Krillin has always been one of Dragon Ball’s most iconic characters, one of the longest remaining characters in the series. He serves as both Goku’s best friend and a skilled martial artist in his own right.
Krillin in the Dragon Ball series was a childish character, focused on becoming a martial master. This goal was definitely achieved by him, but there are certain aspects about him that got lost as the franchise shifted from the Dragon Ball installment to Dragon Ball Z.
Among his many quirks, one fascinating detail about him has been completely forgotten: his ability to breathe through his skin instead of his nose. What is this ability, and how did it come about? Would it have been impactful if it hadn’t been forgotten?
A forgotten superpower that could have changed battles
It has not been explicitly proven that Krillin breathes through his skin (it is difficult to depict), but we have it from trustworthy sources that the martial master with a shiny, shaved head does have this unique superpower.
The legendary creator of the series, Akira Toriyama (May he rest in peace) was the one who once confirmed this fact. Toriayma in Dragon Ball: Adventure Special was explaining that Krillin’s lack of a nose wasn’t just a design choice but an actual biological trait.
He might have said this in a humorous manner and it could just have been a design choice, but if this were indeed true, it would have had a varying amount of impact on the story.
Although Krillin was gradually sidelined due to him being limited by his mortal body (even though his strength grew massively), he is light-years from matching the likes of Goku or Vegeta with their innate advantages and combat-inclined talents.
While the fact of Krillin being biologically different was played for comedy in Dragon Ball, the ability itself had the potential to be a unique superpower, one that Krillin lacked among the Z fighters, even when he was a mainstay and a frontline fighter.
This could have changed the way Krillin fought in later sagas. If this trait had been utilized in Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Super, Krillin could have had an edge in certain battles.
Toriyama’s unintentional oversight and focus on gags
There are many probabilities, but we can imagine him surviving longer in oxygen-deprived environments, like during Frieza’s destruction of Namek or in deep space battles.
He could have resisted things like poison-based attacks or even developed a unique fighting technique that took advantage of his altered physiology. Being entirely reliant on Ki, it could be said that since he breathes through the pores of his body, he could absorb Ki faster and replenish his strength constantly during battles.
It was initially specified that there are stances and ways to breathe in order to gather Ki into the body. Krillin (if he was indeed a turtle boy) could have benefited from this.
But this fact has been used only for humor since, throughout Dragon Ball, Krillin occasionally reacts to smells, which seemingly contradicts his lack of a nose.
But whenever someone points it out, this happened when Goku pointed it out during the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. We see that Krillin suddenly realize he shouldn’t be able to smell at all. This fourth-wall-breaking joke hints that his “skin breathing” is more than just a hasty response from Toriyama but an actual ability.
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