Luckily though, anime does occasionally bring us some amazing characters that are on the shorter side of things. We’ve looked into the shortest shorties for girls, but let’s delve into the other side of the aisle. Let’s take a look at some of my favorites and see how they stack up against each other, no pun intended.
20. Feitan Portor
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011) Being in the Phantom Troupe must be such a drag for this guy. I mean, all the other guys are either really tall or walking bears, and then there’s Feitan. I do love that even though he’s the smallest member, his Nen ability is the most tank-centred of the entire group. In case you don’t know, he can turn all of the damage he has taken into heat energy and then manifest a protective suit for himself, while everyone else gets set ablaze. He doesn’t get much character development in the anime, though. Which is why I’m placing him here. But I quite enjoyed seeing him nevertheless.
19. Luck Voltia
Anime: Black Clover I love the occasional nutjob character. And Luck is definitely off his chain in more ways than one. The man just really loves fighting, and acts like a bull during The Red Wedding most of the time. Huh, black bulls. And his small stature almost compliments this bloodlust, because when he starts zapping towards you (even though he’s half your size) you just kind of know that he must be packing some serious power. You know what they say, everyone is the same height if you cut off their legs, or something.
18. Ōnoki
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden Never has a bigger punch been packed into a smaller packet. It’s like, I know that he’s old. But the man is barely pushing 130 cm ( 4’3”). However, as I hinted at in the opening here, he’s far from helpless. You remember when Madara was just slapping all the Kage like naughty children and Ōnoki lifted a frickin’ meteor, and then tanked another falling meteor? And then revealed his particle style that can destroy anything at a molecular level? Like calm down old timer, there’s no need to flex on the rest of the ninja world like that. They have feelings too.
17. Nagisa Shiota
Anime: Assassination Classroom Everything about Nagisa seems innocent and harmless. The long pale blue hair, his small stature, calm voice, etc. But that’s all a hoax, and you’re actually dealing with an incredibly skilled assassin who will clap you to the ground and then proceed to make you have a heart attack by his presence alone. Not to say that he enjoys killing or is an edgelord(Karma) but he simply has that killer instinct. The eye of the tiger, the fangs of the snake or whatever. So don’t judge a book by its cover. Because it just might just give you a paper cut… across the throat.
16. Czesław Meyer
Anime: Baccano! Just by looking at his picture you might think that I’m cheating here and just putting down a child. However if you’ve watched the show you know how the plot thickens. Spoiler alert here: that child is immortal and over 200 years old. Being that he’s in the same category as Queen Elizabeth, I think he counts. He is quite the paranoid little fossil and spends his initial screen time scheming how to find other immortals and devour them before they can do the same to him. Then again, he was tortured endlessly. So a bit of paranoia is expected. Luckily best couple Isaac and Miria set him straight.
15. Minoru Mineta
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia I mean, you can’t really go shrimpier than Mineta. The man is 108 cm (3’6″) tall. He also wears a diaper and to this day I do not understand why exactly that is. People usually either love or hate the little pervy grape, as he serves as comedic relief throughout the show and thinks about female plots moreso than about becoming a hero. So if you watch BNHA for the badass fighters, you probably hate Mineta and have an obsession with the Todoroki family. While if you watch BNHA because it’s fun you’re probably part of the Mineta army.
14. Kenji Miyazawa
Anime: Bungo Stray Dogs Out here in the country it’s all about shucking corn and denim jeans. So this little whippersnapper is on a quest to show all those city folk how pretty the pavement is when your face is buried in it. Okay, Kenji is not that aggressive. Which is honestly a shock considering his power. In case you didn’t know, he gains incredible strength, but (get this) only when he’s hungry. And if hangry Hulk doesn’t sound like a terrifying idea, I don’t know what does. So when in battle always carry some Snickers in case you stumble upon this simply blonde country boy.
13. Ginro
Anime: Dr. Stone Dr. Stone is a fun anime overall where the atmosphere rarely gets too serious, and I think characters like Ginro just shine in that environment. He’s just a silly guy who seems to always be scheming something, and will put on the most hilarious façade to get something that he wants. Bonus points if Senku backs him up and they make their maniacal plans together. It’s also brilliant that he’s paired up with Kinro, a tall muscular man who’s the embodiment of a stick in the mud. Contrast just works wonderfully doesn’t it?
12. Krillin
Anime: Dragon Ball Z Krillin is probably one of the first characters that comes to mind thinking about short kings. He has been in the game for decades. And while everyone is getting their 100th transformation, my man is still struggling to grow a few inches. Nowadays he’s kind of a meme character best known for dying every chance he gets. But the man still has quite a few achievements under his belt. For one, he nearly doomed the entire planet because he thought an android looked hott. I doubt he would have done the same for an iPhone with Siri, just saying.
11. Asta
Anime: Black Clover I always thought that Asta was the same height as Luck for some reason… but nope, the wiki puts him at 155 cm making him a certified shrimp cake. That’s 5’1’’ for you Americans out there. Despite his height, Asta has some serious muscle on him. And can clang away at most enemies, especially if he goes all demonic on you. He also has some serious vocal cords, but we try not to talk about that part. Generally he’s a kind hearted fellow who has Rock Lee level discipline and an end-goal we can agree with: getting into a nun’s sanctuary.
10. Hanzō Urushihara
Anime: Devil as a Part-Timer!
Only in anime do you get the opportunity to call Lucifer a shrimp.
That’s right: this 155 cm ( 5’1’’) kid sitting at the computer and probably searching the Dark web is literally Lucifer.
I mean, sure he acts like it initially with the whole “blowing up the city” schtick. But he’s swiftly put into his place and now lives exclusively on the Internet.
So all of you Tumblr girls that are obsessed with the devil, here you go. You finally have something in common with him. I swear Faustus would have been way more funny with this guy, making him sign up for a trial and thanking NordVPN before sucking him into Hell.
9. Isaac Netero
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011) Age really does come for us all. And it turns out that if you live for over a hundred years, you’re probably going to end up on this list. I never even thought about it before, but Netero is 161 cm ( 5’3”) making him among the shortest characters in the series, excluding children of course. This doesn’t hinder him all that much, though. As he has shown immense power and ironclad discipline that even got Meruem’s attention. He’s also quite the goof outside of the battlefield, which just makes him that much more endearing.
8. Koichi Hirose
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable It must be tough hanging around the JoJo giants. It feels they’re all able to dunk at the age of seven based on their height in build. And then we have Koichi, a 157cm ( 5’2”) fellow who hangs around Elvis JoJo and gets the power of onomatopoeia. Like come on, not only do you make him short but you also give him the least threatening stand ever. Luckily he does become a bit more powerful later on, so he can at least bring people to their knees if they start pocking at him too much.
7. Tomohiro Nagatsuka
Anime: A Silent Voice This one is a bit of an oddball, as he’s the only movie character on here. But I can’t help it. Is Tomohiro the perfect human being? No, he gets very possessive and might be a little pushy sometimes. But man is he an absolute sweetheart. All he wanted was a best friend to keep him company and have lunch with. He’s always there to lighten up the mood, and his fits of jealousy (although red flags in real life) were incredibly endearing in the show. I just want to buy him ice cream or something.
6. Aladdin
Anime: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Aladdin just comes off as so whimsical with his small stature, cheerful smile, the two raging biceps coming out of his flute… just adorable. You might think this is also cheating, because he is a child during the entirety of the show. But it turns out he truly is a short king, capping out 167 cm ( 5’5”) in the final arc of the manga, but being around 140 cm ( 4’7”) for the majority of the story. Plus the little man just has so much swag in his step. I can’t help but love the little bastard. Even after he becomes extremely powerful he sticks to his pacifist roots and breaks up an entire war in the most Aladdin way possible.
5. Vegeta
Anime: Dragon Ball Z I want to put Vegeta on here because I know it would piss him off to no end, as I already think the man is dying at the fact that Goku is taller than him. Also because Vegeta is just a boss. I mean sure, his pride might have made situations way more difficult than they had to be. But you already know that he doesn’t allow anyone to look down on him. His character arc is also quite the adventure, going from the typical bad guy to the guy who cucked Yamcha and finally the man that made me cry because he finally expressed his feelings and I was so proud of him… I need a minute okay.
4. Atsushi Ōtani
Anime: Lovely Complex This entire show is just one huge body positivity post. And I am here for it. The female lead is too tall according to society, and the male lead(Atsushi) is too short according to society. But guess what? They found love outside of the metric system and made for one of the cutest couples anime has ever seen. In fact, Atsushi even takes the whole “oh you’re tall you must be good at basketball” trope and throws it to the ground as his 156 cm ( 5’1”) self can absolutely break your ankles and bring great dishonor to your family! Man this show is positive.
3. Meliodas
Anime: The Seven Deadly Sins The man is an OG when it comes to short kings. He’s not only the most powerful character in the show, but also the most beloved. His love story is less than ideal. But god knows his height never stopped him from catching the eye of not only a princess, but even a literal giant. When he’s not being all serious and murdering people, he’s quite the jokester. But he’s also any HR department’s worst nightmare as he really just lets his hands go wherever they want. If you’re wondering, he’s 152 cm ( 5’0”) tall. So quite the bite-sized hunk.
2. Levi
Anime: Attack on Titan I never truly understood fangirling until I saw this man. He’s just such a badass that not even a second of his screen time is ever wasted. He’s always either saying something cool, doing something cool, or cleaning and thus giving us meme templates… which is pretty cool. His battle stats are through the roof. And unlike a certain someone, he doesn’t even have to rely on Titan powers in order to be useful. He just goes full Beyblade on unassuming Titans and ends their career before they realize what is happening.
1. Thorfinn
Anime: Vinland Saga Thorfinn is the only character on here whose size somehow makes him more terrifying. I mean sure, I would probably run for the hills at the sight of Thorkell chucking trees in my direction. But Thorfinn would scare away my sleep paralysis demon. The man is like an upfront assassin, utilizing his size to jump around the battlefield murdering everyone in his path and usually getting away without a scratch. It also doesn’t help that his eyes are filled with pure hatred. So even though he might look like a boy compared to his crewmates, marking him off as such is probably the biggest (and the last) mistake you’ll be able to make.
