Krillin has always been one of the most popular characters in Dragon Ball Z. He consistently places first out of the human characters in popularity polls, as well as having good showings on "best sidekick" lists. We love Krillin for a lot of different reasons, which include his loyalty and tenacious spirit. He battled every major villain in Dragon Ball Z, even though he knew he was totally outclassed. Krillin was willing to throw his life away in order to save the lives of his friends or to buy the Earth a precious few more seconds while Goku took his sweet time to do something.

Being a popular character comes with some unusual caveats. There are people all around the world who love to screw around with Krillin, which includes his creator. Akira Toriyama has made Krillin his personal chew toy for over thirty years now and he doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

We are here today to look into the insane life of one of the most popular characters in Dragon Ball Z. From his non-canonical fusion with Piccolo, to the irrefutable evidence that he is stronger than Perfect Cell and Frieza.

Here are Twenty Crazy Facts You Never Knew About Krillin!

20 What Would A Fusion Between Piccolo & Krillin Look Like?

The concept of two characters fusing together and becoming a new being has happened a few times in Dragon Ball Z. The Namekians naturally possess the ability to do this, though it rarely happens due to the fact that it is permanent and results in one of the two beings being destroyed. The Fusion Dance offers a temporary method of fusion (which may be a little too short, depending on the threat involved), as do the Potara Earrings.

Akira Toriyama actually created a theoretical fusion of Krillin and Piccolo, called Prilin, though it originally wasn't canon. He submitted the drawing to Weekly Shonen Jump magazine to show in one of their features. Prilin would finally see a video game debut in Dragon Ball Fusions.

19 Krillin's Short-Lived Music Career

Dragon Ball Z didn't find an audience in America until the end of the '90s. The show still had fans in English-speaking countries before then, as you could buy the episodes on VHS tapes at anime conventions, which had been subtitled by devoted fans.

This may be the explanation as to how the band Voodoo Glow Skulls had heard of Krillin, as he appeared on the cover of their album Who Is, This Is? which was released in 1994.

It seems that the Voodoo Glow Skulls may have forgotten to ask for permission to use the Krillin character, as his face is obscured in the 2012 digital reissue of the album. This may be because Dragon Ball Z had become a big franchise in the west by that point.

18 He's Got A Record In Dying

When it comes to tallying up the deaths in the Dragon Ball franchise, you need to come up with two separate numbers: one for the original manga that was created by Akira Toriyama and one for the anime, which includes the spinoffs.

In terms of the Dragon Ball manga, Krillin is tied for the most deaths with Chiaotzu. Krillin was killed by Tambourine, Frieza, and Buu. Chiaotzu was killed by King Piccolo, he self-destructed while fighting Nappa, and by Buu.

Krillin takes the lead in the anime, as he was also killed by Android 17 in Dragon Ball GT.

Chiaotzu and Krillin both died again when Golden Frieza blew up Earth in Ressurection 'F', though these deaths were undone by Whis when he turned back the clock.

17 The Heir To Master Roshi's School

There was once a Dragon Ball MMO that was made available in Japan and South Korea, called Dragon Ball Online.

Dragon Ball Online is set two hundred years after the events of the manga. Gohan published a book on the subject of ki control, which led to lots of people trying to learn martial arts. This led to Krillin creating the New Turtle School (as Master Roshi was retired) in order to teach students how to fight. His school still endures to the present day, though it contends with Tien's Crane School and Goten & Trunk's Sword School.

The Dragon Ball Xenoverse games are considered to be the successors of Dragon Ball Online, as they both use a lot of the same backstory and assets.

16 Stronger Than All The Other Humans

There have been several interviews and supplemental materials associated with Dragon Ball that have confirmed that Krillin is the strongest human being alive. This is due to the fact that Tien is actually an alien hybrid.

Yamcha stopped posing a threat to Krillin a long time ago, as he had given up martial arts after the Cell Saga and found a legitimate career as a professional baseball player. Chiaotzu gave up before the Androids arrived, as he knew he could never keep up with the other characters and would just get in the way.

Tien never stopped training, which means that he would outclass Krillin in a fight. Tien technically isn't a human, as he is descended from a race of three-eyed aliens called Triclops. This is why Tien possesses unique moves, such as the ability to grow new arms. This alien heritage is what stops Tien from being classed as the most powerful human on Earth.

15 A Ringtone Full Of References

There have been numerous different English dubs of the Dragon Ball franchise, which means that each character has been voiced by several different voice actors. This isn't the case in Japan, as the same voice cast has been used since the debut of Dragon Ball. Goku's voice actress, Masako Nozawa, has been voicing him since 1986.

Krillin has been voiced by Mayumi Tanaka in Japan since 1986. She would later go on to voice the main character of the most successful anime/manga franchise of all time: One Piece. 

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' included a shout out to One Piece. Krillin's ringtone is "We Are!", which is one of the recurring intro themes used in One Piece. The fact that it's Krillin's ringtone is a reference to how his voice actor also voices Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece.

14 Does Krillin Drive A Ford?

Dragon Ball Z is a huge franchise, yet it never quite reached the level of mainstream success that would allow it to be openly loved on the same level as other nerdy series, like Game of Thrones.

It seems that the Ford Motor Company felt that Goku & his friends were the right candidates to promote two of their vehicles. In 2015, two commercials ran that crossed over Ford cars with the world of Dragon Ball Z.

One of these commercials starred Krillin. He was trying to use all three of Porunga's wishes to create the perfect car (the Ford Focus). Porunga reminds Krillin that the Ford Focus has all of the features that he wants, so he only needs to use one wish to create it.

13 A Monstrous Mobile Game

Puzzle & Dragons is one of the most successful mobile games of all time. It has been downloaded over fifty million times and it has made well over a billion dollars in profit. Puzzle & Dragons is a basic match-three game, that involves a combat element. The game is hugely popular in Japan, which has meant that some of the biggest media franchises in the country have had crossovers.

The release of Dragon Ball Kai was what inspired the initial Puzzle & Dragons crossover. Krillin was one of the characters added to the game in a 2014 update. He joined the likes of Goku, Gohan, the Ginyu Force, and Vegeta. There are several versions of Krillin that appear in the game, one of which involves him using his powerful Destructo Disc attack.

12 Racing Against Toriko

One Piece and Dragon Ball Z are probably the two biggest series ever published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The only other series that came close to their success was Naruto.

Dragon Ball once crossed over with One Piece and Toriko in an hour-long animated special. This was during the period when Toriko was being pushed hard in Japan (though not in the rest of the world, due to its creator's despicable criminal history). This special pitted the casts of all three shows together in a race.

Krillin was one of the characters who appeared in this special. He was one of the competitors in the race, though he didn't come close to victory. Goku, Monkey D. Luffy, and Toriko were the ones who took the lead, which makes sense considering they are the protagonists of their respective franchises.

11 The Shenron Inconsistency

The Dragon Balls of Earth can grant powerful wishes, which include making you immortal or bringing a loved one back from the dead. There are some limits to what Shenron can actually do, which includes not being able to revive people who died of natural causes or those who died over a year before he was summoned.

Shenron cannot grant the same wish more than once. This means that he technically cannot raise Krillin, Chiaotzu, Master Roshi, or Goku back from the dead, as he had already done so in the past.

Krillin is killed by Android 17 in Dragon Ball GT, yet Shenron is still able to revive him at the end of the story. This is despite the fact that he had already granted this wish. This inconsistency is never addressed in the story.

10 What's In A Name?

Akira Toriyama's favorite thing in the world is naming his characters after food. This has even stretched to other series he has worked on, like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger. He can't help himself.

Krillin is named after the Japanese word for chestnut (Kuri), due to the fact that his head resembles a chestnut. He later dated a girl named Maron, who is also named after a chestnut. Krillin would later have a daughter with Android 18, who is also named Marron.

Krillin did not name his daughter after his ex-girlfriend, as Maron was an invention of the anime staff who only showed up in filler episodes. They just had the chance to use another chestnut name before Akira Toriyama had a chance to do it himself.

9 A Boring Protagonist, With An Interesting Sidekick

Akira Toriyama has admitted on many occasions that he was making up the story of Dragon Ball as he went along. This is why the series starts out as a parody of Journey to the West, before abandoning those elements and becoming a battle manga.

As Dragon Ball became more popular, the shortcomings of the early chapters became more apparent. The most obvious of these involves how boring Goku is as a protagonist. It is for this reason that Toriyama's editor asked him to create a new character that would compliment Goku and add some intrigue to the series. This led to the creation of Krillin. The design idea behind Krillin was that he was somehow who was mischevious and would use dirty tricks, but he was also someone who matched Goku in physical ability.

The negative elements of Krillin's character were ironed out over time and he became as just and honorable as everyone else.

8 What A Sellout

Dragon Ball became a massively popular series in Japan. This led to it becoming a merchandise making machine. Dragon Ball would soon be turned into video games and action figures, with its characters appearing on t-shirts and mugs.

The characters from Dragon Ball would also start appearing in commercials. This has happened way more in Japan than in the west, as the Ford commercial mentioned above is one of the only major examples of it happening in America.

One of the most unusual products shilled by the Dragon Ball cast is eye drops. Krillin, Gohan, and Oolong appeared in a commercial for eye drops that are supposed to be used by kids after they jump into a pool. Goten, Trunks, and the teen version of Gohan would appear in a later commercial for the same product.

7 The Return Of His Music Career

It's not unusual for a popular anime or video game series to receive audio dramas in Japan. These are usually mini-episodes that feature the voice over cast performing new content that is released on CD. These can sometimes include songs performed by the voice actors, while still in character.

Dragon Ball Z had several soundtrack albums released over the course of the franchise's history. One of these soundtrack CDs was called Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection 8, which featured songs from the main characters of the show. These include songs from characters like Vegeta, Tien, Piccolo, and Bulma.

Krillin had a song on this CD, called "The I-Want-To-Get-Married-For-Once-Mambo". This song was released long before Android 18 appeared in the story.

6 Teaching The Kids About Safety

The cast of Dragon Ball was so popular that they were chosen to appear in road safety and fire safety videos that were intended to teach kids about how to deal with crossing the road and what to do in case of a fire.

Krillin and Master Roshi appeared in Goku's Traffic Safety. They are both traveling to Bulma's house for dinner and manage to get lost in the city. They witness a kid almost getting hit by a car, before asking a Traffic Officer (who looks like Launch) for directions.

Krillin also appeared in Goku's Fire Brigade. He is a volunteer fireman, along with Yamcha, Master Roshi, and Goku. They help to put out a blaze using water (instead of with a Kamehameha like Roshi did in the manga) and teach kids about the various ways a fire can start.

5 Dragon Ball Meets One Piece

Eiichiro Oda has cited Akira Toriyama and Dragon Ball as the main inspiration behind One Piece. The two of them became friends in real life, which has since led to several crossovers between the worlds of Dragon Ball and One Piece.

One of the first major crossovers between Dragon Ball and One Piece was called Cross Epoch. This was a one-off manga collaboration that showed a world where Hercule used the Dragon Balls to make him a king. We are then treated to short scenes of Dragon Ball and One Piece characters hanging out as they travel to a tea party that is being hosted by Hercule.

In Cross Epoch, Krillin is seen hanging out with Tony Tony Chopper, who is usually the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. They are both the conductors of a massive rollercoaster that travels over the sea. They help Piccolo and Roronoa Zoro get to the tea party.

4 For The Cell And Krillin Shippers...

Cell is shown to possess the ability to absorb people into his body using his tail. He only ever uses this ability on Android 17 and Android 18, as he needed their bodies to help complete his programming and allow him to become perfect.

We never see Cell use his tail absorption ability on anyone else. It might be because his body is already made up of the genetic material of all of the important characters in the series.

In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, there is a scenario where Cell has a nightmare while he waits for the Cell Games to begin. In his nightmare, he accidentally absorbs Krillin instead of Android 18. This turns Cell into a creature called Cellin, who is far weaker than his base form and now has Krillin's color scheme.

3 Why He Doesn't Have A Nose

The earlier Dragon Ball sagas were a lot more light-hearted and comedic than the later storylines. This darker turn began with the death of Krillin, as the King Piccolo Saga started killing off characters left and right. The storylines that happened before this didn't take themselves as seriously.

One example of an early Dragon Ball joke happens in the battle between Krillin and Bacterian. Krillin is overpowered by Bacterian's horrible stench until it is pointed out that he hasn't been drawn with a nose. Krillin is then able to defeat Bacterian, as the bad smell no longer affects him.

Akira Toriyama later confirmed that Krillin can breathe through his skin (like Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V), which is why he doesn't need a nose.

2 An Offscreen Marriage

We never learn the details about how Krillin was able to seduce Android 18. He saved her life after the Cell Games and she ran off. The next time we see them they are a couple who have a daughter. It seems that Krillin schlong is all that it takes to stop a lady from becoming an omnicidal maniac.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods was originally going to take place during Krillin and Android 18's wedding. Beerus was going to show up and disrupt the ceremony (like a Dragon Ball version of the ending of The Graduate).

Akira Toriyama was the one who changed these plans. He preferred to have the fans imagine what Krillin and Android 18's wedding looked like, so the movie was changed so that it took place during Bulma's birthday party.

1 Stronger Than Some Of The Best

We have already explained that Krillin is the strongest human alive, but did you know that he is also more powerful than Frieza and Perfect Cell?

The Dragon Ball Z filler episodes are to blame for this conclusion. It all started after Goku traveled to the afterlife after being killed by Perfect Cell. The anime added new characters, which included a powerful human from Earth's history, called Olibu. We get to see Olibu fighting on an even footing against Pikkon, who later defeats Perfect Cell and Frieza in Hell.

Olibu reappears during some filler episodes in the Majin Buu Saga. Yamcha easily defeats Olibu and one of his friends. We already know that Krillin is stronger than Yamcha (because he never totally gave up his training), which means that he is also a lot stronger than Olibu, which means that he is stronger than Pikkon, who was the person capable of easily defeating Perfect Cell and Frieza.