Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is celebrated for many different reasons, but it wouldn’t be nearly as popular without the right cast of characters who valiantly uphold heroic ideals. Krillin is one of the first Dragon Ball characters to be introduced, and his combative arrival helps usher in more action-oriented storytelling. Many of Dragon Ball’s human characters — as powerful as they may be — have struggled to stay relevant and hold their own against growing Saiyan strength. Nevertheless, Krillin continues to be front and center in battle regardless of the opponent.

Unfortunately, death is par for the course in a heightened action series like Dragon Ball, especially when there are powerful relics that can bring people back to life. This means that the majority of Dragon Ball’s characters have died on multiple occasions, and Krillin is certainly no exception. Krillin’s first death is one of the original Dragon Ball’s biggest moments, but overall, he’s died more than the standard Dragon Ball character.

1

Krillin’s First Death Becomes A Major Dragon Ball Milestone

Krillin’s Murder Pushes Goku Down A Dark Path

In the original Dragon Ball, Goku is hot on the heels of coming in second at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, so he prepares to celebrate with his old allies and new friends, Tien and Chiaotzu. However, Goku realizes that he forgot his Power Pole, and during his trek back to retrieve it, he makes a tragic, surprising discovery. Goku stumbles upon Krillin’s dead body, which comes completely out of nowhere, but also brilliantly pushes Dragon Ball into its next major story arc, the King Piccolo Saga.

Tambourine’s murder of Krillin is so chilling here because it happens off-screen and is left obscured in shadows. Although Krillin’s death here isn’t Dragon Ball’s first major casualty, he is still the first main character to die. Krillin’s death prompts a violent response from Goku that leads to impulsive, reckless behavior that almost gets him killed, and Goku’s relationship with these darker feelings becomes a big part of his character development during the King Piccolo Saga.

Krillin’s death is part of King Piccolo’s intelligent plan to assassinate all the World Tournament’s strongest fighters so that his tyrannical actions can go unchecked. Goku is eventually able to get vengeance for Krillin’s death when he kills Tambourine, but he also wipes out other Dark Vassals, like Drum. Krillin’s death means that he’s largely absent through the King Piccolo Saga, but his connection to Goku is clearer than ever.

2

Krillin’s Fatality By Frieza Triggers A Cathartic Catalyst In Goku

Krillin’s Death On Namek Brings Forward Complicated Feelings In Goku

The original Dragon Ball features its share of casualties, but Dragon Ball Z really hits the ground running with unprecedented losses. Krillin is one of the few heroes to make it out of the Saiyan Saga alive (although he “dies” in the simulated reality experiment from the filler-only Pendulum Room), which puts him in a central role when a mission to Namek is charted so that they can obtain the planet’s Dragon Balls.

Krillin proves himself during the Frieza Saga, and he holds his own against not only the Ginyu Force, but also the first few of Frieza’s forms before Goku takes over. Goku’s confidence against Frieza inspires him to tell Gohan and Krillin to leave the planet while they still can, but Frieza, who previously killed Vegeta and delivered a near-fatal blow to Piccolo, takes his frustration out on the rest of Goku’s loved ones.

Frieza uses his Death Psycho Bomb — a psychic attack that causes Krillin to implode in a brutal explosion — to take out Goku’s best friend. Krillin’s death becomes the catalyst for Goku’s inaugural Super Saiyan transformation, which remains one of Dragon Ball Z’s most triumphant moments. It’s devastating to see Krillin die a second time, but it’s at least a death that is appropriately heavy and leaves an irrevocable impact on Dragon Ball.

3

Krillin’s Future Counterpart Becomes One Of The Androids’ Many Casualties

Future Krillin Meets A Grim Finish

During Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Saga, Future Trunks travels through time in order to prevent the prime timeline’s heroes from a similar dark fate where Earth has lost all of its greatest heroes. Future Trunks is eventually able to grow stronger during his Cell Games training and return home to liberate his timeline. However, Future Trunks doesn’t shy away from the fact that his world has become a punishing hellscape because of Future Androids 17 and 18’s rule.

Future Trunks’ timeline loses Goku to natural causes, so he can’t be revived with the Dragon Balls. Eventually, nobody can be revived once the Androids take out Future Piccolo. Future Krillin is no exception, and this is technically another time that Krillin gets killed, even if it’s a version of him from an alternate timeline.

In Dragon Ball Z’s standard anime, Future Krillin is killed by Future Android 17, who takes him out on his own with a deadly Photon Flash attack. However, Dragon Ball Z’s The History of Trunks TV Special features a scene where both Future Androids 17 and 18 kill Future Krillin with Finger Beams. The latter of these deaths is a little less dignified, but they both ultimately have the same results. It’s also somewhat ironic that Krillin and Android 18 start a family together in Dragon Ball Z’s prime timeline, whereas Future Android 18 is responsible for Future Krillin’s death in an alternate series of events.

4

Krillin Gets Turned Into A Pre-Battle Snack By Super Buu

Dragon Ball Z, Episode 260, “Feeding Frenzy”

Dragon Ball has featured its share of dangerous villains, but Majin Buu represents a whole new tier of terror and he causes unprecedented peril on the planet. The heroes struggle to figure out the best means of recourse to retaliate against Buu, whether it’s fusion, Super Saiyan 3 power, or Gohan’s new Ultimate upgrade.

Krillin hasn’t completely turned his back on martial arts by the events of Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga. He still participates in the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, for instance, but he fails to contribute much to the more pressing matters against the many Majin minions. Krillin is petrified to stone by Dabura, but it doesn’t take him very long to suffer an even more embarrassing defeat. Super Buu, as a form of punishment for the heroes’ insolence and his corresponding impatience, begins to turn many of the Z-Fighters into food.

Krillin and the rest of his family are turned into chocolate bars, feeding Super Buu’s sinister sweet tooth alongside the rest of the Lookout Tower’s bystanders. Krillin’s chocolate transformation is a rough way to go, but it’s likely that he would have faced death, one way or another, during Buu’s reign of terror. Krillin happens to survive Super Buu’s Human Extinction Attack and Kid Buu’s Planet Burst maneuver because he’s already dead at the time. Thankfully, these tragedies are all reversed with the Dragon Balls, but it’s a particularly frightening period for Earth.

5

Krillin’s Death Becomes An Emotional Warning Shot In Dragon Ball GT

Dragon Ball GT’s Super 17 Saga Once Again Turns Krillin Into A Casualty

Dragon Ball GT is rich in nostalgic fan service, which is particularly heavy during the Super 17 Saga. Not only does this story arc mark the return of Dr. Gero, Android 17, Frieza, and Cell, but a dimensional rift between Hell and Earth leads to dozens of former foes waging war on Earth. During this conflict, Hell Fighter 17 brainwashes Android 17, forcing him to sadistically kill Krillin.

Krillin’s death in Dragon Ball GT is especially melancholy because he’s just an elderly man who is out with his family. He’s not a hero who is trying to save the world at this moment. He just gets caught up in the crossfire. Krillin’s death is forced to linger until the end of the series because the Dragon Balls being compromised take them out of commission until the Shadow Dragon Saga’s conclusion. Krillin’s death may feel unnecessarily cruel, but it at least motivates Android 18 to regain her fighting spirit and give her all against Super 17. Her cooperation is essential to Goku’s success against this deadly machine. Krillin and Goku have a very sweet moment of reflection in Dragon Ball GT’s final episode before Goku crosses over to the other side.

Krillin technically dies one more time in Dragon Ball GT when the anime turns the clock forward a full century, but this also applies to every other character besides Pan. No one would expect Krillin to be alive at this point in Dragon Ball’s timeline, but it’s still another point in the series where life moves on, and he’s not around. Krillin has been careful and fortunate enough to not suffer any major casualties in Dragon Ball Super — although Universe 7’s failure in the Tournament of Power would have certainly counted — which will hopefully carry through until the series’ end. Krillin has perished enough times at this point to get a permanent death pass.