When many anime fans first look at Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, the only thing they usually see is your typical magical girl anime. However, when you take a deeper dive into the anime, you notice that it is a lot more psychological and dark than you initially thought. Madoka Kaname is your average middle school girl dealing with average middle school things. Though, everything changes when she meets a mystical cat-like being called Kyuubey, who proposes to her an offer. If she becomes a magical girl, she will be granted any wish she desires.

Madoka’s experiences as a magical girl turns from light-hearted and fun, to dangerous and creepy in one short moment. Her initial thought of the magical girl life took a quick 180, and it never looked back. Just being a middle school girl puts you in the short category. Though, how would a young middle schooler deal with a task such as this? Madoka had to overcome all the odds around her and take her new blood-curdling life in the right direction. With bravery and determination, Makoka showed her true strengths.

Spiritual creatures called “youmu” wander around as the manifestation of negative human emotions. Mirai Kuriyama has the job of searching for these dangerous youmu and destroying them. One day, a student name Akihito notices Mirai on a rooftop, believing she is going to commit suicide. When he makes it to the roof to stop her, Mirai, in a frenzy, stabs him. However, the boy turns out to be immortal.

Mirai Kuriyama is the last surviving member of a group of spirit warriors who have the ability to manifest their own blood into weapons. Mirai displays many physical strengths paired with abilities that surpass average humans by far. She has an enormous height to her jump while also being able to slice her enemies in half in midair with her amazing and bloody swordsmanship. Despite her strength, Mirai is still your typical short, young, and clumsy high school girl.

Toaru Majutsu no Index is an action anime that takes place in the technologically advanced city of Academy City. This city has many citizens with special psychic powers and students who go to school to increase those powers.

Mikoto Misaka is the female heroine of Toaru Majustu no index. Even though she is a small girl, Mikoto is one the strongest and highest rated students within Academy City. With her gung-ho and “justice wins” attitude, she quickly launches into battles to protect what she believes is right. Also, the show she puts on with her abilities is an amazing sight to behold. If you enjoyed her in Toaru Majustu no Index, also check out her side story where she is the main protagonist in Toaru Majustu no Railgun.

There are aliens, samurai, big fights, and comedy. What more could you ask for with Gintama? This amazing parody anime comes with lots of crazy and hilarious characters, especially the three main protagonists. However, here at Honey’s Anime, we will be just mentioning one.

Kagura is the female protagonist of Gintama. She happens to be an alien, and a short one at that. Despite her diminutive stature, she is one of the stronger characters in the anime. Kagura puts fear into those she fights with her superhuman physical strength and her sometimes brash behavior. On top of that, she keeps it cute as she does it, giving her the seventh spot on our list.

If you are competitive, then this anime may be for you! No Game No Life is an anime that focuses on games and their competitive nature. If you had been thrown into a world where conflict was dealt with strictly through games, could you last? Two hardcore gamers and siblings, Sora and Shiro, have been summoned into such a place due to their gaming abilities. How would they fare in this world?

Shiro is the younger sister of Sora in No Game No Life. She may be short and more of the quiet type, but in the new world she has fallen into, she is without a doubt, a powerful competitor. Shiro is a genius who excels in problem solving and logic. Those two traits help her see through her opponents, and send her to victory in many game types. Her intellect is second to none, as it feels almost impossible for her opponents to find an opening. Along with her short stature, Shiro’s smarts have helped her earn the number six spot on our list!

Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most popular anime to date. It also features a very popular and short character by the name of Edward Elric. The adventure of Edward and his younger brother, Alphonse, is one of loss and emotion. As a prodigy in the use of alchemy, Ed, despite his short stature, has the physical ability to go up against opponents twice his size and easily take them down.

He may not enjoy being called short, but even with his fierce attitude towards his noticeable stature, Ed’s determination towards his goal never wavers. He always finds ways to turn his disadvantages upside down and take things in the right direction. He even has the ability to use alchemy without a transmutation circle and to alter his own metal arm into a weapon to keep up in the fight. Without a doubt, Ed easily earned his position on our list.

Merciless beings called Crimson Denizens have been ravaging the world, erasing the very existence of humans from the universe. The only ones with the ability to stop them are Flame Hazes, fighters determined to end the destruction caused by these Crimson Denizens. Though, it seems that some of these Flame Hazes may have ulterior motives of their own.

Shana is the main heroine and a Flame Haze herself within the Shakugan no Shana story. Despite having the look of a small, twelve-year-old girl, Shana has unbelievable flame-like powers and swordsmanship, that helps her do all she can to put a stop to the catastrophe around her. She is so dedicated to her duties as a Flame Haze, she never even thought about the daily lives of the very humans that she had been saving. She didn't even bear a name. Not only does she have amazing and fiery powers, but she seems to be rather educated in high school subjects as well, making her very intelligent. If you’ve never seen Shakugan no Shana, then it’s not too late to give this flaming girl a try!

The Monogatari Series consists of many tales featuring gods, demons, and various other apparitions. One of those features none other than the iron-blooded, hot-blooded, cold-blooded Shinobu. She is a vampire who even when not fully powered, is still very strong. When at full power, Shinobu is an older, taller, and beautiful woman who could wipe out the entire planet if she wished, but when not, she is a very small girl who appears weak, but is still highly capable of doing damage.

In the beginning, Shinobu made very few appearances; she would only help out the main protagonist, Araragi, sometimes. However, later in the series, she begins to come out and show her true nature. Though not fully powered, Shinobu is still a very capable being with supernatural physical abilities of strength, speed, and regeneration. Not only is she physically strong, but her knowledge of apparitions is outstanding. Without her, Araragi would stand no chance in this breathtaking story of demons.

When it comes to short and powerful characters, Lain definitely comes to mind. Serial Experiments Lain is a confusing and interesting show from the late 90s that deals with a virtual world of social networks called the Wired. The Wired is a connection between the real and virtual world. Lain, a seemingly normal middle school girl, ends up having a much more important role in life than expected.

[Warning: The next section contains spoilers]

The protagonist, Lain, turns out to be some sort of computer program that is meant to interact with the Wired. As time goes on, Lain, realizing what she is, becomes as powerful as a goddess. She has power over just about anything including the real world, the virtual world, and the human minds within them. If that isn’t powerful, then who knows what is? There was no way we could end this list without adding her.

Dragon Ball, is a series known by avid anime fans and those who barely know what anime is. It is definitely a very popular anime, and with the release of Dragon Ball Super, the fan base grew even more. Dragon Ball Super gives us extraordinary new characters and jaw-dropping powers that keep fans wanting more and more with each episode that is released. Out of those characters, the most peculiar to us here at Honey’s Anime, has to be the great Zen-Oh.

Zen-Oh is the ruler of the 12 universes within the Dragon Ball series. He may look and sound like a small and harmless being; however, Zen-Oh instills fear into many around him due to his capabilities. Characters in the anime, such as Vegeta and Beerus, would never dare go up against him. With just the lift of a finger, he could erase the existence of an entire universe. That is just one finger! With a power like that, Zen-Oh is very deserving of the number one spot on our list. Maybe we here at Honey’s Anime should take a shot at him!