Earth's most powerful human, Krillin, has captivated audiences for years with an array of trademark techniques and an enthralling love life, and still, fans find themselves questioning the origins of the original bald Z-fighter. Even though Akira Toriyama has done an excellent job defining the human warrior's character, the Dragon Ball creator continues to leave nothing more than clues regarding the identity of Krillin's parents.
Although the world's most impressive short-king has played a consistent and integral role throughout the Dragon Ball franchise, little has been confirmed about Krillin's life before meeting Goku and Master Roshi. Yet, through small nods and tidbits, Toriyama and Toei have been able to piece together a picture of Krillin's past that hints at his true parentage.
Krillin as a Narrative Tool
While some Western fans might not be aware, Krillin was the only member of the original Z-fighters who was not introduced as an antagonistic force towards Goku. Beginning in Dragon Ball Chapter 25, Toriyama developed Krillin to serve as an early foil to Goku's character and, to that end constructed that character as a comparable opposite to the young Saiyan.
In order to differentiate Goku's defining traits, Toriyama created a character with a similar background and similar narrative motivations, i.e. a child with years of experience and a desire to improve. This allowed the mangaka to highlight the areas in which the two characters differ, best epitomized by a gag in which Krillin was able to appease Master Roshi's crude requests while Goku was left utterly clueless.
By analyzing Toriyama's utilization of Krillin as a narrative tool in early Dragon Ball, audiences are provided more insight into the mangaka's intentions for the character's origins. From a narrative stance, while Krillin juxtaposes Goku's lovable character with his own wit and mischievousness, it makes sense that the two would share a similar background, meaning that Toriyama likely intended for the bald fighter to be an orphan of sorts to mirror his counterpart.
Krillin Before Kame House
Despite the lingering question marks floating around Krillin's past before encountering Goku, Toriyama and his team have actually filled in quite a few blanks surrounding the chestnut warrior's past. Although readers were not introduced to the character until his timely arrival at Kame House, Toriyama has illustrated Krillin's early childhood spent in a notable monastery.
Like Goku who spent his early years training under Grandpa Gohan, a young Krillin spent his time training with his sect of what seem to be Mahāyāna Buddhists. Mahāyāna Buddhists typically accept children around the age of seven, although children as young as five have been known to join monasteries, making it likely that the young monk was placed in the monastery's care at an extremely young age due to his parent's either being incapacitated or otherwise unable to care for their child.
The "World Martial Arts Tournament" arc highlighted Krillin's history at the monastery by reuniting him with two unsavory elder monks, further indicating that the Turtle School student's time at the monastery was the result of his parents' unfortunate circumstances. It's worth noting that during the following tournament, the anime's Episode 85, Krillin makes a comment about his parents being "six feet tall" when Chiatozu makes fun of his height, hinting that he was intended to have had parents.
Krillin's Physical Traits
The most obvious signs of Krillin's parentage obviously come from the physical traits he would have inherited from the mysterious pair. Krillin's shortness throughout the series is undoubtedly a trait passed down from his parents, i.e. it would be unlikely for either of his parents to have been hulking, meaning Broly can be taken off the list of possibilities. Moreover, Toriyama tangentially confirmed that Krillin's trademark "noseless-ness" is in fact a recessive genetic trait by illustrating that "End of Z" saga Marron. Krillin's daughter, inherited a weakened set of her father's nose genes, not growing her own nose until her pubescent years. It is a near certainty that one, or both, of Krillin's parents, shared the recessive "noseless" trait and it's possible there may even be a larger group of noseless Earthlings somewhere.
Krillin's most identifying physical trait, his massive power level, has led fans to wonder whether the fighter's parents may also have been Martial Artists, perhaps dying in combat leading to Krillin's early life as a monk. If human genealogy works anything like a Saiyan's within Dragon Ball, then it would make complete sense that Krillin's parents would have had an above-average level of fighting capability as their child would go on to become the strongest Earthling on the planet.
The exact origins of Goku's best friend may still be obscured in mystery, yet Toriyama and Toei have provided enough evidence for the audience to piece together the story of Krillin's parents, i.e. powerful Earthlings and possible descendants of the noseless race who met with unfortunate circumstances. Based on what is known regarding the character, it is even possible for the dark-haired, powerful and squat Master Roshi to have been involved with Krillin's siring.
