Pokémon was a part of most childhoods in the 1990s, be it through video games or the accompanying anime. While the Pokémon themselves are the series' standout elements, the various Gym Leaders also left impressions on fans. Among those Gym Leaders is Lt. Surge, known for using Electric-Type Pokémon, but you may not have realized how massively tall he was.
While many may remember Ash Ketchum's battle against his team, Lt. Surge is well over an above-average height for a grown man and towers over everyone. So, just how tall is he?
As showcased in this diagram, which highlights Lt. Surge's size in one of the show's classic episodes, he is an absolute monster when it comes to the height department, clocking in at almost a whopping 8 feet tall. Given that the average height for an adult male is only 5'8", Surge should be taller than nearly every other human in the series. Being over seven feet tall also classifies him as a giant, which means that he may have an overactive growth hormone.
Keep in mind that Ash is only 4'2", which puts him below-average height (4'5") for a ten-year-old. Their size difference makes his battle with Surge more intimidating, as well as an outright battle of David vs. Goliath proportions. Ash's bout against him fostered a rivalry between themselves and their Pokémon partners. While Ash's iconic Pikachu and Surge's Raichu face off in a clash over evolution, it would seem that Surge used a Thunder Stone on himself.
Fans have been quick to point out this incredible fact over the years, which has only served to make it that much more uncanny. Each generation of Pokémon has added new monsters, many of which tower over the humans around them. Despite this, Surge can still look even some of the largest Pokémon square in the eye.
Hichael Mere, a user on Amino Apps, further illustrated Surge's height by placing him beside different Pokémon via the wonders of Photoshop. The post shows how Lt. Surge is taller than Charizard, and his size is comparable with larger Pokémon like Tyranitar and Dragonite. Redditor athimm demonstrated Surge's height through the unique measuring method of stacking Pikachus -- which showed him at almost seven Pikachus tall.
The original games didn't entirely showcase Lt. Surge's size using the sprites, so it's unknown if he's as gigantic there, as well. His height may also be because Surge is essentially "coded" as American, whereas Ash is Japanese. That point is made more evident when noting Surge's more than passing resemblance to Guile from Capcom's Street Fighter.
While Lt. Surge may be a sometimes forgotten character, at an estimate 7'9" tall, there's almost no person or Pokémon bigger than the Vermilion City Gym Leader.
