People just don't get Krillin from Dragon Ball. These are the things that fans always get wrong.

1. Krillin Is Goku’s First Rival

Given that he is the first martial artist Goku actually fights in the story, many consider Yamcha to be Goku’s first rival. In many respects, Yamcha does tick off most of the rivalry boxes. He’s relatively evenly matched with Goku in their first appearance and he has a clear interest in martial arts.

That said, Yamcha does not fulfill the most important aspect of any given rivalry: the rivalry itself. He does not compete with Goku. Yamcha does not actively want to be better than Goku. Their dynamic does not influence each other. With Krillin, the two immediately force the other to grow and adapt in order to surpass the other.

2. Krillin Didn’t Start As A Villain

Considering that Yamcha, Tien, Chaozu, Piccolo, and Vegeta all begin as villains, Krilin naturally gets lumped in with the rest of the gang. In his very first appearance, Krillin is admittedly quite antagonistic towards Goku, but he never actually goes out of his way to be outright villainous.

At worst, Krillin is rude, but not devious. He isn’t a bandit, an assassin, or a demon king bent on world domination. He’s just a crass young man who wants to become a martial artist to pick up girls. That in itself doesn’t last long either as Goku influences Krillin to pursue the craft with some sincerity.

3. Krilling is really the "busiest" person in the Namek arc

Vegeta and Gohan tend to get most of the credit during the first half of the Namek arc, in large part due to them being our focal point Saiyans while Goku is out of commission. When it comes down to it, though, Krillin is the real driving force on Namek. At least for the first half. He’s the one who first finds Saichoro; he’s the one who keeps Gohan save from the Freeza Forces; and he’s the one who comes up with the very plan to go to Namek. The Namek arc is Krillin at his best.

4. Krillin Wasn’t The Strongest Earthling Until Namek

Nowadays, with constant interviews from Akira Toriyama and in-text evidence from Yamcha in the Buu arc, there’s really no debate over whether or not Krillin is the strongest Earthling alive. Fans obviously do still debate it, but the series already has an obvious answer. It didn’t begin so obviously, though.

It’s only after Namek where Krillin finally gets a lead over Tien. Prior, Tien was always the stronger of the two, even acting as the series’ deuteragonist from the 22nd Budokai up to the end of the 23rd. Once Krillin got his potential unlocked, though, Tien never found the chance to catch up as Krillin just rocketed ahead.

5. Krillin Wasn’t The Weakest Member Of Universe 7 In The Top

On the subject of the Tournament of Power, it’s worth mentioning Krillin’s incredibly early elimination. For several episodes, the ToP goes by without eliminating another member of Universe 7, giving the impression that Krillin is weaker than the rest. As is the case with the SSB situation, this is a matter of context getting overlooked.

Krillin’s elimination doesn’t happen because he’s weak, it happens because Frost sneak attacks him. It’s an elimination that could have happened to anyone. Even then, Krillin puts up a much better fight than Tien, the second member to get eliminated. Elimination order has nothing at all to do with strength. Otherwise 17 wouldn’t have won.

6. Krillin Was The First Character To Make Piccolo Sweat

Quite interestingly, the first character to give the newly reincarnated Piccolo Junior a challenge wasn’t Son Goku, but his best friend, Krillin. Krillin is the first opponent Majunior fights during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, and Piccolo does not have as easy a time as he was expecting.

While Krillin ultimately loses, he does push Piccolo back considerably, outwitting him with his own clever techniques and dealing a fair bit of damage. Piccolo even comments how, after fighting Krillin specifically, his pursuit for world domination will be much harder than he initially imagined.

7. Krillin Doesn’t Lose His Life All That Often

One of the most prominent running jokes within the fandom is that Krillin struggles to stay alive way more than any other character. Just looking at the series as a whole, Krillin loses his life to Tambourine; gets blown up by Freeza; gets eaten by Buu; and gets dusted by Super Android 17.

That’s four times, one of which is from a non-canon series. That means Krillin loses his life a total of three times in the series. Where the first two are a big deal, the last isn’t. You know who else loses their life twice? Goku! And Piccolo! And Vegeta! Really, most of the cast. Krillin isn’t that special in this regard.

8. Krillin And Android 18 Have One Of The Healthier Relationships

For a series with more than a few romances, and there are surprisingly quite a few considering Akira Toriyama’s apparent disdain for writing romance, Krillin and 18’s ends up perhaps the healthiest of the bunch other than Videl’s and Gohan’s. The two clearly love and support one another in a way that enables the other to continue doing what they love.

Despite becoming a wife, 18 doesn’t fall into the same trap as other spouses in the series, maintaining both her relevance and aptitude as a martial artist after the fact. This is seen clearly in the Tournament of Power and her supportive dynamic with Krillin clearly indicates why.

9. Krillin Is An Incredibly Skilled Martial Artist

With such a heavy emphasis on Saiyans, Namekians, aliens, and Androids, it can be easy to overlook the Earthlings. As the power scale increases with the introduction of scouters, transformations, and heavier Ki attacks, characters like Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien naturally get swept to the sideline of conversation.

Which is a shame as these new conventions don’t actually diminish the value of characters like Krillin. Even in a world with Super Saiyans and Genki Damas and Gods of Destruction, Krillin is still an incredibly skilled martial artist. He knows how to fight, he’s clever in battle, and he manipulates Ki arguably better than most of the cast.

10. Krillin Is The Bravest Character

Krillin is one of the most human and relatable characters in the series in large part due to the fact that he wears his insecurities on his sleeve. Krillin is not shy about mentioning when something is bothering him or when he’s scared. In fact, he deeply laments the fact that Goku needs help against Raditz, but still resigns himself to fight. That isn’t cowardice. It’s bravery. He still would have fought Raditz if Piccolo didn't show up.

Krillin is the kind of character who will actively feel fear, but won’t let said fear overwhelm him. Krillin takes on Freeza by himself, luring him away from the action to buy his companions a moment to breathe; he lunges at Cell even though he knows he won’t be able to do anything; and he stands up to Buu, albeit briefly. Krillin is the bravest character in the series because he actually feels fear and doesn’t let it define him.