Should Super Have An Episode About Kuririn Regaining His Confidence?

[Cipher]

Last week ended on a bit of a sour note for Kuririn, with his stating he was scared to enter the tournament and wanting to back out. That got me thinkingーwhat if Super had an episode about Kuririn regaining his confidence and feeling brave enough to fight again?

I think this would be perfect given Super's focus on character development. Good idea? Bad idea? Let me know your thoughts.

EDIT --

Steering this boat into sincere-discussion territory, since the joke seems not to have landed and has led to a bit of confusion, Super has had a tendency to exaggerate a flaw of Kuririn's I don't feel fully existed in the original run—his one bit of pronounced cowardice occurs as his teammates rush in to fight the androids, but he's as gung-ho as anyone against the Saiyans, and, in the anime, even Cell and Boo—in order to provide quick, episode-specific character growth they then undermine at later points.

To wit: Yes, we have had "an episode about Kuririn regaining his confidence," no less than four times, again undercut this past week after a rather nice version of that episode in the middle of the recruitment arc. VegettoEX is right to point out (two posts below this) that at this point the team members should all be up for giving their all, Kuririn included, whose bravery should never have come into question in the first place—but which nevertheless was supposed to have been fixed a few weeks back, after being fixed in the aftermath of the Trunks arc, after being fixed in the Freeza arc.

The result is an incredibly, almost hilariously, rocky experience wherein, despite actually liking individual moments such as Kuririn being forced to face a "full power" Goku and reflect on the gap that exists between them, it feels as the writers are spinning their wheels exaggerating and fixing the same—really, in the original run, nonexistent—flaw.

Let's discuss that, and possibly Super's approach to episodic character spotlighting and growth as a whole, which I feel is one of the series' greatest weaknesses (despite each spotlight/growth episode enjoying positive fan reaction on the whole, largely premised on the idea that we've just witnessed substantial and unnecessary change). It all feels a bit disingenuous and removed from the lasting character developments Toriyama would weave into the main storylines of his manga, and I think the repeated solving and undermining of Kuririn's sudden confidence "problem" highlights this in a somewhat ridiculous way. I feel we're in for a similar lack of pay-off with, say, Gohan, whose development has been similarly shunted off to episodic spotlights. It all registers as manufactured drama so brazenly removed from the thrust of the overall storyline that no one can be bothered to even keep the change permanent between (or even within) arcs.

[JulieYBM]

Last week ended on a bit of a sour note for Kuririn, seeing him state he was scared to enter the tournament and wanted to back out. That got me thinkingーwouldn't it be cool if Super had an episode where he regains his confidence and feels brave enough to fight again?

I think this would be perfect given Super's focus on character development. Let me know your thoughts.

They could definitely frame the episode from #18's point of view, showing her struggle to find a discrete time to initiate behind-the-bushes sex with Kuririn to raise his confidence.

[VegettoEX]

I don't think it's particularly necessary, especially in light of already kinda going down that route with the training/ghosts two-parter. I can just chock that up to general nervousness regarding the circumstances coming to light; he doesn't need (another?) intervention here. I don't really think any of them do, really. That brief discussion with Goku regarding his lies is enough, combined with the fact that the damn thing's starting up in three hours. At this point, I would expect everyone to be the mature(?) adults(?) they are and step up for what they know they need to do, regardless of any misgivings they might still have.

[LightBing]

It's Kuririn's personality to have a sense of self-preservation. He almost always steps up to the task, I don't see why this particular moment needs to be addressed.

Changes are good but this is extreme, it's a core trait like Goku's love for fighting. I would even call it necessary, Kuririn has always been the "human character" someone who acts the closest to a real person in the balls to the walls situations of the Dragon Ball Universe.

[GodKaio-Ken]

I like that hes scared. He should be. Everyone should be minus I guess Goku and Vegeta as its not in their character.

It fits with Krillin though. Think about Namek....he was scared but stood up to his fear and tried to contribute. Its who he is.

[Generico Garbagio]

His confidence (or lack thereof) won't help when he gets his ass kicked in the tournament.

[Super_Divine_Genki]

One episode isn't enough. It'll need to be extended into a two-parter, for sure. That's the only way that Kuririn regaining his confidence could believably not come off as an "ass-pull". The road to regaining one's confidence is not as simple as say... becoming a SSJ for the first time during casual conversation, or enjoying a peanut butter sandwich.

Anyway, if one episode is all that the schedule could afford to Kuririn regaining confidence, then I'll let it play out and accept that at least an effort was made to even go there.

And with 3 hours to go before the tournament starts, there's plenty of time to work that in...

[Beyond]

I like that hes scared. He should be. Everyone should be minus I guess Goku and Vegeta as its not in their character.

It fits with Krillin though. Think about Namek....he was scared but stood up to his fear and tried to contribute. Its who he is.

None of the others get sacred until they realize the gap in power is beyond measurable. Piccolo used to being dwarfed. He hasn't had fight with anyone close to his power since the buu saga. Tien fired at buu without fear. 18 attacked Beerus. 17 doesn't care about living or dying. The Z fighter are messed up in the head tbh.

[Lord Beerus]

I'd say that Krillin's defining trait is how grounded and down-to-earth his reactions are in extreme scenerios. As LightBing pointed out, Krillin is the most "human" character. When shit gets heavy or stake suddenly skyrocket, he understandably gets very rattled and his confidence is affected. But at the same time he produces moments of incredible bravery when it's absolutely necessary. He's in a way an audience surrogate, because he expresses himself in the most natural way possible.

[Cipher]

One episode isn't enough. It'll need to be extended into a two-parter, for sure. That's the only way that Kuririn regaining his confidence could believably not come off as an "ass-pull". The road to regaining one's confidence is not as simple as say... becoming a SSJ for the first time during casual conversation, or enjoying a peanut butter sandwich.

A two-parter would definitely be best, but I honestly think that if Kame-Sennin just shouted some encouraging words at him during a battle against a group of opponents, for example, that would scratch my character-development itch.

[Super_Divine_Genki]

A two-parter would definitely be best, but I honestly think that if Kame-Sennin just shouted some encouraging words at him during a battle against a group of opponents, for example, that would scratch my character-development itch.

I'd buy that, coming from Kame-Sennin and all.

Also, having it be revealed that Kuririn's been on the receiving end of an on-going abusive marriage could really sell to us why he is lacking in confidence. I mean, just look how quick he is to want to give everything to his wife. Plus, there's him being constantly ridiculed or dismissed by her oftentimes when they're onscreen together as well -- even in front of his daughter and lifelong friends.

Attention needs to be given to this side of Kuririn, and ASAP...

[Basako]

I hope not, because we already had this twice in Super. One when he was fighting Frieza's soldiers and the other in Baba's forest where he fought his past enemies.

I think those were a bit out of character. Let's see, the Krilin without confidence that I remember was in the 21st budokai where he fought his former monk partners and that's all. He had the opposite problem after that, I think he was too cocky and overconfident during most DB. During Z things changed because all his enemies where way stronger than him, he was reasonably scared about them, but never as a coward or with confidence problems.

The one with real confidence problems was Yamcha. The poor guy was traumatized about his death against the Saibaman, when Frieza came to Earth the first time, he didn't want to die again. Gero finding him first and almost killing him settled it, so at the first chance he steped back, taking the ill Goku home and getting out from the battles like that. Well, at least he was brave enough to be there in the Cell games, but he retired after that. Which means his sudden will to fight again in a tournament is a bit out of character too. But looks it's not happening anyway, it's just a joke.

[GodKaio-Ken]

I like that hes scared. He should be. Everyone should be minus I guess Goku and Vegeta as its not in their character.

It fits with Krillin though. Think about Namek....he was scared but stood up to his fear and tried to contribute. Its who he is.

None of the others get sacred until they realize the gap in power is beyond measurable. Piccolo used to being dwarfed. He hasn't had fight with anyone close to his power since the buu saga. Tien fired at buu without fear. 18 attacked Beerus. 17 doesn't care about living or dying. The Z fighter are messed up in the head tbh.

I dont mean scared of their individual opponents...I mean of the Universe being erased if they fail...which I assume is what Krillin meant.

Plus I said should which is a small difference...not saying they are but they should be lol

[Orb]

I know this is a sarcastic thread but Kuririn will always be scared even with that two-parter he had. He's a regular human amidst of impossible odds. He's always scared but he always pull through in the end. Thats why he is so lovable.

[GodKaio-Ken]

I know this is a sarcastic thread but Kuririn will always be scared even with that two-parter he had. He's a regular human amidst of impossible odds. He's always scared but he always pull through in the end. Thats why he is so lovable.

This. Lol

Krillin retired because he realized there was a gap in power he couldnt overcome and probably his family as well. Its not shocking hed be worried.

Dragon Ball at its heart is a lot about (intentionally or not) standing up to overwhelming odds, especially from Demon King Poccolo on. Krillin really represents that trope well.

[Shinda Forever]

No, he already had more than enough screen time and he is boring as hell as a character. It is time to move forward to the tournament.

[FortuneSSJ]

There's already episode 75 and 76 for that. The rest is just Krillin being Krillin.

[DragonBallFoodie]

... again?

[Dpc292]

KRILLIN should have an episode having an introspective look at KRILLINS own life asking KRILLINS self whether KRILLIN should get stronger and keep fighting so that KRILLIN can protect KRILLINS own family, or whether KRILLIN should retire and be the newest Yamcha of the group and probably having android 18 Lazuli think lesser of KRILLIN after what android 18 Lazuli said to KRILLIN in that one episode where KRILLIN was doubting KRILLINS self.

[Kaboom]

KRILLIN should have an episode having an introspective look at KRILLINS own life asking KRILLINS self whether KRILLIN should get stronger and keep fighting so that KRILLIN can protect KRILLINS own family, or whether KRILLIN should retire and be the newest Yamcha of the group and probably having android 18 Lazuli think lesser of KRILLIN after what android 18 Lazuli said to KRILLIN in that one episode where KRILLIN was doubting KRILLINS self.

What's up with this? What do you evidently dislike about the character's original, pun-preserving name? There's nothing Wapanese or otherwise misguided about using it.