Why Does Anakin Comment About Grievous Being Shorter Than He Thought, When They Had Many Battles in the Clone Wars Before ROTS?

If you’ve watched Revenge of the Sith after binging The Clone Wars, Anakin’s first line to General Grievous might have made you do a double-take. When the two finally meet face-to-face on the bridge of the Invisible Hand, Anakin quips: “You’re shorter than I expected.”

Funny, right? Except… not really, if you remember that Anakin and Grievous had been the central figures of the Clone Wars for years. Anakin knew Grievous by reputation, by battle reports, and by the trail of destruction he left across the galaxy. He’d even fought countless battles against Grievous’s droid armies. So why does the movie play their meeting like this is their very first encounter?

Revenge of the Sith Is the First Time Anakin Meets Grievous in Person

The reason is simple: Revenge of the Sith really is the first time the two ever meet face-to-face. Throughout the entire Clone Wars, Anakin never actually crosses paths with the Separatist general in person. They clash indirectly, exchange taunts over comms, and fight through strategies and armies, but Lucas deliberately kept them apart until Episode III.

The closest they ever came was during the Clone Wars prisoner exchange on Nelvaan, when Anakin and Grievous nearly brushed shoulders. In that sequence, Anakin had been knocked unconscious, and we see Separatist droids carrying his limp body right past Grievous. Technically, they were in the same place at the same time — but since Anakin wasn’t awake to actually see Grievous, it doesn’t count as a true meeting. That’s why their encounter aboard the Invisible Hand lands with such impact: for Anakin, it really is his first impression.

Anakin Likely Knew Grievous’s Height from Other Jedi’s Reports

So when we watch their exchange in Revenge of the Sith, it’s actually pretty funny in hindsight. Grievous greets Anakin with a jab: “I expected someone with your reputation to be a little older.” And Anakin, never one to let anyone besides Obi-Wan roast him, fires right back with: “General Grievous, you’re shorter than I expected.” It’s playful, but it also tells us something important — this is their first real face-to-face. They’ve both heard plenty about each other, but only through reputation.

For Anakin, those stories could have come from other Jedi who actually crossed sabers with Grievous during the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan in particular had multiple encounters, and it’s easy to imagine him passing on details to his former Padawan. Even Ahsoka had her own run-in with Grievous during the youngling arc, where she narrowly escaped a duel with him. It’s not hard to picture her reporting back to Anakin about just how dangerous the cyborg general really was — and maybe even answering his questions about what Grievous looked like, how he moved, or how he fought.

So by the time Anakin finally stands in front of Grievous on the Invisible Hand, his sarcastic quip about height feels like the natural response of someone who already “knew” the general by reputation — but is now meeting the real thing for the very first time.

Grievous’s Posture Might Explain the “Short” Comment

According to Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia, General Grievous’s full height is listed as 2.16 meters — that’s 7 feet, 1 inch. By comparison, Anakin Skywalker stands at 2.03 meters, or about 6 feet, 8 inches. On paper, Grievous is clearly taller.

So why does Anakin mock him for being shorter? One possible explanation comes down to posture. When we see Grievous in Ep III, he isn’t standing at full height. His hunched stance, with his shoulders curved forward and his neck angled down, makes him appear smaller than he actually is. If Anakin had read reports or heard descriptions of Grievous as an imposing figure towering above others, their actual meeting may have looked underwhelming by comparison — prompting the sarcastic quip.