Character height isn’t normally announced in anime and manga except when it comes to characters that are extremely short or ridiculously tall. When thinking of a short character, what comes to mind is usually a goofy one, someone who provides comic relief at the expense of their height. While this is typically the case, it isn’t always.
There are plenty of short characters with personalities and powers that explode from their tiny stature, making them stand out among all the average height characters. There are characters people may not even realize are as short as they are. Here are just 10 characters that are 5ft and under.
Update July 31st, 2020 by Louis Kemner: Often, personal height is symbolic of authority, confidence, and power, and a tall person who carries him/herself well can make a powerful first impression. But there's more to it than that. Many petite anime characters have proven that real strength of character comes in small packages, and it's time to meet five more characters who prove the point.
15 Rukia Kuchiki From Bleach - 4'8 1/2"
Rukia Kuchiki is central to the plot of Bleach; in fact, she kick-started the entire series when she met Ichigo Kurosaki and, after battling an evil spirit, lent him her Soul Reaper powers. She continued to show Ichigo the ropes for some time.
She may be little, but she is tough, and she continues to show remarkable progress as the story goes on. She recovers her lost powers, complete with an icy shikai, and she slays a powerful villain named Aaroniero. Later still, she achieved bankai and slew the fearsome As Nodt.
14 Chiyo Mihama From Azumanga Daioh! - 4'4"
There is no "main" character in the slice-of-life series Azumanga Daioh!, but Chiyo comes close since she is the "normal" cast member. She is a genius who skipped five grades and started high school at age ten, and she has wowed her classmates and teachers time and again.
Still, Chiyo is a kid, and she sometimes gets carried away or finds herself overwhelmed. She looks up to Sakaki like a big sister and loves her friends with an intense passion. Her family is well-off, too, meaning she invites her friends over to study at the Mihama vacation home.
13 Tsuyu Asui From My Hero Academia - 4'11"
She goes by the hero name "Froppy," an allusion to her innocent appearance and her frog-like quirk and attributes. Tsuyu is a melee style hero, using her powerful jumps (like a frog's) and her long, strong tongue to maneuver around the battlefield.
Tsuyu is also an ace student and a loyal friend, and she has a great deal of compassion and empathy for others. Her personal intuition is strong, too, and all this means she is a well-balanced trainee hero for sure.
12 Makarov Dreyar From Fairy Tail - About 3'6"
Makarov Dreyar may be a petite old man, but he is a wizard to be respected by his allies and feared by his enemies. He is the master of the famed Fairy Tail guild, and he can wield some of its most potent magic, such as Fairy Law.
He would rather not fight, however. Instead, Makarov embodies Fairy Tail's love of family and trust, and he works hard to mend ties with his estranged grandson, Laxus. But he's not always so little; with magic, he can swell to titanic proportions and slug it out with his enemies.
11 Shippo From InuYasha - 1'5"
Shippo is a demon, but he certainly doesn't act like it. He is a kitsune, and a member of Kagome and InuYasha's wandering party. He still grieves for his lost father, but he loves his new family and will risk his life for them. That's how he earned a spot on the team.
His attack power is rather low, so instead, he makes use of illusions and tricks, as per his nature, such as deceiving enemies into thinking that his toy tops are giant and heavy (and pressing down on them). Thus, he acts as a support mage of sorts.
10 Taiga Aisaka From Toradora! – 4'8½”
Taiga is the main female protagonist in Toradora! Taiga is quite popular among the boys at her school despite her brutally honest nature and short temper. She has deep-seated trust issues due to her family problems, but none-the-less, is a dedicated and loyal friend, willing to do anything for those she cares about, even if it means not being with the person she loves
In the beginning of the series, Taiga teams up with Ryuuji to help each other win over their crushes’ hearts, Taiga’s crush being Yuusaku Kitamura. However, as the series progresses Taiga begins to realize her affections for Ryuuji are growing into more than friendship.
9 Tanya Von Degurechaff From The Saga Of Tanya The Evil – Roughly 4’9”
Tanya and all other Empire mages use Mondragón Rifles, which are 43.5 in long. On top of that, they have a knife bayonet attachment, adding another 16 in, putting their full height at about 5ft even. Tanya is slightly shorter than these weapons, making her just under 5ft herself.
In her previous life, Tanya was salaryman who was murdered in 2013. Due to an argument with God, he was reborn in an alternate timeline, in a version of Europe during the equivalent of WWI. Retaining the memories from her previous life, Tanya joins the Empire's Mages troops and helps guide her side to victory in many battles. Her ruthlessness in battle earns her the nickname, “The Devil of Rhine”.
8 Hiei From Yu Yu Hakusho – 4’10” (Excluding His Hair)
Hiei is a Demon and known as “Master of the Evil Eye”, a name given to him due to his third, Jagan Eye, which he typically conceals under his headband. Hiei is a male fire demon born to a r female only race of ice demons. After his mother was forced to abandon him, Hiei was taken in by a group of thieves and trained to kill.
Hiei is incredibly fast and a highly skilled swordsman. He wears all black and uses a sword for combat, and he can change into his “Jaganshi Form”, which is his enhanced demon form that greatly increases his strength and skills.
7 Krillin From Dragon Ball Z – 5’0”
During his childhood, Krillin was selfish and bratty, but he became Goku’s best friend and is a valued member of their group. Though not as powerful as most of the other Saiyan Z Fighters, Krillin is a skilled martial artist and the most powerful Earthling. He is loyal and caring, willing to sacrifice himself to save his friends and the world.
He is often a comic relief character but is serious when the time calls for it. Later in the series, he marries Android 18 and together they have a daughter named Marron. His most well-known move is his Destructo Disc where he forms razor-sharp disc using his Ki. This energy disc can slice through pretty much anything.
6 Tatsumaki From One-Punch Man – 4’8”
Tatsumaki a.k.a. Tornado of Terror, is a Class S and the Rank 2 hero of the Hero Association. She is the strongest esper in the series with immense psychokinetic power. Although she is often mistaken as a child, she is actually 28-years-old. Tatsumaki has a major superiority complex, unable to admit when someone is stronger than her and generally avoiding facing enemies that are more powerful than herself.
This attitude of hers becomes a risk to the normal people around her as she has caused earthquakes just because she got mad. Despite being short-tempered and lacking empathy, she takes her duty as a hero seriously and will fight any threat she needs to.
5 Haruyuki "Haru” Arita From Accel World – 4’4”
Haru is a short, overweight middle school student and was often bullied. Haru may be slow and nonathletic in real life, but in the accelerated gaming world he is insanely fast and skilled, giving his Avatar, Silver Crow, it’s sleek appearance.
In the beginning, Haru was timid and allowed the bullying to continue. However, after gaining confidence in himself from accelerating, Haru begins standing up for himself in the real world and becoming more social. He’s currently level 7, but together with Kuroyukihime, they are working to reach level 10 to defeat The Six Kings of Pure Color and meet the Accel World creator.
4 Shiro From No Game No Life – 4’6”
Shiro is the female protagonist of the series and Sora’s younger stepsister. Shiro is a genius, able to speak 18 languages and has never lost a chess game. While very intelligent when it comes to games and wits, Shiro has difficulty when it comes to peoples’ emotions and behaviors. She barely talks, and rarely shows emotion. She is completely co-dependent on Sora to a point where she can’t function if he’s too far away from her, something that is probably attributed to their parents abandoning them.
After being summoned to another reality known as Disboard, Shiro and Sora begin the ultimate gaming mission: unite the sixteen races of Disboard and defeat Tet, the One True God.
3 Hanzō Urushihara From The Devil Is A Part-Timer – 5’0”
Urushihara is actually one of Sadao Maou’s Four Demon Generals, Lucifer. Though he was once a revered archangel, Lucifer was bored with his life in heaven, choosing instead to abandon his post and travel to the Demon Realm. In the human world, Lucifer is essentially a NEET, preferring to play video games rather than do work and tricking others into minuscule tasks he doesn’t feel like doing himself.
Despite his lackadaisical demeanor, Lucifer has shown that he cares about his friends. Like Maou and Ashiya, Lucifer’s powers are limited on Earth, but at full strength Lucifer is significantly more powerful.
2 Konata Izumi From Lucky Star – 4’8”
Konata is the leader and shortest member of the Lucky Star crew. The series follows Konata and her three friends throughout their daily lives in and outside of school. Konata is eccentric and friendly, though she can also be mischievous and enjoys teasing her friends. She’s a major otaku with a hearty love for anime, manga, and video games.
Konata is a smart girl but also a lazy one, which gives her a lot of trouble with grades and causes her to pull a lot of last-minute studying. She could easily join her school’s sports clubs but doesn’t because she would miss her shows.
1 Schierke From Berserk – 3’11”
Schierke is a young witch who joins Guts' party on his mission to stop Griffith. She has studied witchcraft for most of her life and is not only quite powerful but has very good control of her magic. Schierke is the only person able to consistently pull Guts out his berserker trance while he’s wearing the Berserker Armor, saving his life and his sanity.
She is also chosen by the Flower Storm Monarch to help restore Casca’s broken mind. Even though she’s young, Schierke is very mature for her age and typically quiet, though she’s still very friendly with others.