Chibi

Chibi (ちび, chibi) as an English word is slang used in some circles (for example otaku). It has its origins in the Japanese language and usually translates to either tiny or dwarf.

In the context of anime or manga, is used to describe a style of drawing a character in a highly stylized way, with stubby bodies that are about the same size as the head; this style is called "super deformed style" by many English speakers. A chibi rendition of a character is usually done for comedic purposes. Eiichiro Oda draws the characters in his Side Comics in chibi-form. Also, Luffy, after using Gear 3, transforms into a chibi-like form for a while, until he changes back to normal size.

In general use, chibi can be used in a person's name, such as Chibi-Usa (or Chibi-Usagi which translates to "Small Rabbit") from Sailor Moon, to describe the character. It may also be used to to describe the magnitude of an attack (Small beam) in comparison to its normal power level. Other uses come from the naming of animals base on size ("Small Dog") or part of a feature on a creature ("small horned lizard").

It can also be applied to describe someone who is considered "weak" or "small time". For example, in the One Piece: Grand Battle 3 game, Ben Beckman is seen in a scene calling Rockstar "Chibi".