Who’s short, bald, and capable of leveling the entire planet with little to no effort? If you answered anyone but Krillin, well, you might be right; there are a lot of strong, short, bald characters, after all. Today, though, we’re talking specifically about Goku’s very best friend in the world. Introduced in the second arc of the series, Krillin very quickly became one of the most important characters in the Dragon Ball mythos. He played a major role in every single saga during the original run of the series save for the Buu arc, and Super’s made it a point to toss him into the mix occasionally. As far as supporting characters go, Krillin is probably the most important.
If you’re just looking at the series’ original run, it wouldn’t be wrong to consider Krillin one of the five main characters. Among Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, and Vegeta, only Krillin manages to stand out as just as important. No other characters leaves as much as an impact as he does. Even when he’s not in an arc, it’s easy to feel his presence. He’s a character ripe for analysis, with a great track record, and an at times cowardly attitude that makes his bravery stand out all the more. He’s Krillin.
24 The Destructo Disc Is The Best Ki Attack In The Series
Better than the Genki Dama, Final Flash, and Makankosappo combined, Krillin’s Destructo Disc is the single greatest Ki attack in the series. More accurately known as the Kienzan, the Destructo Disc is a vicious disc of pure, concentrated Ki. Sharp enough to cut through anything (except for Perfect Cell in a filler episode,) the Destructo Disc has the potential to end any opponent’s life in an instance. It can’t be blocked and it can’t be deflected. If you see a Destructo Disc coming your way, you need to dodge. On top of being incredibly easy to charge up and fire, Krillin’s signature technique is an absolute powerhouse. It’s a move many fighters try to replicate, and it all started with a short human fighter.
23 Krillin Has The Most Important Finale In The Franchise
Characters tend to die a lot in Dragon Ball, but that doesn’t mean those good-byes don’t have narrative or thematic weight. Out of the dozens of characters in the franchise, not a single one’s dirt nap feels as meaningful as Krillin’s two ends in the original series’ run. Both times, the end of Krillin’s life signifies a new chapter in Goku’s, and by extension Dragon Ball’s, story. Krillin’s first death, at the hands of Tambourine, propels Goku into a rage towards the first truly dark arc in the series.
Both times, the end of Krillin’s life signifies a new chapter in Goku’s
Krillin’s second one on Namek triggers the Super Saiyan transformation within Goku and serves as the moment that changed Dragon Ball, and the Shonen genre, forever. Without Krillin disappearing, the series would have never gotten dark enough for him to die again on Namek. Without it on Namek, transformations wouldn’t have become a series or genre staple. In that regard, Krillin might be one of the most important characters in fiction, period.
22 Krillin Might Actually Have A Nose
Krillin does not have a nose. Toriyama very clearly draws Krillin without a nose. Goku even comments at one point on how Krillin does not have a nose. Even though Krillin obviously doesn’t have a nose, he might actually have a nose. Confusing, I know. During his fight against Jackie Chun during the 21st Budokai, after it’s already been established that Krillin does not have a nose, Krillin shoots out boogers at Jackie Chun. Logically, this should be impossible since Krillin doesn’t have a nose.
Unless, Krillin actually does have a nose and the references to his lack of a nose were just a gag. At the same time, though, shouldn’t the booger toss be considered a gag? In that sense, the boogers are a gag and Krillin does not have a nose. Considering the series’ penchant for humor in its first few arcs, it’s hard to solidify the nose dilemma. The only thing to do is accept that Krillin has a nose while being noseless.
21 Krillin Is Surprisingly Good At Training
If there’s one thing Krillin is consistently good at, it’s training. Despite Goku’s natural Saiyan advantage, it takes Krillin’s death for Goku to finally cut ahead in the lead power-wise. Even after the Demon King Piccolo saga, though, Krillin isn’t that far behind Goku until the Saiyan arc. Every time Krillin trains with one of Goku’s former masters, he manages to leave with better gains than Goku. By training with Roshi again, Krillin nearly matched Goku after his solo training; Krillin got more out of his training with Karin than Goku ever did, and Krillin’s training with Kami made him stronger than Raditz when Goku was only slightly stronger than a 23rd Budokai Piccolo after his training session.
20 Goku Never Would Have Beaten Vegeta Without Krillin’s Help
As the protagonist’s best friend and closest confidante, it’s only natural Krillin would play a big role in defeating some of the series’ main antagonists. At the end of the Saiyan arc, once Goku’s been totally thrashed by his battle with Vegeta, it’s up to Krillin to save the day and ensure Vegeta doesn’t destroy him, Gohan, and Goku. With the Genki Dama in hand, Krillin tosses Earth’s final hope at Vegeta. Vegeta dodges, of course, but in being distracted by Krillin’s misfire, Vegeta takes the Genki Dama head on as Gohan pushes it back. It may seem like a small moment in the path to victory, but Krillin holding Goku’s Ki in his hand is an incredibly powerful moment for both his character and the story arc.
19 Krillin Was Introduced Because Toriyama’s Editor Thought Goku Was Bland
Goku’s character tends to get a lot of flack from fans, but nobody called out Goku worse than Toriyama’s first editor, Kazuhiko Torishima. Following the end of the first story arc, Torishima politely informed Toriyama that the main character he had been writing for weeks was a boring, bland lead who needed a rival to offset his plain nature. At this point in the story, Torishima’s comment makes quite a lot of sense. Goku doesn’t really have a defined personality or motivation at this point and Krillin would help bring that out.
Through Krillin, Goku was able to have a foil he could grow alongside of.
The genius that Torishima is, that’s exactly what happened. Through Krillin, Goku was able to have a foil he could grow alongside of. The two quickly became best friends, vowing to outdo one another, and Goku was able to develop his battle loving tendencies through his rivalry with Krillin. Krillin hasn’t been used as often in the series, as of late, but Goku’s character is a direct result of his inclusion in the story.
18 Krillin Isn’t Really That Short
One of Dragon Ball’s biggest problems is its inconsistency in depicting height. In one frame, Krillin can go up to Goku’s shoulders, but in the very next he’s barely reaching his waistline. Toriyama never particularly cared about ensuring character heights when drawing the manga, so Toei followed suit. Despite the inconsistencies, we can deduce a few things. Goku is taller than Vegeta, Vegeta is taller than Krillin, and Piccolo is taller than everybody else.
Krillin is canonically 5 feet tall and yet he’s depicted as tall as literal children
These height depictions, while consistent in scope, are occasionally taken to an extreme, especially in the case of Krillin. By just watching Dragon Ball Super, how tall would you peg Krillin as? If you said anything less than 5’0, you’re wrong. Krillin is canonically 5 feet tall and yet he’s depicted as tall as literal children Goten and Trunks. He’s still short, but he’s not little boy short.
17 What’s In A Name? Krillin Versus Kuririn
Krillin’s name is actually Kuririn. In an era where Funimation wasn’t exactly doing the best possible job they could have, Kuririn became Krillin. Adverse to proper translations even to this day, Krillin never got a chance to take on the Kuririn mantle he so deserves. All things considered, though, Krillin isn’t that bad of a replacement for Kuririn, albeit only coincidentally.
Adverse to proper translations even to this day, Krillin never got a chance to take on the Kuririn mantle he so deserves.
In Japanese, Kuririn’s name pun is a combination of “kuri,” the Japanese word for chestnut in reference to Kuririn’s head, and “rin,” which derives from the word “Shaolin.” If you draw a Shaolin monk with a chestnut-shaped head, what do you get? Kuririn. That pun doesn’t work for a character named Krillin, but that’s alright, because Funimation lucked into another name pun. Krill are an incredibly small type of crustacean and can serve as a reference to Krillin’s height. Is it perfect? No, but it’s better than nothing!
16 Krillin Kept Up With Goku Amazingly Well During The 22nd Budokai
The 22nd Budokai stands out as the single moment in Dragon Ball where just about every character was on equal footing with one another. Going into the arc, it’s easy enough to see the tournament as anybody’s game. Krillin, especially, stands out as a particularly impressive martial artist. During his fight with Goku, he’s able to keep up tremendously well. He even puts Goku into a few tight spots. Watching or reading the series for the first time, it wouldn’t be unnatural to feel a bit tense for Goku. This is the defining moment of Goku’s rivalry with Krillin, and Krillin does not disappoint. It’s a moment that’s often forgotten by fans that discount the original —but massively important— first chapter of the saga.
15 Krillin Knows He’s In A Manga
Dragon Ball’s no stranger to self-awareness considering its comedic origins, but Krillin acknowledging he’s in a manga doesn’t come from the early portion of the series. Rather, it comes at the very end during the Buu saga. In the manga, and only in the manga, Krillin references Toriyama’s laziness as an author after he reuses the same panel three times in reference to Goten and Trunks trying to fuse.
In the manga, and only in the manga, Krillin references Toriyama’s laziness
Naturally, given the anime’s medium, the gag wouldn’t really make sense outside of a manga format. On top of the DBZ era generally being more serious as well, it’s likely toei felt this clashed with the tone of the franchise at this point. From a whole series perspective, however, Krillin’s fourth wall break is totally fitting for the manga and is a nice reminder of Dragon Ball’s humble origins so late in the game.
14 Krillin Is The Strongest Earthling Alive
There are constant fan debates over who’s stronger between Krillin and Tien, but there really shouldn’t be. By watching the anime or reading the manga, it’s quite obvious who’s the strongest: Krillin. Not only is he the stronger of the two, he’s also the strongest Earthling alive. Don’t believe me? I have in-text evidence. During the Buu saga, Yamcha explicitly tells Marron that Krillin is the strongest man alive so long as it concerns the Earthlings.
“But Yamcha was just trying to comfort Krillin’s daughter!” Yeah, comforting her with the truth. Tien may have been stronger before the Namek arc, but he didn’t get a magical power-up from a giant green slug man that unlocked all his potential, did he? Honestly, though, it’s more than that. Krillin survived Namek. Just being there would have allowed him to eclipse Tien in terms of power.
13 Krillin Could Have Defeated Freeza
In one of Krillin’s finest moments in the series, he locks Freeza in a position where he very clearly takes the upper hand. After cutting off Freeza’s tail with the Destructo Disc, Freeza chases Krillin off the battlefield where Krillin cleverly uses a Taiyoken to blind Freeza and flee. While Krillin absolutely made the strategically smart move in running away, he could have taken a big risk here and fired off another Destructo Disc, slicing Freeza in half and preemptively ending the fight before even Piccolo could arrive. Failure would result in his death, of course, but he theoretically could have bested the fiercest tyrant in the universe. Too bad his fear took hold (or maybe just narrative pacing).
12 Love In All The Wrong Places: Krillin’s Character Arc
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what Krillin’s character arc is, only because it’s one of the few in the series that doesn’t develop through the action. Instead, Krillin’s development is a slow burn relegated to the passive moments of the original story. He claims his reason for training with Roshi is to pick up women and that thread is dropped until the start of the Saiyan arc where he laments on never finding love.
Krillin’s development is a slow burn relegated to the passive moments of the original story.
He once again mentions his lack of a girlfriend on Namek, and at this point it might feel like a running gag, but it quickly gets some payoff in the Cell saga once Android 18 is introduced. Through 18, Krillin is able to finally sort out his romantic feelings and develop an attachment to her that ultimately leads to him sparing her life. At the end of the arc, he puts all his desire for romance aside and makes a selfless wish which ultimately results in 18 falling for him. Only by dropping his pursuit of love does he find love in return.
11 Krillin Loves One Piece
Krillin’s Japanese voice actress, Mayumi Tanaka, is also known for her role as Monkey D. Luffy in the immensely popular One Piece anime. Since the Dragon Ball and One Piece adaptations are both produced by Toei, the Dragon Ball staff had some fun Krillin in Resurrection F. Early on in the film when he gets a phone call, his ringtone is actually the first opening theme from One Piece, “We Are!” For the audiences, this is meant to just be a cute reference to Mayumi Tanaka’s performance as Luffy, but it does imply that Krillin is a big One Piece fan in canon, which also implies One Piece exists, which implies it has an anime, which implies Mayumi Tanaka voices Luffy, which implies Dragon Ball exists in a universe where Mayumi Tanaka exists and Krillin sounds exactly like her.
10 Krillin Is One Of The Most Popular Characters In The Series
Everyone expects Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, and Future Trunks to be popular. They’re incredibly powerful, have interesting backstories, and are characters with arcs that tie in intimately with the main story. Krillin doesn’t have such a luxury. He’s one of Goku’s first rivals, but he’s not the first; he stays fairly strong for the first third of the series, but he drops off before characters start getting ridiculously strong; he’s a well-developed character, but the story is rarely ever about him.
Krillin is constantly charting the top ten in character polls.
Despite this, Krillin is constantly charting the top ten in character polls. In a 2007 poll conducted by Oricon, fans voted Krillin as the sixth overall they’d love to see have their own spin-off. That isn’t just for Dragon Ball, either. Krillin came in sixth in a poll covering any manga or anime character. He was also voted the 7th best character in the franchise 2004 guidebook, Dragon Ball Forever. For someone locked in a supporting role, that’s pretty impressive.
9 Dragon Ball GT Used Krillin Surprisingly Well
Dragon Ball GT doesn’t do very much very well, but it managed to use Krillin in a way that made sense. He’s inactive and is dead for most of the plot, but that’s exactly the role Krillin should have. By the time GT rolls around, Krillin is a fully developed character. There’s nothing left to explore with him. It makes sense to sideline him and use him as a tool to develop Android 18 and spur Goku into the last arc of the series. As a fan of the character, you may not like it, but it’s better than forcing him into storylines he has no place being a part of.
Toei Loves To Use Krillin In Filler
Whether it’s because Toei loves Krillin or Mayumi Tanaka, the character sure does get a lot of filler time. He doesn’t get too much in the original Dragon Ball since there’s a big emphasis on keeping the focus on Goku, but DBZ goes all out when it comes to Krillin filler. He’s fairly prevalent during the Saiyan saga filler, he gets way more Namek filler than necessary, and he’s one of the leads of the Garlic Jr. filler saga. The Cell saga likewise gives him quite a bit of focus, even tossing in a confrontation with Cell that doesn’t occur in the manga. These filler episodes don’t add much to his character or the story, but it’s a harmless enough addition that keeps him relevant.
8 Piccolo Struggles Against Krillin In The 23rd Budokai
Had the series ended with the 23rd Budokai, Krillin would have gone out on a pretty solid note. Even though he loses in the first round of the Budokai for the first time ever, Krillin still puts up an incredibly fight against Piccolo. While Piccolo hardly went all out, his fight with Krillin convinced him that taking over the world would in no way be an easy task. It’s through Krillin that Piccolo is able to recognize the very real danger his plan is in.
While Piccolo hardly went all out, his fight with Krillin convinced him that taking over the world would in no way be an easy task.
Piccolo even goes so far to personally acknowledge Krillin’s power, something that doesn’t happen nearly enough in the series. It also helps that this is one of Krillin’s best fights in terms of choreography. The action flows incredibly well on page or screen with Krillin throwing out everything he has up to that point in an attempt to inflict some pain unto Piccolo. He loses, of course, but it’s a loss that manages to double as a personal victory. Krillin genuinely went the distance with the second strongest person alive.
7 Krillin Did A Better Job Fighting Freeza Than Vegeta
Vegeta gets a lot of praise for standing up against Freeza during the final fight of the Namek arc, but he really doesn’t put up much of a showing. He trades ab low or two against Freeza’s first form, completely avoids fighting the second or third forms, and gets manhandled by the time Freeza’s final transformation is complete. Krillin, on the other hand, actively fights Freeza’s second form, does legitimate damage by cutting off his tail, and gives Piccolo his Ki so he can stall Freeza while Goku charges up the Genki Dama. Krillin is an asset during the final fight, Vegeta is a liability. It’s not an uncommong trope for Krillin who often gets lumped in with subpar fighters like Yamcha.
6 The Forgotten Fusion: Cellin
Most fans remember Dragon Ball Z: Budokai for its amazing story mode that managed to adapt most of the anime up to Cell from the perspectives of Goku and Gohan, but it was also home to some of the craziest What-If scenarios in the entire franchise. After beating the story, you could unlock alternate endings to each saga. The Saiyan arc ended with Vegeta defeating the Z-fighters and turning into a Super Saiyan; the Namek arc ended with Freeza annihilating Goku, wishing for immortality, and heading to Earth; and the Cell saga ended with Cell accidentally absorbing Krillin and becoming Cellin.
That last part feels like a joke, but it’s 100% real. It’s revealed to be a nightmare Cell is having if you manage to beat it, but the absorption makes Cell so weak that he ends up getting defeated by the combined efforts of Yamcha and Tien. It’s a truly bizarre What-If scenario that capitalizes on the diminished role of Z’s supporting get and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
5 Namek Was A Big Deal For Krillin
As the home to the most important arc in the original run of the series, it’s only natural most characters would find a fair share of development on Namek. While Krillin’s arc doesn’t quite compare to Goku’s, Vegeta’s, or Piccolo’s, the Freeza saga still puts him in a leadership role. He keeps Gohan alive, leads the hunt for the Dragon Balls, and even gets a massive power-up from Guru. During the fight with Freeza, he puts up a great fight and contributes in a big way to keeping everyone alive. He’s also responsible for Vegeta’s last Zenkai in the series and Goku’s ascension into the legendary Super Saiyan. As far as story arcs go, the Freeza saga may be Krillin’s best.
