Krillin runs through every Dragon Ball anime, from the little monk knocking on Kame House's door to the police officer and family man of Super. Krillin's profile covers who he is; here we follow his tournaments, deaths and big choices, arc by arc.
Dragon Ball
21st Tournament Saga (episodes 14-28)
His anime debut is episode 14: he arrives at Kame House by sea, hoping to become Master Roshi's student, and wins the old man over with dirty magazines. At first he treats Goku as a rival, but eight months of training turn them into friends. In the 21st Tournament Saga he reaches the semi-finals and goes down in episode 24, chopped from behind by Jackie Chun, who is his own master in disguise.
Red Ribbon Army and Fortuneteller Baba Sagas (episodes 29-83)
During the Red Ribbon Army Saga he joins Goku and Bulma on the submarine trip, and in the pirates' cave General Blue freezes him with his psychic stare in episode 52. In the Fortuneteller Baba Saga he is the first to face Baba's fighters: in episode 70 Dracula Man bites his head and beats him.
22nd Tournament Saga (episodes 84-101)
Three years of training with Roshi and Yamcha pay off. In the 22nd Tournament Saga he beats Chiaotzu in episode 91, landing his first Kamehameha and then distracting him with an arithmetic problem. In the semi-finals he grabs Goku's tail, but his friend has trained it and knocks him out of the ring. Right after the final he goes back alone to fetch Goku's things and is murdered; his body is found in episode 101.
King Piccolo and Piccolo Jr. Sagas (episodes 102-153)
Krillin stays dead for the whole King Piccolo Saga: his killer is Tambourine, the demon's servant, and Goku's quest for revenge drives the story. He comes back in episode 126, once Kami restores Shenron. In the Piccolo Jr. Saga he reaches the quarter-finals of the 23rd tournament against Piccolo Jr. and, after his Kamehameha misses, concedes like a good sport in episode 138.
Dragon Ball Z
Saiyan Saga (episodes 1-35)
After Goku dies fighting Raditz, Krillin trains under Kami to prepare for the Saiyans. In the Saiyan Saga he avenges Yamcha by wiping out three Saibamen with a single attack in episode 24, and throws a Destructo Disc at Nappa that the Saiyan dodges only because Vegeta warns him. At the end Goku hands him the last Spirit Bomb, which Krillin hurls at Vegeta in episode 34. Then, at Goku's request, he spares the beaten prince.
Frieza Saga (episodes 36-107)
He is the one who overheard that Namek has Dragon Balls, and he sets off with Gohan and Bulma. In the Frieza Saga he rescues young Dende and has his hidden potential unlocked by the Grand Elder Guru in episode 54. It is not enough against the Ginyu Force, but against Frieza he gets his moment: in episode 80 he slices off the tyrant's tail with a Destructo Disc. Soon after, Frieza blows him up in front of Goku, and that death gives birth to the first Super Saiyan. After 130 days the Namekian Dragon Balls bring him back.
Androids Saga (episodes 118-139)
In the Androids Saga he finds Dr. Gero's laboratory in episode 133, but too late: Androids 17 and 18 are already awake. After his friends are crushed he is the only one left unhurt, asks the pair not to kill Goku, and gets a kiss on the cheek from Android 18.
Cell Saga (episodes 140-194)
In the Cell Saga he goes down into Gero's basement with Trunks and destroys the present-day Cell. Bulma gives him the remote that can shut Android 18 down, but in episode 158 Krillin, now in love, smashes it. Cell absorbs her, and when Krillin attacks him in anger he is knocked out with a single blow. During the Cell Games he watches over Android 18 after the monster spits her out, and in episode 193 he uses a wish to remove her bomb.
Majin Buu Saga (episodes 200-291)
Seven years later he is married to Android 18 and father to Marron. In the Majin Buu Saga he easily wins his match at the 25th tournament in episode 215, then follows Supreme Kai and is turned to stone by Dabura's spit. He returns to normal when Dabura dies, takes shelter at Kami's Lookout, and there Buu turns him and his family into chocolate. Once revived, he gives his energy to the final Spirit Bomb.
Dragon Ball GT
Super 17 Saga (episodes 41-47)
In GT he is a middle-aged man with a moustache and a small but painful role. In the Super 17 Saga he snaps Android 18 out of her brother's control, and Android 17 kills him for it in episode 44. He is only brought back in the series finale.
Dragon Ball Super
Battle of Gods Saga (episodes 1-18)
At Bulma's party, in the Battle of Gods Saga, he offers Beerus a plate of takoyaki with a wasabi surprise hidden inside. When the god loses his temper, in episode 7 Krillin stays on the sidelines, saying he has retired from martial arts, and Chi-Chi scolds him for it.
Resurrection 'F' Saga (episodes 19-27)
Now a police officer, in the Resurrection 'F' Saga he goes back into battle against Frieza's army. In episode 21 Frieza recognizes him and promises any planet they like to the soldier who kills him.
Future Trunks Saga (episodes 47-76)
In the Future Trunks Saga he plays in the baseball game against Universe 6 and reluctantly agrees to train with Goku. In the Forest of Fear he meets phantoms of the enemies who killed him and, in episode 76, overcomes his fear and finds his fighting spirit again.
Universe Survival Saga (episodes 77-131)
In the Universe Survival Saga Goku and Gohan recruit him for the Tournament of Power and, in episode 84, he beats Gohan with a souped-up Solar Flare. In the tournament he takes out Shosa together with Android 18 and Majora with the smelly shoe trick, but in episode 99 Frost catches him mid-celebration and knocks him off the stage.
In Daima he shows up in shrunken form, voiced by Aki Kanada rather than Mayumi Tanaka.
Movies
In Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' he lives through the events later retold by Super. In Super Hero he helps Gohan and Piccolo against Cell Max.
Did you know? His daughter Marron and Maron, the girlfriend the Z anime invented for him, share the same pun: maron is Japanese for chestnut, the same word hidden in the kuri of Kuririn.
Our take
Read arc by arc, Krillin is Dragon Ball's emotional thermometer. His deaths are never accidents: the one after the 22nd tournament opens the King Piccolo story, the one on Namek creates the Super Saiyan.
His finest moment, though, is a choice rather than a fight: smashing Android 18's remote. From then on Krillin is the only one in the group to build a life outside the ring, and Super deserves credit for putting him back in action without erasing it, armed with the kind of cunning the Saiyans will never have.
To round out the picture, revisit the profiles of Goku, his lifelong friend, Android 18, his wife, and Master Roshi, the teacher who raised them both. To follow their stories arc by arc too: Goku saga by saga and Android 18 saga by saga.