History Main / OneHeadTaller

* French actress Mathilda May (5'7) is noticeably shorter than most of her male costars in ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'' so this trope was present quite a bit in the movie. The best example is when her character, [[EvilIsSexy Space]] [[FullFrontalAssault Girl]], confronts Dr Bukovsky (6'2 Michael Gothard) in the autopsy room after attacking the security guard. We get to see that Gothard is easily one head and a half taller than May.

* Not a couple, but [[LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} the Yogscast's]] LetsPlay/KimRichards is only 5' tall, while her LetsPlay/FluxBuddies partner LetsPlay/DuncanJones is over 6' and isn't even the tallest Yog.

* Alain and Mairin from the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}} Mega Evolution Specials''. Actually probably somewhere between 1.5 and 2 heads, but not really HugeGuyTinyGirl because Alain isn't shown to be particularly huge and actually looks small next to his boss, [[spoiler:Lysandre]]. Mairin's just that tiny.

With some skill, this trope can give the illusion of characters being much older (or [[TeensAreShort younger]]) than they actually are. On the other hand, if one wants to disguise a huge difference, expect a ScullyBox to be used.

* Taken to a ridiculous degree by ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'', also by Creator/{{CLAMP}}. For the adult characters, the men are generally one head taller than either their adult or their best friend[[note]]generally also the subject of a lot of HoYay[[/note]]. So Eagle is one head taller than Lantis, Geo is one head taller than Eagle, promotional art of the male cast has to have Lafarga leaning against something so he fits in the frame at all... and since TeensAreShort is ''also'' in effect, this results in things like Hikaru (4'9) looking like a kindergartner when she stands next to either of her love interests.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'': Ash Ketchum is this to [[spoiler:Anabel]], who is [[TeensAreShort the shortest]] of his female companions/future love interests, as depicted in [[https://www.deviantart.com/acpeters/art/Reset-Bloodlines-Christmas-Group-864092853 this Christmas fanart]].

* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''. This applies to [[FanPreferredCouple Justin and Alex Russo]] in the first and the second seasons. Later, Music/SelenaGomez (5'5) gets taller and she occasionally wears high heels, but David Henrie is still a whole lot taller than her, standing at 6' (180 cm).

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Bob Parr is just over one head taller than his wife. But in one brief fight between them, Helen [[RubberMan grew taller]] than Bob without realizing it (this was done by the animators so Bob wouldn't look like a big man trying to bully a small woman).

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'': Kida (5'7) [[http://static.minitokyo.net/downloads/47/35/469297.jpg?1151576758,Minitokyo.DuRaRaRa!.Wallpapers_469297.jpg is a head taller than]] Anri (5'0).

* Inverted in ''LightNovel/{{Kanokon}}''. [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Chizuru]] is one head taller than Kouta. She loved to give FunbagAirbag and MarshmallowHell to him.

Men are generally half a head taller than women in RealLife; in fiction, it's practically codified that every couple will have the man One Head Taller than the woman. If this is reversed, expect seeing {{Marshmallow Hell}}s and {{Funbag Airbag}}s. Taking this to extremes gives you HugeGuyTinyGirl and TinyGuyHugeGirl. As transplanting traditional gender roles into same-sex couples is popular in fanfiction, the character who could be considered [[{{seme}} "dominant"]] (often more serious or reserved) in the relationship is often similarly taller than their significant other. (A noticeable exception is the phenomenon of [[TheNapoleon aggressive and dominant]] {{Tsundere}}s being shorter than their GentleGiant partners. On the other hand, the act of cuddling ''is'' designed to show off their cute side.) Either way, being One Head Taller naturally allows you to tuck someone under your chin when surprising them with a hug. This rarely works the other way around, although the "cutesy" partner being taller is usually a deliberate humorous device for the audience to notice. In that case, the grouchier counterpart is hugged the way one would a puppy. Usually, if the shorter partner is doing the hugging from behind, the arms will come around at about elbow-height, and the hugger will either rest their cheek against the huggee's back, or tuck their chin around an arm.

* Inverted in ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'': Anna (5'7.68) is taller than Kyōtarō (5'2) to the point that he only reaches her chest. She just happens to be especially tall for her age.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Will Riker and Deanna Troi, played respectively by Creator/JonathanFrakes (6'3") and Marina Sirtis (5'3"). During the last season, Troi got involved with Worf, played by Creator/MichaelDorn, who's 6'2".

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/SailorMoon https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usagi_sailor_moon.png]]]]

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', [[TheHero Ichigo]] and [[LoveInterest Orihime]] have a height difference of around one head throughout the manga, with Ichigo standing at around 181cm or halfway between 5'11 and 6'0 by the time he's 17, while Orihime stayed at 157cm or 5'2. Their height difference is especially emphasized whenever Ichigo physically [[{{Protectorate}} protects her]].

%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=v03a7zda
%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800
%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1609126767022744600
%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1306865461085380100
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/SailorMoon https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usagi_sailor_moon.png]]]]

* ''Literature/CaptivePrince'': Damianos looms over Laurent. On a comment from Damianos that his borrowed armor is too small, Laurent suggests that he borrows the armor of a warhorse instead. According to Laurent:
-->''"My size is the usual. I am not made in miniature. It's a problem of scale, standing next to you."''

* Iason is a little more than one head taller than Riki in ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi''.

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'':
** Kida (5'7) [[http://static.minitokyo.net/downloads/47/35/469297.jpg?1151576758,Minitokyo.DuRaRaRa!.Wallpapers_469297.jpg is a head taller than]] Anri (5'0).

* Every two of the three girls in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is one head smaller than Kyon (5'7).

* Inverted in ''LightNovel/{{Kanokon}}''. [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Chizuru]] is one head taller than Kouta. She loved to give FunbagAirbag and MarshmallowHell to him.

* Sachiko in ''LightNovel/MariaWatchesOverUs'' is quite a bit taller than Yumi, leading to the impression that their age difference is actually larger than it is.

%%* Shizuma and Nagisa, from ''LightNovel/StrawberryPanic''.

%%* Applies to Sora and Sunao, Yoru and Ran, and Shinichirou and Nanami in ''LightNovel/{{Sukisho}}''.

* Ryuuji (5'8) and Taiga (4'8.5) from ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}''.
* It seems that every Male character in ''Manga/VampireKnight'' is about a Head taller than the protagonist Yuuki (5'0).

* Mentally invoked by Menelaus in ''Literature/CountToATrillion'' after Princess Rania's growth spurt: "He hated the fact that the top of her head no longer fit nicely under his chin when they hugged...It seemed obscurely unnatural, as if someone had made a mistake when putting the universe together."2

* It never gets mentioned, but Lawrence and Holo from ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'' fit this trope perfectly. This is partially because, as the source material consistently states, [[Really700YearsOld Holo]] has [[OlderThanTheyLook the body of a biological fifteen-year-old]].

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]] (6'2.75) is almost exactly one head taller than both Chloe (5'5) and Lana (5'4). Lois (5'7) isn't as short, though, but she still had to [[ScullyBox kick some books to his feet]][[spoiler:[[TheBigDamnKiss when she wanted to kiss him]]]].

Men are generally half a head taller than women in RealLife; in fiction, it's practically codified that every couple will have the man One Head Taller than the woman. If this is reversed, expect seeing {{Marshmallow Hell}}s and {{Funbag Airbag}}s. Taking this to extremes gives you HugeGuyTinyGirl and TinyGuyHugeGirl. As transplanting traditional gender roles into same-sex couples is popular in fanfiction, the character who could be considered [[{{seme}} "dominant"]] (often more serious or reserved) in the relationship is often similarly taller than their significant other. (A noticeable exception is the phenomenon of aggressive and dominant {{Tsundere}}s being shorter than their partners. On the other hand, the act of cuddling ''is'' designed to show off their cute side.) Either way, being One Head Taller naturally allows you to tuck someone under your chin when surprising them with a hug. This rarely works the other way around, although the "cutesy" partner being taller is usually a deliberate humorous device for the audience to notice. In that case, the grouchier counterpart is hugged the way one would a puppy. Usually, if the shorter partner is doing the hugging from behind, the arms will come around at about elbow-height, and the hugger will either rest their cheek against the huggee's back, or tuck their chin around an arm.