So, I am weird. I really, really like measuring things. I keep measuring tapes with me in multiple locations, including my office desk (where I have two types). Why do I bring this up? Because the founder of this site, Phil, just recently learned this about me while we were discussing the heights of Final Fantasy VIII characters. I mentioned that the characters of Final Fantasy VIII typically have at least two heights listed if you search on the internet for that information. There’s a good(ish) reason for that!
It’s because the US refuses to move to the metric system like everyone else in the world. Oops. Turns out, a lot of the heights are wrong in the US manual. Take Squall for example. His intended height is generally listed as 177 cm. In the US manual, he is listed as 5’8″. The problem comes in the conversion. If you do a straight conversion from 177 cm to feet, the answer is indeed 5’8″. However, if you do a proper height conversion to feet and inches, the answer is between 5’9″ and 5’10” (generally now he is listed as 5’10”.) Basically, the US needs to get on board with measuring things like everyone else or learn how to convert heights better from cm to feet/inches. This might be common knowledge among you Final Fantasy VIII nerds (like us!), but it sure is a funny way for a friend to discover one of my quirks.