Krillin is Goku's best friend, the bald little monk who shows up on Master Roshi's island in chapter 25 of the manga, in spring 1985, and never leaves the group again. He is the strongest Earthling in the saga and, at the same time, its most human character: he gets scared, cracks jokes and complains, but when it matters he never backs down.
Who he is
Krillin introduces himself as a student from a temple of warrior monks, which he left after years of being bullied. He turns up at Master Roshi's door with a gift chosen specifically to win the old man over, an adult magazine, and finds himself training next to a boy with a tail. At first he is a crafty and slightly underhanded rival; he soon becomes Goku's most loyal friend.
The six dots on his forehead are moxibustion marks, a nod to Shaolin monks. He also has no visible nose, a detail Toriyama never tired of using for gags.
His story across the series
- Dragon Ball: he reaches the semi-finals of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, losing to Jackie Chun. After the 22nd tournament he is killed by Tambourine, one of King Piccolo's henchmen, and Goku sets out to avenge him. Brought back to life, he goes out in the quarter-finals of the 23rd tournament against Piccolo.
- Dragon Ball Z: he unveils the Destructo Disc against the Saiyans, then flies to Namek with Gohan and Bulma, where the Namekians' Grand Elder unlocks his hidden potential. Frieza kills him in front of Goku, and that fury produces the first Super Saiyan. During the android saga he falls for Android 18 and destroys the remote that could have shut her down. After Cell he grows his hair out and, seven years later, is married to her with a daughter, Marron.
- Dragon Ball Super: now a police officer, he shaves his head again to fight the resurrected Frieza, joins the Tournament of Power and sharpens his craftiest techniques.
- Dragon Ball GT: he plays only a minor part.
Powers and techniques
Krillin has no transformations: his strength lies in technique and quick thinking.
| Technique | Notes |
|---|---|
| Kamehameha | Learned from Master Roshi, just like Goku |
| Destructo Disc (Kienzan) | A razor-sharp energy disc, his signature move |
| Solar Flare | The blinding flash borrowed from Tien |
| Afterimage | Learned in his early training days |
| Unlocked potential | Awakened by the Grand Elder on Namek |
In Super he also develops variations on the Destructo Disc and Solar Flare that give him a tactical edge against far stronger opponents.
Relationships
- Goku is his lifelong friend: they met as kids and grew up together.
- Android 18 is his wife, the android he chose to save when he could have switched her off forever.
- Gohan is his best friend's son and his companion on the Namek adventure.
- Frieza is the man who killed him, and whose return in Super drags him back into action.
Why he is iconic: our take
Krillin is the reader's stand-in inside the saga. While the Saiyans climb level after level, he remains a human who trains hard, knows he cannot win every fight and steps in anyway. That is exactly why his deaths hit so hard: they are what push Goku into action.
He is also one of the few characters who builds a normal life. His marriage to Android 18 and the birth of Marron make a clear point: in Dragon Ball you can stop chasing power and find a different kind of happiness. Unsurprisingly, Japanese fans voted him the seventh most popular character in the series in 2004.
Did you know? Toriyama chose Japanese voice actress Mayumi Tanaka after hearing her play Giovanni in the animated film Night on the Galactic Railroad.
Trivia
- His Japanese name, Kuririn, combines kuri (chestnut, for his smooth round head) and Shaolin, the warrior monks.
- In Funimation's English dub he is voiced by Sonny Strait.
- His death at Frieza's hands triggers the very first Super Saiyan: our guide to Super Saiyan transformations covers every form that followed.