The reason why Levi Ackerman is so short is that when he was a child, Levi was extremely malnourished. ... Therefore, in his adulthood, Levi became the shortest person in the Scouting Legion. Despite his stature, Levi is still an intimidating presence in any combat scenario!

Is Levi short because he was malnourished?

Levi is short because he was malnourished as a child.

Was Levi supposed to be unattractive?

Isayama has been on record for saying that every character has something unattractive about them. Specifically for Levi, Isayama, in 2009, had originally stated that he had intended to make Levi look uglier, but has since then, stated that Levi was designed to be attractive.