Krillin

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Krillin (克林)
Alias(es)	Mr. Krillin; world hero; world champion 209 239
Species/Race	Human / Earthling 93 152
Gender	Male 28 176
Affiliation	Turtle School; Z Fighters; formerly the Shaolin Temple 31 37 114
Occupation/Role	Martial artist, World Martial Arts Tournament champion, martial arts instructor, public hero, and commercial spokesperson 110 168 217 227
Status	Alive at his latest documented appearance 334
First Appearance	Chapter 28, “Everyone Gathers at Kame House” 28

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Shaolin-trained martial artist	31	Enters Roshi’s training with eight years of Shaolin Temple experience; runs 100 meters in 10.4 seconds.
Turtle School fundamentals	35	Completes seven months of training targeting his limbs, senses, reflexes, and mind.
40-kilogram shell training	36	Trains for another month with a heavier turtle shell before entering the World Martial Arts Tournament.
Resistance to blades and bullets	50	After two further months of island training, is described as impervious to ordinary blades and bullets.
Destructo Disc developed	58	Creates and perfects the technique following Roshi’s advanced ki instruction and Goku’s inspiration.
At least eightfold gravity adaptation	75	Reaches this level during three years of training with Korin; improves strength, speed, and reactions through competitive snatching exercises.
Dodon Ray learned	83 84	Copies Chiaotzu’s technique during their tournament match; his first shot shatters one of Chiaotzu’s arms.
Surpasses Master Roshi	87 88	Uses advanced techniques against Goku while still wearing gravity weights. Roshi acknowledges that both fighters are far stronger than him.
Three years of Lookout training completed	103	Trains under Mr. Popo, including sparring with martial arts masters in virtual time-spaces.
Around eightyfold gravity adaptation	114	Reaches this level after the first year on King Kai’s Planet.
Kaio-ken learned	114	Learns the technique two months after King Kai begins teaching it.
Full combat power: 243,185	121	Reveals his maximum unboosted power to Bulma’s modified Scouter after initially withholding much of his strength.
Twentyfold Kaio-ken: approximately 4.86 million	122	Can sustain twentyfold Kaio-ken for three minutes or tenfold Kaio-ken for ten minutes.
Additional charging technique learned	124	Develops an unnamed skill during team training, described as another charging technique comparable to the Special Beam Cannon or Destructo Disc.
Potential unlocked: over two million	152	The Grand Elder draws out his latent potential, multiplying his combat power several times over.
Continued improvement	242	Has never abandoned martial arts and has made further, modest gains; comfortably guides an exhibition match against an untransformed young Saiyan.

Background / History

Krillin comes from far to the east and studies at the Shaolin Temple for eight years before seeking Master Roshi’s instruction. Two senior monks repeatedly bully him there, leaving him visibly frightened when they meet again at the World Martial Arts Tournament 28 31 37.

He arrives at Kame House by boat and attempts to secure an apprenticeship with magazines and limited-edition photo albums. Roshi instead requires him to bring back a lively, attractive girl. Krillin accompanies Goku to find Launch, tying himself to Goku because he cannot ride the Flying Nimbus directly. He subsequently trains alongside Goku and Chi-Chi 28 29 34.

Krillin later forms a relationship with Snow, introduces her to his friends as his wife, and celebrates their wedding at Kame House after Demon King Piccolo’s defeat. He buys a house and car for their life together. The couple have a daughter, Hoho, whom he eventually trains alongside Goku’s son, Son Xiao-Kong 79 103 115 176.

Appearance

• Short stature: Introduced as a short boy; his height later becomes a personal insecurity. He considers wishing to grow taller but withdraws the request 28 155.
• Bald head: His defining early feature. He is not naturally bald and can grow hair 28 225.
• No nose: Explicitly noted by Roshi; this gives him an advantage against Baku’s stench 29 40.
• Muscular power-up: His muscles visibly bulge when he releases his full combat power, resembling Roshi’s powered-up physique 121.
• Celebrity styling: At a later tournament, he wears a trendy hairstyle, cape, and gleaming gold medal 239.

Personality

Early Krillin is resourceful, competitive, and eager to gain recognition. He tries to influence Roshi with gifts and initially looks down on Goku. His attraction to Chi-Chi brings jealousy when she favors Goku, while meeting Bulma immediately leaves him smitten 28 29 39.

His confidence grows through training, but insecurity does not disappear entirely. His former bullies still frighten him, he questions his progress before meeting King Kai, and he worries about his height and public image. Goku and Chi-Chi’s sincere encouragement helps him confront his fear at the tournament 37 104 155.

Krillin becomes protective of both friends and strangers. He saves Namekian villagers, heals wounded allies, and spares Burter because he thinks the opponent might change. His compassion also extends to Android 16, whom he encourages to meet the similarly peaceful Android 8 139 146 183 188.

As a champion and father, he balances showmanship with responsibility. He overwhelms Tien Shinhan partly to impress Snow, but later guides a young opponent through an entertaining exhibition rather than humiliating him. He also accepts public responsibility during the mass-disappearance crisis and teaches his students that protecting Earth is their future duty 89 176 209 242.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Arts and Combat Analysis

• Efficient close combat: Uses chained punches, kicks, counters, and defensive transitions rather than relying on fixed, elaborate forms 36 42.
• Fast reactions: Eventually catches and blocks Jackie Chun’s Snake Fist despite initially being unable to follow his attacks 43.
• Learning through observation: Studies Chiaotzu’s Dodon Ray repeatedly and reproduces it during the same match. He acknowledges that Tien Shinhan learns techniques even faster 82 83 86.
• Strategic fighting: Exchanges counters with Goku, evades the energy sphere created by their colliding Kamehamehas, and wins through a ring-out 88.
• Strength control: Restrains his aura to avoid blowing Bulma away during a Scouter test and moderates his performance against younger opponents 121 242.

Ki Control, Sensing, and Flight

• Energy projection: Uses ki attacks alongside conventional martial arts 50 88.
• Ki sensing: Surveys Namek’s energy signatures and recognizes that the village defenders are suppressing their power 134 139.
• Flight: Pursues and attacks Piccolo in mid-air; later participates in aerial team battles 108 123.
• Detection limits: Androids without detectable ki pose an ambush risk to the group 180 182.

Kamehameha

• Clashes Kamehamehas with Goku during their tournament match 88.
• Defeats Cui with the technique while protecting a Namekian village 139.

Destructo Disc

• Develops the technique after learning more advanced ki applications from Roshi, with inspiration from Goku 58.
• Uses it to defeat the blade- and bullet-resistant Iron Sergeant 58.
• Limit: Its long charge time and slow movement make it easy for skilled opponents to evade 58.

Dodon Ray

• Learns by observing how Chiaotzu concentrates and releases ki through a fingertip 82 83.
• Recognizes its economical energy use compared with attacks requiring broader ki concentration 82.
• His first successful use severely injures Chiaotzu’s arm 84.

Solar Flare

• Uses the Crane School technique against Goku and during coordinated team training 87 123.
• Limit: Tien Shinhan counters it by closing his eyes in advance and tracking opponents through sound and air movement 123.

Kaio-ken

• Multiplies his combat power through King Kai’s technique 114 122.
• Documented endurance: Twentyfold for three minutes; tenfold for ten minutes 122.
• Risk: King Kai warns that inadequate energy control can cause backlash and that stronger multipliers require a thoroughly conditioned body 114.

Spirit Bomb Instruction

• Receives instruction in the Spirit Bomb alongside King Kai’s other students 114.
• No individual use by Krillin is documented in the supplied passages.

Teaching

• Takes Son Xiao-Kong as an apprentice while Chi-Chi is pregnant 168.
• Trains Son Xiao-Kong and Hoho through the same milk-delivery routine he performed under Roshi 176.
• Teaches the children to view martial arts as preparation for protecting Earth, not merely earning money or recognition 176.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Weighted turtle shell — Uses increasingly heavy shells during Turtle School conditioning, including a 40-kilogram shell before his first documented tournament 36.
• Gravity Bracelet — Bulma’s adjustable training device; Krillin wears it for years and continues fighting while under increased gravity 88 113.
• Senzu Beans — Carries them for emergencies and recovery; saves Piccolo and restores Vegeta after their Android encounters 110 183 188.
• Cape and gold medal — Part of his later public appearance as world champion 239.

Relationships

• Son Goku — Fellow disciple, close friend, and rival. Their shared training develops a deep friendship; Krillin later defeats him in a tournament and defends him against Raditz 35 88 117.
• Master Roshi / Jackie Chun — Martial arts master. Roshi teaches his fundamentals, defeats him in their early semifinal, and later acknowledges that Krillin has surpassed him 35 43 88.
• Chi-Chi — Fellow disciple and longtime friend. His early romantic interest is rejected, but they remain supportive companions and training partners 37 46 164.
• Snow — Wife. She supports his tournament career, teaches him cooking, and shares his home and family life 79 103 110.
• Hoho — Daughter and martial arts student. He trains her alongside Son Xiao-Kong 176 177.
• Son Xiao-Kong — Apprentice. Krillin teaches him Turtle School methods and rushes to protect him when a tournament becomes dangerous 168 176 229.
• Bulma — Friend and training strategist. Her Gravity Bracelets support his growth, and she organizes the team’s coordinated battle practice 88 122 123.
• Tien Shinhan — Initially an opponent whom Krillin overwhelms; later a teammate whose improvements to Kaio-ken he openly praises 89 123 175.
• Piccolo — Former tournament opponent and later ally. Krillin dominates their match and subsequently saves him with a Senzu Bean 108 109 183.
• Korin, Mr. Popo, and King Kai — Successive instructors in gravity-assisted combat, Lookout training, and advanced techniques 75 103 114.
• Grand Elder — Unlocks Krillin’s latent potential during the Namek expedition 152.
• Android 16 — A peaceful Android whom Krillin treats sympathetically and encourages to meet Android 8 188.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early World Martial Arts Tournament

• Encounters the Shaolin seniors who bullied him and receives encouragement from Goku and Chi-Chi before facing one in the preliminaries 37.
• Qualifies for the final eight and defeats Baku using his lack of a nose to overcome the opponent’s stench 38 40.
• Reaches the semifinals, where Jackie Chun tests his improved skills before knocking him unconscious 42 43.

Red Ribbon Army Campaign

• Helps repel the army’s attack on the training island and supports the plan to rescue villagers while collecting Dragon Balls 50 54.
• Defeats guards at Muscle Tower and demonstrates his newly developed Destructo Disc against Iron Sergeant 57 58.
• His actions help reveal a monster’s weakness; afterward, he agrees to rescue the village chief and destroy the tower 61.

Tournament Champion

Event	Outcome
Match against Chiaotzu	Learns Dodon Ray during the fight and injures Chiaotzu’s arm 83 84.
Match against Goku	Wins after Goku is knocked out of the ring 88.
Final against Tien Shinhan	Completely overcomes Tien Shinhan’s physical attacks and Dodon Rays, becoming champion 89.
Match against Piccolo	Dominates through superior speed and strength, becoming a crowd favorite 108 109.
Championship defense	Retains the title, but finds the resulting media attention and endorsements overwhelming 110.

Demon King Piccolo Crisis

Mr. Popo identifies Krillin, Goku, and Chi-Chi as exceptional human-world fighters and asks them to defeat Demon King Piccolo without killing him. Krillin supplies the group with the history he learned at the temple. Unlike Bulma’s remembered timeline, he remains alive during the immediate post-tournament crisis 91 93.

Raditz and Namek

• Injures Raditz after the Saiyan attempts to dismiss him; Raditz’s initial reading of over 2,000 reflects only a fraction of his actual strength 117 121 122.
• Joins Bulma’s coordinated team-training program ahead of larger threats 122 123 124.
• Saves Namekian villagers from Frieza’s soldiers, defeats Cui, and earns an elder’s Dragon Ball and support 139.
• Collects Dragon Balls with Chi-Chi and Dende, then defeats Burter while choosing to spare him 140 146.
• Has his body taken by Ginyu, forcing Tien Shinhan to fight cautiously to avoid damaging it 151.
• Requests the final Dragon Ball to restore Kami and receives the Grand Elder’s potential-unlocking treatment 152.

Android and Cell Crises

• Saves Piccolo from near death and heals Vegeta after Android 18 defeats him 183 188.
• Urges his companions to check on Goku and Chi-Chi when Androids 17 and 18 head toward West City 188 189.
• Faces intense public scrutiny over mass disappearances and delivers a televised statement explaining that he has investigated the crisis 209 217 218.
• Becomes even more popular after Cell’s defeat; his celebrity helps drive an increase in Earth’s martial arts participation 239.

Later Tournaments and Battles

• Agrees to appear at Qian Duoduo’s tournament and attempts to reach Son Xiao-Kong when the event turns deadly. He arrives after Bulla has already handled the villains, emerging from a shattered plane covered in soot 227 229 233.
• Demonstrates a restrained punch scoring 988 on a tournament’s Power Testing Machine. This is a machine score, not a Scouter combat-power reading 239.
• Puts on a friendly exhibition match with Vegeta’s son, Qingtianzhu 242.
• Survives the danger surrounding Android 21’s ki-suppression incident and rejoins the search for other endangered companions 286.
• Assembles with Earth’s defenders during Frieza’s return and later watches Bulla struggle against Botamo’s unusual resistance 313 314 334.

Notable Quotes

“Only power gained through one's own training can truly be considered one's own!”
— Not attributed to Krillin: this statement is spoken by Vegeta in the supplied passage 128.

“Once you two grow up, you will be the masters of a new era. When you're older, you'll have to take on the responsibility of protecting the Earth.”
— To Son Xiao-Kong and Hoho 176.

“Hey, you eat enough for fifty people, and it all has to be the good stuff. How many people in this world could afford that?”
— Explaining why he is not paying for Goku’s meal 304.

Trivia

• Jackie Chun uses Krillin’s bald head as a substitute for the full moon during hypnosis, helping the Werewolf return to human form 82.
• Krillin provides free commercial endorsements for the company where Android 18 works 227.
• His celebrity does not end his training: years later, he still practices martial arts and makes further improvements 242.