#character heights

That means, if your MC is "very tall", then you'll be around the same height as Narmer.

On the other hand...

Yes, indeed, it also means that if you're playing a very short MC, then you officially look like this in the game...

Green lanterns won the first round of the height chart polls! Most everyone had a height listed, aside from Jo Mullein, Keli Quintella, and Tai Pham, so for them I just used the average height of people in their age group (Jo's age isn't confirmed either so it was literally just a full guess with 0 basis I'm sorry) anyone to the right of kilowog is just an unknown

Carol is here because I always associate her with the Corps mentally. Please let me know if I missed anyone and I'll update it in a separate chart since there's so many lantern characters

For those of you on mobile/not having the image load:

I mean, anyone can headcanon whatever they want, but, I'll try to explain via quotes, what Harry's height and muscle situation is likely to be. I believe the reasons some headcanon him as buff and tall are:

Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand.

(HBP)

He lifts Mundungus by his throat with one hand easily, and he practices Quidditch like 3 times a week at least. This implies that Harry has some muscle on him.

And he's mentioned to be James' height when he's 17:

James was exactly the same height as Harry.

(DH)

Which was supposedly tall, according to both, Harry:

tall and untidy-haired like Harry, the smoky, shadowy form of James Potter

(GoF)

And Voldemort:

the tall black-haired man in his glasses

(DH)

Now, let's put Harry's height in the context of other character heights. Particularly of interest are characters taller than him, to get an image of how tall is "tall." And some shorter characters to help figure out his exact height.

Sirius, Ron, Voldemort, and Dumbledore are all taller than Harry and exceptionally tall in general. They are each likely to be over 6 feet tall, making Harry likely less than 6' (183 cm). Supporting this is this quote:

Once the painful transformation was complete he was more than six feet tall, and from what he could tell from his well-muscled arms, powerfully built.

(DH)

This means Harry is less than 6' and isn't super buff. But, I want to get to his specific height, because I have a lot to say about character heights.

Like, Dumbledore is probably the tallest character who isn't a half-giant because he's towering over everyone except Hagrid and Maxime. In book 6, he's literally taller than all the inferi in the cave:

Dumbledore was on his feet again, pale as any of the surrounding Inferi, but taller than any too,

(HBP)

And Abeforth (who's as tall as Dumbledore) is taller than Ron, who's one of the other tallest characters in the books:

Ron looked slightly sick. Aberforth stood up, tall as Albus, and suddenly terrible in his anger and the intensity of his pain.

(DH)

Making the Dumbledores really tall. My estimate is around a whooping 6'5 (195 cm).

Sirius is mentioned to be taller than Snape, and the tallest Marauder:

said Sirius, standing up. He was rather taller than Snape

(OotP)

To Sirius’s right stood Pettigrew, more than a head shorter

(DH)

A head, in height, should be around one foot (30.48 cm). As the average height of a man in England in 1998 was around 5'8 (174.4 cm), this would make Sirius around 6'2 (188 cm), therefore taller than average, and Pettigrew around 5'2 (157 cm), shorter than the average, but still both at a reasonable height.

Ron is almost as tall as the twins at 11:

“Shut up,” said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.

(PS)

And, just, really tall in general:

He stepped forward. Not as tall as Ron, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball.

(OotP)

So I estimate Ron at around 6'3 (190 cm).

Voldemort who grew up on war rations is still described very consistently as tall, regardless of childhood malnourishment:

He was his handsome father in miniature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale

(HBP)

tall, pale, dark-haired, and handsome — the teenage Voldemort.

(HBP)

Taller than Bellatrix (who's taller than Harry). Voldemort is also considerably taller than Pettigrew, as he has to bend to reach Pettigrew's arm when both are standing:

Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail’s left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail’s robes up past his elbow

(GoF)

I usually place Voldemort at around the same height as Ron, so 6'3 (190 cm).

Fred and George, though, are mentioned to be shorter and stockier, more similar to Molly's build:

Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky.

(GoF)

but are mentioned to shrink to become Harry in book 7:

Hermione and Mundungus were shooting upward; Ron, Fred, and George were shrinking

(DH)

I actually place the twins around 6' (183 cm) so they could be taller than Harry, but shorter than Ron. The twins are likely taller than Charlie.

Bellatrix, as a woman, should also be shorter on average, but considering how tall Sirius is mentioned to be, it appears the Blacks are just considerably taller than the average, even the women:

a tall dark woman with heavy-lidded eyes, who had stood at her trial and proclaimed her continuing allegiance to Lord Voldemort

(OotP)

She was taller than he was, her long black hair rippling down her back, her heavily lidded eyes disdainful as they rested upon him;

(DH)

So I place her at around 6' (183 cm) as well, as an exceptionally tall lady.

So where does this place Harry?

During the first 4 books, Harry is short and small for his age. When he's 13, he and Hermione are bit shorter than Pettigrew:

He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione.

(PoA)

(Ron, noticeably, is taller than Pettigrew at 13)

So, so Harry at 13 was around 5'1 (155 cm). And so was Hermione.

Then in between books 4 and 5 puberty kicks in and probably causes a slight growth spurt that makes him more attractive to girls around him:

He was a skinny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who had the pinched, slightly unhealthy look of someone who has grown a lot in a short space of time.

(OotP)

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the last two of whom gave Harry airy, overly friendly greetings that made him quite sure they had stopped talking about him a split second before. He had more important things to worry about, however:

(OotP)

And then he has another, larger growth spurt between books 5 and 6:

“You’re like Ron,” she [Molly] sighed, looking him up and down. “Both of you look as though you’ve had Stretching Jinxes put on you. I swear Ron’s grown four inches since I last bought him school robes.

(HBP)

“And it doesn’t hurt that you’ve grown about a foot over the summer either,” Hermione finished, ignoring Ron. “I’m tall,” said Ron inconsequentially. [Ron is objectively correct]

(HBP)

Post book 6 growth spurt, we know Harry is below 6' (183 cm) but close enough to 6' to be above the average of 5'8 (174.4 cm) and be considered "tall", and grow "about a foot" after said growth spurt.

I personally place his height at 5'11 (180 cm), to make all of the above make sense.

And while he is physically fit, he is likely very thin from years of malnourishment. So, he likely has some muscle on him, but he's very lean with little to no fat during his Hogwarts years (he'd likely gain more weight as an adult living peacefully with regular meals). So, Harry in the books isn't what I'd call buff, but he has some muscle and can definitely throw a punch. As he grows older post-canon, I think he could get buff if he set his mind to it.

(I actually have notes about the height of a bunch of other characters. Hermione is shorter than Harry and Ron, but noticeably taller than Ginny (5'1 or 155 cm - edited Ginny's height since I think she's shorter than the former estimate of 5'2. Bellatrix says “Very well — take the smallest one,” with Hermione and Luna (who's also short) present, so Ginny is really short) and probably around 5'4 (162 cm) by book 7. Draco is said to be slightly taller than Harry "Harry did not dare look directly at Draco, but saw him obliquely; a figure slightly taller than he was" - DH, placing Draco at around 6' (183 cm))

The short answer is No.

As we know, Harry reached James’ height by the age of 17.

DH

James was exactly the same height as Harry.

Mentions about James’ height

GoF

And he came . . . first his head, then his body . . . tall and untidy-haired like Harry, the smoky, shadowy form of James Potter. . .

GoF (Voldemort’s perspective)

They had not drawn the curtains; he saw them quite clearly in their little sitting room, the tall black-haired man in his glasses. . .

James was tall + Harry’s being mentioned to have the same height later = Harry isn’t short.

So, let’s break it down better according to the most common arguments for Harry being short, and to understand why there might be less logic in that argument.

Overall logic:

→ Some say Harry’s perspectives about his own dad are biased, even Voldemort’s one. But the fact that independent moments use “tall” to describe James matters. If James were not tall at all, it’s very unlikely that tall would even be used, because “tall” is relative but has a threshold in narrative conventions.

→ J.K. Rowling easily could have just said “the black-haired man”, but she added “tall” during Voldemort’s description. So, he was tall enough to be casually and consistently perceived as such.

→ No one describes Harry as “short” or “small” after OotP.

→ If Rowling wanted Harry to be noticeably short as an adult, she would have emphasized it. She’s not shy about describing characters that way:

- Madame Maxime is emphasized for height.

- Fleur is described as tall and willowy.

- Professor Flitwick is openly portrayed as so small he might be part goblin.

Harry’s height is mostly neutral. He’s never described as “short” as a young adult. After all, he went through growth spurts, which should be enough to understand that he’s no longer short, he’s moved past the lingering effects of his childhood malnutrition.

→ In DH, there’s no awkwardness mentioned regarding Harry’s size fighting Death Eaters or moving with adults. He’s not treated visually like a boy anymore. Rowling’s writing conveys that Harry’s essentially grown, not short or dwarfed by adult wizards.

We could argue that this is a narrative element and that I am merely adding empty reasons. Yet, narratively, he would no longer be described as short, not because such descriptions no longer matter in context, but because the narrative itself clearly implies that he has moved beyond that phase. This doesn’t imply a glow up that would transform him into a magnificent figure matching his magical power. Rather, it marks a period of growth focused on a character who rose from a hard and oppressive childhood, gained presence and confidence, and became someone fully able to physically assert himself when needed.

Additional thoughts on James:

→ Sirius Black is “tall and handsome” consistently, including adult Sirius. James and Sirius were always portrayed as peers and equals.

If he was short and Sirius tall, I believe the height difference would have been explicitly mentioned, just as it was during the books in other situations. The emphasis on Sirius comes from the narrative’s intention to highlight him as a character who naturally draws attention from his beauty; something even Harry himself recognizes.

If we take the relativization of height literally, it could mean Sirius’s height might have been specifically mentioned to make it clear that he was really tall. However, this doesn’t imply that the others, just because their heights weren’t mentioned, must be short. The focus was on Sirius’s characterization, not an indirect comparison to make everyone else short.

→ A notably short and scrawny boy wouldn’t match the stereotype J.K. Rowling was evoking for him. Well, yes, stereotypes. James was depicted as very skilled and physically confident, he was narratively portrayed as the epitome of cocky composure of a school charmer with a reputation; leadership roles, Quidditch Chaser star, popular, dominant personality. Stereotypical or not, Rowling tends to match physical stature to social confidence unless playing a deliberate contrast (like Wormtail, who is described as small and mousy). James fitting the archetype of the “cocky, popular sports boy” likely implies a build that is, at minimum, not notably small or short. Let me be clear that I’m not a James Potter stan, in fact, all these characteristics surrounding his character only reinforce another accurate stereotype of him being a bully and privileged playboy who hardly had a convincing redemption arc.

→ When Voldemort enters the house, James faces him directly. While courage is not height dependent, Voldemort’s brief internal observations don’t include any mocking of James’ stature; if James was short, it could have been used as a psychological weapon or a moment of contempt. Voldemort calling him “the tall, black-haired man” (instead of, say, “a scrawny average man”) implies James had an adult, solid presence, which Voldemort registered but did not mock or minimize.

Now let’s reflect on that some might say Voldemort had a certain respect for James, and that “tall” was more symbolic than literal.

If that’s the case, then wouldn’t Sirius’ height be relative? Since him being described as tall could very well just be a symbolism to exalt his beauty as imposing, right? No. Having a symbolic nuance according to the narrative does not exclude the literal meaning of the words. So James is tall because he is tall. There’s no such paradox about it.

Analyzing Harry Potter’s height situation:

→ Movie!Harry ≠ Canon

Daniel Radcliffe stood 5’5” tall (165 cm), which is ten cm more than Ginny’s possible height in the books – about 5’1” (155 cm). She is described as the smallest one in the group.

OotP

“You need more persuasion?” she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Very well — take the smallest one,” she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. “Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I’ll do it.”

Harry felt the others close in around Ginny. He stepped sideways so that he was right in front of her, the prophecy held up to his chest.

OotP

“A weapon’s going to be a lot bigger than the Stone, though!” said Ron.

“Not necessarily,” said Fred.

“Yeah, size is no guarantee of power,” said George. “Look at Ginny.”

“What d’you mean?” said Harry.

“You’ve never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?”

Harry is already taller than her even before he hits his growth spurt. But, Movie!Harry stops at exactly this height, unlike the canon, where he ends up considerably taller than Ginny.

It’s stated he had more than one growth spurt: like Molly mentioning it in OotP, Hermione talking about his growth spurt later in HBP, and even in DH, when he still grows to be as tall as his father. That said, it makes sense for Harry to be significantly taller than her. Ginny could have grown a few centimeters after OotP, I don’t find it implausible, which doesn’t rule out the considerable height difference between them.

→ Molly mentioning Harry’s growth spurt

OotP

“You’re like Ron,” she sighed, looking him up and down. “Both of you look as though you’ve had Stretching Jinxes put on you. I swear Ron’s grown four inches since I last bought him school robes.

→ Hermione’s mention

HBP

“And it doesn’t hurt that you’ve grown about a foot over the summer either,” Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.

It could be interpreted as hyperbole in both cases. But even when exaggerating, the narrative tends to overstate the height based on what it actually is, even if not in a literal sense.

– Supporting evidence:

- Ron is said to have shot up between PoA and GoF, and later is described as very tall.

- Harry’s growth spurt is mentioned multiple times as something noticeable, even in HBP when people see him after the summer.

If Harry was short (~165 cm) in OotP, and genuinely grew “a foot”, he could easily reach 175–178 cm by 16–17 years old; average to tall for a british male.

In real life late male teenage growth spurts can be dramatic, and I don’t think J.K. Rowling wouldn’t rely on reality’s physical consistency.

So, it is plausible to read Hermione’s “foot” as fairly accurate.

Demystifying short Harry arguments

→ The Runcorn incident: it does not prove Harry is short, only that he is less physically imposing.

DH

Once the painful transformation was complete he was more than six feet tall and, from what he could tell from his well-muscled arms, powerfully built. He also had a beard. Stowing the Invisibility Cloak and his glasses inside his new robes, he rejoined the other two.

The transformation into Runcorn surely shows a height difference, but Runcorn isn’t just “a bit taller” than Harry, he’s portrayed as physically massive:

“More than six feet tall,” “well-muscled arms,” “powerfully built.”

Muggle clothes or wizard robes are often enchanted or made to measure magically, yet even with that, Harry’s normal size is so much less bulky and thinner than Runcorn that the clothes wouldn’t fit. The size mismatch isn’t purely height; it’s height plus muscle mass/build.

Harry could easily be 5’9” to 5’10” and still find Runcorn’s clothes ridiculously big.

Harry is canonically slim and wiry, even after growing. He would not fill out a “powerfully built” man’s outfit at any height below 6’2”–6’3”.

→ Harry reaches Narcissa’s height

HBP

“Really?” said Harry, taking a step forward and gazing into the smoothly arrogant face that, for all its pallor, still resembled her sister’s. He was as tall as she was now. “Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?”

Narcissa is tall, and it’s stated in the book. I don’t find it necessary to prove that.

Now, there’s an argument that Snape looks down at Narcissa, therefore Narcissa must be much shorter.

So, digging into this: the idea that someone “looks down” at another does not demand a massive height difference. It can be as little as 2–5 cm and still be described as “looking down,” especially in emotional scenes. Posture matters. In HBP, the scene between Snape and Narcissa is highly emotional; Narcissa is crying, distressed, she could easily be looking slightly downward herself, or bending slightly, changing the dynamic.

Moreover, “looking down” is often used symbolically in literature to emphasize power dynamics rather than precise centimeters. Snape is emotionally dominating her there; he’s reassuring, she’s pleading. It’s just as much about emotional positioning as physical.

Looking down ≠ proof of major height gap. A height difference of even 3–5 cm would be enough.

Now, to estimate Snape’s height, we can use the comparison between him and Sirius:

OotP

“I’ll get to the point, then,” said Sirius, standing up. He was rather taller than Snape who, Harry noticed. . .

There’s a clear difference between Snape and Sirius’s heights, but that certainly doesn’t mean Snape is of average height. We know Sirius is tall – ~6’2” (~188 cm) – the tallest of the Marauders, and noticeably taller than Snape. Considering the use of the word “rather” to describe the difference, I’d estimate Snape to be around 5’10”–5’11” / 178–181 cm. (I’m using a visual comparison height website for reference.) Also, since Snape might be taller than Narcissa, and factoring in my “looking down” analysis, which takes posture into account (again referencing the same site) it would make sense for Narcissa to be around 5’8”–5’9” / 173–176 cm.

Which would also perfectly match the moment when Narcissa and a 16-year-old Harry are standing face-to-face. At that point, they are close in height. Harry, however, still has another growth spurt later in HBP as I stated before!

And now, using general biological logic, given Harry’s age, it’s more than reasonable to think he has grown between two and five cm in just a few more months.

Additional thoughts (headcanon / canon):

Harry Potter is an average name, he usually wears average muggle clothes, and his looks were never described as anything exceptionally attractive compared to other handsome characters, which, of course, is always a bit subjective. Aside from his striking green eyes, his scar, his decisions, and his complex personality, Harry, specifically on the surface, is ‘average’. The average height for men in the UK 1998 was about 5’9” (175 cm), so Harry being around that height – or even slightly above – fits with precision, even symbolically, with his character.

- Being short doesn’t make sense, because we already have plenty of evidence (like the mentioned growth spurts) that clearly contradict that.

- Now, being very tall – well, we don’t have direct proof that he didn’t make it afterward. But honestly, if you think about his overall average profile, being notably tall would feel a bit off.

So, average (5’9” / 175 cm) or above average (around 178–180 cm) makes much more sense up to this point.

Now, to conclude, I think that Harry being the above average one makes more sense.

Let’s rationalize: He had already reached his father’s height by the age of 17, even though he hadn’t yet reached the typical age when men stop growing, around 21. Yes, it’s not a broadly common experience, but we have to take into account that Harry lived through a time of war; the stress and other contributing factors suggest that this stage of growth could have been slower. And we already know that Harry’s physical development was hindered in childhood due to the abuse from his relatives – it’s a realistic pattern.

Considering that male growth typically slows after 16 or 17, the impact of war on Harry’s growth was probably subtle but meaningful, possibly delaying or limiting his final height rather than stopping it altogether.

So it’s more logical to acknowledge all these influences, especially knowing how much Harry’s growth follows a pattern of being heavily influenced by the harsh conditions he experienced. It’s entirely reasonable to think he might have grown taller than just 175 cm.

Going to do a general round up of all the character heights stated by devs, through statue/statuette scaling. I will later be including game model height for datv. Source expansions (images and discussion) and spoiler characters under the cut. I will be updating this in the future as more come out.

Lace Harding does have a previously stated height of 4'8 / 142.24 cm from dai's game model, but it is unclear if they've kept her that height. Though likely, she has been otherwise left out of the list at the moment.

Date: 10/19/2024

Bellara Lutare: 5'6-5'8 / 167.64-172.72 cm [Source]

Neve Gallus: 5'4-5'9 / 162.56-175.26 cm [Source] [Source 2]

Solas: 6' / 182.88 cm [Source]

Varric Tethras: 5' / 152.4 cm [Source 1] [Source 2]

​(Please don't tell Wally that Kuki is an inch taller than him, he’s already having a rough day.)

Lycan- 4 ft

Heroes- 5.5 ft

Cube- 5.9 ft

Danni- 6.1 ft

Blixer- 6.1 ft

Cuda- 6.3 ft