Dragon Ball: Why Krillin is often deemed as the Sakura of the show 

Understanding why Krillin and Sakura are called useless (Image via Toei Animation and Pierrot)
Understanding why Krillin and Sakura are called useless (Image via Toei Animation and Pierrot)

Given that the Dragon Ball series and the Naruto series are some of the most popular animanga titles of all time, their respective characters have always been a topic of comparison among fanbases.

While most of these discussions have resulted in heated verse battles and are usually pinned around Goku, there are others who have also sparked their fair share of debates, albeit not along the lines of strength or power.

Two such characters are Krillin and Sakura from Dragon Ball and Naruto respectively. There are tons of debates surrounding whether Krillin, the Earthling, is more useless than Sakura in the series. Both these characters have had moments when they were deemed weaker than their peers, and this has led to the fanbase developing a negative opinion about them, leading to the comparison.

Here, we attempt to understand why the fanbase thinks that Krillin is the Sakura of Dragon Ball.


Understanding why Sakura and Krillin were considered to be useless in Naruto and Dragon Ball respectively

Sakura

First impressions play a big role, especially when fans are getting accustomed to a new anime or manga series. This is a possible reason why Sakura doesn't hold much favor with fans, given that she didn’t really possess likable qualities during the earlier parts of Naruto.

She would constantly yell at the protagonist and was infatuated with Sasuke Uchiha, the most popular kid in class. This was quite toxic, especially because she continued to have romantic feelings towards him even though he nearly killed her three times.

Sakura being the head of the Medical Department (Image via Pierrot)
Sakura being the head of the Medical Department (Image via Pierrot)

While she may have had her fair share of flaws, Sakura also trained very hard and eventually became the best medical ninja in the entire world. There are also very few shinobis who are capable of matching her raw power. She is a reliable shinobi who has saved both Naruto and Sasuke on a few occasions.

It is true that Sakura wasn’t a great character by a long shot during the earlier parts of the series. However, she progressed quite a lot and gradually became a dependable shinobi and a valuable asset to Konohagakure.


Krillin

Krillin was one of Goku’s closest friends and trained with him under Master Roshi’s tutelage. There is no doubt that Krillin is a strong character in the Dragon Ball series. However, there came a point in the story where he was nowhere near Goku’s level.

One of the main reasons why he is considered to be weak and useless is because of his lack of strength. However, it can be easy to forget that he is an Earthling. If we take a look at the Frieza arc in Dragon Ball, the main antagonist was overwhelmingly powerful, and the main characters had to get on Frieza’s level in order to defeat him.

Goku and Krillin when they were young (Image via Toei Animation)
Goku and Krillin when they were young (Image via Toei Animation)

There reached a point in the Dragon Ball series when the Saiyans continued progressing and Earthlings like Krillin hit the limit.

This led to Krillin becoming substantially weak and eventually, he didn’t receive the screen time he once used to get. However, he was extremely brave and would never turn his back on his friends. No matter how tough the opponent was, Krillin would continue to fight them tooth and nail until his body gave out.


Final Thoughts

Krillin and Sakura often draw comparisons to each other because of the weakness they display at certain stages of their stories. Owing to this weakness, they could neither contribute much to the plot nor engage in any of the crucial fights where the main characters needed help. This led to fans deeming Krillin as the Sakura of Dragon Ball.

In Krillin's case, certain circumstances led to him being weaker than his peers. whereas in Sakura's case, she took her own time to train and become the best medical ninja in the world.

However, it must be noted that labeling either of these characters as being useless cannot be justified. Despite their flaws, both Sakura and Krillin have proven themselves to be powerful fighters with strengths of their own.

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Edited by Upasya Bhowal
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