How big is Pikachu compared to a sheet of A4 paper?

Pikachu measures 40 cm (15.7 in) from the ground up, and a sheet of A4 paper measures 29.7 cm (11.7 in) from the ground up. That puts Pikachu at 1.35 times the height of a sheet of A4 paper: 10.3 cm (4.06 in) of difference, 35%. Put the other way round, a sheet of A4 paper covers 74% of Pikachu on the axis both are judged on. Pikachu and a sheet of A4 paper are both written in tens of centimetres, and the 35% between them is the whole of the difference.

PikachuA4 Paper
One scale, one ground line: A sheet of A4 paper reaches 74% of Pikachu on the axis each one is judged by, and neither outline has been resized to fill the frame.
Measurements used on this page
ObjectReal sizeAxis measuredWhat the figure covers
Pikachu 40 cm
15.7 in
Height Ground to highest point
A4 Paper 29.7 cm
11.7 in
Height portrait

Both figures, Pikachu and A4 Paper, come from the Size It Up measurement set, one real-world size and one measured axis per object, last checked in September 2026; outline provenance is listed on the sources page.

Why this one is hard to judge by eye

Pikachu has never been measured, only stated: the figure comes from its source and moves when the source is redrawn, while a sheet of A4 paper can be checked with a tape, so this pair sets a decision against a measurement. Both shapes fit in a single glance here, which is exactly why the 35% between Pikachu and a sheet of A4 paper slips past: at this size the eye compares whole outlines, and the figures above compare one axis.

What each figure covers

Pikachu. Pikachu is quoted at its official entry height, unchanged since 1996. Forty centimetres is smaller than almost every drawing of it suggests.

A4 Paper. A4 is not a round number by accident. Every A size holds the same proportions, and halving one gives the next, which is why 297 mm keeps turning up as a household ruler.

Pikachu and a sheet of A4 paper are both quoted as a height, which is what makes the ratio above a like-for-like figure.

What else is about that size?

Measured the same way, Pikachu at 40 cm sits within a tenth of Woody at 40 cm, A3 Paper at 42 cm and Emperor Zurg at 38 cm. A4 Paper at 29.7 cm has Buzz Lightyear at 30 cm, Eevee at 30 cm and Wine Bottle at 30 cm for company, within a tenth. Swapping any of those in for Pikachu would move its ratio to a sheet of A4 paper by less than 10%.

Try it yourselfPikachu against a sheet of A4 paper has come up once in Pop Culture. Drag a sheet of A4 paper until it sits right beside Pikachu, lock it in, and the real figures appear over your answer.