Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball may be famous for a lot of things, but romantic relationships are not one of them. While the series does feature a lot of couples, none of them have been explicitly used to portray a love interest or a specific narrative that solely focuses on relationships or affection.
These couples were generally created by Toriyama to further develop the story and make it more intriguing for the major parts, like battles, power-ups, character development, etc. Over the course of forty years, the Dragon Ball series has seen a lot of romantic relationships form, and among those, the relationship between Krillin and Android 18 is the most confusing one.
Although Krillin is a decent character, him getting married to Android 18 and having a kid was one of the most unexpected things for Dragon Ball fans. Even Toriyama, the creator of the entire Dragon Ball franchise, was not able to explain the relationship between Krillin and Android 18.
Krillin’s Relationship With Android 18
Krillin and Android 18 are probably the most unlikely pair in the entire Dragon Ball series. The two met for the first time during the eighth saga in the Dragon Ball Z series when the Android twins were introduced in the Dragon Ball universe. Initially, Android 18, along with her brother Android 17, and another Android (Android 16), were the antagonists of the Android saga.
However, with the infamous Cell entering the storyline and trying to absorb every character, the narrative underwent a big change. Ultimately, the Androids turned to the good side and became friends with Goku and the group. But Krillin and Android 18 had something more planned than being friends. The two eventually developed feelings for each other.
The two first appeared as a couple during the Majin Buu saga. They married each other and even had a daughter called Marron. This was a shocking moment for Dragon Ball fans, as no one expected Android 18 to fall in love with Krillin, much less have a kid with him.
Even Akira Toriyama Could Not Explain Android 18 and Krillin’s Relationship
In the Saikyō Jump June 2014 issue, which was later translated by Kazenshuu, Toriyama was asked about Krillin and Android 18 and how they developed such a wonderful relationship at the time. The manga creator pointed out that he was not good with love interests and romantic stories, which is why he can’t explain it correctly.
Toriyama stated:
Sorry, I’m really bad when it comes to romantic stories like this, so I can’t give you a straight answer. But I think that probably No. 18 (who used to be a delinquent) found Kuririn’s seriousness and straightforwardness refreshing, and somehow or other she ended up falling for him.
Talking about Android 18, Akira Toriyama revealed that after the Cell Games arc, Android 18 most probably understood Krillin’s real personality and somehow fell for the character, which led to their romantic relationship.
The two have become great partners not only in life but on the battlefield too, as they proved during the Tournament of Power, and they are considered one of the greatest couples in the Dragon Ball universe.
You can watch the Dragon Ball series on Crunchyroll.
