Karin Holy Land

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Karin Holy Land
聖地カリン (Seichi Karin)
Manga Anime The first sight of the Karin Holy Land.
English Name(s)	Land of Korin (Funi dub) Land of Karin (Funi subs) Karin Sanctuary (Viz)
Name Pun	Karintō
Manga Debut	Dragon Ball Chapter 84
Anime Debut	Dragon Ball Episode 58
Locational Data
Area	Universe 7
Planet	Earth

The Karin Holy Land is the location of Karin Tower, which leads to God's Temple. The Karin Holy Land first appears in Dragon Ball Chapter 84, which was published in the 1986 #34 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, on sale 22 July 1986.

The Holy Land is sometimes called simply "Karin", though that is also the name of Karin the Cat Hermit, who lives at the top of the tower.

Overview

The Karin Holy Land is a vast wilderness that is very sparsely inhabited by humankind. A native man named Bora lives in a small tipi at the base of Karin Tower with his young son Upa. Their clan has defended the tower for many generations; according to the legends, anyone who can climb the tower with his bare hands will find a hermit master at the top, and the climber can multiply his strength manyfold by drinking the hermit's holy water. Bora himself is not sure the legends are not myths, until Goku climbs Karin Tower.

Goku first visits Karin when he is searching for his Grandpa's Dragon Ball. Tao Pai-Pai follows him there, killing Bora and almost killing Goku himself. Goku climbs Karin Tower to drink the Super Divine Water and gain the strength to defeat Tao. After he gathers all of the Dragon Balls, he returns to Karin to summon Shenlong and resurrect Bora. Later, after Goku is defeated by Demon King Piccolo, he asks Yajirobe to take him back to Karin, where Goku drinks the Super God Water and gains the strength to defeat Piccolo. After the battle, Yajirobe takes Goku back to Karin to heal his wounds, and Karin himself introduces Goku to God so that Shenlong can be revived.

Goku trains at God's Temple for three years, and Yajirobe ends up living with Karin permanently. Goku returns to the Karin Holy Land many times over the course of the series.

Name

"Karin" comes from かりん糖 (karintō), a deep-fried Japanese snack. The Japanese word for "tower" is 塔 (tō), and Karin Tower (カリン塔 Karin-tō) is a perfect homonym for the food.

Appearances

Red Ribbon Army arc

Goku travels to the Karin Holy Land in search of his Grandpa's Four-Star Ball. He has already collected three Dragon Balls; his quest has brought him into conflict with the Red Ribbon Army under Commander Red, who wants the Dragon Balls for himself. Goku arrives at the base of Karin Tower just after Colonel Yellow and his men have been defeated by Bora, who was impervious to their bullets. Goku saves Upa from Yellow, who had kidnapped the boy in an attempt to extort the Four-Star Ball from Bora. After losing contact with Yellow, Red sends the assassin Tao Pai-Pai to Karin to kill Goku and retrieve all of his Dragon Balls.

When Tao Pai-Pai arrives, Bora insists on fighting him since it is his sworn duty to protect Karin. Tao quickly kills Bora, and though Goku manages to destroy Tao's clothes with a Kamehameha, he is overwhelmed by Tao's superior strength, ultimately falling to his Dodonpa technique. Tao takes Goku's bag of Dragon Balls and leaves him for dead, stopping by a tailor on the way back to Red Ribbon Army Headquarters. He calls to inform them of the delay, and Assistant Black notices on their Dragon Radar that Tao seems to have left a Dragon Ball behind. Indeed, the Four-Star Ball in Goku's shirt saved him from the Dodonpa, but Tao believes Goku is dead and tells Red he will retrieve the other ball when his clothes are finished in three days.

Goku recovers quickly and vows to use the Dragon Balls to bring Bora back to life. When Upa tells him that the other Dragon Balls are gone, Goku realizes that Tao will come back for the one he missed, and he is not sure he can win. Upa suggests he climb Karin Tower. Goku thinks this is a great idea, and he tells Upa to hide in case Tao comes back while he is gone. Goku climbs through the night and reaches the top of the tower the next morning. There he meets Karin, the Cat Hermit. Goku must capture the Super Divine Water from Karin in order to drink it, and Karin is a martial arts master. When Goku complains that he is weak from hunger, Karin gives him a senzu, a magical bean that will keep him sated for ten days. Then Karin tells him that his master, Muten Rōshi, was the last to reach the top of the tower; it was about 300 years ago, and it took him three years to capture the water.

Goku knows he cannot wait three years to fulfill his promise to Upa, so he makes his best effort to steal it more quickly. Karin tells him that his climbing the tower has already increased his strength, so he takes the bag with Goku's Four-Star Ball and tosses it over the side of the tower, forcing Goku to go back down to retrieve it. He returns in only three hours. The next morning, he captures the water. He drinks it, and tells Karin he does not feel any different. Karin tells him that is because it is ordinary water. Nevertheless, his strength has already increased manyfold. Goku realizes this is true, and happily returns to the sanctuary below.

Tao Pai-Pai returns to Karin before Goku reaches the bottom. He finds Upa and demands the Dragon Ball, but Upa does not know where it is. Tao believes he is hiding it somewhere and threatens his life, but then Goku arrives and calls Kinto'un to keep Upa safe while he fights Tao. Goku demonstrates the strength he has gained and explains that he went to the top of the tower. Tao cannot believe that the legends of Karin were true, but he thanks Goku for the information. Goku is able to catch Tao's Dodonpa with his hands. Desperate, Tao takes out a capsule with a sword inside of it. Goku is pressed, so Upa runs to fetch his Nyoi-bō. Goku uses it to break Tao's sword, and promises to beat Tao barehanded. In a last-ditch effort, Tao begs for mercy, confusing Goku. Then he tosses a bomb at Goku and jumps high into the air. Goku kicks the bomb back up toward him and it detonates, seeming to kill Tao. Goku takes off to get the rest of the Dragon Balls from the Red Ribbon Army.

Fortuneteller Crone arc

Goku defeats the Red Ribbon Army single-handedly, but still needs to find the last Dragon Ball to resurrect Bora. He meets up with his friends and tells Muten Rōshi about climbing Karin Tower and drinking the Super Divine Water. Goku's master cannot believe he managed it so quickly when it had taken him three years. Since Goku believes that his Dragon Radar is broken, they return to Kame House so that Bulma can repair it. After inspecting it, she tells him it is not actually broken; the Dragon Ball might have been swallowed, which could shield it from her radar. The Turtle Hermit suggests they go see the Fortuneteller Crone to determine its location.

Yamcha takes Goku to get some new clothes made, and while they are waiting, Goku decides to return to Karin to get Upa, who will be excited to hear how close they are to getting the final ball. Upa has never left Karin, but he agrees to go with Goku to the Fortuneteller Crone's palace, where they must fight in a tournament to win her services. Upa plays his own part in their success, though Goku ultimately wins the tournament by defeating...his dead Grandpa! After Goku wrests the final Dragon Ball from the Pilaf Gang, he and Upa return to Karin to summon Shenlong. With Goku's encouragement, Upa speaks the wish to return his father, and then Bora climbs out of the earth where Upa had buried him. Before the Dragon Balls are scattered, Goku jumps up to grab his Grandpa's Four-Star Ball. Bora thanks him and offers to feast him, but Goku's friends are waiting for him. As he departs on Kinto'un, Bora tells Upa that from this day on, he should live each day as courageously as Goku.