The height conundrum

[Attitudefan]

Based on how much taller he seemed than Vegeta and the females, as well as how he occasionally looked noticeably taller than his dad, I had first guessed that teen Gohan was a six footer, or maybe 5'10-5'11. Ten just seems too big; often his height advantage on Goku is more pronounced than the supposedly 7'6 Piccolo's.

Yeah, I would put Gohan at Yamcha's height easily. I was flipping through the Ma jr manga and Goku is freakin short. He's barely taller than Krillin and Bulma and much shorter than Yamcha and Ten. Ten, throughout much of Dragonball looks to be just over 6 feet to being way above 7 feet. So yeah, Ten seems way too big, kind of like in that sticker of the gang I posted earlier. He's freaking huge.

If anyone does say Goku grew though, I don't know about that since his height with Yamcha and Krillin remain fairly consistent to where Krillin is at Goku's shoulders but Goku is barely above Yamcha's shoulders.

Maybe the theory that Namek's continue to grow since they reach adulthood fairly early isn't untrue. King Piccolo looks to be 9 to ten feet tall in most instances but in his youth seems to be more around 7 feet tall. Ma jr looks to be around 6'6" at first but by the time the Buu arc rolls around seems to be at least 7 feet tall.

However, the height chart of him for the Tree of Might, he looks to be what he is supposed to be and that is 7'4".

[Patrick]

Does anyone else think that Piccolo really doesn't look his official 7'6 height most of the time? At most, sometimes he looks a little under 7 feet.

I made a post on the first page regarding Piccolo Jr's height. It does look like it changes every now and then. Also, I apologize for nitpicking, but he's 7'4, not 7'6.

And like I said, King Piccolo often looks bigger than he is. At 8'2 when young and 8'6 when old, he'd be only a head taller than his son, so roughly Super Buu's height (or shorter, because sometimes Piccolo only comes up to his shoulders). Does he really look like that to you? To me he looks far more massive, especially when he's old. But sometimes he doesn't, so I suppose it's just another case of the art exaggerating the differences. Which makes it all the weirder that Piccolo Jr always looks too small.

I think the anime tried to really emphasize(exaggerate might be a better word) on how tall King Piccolo was. This shot from the anime really proves that.

Spoiler:

[Attitudefan]

Oops, typo. I really meant to say 7'4"!! Truly, I did!!

I think the anime tried to really emphasize(exaggerate might be a better word) on how tall King Piccolo was. This shot from the anime really proves that.

Well, for King Piccolo, most of the shots he gets are low angle shots so that isn't a far fetched idea at all. It probably is the case. But even so, Piccolo jr looks way smaller than his previous incarnation. Like, He doesn't tower over everyone where in every shot everyone would look like a midget when beside Piccolo. No, most of the time Piccolo jr just looks relatively taller than some of the cast. King Piccolo truly towers over everyone.

[RandomGuy96]

Another height I wonder about is Burter. I guess it depends on tall Ginyu is, but look at how massive Burter looks in comparison:

However, the height chart of him for the Tree of Might, he looks to be what he is supposed to be and that is 7'4".

Well... it depends on who you're comparing him to. I don't think he looks 7'4 if Ten is only 6'1.

I made a post on the first page regarding Piccolo Jr's height. It does look like it changes every now and then. Also, I apologize for nitpicking, but he's 7'4, not 7'6.

Sorry. I had mistakenly been under the impression that he was 7'6 and Goku/Gohan were 5'7, when they're two inches shorter and taller respectively.

And even in those images, I don't think Piccolo ever looks 7'4 when compared to the others, by which I mean he doesn't appear to tower over them like he should. The tallest he has looked is maybe 7'1, in that shot with Gohan.

Well, for King Piccolo, most of the shots he gets are low angle shots so that isn't a far fetched idea at all. It probably is the case. But even so, Piccolo jr looks way smaller than his previous incarnation. Like, He doesn't tower over everyone where in every shot everyone would look like a midget when beside Piccolo. No, most of the time Piccolo jr just looks relatively taller than some of the cast. King Piccolo truly towers over everyone.

Which is weird, since at over 7 feet, he should tower over everyone. Not to the extent that the anime exaggerated King Piccolo's height, but still.

He does look way taller in the Buu Saga than the previous sagas. It's most noticeable when he's standing next to Super Buu; sure, Super Buu appears to dwarf Piccolo, having a whole head over him, but everyone else looks like a midget in comparison, with Gohan (who usually looks noticeably taller than his dad) not even coming up to Buu's chest. I think that's the only time where he really looks 7'4.

[Attitudefan]

Well... it depends on who you're comparing him to. I don't think he looks 7'4 if Ten is only 6'1

Well it depends on how tall you pin Goku compared to Ten. If Goku is 5'7" which he appears to be sometimes, Ten would be around the 6'1" mark and Piccolo would be much less than 7'4".

However, if we pin Goku at 5'9", Ten is more like 6'6" and Piccolo could potentially be nearer to 7'4"

Which is weird, since at over 7 feet, he should tower over everyone. Not to the extent that the anime exaggerated King Piccolo's height, but still.

He does look way taller in the Buu Saga than the previous sagas. It's most noticeable when he's standing next to Super Buu; sure, Super Buu appears to dwarf Piccolo, having a whole head over him, but everyone else looks like a midget in comparison, with Gohan (who usually looks noticeably taller than his dad) not even coming up to Buu's chest. I think that's the only time where he really looks 7'4.

It's frustrating since Piccolo looks really short in his younger days. Actually, Yamcha and Ten look too tall most of the time whereas Piccolo looks too short.


About Burter, I think Ginyu is taller than Ten but not by much. Jheese is Goku's height I think.

[RandomGuy96]

Well it depends on how tall you pin Goku compared to Ten. If Goku is 5'7" which he appears to be sometimes, Ten would be around the 6'1" mark and Piccolo would be much less than 7'4".

Well, it varies, but at least in many of the shots posted here, Goku doesn't reach Ten's chin. Ten would then be much taller than 6'1.5. Goku's 5'9, which is above average by the standards of Japan and the world mean (shorter than the average American, though). There's no way Ten should look that tall next to him, not even if he is 5'7. I have several friends who are that height, and I don't tower over them to the extent that I'm above them by a whole head. Ten is just either taller than 6'1.5 by a lot or inconsistently drawn.

Also, I'm starting to think Mr. Buu is just considerably shorter than Fat Buu. He's usually depicted as shorter than Mr. Satan these days, isn't he?

It's frustrating since Piccolo looks really short in his younger days. Actually, Yamcha and Ten look too tall most of the time whereas Piccolo looks too short.


About Burter, I think Ginyu is taller than Ten but not by much. Jheese is Goku's height I think.

Yamcha and Ten do look far too big, at least in comparison to Goku. Piccolo I can somewhat forgive, since he could have grown, and he really does look 7'4 when standing next to Super Buu, based on Gohan not even reaching Buu's chest.

Taller than Ten is depicted (over a head above Goku), or how tall he should be? And where do you get Jeice being Goku's size? If true, that would make Burter absolutely massive. Larger than Super Buu for sure. But in some anime shots I'm looking at, it seems that he and Buu may be roughly the same height (Goku's shoulders are level with his waist). Anyone have good manga scans showing Burter's height relative to Goku? I'm thinking maybe he's drawn bigger than usual on the title page above.

[RandomGuy96]

So... how big do ya'll suppose Cold is? He seems to fluctuate rather frequently in size:

-When first seen on the ship, he's gigantic, with the top of Freeza's head being waaaaay below his waist (but slightly above knee level). Looks bigger than Burter.
-Upon first landing on Earth, he shrinks. Freeza's head is now in the middle of Cold's waist and knee, while formerly his head was just barley above the knee. He's maybe Super Buu's height now, or slightly shorter.
-When Trunks shows up to turn SS and we get the reaction shot of Freeza and Cold, Freeza's head now goes past Cold's waist by a little, making him look shorter than Piccolo.
-After Freeza launches a ki blast and thinks he's killed Trunks, Cold has suddenly massively shrunk to about Tenshinhan's size.
-When talking to Trunks later, he's now back to being closer to the height he was on the ship (i.e. gargantuan) when we see him and Trunks close together. Particularly visible with Cold's reaction to Trunks catching the sword. Trunks' shoulders are below Cold's waist, and his head is at Cold's stomach.

For comparison purposes, here's a couple key images of King Cold (images from the anime, but the manga panels these scenes look exactly the same)

[Gonstead]

Officially, I have him where Frieza comes up to his waist, perhaps even a bit below the waist. It seems the most consistent throughout his short appearance both in the anime and manga.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

I have him here. I like him this size, where even Goku would barely be at his waist, maybe, and he would still tower over Freeza's second form.

[KentalSSJ6]

So Burter, Broly, and Cold basically tie for the biggest being in the franchise (excluding beings like Hildegarn, Janemba, and Dr. Uiro).

[mAcChaos]

2nd form Cell seems like he's pretty huge. Maybe as big as Cold.

Freeza was about half as tall as Goku. So comparing him to Cold there, Goku should come up to Cold's chest... that doesn't seem right though from how gargantuan he appears in other shots.

[Gonstead]

2nd form Cell seems like he's pretty huge. Maybe as big as Cold.

Freeza was about half as tall as Goku. So comparing him to Cold there, Goku should come up to Cold's chest... that doesn't seem right though from how gargantuan he appears in other shots.

IIRC Frieza actually came up to Goku's shoulders, meaning Goku would come up to Cold's waist.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

2nd form Cell seems like he's pretty huge. Maybe as big as Cold.

Freeza was about half as tall as Goku. So comparing him to Cold there, Goku should come up to Cold's chest... that doesn't seem right though from how gargantuan he appears in other shots.

Pretty syre Cell's second form is only depicted that big once.

Freeza's true form is usually shown to be about up to Goku's shoulders or roughly the same height as Vegeta, meaning there is typically only about a head, maybe head and a half difference between them/

[Gonstead]

So Burter, Broly, and Cold basically tie for the biggest being in the franchise (excluding beings like Hildegarn, Janemba, and Dr. Uiro).

Based on the above and from the scale guides, this is how I would see them tallest to shortest.

King Cold - Goku comes up to about his waist.
Broly - Goku comes up to around his stomach.
Burter - Possibly around mid-chest.

[Fionordequester]

I gotta say, it must really be a hassle to be that big in a fight. I mean, the person's fist are literally lined up right next to your junk! All they have to do is punch straight forward, and that's a free shot to the daddy zone!

[RandomGuy96]

Check page 1. The top of Freeza's head is only at Goku's chest. Freeza is SMALL.

So Burter, Broly, and Cold basically tie for the biggest being in the franchise (excluding beings like Hildegarn, Janemba, and Dr. Uiro).

Based on the above and from the scale guides, this is how I would see them tallest to shortest.

King Cold - Goku comes up to about his waist.
Broly - Goku comes up to around his stomach.
Burter - Possibly around mid-chest.

You're really underestimating Burter's size. Ginyu is a head taller than Goku, and look how tiny he is compared to Burter. At his lower chest- barley.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

Check page 1. The top of Freeza's head is only at Goku's chest. Freeza is SMALL.

That's only one picture, and there are others that contradict it. That title page is more in line with his first form height.

[RandomGuy96]

I like to go with cover pages rather than regular ones, because Toriyama can more easily and accurately depict heights that way. They seem fairly consistent.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

I like using title pages for similar reasons, as evidenced by my choice above with Cold. But I don't let them dictate my interpretation of a character's height when it's basically the only image in the whole franchise that shows them that size and all the others are fairly consistent.

[Gonstead]

Check page 1. The top of Freeza's head is only at Goku's chest. Freeza is SMALL.

So Burter, Broly, and Cold basically tie for the biggest being in the franchise (excluding beings like Hildegarn, Janemba, and Dr. Uiro).

Based on the above and from the scale guides, this is how I would see them tallest to shortest.

King Cold - Goku comes up to about his waist.
Broly - Goku comes up to around his stomach.
Burter - Possibly around mid-chest.

You're really underestimating Burter's size. Ginyu is a head taller than Goku, and look how tiny he is compared to Burter. At his lower chest- barley.

That would have him and Broly around the same height then.