Dragon Ball 10 Ways Krillin Ruined His Likability

Krillin has been around for a long time. While he's become a fan-favorite over the years, he's certainly racked up a fair share of unlikeable moments.

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has been at the forefront of the shonen genre since the 1980s and it remains one of the most popular anime series of all time. Dragon Ball has carefully retained its core values, but each new series in the saga introduces important changes that have helped the anime series evolve with modern sensibilities and continue to be relevant.

There are dozens of important characters that dominate Dragon Ball, but some of the most crucial figures are the ones who have been around since the very start. Goku has made some valuable friends over the years, but his relationship with Krillin is paramount to his growth as a fighter. Krillin is a Dragon Ball staple, but that doesn’t mean that he’s always in the right, or even especially likable at certain moments.

10 He Cheats His Way Into Master Roshi’s Turtle School

One of the benefits of Dragon Ball’s lengthy run of episodes is that it actually allows its characters to grow up and mature over time. Krillin turns into quite the honorable hero, but his introduction in the original Dragon Ball presents a much more unscrupulous version of the character from his youth. Krillin enters the series as a rival of sorts to Goku as they both compete for Master Roshi’s attention and admission into his Turtle School of Martial Arts. Krillin stoops to low tactics, like bribing Roshi and appealing to his baser instincts, whereas Goku puts in the work.

9 His Inaction During The Android Invasion

It’s one thing to not be present in a battle, but it’s a lot more regrettable to be along the sidelines and just helpless while others are in need. Krillin does strong work on Planet Namek and he even does what he can during the Cell Games, but he’s completely passive during the initial Android invasion. Admittedly, there is a slew of Super Saiyans that suddenly enter the picture, but it’s brutal that he’s present to watch his friends fail and that he never attempts to step up and help.

8 He Needs To Be Repeatedly Be Revived By The Dragon Balls

Battle is a constant presence in Dragon Ball, and there’s absolutely no shame in defeat. Even the series’ strongest characters have perished, only to receive another chance thanks to the restorative powers of the Dragon Balls.

However, Krillin is a character who’s died more often than others, and he’s someone who often requires a Dragon Ball wish that could perhaps be used on something more useful or beneficial to the Earth as a whole. Krillin tries his best, and he’s not begrudged for his deaths, but it’s just frustrating that he often needs to get bailed out this way.

7 His Questionable Motivation For Getting Into Martial Arts

Krillin has come a long way from his more rambunctious nature that defined his youth, and the fact that he’s been able to turn himself into one of Earth’s strongest humans is what’s most important. Nevertheless, the original Dragon Ball explains that Krillin’s motivations to become a fighter are purely based on wanting to impress women and grow more popular with the ultimate sex. It’s a juvenile, empty reason to take up martial arts that makes it easy to initially resent Krillin, but he’s able to turn his pursuit into something positive.

6 He Abruptly Ends His Engagement With Maron

Dragon Ball’s priorities remain focused on fighting and action, but there are still some tender romances that blossom throughout the series. Dragon Ball tends to show the end result of these relationships rather than the courting process, but Krillin is an exception, and he gets his dating life detailed in some of the anime’s filler. Everyone is shocked when Krillin shows up with his girlfriend Maron, especially when it’s revealed that he plans to propose to her. Krillin apparently gets too lost in his head because he abruptly changes his mind and ends the entire relationship with just as little notice.

5 His Callousness To Vegeta After Future Trunks Dies

It’s deeply rewarding to watch Vegeta’s character development, and the arrival of Future Trunks, his son, triggers some important changes. Vegeta allows himself to open up, and his bonding with this time-displaced version of his son is genuinely sweet. This only makes Cell’s surprising execution of Future Trunks hit even harder.

Vegeta understandably rages over this, which Krillin strangely gives him grief over. Krillin has his baggage with Vegeta, but even he should be able to understand what Vegeta loses at this moment. He’s totally in the right here and Krillin deserves to back off.

4 He Trades Martial Arts For A Family

During the course of the long Dragon Ball series, Krillin is one individual who decides to eventually settle down. Krillin absolutely deserves this option, and, in some ways, his decision to slow down, focus on his family, and have an easy life as a police officer makes the most sense for him. That being said, people watch Dragon Ball for its action, so it comes as a major disappointment when Krillin decides to bench himself. Dragon Ball Super does reignite his fighting spirit, but he’s a character with long periods of inactivity.

3 He Requires Goku's Help To Get His Groove Back For The Tournament Of Power

The Tournament of Power is one of the bigger events that consumes Dragon Ball Super and there’s a great deal of importance placed on the ten members that are chosen to represent Universe 7. Human representation on the team is sparse, but Krillin happens to make the cut. Krillin is woefully underprepared for the competition, so Goku spends a lot of time sparring with Krillin and helping him overcome his fears. It’s nice that Krillin does regain his rhythm, but this is time that Goku could have spent improving his own strength.

2 He Destroys The Androids’ Kill Switch And Wishes For Their Explosives To Be Removed

A threatening detail about Dr. Gero’s Androids is that they have explosive devices inside of them that can be set off through a device, or as a failsafe maneuver. Krillin takes it upon himself to not just destroy the remote but also turns to Shenron to remove the explosives from inside the Androids. Android 18 and 17 eventually become allies, but Krillin has no idea about this at the time and it’s a deeply reckless decision in the moment. It seems obvious that his interest in Android 18 dangerously clouds his judgment here.

1 He Names His Daughter After An Ex

While there’s no official confirmation that Krillin and Android 18’s daughter, Marron, is actually named after Krillin’s ex-girlfriend, it’s hard to deny when their names are that similar. It would be the oddest coincidence of all time if there were no relation between these two names. Maron is before Android 18’s time, so it’s likely she has no idea about her existence. Krillin is satisfied with Android 18, and it’s not like this is a situation where he secretly pines for his ex, but it’s still a very strange, head-scratching detail.