Why Does Krillin Not Have A Nose?

Have you ever looked a little closer at Goku's best friends? If you have, you might have noticed something strange about Krillin. The martial artist does not have a nose.

What is so strange about that, you might ask. Multiple Dragon Ball characters do not have a nose, including notable villains such as Emperor Pilaf and Majin Buu. However, Krillin is the only known human to not have a nose. All other nose-less characters are either alien or non-human.

Aliens or other fantasy creatures without no nose are a little odd, but most of the time it is not even their weirdest feature. A human without a nose however, that is different.

So why does Krillin not have a nose?

Well, this is what Akira Toriyama had to say about it:

Hmm… (long silence). Kuririn has a physical idiosyncrasy that allows him to breathe through his skin.

I know right? That does not help much at all.

It does bring up an interesting tidbit though, as it appears that Krillin can breathe through his skin. Then again, he does have a mouth, but I guess it saves him from being a 24/7 mouthbreather.

And it gets even weirder. During the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, Krillin fights an opponent called Bacterian during the quarter-finals. This man is said to be the smelliest person in the world, not having taken a bath at any point during his life.

At one point, Bacterian paralyses Krillin with a disgusting fart and he starts to beat Krillin right up until.. the moment Goku reminds Krillin he does not actually have a nose.

Yes, Dragon Ball made fun of its own character, breaking its own fourth wall.

But it doesn't end there.

Later on during the tournament, Krillin fights Jackie Chun in the semi-finals. Yes, Jackie Chun and get this, it is actually Master Roshi in disguise. During this fight, Krillin deploys a new tactic as he tries to fling boogers at Jackie Chun and is shown to have a nosebleed.

But I thought Krillin did not have a nose? Yes, he does, wait, no he does not, but he does, sort of. Are you still keeping up?

It turns out to be a complicated situation. Visually, Krillin clearly does lack a nose on his face. However, he can have nosebleeds and boogers, but he cannot smell. So it does appear that he somehow has bodily functions that resemble a regular human nose.

Either way, it makes for some hilarious situations and is a great example of Dragon Ball humor.

Until next time!