KURIRIN
Home Planet: Earth
Race: Human
Fusions: None
Appearances: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT

Kuririn; the short, dwarfish, monk with six dots in two columns tatoo'ed across his forehead whose most commonly teased for his height and his baldness. Despite the disfiguring characteristic of being nose-less, Kuririn is, in fact, a human, and quite an amazing human at that. Sure, he has trouble keeping up with the alien warriors, but he's argueably the strongest warrior of human origin (some people say Tenshinhan, some people say Kuririn, the conflict will NEVER be resolved....).

Kuririn was introduced when he trained under Kamesennin's teachings with Goku for the 21st Tenkachi Boudakai. However, Kuririn and Goku didn't quite....hit it off. While Goku mainly ignorantly and blissfully played around with Kuririn, Kuririn considered Goku a serious opponent and was always in constant competition with the Saiya-jin child, whether or not the contest was staged in his mind or on the grounds of reality.

Kuririn is a former monk of the Many Trees Temple, which is pretty much the only explanation I can personally come up with for the six dots that decorate his forehead. At the beginning, he tries to hold onto his religious customs, giving prayers every now and then to Buddha, but eventually "deserts" these accustoms as we don't see him act very monkish (Did I just make up a word? I think I did....).

Kuririn is obviously very interested in the opposite sex. Despite constant self-insults he bombards himself with over this subject, he seems to be more knowledgable about women than he's giving himself credit for.

After the Boudakai, Kuririn joins Goku and his friends on their hunt for the mystical Dragon Balls, battling against the Red Ribbon Army. Goku and Kuririn form a strong friendship with each other, even though they argue, always in good nature, every once in a while, mainly over little things such as height (at this time Kuririn and Goku were at the same general height).

After the 22nd Tenkachi Boudakai, in which Kuririn defeats Chaou-zu, only to later be defeated by Goku, Kuririn is murdered by a minion of the Demon King, Piccolo. This drove Goku into a rage, and he rushed after Kuririn's assassin, determined to avenge his fallen friend. Goku ultimately succeeds in ressuscitating Kuririn, but the two don't meet for about three years, due to Goku's heavenly training with Kamisama.

However, by the 23rd Boudakai (In which Kuririn loses to Ma Junior [Piccolo], currently unaware that he is the offspring of his ex-assassin), Goku has grown considerably while Kuririn has stayed at the same general height. This is where Kuririn finally accepts that Goku is taller than him, but still refuses to let Goku believe he is the strongest of the two.

After the 23rd Boudakai, Kuririn starts to slowly lose his importance as a warrior. Sure, he fights aside Gohan, Piccolo, Tenshinhan, Chaou-zu, Yamucha, and Goku against the Saiya-jins, but he mainly just gets beaten around. However, you can always count on Kuririn for good comic relief.

After the Saiya-jin fight, our heroes are objected to another problem - the ressurrection of their recently perished friends. Due to Piccolo's death, the Dragon Balls have become inactive. However, thankfully, our dwarfish friend Kuririn is still around, and ever-so-crafty enough to formulate the concept of getting Dragon Balls from Namek after hearing Vegeta and Nappa discuss the subject.

Kuririn, Gohan, and Bulma soon leave for Namek in a space ship. The learn from a spaceship filled with orphaned children of an evil tyrant by the name of Freeza.

However, upon ariving on Namek, they realize the trouble they're in when Vegeta arrives, in addition the other massively powerful being, Freeza. Kuririn doesn't measure up in terms of brute power to these foes and he, Gohan, and Bulma are forced to hide in order to save their skin.

However, after witnessing Freeza and his henchmen brutally murder a village of Namek-sei-jins, Kuririn and Gohan make their presence on the planet, as well as in the three-way race for the Namek Dragon Balls, known when they step in and save a Namek-sei-jin child by the name of Dende.

Dende and Kuririn then go off to see Saichoro, the eldest Namek-sei-jin. On the way there, Kuririn accumulates the odds of his survival in the situation. He glumly thinks to himself as he follows Dende, "I never even met a girl...."

After getting a massive power up and a Dragon Ball, then losing the Dragon Ball, only to recover another one when Gohan returns, Kuririn and Gohan set off to reveal Gohan's hidden powers. However, they meet Vegeta on the way and the three form an uneasy alliance to ultimately defeat the common enemy - Freeza.

After the trio battles with (and loses to) the Ginyu Force, Goku arrives and saves them. Kuririn goes with Gohan to make a wish with the Dragon Balls. After eventually defeating the Ginyu Force, Kuririn and Gohan are able to wish Piccolo back to life, thanks to Namek dragon, Porunga. However, their party is soon crashed when Freeza arrives. Vegeta is able to protect them long enough to live through Freeza's first transformation. However, Freeza impales Kuririn on a horn in his second form and then flings the lifeless monk into the waters below. Alas, the group soon learns of the young Dende's healing powers when he revives Kuririn from his mortal wounds.

However, Kuririn doesn't get much more than cutting off Freeza's tail done after this, and basically takes a seat on the side-lines as he watches Piccolo, Vegeta, and eventually Goku battle Freeza.

After Freeza is severely angered by Goku's Genki Dama, Kuririn is the second (next to Piccolo) to know so - Using his ESP powers, Freeza lifts Kuririn into the sky and blows the warrior up in mid-air, without ever laying a finger on him.

However, had it not been for Kuririn's sacrifice, Goku wouldn't have been submitted to the reaction that followed - because of the loss of his best friend, Goku is pushed over the edge and reaches the stage of Super Saiya-jin!

Kuririn is eventually revived by Porunga, and then trains with Kamesennin at the Turtle Hermit's island home for the impending arrival of the Cyborgs in three years.

The Artificial Humans arrive, and Kuririn is flustered with a crush on Artificial Human #18. After stopping Vegeta from fighting with them (or basically stopping the pride-drunken Saiya-jin from getting himself killed) on a deserted turn pike, Kuririn even receives a kiss from the beautiful Artificial Human before she goes on her destructive way.

However, Kuririn is left behind by the ultimately stronger, massive powers of the alien warriors when a new monster, Cell, arrives on the scene, and basically sits through the whole saga, either idle, or getting beaten up.

In the end, Goku, Cell, and Artificial Human #16 are dead, and the heroes are left with a wish to be made to new Shenlong. No one can come up with a reasonable suggestion until Kuririn steps forward and asks the dragon to disarm the self-destruct mechanisms planted inside #18 and #17. #18, who is watching in the shadows, is deeply affected by Kuririn's wish, but runs off, attempting to hide her feelings from him. Kuririn is then teased by the heroes for his crush on #18, and everyone has a good laugh.

Seven years pass, and Kuririn has grown a family, not to mention hair, having married #18. The two have a little baby girl, Marron, and live on Kamesennin's tropical island. However, the evil sorceror Babi-Di and Buu surface and the world is in trouble once again. Kuririn, however, can do nothing, for he has been completely left in the dust by all the alien warriors.

He basically sits through this saga as well, either idle or dead, until the very end, where he contributes his energy to Goku's Genki Dama that destroys Evil Buu once and for all.

Kuririn, #18, and Marron all live happily together in a peaceful world. Dragon Ball Z comes to an end.

This is one of the few instances in which I wish Toriyama's story had been somewhat altered. Its really a shame to see an enjoyable character such as Kuririn left so utterly helpless in a Super Saiya-jin ruled world. While he doesn't lose his importance as ludicrously as, oh, say, Chaou-zu, its still a shame.

If only there was such thing as a "Super Human"....

In Dragon Ball GT, Kuririn is hardly even present. He makes a few brief apperances, including one in which he's killed by Artificial Human 17. In the final episode, he spars briefly with Son Goku on the sandy beach in front of Kame House just before his old friend rides off with Shenlon toward the horizon.

Written by PJ, with minor additions by Dash.