History Main / SleepModeSize

* Mashiro in ''VisualNovel/{{Tayutama}}'' first appears in the form of a young girl. Only some of her power is intact, though she can still command her group of spirits and use her [[DropTheHammer hammer]]. After getting married to Yuuri, she comes into her true adult form, though still goes into her young form sometimes.

** The default form of the event exclusive Pokémon Hoopa resembles that of a young mischievous child or imp. However, if you restore its power by using the Prison Bottle introduced in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'' on it, it turns into its Unbound form, a form greatly resembling that of a powerful djinn.

* In The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Alduin is supposed to be a giant godlike entity capable of destroying the world easily. Since he’s active outside of his ordained task, he’s ’’only’’ an immortal dragon with a few special powers.

* The default form of Zygarde in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' is Zygarde Core, a small, green blob-like cyclops creature. One such Zygarde Core travels with the heroes (nicknamed Squishy by Bonnie). If Squishy is threatened, it will summon other Zygarde Cells to transform into 10% (a dog-like creature), 50% (the serpentine Zygarde seen in the games), and eventually, Complete/100% Forme (a gigantic HumanoidAbomination). Squishy prefers not to display its power if at all possible, usually only going to 10% for a quick escape. The ''other'' encountered Zygarde Core, by comparison, is mostly seen in 50% Forme and prefers force.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Beast IV, also known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Primate Murder]] needs to accumulate negative feelings to reach its full form. If not enough has been accumulated, [[spoiler:you get TeamPet [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Fou]]]].

* In ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'', Shinobu Oshino used to be a powerful [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld over 500-year-old]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]] with the body of a tall, buxom and imposing woman. After she was destroyed and had almost all of her power sealed, she was reduced to the form of a little girl.

* Cz (yes, that is her actual name) from ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' is introduced as an innocent-looking 7- or 8-year-old girl. However, her true form [[spoiler:as one of the Peacemakers]] is that of a fully-grown adult woman.[[note]]And the name "Cz" actually comes from her true name [[spoiler:as Peacemakers are designated by letters]]: [=CZ=][[/note]]

* Shinobu Oshino of ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' is something like this, being the remnant of a powerful vampire after she was destroyed.

** Kerberos is supposed to look like a lion, but since his power is sealed for most of the series he usually resembles a small, golden teddy bear with wings. He recovers his powers and original form towards the end of Season 1, but stays in the smaller one for practical reasons unless it's really needed.
** Season 2 takes this even further with Spinel Sun, who does this in the form of a super-cutsie black cat. With wings. Logically, when it's time to get serious he takes his actual form -- a really cool winged panthera who looks a LOT like Big Kerberos.

* Evangeline A.K. [=McDowell=], the powerful [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampiress]] in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', was captured, [[PowerLimiter De-powered]] and cursed with "School Hell", stuck to remain a middle-schooler to atone for her sins. An inversion; her "sleep mode" is her real appearance (turned as a child) and her full power form is [[OlderAlterEgo an illusion]].
** Worth mentioning that [[HalfHumanHybrid Kotarou]] changed into a small dog when his powers were sealed.
** Also the age-changing pills introduced during the School Festival arc, and used heavily during the last arc to age Negi and Kotaru and loli-fy the girls to disguise them considering [[spoiler:they're all wanted in connection to the gate port terrorist attacks thanks to Fate]]. Also, Kaede can use her ninjutsu to take on a child-like form (which she uses mainly to rub it into Mana's face) as demonstrated in the second chapter of vignettes right before the Magic World arc.
** Poyo [[spoiler:Rainyday]] has an impressive demon form, although she starts out resembling a human girl. The same is probably true of her younger sister [[spoiler:Zazie]], and it definitely ''is'' in regards to Poyo's rival, [[spoiler:Mana Tatsumiya]].

* Possibly invented by Creator/OsamuTezuka for ''Manga/TheThreeEyedOne''.

* ''Literature/TheHeartstrikers'': An almost literal example. Ghost, Marci's bound spirit, spends most of his time as a ghostly cat that in turn spends most of its time sleeping. It's specifically noted that spirits normally don't sleep; the only reason he does so is because he is extremely low on magic, even considering his more efficient form. His more normal form is [[spoiler:a ghostly Roman centurion. He is the Empty Wind, Spirit of the Forgotten Dead, and one of humanity's ancient gods risen again]]. But most of Marci's friends still know him primarily as a cat, so when Marci and Ghost curb-stomp one of Julius's more annoying brothers, his other brother Justin bursts out laughing that "a little girl and her pet cat" managed to take the pompous jerk down to size.
-->'''Marci:''' Who are you calling "little girl?" I'm a year older than you are! And Ghost is ''not'' just a cat. He's a fearsome and powerful spirit.\\
'''Justin:''' He's ''fluffy!''

** Also, the [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Ice Titan]] from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI''. Taller than the colosseum when you're fighting it, but once you beat it, it suddenly becomes so small that it has to run away lest Sora kill it by stepping on it.

* [[http://web.archive.org/web/20160818151320/http://the-qlc.com/loserz/go/343 This strip]] of ''Webcomic/{{Loserz}}''. (It's in the 4th panel, you have to look for it)

** Neliel "Nel" Tu, [[spoiler:formerly the third Espada]], was locked into a child's body [[spoiler:after receiving a serious head wound that cracked her Hollow Mask (robbing her of full access to her powers) ''and'' losing her memories]]. [[spoiler:In the ''Thousand Years Old Blood War'' arc, Urahara manages to create a device to give Nel her adult form back.]]

* ''Maranosuke'': The title character's [[TheFairFolk mother]] is [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld really a thousand-years-old,]] but defaults to appear the age of an 8-year-old that only [[VoluntaryShapeshifting turns into a Hot Amazon adult]] to calm down her son's one-time [[TheBerserker berserker]] reaction to her presence [[ParentalIncest by having sex with him,]] implying that Mara may otherwise [[NotAllowedToGrowUp stay looking that young]] or else remain a [[Manga/DragonBallZ Broly-looking]] hulk just like his BigBad EvilTwin who's ''permanantly'' [[MommyIssues obsessed with being together with their mother for good]] and has spent [[ImmortalityImmorality the last millennium taking out such sexual frustration brutally doing women to death.]]

* The main character of ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld'' spends most of the game looking like a 12-year-old boy -- albeit a boy with the mysterious ability to manifest an [[EnergyWeapon Energy Blade]] from an ordinary knife -- but towards the end, his true form awakens, turning him into an adult -- and an [[ImplacableMan unstoppable badass]] at that. Which makes it somewhat more acceptable that he ends up dating the VERY adult ensemble [[TheChick babe]] in the ending. To be fair, he would be in the same age as the said chick [[spoiler:had he not died once. It took five years for his father to gather everything required to revive him and his body didn't age during that time]].

* King from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' is a small and adorable dog-like creature who claims that he is the king of demons but lost his powers. [[spoiler:It is eventually confirmed that this was all a fantasy he got lost in. He never had a larger form, since he really is a child.]]

* In ''Film/TheHobbit'' fanfic ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/1470613/chapters/3099160 I'll Make a Dwarf out of You]]'', Smaug spends most of the story lizard-sized due to a curse that was placed on him. He eventually returns to his normal size.

* ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'': Bloodfeast the allosaurus gets polymorphed into a small lizard by an enemy during a battle and the Order decides to leave him that way until his true form is needed due to it making him a lot easier to feed and transport.

* ''Literature/WearingTheCape'': Japanese superspy Kitsune is a shapeshifter who [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane may or may not be]] a literal mythological ''{{kitsune}}''. While he can take on a seven-tailed fox form at will, usually when he does so he is nearly human-sized and obviously supernatural. When he's injured, he's the size of a normal fox and stays close to Hope, as their bond helps him heal.

* [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney the Dinosaur]].

* [[spoiler:Envy]] and [[spoiler:Pride]] from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' go into this when beaten to the verge of death: [[spoiler:Envy]] becomes a creepy worm-thing with way too many teeth, while [[spoiler:Pride]] becomes a maybe even more creepy human baby that's small enough to fit on your palm which keeps saying "Mama". The former spends ages in this state, gets blasted down again, and [[spoiler:commits suicide out of spite toward Mustang and resentment at Ed understanding his personal issues]]. The latter is ''taken home to his former adoptive mother to raise'', properly this time hopefully.

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* ''Manga/HimoutoUmaruChan'': Umaru turns into a tiny form of herself when she gets home.

* In Creator/{{CLAMP}}'s manga ''Manga/{{Wish}}'', all but the most powerful angels take on a SuperDeformed, powered-down form at night, while demons do so during the day.
* ''Anime/HareGuu'' has a "mysterious pink-haired woman" according to Guu who no one recognizes except Hare, who loudly complains is obviously supposed to be her. That the two interact certainly doesn't clarify matters.

** Kerberos is supposed to look like a lion, but since his power is sealed for most of the series he usually resembles a small, golden teddy bear with wings. He recovers his powers and original form towards the end of season 1, but stays in the smaller one for practical reasons unless it's really needed.
** Season 2 takes this even further with Spinel Sun, who does this in the form of a super-cutsie black cat. With wings. Logically, when it's time to get serious he takes his actual form - a really cool winged panthera who looks a LOT like Big Kerberos.
* From ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', Washu is an extraordinarily powerful entity, perhaps even a literal goddess, who can change her appearance at will. For whatever reason, almost all the time she chooses to look like a precocious red-haired nine-year-old girl. She is quite capable of looking like a very attractive adult woman when she feels like it, though she doesn't do it very often.
** The [=OVAs=] have a reason - she was badly burned in a relationship when her husband ditched her and took their child due to their social standings. She decided that she'd rather be a child and not worry about those responsibilities than deal with that again. Of course, she'd throw that away in a heartbeat to be with Tenchi...!
** From the same series, Ryo-Ohki. Normally a cute fuzzy "cabbit", she can transform into the universe's most powerful space battleship. This is doubled up in the OAV, after she gains a Humanoid form. Though it has an adult size (which basically looks like Ryoko, except with brown fur and animal ears), she normally shrinks it down to a little kid's when she uses it. She has trouble walking bipedally in a form so top heavy, y'see. The manga spinoff even featured a storyline where she practiced how to walk with boobs.
* ''Manga/KishinDoujiZenki'' is about a demon prince sealed into a childlike form in order to control his powers. His [[KidWithTheLeash handler]] can transform him into his bad-assed adult self with the help of a magical bracelet.

* In ''Manga/SailorMoon'', the attractive and probably powerful mentors of the senshi are forced to take the form of adorable cats while on Earth.
* Possibly invented by Creator/OsamuTezuka for ''Manga/TheThreeEyedOne''.
* In addition to more or less suffering from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome, Arf from ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' [[VoluntaryShapeshifting takes a puppy form]] to "conserve energy" for Fate, which also reduces her usefulness to that of "Babysitter".
** Caro's pet dragon Friedrich spends most of his time the size of a large cat. In serious fights however, he can be unsealed to about the size of a truck.
** And then there are Vivio, Einhard, Rio and Fabia. While their normal forms are that of kids, they can use their magic to take up older forms. Vivio says that this form is much better in terms of fighting, as three of them use martial arts, compared to Nanoha and Fate at their age.
** Inverted with Reinforce Zwei and Agito, whose true forms are only about a foot tall. They do have the ability to take on larger forms while off duty (about the size of preteens), but they never use them in combat due to the increased mana drain.

* The default form of Zygarde in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' is Zygarde Core, a small, green blob-like cyclops creature. One such Zygarde Core travels with the heroes (nicknamed Squishy by Bonnie). If Squishy is threatened, it will summon other Zygarde Cells to transform into 10% (a dog-like creature), 50% (the serpentine Zygarde seen in the games), and eventually, Complete/100% Forme (a gigantic HumanoidAbomination). Squishy prefers not to display its power if at all possible, usually only going to 10% for a quick escape. The ''other'' encountered Zygarde Core, by comparison, is mostly seen in 50% Forme and prefers force.
* Cz (yes, that is her actual name) from ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' is introduced as an innocent-looking seven- or eight-year-old girl. However, her true form [[spoiler:as one of the Peacemakers]] is that of a fully-grown adult woman.[[note]]And the name "Cz" actually comes from her true name [[spoiler:as Peacemakers are designated by letters]]: [=CZ=][[/note]]
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Kon is a borderline example. Technically, he doesn't HAVE a body, but for the most part, he inhabits an animated, lion-like teddy-bear belonging to Ichigo's sisters. However, if he inhabits a human body, he can supercharge its legs, providing tremendous running, jumping and kicking abilities...
** Neliel "Nel" Tu, [[spoiler:formerly the third Espada]], was locked into a child's body [[spoiler:after receiving a serious head wound that cracked her Hollow Mask (robbing her of full access to her powers) ''and'' losing her memories]]. [[spoiler:In the ''Thousand Years Old Blood War'' arc, Urahara manages to create a device to give Nel her adult form back.]]
** Zanpakuto that have a sealed state can count as this when sealed. If someone is about to transition their zanpakuto to its bankai state, a common reaction from the opponent is a priceless "[[OhCrap oh, crap!]]", because even if the zanpakuto is harmless in shikai, now they have to be ready to fight the wielder at full power! Averted with Ichigo's original Zanpakuto, as his inability to control his immense spirit energy made his sword huge, but later on never got much larger.
* Thanks to a special blessing bestowed to him by a past incarnation of the goddess Athena, Shiryu's teacher[=/=]Libra Saint Dohko from ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' has been in powersaving mode for centuries... until the beginning of Hades' saga. Then he goes from an quiet OldMaster to a ''very'' handsome and '''very''' powerful Gold Saint.
* Koenma from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' has a "toddler" form (for which he is teased mercilessly) and a "teenage" form that he begins to adopt more and more frequently as the series progresses.
** Mind, the latter is an illusion--he's hundreds or thousands of years old, but gods take a long time to grow up. His ascension to being King Enma after a coup toward the end of the manga may or may not have accelerated the maturation process.
** He also displays considerable power as a floating baby, but none whatsoever in his first 'human form' arc, and in the second he still has no combat ability, just 'raise dead' and 'force field of destiny' (which doesn't even work). The power for both has been stored up in his pacifier.
--->'''Yusuke:''' You're not ready to die. You've just stopped teething.
** Likewise, bishie demon warrior Shishiwakamaru is shown (in his re-appearance in a later arc) to have a vaguely bird-like imp form small enough to sit on his teammate's shoulder. The nature of this form compared to his usual bishie self is never commented on and never explained. The most sensible theory is that the imp form is his natural form, but he has the capacity to take on the other form because he likes the {{Bishonen}} look and because it allows him to use his favorite weapon: a blade that summons disenfranchised souls. His imp form does not compromise on power, though, as he advanced in the Makai tournament after being engulfed by a large demon by going imp and exploding his opponent from within.
%%* Frieza from ''Anime/DragonballZ'' adopts this practice, with each of his lesser forms being more or less a limiter he placed on himself - however, his true form is [[BishonenLine quite smaller and fragile-looking than his intermediate ones]].
* Maya from ''Manga/TenjhoTenge'' passes as a child to conserve her chi. Amusingly, her clothes don't change size. They're designed to (barely) fit both sizes; in child mode they look like a kimono, while in adult mode they become a miniskirt and barely-there shirt.
* In ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' Klan Klein is a Zentraedi whose natural form is a thirty-plus-foot tall, well-endowed adult woman. Like all Zentraedi she can "micronize" her body to human-size, but due to a genetic defect her micronized form resembles a [[{{Moe}} short pre-teen girl]]. Though this is often PlayedForLaughs, it [[DeconstructedTrope plays hell with her love life]]: as her childhood friend and love interest Michael points out, no adult would be caught dead making a move on poor Klan for fear of getting arrested because of her youthful looks.
* In ''Manga/MythicalDetectiveLokiRagnarok'', Loki looks about ten most of the time. If he gathers enough power by draining the evil from people's hearts, he can transform into an adult for a while.

* Evangeline A.K. [=McDowell=], the powerful [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampiress]] in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', was captured, [[PowerLimiter De-powered]] and cursed with "School Hell", stuck to remain a middle-schooler to atone for her sins. An inversion; her "sleep mode" is her real appearance (turned as a child) and her full power form is [[OlderAlterEgo an illusion]].
** Worth mentioning that [[HalfHumanHybrid Kotarou]] changed into a small dog when his powers were sealed.
** Also the age-changing pills introduced during the School Festival arc, and used heavily during the last arc to age Negi and Kotaru and loli-fy the girls to disguise them considering [[spoiler:they're all wanted in connection to the gate port terrorist attacks thanks to Fate]]. Also, Kaede can use her ninjutsu to take on a child-like form (which she uses mainly to rub it into Mana's face) as demonstrated in the second chapter of vignettes right before the Magic World arc.
** Poyo [[spoiler:Rainyday]] has an impressive demon form, although she starts out resembling a human girl. The same is probably true of her younger sister [[spoiler:Zazie]], and it definitely ''is'' in regards to Poyo's rival, [[spoiler:Mana Tatsumiya]].
* Mugetsu from ''Manga/XxxHolic''. There's an interesting inversion in that it generally takes ''less'' effort to keep him in his larger form, as "shrinking" him requires a massive purifying aura. So why do they bother doing it? Because having a massive, taloned kitsune of death is generally not a good idea when said kitsune also happens to enjoy [[TheGlomp giving bear hugs]].
* ''Franchise/OnePiece'': If Luffy uses Gear Third, he gains gigantic limbs capable of smashing walls like eggshells. After using it, he reverts to a form where he is incapable of using his devil fruit ability for an amount of time roughly equal to gear third time. This form, of course, is about two feet tall. He loses this after the time skip.
* Two examples from ''Manga/SoulEater'':
** Ragnarok becomes a smaller and cuter version of himself after a HeelFaceTurn, justified by the fact that they apparently removed all the good souls he had eaten.
** Medusa, who after being cut in half, took over the body of a little girl named Rachel and apparently twisted her appearance into a younger version of herself. She then says she's temporarily borrowing the body until she recovers her power, but then again she's a [[ConsummateLiar liar]]. However, she keeps her word this time, [[spoiler:after taking her sister Arachne's body for her own, of course]].
* After using half of her soul to resurrect Kazuto Tokino [[FirstEpisodeResurrection in the first episode]], the Space-Princess Valkyrie of ''Manga/UFOPrincessValkyrie'' is more-or-less permanently stuck as a 6-years old girl. By connecting to the half of her soul stored in Kazuto (read: kissing him), however, she can temporarily assume her full-sized, superpowered form.
* In ''Manga/MissionYozakuraFamily'', Nanao developed a drug that shrinks him down to a size more suitable for someone his age, making him shorter than both Taiyo and Mutsumi when he normally towers over them. However, it's becoming harder and harder for him to maintain this "normal" appearance, and he needs regular injections of his drug to avoid hulking out in class. By the time Taiyo hears about it, he needs to get the shot multiple times a day, even during class.

* Mashiro in ''VisualNovel/{{Tayutama}}'' first appears in the form of a young girl. Only some of her power is intact, though she can still command her group of spirits and use her [[DropTheHammer hammer]]. After getting married to Yuuri, she comes into her true adult form, though still goes into her young form sometimes.
* Gid, the Devilukan Emperor from ''Manga/ToLoveRu'', is currently stuck with the appearance of a four-year-old after using up most of his powers to win a series of galactic wars prior to the start of the series. Of course, even his weakened form can still [[KillerRabbit destroy planets unaided]].
** In the spin-off ''To Love-Ru Darkness'', his daughter Lala expends enough power holding off the BrainwashedAndCrazy Yami that she reverts to a similar state.

* The whole premise of ''Manga/{{Kurohime}}''. The titular heroine is stuck in the body of a child at the start of the series but, if given enough love power during a crisis, will allow her to morph into a full grown and very powerful witch. As the series goes on, she's does grow a bit more into a pre-teen then teenager before finally able to regain her true form.
* [[CuteBruiser Biske]] looks and acts like a 12yr old girl in ''Manga/HunterXHunter''. In reality, she's about 3 meters tall, and incredibly muscled. She uses the smaller form most of the time, because her real form is 'too bulky'. And ''not feminine or cute at all'', which she does not like.
* Tanaka-san from ''Manga/BlackButler'' usually appears as a chibi tea drinking {{Miniature Senior Citizen|s}} since his real form drains a lot of energy.
* ''VisualNovel/{{Polyphonica}}'''s [[PersonofMassDestruction Corticarte Apa Lagranges]] is when introduced, originally depicted in her true form as a tall, beautiful, mature woman. However, for the majority of the series, her massive destructive power is sealed away, and this causes her to take the form of a young girl barely into her teens.
* [[TheGrimReaper Zarame]] from ''Manga/ZombieLoan'' has been reduced, after [[DidYouJustScamCthulhu a human tricked him]], into a cranky chibi whose squeaky noises [[TheUnintelligible no one can understand]] (except for Michiru and Koume) and who is small enough to sit on Michiru's shoulder - but he's still capable of throwing chibi-sized scythes at the forehead of whoever pisses him off [[PrettyLittleHeadshots without fail]], and most he says are threats and insults. While Chika and Sotetsu were rightfully weirded out, Michiru [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe could only say one thing]].
* [[spoiler:Envy]] and [[spoiler:Pride]] from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' go into this when beaten to the verge of death: [[spoiler:Envy]] becomes a creepy worm-thing with way too many teeth, while [[spoiler:Pride]] becomes a maybe even more creepy human baby that's small enough to fit on your palm which keeps saying "Mama". The former spends ages in this state, gets blasted down again, and [[spoiler:commits suicide out of spite toward Mustang and resentment at Ed understanding his personal issues]]. The latter is ''taken home to his former adoptive mother to raise'', properly this time hopefully.
* Shinobu Oshino of ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' is something like this, being the remnant of a powerful vampire after she was destroyed.
* Touhou Fuhai from ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' has one that makes him look like a MiniatureSeniorCitizen. That, or he's just powerful enough to regain his [[IWasQuiteALooker youthful]] [[{{Bishonen}} appearance]] at will.
* Kirara of ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' goes into battle as a flying giant saber-toothed cat but she spends most of her time as a cute little kitten, often riding on her mistress Sango's shoulder.
** The Inuyokai have their true forms as massive white dogs but spend most of their time in a humanoid form with white hair, long fingernails as claws, and marking across their faces.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** Panther Lily has his own version of this. Normally the size of a tall, well-built man in his home universe of Edolas, he becomes the same size as his fellow [[CatsAreMagic Exceed]] when he goes to Earth-land. While he can assume his original form whenever he wants, it also runs on magic power, and he defaults back to his tiny size when he runs low.
** Carla later gains a human form herself that likewise works on the same principle (though she's built more like a typical CatGirl), as does a filler-only Exceed character Samuel. It's implied that all Exceeds can do this if they train their powers enough.
* ''Maranosuke'': The title character's [[TheFairFolk mother]] is [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld really a thousand-years-old,]] but defaults to appear the age of an 8-year-old that only [[VoluntaryShapeshifting turns into a Hot Amazon adult]] to calm down her son's one-time [[TheBerserker berserker]] reaction to her presence [[ParentalIncest by having sex with him,]] implying that Mara may otherwise [[NotAllowedToGrowUp stay looking that young]] or else remain a [[Manga/DragonBallZ Broly-looking]] hulk just like his BigBad EvilTwin who's ''permanantly'' [[MommyIssues obsessed with being together with their mother for good]] and has spent [[ImmortalityImmorality the last millennium taking out such sexual frustration brutally doing women to death.]]
* In ''Manga/DemonLoveSpell'', the {{youkai}} Kagura is sealed by the priestess Miko and ends up as this, in the form of an ''adorable'' chibi. He can only regain his fully grown (and very {{Bishonen}}) body when he's [[DreamWeaver in Miko's dream space.]]
* Inverted in ''Anime/{{Etotama}}'', the Eto-musume are actually more powerful in their super-deformed "Pretty Mode" than they are normally.

* Sana-kan in ''Manga/{{Blame}}'' takes the form of a creepy little girl when she's not fighting.
* In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', Ryuko's Scissor Blade is, at first, quite large and held in a guitar case when she's not using it. But soon after beginning her quest, she learns how to shrink the weapon to the size of a keychain, and from then on does this instead when not in battle.
* Any monster significantly larger than a human in ''Anime/FutureCardBuddyfight'' is required by Earth's authorities to transform into one of these with the rationale given being that their default forms are intimidating to humans. It just looks like a SuperDeformed version of the monster and in the dub, it's called either a mini form or an SD form [[InconsistentDub depending on the season]].
* ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'': In the human world, the titular beings can only exist as tiny spheres that open up into a toy-like version of the Bakugan. When they are thrown in battle and land on a field card, they return to their natural giant sizes.
* The spirits in ''Anime/{{Kiba}}'' normally exist as small marbles called shards which the owner stores somewhere on their body and are sent into battle by pulling them out and throwing them.
* The titular character in ''Manga/TheGreatJahyWillNotBeDefeated'' has to assume a smaller body ever since she's cut off from the Demon Realm's magic. She can assume her original form for a limited time only, so she has to reserve it for important matters. [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen Like doing her part-time work to make ends meet.]]
* ''Manga/BlackClover'': After making a contract with Asta, when Liebe gives Asta his power he takes on a tiny form, small enough to stand on Asta's shoulder.
* Fleonell in ''Manga/TheDarkQueenAndIStrikeBack'' has spent ten years sealed by the Holy Sword. After being unsealed, she's stuck in a childish and weak form due to her power being taken by the Holy Sword. However, she can revert to her true form and power by touching Ryou, the Holy Sword's wielder.

* Junketsu had this in ''Fanfic/NaturalSelection''. Due to his full outfit being too much for the then four-year-old Ryuko to wear on a regular basis, he was downsized into a scarf until she was old enough. Being worn by her in this mode is also how he came to obtain a grasp of language and even allowed him to gain a semblance of humanity.

* ''Literature/OldKingdom'': [[CatsAreMean Mogget]] and the Disreputable Dog from Lirael are both considered to be similar types of EldritchAbomination that have been forced into much smaller, handily compact, forms.

* [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney the Dinosaur]].

* From ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', [[spoiler:Midna's true form is a striking blue-skinned woman slightly taller than Link, but she spends most of the game small and impish]], due to a curse placed on her. When wearing all four {{Upgrade Artifact}}s, she turns into [[spoiler:a giant octopus-looking monstrosity]].
* The main character of ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld'' spends most of the game looking like a 12-year-old boy - albeit a boy with the mysterious ability to manifest an [[EnergyWeapon Energy Blade]] from an ordinary knife - but towards the end, his true form awakens, turning him into an adult - and an [[ImplacableMan unstoppable badass]] at that. Which makes it somewhat more acceptable that he ends up dating the VERY adult ensemble [[TheChick babe]] in the ending. To be fair, he would be in the same age as the said chick [[spoiler:had he not died once. It took five years for his father to gather everything required to revive him and his body didn't age during that time]].
* Happens with monsters a lot. One example: In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', one of the hunts is for a giant tortoise monster that turns out to be someone's escaped pet. While you're fighting it, it's enormous - twice as tall as your party members and just as wide - but after you defeat it, it returns to its owner (a moogle) and is suddenly only about a foot high.
** Also, the [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Ice Titan]] from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI''. Taller than the colosseum when you're fighting it, but once you beat it, it suddenly becomes so small that it has to run away lest Sora kill it by stepping on it.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Aside from the general Poké Ball sequences, there's Darmanitan in Gen V, which turns into a smaller statue of itself when it goes into Zen Mode to conserve energy (occurs when over half its HP is gone).
** Zygarde mentioned above, is the defender of Kalos region and to this end will even observe invasive species of other regions, just in case. It is less "sleep mode" and more spreading its body around to cover more area, with pieces gathering together to match perceived threats they locate.
** The default form of the event exclusive Pokémon Hoopa resembles that of a young mischievous child or imp. However, if you restore its power by using the Prison Bottle introduced in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'' on it, it turns into its Unbound form, a form greatly resembling that of a powerful djinn.
* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' fanon holds that this is the reason [[PhysicalGod Suwako Moriya]] appears as a little girl, either because she was defeated and her domain conquered by Kanako Yasaka in the past, or because [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly her followers stopped following them both]] in the present. Canonly, Sanae Kochiya is Suwako's descendant, which would have implications if Suwako ''doesn't'' have an adult form (or it was a Virgin Birth from a MysticalPregnancy, which wouldn't be surprising either).
** Shiki Eiki is similar because she both appears as an adult and a child at different times in official works (her first appearance in ''Phantasmagoria of Flower View'' saw her as quite adult, while ''The Grimoire of Marisa'' portrays her as very child-like), so it is reasonable to assume that this trope is in action when she's not doing her job of judging sinners.

* In ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'', [[spoiler:[[ElegantGothicLolita Vatsita]] is revealed to have originally been an adult woman wielding seven blade-like wings before she sacrificed one of them which would eventually become Hyde's [[CoolSword Insulator]]. This resulted in her current appearance, which she has maintained for several hundred years since]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', Tsundereplane (a fighter jet which considers itself a {{Cute Machine|s}}) reacts to being Spared by retreating into the corner of the battle screen as a half-scale version of itself. FlavorText takes note of this if the battle continues.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Beast IV, also known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Primate Murder]] needs to accumulate negative feelings to reach its full form. If not enough has been accumulated, [[spoiler:you get TeamPet [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Fou]]]]

* Rak of ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' is really a giant 15 foot tall lizard man, who towers over just about every single cast member. Because he is so tall, the organization controlling the tower has given him the special ability to make himself extremely short to get around in areas he otherwise wouldn't fit. When he enters combat though, he instantly changes back to his true height.
* In the {{Animesque}} ''Webcomic/SparklingGenerationValkyrieYuuki'', this happens to the Auroch, who ends up as Chiaki's pet.
* [[http://web.archive.org/web/20160818151320/http://the-qlc.com/loserz/go/343 This strip]] of ''Webcomic/{{Loserz}}''. (It's in the 4th panel, you have to look for it)

* In the ''Webcomic/{{Buildingverse}}'', when Jareth [[{{Webcomic/Roommates}} overexerts himself using magic]] or [[Webcomic/GirlsNextDoor suffers severe emotional trauma]] he turns back in his barn owl form (which he ''can'' also assume willingly, mostly for traveling purposes or to abuse CutenessProximity).
* The Treasure Monster from ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' looks like a beautiful pile of gold and jewels... until it's exposed to direct sunlight, which wakes it up and turns it into a huge, hideous monster.

* ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'': Carol the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Drath]] {{Familiar}} usually takes the form of a grotesque, one-eyed, pigeon-sized bird that rests on Lady Gwendolyn's [[ParrotPetPosition shoulder]]. A drunken boor who annoys Gwendolyn learns the hard way that Carol can ''also'' appear as a human-sized bird monster with an [[LongNeck extendable neck]], huge claws, and ''way'' too many teeth.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotBoy'': Robotboy's sleep mode size is an actual sleep mode. In it, he is inanimate and TheKidWithTheLeash passes him off as an action figure. His 'normal mode' is also similar to this in many respects, looking very cute and no bigger than his 10 year old owner. It isn't until he needs to kick ass that he extends into his largest form.
* [[BlobMonster Plasmus]] from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' was a normal looking man when asleep. They kept him that way as much as possible.
--> "I'm awake? I should never be awake! I'm only human when I'm sleeping!"

[[quoteright:249:[[Anime/DigimonSavers https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/belphemon_02.png]]]]

* In ''Manga/AyakashiKoiEmaki'', the {{youkai}} Kagura is sealed by the priestess Miko and ends up as this, in the form of an ''adorable'' chibi. He can only regain his fully grown (and very {{Bishonen}}) body when he's [[DreamWeaver in Miko's dream space.]]

* ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'': In the human world, the titular beings can only exist as tiny spheres. When they are thrown in battle, they return to their natural giant sizes.

* Touhou Fuhai from ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' has one that makes him look like a MiniatureSeniorCitizen. That, or he's just powerful enough to regain his [[IWasQuiteALooker youthful]] [[{{Bishonen}} appearance]] at will.

* The titular character in ''Manga/JahySamaWontBeDiscouraged'' has to assume a smaller body ever since she's cut off from the Demon Realm's magic. She can assume her original form for a limited time only, so she has to reserve it for important matters. [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen Like doing her part-time work to make ends meet.]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In the ''{{Webcomic/Buildingverse}}'', when Jareth [[{{Webcomic/Roommates}} overexerts himself using magic]] or [[Webcomic/GirlsNextDoor suffers severe emotional trauma]] he turns back in his barn owl form (which he ''can'' also assume willingly, mostly for traveling purposes or to abuse CutenessProximity).

* Dragonrider of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse has a dragon. A massive thing with a thirty-foot wingspan that can claw through granite. His normal form is a cuddly little critter the size of a housecat.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': When Keedran is brutally injured, she reverts to a form that resembles crumpled white tin-foil as she either heals or turns into her other form.
** Snowball is usually a bear cub, but can become a ferocious adult bear.

* [[WesternAnimation/RobotBoy Robotboy's]] sleep mode size is an actual sleep mode. In it, he is inanimate and TheKidWithTheLeash passes him off as an action figure. His 'normal mode' is also similar to this in many respects, looking very cute and no bigger than his 10 year old owner. It isn't until he needs to kick ass that he extends into his largest form.

* ''Franchise/OnePiece'': If Luffy uses Gear Third, he gains gigantic limbs capable of smashing walls like eggshells. After using it, he reverts to a form where he is incapable of using his devil fruit ability for an amount of time roughly equal to gear third time. This form, of course, is about two feet tall. He loses this after the time skip.

* Baymax in ''WesternAnimation/BigHeroSix''. When deactivated, Baymax goes back to his charging pad and deflates until he fits into a small box about the size of a small filing cabinet.