In shonen anime, particularly battle shonen, height can play a significant role in determining how other characters and the audience perceive the main character. At times, shorter shonen protagonists may be picked on for their height or seen as weak, naive, or childish, regardless of their age, intelligence, and ability.
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Still, whether they are a child who is still growing or someone who has reached their full height, short anime main characters often subvert the expectations and prejudices others have against them while overcoming adversity and achieving their goals in classic shonen fashion, making them even more compelling and resourceful heroes when they display their full potential.
8Edward Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
As the eponymous Fullmetal Alchemist fromFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Edward Elric’s reputation often precedes him, leaving others to imagine him as atalented, intimidating, and formidable alchemistwith a tall aura. Still, regardless of their expectations and Edward’s efforts to increase his height by wearing boots and spiking part of his hair, the Fullmetal Alchemist is just below five feet tall at the beginning of the series.
Edward’s height may be as much of a sensitive topic for him as it is a joke to the others around him, but he slowly grows throughout the show, making introductions slightly less awkward when he stands beside his younger brother, Alphonse.
7Maka Albarn - Soul Eater
Maka Albarn is one of the most determined, studious, and hardworking students at Death Weapon Meister Academy, where students with the ability to wield weapons work side by side with demon weapons to fight those that threaten the world with violence and corruption. With her scythe demon weapon, Soul, at her side, she is also an indomitable force on the battlefield.
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Despite her impressive ability as a meister and her powerful sense of justice, at 4’9”, Maka is not only one of theshortest students in her classbut also one of the shortest human characters inSoul Eateras a whole.
6Naruto Uzumaki - Naruto
Broken into two parts, theNarutoseries is one of thelongest battle shonen animeof all time, renowned for its complex and emotional story about Naruto Uzumaki and his quest to become the Hokage of his hometown, the Hidden Leaf Village.
AlthoughNarutobegins with a shorter, more naive, and inexperienced hero in the first part of the series, Naruto Uzumaki is no less determined at 4’9” to overcome any obstacles life puts before him than he would be at any other height. By the time the second part of the anime begins, however, he has both physically and mentally grown into a much more capable fighter and leader for his village.
5Emma - The Promised Neverland
InThe Promised Neverland,Emma lives in an orphanage where she and the other children play, care for each other, and take tests daily while waiting to be adopted into their new families. Still, despite her relatively carefree life at the beginning of the series, the orphanage and her caregiver are not preparing Emma forthe peaceful life she imaginesherself having.
As the world around her begins to reveal her true colors, Emma uses her intuition, cunning, and charm to sneak around her home, making plans to escape a cruel fate. Emma may only be around 4’9”, but aside from her intellect and determination, her height is one of her most significant advantages as she plans.
4Doraemon & Nobi Nobita - Doraemon
Made in the 22nd century, Doraemon is a robotic cat without ears that travels back in time to helpa lazy young boynamed Nobi Nobita overcome his reluctance to learn and contribute to the world around him. Although Doraemon occasionally lectures Nobita, they share many fun times with his friends throughout the series by using futuristic gadgets to overcome obstacles.
As Doraemon was designed to help young kids like Nobita, he is an approachable 129.3 cm tall, or about 4’3”. At around 4’7”, fourth-grader Nobita may be slightly taller than his friend, but together, they are one of the shortest iconic protagonist duos in shonen anime.
3Atom - Astro Boy
Astro Boyis one of the most influential anime of all time as it helped introduce the animation styleto Western audiences. While Atom is also called Astro Boy, or Astro throughout the dubbed version of the show, his brave actions and struggles are the same no matter what name fans recognize him as.
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As a young android, Atom cannot grow in the same way a human protagonist might, but he makes the most of being a 4’5” hero by using the powers programmed into his body to make him a better and more understanding hero.
2Conan Edogawa - Detective Conan (Case Closed)
Although Conan Edogawa appears to bea young ace detective, the name is simply an alias adopted by the brilliant investigator Shinichi Kudo after he was poisoned by a mysterious drug that made him shrink to the size of a young child.
At a little under three and a half feet tall, Conan is not only determined to find those responsible for poisoning him but also to continue solving the mysteries and murders that affect those around him. While solving each case without revealing his identity takes time to master, Conan manages to use his youthful appearance and sharp intellect to reveal the truth throughout the series.
1Bojji - Ranking Of Kings
Despite being the crown prince of the Bosse Kingdom inRanking of Kings,Bojji is often regarded as too naive and weak to rule the kingdom because of his deafness, dislike of battle, and childlike height. Instead, many support his younger brother, isolating Bojji from his people and the throne even as he is determined to become an understanding ruler.
Bojji often appears to be the height of a five or six-year-old child, but as he leaves his kingdom to keep himself safe and prepare for being king, he unlocks his true potential, making him one of thestrongest characters in the series.
