Kuririn

Kuririn (Japanese: クリリン), spelled Krillin in Funimation's English anime dub, is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is introduced in chapter #25 A Rival? Arrival!! (ライバル？参上!!, Raibaru? Sanjō!!), first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on June 3, 1985, as Goku's fellow martial arts student under Kame-Sen'nin. As the series progresses, Kuririn becomes Goku's closest ally and best friend and is often depicted as the comic relief.

Design and appearance

Toriyama originally created Kuririn along with the Tenka'ichi Budōkai as a method to help add depth to the story, as his editor Kazuhiko Torishima had stated that the series' protagonist, Goku, was too plain.

Kuririn's appearance stays relatively the same for the majority of the series. He is first introduced at age 13, with a shaved head and still dressed in the yellow-and-orange clothing worn at the monastery at which he had been training. He does not possess a visible nose, and has six spots of moxibustion burns on his forehead, a reference to the practice of Shaolin monks. Toriyama once stated, seemingly humorously, that Kuririn's lack of a nose is because he has a "physical idiosyncrasy" that allows him to breathe through the pores of his skin. Later, he wears the orange gi uniform that is presented to both himself and Goku by Kame-Sen'nin in honor of their first martial arts competition. Occasionally he is seen in casual clothes, but for the most part continues to dress for training or fighting at all times. During the Freeza arc, he wears Saiyan armor provided by Vegeta, but during the Cell arc he returns to wearing the orange gi, accompanied by a blue short-sleeved undershirt and boots. After the defeat of Cell, Kuririn stops shaving his head, and grows his black hair out. When he settles down with his family, Kuririn is shown wearing a workout outfit consisting of a red T-shirt and brown drawstring pants.