mytheory

(Important Note: These proofs come almost exclusively from the manga – Toryami’s manga, as in what the original creator put forth. If you have only seen the English dub, you will have to rise above it to understand.)

To come to a reasonable conclusion, first you must narrow down the choices. I decided Theory #1 didn’t work, because it seemed apparent by the way he is referred to by the Orinji members that he wasn’t always there at the temple. Also, psychologically specking, throughout his life, Kuririn shows signs of early trauma that goes beyond simple bullying. “Trauma” significantly narrows the choices.

But how do I know he has experienced trauma?

Some indicators of trauma

Okay, you agree, so something happened to him. But how on earth do you figure out what it might be? What does it all mean?

Little response to insults and belittling actions: How many times in the course of the series do you hear the words “midget,” “runt,” or “cue ball” directed toward Kuririn? More than is countable. What is interesting is that he never, ever responds to these things. Doesn’t protest, doesn’t respond in anger – nothing. Also, Bulma is notorious for treating the small warrior like garbage, as do many others. Strangely, Kuririn allows himself to be treated that way. It leads you to think that he is very used to it…or…he believes such degrading comments are the truth.

Extremely submissive: Anyone asked would tell you that Kuririn would never be a strong leader. And they are right. Occasionally, he will show the signs of being capable of such a role, (as on Nemeksei) but these signs deteriorate when anyone else steps into the scene. The fact that he always seems to back down and submit places a significant focus on his character. To always submit in adulthood is to have been forced to submit as a child…

Affection starved: There is no guessing at what might be considered Kuririn’s goal in life – to get a family of his own. Unfortunately, physical appearance brings forth more problems for the little fellow in this area more than any other. When he does finally get a female friend (Maron) we see the full extent of this, as he is easily manipulated. To be affection starved is to never or very rarely have felt affection – making even more probable some kind of neglect in his past.

These things are a few of the practical indicators that something did indeed happen to Kuririn in early childhood that affected the rest of his life. Taking that and what we know about his personal timeline I have come to several conclusions.

What I Believe to Be True

· Kuririn either ran to or was abandoned at Orinji.
· Kuririn was abused by either his first master or his father, perhaps both.
· At the least, Kuririn’s first master was callous, distant, and manipulative.
· There was some traumatic experience in Kuririn’s life, and he was at one point rejected and/or abandoned.
· Growing up, he was treated as an inferior.

After this point, hard evidence is hard to come by. Common scenes and plain old opinions come into play. I have decided on what I believe to be the most likely story, and its basic points are marked below.

My Theory – The Most Likely Story

· Kuririn was abused by his father.
· He was abandoned at the Orinji Temple when he was five years old and began training.
· He was, as always, a secondary student, rejected by his “peers” and out of his Sensei’s preference.
· A climatic event pushed him into running from the temple, this time looking for a better master and with the goal of becoming stronger.

Additional Proof

Why do I think that Kuririn was abused by his family?

I do have a good reason, and that is mainly due to his size. For more information on that click Why so short? to understand some of that reasoning.

How do I know that he was abandoned?

Put plainly, I don’t have solid evidence for this one. The only indicators are the way that Kuririn refers to the temple, and to his former training mates as knowing him better than anyone. Also the references that are made about him by some of those men. He is called “runt,” which means unwanted, or rejected. Secondly, he is referred to as “kept” by their Sensei, which implies that he was there on this man’s graces, as someone brought in from the cold on a winter evening...

How do I know when he was abandoned?

When he meets Gokuu and Master Roshi he is thirteen years old, and claims to have trained at Orinji for the last eight years. That would have made him five when he began to train. Could he have been abandoned before that and just waited a year or years to start learning martial arts? Sure.

Why do I think that something climatic was the cause of him running away from the temple?

Common sense indicates that if Kuririn was willing to undergo whatever it was that happened to him for eight years, then something out of the ordinary had to set him off. Also, there were those bullies’ remarks that he ran away crying from the temple…

Any further questions can be sent directly to me by clicking here. Please feel free to email with any questions or comments.

Do you have a different opinion? Tell me so in the What do you think? section, or vote in the Polls.

My Theory

· Kuririn has pronounced self-worth and self-esteem issues.
· He stutters terribly when he is little. (Reference to manga.)
· He makes little response to insults and belittling actions directed toward himself.
· He is highly and unusually emotional for a warrior, unashamedly expressing feelings of sorrow, happiness, and even fear.
· He is extremely submissive.
· He acts affection starved, and it leads to him being easily manipulated. (Maron)

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Self-worth and self-esteem issues: Kuririn always seems to believe that he isn’t worth anything, doesn’t deserve anything, and moreover acts as an inferior. Human nature is to do exactly the opposite – hating oneself is something that is taught over an extended period of time. Such a passionate disregard of oneself leads one to think of someone constantly having been put down, torn down, told over and over – shown over and over, that they are somehow less of a person. Rejection is another of the causes. It is an exaggeration of faults to the point where a person is convinced that he is undeserving of many good aspects of life. Kuririn is constantly in a state of proving that he is worth something.

Stuttering terribly when he is little: When he is young, Kuririn is often found stuttering badly, mostly when he is upset. Like a twitch or flinching would be, stuttering is a sign of a deep psychological issue. It also points to a lack of confidence, which feeds on the low self-esteem issue. Poor Kuririn’s stuttering probably indicates a severe emotional trauma, thus narrowing possibilities further.

Highly and unusually emotional: Unlike the personality of a warrior that you would expect, characteristic of those such as Vejiita or Tenshinhan, Kuririn seems to carry his feeling around on his coat sleeve. If he is sad he cries, if he is happy he lets you know it, and most strange, when he is scared, he doesn’t try and pretend that he isn’t. Because of this, much of the time he is pined as a coward, which I think is unfair. Sensitivity and honesty are also learned behaviors – and sometimes, disregard and neglect can lead to it.