Shortest Yautja: Who Are The Smallest Predators?
Throughout the Predator franchise, the Yautja are typically portrayed as towering, muscular hunters standing over seven feet tall. However, a few notable exceptions exist within expanded media and other interpretations. These smaller Predators, ranging from comic adaptations to movie appearances, show that size does not always define a hunter’s skill or ferocity. The short Yautja often have to compensate for their impediment, leading to either great success or a quick failure.
Dek
Dek is a short Yautja that appears in Predator: Badlands, the latest installment in the franchise. Dek is considered to be a "runt" of his clan, a smaller and weaker Predator that is also the youngest of his family. The Clan Leader (or his father) even goes so far as to order the execution of Dek, but Dek ends up escaping with the help of his brother. Later on, Dek ends up on the "Death Planet" and proves his worth to the clan with the help of Thia, a Weyland-Yutani android that is cut in half. Despite his reduced height, Dek is described as resourceful and tenacious, relying on speed and cunning rather than brute strength.
Stalker
At the end of Predator 2, a smaller Yautja known as Stalker briefly appeared among the Lost Tribe that retrieves the body of the City Hunter. Although he is never named on-screen, supplementary materials have identified him as Stalker (or Brother Boar). His more compact build compared to the others in the hunting party suggests he may be younger or simply of smaller stature. As seen on the NECA Ultimate figure package, he is one of two known Predators to have hunted and killed an Engineer (the other being Ahab). Supposedly, while smaller, he was more intelligent than his older brother Boar. Together, they became an intergalactic mercenary duo.
Mahnde
Mahnde is one of the earliest recorded smaller Yautja, first appearing in the original Aliens vs. Predator comics. Despite being shorter and less physically imposing than his peers, Mahnde had the bravery of challenging Top Knot, the leader of the clan. They disputed over the next hunting location and had a bloody fight where Top Knot prevailed. Ryushi was chosen as the location, where Mahnde joined the hunting party and died attacking a human settlement. Although not named in the comic, Mahde was mentioned in the classic Aliens vs. Predator book by Steve Perry.
Shorty
Shorty was another unusually small Predator, who appeared in Aliens vs. Predator: War. Shorty had a long-standing rivalry with Machiko Noguchi, a human who once lived and hunted alongside the Predators for a year. Their feud reached its climax on the planet Bunda, where Machiko turned against her Yautja allies and sided with the humans once more. During their brief but brutal fight, Machiko severed Shorty’s left arm along with his wristblades. Machiko ended it by driving her blade into his chest, finally putting their rivalry to rest.
Archie Predator
In the wild Archie vs. Predator crossover, Archie was killed by a Predator, but later revived in a bizarre twist. Betty and Veronica used a sci-fi surgery device to turn the Predator into Archie, though he didn’t grow much in size. He still fit in his human clothes, but his head was much bigger. In the sequel, Archie vs. Predator II, the “Archie Predator” lived in Riverdale with the girls until a group of Assassin Predators showed up. The brutal showdown left him maimed but still stuck in the Yautja form.
Yautja Youngling
Within Yautja culture, younglings are naturally smaller and less developed than adult hunters. There is no single youngling to list here, but a group of young and short Predators showed up in the Aliens vs. Predator: War comic series. These early-stage Predators undergo training and ritual hunts before achieving full warrior status. While often depicted as physically weaker, younglings represent the beginning of the Yautja warrior’s journey. However, Young Blood Predators (such as in the first AvP movie) conducting their first serious hunt can already be much bigger.
Conclusion
While the Yautja are often portrayed as towering, fearsome beings, several examples across films, comics, and crossovers reveal that some stand shorter than the rest. Characters such as Dek, Mahnde, and Shorty demonstrate that size does not determine prowess within Yautja culture. While Mahnde and Shorty became reckless and got killed easily, Dek proves that a "runt" can still claim many trophies and restore the clan's honor. For the size difference of larger Yautja, check out the list of the biggest Predators.
Tag Categories: Predator Behaviour, Individual Predators, Predator Lists
