When we talk about Kulilin very often we tend to be ironic about his character. Yet in the whole course of Dragon Ball, the Earthman turned out to be a key element of the narrative, as well as the engine that pushed Goku to reach the Super Saiyan stadium.

Despite its importance, which has increasingly waned over the course of the narrative, Akira Toriyama he hadn’t expected Kulilin to last as long as a character. On the occasion of the release in 2004 of Dragon Ball Forever, the sensei clarified the reason why he chose such a bizarre name for the character. In Japan, in fact, people tend to nickname Buddhist monks. “kurikuri bozu“, or “the shaved head of the monks in the shape of a walnut“.

In addition, the Chinese martial arts “Shaolin Monastery“, also in Japan, they are pronounced through the term”Shorin-ji“. The character of Kulilin, who is a monk who comes from Orin-Ji, is indeed a union between the two Japanese terms. To this, moreover, Toriyama added the following:

This is a name I chose based on the character’s setting. At the time, I hadn’t expected him to be such a long-lasting character, which is why I gave him this meaningless name. “

Despite his bizarre origins, Kulilin still remains a highly valued character, to the point that Toyotaro has given him some space in the last chapters. But speaking of the little hero, did you know that Toriyama was also inspired by an actor from Kill Bill for his creation?


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Sweety Otaku

One of the best parts of watching anime is how many times a show can surprise you. Sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. But if the Otaku know one thing, it's that anything is possible.

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