Vegeta of Dragon Ball is a fan-favorite character who's known for many things, with his short build being key among them. That said, though, fans may be shocked to find out just how short Vegeta canonically is.

Vegeta is often seen standing side by side with Goku, and while Goku is clearly taller, the height difference generally doesn't look that extreme. The series can be a bit inconsistent about Vegeta's size over time, but he's consistently a fair amount shorter than Goku, at the very least. Of course, as with many anime series, there are Dragon Ball databooks and fan guides that provide detailed information on the characters, including their officially listed heights, allowing one to finally make a direct comparison for the height of Vegeta. So, just how short is he?

Vegeta Would Have a Hard Time On Dating Apps

Vegeta's Height is Even Shorter Than You Thought

Using information from the Daizenshuu 7 databook and a handful of other sources, reddit /u/12thDoctorIsABadass compiled a list of official heights for Dragon Ball characters, including how they've grown over the years. The numbers are pretty surprising, at least from an American perspective; Goku himself maxes out at 175 cm (5'9"), not counting the hair, and he's one of the tallest of the main cast. Given the relative height of Goku to Vegeta, it certainly doesn't bode well for the Prince of all Saiyans. In fact, Vegeta is a mere 164 cm (5'4") at his tallest.

What's shocking is where that puts him relative to many other characters. Chi Chi is listed at 163 cm (5'4"), almost the exact same size as Vegeta. Krillin, who is constantly the butt of jokes about his size, is also shockingly close, with a height of 153 cm (5'0") during Dragon Ball Z, meaning Vegeta only has a few inches on him. Even his wife, Bulma, is actually a bit taller than him, at 165 cm (5'5"), something that no doubt annoys Vegeta to no end. His son also sures him, as Future Trunks comes in at 170 cm (5'7") in DBZ.

Why is Vegeta So Short, Anyway?

There May Be Some Good Reasons as to Vegeta's Size

One thing that's worth noting is that none of the Saiyans with known heights are particularly tall; Goku and adult Gohan are the tallest, but none of them even break 6'. Nappa is the real outlier, with the post listing him as 6'10", and of course Broly would also qualify, although his only listed height is when he's in Legendary Super Saiyan mode, so it's not exactly a fair comparison. It may be that Akira Toriyama decided that all Saiyans are on the shorter side compared to the average height of humans, as a way of helping to differentiate them a bit more.

There are some advantages to being smaller, after all. Vegeta has a dense musculature which allows him to pack a surprising amount of power into each punch. That also gives him a lower center of gravity, making it more difficult to knock him off his feet. Combine that with a Saiyan's tail, which would also enhance their balance, and it makes the average Saiyan soldier a tough opponent. A lot of the downsides of being shorter are also counteracted by Vegeta's innate abilities; for example, having a shorter reach is irrelevant when you can fire energy blasts from your hands.

Vegeta is definitely short, and a fair bit shorter than most people would guess. But Vegeta's worth is not determined by his height, nor is anyone else's. Vegeta s the ranks of other well-known short heroes, like Wolverine (in the comics, anyway) or Shoyo Hinata from Haikyuu!!. The idea of Saiyans as a race of short, vicious warriors is definitely an interesting one, and perhaps one day Dragon Ball might explain this in more detail.