Summary

• Krillin is the Heart of the Z Fighters, providing ties back to Earth and keeping things grounded.
• Krillin, a normal human among powerful beings, is brave, family-oriented, and relatable.
• Despite his lack of power, Krillin's courage, humor, and love make him a vital character in Dragon Ball.

Dragon Ball can get pretty wild and crazy sometimes, but there's one character who helps keep the story centered and emotionally relevant: Krillin. Krillin may be the last character one would expect to be so important, but particularly in earlier series, it's Krillin whose actions drive Goku to ever greater heights.

Krillin stands out among the major Z Fighters for a rather surprising reason: he's the only normal human among the group. Between Androids and Saiyans and the immortal Master Roshi, it's really just Krillin who represents humans from Earth, especially once Yamcha steps back from fighting. That puts Krillin at a massive disadvantage compared to many of his compatriots, and yet he never backs down, even when faced with enemies like Frieza, whose power absolutely dwarfs his own.

While Krillin's utility in a fight can vary a lot, he plays an important role in the group: he acts as their heart, the moral conscience of Dragon Ball's warriors.

Krillin is the Heart of the Z Fighters

Krillin was originally a sneaky, jealous person, envious of Goku's ability and the attention he receives. However, he grows a lot over the years and overcomes this. Going all the way back to Dragon Ball, Krillin has been Goku's closest friend, there almost every step of the way. Krillin has faced unimaginable monsters over the years, but he always does so with great courage. While characters like Goku can face any challenge without real fear, Krillin is often shown to be afraid of the situation, yet he stands tall alongside his friends, ready to face whatever danger may lie ahead.

This is all in spite of the fact that, as a human, Krillin doesn't have access to crazy transformations or the Saiyan's innate ability to grow stronger when close to death. Krillin may seem weak compared to his friends, but he's arguably the bravest of them all, standing up to his fear and even nobly sacrificing himself for the sake of others. Krillin has more of a sense of humor than most of his friends, too, willing to crack jokes about the absurdity of a situation, which helps the series as a whole to stay grounded.

Krillin is also more of a family man than any of his fellow warriors, having actually retired from fighting for some time to help raise his daughter, Marron. This gives Krillin a lot more to protect than some of the other Z Fighters have, even among those who have families of their own. Protecting his family is Krillin's main motivation for going back to his warrior ways, and he's willing to do just about anything for his daughter to see her happy.

While most Dragon Ball characters have died and been revived at some point, Krillin is the one who's died the most. This is in part due to his more fragile nature as a human, but it's just as much because Krillin doesn't hesitate to go into dangerous situations. Krillin's courage, his wise-cracking personality, and strong emotional connections to his family ensure that he's one of the most relatable characters in the series, and that's what makes him the true heart of Dragon Ball.

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