Generally speaking, being shorter than the average person actually presents many advantages, such as faster reaction times, stronger muscles in proportion to weight, greater endurance, and even the reduced likelihood of breaking bones.
And when it comes to the anime world, many immensely strong anime villains have proven time and time again that height doesn't always equal dominance or power. Plenty of anime villains arguably rank above many anime heroes when it comes to their strength, just not necessarily in terms of tallness. From the abilities they possess to the power they were given, these villains prove that height doesn't always matter.
10 Rui From Demon Slayer - Height: 4'5"
Rui was strong enough to be affiliated with Muzan's Twelve Kizuki. As a human, he was born with a fragile body where he struggled to walk or even breathe properly without severe exhaustion, and as a result, he spent his life trapped inside his home being cared for by his parents. Once he was approached by Muzan Kibutsuji, Rui was transformed into an incredibly strong demon and now possessed the ability to move freely with no worries.
Rui's demon abilities included enhanced strength and durability as well as supernatural techniques such as his demonic blood, cell manipulation, and thread manipulation because of his blood demon art. He was even strong enough to survive Tanjiro and Nezuko's epic combo attack.
9 Meruem From Hunter X Hunter - Height: 5'5"
Meruem the Ant King was the strongest known Nen user of the entire Hunter X Hunter series, boasting power so huge that he could have easily taken over the world despite only being alive for 40 days. Because his mother, the Chimera Ant Queen, ate a shocking 250 humans a day, Meruem was born with immediate and incredible strength, meaning he could behead his fellow Chimera Ant brethren in an instance.
As the series progressed, Meruem continued to consume humans who possessed strong Nen and gained their abilities as a result. By the time of his death, he had masted all four major principles of Nen and all advantages techniques, plus Metamorphosis, Rage Blast, and Photon from consuming two of his Royal Guards, Youpi and Shaiapouf.
8 Ayato Kirishima From Tokyo Ghoul - Height: 5'2"
Ayato grew a few more inches in Tokyo Ghoul:re, but he was much shorter early on in the series. Although he essentially transitioned out of being considered a villain as Tokyo Ghoul unfolded, he was still a part of Aogiri, a ghoul terrorist organization that inflicted many casualties on CCG members and the general public.
Arguably one of the worst things Ayato did, was beating Touka Kirishima, his older sister, so badly that she was almost left for dead. Luckily, Kaneki Ken arrived just in time to save her.
7 Sasori From Naruto - Height: 5'3"
Sasori, who was widely known as Sasori of the Red Sand throughout the shinobi world, was an S-rank criminal and part of Akatsuki.
Sasori was trained by his grandmother, Chiyo, and became a master puppeteer who possessed incredible skills in both creating and controlling his puppets. His breadth of power was terrifying, and he had a total of 298 human puppets in his collection and was strong enough to control 100 puppets at once during any given battle.
6 Feitan From Hunter X Hunter - Height: 5'1"
Feitan Portor is a member of the infamous group of thieves, Phantom Troupe. He single-handedly beat Zazan, a Chimera Ant Squadron leader, and became the temporary leader of the Troupe until Chrollo returned.
He's a master swordsman with enhanced strength and durability. More so, although his speech is minimal and his grammar is poor, Feitan was proficient in the art of torture and was the group's interrogator as a result.
5 Patolli From Black Clover - Height: 5'2"
Patolli was the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun and was consumed by revenge after humans betrayed the elf clan. He planned and almost successfully executed the destruction of the Clover Kingdom, but it was later revealed that he was being manipulated by the devil, Zagred.
Though Patolli took on the form of Licht after being reincarnated, who was taller in his physique, Patolli's real form was actually much shorter.
4 Deidara From Naruto - Height: 5'5"
Deidara was part of Akatsuki and known for his formidable Kekkei Genkai, Explosion Release, abilities. He was responsible for an array of sinful acts and managed to immobilize Gaara during his mission to capture the One-Tailed Jinchūriki.
Furthermore, if Sasuke hadn't summoned Manda to protect him from Deidara's powerful suicidal bomb technique, he likely would have died during their battle.
3 Misa Amane From Death Note - Height: 5'0"
Misa Amane wouldn't typically rank on the strong villain's list, but the power she held in her hands shouldn't be underestimated. Misa had the power of the Death Note and the Shinigami Eyes, allowing her to see both the names and lifespans of anyone she looked at and killing them by writing their names in the Death Note.
Misa's personality was impulsive and child-like, which made her extremely unpredictable, she was also ferociously devoted to Light Yagami. The combination of all these factors mixed with the Death Note proved to have disastrous consequences.
2 Krul Tepes From Owari No Seraph - Height: 4'9"
Despite her appearance, Krul is exceptionally powerful and is the third progenitor among the vampires. Aside from being immortal, Krul possesses strength that exceeds that of humans, can rapidly regenerate, and has enhanced senses, allowing her to sense everything in her surroundings and the location of her brother.
1 Annie Leonhart - Attack On Titan - Height: 5'0"
Annie's character development has definitely changed since being perceived as an antagonist at the start of the Attack in Titan series. However, as the Female Titan, she managed to cause unfathomable carnage to Paradis Island and was responsible for many emotionally tragic deaths, including the deaths of all members of the Special Operations Squad.
Outside of her Titan form, she was one of the strongest fighters during the 104th Training Corps Arc and ranked as one of the top 5 trainees.