Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Tien Shinhan (天津饭) 8 |
| Species/Race | Earthling 52 |
| Gender | Male 60 |
| Affiliation | Former Crane Sect disciple; Z Fighter 10 102 |
| Occupation/Role | Martial artist and dojo instructor 15 167 |
| Status | Alive 323 |
Power Progression
| Stage / Realm / Level | Chapter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Surpassed Kami | 11 | Completed training at the Lookout with Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu; Kami said he had nothing more to teach them. |
| Greatly increased potential | 213 | Received a potential increase from Super Shenron. No resulting combat level is specified. |
Background / History
Tien trained in the Crane Sect alongside Chiaotzu and their junior disciple Yulin. He and Chiaotzu left without telling Yulin or inviting her, leaving her resentful of them for years 102. Tien later established his own dojo 15 167.
Ahead of the Saiyans’ arrival, Tien trained under Kami at the Lookout. After Kami declared his training complete, Tien continued preparing independently 10 11. He and Chiaotzu survived the Saiyan conflict and returned to his dojo afterward 15 42.
Tien eventually married Launch; the two have a son, Lanmaru 60 89. Although family life gave him attachments beyond martial arts and Chiaotzu, he continued training even as the gap between him and fighters such as Son Wuling widened 165 171 251.
Appearance
- Bald, with three eyes; Yulin repeatedly refers to him as a “three-eyed bald bastard” 102.
Personality
Tien remains committed to training despite recognizing that he can no longer keep pace with the strongest fighters. His perseverance stands out to Son Wuling, who contrasts it with Krillin and Yamcha’s discouragement 76 171 251.
He is also cautious and resourceful. During the search for Wuling Cell, he proposed exploiting the androids’ undetectable ki to lure Cell into revealing himself 71 72. When Yulin later confessed her betrayal, Tien chose to forgive her without pretending their trust could be restored 251.
Abilities & Skills
Martial arts and ki
- Tien’s meditation helped inspire Wuling’s experiments with Natural Energy 10.
- Four Bodies Technique: Creates real duplicates that can fight; dividing into four splits the user’s power evenly among them 111.
- Tri-Beam: Identified as Tien’s technique when Wuling Cell copied and used it against the group 95 96.
Tactical planning
- Devised a lure that helped expose Wuling Cell during the North City search 71 72.
- Helped organize measures against Cell’s attacks on populated areas, earning Wuling’s praise 79 88.
Relationships
- Chiaotzu — Fellow former Crane Sect disciple, training partner, and longtime companion 10 15 102 165.
- Launch — Wife and mother of his son; her support becomes an important part of his life 44 60 165.
- Lanmaru — Son with Launch; Lanmaru inherits her sneeze-triggered change in hair color and temperament 89.
- Yulin — Former Crane Sect junior sister. Her resentment over being left behind led to a lasting breach; Tien forgave her after her confession but could not reconcile with her 102 251.
- Son Wuling — Former opponent and later friend. Tien assists in the fights against Cell, while Wuling’s progress motivates him to keep training 44 71 102.
- Son Rose — Hosted her at his martial arts school during her week of social training 165 167.