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soleminisanction · 1 year

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I have seen the new Knights of the Zodiac movie and must now scream into the void about this fandom no other English-speakers care about. General thoughts above the cut, spoiler-y thoughts below it.

In general: it's fine. Fun even. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you it's a masterpiece, but I'd watch sequels. I'd be interested to see how they interpret other stories in the series given what they've set up here.

It's basically a reworked, movie-original origin story designed to give Seiya and Sienna actual character arcs, and it does that. Pretty much all the weirdness comes from the fact that they're clearly using the Netflix series as the basis of deviation, not the original manga or anime.

Despite the multinational cast, being filmed in English, and everybody trying to talk it up as a "Hollywood" take on the franchise, I honestly don't think it felt like a Hollywood movie. Something about the pacing, editing and special effects reminded me way more of Japanese cinema, specifically high-budget tokusatsu productions like Gatchaman and Shin Ultraman. Which is honestly what I wanted so I was perfectly happy.

The central cast is great. I'd like to see them come back.

I liked the special effects and designs, personally.

They made some great use of music that was either based on, remixed from, or just completely new orchestral arrangements of the music from the original anime.

Sean Bean made it to the second-act climax before his inevitable death.

The choice to make Guraad, the military leader from the Netflix series, a woman, and also Kido's ex-wife, was a fascinating choice. But hey, it meant the movie passes the Bechdel test, because she and Sienna have this interesting, antagonist mother/daughter relationship that has absolutely nothing to do with the men in their lives and everything to do with the existential horror of humanity confronting the gods so. That's fun.

Marin was appropriately badass. I really liked her chemistry with Seiya's actor.

Honestly in general Mackenyu was a real highlight of the film? Him and Diego Tinoco both, they were great. Madison Iseman and Mark Dacasos were both more Hollywood-y, but they put in good performances, and once Sienna went full Athena the effects and performance were pretty spot-on.

Cassios shows up as a henchgoon and jobber. He's got an Ophiuchus tattoo, which was an interesting little detail.

But speaking of little details -- unsurprisingly, Nero is the one with the most interesting potential for sequels. He's the only other Knight besides Seiya and Marin that we get to see and acts as Guraad's "dragon" and mystical-stuff advisor throughout the film. They don't really explain what his deal is, aside from wanting to kill Athena and steal the Gold Cloth, so he could be there on Sanctuary's behalf. But at one point during their fight he says to Seiya, "Humans don't need any gods." And throughout the movie, he's wearing an earring that is super obviously Shun/Shaun's triangle chain. That has some really interesting potential for sequels, particularly in parallel with what they do with Seika/Patricia protecting Seiya.

Oh, and it ended with both Seiya and Nero shirtless and showing off their very nice abs so hey, kudos for remembering the secondary fanbase that's kept this franchise alive.

So yeah, overall: I see why it only got a limited release, but it'd sure be nice if it was popular enough in Latin America to fund a sequel. I've seen worse movies. This is a cheesy-ass franchise, I never get my hopes up too high, if it entertains me for the length of the film I consider it a success.

Still think it's hilarious that Sean Bean wound up here. How the hell did that happen.

#saint seiya #knights of the zodiac #movie ramblings #pegasus seiya #phoenix nero #phoenix ikki #the fandom no other english speaker cares about

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sasorikigai · 2 years

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In this original post!

In the anticipation of Lionsgate's action thriller JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 which arrives in theaters March 24th, I recently had the opportunity to interview one of the co-stars of this new film, Hiroyuki Sanada ("47 Ronin," "Bullet Train") whom I've previously met before, but this time around we discussed what it was like for him reuniting with Keanu Reeves on this project, Hiro went on to share the details surrounding his epic fight sequence with Donnie Yen, and last but not least, he dove deep into what it was that made his character extremely loyal to his friend, John Wick.

This is such a precious interview! I had more than an inkling that his character will die, either by John Wick (in the case he’s a villain) or protecting John Wick (in the case he is an ally or a friend). He speaks of his character and mentioned ‘samurai spirit,’ so I am utterly convinced that his character is going to die. No wonder Hiroyuki Sanada is deemed as Japanese Sean Bean.... I just don’t want his characters to die for god’s sake lol.

#✗ breathing iron and rust (outofkombat)#(john wick 4)#hiroyuki sanada #(GDI WHY IS MY SPECULATION NEVER WRONG)

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renatogpadilla · 2 years

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About that Saint Seiya footage // Sobre el Behind the Scenes de Saint Seiya...

Here's how I see it:

White Saori? Makes sense. She's GREEK.

Kido not being Japanese would piss me off immeasurably more if he wasn't being played by Sean Bean.

The Tourney at the beginning, where all the main 4 boys meet, makes a little more sense to have in an underground fight club rather than THE WHOLE ASS ROMAN COLOSSEUM PORTED TO JAPAN (even as a fan, that was pretty dumb), but the vibes are a little worrying nonetheless...

HOWEVER, if that's supposed to be Seiya vs Casios in Greece, then THEY FUCKED IT UP ROYALY.

Seiya in the van also worries me... Superspeed! YOU HAVE IT!

And the woman in the trenchcoat is either Marin or the Thunder Claw bitch who's name I always forget, but either way, the fact that she's wearing modern clothes and no mask almost scares me more than anything else in the footage...

Overall, I need to see more, but there is a possibility of it ending up like "Dragon Ball Evolution" and I don't think I could deal with that...

What bothers me the most, though, is that if Toei themselves can't get this right, nobody will. Not because it's not possible! But because nobody with a budget cares enough about Saint Seiya to try...

Silver lining! At the very least "Pegasus Fantasy" is in it, so we know they got ONE thing right...

OK, yo lo veo así:

Saori blanca tiene sentido. Es GRIEGA.

Me molestaría mil veces más que Kido no fuera japonés si no fuera Sean Bean.

Tiene bastante sentido que el torneo de los Santos no sea en un Coliséo Romano en Japón (aún como fan, eso me parecía fué bastante estupido), pero admito que me asustan in poco los Vibes del fight club este... PERO SI ES LA PELEA CON CASIOS EN GRECIA, LA CAGARON.

Seiya en la camioneta también me asusta... Y la supervelocidad, huevón?

La mujer del coat es o Marin o la del Thunder Claw cuyo nombre siempre me olvído. El hecho de que esté en saco y ropa moderna me preocupa casi más que todo lo demás en el trailer...

Overall, necesito ver más, pero hay una posibilidad de que acabe como "Dragon Ball Evolution" y no creo que pueda soportar eso...

Pero lo que más me friega es que si Toei mismos no pueden hacerla bien... Creo que nadie lo hará. No porque no se pueda, sinó porque a nadie con presupuesto le importa tanto Saint Seiya como para intentar...

Visto por el lado amable: Usaron "Pegasus Fantasy", así que sabemos que hicieron al menos UNA cosa bien...

#Saint Seiya #Knights of the Zodiac #Caballeros del Zodiaco #los caballeros del zodiaco #please be good please don't suck this is the LAST chance we get at a good adaptation with a budget since the OG anime PLEEEEEASE #kotz

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battlestar-royco · 4 years

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okay here it is, part 1 of my sci fi tv and movies rec list! i’ve split it up into 2, kind of by tone and theme. these recs are on the lighter side. part 2 is for fans of darker sci fi. i could’ve gone on tbh but i had to draw the line somewhere. it’s not perfect but i hope you find something you like that you haven’t heard of! full titles, trigger warnings, and diversity/general notes under the cut. ask box open for any more specific questions!

part 2/2

If you liked STAR TREK and STAR WARS:

Black Mirror: USS Callister: (tw: simulated child loss, brief torture) coworkers get trapped inside their boss’s Star Trek spoof video game. It’s led by a white woman but the entire cast is pretty diverse (Michaela Coel!!!) and it’s critical of white edgelords. Dark moments balanced with funny!

Firefly: (tw: sexual harassment in one episode, sex worker phobia, Joss Whedon-ness) I think this one is more well-known; a small space crew travels the solar system taking on any weird jobs they can get. Two leading WOC, a black man, one interracial relationship.

Avenue 5: (tw: some dark humor, language) Star Trek meets the Titanic. Funny! I’ll leave it at that. 3 leading WOC, a canonically pan main character in a poly and interracial relationship.

Black Mirror: Be Right Back: (tw: grief, partner loss) a woman’s SO dies and she simulates his resurrection through a software that scans his social media accounts. This one isn’t diverse but it’s an hour of Domhnall Gleeson, if he’s your thing!

Stargate: (tw: 90s/00s racism/sexism) tbh I haven’t watched most of the content but I’d say it’s on par with a Star Trek kind of thing. SGA stars two or three POC in a cast of like 7 regulars.

If you liked PACIFIC RIM:

Black Mirror: Hang the DJ: (tw: none that I can recall) a man and woman fall in love via dating app. It doesn’t have monsters, but it’s an incredibly charming episode that exhibits some of Black Mirror’s best qualities imo and I think people who like the Raleigh/Mako dynamic will like what these two have!! Interracial relationship between a black woman and a white man; black woman is blink-and-you-miss-it bi, but still canonically bi.

Cloverfield (tw: violence/blood, frequent flashes, shaky cam): found-footage flick about aliens attacking New York. Basic and not too diverse but it has the huge monster appeal and I like the found-footage aspect.

Edge of Tomorrow: (tw: VB) Groundhog Day alien apocalypse. it’s Tom Cruise buuuuut you get to see Emily Blunt at her most “I’ll end you”-est so like? Worth it I think??

Arrival: (tw: child loss) aliens come to Earth to offer something to the humans. A little slow, but definitely a different take and some cool-looking aliens.

The Host: (tw: child loss) A girl gets kidnapped by a huge river monster. it’s in Korean and all the characters are Asian. Directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Kang-Ho Song and Bae Doona!! Plus environmentalist commentary.

If you liked MARVEL and DC:

Misfits: (tw: sex, language, violence, rape) imagine one of those superhero teams like the Avengers except they’re all criminals who’ve given up on life and don’t actually care about making the world a better place. Chaotic stupid energy. Two black leads :)

Push: (tw: a few bloody scenes) Chris Evans before Cap?? Dakota Fanning before Twilight? Secret government experiments and black ops superpower organizations? You love to see it!

Fast Color: (tw: past drug use referenced) superpowers that pass down from generation to generation in a family of black women. Need I say more? Need I say any fucking more?!?!

Sense8: (tw: child loss, grief, lots of nudity and sex, drug use, language, infidelity) 8 people around the world start experiencing each other’s lives and borrowing each other’s skill sets. This is probably THE most intersectional and diverse show I have ever seen. An international cast and setting that reaches almost every continent, leading trans lesbian, multiple QPOC. Truly incredible and one of my absolute favorites.

Jupiter Ascending: (tw: bees) I actually don’t really like this movie but I do think it has its appeal and I appreciate how much it is just unabashedly itself. Don’t take it too seriously! The cast is kinda wild too--Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Channing Tatum!!! And it’s by the Wachowskis, AKA the two trans sisters who did The Matrix and Sense8!

If you liked THE HUNGER GAMES:

Gattaca: (tw: implied body modification, trichophobia, eugenics) in a society that discriminates against genes, a man with a heart condition assumes another’s identity in order to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. I love this movie. It’s very moody and soft with a really compelling dynamic between the two leading men which I’ve always read as gay.

Snowpiercer: (tw: VB, minor cannibalism) yet another winner from Bong Joon-ho, who’s surprised? All of humanity lives on a train in which all the cars are stratified by class. This is my favorite of all the movies from all the Chrises. Evans is by far my favorite Chris for this!!! It also features Octavia Spencer and Kang-Ho Song! Piping hot class war tea pre-Parasite.

V for Vendetta: (tw: torture, I don’t remember a lot of the details sorry!) I haven’t watched this movie in a minute so I don’t remember how much I actually liked it, but I thought it was worth mentioning because it’s a classic dystopian movie.

Children of Men: (tw: infertility, childbirth, VB) humanity has lost the ability to procreate for 2 decades until one day a resistance group discovers a pregnant woman. Holy crap so much extremely relevant and prescient commentary on immigration, race, class, and refugee crises!!!

Akira: (tw: disturbing imagery, objectification, nudity) I don’t really remember this one much either? But it’s Japanese, there’s biker gangs, and it’s super weird.

The 100: (tw: VB, kill your gays/POC trope, suicide, torture, child loss) 100 juvenile delinquents are dropped onto Earth and chaos ensues. I think most people know that this show is plagued with issues but it really does have a special place in my heart and I think it changed the conversation and standards re: the treatment of wlw in genre fiction. It starts off cheesy and slow but the stakes are SO high all the time and it’s full of thought-provoking ethical dilemmas.

#maxine talks sci fi #movie recs #maxine did you read/watch #i think my thesis is that i watch way too much sci fi

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moviemunchies · 4 years

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I saw Ronin with Robert De Niro recently. So that was fun.

Ronin tells the story of Sam, a mercenary implied to have formerly been some sort of intelligence or black ops agent, being hired for a job with a group of other crooks (many of whom are implied to be former military or black ops like himself) to steal a case. But of course, there are complications to the job, and things quickly go wrong in every imaginable way. And so the crew has to work out what went wrong, and how to find the case again when a couple of very angry parties also want that case.

The title, of course, refers to the idea of ronin, an idea from Japanese feudal culture. This is helpfully supplied in a text bit at the beginning of the film. Basically, samurai gain their honor from serving their lords, and if they fail to protect their lord or are shamed from service, they become ronin--wandering swordsmen with no honor, who must hire themselves out as mercenaries to get by. Somewhat like Cold War spies, who no longer had a reason to be serving their countries, and like the cast of this movie hire themselves out to be mercenaries in order to apply all those skills they learned and practiced to do something.

This movie… doesn’t tell you that much. What the characters’ backgrounds are is eluded to and heavily implied, but very often isn’t told. And this is both a little frustrating but also very cool. I don’t know if it’s ever actually said that Sam is a former spy, or if it’s just heavily implied by how he acts in the movie and the way he identifies with the notion of ronin.

I think the last few times I’ve seen Robert De Niro in films, they have been comedies or parodies of himself in one way or another. Which isn’t a comment on his career, just which movies I’ve been seeing lately. This is neither of those things, so De Niro is very serious. It’s not just that he’s playing a badass, but he’s also playing a smart badass who knows exactly what he’s doing in every situation. Not a proud badass who thinks he knows everything either--at several points he calls out his employer for not giving him or the crew enough information or enough men to complete the job in a reasonably efficient fashion.

That being said, it is hard to see him as a compelling character until towards the end of the movie, because while he’s a cool character, so much of what’s going on in his head isn’t really clear to the audience. Which is the point, I get it, but I imagine that some people will be turned off by having a lead that’s so stoic through the majority of the film. The movie does sort of try to give him something else, in that he’s clearly got a mutual attraction with Deidre, the woman who hired the crew, but this is not really developed well enough to be that interesting of a character arc.

At least, for me it wasn’t. It seemed kind of as if she was the character’s love interest because she’s the only female character in the cast. It isn’t as if this story arc goes nowhere, because it goes somewhere very definite and plays into the conclusion of the film. But it just didn’t strike me as all that interesting or complex.

The most overly loud and over-the-top emotional characters are the ones that are least equipped to deal with the situations they find themselves in. Sean Bean’s character Spence, for instance, is very loud and brash, expressing himself in a group of people who mostly keep to themselves, and as time goes on it becomes obvious that he’s the least adapted to the job they’re hired for.

If you want an action thriller, this one’s smarter than most. And trying to figure out exactly what everyone’s up to and what their stories are is a lot of the fun of watching this film. I don’t think it’s a groundbreaking film, and parts of it are frustrating, but it’s also more rewarding and complex than I was really expecting.

#Ronin #Robert de Niro #movies #action movies #Movie Munchies

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recentanimenews · 3 years

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Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower, Vol. 1

By Miri Mikawa and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Ikka Kōkyū Ryōrichō” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by afm.

It is somewhat hard not to start reading this and not think of The Apothecary Diaries, which also features a young woman arriving at the Emperor’s palace and featuring a number of young women who are there to be his courtesans, as well as a eunuch who is rumored not to be. Oh yes, and clearly based on Chinese rather than Japanese tropes. That said, the two series end up going in a slightly different direction, as Maomao’s one smart cookie who’s there to be a Jessica Fletcher sort. Meanwhile, all poor Rimi wants is somewhere to prepare delicious food and a sense that she belongs. Unfortunately, getting either of those proves difficult. Despite almost immediately running into most of the “very handsome men” part of the inner palace, she finds her homemade fermented rice in danger, the other women of the palace bully her tremendously, and, oh yes, the Emperor takes one look at the gifts her nation sent along with her and decides to have her executed. How can she make dashi like this?

Rimi can be a hard character to get a hold of. At first I thought she was a “fluffhead” sort of character, but that’s less due to her natural state of mind and more due to her spending most of her life as an extraneous extra. For the last ten years she’s lived with only one other person, her older sister, and cooking was essentially her entire life. Most of the decisions she’s made over the course of her life have involved “I’ll do this so that they don’t worry about me”. Now she’s having severe culture shock (much of the novel is about the differences between this “not-China” that she lives in now and the “not-Japan” she was born in), can’t even really speak the language very well (the translator does a good job of showing off how her attempts to speak to the emperor or Shusei can occasionally be incredibly blunt or even coarse), and, of course, has been threatened with execution multiple times. She faints more than once here, but she certainly earns them.

As for the men, well, this is a reverse harem series, so they’re all very pretty. I’m guessing the main love interest is Shusei, the self-styled culinary scientist, whose attempts at healthy food are not well-loved. He bonds with Rimi over food, and seems pr3etty smitten with her by the end of the book, though of course he has no idea what that feeling is. The Emperor may threaten to cut off her head multiple times, but shows himself to be a big softie when presented with food he doesn’t hate – which is to say, food in the proper environment. As for the food itself, well, given the ingredients are clearly meant to be the fantasy equivalent of kombu and katsuobushi, we can guess why she’s so desperately pointing out that they are not “planks of wood”. There is much here to interest a foodie, especially if you like discussing the difference between Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

This is 11 volumes total in Japan, so we’ve clearly got a ways to go. but it’s a very good start, and if you like plucky heroines, handsome bishonen, and a LOT of talk about dashi, this is a winner.

By: Sean Gaffney

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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scouscr · 7 years

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All the language symbols!

speak your language asks

Goodness! Okay, anon, I’ll bite -- but I’ll stick this under a cut, because /length/

☾ : favourite word from your language

‘gra’ or ’bás’ - ‘love' ’death’. Also like how there’s an irish translation of my surname, too.

♧ : favourite word from the english language translated in your language

tintreach - ‘lightning’

✌ : favourite proverb/saying from your language

oohh I’m just after remembering we call these ‘seanfhocail’ (old sayings)! but, one of my faves;

go raibh tú leathuair ar Neamh sula mbeadh a fhios ag an diabhal go bhfuil tú marbh.

- may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead

☮ : translate the first lines of your favourite song in your language

(apologies in advance for horrendous grammar...)

seo é on sceál beag ar conas a bhuaigh an taobh thiartháinig on fear bán agus thóg amach lán daoineúsáid siad blaincéad salach agus úsáid siad meaisínghunnaagus ní raibh siad ag smaoineamh faoi dhó faoi rudaí a rinne siad

- here's a little story how the west was wonthe white man came and took out everyonethey used dirty blankets and they used machine gunsand they didn't think twice about what they'd done - Gunfight by Sick Puppies

☆ : give the first lines of a song which is originally in your language

I can’t...think of any... :’) sorry...

☯ : what do you love about your language?

hah, another thing to like? hmm. how expressive it is, I suppose. for example, if you wanted to say ‘he is sad’, in irish you’d say ‘tá brón air’ - there is sadness on him

☪ : what do you hate about your language?

only everything it’s really difficult to learn. i spent 15+ years at it and still left school with better spanish than irish. at exam level there exists the expectation that you have as firm a grasp of it as you would with english, which is a paaain.

❀ : which language(s) would you like to speak fluently?

other than irish, i dunno. i’m not terribly linguistic...

♡ : which languages do you speak/have you learned in school?

irish / spanish / tiny bit of japanese. french was big in my equivalent of high school, and so because I didn’t take it, i had an hour off each day (and two on fridays) in my final year to chill in the school library for a bit, lol.

❁ : which language(s) do you think of as the most beautiful?

eh, i dunno. i don’t think ‘english’ is beautiful but I like studying it in my spare time and expanding my vocabulary.

✓ : funniest word in your language.

all the little words that either sound or look like english words. have a few examples;

‘fear’ - man‘bean’ (sounds like ‘ban’) - woman‘craic’ (sounds like ‘crack’) - something good, or great

the slang, too, is a bastion of giggles, heh;

langers - drunkmuppet - a foolknackered - tired ϟ : translate a sentence

none was provided so I’ll just do a few random words!

bléasar ifreann - hellblazerseans - luck / chance (kinda pronounced like ‘chance’)aingeal - angeldeamhan a dhíbirt - exorcise a (demon / evil spirit)draíocht a chur ar dhuine - cast a spell over someone

#;munday #;answered munday #Anonymous

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aion-rsa · 8 years

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Dragon Ball Z: 15 Things You Need to Know About Krillin

With the news that “Dragon Ball Super” is making its way to Cartoon Network, we thought it would be a good time to take an in-depth look at one of the greatest warriors the “Dragon Ball” universe has to offer: Krillin.

RELATED: Dragon Ball Super: The 15 Best Moments (So Far)

It’s been three decades since his first appearance in “Dragon Ball” chapter 25, “A Rival? Arrival!”, and he shows no signs of stopping. This pint-sized battler quickly went from quirky side character to series mainstay after fans fell in love with his chrome-domed comic stylings. He’s lived, he’s loved, he’s died and he’s even shown up in some unexpected cameos.

In this list, we’ll be counting down some of our favorite trivia and sharing some of his lesser known moments before the new show gets started. “Dragon Ball Super” premieres on Cartoon Network January 7th, 2017.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for just about every “Dragon Ball” story.

THE MISSING NOSE THING IS CRAZIER THAN YOU THINK

Krillin’s lack of a nose has long been a source of comic relief, from Goku’s constant ribbing in the original series to the old Namekian guy grabbing it during the Frieza saga. In fact, it even won Krillin one of his most famous fights. During the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, Krillin came up against Bacterian, a filthy, farting behemoth of a man who had never once bathed or brushed his teeth throughout his entire life. Even Krillin was almost overwhelmed by his mighty stink, until Goku reminded him that he was missing his nose. Krillin proceeded to beat the tar out of Bacterian and even sealed the fight with a little gas of his own.

After that, Krillin’s nose never really factored into the story again. In a series populated by tiny clowns and three-eyed muscle dummies, a little monk’s missing nose was easy to overlook. However, one interviewer had the good mind to finally ask series creator, Akira Toriyama, what was up with Krillin’s missing schnoz in the December 1987 “Dragon Ball: Adventure Special.” The answer? Krillin breathes through his skin. Chock that up as one of the most horrifying retcons ever.

THAT BALD HEAD ISN’T JUST FOR LOOKS

Krillin isn’t actually bald, as demonstrated by his broom-head dad look during the Buu saga and his Jim Gordon cosplay look during Dragon Ball GT. Also, in the great George Costanza tradition, he vehemently believes that women don’t like bald men. Yet every time we see him in action, he’s sporting a spotted chrome dome. He even has Android 18 shave his hair off before going back into the fight in “Dragon Ball: Ressurection F”.

So why would a man with naturally luscious locks and a deep-seated anxiety about his own visible scalp shave off all of his hair? While training with Goku in their early days at Kame House, Krillin reveals that he shaves because “All who aspire to master the martial arts shave their heads in order to unfetter their ki.” Krillin believes that his bald head gives him access to extra power. When he points to Master Roshi’s baldness to prove his point, Roshi reveals that he went bald the old-fashioned way. Krillin, always looking for an edge, continued to shave his head anyway.

THE FOREHEAD DOTS EXPLAINED

Krillin’s six little dots are one of his key traits and they come with a storied history in the real world. These scars are typically given out by some Buddhist sects, where initiates underwent a ritual called the Jieba. In it, a fledgling monk is held still while older members of the order burn small sticks of incense in a rectangular pattern at the hairline. This leaves behind scars that look like rows of dots. It was done to represent devotion and the teachings of the monastic lifestyle.

In more practical terms, it also helped to identify monks in all sorts of situations. If a monk were found dead on the side of the road, anyone who found them would know to cremate their body. In times of great famine, it also ensured that only monks were given free meals at the temple. A lot guys were willing to shave their head and sneak into the temple for dinner, but most of them weren’t willing to get branded on their foreheads.

HE’S A MUSICAL MAN

“Dragon Ball” has a way of sneaking into all kinds of pop culture, from movies to wrestling, but Krillin has a way of making musicians sing. Not only has he been featured on the cover of the Voodoo Glow Skulls album “Who Is, This Is?,” but also he’s been full-on name-checked by Chance the Rapper in the track “Blessings.”

However, his biggest contributions to the music scene happened overseas. In 1990, voice actress Mayumi Tanaka performed a song called “Asa – Hiru – Yoru – Kimi – Boku” on the album “Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection IV: Character Special.” The best part? It’s a song about Krillin sung by Krillin. In it, Krillin talks about his typical day, waking up, working out, and generally having a great time being friends. The album was so popular that they recorded two more: “Ichido wa Kekkon Shitai Manbo” from “Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection 8: Character Special 2” in 1991, in which Krillin sings about his desire to get married, and the title track from “Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection 17: Hippy Hoppy Shake!!” in 1995.

HE USED TO BE A REAL JERK

Krillin is known for being a resourceful and good-hearted guy who’d take a bullet ki-blast to save any of his friends, but that’s not who he was when he first showed up. Krillin’s first appearances cast him as Goku’s one-sided arch-rival; a lying, glad-handing snake, more obsessed with girls than glory, too impure of heart to even stand on Nimbus, Goku’s cloud.

And he hated Goku. To Krillin, Goku was dim and childish, undeserving of his great strength and speed, so Krillin decided to cheat his way to victory at every turn. In one early training session, Master Roshi tossed a marked stone off of a steep cliff. The first boy to find it got to eat. While Goku dove head-first into the jungle below, Krillin decided to go the jerk route. He went to a neighboring house, borrowed a marker, and marked up a new stone of his own. When Master Roshi saw through his ruse, Krillin didn’t give up. He found Goku with the real stone, stole it, then tricked Goku into chasing after a decoy. It would have been a resounding victory for evil if the dinner hadn’t given him food poisoning.

HE’S DIED MORE THAN ANY OTHER CHARACTER

Krillin may have been introduced as a rival and comic punching bag, but Toriyama quickly figured out that nothing gets a story going like a best friend’s death. Krillin’s first time on ice came during the King Piccolo saga at the hands of Tambourine, a frog-faced demon with a love for good old-fashioned murder. One meeting later and Krillin was down for the count with a snapped neck and an enraged Goku weeping at his side. This event set off the rest of the storyline, eventually leading to Goku’s epic battle against King Piccolo himself, and Krillin’s resurrection by the dragon balls during the Piccolo Jr. Saga.

From then on out, killing Krillin became the hot thing to do whenever Toriyama needed a big narrative punch. He’s been blown up by Frieza, turned into chocolate and eaten by Super Buu, killed by Cell in an alternate future and shot by his own brother-in-law during the Super 17 saga of “Dragon Ball GT.” Oh, and it’s implied that he dies of old age after all those resurrections. He’s basically the Sean Bean of the “Dragon Ball” franchise.

HIS NAME IS A REALLY BAD PUN

Akira Toriyama has a history of naming his characters with puns and Krillin is no exception. His original name, Kuririn, is derived from the Japanese word for chestnut, kuri, and was meant as a jab at the shape of Krillin’s bald head. The second half, rin, came from the Japanese spelling of Shaolin, pointing to his monkish origins. Toriyama would continue the theme of chestnuts with Krillin’s daughter, Marron, a French word for chestnut.

Many characters in “Dragon Ball” get similar treatments. For instance, the Saiyans are named after the Japanese word for vegetables (yasai spelled sideways): Nappa is a named after the Japanese word for greens, Raditz for radishes, Bardock for burdock root and Kakarot for carrots. Frieza’s clan is also named after cold puns, with his dad being King Cold, his ancestor Chilled and brother Cooler.

If anybody gets the short end of the naming straw, it’s Bulma’s family. Bulma’s Japanese name, Buruma, is an awkward reading of “bloomers,” the shorts girls wear to the gym. The whole family is named after underwear, with Dr. & Mrs. Brief being her parents, her sister named Tights, her son called Trunks and her poor daughter Bulla, spelled burra, a Japanese pronunciation of bra.

A VAMPIRE ONCE SUCKED OUT NEARLY ALL OF HIS BLOOD

When Krillin’s not dying, he’s usually in peril. He’s been frozen, turned to stone and beaten to a bloody pulp, but one foe nearly killed him before his story could really get started. In his early days traveling with Goku, he faced one of his most dangerous enemies in the form of a kickboxing vampire.

When Goku and the gang went on the hunt for a new batch of dragon balls, they had to turn to Fortuneteller Baba to help them in the hunt, but Baba had a catch. Either pay the Ƶ10,000,000 fee (the fictional Zeni is on par with the Japanese Yen, so that’s roughly $86,600 U.S. dollars) or defeat five of her fighters. Being broke, as they always are, the gang opted for option number two and Krillin stepped up to take on the first fight: Fangs the Vampire, a master of both Muay Thai boxing and blood-sucking. In one swift move, Fangs transformed into a bat, zipped across the arena and latched himself onto Krillin’s enormous bald head, draining him of almost every last drop of blood. If Puar and Upa hadn’t been there to save him, we would have had one more death to add to Krillin’s list.

HE’S THE STRONGEST HUMAN ALIVE

Krillin catches a lot of flack for not being able to keep up with his super-powered alien bros, but there is one fact that most people don’t take into account: he is literally the strongest human. Across his various battles, he’s knocked down Saiyans, killed Saibamen, taken down Frieza’s soldiers and even held his own against Kid Buu in a fight. If you doubt the power of this 99lb mound of beefcake, here are the (translated) words of Akira Toriyama himself from the “Dragon Ball Tenka’ichi Densetsu TV Anime Guide:”

Toriyama: Kuririn was originally supposed to be just a minor role, so to have him become Goku’s best friend in the blink of an eye…

Koyama: Well, he is the strongest Earthling male.

Toriyama: You’re right, he is the strongest among the Earthlings. But in spite of that, he tends to end up in a bad way, so I thought, “once in a while, I have to let him be happy,” and had him get married.

No other human can overpower Krillin. Not even Mr. Satan himself.

HE’S A COP NOW

What does one of Earth’s greatest fighters do when he’s out of space dudes to punch? Apparently, he protects and serves. At the beginning of 2015’s “Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F,” we find a yellow-shirted police officer handing out traffic tickets when two would-be bank robbers make the mistake of crossing his turf. After a short hover bike chase through the city, the robbers find themselves face to face with a super-powered flatfoot who reveals himself to be Krillin. He knocks them both on their backsides with an epic jump kick and, in typical Krillin fashion, delivers an uplifting speech about the power of second chances. Truly, he is the hero we all deserve.

For all the build up, Krillin’s cop phase doesn’t seem to last too long. Before he completes the bust, Bulma calls him about Frieza’s impending resurrection and he flies off to battle. In both the “Dragon Ball Super” version of the story and the following “Universe 6” saga, he’s never shown as an officer again. Maybe he got fired for prioritizing a fist fight over his paperwork.

Fun fact: when Krillin’s phone rings, his ringtone is “We Are!” by Hiroshi Kitadani, aka the opening theme to “One Piece.”

HE ONCE HELPED YAMCHA BEAT AN INVISIBLE GUY WITH BULMA’S BOOBS

Krillin’s always using his head in a fight. One shining example of his street smarts is his masterful use of distraction during the 100th chapter, “Battle of the Bleeders.”

After Puar’s quick smackdown of Fangs, Yamcha decided he could take on the remaining four warriors of Baba himself. Little did he know, his first opponent was See-Through the Invisible Man. The fight took a predictable turn, as Yamcha found it impossible to fight an opponent he couldn’t see. Lucky for him, Krillin was there.

In one of the boldest moves of the series, Krillin grabbed Bulma’s top and exposed her chest to Master Roshi. Now, flashing an old man generally isn’t the smartest move in the middle of a fight, but Krillin knew Roshi’s secret: whenever the old man gets aroused, his nose bleeds like a fountain. The old pervert’s nasal cavities erupted in a geyser of blood that soaked See-Through from head to toe. With his advantage gone and an angry Yamcha ready to deliver the hurt, See-Through surrendered and the team got one step closer to securing Baba’s help. Sure, Bulma punched Krillin in the face for it, but he saved the day.

HE DEFEATED CHIAOTZU WITH MATH

Krillin and Goku trained for three hard years after their brush with Fortuneteller Baba, so when the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament came along, Krillin was ready to represent the Turtle Hermit’s school. However, he didn’t expect to come up against the Crane Hermit and his bizarre pupils, Tien and Chiaotzu. Within moments, Chiaotzu and Krillin formed a rivalry that would lead them into battle against one another.

During the fight, Krillin was overwhelmed by Chiaotzu’s bizarre flying attacks and powerful energy blasts, but managed to hold his own until Chiaotzu had to resort to his most dangerous attack: telekinetic mind control. Krillin was paralyzed, moments away from getting knocked out of the tournament, when he came up with the ultimate counter. Krillin asked Chiaotzu to solve some simple arithmetic. Thrown off, Chiaotzu stopped to answer, then countered with a question of his own. The fight devolved into a math quiz that distracted the little clown long enough for Krillin to break his paralysis, land a surprise attack, and knock Chiaotzu out of the ring for the win.

HE ALMOST KILLED VEGETA

If there was any doubt that Krillin represents the best of what humankind has to offer, look no further than the scene where a simple monk spares the life of an evil space prince. After a lengthy battle with Vegeta and his henchman Nappa left the Z-fighters in shambles, a broken Goku passed his last attack, the spirit bomb, over to Krillin to finish Vegeta for good. Krillin tossed it at Vegeta, but missed, leaving Gohan to finish the job with a rebound that sent the Saiyan prince sprawling.

With the battle won and Vegeta crawling back to his spaceship, Krillin picked up Yajirobe’s katana. After watching the deaths of his friends and the destruction of his world, Krillin was ready to plunge the sword deep into Vegeta’s chest and watch the life pour out of him. What stayed his hand? His best friend’s optimism.

Goku pleaded for Vegeta’s life, begging Krillin to believe that a bad guy like Vegeta could turn over a new leaf if his life was spared. Krillin, in his infinite mercy, set the blade aside. No wonder Vegeta was so broken up when Frieza killed Krillin on Namek.

HE DIDN’T THINK HE WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIS GIRLFRIEND (BUT HE WAS)

Krillin’s love life is an ever-present side story in the “Dragon Ball” universe, from his drunken fist fight to impress Mint to his eventual family-man turn with Android 18. However, the stories generally have one thing in common: Krillin never believes he’s good enough.

His first real taste of love came at the beginning of the Cell saga, when Krillin showed up sporting a white suit with his very first girlfriend on his arm. Krillin had fallen for Maron, a ditzy bimbo with more than a passing resemblance to Bulma, and he was doing everything he could to keep her happy. He bought himself new clothes, showered her with gifts, and turned the other cheek when she flirted with other guys, but he couldn’t shake the doubt that he didn’t deserve her.

In one of the saddest moments of Krillin’s story, he confronted Maron as the sun fell behind the ocean and told her that she was too good to be with him. Maron revealed that she wanted to marry him, walked off into the sunset, then got into a random hunk’s waiting sports car. Tragic romance, just as Shakespeare imagined it.

HE BOUGHT HIS WAY INTO MASTER ROSHI’S SCHOOL WITH PORN

After eight years of being the school punching bag at Orin Temple, Krillin decided it was time for a change. He needed a man who could teach him to fight his former tormentors. He needed a man who could crush his enemies with a finger. He needed a man to teach him to impress the ladies. He needed Master Roshi. He set sail for Roshi’s island knowing that he had one chance to impress the 300-year-old king of fighting, so he came prepared. Krillin leaped from his row boat and landed in the sand (head first). As soon as he was vertical, he offered up his gift: a dirty magazine. Master Roshi accepted him immediately.

Fun fact: In the original comics, Krillin hands over a single magazine and Roshi accepts him on the spot. However, when the anime premiered, fans were treated to an extended version of the scene where Krillin hands Roshi a magazine of studly dudes as well. It’s a good lesson for all you hopeful martial artists out there: if you’re going to row across the ocean to deliver porn to your future fighting sensei, make sure you bring a variety of porn just in case.

Got any other must-know facts about Krillin? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

The post Dragon Ball Z: 15 Things You Need to Know About Krillin appeared first on CBR.com.

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