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Anime characters come in all shapes and sizes, so it's only natural that some will be gifted height-wise, whereas others won't. Similarly, the shortness of a character can vary from series to series, with some being only about a foot tall. Sometimes their stature is the subject of some jokes. Other times, their height is just a minor trait that has no bearing on their overall character.
On that note, today's listicle will feature eight such extraordinary anime characters whose growth spurt has been limited to just 5'6" or even lesser. It's worth mentioning that this list focuses on the canon height that these anime characters are usually seen in and does not include special abilities that alter their size. In addition, besides human anime characters, this list will also feature extra-terrestrial beings and other species.
Disclaimer: Since the shortness of an individual is a subjective category, this list will only include characters who are under 5'6.''
8 beloved short anime characters
1) Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
The first notable character to list here is none other than the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta. It is worth prefacing this part by mentioning that most Dragon Ball Z characters aren't particularly tall. For example, Goku is only 175 cm tall, making him roughly 5'9'', which wouldn't be considered tall by western standards. However, Vegeta is even shorter.
The Saiyan Prince is only 164 cm tall, making him almost 5'4''. Size doesn't matter in the Dragon Ball universe, for Vegeta is more than capable of blowing up planets and being capable of catching up to Goku's impressive feats as a fighter. While there are even more shorter characters in the anime, Vegeta is unquestionably the most iconic choice here.
2) Hiei (YuYu Hakusho)
Hiei's height varies depending on the source, ranging from 4'10'' to 5'3''. Either way, he's similar to Vegeta because he's an incredibly competent fighter in his own universe. Out of Team Urameshi, Hiei consistently has the most outstanding performances, such as when he fought Seiryu, Zeru, Makintoro, and Bui.
Not to mention, he usually comments good snarky remarks against Kuwabara whenever they argue. Moreover, Hiei has consistently been the single most popular character in the anime, even more famous than the main protagonist.
3) Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)
One of the most notable things about Rukia is that she's much shorter than Ichigo, the protagonist of the Bleach anime. Her canon height is 4'8¾". By comparison, Ichigo is nearly a foot taller than her. However, the two characters have fantastic chemistry with one another, which led many fans to be utterly disappointed when the two characters didn't end up marrying each other.
Besides that, Rukia is a Shinigami who makes Ichigo a Substitute Shinigami. Without her, the main plot of Bleach would have been very different, as Ichigo wouldn't have had a reason to mingle with the Shinigami's affairs otherwise.
4) Shōyō Hinata (Haikyu!!)
Short volleyball players don't have many opportunities to score points, which is a huge obstacle that Hinata had to overcome in Haikyu!!. Throughout the anime, he remains standing at the height of 5'4'', whereas many of his teammates are nearly 6 feet tall. Despite his short stature, Hinata eventually became one of the best volleyball players in the series.
Due to his small size, he relies on his impressive speed to score points. Moreover, his height also gives him the edge to be the perfect decoy. And even though his lack of technique held him back at the start of the series, but this lovable Shōnen anime protagonist predictably got better as the series progressed.
5) Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
While there exists plenty of short characters in the Attack on Titan universe, Levi Ackerman has consistently been the single most popular character in the series based on official popularity polls. He's nearly 5'3'', yet he remains one of the coolest anime characters worldwide. Moreover, Levi's short stature never posed a hindrance to him being reverently referred to as the humanity's strongest soldier.
He's calm, cool, and an excellent fighter. Somebody as small as him taking down gigantic titans is impressive, especially since the titans are known to be extremely dangerous in this series. By comparison, other animes usually have big characters that aren't a threat and simply exist to lose to somebody much shorter than them.
6) Medama-oyaji (GeGeGe no Kitarō)
Modern anime fans probably have no idea who Medama-oyaji is. That's understandable since he was a major character in a 1960s manga with sporadic anime seasons throughout the decades. The main reason he's here is that he was the most popular short male character for a Goo Ranking poll in Japan back in 2013, even beating characters like Levi Ackerman.
The series popularized the concept of Yōkai, and one of which was Medama-Oyaji. He died of a disease and was then reborn into a strange sight that viewers see today. His exact height isn't specified by official accounts, but it is presumed that he's small enough to look tiny in a regular person's hand.
7) Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
The main protagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist has a pretty noticeable Napoleonic Inferiority Complex, making him a perfect candidate for this list. Canonically, he is 4'8'', but he can go up to almost 5'5'' with his elevator shoes. It's also logical to assume his hair sticks up high to make himself even taller than he originally is.
Apart from that, he's a pretty cool character who is stubborn to a fault. He tries to be the man of the Elric family in the absence of his parents, which is something that viewers can easily respect. Not to mention, his rude behavior is somewhat refreshing for a Shōnen anime protagonist.
8) Pikachu (Pokemon)
Canonically speaking, Pikachu is only 1'4''. That's definitely much shorter than the previous characters, but it's not as if everybody's favorite electric rodent is particularly wide either. Still, everybody knows of Pikachu.
It's Ash's trademark Pokemon and is unquestionably the most iconic one of all time. Not only has it appeared in nearly every episode of the anime, but it has also been the face of the most successful media franchises over the years.
Nonetheless, Ash's Pikachu is still a great character with some unique personality traits that make it more than just a random monster. It was initially rebellious and shocked Ash before becoming his most loyal companion. Other than that, it's very similar to his master in terms of personality. Moreover, he has a few cute quirks, like changing its face to look like other Pokemon, which fans and anime enthusiasts adore.
