Dragon Ball is a franchise all about space aliens fighting it out no matter what planet gets destroyed. Originally it was simply about a little boy with a tail and a flying cloud. But nowadays, the multiverse is in peril almost every single episode. And when the stakes are that high, it's tough to remember the little guys. But one little guy who's been there since the beginning is Krillin, Goku's best friend. This cheeky little monk has had his fair share of fights, beatdowns, and deaths throughout Dragon Ball Z, GT, Super, and even the movies. And between all those fights, a good amount of fan theories involving Krillin have casually been confirmed. Let's take a look back at some of our favorites.
10 Krillin Has No Nose
It's always been an on-going joke that the mischievous little Z-fighter was missing a nose. Nowadays there are many art styles where noses are represented by a single dot, line, or mark. But Krillin doesn't have any of those. This led fans to speculate that there literally is nothing there. This is a world of slug-aliens and dinosaurs after all. And, as it turns out, this was already confirmed way back in the original Dragon Ball where we see that the skeleton of Krillin literally has no nasal cavity. Tough luck, Krillin.
9 He's Encountered Every Major Villain
Sure, Krillin is a coward, but the guy has had confrontations with the worst monsters out there. He met Raditz, shot a hole in Vegeta, was impaled by Frieza, married Android 18, headbutted Cell, and was eaten by Buu. Now even in Dragon Ball Super, Krillin is still participating in all the important bits, which is not something every Z Fighter can say. At least not among the few human fighters like Yamcha or Tien. Other than maybe Piccolo, Krillin has actively contributed in every single arc to date.
8 He's Died (And Come Back) The Most
In the Dragon Ball franchise, death is of little consequence. So much so in fact, that there is an active count of who has died and come back the most. Unsurprisingly, Krillin is still at the top. He was offed by Tambourine in the OG Dragonball, stabbed by Freiza, and eaten by Buu. Plus, if we're counting the movies or alternate timelines, he's been bumped off even a few more times. Ironically, the next closest person is the strongest in the multi-verse, Goku himself, with 1-2 fewer deaths. Still, Krillin's just one death away from completing a stamp card for a free smoothie.
7 Krillin Can Rock Long Hair
This was always something Dragon Ball Z fans liked to speculate about: whether Krillin was naturally bald, or if it was purely something to do with his monk background. But people who had paid attention during the original Dragon Ball knew that Krillin himself states that he shaves his head. But, it's 100% confirmed during the Buu saga where Krillin fully lets his hair grow out. Since then, the teensy powerhouse has gone back and forth with shaving his head, even keeping a short crew-cut during the Universe 6 arc. Personally, we love the long hair from the Buu Saga, but everyone has their own favorite Krillin.
6 Suffers From PTSD-esque Trauma
With all the times family man Krillin has been shot, stabbed, broken, and exploded, we thought he might have become a bit "numb" to trauma. But it turns out he's actually just got it locked away deep. During the Future Trunks Saga in Dragon Ball Super, Krillin has become quite "weak" and trains with Goku to regain his spirit. During their training, Krillin comes face to face with some illusions that show us he essentially has PTSD about the monsters that have previously killed him like Tambourine and Freiza. It's a dark moment for the comedic relief, which adds even more depth to his character.
5 Krillin Is The Strongest Human Alive On Earth
Now we've thrown some shade at Krillin so far, talking about how much he's died, how he's a coward, and even talking about how he has no nose. But, after all that, Krillin is still by far the strongest living human on planet Earth, keyword "living". One of the most ferocious debates throughout all of the Dragon Ball fan communities is "Who is the strongest: Krillin or Tien?" And it flipped back and forth depending on the current arc. But in Super, it has been stated multiple times that Krillin is the strongest, and we couldn't be happier for him. Tough luck, Tien.
4 Uses His Brain In Fights The Most Within The Z-Fighters
Because of his cheeky and comedic nature, many people assumed that Krillin was just a quirky coward. But as it turns out, that same "survivalist" side of him is also his greatest strength. Krillin is a technical fighter and he'll rely on any cheap tricks to win. Even going as far as repurposing other fighters special moves like the Spirit Bomb and Solar Flare. This intelligence was always implied, but Dragon Ball Super really proved it in the mock battle between Gohan and Krillin. Gohan is literally hundreds of times stronger than Krillin, but Krillin still ends up winning. Why? Because he fought towards Gohan's weaknesses and because he utilized the rules of a ring-out tournament.
3 Uses His Ki And Attacks The Most Creatively
One of the biggest problems with Dragon Ball as a franchise is the lack of creativity when it comes to Ki abilities. Past a certain point, all it really becomes is "who can shoot the bigger beam". Sure, there are moments of creativity in later arcs like everything to do with Gotenks or Zamasu's energy scythe, but no ones as creative as Krillin. The guy made the Solar Flare his own, uses his ability to hide his power level for gorilla tactics, redirects his beam attacks to surprise his foe, and even created the Destructo Disk. Basically, Krillin uses his head before his Ki and that's why we love him.
2 Krillin's Destructo Disks Can Cut Through Anything
And speaking of Destructo Disks, there's always been a huge debate as to how strong they are. This move created by Krillin should be able to cut through anything or anyone, and it has a homing ability. We've seen that it can even work on Frieza, though she made the disks with her own Ki so they might've been "stronger". But in Super, Goku used one as a way to cut even Super Buu in half, so it's pretty much a confirmed sure-kill move that's hard to hit. And no, the Cell Saga anime-only Destructo Disk moment doesn't count. Shush.
1 Got With The Times And Got A Cellphone
A lot of the time we forget that Dragon Ball is actually set in a time period where people have cell phones. I mean there are flying cars, spaceships, and even capsules that can store anything of any size. But most of the show takes place in empty fields and mountain ranges. It's like the Z-fighters are against technology and fly to each other instead. But, in Super, it's confirmed that Krillin has finally got with the times and bought a cell phone as a police officer. Even better, his ringtone is actually one of the One Piece openings, a neat little nod to his voice actor also voicing Tony Tony Chopper.