to damage much larger ships.

The categories need not be mutually exclusive. A parasite craft must carry a weapon capable of threatening a much larger ship, which gives it the strike function of a torpedo boat. It may also need the maneuverability normally associated with a fighter. A useful space combat craft would therefore combine features of both types.