History Main / OneHeadTaller

* ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'': Ian is over 6 ft while Jeremy is somewhere around 5'5"-5'7". Also, Ian, while thin, is muscular, as he is a boxer. Jeremy is stick-thin from always claiming {{Im Not Hungry}}.

* ''Manga/KazeToKiNoUta'' plays this rather interestingly. At the start of the manga Serge and Gilbert are about the same height and size. However, a conveniently timed growth spurt ensures that by the time they actually get together Serge is noticeably taller and larger built.

* Almost everyone is one head taller than Tsuna (5'2) in ''Manga/Reborn2004''. It so happens that [[{{Uke}} Tsuna]] is a LauncherOfAThousandShips in a series in which over 75% of the characters are male, and 95% of those male characters are [[MrFanservice Estrogen Brigade]] {{Bishounen}}.
* ''Manga/SasakiAndMiyano'': Though the gender roles of their MasculineFeminineGayCouple relationship are mostly downplayed, Miyano is significantly shorter than his boyfriend Sasaki, but does grow a little bit over the story. The height different is especially apparent the first time they kiss. When Miyano first realizes this dynamic, he panics as he thinks that this likely makes him the {{Uke}} of their relationship.

* In the main cast of ''Manga/SoulEater'':

* Cinderella and Prince Charles in ''Anime/TheStoryOfCinderella''. The top of Cinderella's head only goes up to Charles' mouth.

* It seems that every male character in ''Manga/VampireKnight'' is about a head taller than the protagonist Yuuki (5'0).

* Donatello in ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' is the tallest of his four brothers, despite being the third of the four. While he is typically only slightly taller than Raphael, he absolutely towers over Leonardo in nearly every appearance. In the original Mirage comics, he was the only one of his brothers to his the 5'0" mark.
* Comicbook/TheJoker (6'5) and ComicBook/HarleyQuinn (5'7) -- he's tall and lanky, while she's a petite (although not tiny) former gymnast. She barely reaches his shoulder, but that doesn't seem to be a problem because she's happy to climb all over him for a kiss should the opportunity arise.

* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'' Etta Candy (5'3) comes up to her love interest Lawrence Stone's shoulders, and that's with heels on.
%%* Lenore and Ragamuffin (in his vampire form), from ''ComicBook/LenoreTheCuteLittleDeadGirl''.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'': The Wookiee Groznik and his life partner Elscol Loro. When Elscol's husband saved Groznik from Stormtroopers, the Wookiee pledged a life debt to him. When he was killed in combat, after getting revenge by taking down the Imperial shuttle responsible ''with a rock'', Groznik switched the debt to Elscol, and almost never left her side.
* ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} (5'11) from ComicBook/XMen isn't exactly a shorty herself, but she still finds herself one head shorter in a relationship with Sabretooth (6'6). Of course, given it's Creed, you're considered ''lucky'' when you reach as high as his collarbone.
* The old Marvel collectible cards said ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} was 6'2", ComicBook/JeanGrey was 5'6", and Wolverine was 5'2". When Cyclops is shown kissing/holding Jean Grey, he is one head taller than she is. However, when Jean Grey is shown kissing/holding Wolverine, he is also one head taller than she is. And whenever Cyclops and Wolverine are shown together, Wolverine is much shorter than Cyclops. Apparently, Jean's height varies in order to accommodate this trope.
* ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW'': 5'5" Jerrica doesn't even reach her boyfriend's shoulders. Rio is 6'2".
* ''ComicBook/AllNewXMen'': O5 Angel (6'0") is depicted as a head taller than Comicbook/{{X 23}} (5'1") in ''All-New Wolverine''.
* The ComicBook/GreenArrow is 5'11, though sometimes drawn taller than that[[note]]his adopted son, Roy Harper, is also billed at 5'11, but he's almost never depicted as the same height as his old man, to emphasize their age[[/note]]. The ComicBook/BlackCanary by contrast is 5'4; though some artists will draw the two as the same height or match Dinah's height to the [[StatuesqueStunner Statuesque Stunners]] she pals around with, oftentimes the height difference is emphasized.
* Ibuki (5'3) in her own ''[[ComicBook/StreetFighter comic]]'' aside from Yuta and Oro was at least one head shorter than pretty much any male in said comic. Even generic male background students were this to generic female students who were around Ibuki's height. It was especially noticeable [[https://i.imgur.com/FBK6M20.jpg when she was with her village elders]] (who were all male).

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'' gives both a straight and inverted example. All of the transformed kaiju are quite large once turned into their Equestrian forms. Godzilla and Spacegodzilla both being much taller than a normal stallion and easily a head taller than any Equestrian who's name isn't Luna or Celestia.
** Inverted in the fact the two tallest of the six kaiju are female, Mothra and Destroyah. The latter of towers over the largest of the male transformed kaiju and while leaner, Mothra's Changeling Queen form is taller than the male kaiju.
* In ''Blog/AskHoopsAndDumbbell'', like [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic its source material]], Hoops stands One Head Taller than Dumbbell.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'': Ash Ketchum is this to [[spoiler:Anabel]], who is 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]].
* ''Fanfic/GuysBeingDudes'': Spark is substantially taller than Arlo. Justified by the latter being UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}}.
* A lesbian example in ''{{Fanfic/Luminosity}}'': Maggie is on the shorter side, and ends up with one of the tallest human women in the series. It's a while before Bella consciously takes notice of the height difference, though, since it pales in comparison to their difference in physical strength as a vampire/human couple.

* Averted in the final version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''; however, in [[WhatCouldHaveBeen an earlier script]], Rapunzel's love interest was a tall, bulky man named Bastion. Bastion was replaced because they wanted a more attractive-looking male lead, though Kristoff from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' is [[{{expy}} influenced by]] Bastion.

* Inverted in the French film ''Un Homme a l'hauteur' (English version titled ''Up For Love'') about a woman in love with a 4'6" tall man. It's based on the Spanish film Corazon de Leon).

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Anakin Skywalker (Creator/HaydenChristensen) and Padmé Amidala (Creator/NataliePortman) are 6'0" (183 cm) and 5'2 1/2" (158 cm), respectively. Anakin gets a lot taller in the original trilogy, though Padmé is never around.
** Leia and Han, given that Creator/HarrisonFord is about 6'1" (185 cm) and Creator/CarrieFisher was about 5'1" (155 cm). She has to look up for him to kiss her forehead.
** [[Film/TheForceAwakens The]] [[Film/TheLastJedi Sequel]] [[Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker Trilogy]] gives us Kylo Ren (6'2") and Rey (5'7"). Their height difference is particularly noticeable when they're standing [[ShipTease rather close to one another]] in an elevator.
* Another example with Creator/NataliePortman is ''Film/{{Thor}}''. Creator/ChrisHemsworth (6'3") is more than a foot taller than her.

* ''Film/{{Juno}}'' with Creator/MichaelCera ten inches taller than Creator/ElliotPage who's only five feet tall.
* During the filming of ''Film/TheYearOfLivingDangerously'', the director used nearly every trick in the book to not only hide the fact that female lead Creator/SigourneyWeaver (5'11") was two inches taller than male lead Creator/MelGibson (5'9") but make it look as if he was, in fact, One Head Taller than she was.

* ''Film/FourChristmases'' had Creator/VinceVaughn (6'5") and Creator/ReeseWitherspoon (5'1") as its romantic leads. Witherspoon said that during a scene where they were dancing together, Vaughn was literally picking her up and carrying her. The movie's poster lampshades their height difference by showing the two standing back-to-back but with Witherspoon wearing five-inch heels and standing on a stack of boxes.
* Considering his height, practically every female lead Vince Vaughn gets paired with ends up as this. It gets {{lampshaded}} in ''Film/WeddingCrashers'', where he is paired with 5'3" Creator/IslaFisher.
* Creator/JasonSegel is 6'4" (193 cm) tall. This trope was particularly obvious in ''Film/ForgettingSarahMarshall'' since Kristen Bell is 5'1" (155 cm) and Creator/MilaKunis is 5'4" (162 cm).
* Spock and Uhura in ''Film/StarTrek2009'' and ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', as Creator/ZacharyQuinto is 6'1" and Creator/ZoeSaldana is 5'7". Uhura has to stand on her tiptoes in order for them to kiss.

* Hulking Creator/AnthonyQuinn is paired with tiny Giulietta Masina in ''Film/LaStrada''--which is appropriate, since his character is a brutish lout that abuses her.
* Creator/EmiliaClarke, being only 5'2", gets subjected to this trope around her male costars. It's thus lampshaded (and PlayedForLaughs) in ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', when the T-800 (6'2), Sarah Connor, and Kyle Reese (6'1) are arrested and get their mugshots taken. Sarah is ''a full foot shorter'' than Kyle, yet the camera position doesn't change, so she's glaring from the bottom of the screen.
* French actress Mathilda May (5'7) is noticeably shorter than most of her male costars in ''Film/Lifeforce1985'' so this trope was present quite a bit in the movie. The best example is when her character, Space 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.
* ''Film/PowerRangers2017'': Trini only stands up to Billy's shoulders, since she's played by 5'0 actress/singer Becky Gomez.
* Lampshaded in the film ''Film/{{Somewhere}}''. The actor Johnny Marco is at a press junket to promote his latest movie. While taking press photos with his female co-star, he stands on a small platform in order to match her height.
* ''Film/TheYellowHandkerchief'' has Brett (Creator/WilliamHurt, at 6'2") and May (Creator/MariaBello, at 5'5"). This only adds to the romance of [[spoiler: the final scene]], as he holds her close and strokes her hair while she hides her face in his chest. He even gets to lift her off her feet and into his arms for [[spoiler: their ReunionKiss]].
* Creator/JanetGaynor, a huge film star of the silent era, might be the TropeCodifier for the film. She was 5'0", which meant almost any leading man paired with her was head and shoulders above her tiny frame. Best observed in ''Film/{{Sunrise}}'' and ''Film/SeventhHeaven'' where she's paired with who are 5'10" and 6'2".
* In ''Film/{{Carrie 2013}}'', Creator/ChloeGraceMoretz, who played Carrie, was 5'4, while Ansel Elgort, who played Tommy, was almost a foot taller than her as 6'3. As a result, when he picks her up for prom he has to lean down to stay in frame with her as they're talking in the doorway.

* ''Film/YoungHearts'': Harper is a pretty short girl, with Tilly standing this much over her, as shown most especially as they kiss.
* ''Film/LoveInTheVilla'': Julie only goes up to her love interest Charlie's shoulders, causing him to make several cracks about her height.

* ''Film/{{Castaways}}'': Emily is significantly taller than Cara. She only comes up to Emily's chin when they're standing right by each other.
* As racial characteristics in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogies, dwarves are one head taller than hobbits, and humans and elves are about a head and a half taller than dwarves.
* ''Film/AnyoneButYou'': At 5'11", [[Creator/GlenPowell Ben]] is a head and then some taller than the 5'3" [[Creator/SydneySweeney Bea]], even when she is in high heels, making several jokes about how short she is, leading her to fire back at one point:
-->'''Bea:''' You are not tall enough to say that about me.
* ''Film/{{Sheroes}}'': Ryder is much taller than Daisy, her secret girlfriend, which gets shown early on while they're kissing.

%%* Shizuma and Nagisa, from ''Literature/StrawberryPanic''.
%%* Applies to Sora and Sunao, Yoru and Ran, and Shinichirou and Nanami in ''Literature/{{Sukisho}}''.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Ron is very tall and lanky, and Hermione is average height.
** Ginny is "the smallest one" out of the six teenagers present at the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' when she's nearly fifteen and presumably (almost) done growing, and at the beginning of the next book (in which they get together), people begin to comment on Harry's height from his recent growth spurt. He ends up the same height as his father James, whom even Voldemort describes as "tall."
** Ron and Ginny's father Arthur is tall and thin, and their mother Molly is short and plump.
* ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles'': Discussed in book 1 (''Dealing With Dragons''), where it's mentioned via narration that Cimorene is considered unmarriageable because she is tall enough to look most men in the eyes without tilting her head and looking up to them through long eyelashes.
* The ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'' duology has Ward and [[spoiler:Tisala]]. She is uncommonly tall for a woman; if she wasn't, it would be HugeGuyTinyGirl, as Ward is [[GentleGiant ''very'' tall]].
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Harry Dresden, at somewhere around 6'9", fits with most of his actual or potential love interests, although Murphy at "5 feet and small change" is particularly notable.
* [[YouAreNumberSix Septimus]] and [[MeaningfulRename Octavia]], [[MadeASlave slave]] crewmembers and eventual [[BattleCouple lovers]] aboard ''[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} The Covenant]]'' ''[[Literature/NightLords of Blood]]''
* AnEarthlyKnight by Janet [=McNaughton=] explicitly mentions that Jeanette is a head shorter than Tam Lin.
* 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."
* Sachiko in ''Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs'' is quite a bit taller than Yumi, leading to the impression that their age difference is actually larger than it is.
* ''Literature/MixBeerWithLiquorAndYouWillGetSicker'' has a play with this trope, averting it for the most part. The protagonist Lauchlan (6'2") towers above his love interest Corbin (5'). Despite this, Corbin's forceful personality makes him the most dominant of the relationship, and he will often climb or stand on things in order to nullify the height difference during intimacy. Intimacy aside, Lauchlan is often so cowed by Corbin's temper that he forgets the height difference completely. He is often described shrinking down and backing away from Corbin, a subconscious attempt to make himself seem smaller and less threatening.
* In ''[[Literature/DragonridersOfPern Dragonseye]]'', Zulaya is described as being taller than average for a woman, and has told her current mate, K'vin, she likes that he's a head taller (her previous mate was her own height).
* In ''Literature/HeartOfSteel'', Julia comes up to Alistair's collarbone. Her height is not mentioned, but he is stated to be a bit over six feet tall.
* In ''Literature/DoraWilkSeries'', Szelma is a head shorter than Eryk, a fact he lampshades, noting that she's the first person in a long time to make him feel tall (he's about metre seventy).
* Non-romantic examples: In the ''Literature/MissBindergarten'' series, Adam the Alligator and Christopher the Cat are both shown to be at least one head taller than Brenda the Beaver. It's worth noting that the characters who are some kind of rodent are at least a head smaller than characters who are other kinds of animals.
* ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'': The fully adult Lawrence is at least a full head taller than the [[Really700YearsOld centuries old]] Holo, who is stated to have the body of a teenage girl whenever she's in human form.
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Both of Shallan's love interests, Adolin and Kaladin, are a head taller than her, though Kaladin has an inch or two on Adolin. The Alethi are noted to be pretty tall in general, which the Veden Shallan finds annoying.
* In ''Twilight'', every Cullen couple and shifter couple is this, to a ludicrous degree. Every Cullen male vampire is six feet tall or taller, whereas the tallest Cullen female vampire (Rosalie) is only 5'9" (and her mate Emmett is ''still'' over a head taller than her at 6'5"). Of particularly egregious note is Alice and Jasper: she's almost a full ''foot-and-a-half'' shorter than him. As for the shifters, they ''all'' grow to ridiculous heights when they start shifting (all over six feet), whereas their imprintees are of normal human woman height (or literal ''children'' as in the case of Claire and Nessie, and so very, very short compared to the shifters). The films, not having access to inhumanly-tall behemoths, downplays this aspect quite a bit.

* ''Literature/CaptivePrince'': The statuesque WarriorPrince Damianos looms over the BadassBookworm Laurent. On a comment from Damianos that his borrowed armor is too small, Laurent suggests that he borrows the armor of a warhorse instead.
-->'''Laurent:''' My size is the usual. I am not made in miniature. It's a problem of scale, standing next to you.
* Emi L'Hime in ''Literature/HandsHeldInTheSnow'' is almost exactly one head taller than her girlfriend.
* Another same-sex version occurs with Louis and Angel in John Connolly's ''[[Literature/CharlieParkerSeries Charlie Parker]]'' novels. Louis is 6'6" and Angel is 5'6"; coupled with the fact that they're an interracial gay couple who have wildly different fashion styles and mannerisms, and are also ''painfully obviously'' career criminals, they certainly stand out.
* ''Literature/OfFireAndStars'': Dennaleia says that Thandilimon, her fiance, and his sister Mare (whom she's in love with) tower over her.
* ''Literature/AMasterOfDjinn'': Fatma's lover Siti is described to tower over her.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfDorsa'': Joslyn is half a head over Tasia, as she notices when training with her. She's described as resting her cheek right on the top of Tasia's head.
* ''Literature/TheChangeRoom'': Eliza only comes up to Shar's shoulder, and Andrew, her husband, is stightly taller still.
* ''Literature/SomethingToTalkAbout'': Jo is described as pretty short. Emma, on the other hand, is taller, described as having long legs, and must bend over when kissing Jo.

* In ''Series/TheMindyProject'' Mindy isn't too short--at 5'4, she's roughly average height for a woman, but she's dated some tall men. Her first on-screen partner, Tom (played by Bill Hader) is 6'1, her casual sex partner Brendan is six feet tall, and her fiance, Casey (played by [[Series/{{Workaholics}} Anders Holm]]) is 6'4--she even says he's the tallest man she's ever dated. It's not too glaring most of the time, since Mindy often wears heels.
* 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]]]].
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' had Sam and Ruby. He's 6'4" and she's 5'4".
* ''Series/TheXFiles''. Agent Mulder noticeably towers over Agent Scully. This was the reason the ScullyBox was invented, as Creator/DavidDuchovny is 6' tall, whereas Creator/GillianAnderson is 5'2", meaning they couldn't be shot in a closeup frame unless she was standing on a box. Often if they were shot walking down the street, she was on the sidewalk while he was walking on the street itself, closing their height gap by a few inches.
* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''. This applies to Justin and Alex Russo in the first and 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).
* Kang Hyuk from ''Series/FlowerBoyRamyunShop'' is over a head taller than Eun Bi, but he's nearly a head taller than everybody because he's an absolute giant.
* ''Series/ICarly'' inverted the general gender idea of the trope, then played it straight, with the same characters. Of course, this was because of the wonders of puberty. Freddie (5'7) was very short in the first season, as he was barely 13 years old and might not have even hit puberty when they started filming. They ended up using ScullyBox and/or giant platform shoes. Carly (5'6) was the tallest in the early episodes, so any scenes where Freddie and Carly hugged or stood next to each other had Carly towering over Freddie. By Season Two Freddie had hit puberty, and by Season Three he towered over the girls. Cue the DanceOfRomance, with Carly snuggled into Freddie's chest and neck.

* John Krasinski is 6 foot 3, so Jim from ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' is quite a bit taller than Pam (5'6) and his ex Karen (5'4). Dwight (6'2.5) used to tower over Angela (5'1) as well, although that had more to do with her being so small she had to buy children's size clothes; Dwight is over a foot taller than Angela.
* Marshall and Lily on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' fit this rather well, with 5'5" Creator/AlysonHannigan contrasting against 6'4" Creator/JasonSegel. Best part? Marshall is the ''runt'' of his family. His mom says something about him and his brothers being not much smaller than ''Thanksgiving turkeys'' when born. Ted and The Mother also qualify as she only measures up to Ted's shoulder and she has to stand on her tiptoes to kiss him when he proposes to her.

* ''Series/That70sShow'':
** Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhardt. Creator/AshtonKutcher is 6'3"; Creator/MilaKunis is 5'4" as an adult, and she was just 14 when the show started.
** Red and Kitty Forman, played by Creator/KurtwoodSmith (6'1") and Creator/DebraJoRupp (5'3").

* ''Series/TrueBlood'':
** Sookie Stackhouse, played by the 5'5" Creator/AnnaPaquin, has been paired with Eric and Alcide, both about 6'4".
** The 6'5 Hoyt dates Summer, who is about 5'0".
* In ''Series/TheMentalist'', 5'4 Robin Tunney (Lisbon) is pretty much a head shorter than everyone. This makes her unquestioned (well, except by 5'10.5 Jane) authority over them all even more impressive.
* In ''Series/LostInAusten'' The actress playing Amanda is exactly one foot shorter than the actor playing Darcy.

* ''Creator/PennAndTeller'', in a rare, non-ship, two-man example. Penn is 6'6.5", Teller is 5'9".
* Another two-man example: ''Series/TopGearUK'''s Jeremy Clarkson (6'5") and Richard Hammond (5'7"). Often becomes an issue whenever Jeremy has to adjust the seats of a car that Richard had previously driven.
->'''Jeremy:''' Here's our resident ''elf''!
:: The current (as of 2020) ''Top Gear'' UK presenters also exhibit this trope--Chris Harris is a hair over 5'7", while Freddie Flintoff is 6'4". Paddy [=McGuinness=] is in the middle at 6'1".
* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has 6'4" Jeff and the 5'3" Annie. The decision to pair them up romantically, [[WillTheyOrWontThey sort]] [[UnresolvedSexualTension of]], resulted in a lot more hilarious shots of them standing close together. A good example can be seen in the Season 4 finale, when a shot requiring a close-up of Annie's face while they were hugging meant that Jeff's head was entirely out of the top of the frame.
** Abed at one point {{Lampshades}} their "two-foot height disparity".
** Britta's in the same boat with regards to Jeff, but is always wearing tall-heeled boots of some sort so it's less noticeable.

* Series/InspectorLynley (6'1) is almost exactly one head taller than his partner Sergeant Havers (5'5). They're not romantically involved. [[JustFriends Really.]]
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': John Sheridan and Delenn. Mira Furlan is actually 5'6", but looks quite petite next to 6'2" Bruce Boxleitner.
%%* Matty and Jenna on MTV's ''Series/{{Awkward}}''
* In ''Series/FawltyTowers'' Basil towers over Sybil (he's 6'5" and she's 5'3") but she still easily terrorizes him.
* The page quote refers to ''Series/TheMiddle'' stars Creator/PatriciaHeaton and Creator/NeilFlynn, 5'2" and 6'5" respectively. It is lampshaded heavily.
* In the series ''Series/{{Copper}}'', the couple Matthew (6'3) and Sara Freeman (5'3.75) are this with Matthew being the taller one.
* Nathan (6'2) and Haley (5'4) on ''Series/OneTreeHill''.
* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': Gwen's (5'4) head just about comes up to Arthur's (6'0) shoulders.
* In ''Series/SixFeetUnder'', Ruth Fisher (5'7) was significantly smaller than her new husband George (6'7).
* ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'' partners the very tall and thin Darien with the much-shorter Hobbes, a contrast sometimes used for comedic effect -- especially given that Hobbes is an experienced and quite competent agent while Darien starts out naïve and inexperienced ([[ReformedButNotTamed with this side of the law, anyway]]). Darien also towers over love interests [[TheScrappy Alianora]] and [[NerdsAreSexy Kate]].

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Will Riker and Deanna Troi, played respectively by Creator/JonathanFrakes (6'4") and Marina Sirtis (5'3"). During the last season, Troi got involved with Worf, played by Creator/MichaelDorn, who's 6'3".
* Season 2 of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' brings us Sylar (6'1") and Maya (5'4"). When her brother storms out on her, Sylar lets her cry into his chest. Her head fits right in his hand as he comforts her.
* ''Series/{{Taskmaster}}'' saw a noticeable height difference when Josh Widdicombe (5'7") collected the winner's trophy from host Greg Davies (6'8").
* Comes up several times on ''Series/{{Chuck}}'':
** Creator/ZacharyLevi is 6'3", making Chuck just over a foot taller than Lou (5'2" Creator/RachelBilson), a head taller than Jill (5'7" Creator/JordanaBrewster), and nearly a foot taller than Hannah (5'4" Creator/KristinKreuk). Lou even remarks about their height differences being one of the reasons she likes Chuck.
** Creator/CarrieAnneMoss is an impressive 5'8", so she's taller than the average woman. She's also paired up with the enormous 6'4" Creator/AdamBaldwin, making him right about a head taller.
* ''Series/TheLastShip:'' The CO of the titular ship, Mike Slattery, is 6'4" while his XO, Andrea Garnett, is 5'5" and their height difference is very noticeable whenever the two stand next to each other. This proves to be a great advantage when they are [[spoiler:kidnapped by pirates and she needs to slip away to enact part of their escape plan]] as he can literally turn and block her from view with his body.
* ''Series/PennyDreadful'': Although Creator/EvaGreen is above average height for a woman at 5'7", Vanessa and Ethan still appear as this trope because Creator/JoshHartnett clocks in at 6'3". A repeating motif for these two are {{Cry Into Chest}}, as Ethan's chest is naturally at Vanessa's eye level. Their size difference is also capitalized on during TheBigDamnKiss when he lifts her right off the ground, when they engage in an intense {{Held Gaze}} moment as he's standing some stair steps downward of her so that they are finally at eye-level, and [[spoiler:when she dies]] and he appears to easily [[{{PietaPlagiarism}} carry her]].
* Mike and Gloria Stivic in ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' (played by Creator/RobReiner who is 6'2" and Sally Struthers who is 5'1"). On their first date, they try ballroom dancing, and Mike sings "Cheek to Cheek" (a song from the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie ''Film/TopHat'') but he has to change the lyrics to "chest to cheek".
* Nico and Karolina in ''Series/Runaways2017'', played by Lyrica Okano (5'2") and Virginia Gardner (5'8"). This is especially visible during their NowOrNeverKiss in episode nine, to the point where fans were joking about Karolina's neck cramping.
* ''Series/MidnightCaller'': Jack Killian and his ex-girlfriend Tina Cassidy, played by Creator/GaryCole (6') and Kay Lenz (5'1").

* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'': Tahani (5'10.5) is exactly this to Eleanor (5'1), as seen while they hug in the last episode. Eleanor's head literally is right up to Tahani's chin.
* ''Series/PrimeSuspect'': In season 2, Tennison (Creator/HelenMirren) has a relationship with DS Robert Oswalde (Creator/ColinSalmon). There's a full foot difference in the actors' heights, and in a couple of shots it's clear she barely comes up to his shoulder.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' the Doctor and his Companion:
** Doctors Three through Six were played by actors (Creator/JonPertwee (6'2.5"), Creator/TomBaker (6'3"), Creator/PeterDavison (6'1"), and Creator/ColinBaker (6')) who were all at least six feet tall. This led to a substantial difference in height with co-stars such as Creator/KatyManning (5'1"), Creator/ElisabethSladen (5'4"), Creator/SarahSutton (5'1"), Creator/JanetFielding (5'2"), Creator/NicolaBryant (5'3"), and Creator/BonnieLangford (5'1").
** The [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor Twelfth Doctor]] (6') and [[Characters/DoctorWhoClaraOswald Clara]] (5'2") fit this to a tee, complete with Clara hugging the Doctor from behind repeatedly.

* ''Series/SexLife'': Billie (portrayed by Sarah Shahi, who's 5'3) only comes up to Brad's chin. Cooper is only slightly closer to her.
* On ''{{Series/Haven}}'', Duke (played by 6'2" Eric Balfour) towers over his love interest, Jennifer (played by 5'1" Emma Lahana). Which you'd think would be extremely noticeable all the time, but creative camerawork (and heels) generally make it look like it's not as large as it is. However, sometimes it's hilariously noticeable, like in "Shot in the Dark," when they're having an eye-to-eye conversation. The camera cuts to a wider shot...and he's sitting down, while she's standing.
* ''Series/ShesGottaHaveIt'': Greer and Opal are both about this much taller than Nola, as becomes more visible when they stand by each other or kiss.
* ''Series/TheSexLivesOfCollegeGirls'': Leighton towers over Alicia, who says she's 5'2'', during their brief relationship.
* ''Series/TheWilds'': Toni is the shortest among the island girls. Shelby by contrast is pretty tall. This becomes noticeable after they get involved, and especially while kissing.

* ''Series/TwoSentenceHorrorStories'': In "[[Recap/TwoSentenceHorrorStoriesS3E5Teeth Teeth]]", Olivia is significantly taller than Cara. This is highlighted when they kiss.

* ''Series/CriminalMinds: Evolution'': Rebecca is significantly shorter than Tara, only coming up to around her shoulder. It's highlighted when they kiss and Tara has to bend her head down.
* ''Series/OneOfUsIsLying'': Maeve comes up to about Janae's chin. This is especially noticeable when the two become a couple and kiss or are standing close to each other.
* ''Series/TheNightAgent'': Peter is significantly taller than Rose, as shown when they kiss where she cranes her head up.

* ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'':
** Both artbooks state that Cornelius stands at 183cm (6') while Velvet stands at 166cm (5'4"), with their height difference very noticeable during cutscenes where Cornelius isn't a Pooka.
** Ingway and Mercedes. Although Ingway's official height isn't listed, Mercedes is said to stand at 151cm (4'11 1/2") in her artbook profiles (whether this includes her wings or not isn't stated). During the cutscene where [[spoiler: Mercedes breaks the frog curse on Ingway and returns him to his human form]], she quite clearly barely reaches his chin.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'':
%%** The Spy and the Scout's mom.
** [[FanPreferredCouple Heavy and Medic]] straddle the line between this and HugeGuyTinyGirl ...er...[[HoYay guy]].
* Grune of ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' is one of the tallest characters in the cast at 5'11", and loves to subject the other characters to MarshmallowHell (at least while she's affected by her LaserGuidedAmnesia; she's not quite so huggy when she has her memories).
* Cierra from ''VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand'', who sometimes acts as an affectionate OneeSama, appears to be slightly taller than the game's hero and thus half a head to a full head taller than the other female characters. The fan artists have noticed. LesYay has ensued.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' has a couple of [[NoHuggingNoKissing non-romantic]] examples:
** Partners Billy Cohen and Rebecca Chambers from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'' round off at 5'11" and 5'3" respectively.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'': Leon and Ashley are also 5'11" and 5'3", with him escorting and protecting her through Spain and the island.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'': Chris is 6'1", with his partner Sheeva coming up to his chin.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Ico}}'' with Ico and Yorda; [[FallenPrincess Yorda]] is a head taller than [[HornedHumanoid Ico]].
* Played with infuriatingly with ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'''s Gulcasa and Nessiah, [[FanPreferredCouple the darlings of the]] {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s. A few height charts have been released by Sting, and while Gulcasa's height is shown to be between 180-185 cm, Nessiah's height has varied every time--one official account sets him at 170 cm (half a head shorter), another at roughly 160 cm (one head shorter, and the same height as Yggdra, the main character), and yet another at 155 cm (quite short indeed for a male character, and just barely reaching Gulcasa's shoulders). The third account of Nessiah's height seems to be accepted as {{Fanon}}. He often has a bit of a height complex to go along with it, and coincidentally or not, he displays a few {{Tsundere}} qualities when another character brings it up.
%%* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools''' known pairings fall into this category for the most part. This includes [[HotBlooded Batsu]] and [[GenkiGirl Hinata]]; [[{{Eagleland}} Roy]] and [[ForeignFanservice Tiffany]]; and [[CoolOldGuy Hideo]] and [[HospitalHottie Kyoko]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheMovies'', any actor or actress can play any role. In a romantic scene featuring a man putting the moves on a woman, the man will be noticeably taller. However, switching the roles so that a woman is seducing a man, or making it a same sex couple, will preserve the original height difference so that the seducer is always taller than the seducee.

%%** Manticore and [[PsychicPowers Sister Psyche]] from ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''. His [[BuffySpeak headdress-helmet thingy]] adds to the effect.

* Valvatorez and Artina from ''VideoGame/Disgaea4APromiseUnforgotten'' used to be like this, with Val standing at 5'11" and Artina at 5'3". However, centuries of [[VegetarianVampire refusing to drink human blood]] have diminished his stature to a mere 5'5", so now he's instead a head shorter than his AmbiguouslyGay BattleButler, Fenrich (who is 6'1").
* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series, character heights can be used as a fairly consistent way of judging their ages, at least in Generations I-V.
* The morphing system in ''VideoGame/FableI'' gives the player character a looming HeroicBuild as his powers grow, so by late game, he towers head and shoulders over his spouse.
* Lara Croft in the rebooted ''Tomb Raider'' continuity is a non-romantic yet glaring example of this trope, with virtually every single man and several women in the series to date towering at least half a head (''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider]]'') or more (''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider'') over her. In the original ''VideoGame/TombRaiderI'', [[BigBad Natla]] is much taller than Lara where Lara's head only goes up to Natla's chest.

* ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'': The Artificial Humans #16 and #21 have this dynamic, with the former towering the latter by a mile. While it is definitely not a romantic example, it is very common for [[spoiler:sons (even though #16 is merely modelled after Dr. Gero's and #21's deceased son)]] to be taller than their [[spoiler:mothers]]. However, given how much taller #16 is compared to everyone else on the roster except Broly (9'0) and maybe Cell (7'0), the two give a HugeGuyTinyGirl illusion, which makes it hard to tell at first that #21 is actually a StatuesqueStunner.

%%* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' has this with most official male and female teams, [[https://i.imgur.com/j3gekLs.jpg Rolento to Ibuki]], Jin to Xiaoyu, Lars to Alisa. Inverted with Elena and Dudley.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'' has Torneko Taloon and his wife, who is one head taller than him according to the ''Mystery Dungeon'' illustrations.

* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
** Platonic examples: Phoenix (176 cm/5'9) and Edgeworth (178 cm/5'11) are respectively one head taller than Maya (154 cm/5'1) and Franziska (162 cm/5'4); in one official manga splash page, it's prominently shown.
** Slightly less platonic examples, Phoenix is one head taller than Dahlia [[spoiler:and Iris]] (155 cm/5'1), and [[spoiler:Diego Armando]] (185 cm/6'1) is this with Mia (168 cm/5'6).

* ''VisualNovel/GalaxyAngel'': Tact to Mint or Vanilla if he pursues their respective routes. Vanilla's case is due to her being the youngest of the team at the time, at 13, while Mint's is due to her worry that she stopped growing completely. Due to what seems an animation oversight, a cutscene in Eternal Lovers does this to [[StatuesqueStunner Forte]], of all people, which is especially weird given she normally wears high heels.

* This trope, ramped up to HugeGuyTinyGirl or [[TinyGuyHugeGirl the inverse]] levels in fact, is pervasive in ''[[Webcomic/Alfie2010 Alfie (2010)]]''; but the [[QueerRomane wlw]] relationship between the title [[{{Hobbits}} havlin]] and the [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch vaugely renegade]] Voch'khari [[CuteMonsterGirl Ozge]] takes it to another level. [[InterspeciesRomance They are both of unexceptional stature among their people]], which means Alfie's head is roughly on level with Ozge's ''[[GentleGiant hips]]'' for all that the latter is [[BustContrastDuo rail thin]] and a couple of years younger.

%%* ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'': Mr. Mighty and his wife Jane.

* ''Webcomic/SilverBulletNights'' pairs hulking vampire Seek with a short, bespectacled nerd named Donovan.
%%* Dong-whi over Yun-lee in ''Webcomic/NineteenTwentyOne''.
%%* Nina and Deirdre in ''Webcomic/{{Threading}}''.

* ''Manhua/MaganAndDanai'' is an autobiographical manhua about a short {{tsundere}} woman and her taller, [[TheGadfly teasing]] girlfriend.

* One contributor to the website Etiquette Hell submitted a story about a "wedding from hell" which was in fact just unconventional; her criticisms included the fact that everybody was dressed goth, the attendants weren't split along gender lines, and there was no champagne at the reception. Perhaps the most bizarre complaint, though, was that the bride overtopped the groom by "about a foot". The bride found the story and [[https://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=1352.0 posted on the website's forums]], sarcastically asking if she should have cut her legs off at the knees to avoid committing such a grave solecism as ''being tall''.
* ''WebVideo/ManicPixieDreamWife'': Simone is a petite woman and her husband Chance is a BigFun bear of a man. He's almost two heads taller than Simone.
* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'': Creator/DougWalker is 6'1 and main actress Tamara Chambers is 5'1, so there's a noticeable height difference any time they play a romantic couple. This includes the [[CreepyUncle creepy insane Uncle Lies]] and the perpetually drunk JadedWashout Aunt Despair, and the [[TestosteronePoisoning loud and excessively manly Devil Boner]] and the CuteAndPsycho Hyper Fangirl. There's also a height difference between Chester A. Bum and his girlfriend / DistaffCounterpart Doe, played by Heather Reusz who's also [[https://www.instagram.com/p/B5xszsnDYF_/ about a head shorter than Doug]].
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Ren is a full 8" taller than Nora. They've been together since a very young age and other characters, even their own team-mates, assumed they were involved with each other from the beginning because of how close they are. They don't kiss until Volume 7 but don't discuss where their relationship is going until Volume 8. [[spoiler:They're in love with each other, but temporarily put a hold on getting together until they're both in a healthy headspace; Ren resolves his self-doubt by the end of Volume 8, but Nora needs time to resolve her self-identity issues.]]

* This trope, ramped up to HugeGuyTinyGirl or [[TinyGuyHugeGirl the inverse]] levels in fact, is pervasive in ''[[Webcomic/Alfie2010 Alfie (2010)]]''; but the [[GirlsLove wlw]] relationship between the title [[{{Hobbits}} havlin]] and the [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch vaugely renegade]] Voch'khari [[CuteMonsterGirl Ozge]] takes it to another level. [[InterspeciesRomance They are both of unexceptional stature among their people]], which means Alfie's head is roughly on level with Ozge's ''[[GentleGiant hips]]'' for all that the latter is [[BustContrastDuo rail thin]] and a couple of years younger.

* There are several examples in ''Literature/HarryPotter'':

* ''Series/TrueBlood''
** Sookie, played by the 5'5" Creator/AnnaPaquin, has been paired with Eric and Alcide, both about 6'4".

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'':
** Agent Grant Ward (6'2) who is a head taller than his potential love interest, Skye (5'5.75).
** He also towers over Agent Jemma Simmons (5'4), another main character on the show.

* ''Series/PennyDreadful'': Although Creator/EvaGreen is above average height for a woman at 5'7", Vanessa and Ethan still appear as this trope because Josh Hartnett clocks in at 6'3". A repeating motif for these two are {{Cry Into Chest}}, as Ethan's chest is naturally at Vanessa's eye level. Their size difference is also capitalized on during TheBigDamnKiss when he lifts her right off the ground, when they engage in an intense {{Held Gaze}} moment as he's standing some stair steps downward of her so that they are finally at eye-level, and [[spoiler:when she dies]] and he appears to easily [[{{PietaPlagiarism}} carry her]].

* This trope, ramped up to HugeGuyTinyGirl or [[TinyGuyHugeGirl the inverse]] levels in fact, is pervasive in ''Webcomic/{{Alfie}}''; but the [[GirlsLove wlw]] relationship between the title [[{{Hobbits}} havlin]] and the [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch vaugely renegade]] Voch'khari [[CuteMonsterGirl Ozge]] takes it to another level. [[InterspeciesRomance They are both of unexceptional stature among their people]], which means Alfie's head is roughly on level with Ozge's ''[[GentleGiant hips]]'' for all that the latter is [[BustContrastDuo rail thin]] and a couple of years younger.

* In VideoGame/TheMovies, any actor or actress can play any role. In a romantic scene featuring a man putting the moves on a woman, the man will be noticeably taller. However, switching the roles so that a woman is seducing a man, or making it a same sex couple, will preserve the original height difference so that the seducer is always taller than the seducee.

* All of the canon love interests of Usagi (4'11)--bubbly, cheerful, and easy-to-anger--in ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' are at least a head taller than her. The one who she ends up with is over a foot taller than her, and they play out the hugging tropes several times.

** Soul now appears to be a couple inches taller than Maka, but Black*Star isn't even Tsubaki's height yet.

* ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW'': 5'5" Jerrica doesn't even reach her boyfriends shoulders. Rio is 6'2".

%%* Jack and Sally from ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''. Jack is taller then Sally, though Sally's pretty tall too. Jack is just really, ''really'' tall.
* ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'': While Marianne's fiancee is a bit taller than her, [[spoiler:the Bog King]] who is her final love interest is actually a full head taller than her.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', since Nick is a fox, a larger animal than a rabbit, he tops Judy's height by at least a full head. This is especially noticeable when [[spoiler:he comforts her after she apologizes for her InnocentlyInsensitive comments at the press conference]], and [[CryIntoChest her face matches up with his chest]], though she's standing almost fully erect.
* Averted in the final version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''; however, in [[WhatCouldHaveBeen an earlier script]], Rapunzel's love interest was a tall, bulky man named Bastion. Bastion was replaced because they wanted a more attractive looking male lead, though Kristoff from ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' is [[{{expy}} influenced by]] Bastion.

* Inverted in the French film ''Un Homme a l'hauteur' (English version titled ''Up For Love'') about a woman in love with a 4'6" tall man. It's based on Spanish film Corazon de Leon).
* Obliquely referenced in ''Film/OceansEleven'', when Saul (6'1) objects to Tess' (5'9) relationship with Terry Benedict on the grounds that "she's too tall for him".

** Anakin Skywalker (Creator/HaydenChristensen) and Padme Amidala (Creator/NataliePortman) are 6'0" (183 cm) and 5'2 1/2" (158 cm), respectively. Anakin gets a lot taller in the original trilogy, though Padme is never around.

* During the filming of ''Film/TheYearOfLivingDangerously'', the director used nearly every trick in the book to not only hide the fact that female lead Creator/SigourneyWeaver (5'11") was two inches taller than male lead Creator/MelGibson (5'9"), but make it look as if he was, in fact, One Head Taller than she was.

* Creator/JasonSegel is 6'4" (193 cm) tall. This trope was particularly obvious in ''Film/ForgettingSarahMarshall'', since Kristen Bell is 5'1" (155 cm) and Creator/MilaKunis is 5'4" (162 cm).

* Creator/EmiliaClarke, being only 5'2", gets subjected to this trope around her male costars. It's thus lampshaded (and PlayedForLaughs) in ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', when the T-800 (6'2), Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese (6'1) are arrested and get their mugshots taken. Sarah is ''a full foot shorter'' than Kyle, yet the camera position doesn't change so she's glaring from the bottom of the screen.

* ''Film/TheYellowHandkerchief'' has Brett (Creator/WilliamHurt, at 6'2") and May (Creator/MariaBello, at 5'5"). This only adds to the romance of [[spoiler:the final scene]], as he holds her close and strokes her hair while she hides her face in his chest. He even gets to lift her off her feet and into his arms for [[spoiler:their ReunionKiss]].
* Creator/JanetGaynor, a huge film star of the silent era, might be the TropeCodifier for film. She was 5'0", which meant almost any leading man paired with her was head and shoulders above her tiny frame. Best observed in ''Film/{{Sunrise}}'' and ''Film/SeventhHeaven'' where she's paired with that are 5'10" and 6'2".

* All the live action film adaptations of ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' have his actors a decent deal taller than the actresses who portrayed Lois Lane.

* Another same-sex version occurs with Louis and Angel in John Connolly's ''[[Literature/CharlieParkerSeries Charlie Parker]]'' novels. Louis is 6'6" and Angel is 5'6"; coupled with the fact that they're an inter-racial gay couple who have wildly different fashion styles and mannerisms, and are also ''painfully obviously'' career criminals, they certainly stand out.

* ''Literature/SomethingToTalkAbout'': Jo is described as pretty short. Emma, on the other hand, is taller, described as having long legs and must bend over when kissing Jo.

* In ''Series/TheMindyProject'' Mindy isn't too short--at 5'4, she's roughly average height for a women, but she's dated some tall men. Her first on-screen partner, Tom (played by Bill Hader) is 6'1, her casual sex partner Brendan is six feet tall, and her fiance, Casey (played by [[Series/{{Workaholics}} Anders Holm]]) is 6'4--she even says he's the tallest man she's ever dated. It's not too glaring most of the time, since Mindy often wears heels.

* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace''. This applies to 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).

* ''Series/ICarly'' inverted the general gender idea of the trope, then played it straight, with the same characters. Of course, this was because of the wonders of puberty. Freddie (5'7) was very short in the first season, as he was barely 13 years old and might not have even hit puberty when they started filming. They ended up using ScullyBox and/or giant platform shoes. Carly (5'6) was the tallest in the early episodes, so any scenes where Freddie and Carly hugged or stood next to each other had Carly towering over Freddie. By Season Two Freddie had hit puberty, and by season three he towered over the girls. Cue the DanceOfRomance, with Carly snuggled into Freddie's chest and neck.

** The 6'5 Hoyt dates Summer, who is about at 5'0".

** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'' has Shinnosuke Tomari (6') and Kiriko Shijima (5' 4"), who act so professional towards each other that they haven't noticed they are in love until the end of the story. The two subsequent crossover movies involving ''Drive'' show they have married and are expecting a child.

* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has 6'4" Jeff and the 5'3" Annie. The decision to pair them up romantically, [[WillTheyOrWontThey sort]] [[UnresolvedSexualTension of]], resulted in a lot more hilarious shots of them standing close together. A good example can be seen in the Season 4 finale, when a shot requiring a close-up on Annie's face while they were hugging meant that Jeff's head was entirely out of the top of the frame.

Men are generally half a head taller than women in RealLife; in fiction, it is 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.

This is an extremely pervasive trope in BoysLove works, to the point where {{shipp|ing}}ers drawing ''{{doujinshi}}'' will occasionally modify the heights of characters to make the taller {{Seme}}/shorter {{Uke}} stereotype work. An ''OneeSama'' is also very likely to be taller than her relevant object of attention. {{Bara}} however, usually has the Seme "shorter and cute" while Uke "tall and handsome" instead.

* ''Manga/ACruelGodReigns'': Ian is over 6 ft while Jeremy is somewhere around 5'5"-5'7". Also Ian, while thin, is muscular as he is a boxer. Jeremy is stick thin from always claiming {{Im Not Hungry}}.

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Ymir (5'8) is about ''two'' heads taller than Krista. [[spoiler:Of course, when Ymir's is in her [[OneWingedAngel titan form]], she's hundreds of heads taller than Krista.]]

* French actress Mathilda May (5'7) is noticeably shorter than most of her male costars in ''Film/Lifeforce1985'' 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.

* Several examples in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''. Bridgette reaches at about Geoff's shoulders; Izzy is noticeably shorter than her enormous boyfriend Owen; Beth (one of the shortest contestants) has an outside-the-game boyfriend in hunky model Brady; Dakota completely towers over Sam after her mutation; and Shawn only reaches up to about Jasmine's chest; Bowie is noticeably taller than Raj; Caleb is much taller than Priya, who is the second shortest of their generation.

* Several examples in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''. Bridgette reaches at about Geoff's shoulders; Izzy is noticeably shorter than her enormous boyfriend Owen; Beth (one of the shortest contestants) has an outside-the-game boyfriend in hunky model Brady; Dakota completely towers over Sam after her mutation; and Shawn only reaches up to about Jasmine's chest; Bowie is noticeably taller than Raj.

* Several examples in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''. Bridgette reaches at about Geoff's shoulders; Izzy is noticeably shorter than her enormous boyfriend Owen; Beth (one of the shortest contestants) has an outside-the-game boyfriend in hunky model Brady; Dakota completely towers over Sam after her mutation; and Shawn only reaches up to about Jasmine's chest.

* All the live action film adaptations of ComicBook/Superman have his actors a decent deal taller than the actresses who portrayed Lois Lane.