Mayumi Tanaka is known for giving voice to One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy. For the past 25 years, the fans have listened to her voice and cannot imagine anyone apart from her. While the voice artist has gained worldwide fame, only a few know that she voiced Krillin from the Dragon Ball franchise.
Krillin is one of the oldest and most iconic characters in the Dragon Ball franchise. Son Goku also considers him as his best friend. While talking about their relationship, Tanaka mentioned that Krillin is like Chi-Chi. He can pose a challenge to her since he can be Goku’s wife.
Chi-Chi Should Be Careful Of Krillin
Mayumi Tanaka believes Krillin could be a great wife to Goku. Even though both of them are married to two beautiful ladies, she thinks otherwise. Krillin always held Goku in high regard and deeply cared for him. During the Saiyan and Namek Saga, he wished Goku was with him since he was not strong enough to face Vegeta or Frieza.
During an interview, Mayumi Tanaka said,
At any rate, Kuririn really loves Goku (laughs). That’s why he waited for Goku during the battle with Vegeta and on Planet Namek. He’s really in the position of a wife, going, “I’m no match for these guys, so get here quick, Goku~!” (laughs) He just might make a better wife for Goku than Chi-Chi (laughs).
Goku and Krillin spent days together at the Kame House. They trained under the Turtle Hermit, became strong warriors, and faced several adversaries together. Their bond is so strong that Frieza killing Krillin triggered Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation. In a way, the bald fighter is responsible for gifting the anime fandom the most iconic transformation ever. Moreover, if Goku did not love him back, he would have never felt so much rage after his death.
Krillin Used A Subtle One Piece Reference In Dragon Ball Super
Mayumi Tanaka is one of the lucky people to have voiced characters from both One Piece and the Dragon Ball franchise. While she is the main connection between the two franchises, Krillin had a subtle reference to Eiichiro Oda’s masterwork. In Dragon Ball Super episode 17, the fans can hear Krillin’s phone ring. His ringtone is “We Are,” which is the opening theme of One Piece in the first few seasons. This scene took place about nine minutes into the episode.
Akira Toriyama has inspired countless manga artists, and Eiichiro Oda is one of them. While they belong to rival franchises, they shared a mutual respect. The Dragon Ball franchise is regarded as the godfather of the Big Three of anime since it paved the way for them to earn worldwide fame. One Piece has crossed the 1100+ episode mark, and Dragon Ball is scheduled to release a new series named DAIMA in October 2024.
Dragon Ball and One Piece are currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
