Krillin is an impeccable fighter and a fan favorite of the Z Fighters in Dragon Ball. Without him, the Japanese manga-turned-anime would be completely different from the way that we've come to know it. There is little dispute regarding Krillin's worth to the plot, especially when it comes to his importance in developing Goku's character. Fans tend to debate his worth as a fighter (but that's an endless conversation). He makes a solid parent, and his personality is likable - he's one of the most idolized characters in all of Dragon Ball. However, there are a few things that fans still don't quite get about Krillin.

Krillin may be a Z Fighter but he is still a human, after all. Some of his questionable choices and consequences seem a little far-fetched (yes, even for Dragon Ball). It can be difficult to discern what's realistic when you're talking about a TV show that constantly defies physics. But even in a Dragon Ball frame of mind, there's still plenty of mysterious scenarios that quite simply do not add up. Have we been duped or is there a true reasoning behind the Krillin enigma?

20 Ignoring A Warning Is Weird For Any Parent, Especially Krillin

From the very beginning, Krillin and Android are very evidently smitten with their daughter, Marron. These overprotective parents have truly devoted their lives to Marron and have taken many efforts to ensure they always do what’s best for her. Except for one peculiar instance. When Krillin and Android 18 decided to enter the Tournament of Power (during the Universe Survival Saga), they leave their daughter in the care of Goten and Trunks (who aren’t much older, might I add) on Android 17’s island. There must not have been any babysitters available to watch their little one because it’s awfully strange that they would leave 9-year-old Marron on an island with two young, teenage boys. 18 was confident that Marron was tough, but Krillin was hesitant to leave her…yet he did anyway. Of all things, leaving his daughter somewhat unsafe is fairly strange for Krillin.

19 Does Anyone Know The Real Scoop On The Nose? (Or Lack Thereof)

A commonly observed oddity of Krillin’s is his absence of a nose… In an interview with Akira Toriyama, he claimed that Krillin was intentionally created without a nose because he breathes through his skin. Still, some fans have called to question this so-called ‘ability.' Perhaps Toriyama made up the skin-breathing ability on the spot? Looking back at the Dragon Ball episode “Elimination Round” we see Krillin and Bacterian get matched up in the World Tournament.

At first, Bacterian’s smelly attacks nearly knock Krillin out.

But Goku reminds Krillin that he doesn’t have a nose and the smell is only a part of his imagination. Krillin instantly gets back up and wins the fight after hearing Goku’s revelation. It doesn’t make much sense that Krillin was created without a nose and it seems that Toriyama doesn’t even have an answer for the reasoning behind it.

18 But How Did He Manage To Get A Gal To Marry Him?

Once Krillin broke things off with Maron, it seemed unlikely that another beautiful love interest would enter his life. But Toriyama decided to give Krillin a family after all of the abuse he’s been through…and along came Android 18. Although, it’s stirred up a great amount of disbelief in the fandom. Why would 18 give him the time of day? Marriage seems far-fetched to say the least. But if you consider that 18 was saved by Krillin, that he’s a genuine guy with a caring heart, they seem like a pretty good fit. Android 18 experienced a pretty rough fate – since she was turned into a robot and everything – but Krillin is loyal and kind. This and the fact that he’s a fighter (like she is) makes the pair a lot less unbelievable. He may not be the tallest guy in Dragon Ball but he has plenty of attractive attributes.

17 Following His Heart Will Never Satisfy Everyone (Especially Fans)

In the latest adaptation, Dragon Ball Super, it’s evident that a lot of changes have been made. But fans haven’t exactly taken a liking to all of these modifications, namely Krillin’s venture of becoming a police officer. This is, of course, only filler in the episodes that are made to develop the characters and give the story something more than just knock-down drag-outs. But the Dragon Ball fandom is in an uproar over Krillin’s career choice. It’s claimed that it contradicts Krillin’s character for him to become a cop, but that is heavily debatable. This isn’t so much an issue with Krillin himself. In this case, some fans are illogical when criticizing Krillin’s job. Why can’t he be a cop? He loves fighting and action, he’s loyal and enjoys protecting others, and – most notably – he’s a stellar fighter. So who better than, Krillin, to fill the shoes.

16 There Might Be Something Special Behind The Monk's Look

Sometimes heresy gets the best of Dragon Ball fans and rumors become an accepted belief in the fandom. This is especially the case with Krillin’s baldness that many deem as natural. Nope. As it turns out, Krillin actually makes the conscious decision to shave his head because of his own superstition. He believes that not having hair allows him to release his ki.

Krillin is disappointed when he finds out that Master Roshi is naturally bald and doesn't shave his head as well.

We can eliminate the idea of Krillin choosing to be bald purely out of desire because he also believes that women are more attracted to a man with beautiful locks. He only grows it out in later sagas because his life begins to slow down and he fights less frequently. Plus, he's married to a beautiful android, so naturally he'd do anything he believed that would keep her around.

15 Why Would Goku Go Super Saiyan Blue On Him?

It’s obvious to anyone who knows even a little bit about Dragon Ball that Goku has the upper hand on Krillin. In fact, Krillin should be weaker than Goku’s base power, however, he managed to push through Goku’s Super Saiyan Blue form. It’s claimed that Toei may have pushed this scene intentionally just to make Krillin appear stronger than he actually is, although, it’s also been speculated that Goku simply wanted to motivate Krillin. It’s believed that Goku purposely went Super Saiyan Blue because he knew that Krillin couldn’t sense his Ki while he was SSB. This would cause Krillin to try as hard as possible, unaware that Goku is actually holding back. It seems like this would be the more logical speculation, yet, the Dragon Ball fandom continues to debate this integral scene.

14 Krillin's Power Level Is Over 75,000...?!

One of the most challenging events to comprehend in Dragon Ball Z was when Krillin was able to reach a power level of 75,000. In the episode, "Defend the Planet of Hope!!" Krillin meets the Grand Elder Namekian, Guru, in order to attain the one-star ball. After a short (but good) chat with the Grand Elder he decides to give Krillin a gift: to unlock his full potential.

Even Krillin himself stated that he'd already reached as high as he possibly could, but moments later he was completely beside himself as Guru held up his promise. Krillin's power level jumped tens of thousands, but how? In this case, Guru's power does seem to be a pretty reasonable explanation, although the point that doesn't make sense is: how is Krillin's potential so much? How can a mere human have the ability reach that high of a power level in the first place?

13 Krillin Was More Relevant Than He Was Meant To Be - But Not Anymore

Few expected much of Krillin’s role in Dragon Ball. He’s a guaranteed laugh, since Toriyama designates him as the comic relief character in the series. When Krillin first appeared in Dragon Ball, Toriyama meant for him to be a minor role, but he became much more than that when fans loved him and he meshed with Goku so well. There was less to laugh at in the earlier episodes because Toriyama had a lot of character development to cover.

But once Krillin reached his peak he started to become less relevant.

It almost seems as if Toriyama created his family to keep him significant. Relevance aside, Krillin's importance increased - namely in Dragon Ball Z - until he hit a wall of growth; there was not much left to share about him. So, he remains as the behind of everyone's jokes. It’s strange (and pointless) because he could serve a greater purpose.

12 When You've Got A Lot Of Explaining To Do For Your Wife (And It's Not Even Your Fault)

It can be a tricky situation when remnants of past relationships affect your current one. Poor Krillin didn’t even have a say in this scenario, though. Many fans believe that Krillin named his daughter, Marron, after his ex-girlfriend, Maron. But this isn’t the case. Since Krillin’s name means “chestnut” in Japanese, the anime staff decided to give his ex-girlfriend a name that related to him; “maron” means “chestnut” in French. Toriyama created Krillin’s daughter who he named for the same reason. It’s possible that neither party actually coordinated the name similarities, although, it’s later made a joke in the series. When Krillin and 18 take their daughter to meet her uncle, 17, he accidentally refers to his niece by his ex’s version of the name. And Android 18 is quick to put her brother in his place. The anime staff knew this would totally mess with Dragon Ball fans.

11 How Does The Guy Muster Up The Courage To Take On Bosses He Can't Beat?

Krillin may be recognized as the strongest earthling in Dragon Ball, but he’s still no match for many of the races… yet he gives it a go anyway. This is actually an admirable facet of Krillin’s personality – even if it doesn’t make sense at all – because it proves how loyal he is to Goku and the Z Fighters and also his strength of will. Many fans are dubious about this fact; it seems like Krillin isn’t even a very valuable addition to the crew since he can’t beat anyone (for the most part).

Even if Krillin can’t beat third form Frieza, Majin Buu, or Cell, he’s definitely made great contributions to helping the other Z Fighters take them down. Krillin is excellent at dodging attacks – sometimes even sneaking in a few good hits, while his opponent’s off guard – and this is an advantage to the group because it distracts their enemies.

10 Some Of His Fancy Skills Are Just Waiting To Be Used

One of the cool aspects of Krillin’s fighting skills are his abilities such as the solar flare and the destructo disc. The solar flare allows him to blind his opponent temporarily, while the destructo disc is said to be able to cut through almost anything. A lot of fans have come to question why Krillin doesn’t use these awesome capabilities more frequently throughout the series. There could be a few reasons behind this, though.

For one thing, it would make the fights a lot more predictable if he used these techniques too much.

Another point brought up by a fan was the concept of the anime’s slow-motion effect. It’s commonly speculated that the Dragon Ball creators most likely slow down scenes in order for us to fully comprehend each move used. Therefore, the solar flare may only last for a couple of seconds – which makes it much less helpful.

9 Krillin Has Game, He Just Doesn't Know It

As seen from the time we first witness Krillin training with Goku under Master Roshi’s wing, it’s evident that he’s insecure about himself. This trend doesn’t subside throughout the sagas, unfortunately. And when he begins a relationship with young, shallow, Maron, he becomes more consumed with his insecurity. Maron is beautiful but she doesn’t assure Krillin that she’s one-hundred-percent his until he actually breaks things off with her. Even then, she immediately turned around and hopped into another guy’s sports car. So, fans have to ask: why did Krillin believe he wasn’t good enough for Maron? He’s a Z Fighter with insane abilities, he’s intelligent and funny, and he’s not the most unattractive guy. If anything, Maron’s careless personality wasn’t what Krillin deserved.

8 He's Already Small Enough Without Fans Factoring In His Weight

After a little research, Dragon Ball fans will be surprised to find that Krillin is said to be about one hundred pounds. In a way, this isn’t the most astonishing factoid since Toriyama claims that he is only five-feet tall. On the other hand, you have to take into consideration the fact that he’s considered the strongest pure human in all of Dragon Ball. To quote Akira Toriyama precisely; he’s the strongest “earthling” in the series. Obviously, this has a lot to do with his strong mind and high level of power he’s able to tap into. However, up until Dragon Ball Super, Krillin has always had quite a muscular build (even for his size). So, you’d expect that a five-foot-tall man with a nice bod would weigh at least a little more than one-hundred pounds. Nope. It’s just another oddity that’s going to be scrutinized until reasoning is exposed.

7  Somehow, Krillin Is Even Stronger Than Tien...

Toriyama reveals in an interview that Krillin is, in fact, the strongest earthling. That includes Tien in the equation. However, if you look at things from a logical perspective, it seems that there should be no reason that Tien couldn’t surpass Krillin’s level. Krillin did encounter many opportunities that helped him up his abilities in an impossibly short amount of time, but it’s not long after the Frieza Saga that Krillin settles down with 18.

This has given Tien plenty of time to play catch-up.

Plus, he's a descendent of an alien race which gives him special abilities that normal humans can't acquire. Not to mention the fact that while Krillin’s power levels were increasing incredibly quickly, Tien was putting in much more time training. This seems to be more of a bias on Toriyama’s part than a true factor that affects the plot, but it would seem that Tien's training would have a more lasting effect on his strength.

6 He Compromised The Safety Of Earth For A Beautiful Robot

Krillin must have really known how he felt about 18 when he almost compromised everyone’s life on Earth. For those unaware, Krillin chose not to destroy Android 18 which put everyone in danger because Cell absorbed her and Android 17. This made him more powerful and nearly impossible to beat. Shortly before this climactic event, though, we see Android 18 give Krillin a small smooch on the cheek. This turned out to be a foreshadowing of their relationship seen later on. But that's all that Krillin was going off of when he chose not to destroy her: one little kiss. We can pretty much agree that Krillin is a romantic, but it seems like maybe this relationship should’ve had a bit more development prior to Krillin making this decision. It doesn’t make sense that he would save someone he hardly knows. But we're glad that he did.

5 Are We Losing Some Of The Old Krillin In Dragon Ball Super?

Krillin is well-known for his astounding dodging capabilities. So, it’s only expected that he would have brought these skills with him in his daily life, specifically his job as a cop. For whatever reason, Krillin gets shot while protecting an officer and even hides from the gunfire afterward. He’s been known for his cowardice, at times, but Krillin has never failed to step up to the plate in spite of his low likelihood of surviving. In the recent scene of Dragon Ball Super, he gets injured in the shoulder by a gunshot wound and outrage among fans ensued. This seems a bit out-of-character for any Z fighter; Krillin was dodging machine-gunfire not long before that so why does he get hit now? No one expected him to be off of his game at work. This could be a contributing factor as to why people dislike Krillin as a cop.

4 That Weird Moment When Krillin Almost Gave Vegeta Immortality

Okay, this one is likely to unleash World War III but we’re going to examine it anyway. Why would Krillin believe it’s a good idea to give Vegeta immortality? Sure, he would be able to beat Frieza, but then no one would be able to beat him. And based on Vegeta’s narcissistic personality, it’s probably best not to give him omnipotence (or pretty close to that anyway). Vegeta has calmed down in the years that he’s been with Bulma, although his true personality hasn’t changed or disappeared. His pride would – undoubtedly – lead him to rule the planet like the king that he believes he should be.

If there was ever an idea that should be discarded immediately, it would be giving Vegeta immortality.

In Krillin’s defense, Vegeta was pressuring him pretty heavily about it (unsurprisingly). But this is, by far, one of the worst decisions Krillin has ever considered.

3  He's A Skilled Martial Artist... But Can He Actually Beat Gohan?

It’s almost unanimously agreed-upon that Gohan has far more potential than what Chi-Chi allows, yet he shockingly disappoints viewers in certain fights. Gohan’s fight with Krillin is one of the most notable. The half-Saiyan should have had that struggle in the bag – or so you would think – but Krillin’s dodging techniques and advanced skills were no match. In retrospect, it’s not too far-fetched that Krillin would have the upper hand since he had over 30 years of experience in the martial arts (at this point in the series) on Gohan.

Krillin has also participated in several tournaments, while Gohan had only had seven years of training. However, this doesn’t seem like enough of an explanation for Krillin’s victory since Gohan is frequently ranked as one of the strongest characters in Dragon Ball by the Dragon Ball Super writer, Toshio. This, alone, seems like a conflicting factor in the results of the round.

2 What's Going On With Krillin's Childhood, Though?

It’s pretty uncommon for children to grow up in a Buddhist temple. It seems that Krillin’s unusual background is downplayed since most of the focus is on Goku’s life. However, few fans have pointed out the fact that little to nothing has been revealed about Krillin’s parents. This doesn’t seem so strange until you consider all of the other main characters in the series, who have a thoroughly outlined life story. Even Frieza’s family life is semi-exposed.

So, what’s the story behind the young monk’s childhood?

What we do know is that he grew up in the temple from the age of four and he chose to leave at twelve in order to train with Master Roshi. And from that point on we pretty much witness first-hand where Krillin’s life goes. His childhood may make little sense now, but who knows what Toriyama will divulge in the future.

1 This Guy Has Been Through It All, Cut Him Some Slack!

The most obvious question we have to consider is: why does Krillin get minimal respect? This is primarily an issue with the Dragon Ball fandom, but it also extends to Toriyama’s skew on Krillin and the storyline. For one thing, Krillin seems to be much less muscular-looking in Dragon Ball Super. He’s much shorter than in previous seasons and has almost no muscular definition in his upper body. This already opens the door for fans to make the assumption that he’s weak. Fans don’t take into consideration that he’s only human but still takes on incredibly strong bosses. Because of these unfortunate biases, Krillin has become the spotlight of many Dragon Ball memes. Toriyama also makes jokes about him within the TV show and manga. In spite of returning from the afterlife several times and showing immense courage, he just can't catch a break.